Meantime, James apologized to Nelly for his intrusion, on the ground, that, becoming tired of waiting, and hearing she had gone out for a wait, he had started to meet them, but was about to turn back, fearing to interrupt them, when John’s rudeness compelled him to appear.  The excuse was accepted; and James soon occupied the seat recently vacated by poor John.  So well did he avail himself of the circumstances, that he succeeded in convincing Nelly that his brother was a very ill-tempered person, whom it would be well for her to avoid.  On this, with the true instinct of a flirt, she endeavored to persuade him that she had never really cared for John’s attentions.  James was but too willing to be convinced of this; and he parted from her, feeling satisfied that his suit would be successful.

Knowing well that his life was scarcely safe, if he were for a moment alone with John, after that night, James constantly exercised such caution as prevented the possibility of an encounter.  He was determined as soon as possible to leave that neighborhood, always provided that Nelly would go with him.  For some time he considered this as certain.  John carefully avoided her, and no new suitor appeared.

I fear that pretty Nelly was a thorough coquette; for, having nearly broken one brother’s heart, she very soon tired of the other, for whom she had never really cared a straw.  These two men being the last to fall into her toils, she began to sigh wearily over her too easily captured victims, when her fickle fancy was caught by game more worthy so expert a sportsman.

It happened that at this time there came to the village a gentleman from New York, named Brooke, a bachelor of known wealth.  He was perhaps forty years old, and had run through a course of reckless dissipation which had rendered him thoroughly tired of city ways and city women.  On the very first Sunday after his arrival, as he stood idly lounging at the church-door, his eye was caught by Nelly’s fresh, rosy face.  He followed her into church, and spent the time of service in staring her out of countenance.  It will be readily imagined that she was not slow to follow up this first impression; and but few days elapsed before their acquaintance had ripened into intimacy.

Of course, his unceasing attentions could not fail of attracting notice and exciting remark; and it was not long before they came to the ears of the Blounts.  John received the news with sullen indifference.  It mattered little to him whom she liked now.  James, however, refused to believe that there could be anything in it, regarding it as a mere passing caprice.  In this view most of the village-people coincided; they considered it absurd to suppose that there could be anything serious in Mr. Brooke’s devotion.  Time would probably have proved the correctness of this supposition, had it not been, fortunately for Nelly, that she had a father with more steadiness of mind than her giddy brain was capable of.  Mr. Curtis succeeded in turning the rapid attachment to such advantage, that in three weeks from the time of their first meeting they were not only engaged, but actually married.