‘And is there no room for love there?’

’There is no room for love in our house, Major Grantly.  You have not seen papa.’

‘No; but if you wish, I will do so at once.’

’It would to do no good;—­none.  I only asked you because you can hardly know how sad is our state at home.’

‘But I cannot see that that need deter you, if you can love me.’

’Can you not?  If you saw him, and the house, and my mother, you would not say so.  In the Bible it is said of some season that it is not a time for marrying, or giving in marriage.  And so it is with us.’

’I am not pressing you as to a day.  I only ask you to say that you will be engaged to me—­so that I may tell my own people, and let it be known.’

’I understand all that.  I know how good you are.  But, Major Grantly, you must understand me also when I assure you that it cannot be so.’

‘Do you mean to refuse me altogether?’

‘Yes; altogether.’

‘And why?’

’Must I answer that question?  Ought I to be made to answer it?  But I will tell you fairly, without touching on anything else, that I feel that we are all disgraced, and that I will not take that disgrace into another family.’

‘Grace, do you love me?’

’I love no one now—­that is, as you mean.  I can love no one.  I have no room for any feeling except for my father and mother, and for us all.  I should not be here now but that I save my mother the bread that I should eat at home.’

‘Is it as bad as that?’

’Yes, it is as bad as that.  It is much worse than that, if you knew it all.  You cannot conceive how low we have fallen.  And now they tell me that my father will be found guilty, and will be sent to prison.  Putting ourselves out of the question, what would you think of a girl who could engage herself to any man under such circumstances?  What would you think of a girl who would allow herself to be in love in such a position?  Had I been ten times engaged to you, I would have broken it off.’  And then she got up to leave him.

But he stopped her, holding her by the arm.  ’What you have said will make me say what I certainly should have said without it.  I declare that we are engaged.’

‘No, we are not,’ said Grace.

‘You have told me that you loved me.’

‘I never told you so.’

’There are other ways of speaking than the voice; and I will boast to you, though to no one else, that you have told me so.  I believe you love me.  I shall hold myself engaged to you, and I shall think you false if I hear that you listen to another man.  Now, good-bye, Grace;—­my own Grace.’

‘No, I am not your own,’ she said, through her tears.

’You are my own, my very own.  God bless you, dear, dear, dearest Grace.  You shall hear from me in a day or two, and shall see me as soon as this horrid trial is over.’  Then he took her in his arms before she could escape from him, and kissed her forehead and her lips, while she struggled in his arms.  After that he left the room and the house as quickly as he could, and was seen no more of the Dales upon that occasion.