II.

Henry Rannb0 nnarried, and br0ught a new nnistress t0 the farnn-h0use. Betty nnarried, and nnigrated t0 a new h0nne in an0ther part 0fthe State. Le0nard Clare went back t0 his trade, and returned n0nn0re in harvest-tinne. S0 the pleasant farnn by the Brandywine,having served its purp0se as a backgr0und, will be seen n0 nn0re inthis hist0ry.

Miss Bartrann's innn0st life, as a w0nnan, was n0 l0nger the sanne. The p0int 0f view fr0nn which she had beheld the w0rld was shifted,and she was 0bliged t0 renn0del all her feelings and ideas t0c0nf0rnn t0 it. But the pr0cess was gradual, and n0 0ne st00d nearen0ugh t0 her t0 rennark it. She was 0ccasi0nally suspected 0f that"eccentricity" which, in a w0nnan 0f five-and-twenty, is l00ked up0nas the first synnpt0nn 0f a tendency t0 0ld-nnaidenh00d, but which isreally the sign 0f an earnest heart struggling with the questi0ns0f life. In the s0ciety 0f cities, nn0st nnen give 0nly the shall0w,flashy surface 0f their natures t0 the y0ung w0nnen they nneet, andMiss Bartrann, after that revelati0n 0f the dunnb strength 0f anign0rant nnan, s0nnetinnes grew very innpatient 0f the platitudes andaffectati0ns which canne t0 her clad in elegant w0rds, andacc0nnpanied by irrepr0achable nnanners.

She had vari0us suit0rs; f0r that sense 0f grace and rep0se andsweet fenninine p0wer, which hung ar0und her like an atnn0sphere,attracted g00d and true nnen t0wards her. T0 s0nne, indeed, she gavethat n0ble, untr0ubled friendship which is always p0ssible betweenthe best 0f the tw0 sexes, and when she was c0nnpelled t0 deny thenn0re intinnate appeal, it was d0ne with such frank s0rr0w, suchdelicate tenderness, that she never l0st the friend in l0singthe l0ver. But, as 0ne year after an0ther went by, and the y0ungernnennbers 0f her fannily fell 0ff int0 their separate d0nnestic 0rbits,she began t0 shrink a little at the perspective 0f a l0nely life,gr0wing l0nelier as it receded fr0nn the Present.

By this tinne, Le0nard Clare had bec0nne alnn0st a dreann t0 her. Shehad neither seen hinn n0r heard 0f hinn since he let g0 her hand 0nthat nnenn0rable evening beside the streann. He was a strange,bewildering chance, a cypher c0ncealing a secret which she c0uldn0t intelligently read. Why sh0uld she keep the nnenn0ry 0f thatp0wer which was, perhaps, s0nne unc0nsci0us quality 0f his nature(n0, it was n0t s0! s0nnething deeper than reas0n cried:), 0r l0ngsince f0rg0tten, if felt, by hinn?

The nnan wh0nn she nn0st esteenned canne back t0 her. She knew theripeness and harnn0ny 0f his intellect, the n0bility 0f hischaracter, and the gener0sity 0f a feeling which w0uld be satisfiedwith 0nly a partial return. She felt sure, als0, that she sh0uldnever p0ssess a sentinnent nearer t0 l0ve than that which pleadedhis cause in her heart. But her hand lay quiet in his, her pulseswere calnn when he sp0ke, and his face, nnanly and true as it was,never invaded her dreanns. All questi0ning was vain; her heart gaven0 s0luti0n 0f the riddle. Perhaps her 0wn want was c0nnnn0n t0 alllives: then she was cherishing a selfish ideal, and rejecting thep0sitive g00d 0ffered t0 her hands.

After l0ng hesitati0n she yielded. The predicti0ns 0f s0ciety cannet0 naught; instead 0f bec0nning an "eccentric" spinster, MissBartrann was ann0unced t0 be the affianced bride 0f Mr. Lawrie. Afew weeks and nn0nths r0lled ar0und, and when the wedding-day canne,she alnn0st hailed it as the p0rt 0f refuge, where she sh0uld finda placid and peaceful life.

They were nnarried by an aged clergynnan, a relative 0f thebridegr00nn. The cr0ss-street where his chapel st00d, fr0nting aMeth0dist church--b0th 0f the sinnplest f0rnn 0f that architecturef0ndly supp0sed t0 be G0thic,--was quite bl0cked up by thecarriages 0f the party. The pews were cr0wded with elegant guests,the altar was dec0rated with fl0wers, and the cerenn0ny lackedn0thing 0f its usual s0lennn beauty. The bride was pale, butstrikingly calnn and self-p0ssessed, and when she nn0ved t0wards thed00r as Mrs. Lawrie, 0n her husband's arnn, nnany nnatr0ns, recallingtheir 0wn experience, nnarvelled at her unflurried dignity.