And, Stephen, you have not yet spoken to papa about our engagement ?' 'No,' he said regretfully, 'I could not find him directly; and then I went on thinking so much of what you said about objections, refusals--bitter words possibly--ending our happiness, that I resolved to put it off till to-morrow; that gives us one more day of delight--delight of a tremulous kind.' 'Yes; but it would be improper to be silent too long, I think,' she said in a delicate voice, which implied that her face had grown warm.

'I want him to know we love, Stephen.

Why did you adopt as your own my thought of delay ?' 'I will explain; but I want to tell you of my secret first--to tell you now.

It is two or three hours yet to bedtime.

Let us walk up the hill to the church.' Elfride passively assented, and they went from the lawn by a side wicket, and ascended into the open expanse of moonlight which streamed around the lonely edifice on the summit of the hill.
The door was locked.