"Which brings forth flowers," he added; "but I quite agree with you, they are foolish; but then the mere human heart cannot boast of unerring wisdom. How stupid it is," he said, changing his tone, "to be walking round this mare! This is no god or diable there; let us pursue that avenue before us; we will return hither. Now," he continued, when they were side by side in a quiet alley, "tell me how one may school the heart not to offer itself up in sacrifice?"
"There is no such thing as an appreciated sacrifice," she said proudly, "for a woman; to offer one, there must be a not desecrated altar—man's heart never could be such; they are all deceitful, and profaned—on the like, I should trample as on a reptile!"
"It might turn, and leave an unerring sting."
"How? I do not understand you!"
"In bruising a weed, we may trample on a flower; and our own heart never arise to vigour or life again." As he spoke, he leaned almost over her saddle-bow, and looked in her face.
"I do not fear that, but we were speaking of the thing we dare not love. Such a love I would look upon, in all its phases, till my eye grew tired, and my heart sunk to rest."
"What constitutes that which we dare not love?"
"The thing we should sacrifice too much in loving, and, so doing, lose our own weight in the balance, and—"
"And," he interrupted, "be slighted by the person we fear to love, not being certain of gaining love for love, and gratitude, everlasting gratitude, for the word which raised us from despair to generous hope!"
Her hand trembled on the bridle-rein, his eyes were fixed upon her downcast lid, and her lip was quivering with its effort not to speak. At that moment a close carriage passed them, in which was an invalid, a lady, and child. It was going very slowly—the invalid was Minnie, the child and woman, little Miles and Mary. This latter endeavoured to veil the vision before them by leaning across, but Minnie had seen all; his look, air, their closely-drawn figures, and grasping Mary's hand she became pale as death. Mary had been urging, and she had almost consented to Skaife's telling Tremenhere that she lived!