Lawrence Newt was alarmed.  “Does she mean to convey to me delicately that there may be cases of true mutual love where it is better not to marry?” thought he.  “Where, for instance, there is a difference of age perhaps, or where there has been some other and earlier attachment?”

“I mean,” said Amy, as if answering his thoughts, “that there may sometimes be reasons why even lovers should not marry—­reasons which every noble man and woman understand; and therefore I do not agree with you that it is always a pity for a girl not to be married.”

Lawrence Newt said nothing.  Amy Waring’s voice almost trembled with emotion, for she knew that her companion might easily misunderstand what she said; and yet there was no way to help it.  At any rate, thought she, he will see that I do not mean to drop into his arms.

They walked silently on.  The people in the street passed them like spectres.  The great city hummed around them unheard.  Lawrence Newt said to himself, half bitterly, “So you have waked up at last, have you?  You have found that because a beautiful young woman is kind to you, it does not follow that she will one day be your wife.”

Neither spoke.  “She sees,” thought Lawrence Newt, “that I love her, and she wishes to spare me the pain of hearing that it is in vain.”

“At least,” he thought, with tenderness and longing toward the beautiful girl that walked beside him—­“at least, I was not mistaken.  She was nobler and lovelier than I supposed.”

At length he said,

“I have written to ask Hope Wayne to go and hear my preacher to-morrow.  Miss Amy, will you go too?”

She looked at him and bowed.  Her eyes were glistening with tears.

“My dearest Miss Amy,” said Lawrence Newt, impetuously, seizing her hand, as her face turned toward him.

“Oh! please, Mr. Newt—­please—­” she answered, hastily, in a tone of painful entreaty, withdrawing her hand from his grasp, confused and very pale.

The words died upon his lips.

“Forgive me—­forgive me!” he said, with an air of surprise and sadness, and with a voice trembling with tenderness and respect.  “She can not bear to give me the pain of plainly saying that she does not love me,” thought Lawrence; and he gently took her hand and laid her arm in his, as if to show that now they understood each other perfectly, and all was well.

“At least, Miss Amy,” he said, by-and-by, tranquilly, and with the old cheerfulness, “at least we shall be friends.”

Amy Waring bent her head and was silent.  It seemed to her that she was suffocating, for his words apprised her how strangely he had mistaken her meaning.

They said nothing more.  Arm in arm they passed up Broadway.  Every moment Amy Waring supposed the merchant would take leave of her and return to his office.  But every moment he was farther from doing it.  Abel Newt and Grace Plumer passed them, and opened their eyes; and Grace said to Abel,