"O Jem, did I tell you? Father sent word he wished to speak with
you. I was to bid you come to him at eight to-night. What can he
want, Jem?"
"I cannot tell," replied he. "At any rate, I'll go. It's no use
troubling ourselves to guess," he continued, after a pause for a few
minutes, during which they slowly and silently paced up and down the
by-street, into which he had led her when their conversation began.
"Come and see mother, and then I'll take thee home, Mary. Thou wert
all in a tremble when first I came up to thee; thou'rt not fit to be
trusted home by thyself," said he, with fond exaggeration of her
helplessness.
Yet a little more lovers' loitering! a few more words, in themselves
nothing--to you nothing--but to those two, what tender passionate
language can I use to express the feelings which thrilled through
that young man and maiden, as they listened to the syllables made
dear and lovely through life by that hour's low-whispered talk.
It struck the half-hour past seven.
"Come and speak to mother; she knows you're to be her daughter,
Mary, darling.
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