And, James, if you must go before me, and leave me a widow before I am a bride, it would render more tolerable the short time that would be left me before I followed you, to think that you had fallen like him." "There will be a chance of it, Agnes," said James, "for Stuart, they say, is going to Italy, and I go with him.

There will be a long and bloody war, and who knows how it will end?
Stay you here quiet with the old man, my love, and pray for me; the end will come some day.

I am only eighteen and an ensign; in ten years I may be a colonel." They parted that night with tears and kisses, and a few days afterwards James went from among them to join his regiment.
From that time Agnes almost lived with old Marmaduke.

Her father's castle could be seen over the trees from the windows of Clere, and every morning, wet or dry, the old man posted himself in the great north window of the gallery to watch her coming.

All day she would pervade the gloomy old mansion like a ray of sunlight, now reading to him, now leading him into the flower-garden in fine weather, till he grew quite fond of flowers for her sake, and began even to learn the names of some of them.