that it should ever have been made, she would certainly refuse the man,
if he were to propose to her now. She would refuse him, and then the man
would be free;--free to change his mind if he saw fit. Considering all
these things, craftily in the exercise of her friendship, too cunningly,
I fear, to satisfy the claims of a high morality, she resolved that the
major had better not see Miss Crawley at the present moment. Miss
Prettyman paused before she replied, and, when she did speak, Major
Grantly had risen from his chair and was standing with his back to the
fire. 'Major Grantly,' she said, 'you shall see if you please, and if
she pleases; but I doubt whether her answer at such a moment as this
would be that which you would wish to receive.'

'You think she would refuse me?'

'I do not think she would accept you now. She would feel--I am sure she
would feel, that these hours of her father's sorrow are not hours in
which love should be either offered or accepted. You shall, however, see
her if you please.'

The major allowed himself a moment for thought; and as he thought he
sighed. Grace Crawley had become more beautiful in his eyes than ever,
was endowed by these words from Miss Prettyman with new charms and
brighter virtues than he had seen before. Let come what might he would
ask her to be his wife on some future day; if he did not ask her now.
For the present, perhaps, he had better be guided by Miss Prettyman.
'Then I will not see her,' he said.

'I think that would be the wiser course.'

'Of course you knew before this that I--loved her?'