‘And as for love—­’

‘Don’t talk about it,’ said he, getting up from his chair.  ’Don’t talk about it.  You will drive me frantic.’

’You know what my feelings are, Thomas; you have always known them.  There has been no change since I was the young thing you first knew me.’  As she spoke, she just touched his hand with hers; but he did not seem to notice this, sitting with his elbow on the arm of his chair and his forehead on his hand.  In reply to what she said to him, he merely shook his head not intending to imply thereby any doubt of the truth of her assertion.  ’You have now to make up your mind, and to be bold, Thomas,’ continued Arabella.’she says that you are a coward; but I know that you are no coward.  I told her so, and she said that I was interfering.  Oh that she should be able to tell me that I interfere when I defend you!’

‘I must go,’ said Mr Gibson, jumping up from his chair.  ’I must go.  Bella, I cannot stand this any longer.  It is too much for me.  I will pray that I may decide aright.  God bless you!’ Then he kissed her brow as she lay in bed, and hurried out of the room.

He had hoped to go from the house without further converse with any of its inmates; for his mind was disturbed, and he longed to be at rest.  But he was not allowed to escape so easily.  Camilla met him at the dining-room door, and accosted him with a smile.  There had been time for much meditation during the last half hour, and Camilla had meditated.  ‘How do you find her, Thomas?’ she asked.

’She seems weak, but I believe she is better.  I have been reading to her.’

’Come in, Thomas will you not?  It is bad for us to stand talking on the stairs.  Dear Thomas, don’t let us be so cold to each other.’  He had no alternative but to put his arm round her waist, and kiss her, thinking, as he did so, of the mysterious agency which afflicted him.  ’Tell me that you love me, Thomas,’ she said.

‘Of course I love you.’  The question is not a pleasant one when put by a lady to a gentleman whose affections towards her are not strong, and it requires a very good actor to produce an efficient answer.

’I hope you do, Thomas.  It would be sad, indeed, if you did not.  You are not weary of your Camilla are you?’

For a moment there came upon him an idea that he would confess that he was weary of her, but he found at once that such an effort was beyond his powers.  ‘How can you ask such a question?’ he said.

‘Because you do not come to me.’  Camilla, as she spoke, laid her head upon his shoulder and wept.  ’And now you have been five minutes with me and nearly an hour with Bella.’

‘She wanted me to read to her,’ said Mr Gibson, and he hated himself thoroughly as he said it.

‘And now you want to get away as fast as you can,’ continued Camilla.

‘Because of the morning service,’ said Mr Gibson.  This was quite true, and yet he hated himself again for saying it.  As Camilla knew the truth of the last plea, she was obliged to let him go; but she made him swear before he went that he loved her dearly.  ‘I think it’s all right,’ she said to herself as he went down the stairs.  ’I don’t think he’d dare make it wrong.  If he does, o-oh!’