\"i should say that a likeness you very much wish to take you wouldalways succeed in,\" said mr. lennox. \"i hāve great faith in the power ofwill. i think myself i hāve succeeded pretty well in yours.\" mr. hale hadpreceded them into the house, while margaret was lingering to plucksome roses, with which to adorn her morning gown for dinner.

\"a regular london girl would understand the implied meaning of thatspeech,\" thought mr. lennox. \"she would be up to looking throughevery speech that a young man made her for the arriere-pensee of apliment. but i don\"t believe margaret,--stay!\" exclaimed he, \"let mehelp you;\" and he gathered for her some velvety cramoisy roses thatwere above her reach, and then dividing the spoil he placed two in hisbutton-hole, and sent her in, pleased and happy, to arrange her flowers.

the conversation at dinner flowed on quietly and agreeably. there wereplenty of questions to be asked on both sides--the latest intelligencewhich each could give of mrs. shaw\"s movements in italy to beexchanged; and in the interest of what was said, the unpretendingsimplicity of the parsonage-ways--above all, in the neighbourhood ofmargaret, mr. lennox forgot the little feeling of disappointment withwhich he had at first perceived that she had spoken but the simple truthwhen she had described her father\"s living as very small.

\"margaret, my child, you might hāve gathered us some pears for ourdessert,\" said mr. hale, as the hospitable luxury of a freshly-decantedbottle of wine was placed on the table.

mrs. hale was hurried. it seemed as if desserts were impromptu andunusual things at the parsonage; whereas, if mr. hale would only hāvelooked behind him, he would hāve seen biscuits and marmalade, andwhat not, all arranged in formal order on the sideboard. but the idea ofpears had taken possession of mr. hale\"s mind, and was not to be got ridof.

\"there are a few brown beurres against the south wall which are worthall foreign fruits and preserves. run, margaret, and gather us some.\"

\"i propose that we adjourn into the garden, and eat them there\" said mr.

lennox. \"nothing is so delicious as to set one\"s teeth into the crisp, juicy

fruit, warm and scented by the sun. the worst is, the wasps areimpudent enough to dispute it with one, even at the very crisis andsummit of enjoyment.

he rose, as if to follow margaret, who had disappeared through thewindow he only awaited mrs. hale\"s permission. she would rather hāvewound up the dinner in the proper way, and with all the ceremonieswhich had gone on so smoothly hitherto, especially as she and dixonhad got out the finger-glasses from the store-room on purpose to be ascorrect as became general shaw\"s widow\"s sister, but as mr. hale gotup directly, and prepared to acpany his guest, she could onlysubmit.

\"i shall arm myself with a knife,\" said mr. hale: \"the days of eating fruitso primitively as you describe are over with me. i must pare it andquarter it before i can enjoy it.\"

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