of being talked to, and perhaps thought that he should by rights be
allowed to sit by her, and hold her hand. No such privileges were
accorded to him. If they had been alone together, walking side by
side on the green turf, as lovers should walk, she would soon have
found the use of her tongue,--have talked fast enough no doubt.
Under such circumstances, when a girl's shyness has given way to
real intimacy, there is in general no end to her power of chatting.
But though there was much love between Aaron and Susan, there was as
yet but little intimacy. And then, let a mother be ever so
motherly--and no mother could have more of a mother's tenderness
than Mrs. Bell--still her presence must be a restraint. Aaron was
very fond of Mrs. Bell; but nevertheless he did sometimes wish that
some domestic duty would take her out of the parlour for a few happy
minutes. Susan went out very often, but Mrs. Bell seemed to be a
fixture.

Once for a moment he did find his love alone, immediately as he came
into the house. "My own Susan, you do love me? do say so to me
once." And he contrived to slip his arm round her waist. "Yes,"
she whispered; but she slipped like an eel from his hands, and left
him only preparing himself for a kiss. And then when she got to her
room, half frightened, she clasped her hands together, and bethought
herself that she did really love him with a strength and depth of
love which filled her whole existence. Why could she not have told
him something of all this?

And so the few days of his second sojourn at Saratoga passed away,
not altogether satisfactorily. It was settled that he should return
to New York on Saturday night, leaving Saratoga on that evening; and
as the Beckards--Hetta was already regarded quite as a Beckard--were