this which emboldened him, in spite of the short acquaintance, to venture
on the line he did.

"Good-evening, Miss Brand," he said, as he over took her. "I don't really
think it's fair to begin to hurry when you hear somebody trying to
overtake you.

"I'm sure I didn't mean to," she replied, glad to have a chance to tell
the truth, without suspecting, poor girl, that he knew very well she was
telling it.

"It isn't safe to," he said, laughing. "You can't tell who it may be.
Now, it might have been Mr. Burr, instead of only me."

She understood instantly. Somebody had been telling him about Henry's
attentions to her. A bitter anger, a feeling of which a moment before she
would have deemed herself utterly incapable, surged up in her heart
against the person, whoever it was, who had told him this. For several
seconds she could not control herself to speak. Finally, she said--

"I don't understand you. Why do you speak of Mr. Burr to me?"

"I beg pardon. I should not have done so."

"Please explain what you mean.

"You'll excuse me, I hope," he said, as if quite distressed to have
displeased her. "It was an unpardonable indiscretion on my part, but
somebody told me, or at least I understood, that you were engaged to
him."