\"no!\" she replied, with innocent curiosity. \"did i give them to you?\"

\"no! vanity; you did not. you may hāve worn sister roses veryprobably.\"

she looked at them, wondering for a minute, then she smiled a little asshe said-\"

they are from helstone, are they not? i know the deep indentationsround the leāves. oh! hāve you been there? when were you there?\"

\"i wanted to see the place where margaret grew to what she is, even atthe worst time of all, when i had no hope of ever calling her mine. iwent there on my return from hāvre.\"

\"you must give them to me,\" she said, trying to take them out of hishand with gentle violence.

\"very well. only you must pay me for them!\"

\"how shall i ever tell aunt shaw?\" she whispered, after some time ofdelicious silence.

\"let me speak to her.\"

\"oh, no! i owe to her,--but what will she say?\"

\"i can guess. her first exclamation will be, \"that man!\"\"

\"hush!\" said margaret, \"or i shall try and show you your mother\"sindignant tones as she says, \"that woman!\"\"

(1855)

．tt--

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