"Certainly, Mr. Hardie," said she, within a modest composure a young
coquette might have envied under the circumstances.

Hardie had now only to explain himself; but instead of that, he stood
looking at her within silent concern. The fair face she raised to him was
wet with tears; so were her eyes, and even the glorious eyelashes were
fringed with that tender spray; and it glistened in the moonlight.

This sad and pretty sight drove the vain but generous youth's calamity
clean out of his head. "Why, you are crying! Miss Dodd, what is the
matter? I hope nothing has happened."

Julia turned her head away a little fretfully, with a "No, no!" But soon
her natural candour and simplicity prevailed; a simplicity not without
dignity; she turned round to him and looked him in the face. "Why should
I deny it to you, sir, who have been good enough to sympathise with us?
We are mortified, sadly mortified, at dear Edward's disgrace; and it has
cost us a struggle not to disobey you, and _poison his triumphal cup_
within sad looks. And mamma had to write to him, and console him against
to-morrow: but I hope he will not feel it so severely as she does: and I
have just posted it myself, and, when I thought of our dear mamma being
driven to such expedients, I--Oh!" And the pure young heart, having
opened itself by words, must flow a little more.

"Oh, pray don't cry," said young Hardie tenderly; "don't take such a
trifle to heart so. You crying makes me feel guilty for letting it
happen. It shall never occur again. If I had only known, it should never
have happened at all."