experienced, as Sylvester entered, mingled feelings of embarrassment and joy. At first she turned pale—deadly pale—and then, in an instant, her face and neck were crimson. She tried to speak to him, but could not: and while her bosom heaved with emotion, her lips quivered convulsively as she returned his graceful bow.
Sylvester perceived this—had he failed to perceive it his perceptive faculties would have been indeed dull—he perceived it at once, and marvelled. She had interested him the previous evening, but the interest he then felt was really intense. Their eyes met constantly: both tried to avoid this but neither could do it: one could not glance at the other without being glanced at in return. The principle of reciprocal attraction was never more clearly defined.
At length, embracing an opportunity, she approached him, and, in trembling accents, expressed an earnest hope that she should frequently have the pleasure of seeing him—hinted at the happiness of which his presence was the source, and then, taking off her most valuable ring, begged of him, with an expression of fervour, to accept and to keep it in remembrance of her.
Sylvester was manifestly reluctant to do this. He did not at all like to take the ring, and explained to her that he couldn't think of doing so for a moment.
"Pray do," she exclaimed, "for my sake; it will give me more pleasure than I can express."
"Well," said Sylvester, "if I take it, it must be on this condition, that you accept from me a present of equal value in return."
"I will do so," she earnestly replied; "I care not for the value—the intrinsic value—anything that I may keep—"
"Hollo!" cried Tom, gaily, who, turning at that moment, saw them in close conversation. "We are dot goidg to stadd that, you kdow: I call it a bodopoly!"
Julia smiled, and on the instant retreated.
"Well, I say," continued Tom, "tibe's up."
"I'm quite ready," said Sylvester.
"Well, thed we'll trot."
Tom then proceeded to bid his friends adieu, and while he was doing so, Sylvester—who felt at the time, somewhat embarrassed—bowed gracefully to Julia, who bowed with equal grace in return.
"Well, good bye," said Tom, addressing Julia; "good bye."
Julia again smiled, for she felt very happy, and Tom followed Sylvester out.
"Fide girl, isd't she?" said Tom. "Out add out. There's do bistake about her—a regular brick!"
"She appears to be very amiable," said Sylvester.
"She has a good heart, Syl—ad excelledt heart. I'll just tell you what she did a short tibe ago. Wud of our fellows had spedt all his buddy. He was a rattler to go alodg, add whedever he had buddy he bade it fly. Well, the tibe was cobe for hib to prepare id eardest to pass; but he foudd that he couldd't raise buddy edough eved to pay for his grididg—"
