He handed this letter to his daughter to read, but she refused.  “I have implicit confidence in you,” said she.

Mr. Coventry acknowledged receipt of the letter, thanked Mr. Carden for the kind and feeling way in which he had inflicted the wound, and said that he had a verbal communication to make before he could quite drop the matter; would be down in about a fort-night.

Soon after this Grace dined with Mrs. Little:  and, the week after that, Henry contrived to meet her at a ball, and, after waiting patiently some time, he waltzed with her.

This waltz was another era in their love.  It was an inspired whirl of two lovers, whose feet hardly felt the ground, and whose hearts bounded and thrilled, and their cheeks glowed, and their eyes shot fire; and when Grace was obliged to stop, because the others stopped, her elastic and tense frame turned supple and soft directly, and she still let her eyes linger on his, and her hand nestle in his a moment:  this, and a faint sigh of pleasure and tenderness, revealed how sweet her partner was to her.

Need I say the first waltz was not the last? and that evening they were more in love than ever, if possible.

Mr. Coventry came down from London, and, late that evening, he and Mr. Carden met at the Club.

Mr. Carden found him in an arm-chair, looking careworn and unhappy, and felt quite sorry for him.  He hardly knew what to say to him; but Coventry with his usual grace relieved him; he rose, and shook hands, and even pressed Mr. Carden’s hand, and held it.

Mr. Carden was so touched, that he pressed his hand in return, and said, “Courage! my poor fellow; the case is not desperate, you know.”

Mr. Coventry shook his head, and sat down.  Mr. Carden sat down beside him.

“Why, Coventry, it is not as if there was another attachment.”

“There is another attachment; at least I have too much reason to fear so.  But you shall judge for yourself.  I have long paid my respectful addresses to Miss Carden, and I may say without vanity that she used to distinguish me beyond her other admirers; I was not the only one who thought so; Mr. Raby has seen us together, and he asked me to meet her at Raby Hall.  There I became more particular in my attentions, and those attentions, sir, were well received.”

“But were they understood? that is the question.”

“Understood and received, upon my honor.”

“Then she will marry you, soon or late:  for I’m sure there is no other man.  Grace was never deceitful.”

“All women are deceitful.”

“Oh, come!”

“Let me explain:  all women, worthy of the name, are cowards; and cowardice drives them to deceit, even against their will.  Pray bear me to an end.  On the fifth of last December, I took Miss Carden to the top of Cairnhope hill.  I showed her Bollinghope in the valley, and asked her to be its mistress.”