Hilda waved her hand.
"You do not understand," said she, as she rose. "Some day you will understand all."
"Then I will wait," said Gualtier, humbly. "I have waited for years. I can still wait. I only live for you. Forgive me."
Hilda looked away, and Gualtier sat, looking thoughtfully and sadly at her.
"There is one thing," said he, "which you were fortunate to think of. You guarded against a danger which I did not anticipate."
"Ah!" said Hilda, roused by the mention of danger. "What is that?"
"The discovery of so humble a person as myself. Thanks to you, my assumed name has saved me. But at the same time it led to an embarrassing position, from which I only escaped by my own wit."
"What do you allude to?" asked Hilda, with languid curiosity.
"Oh, it's the doctor. You know he has been attending Mrs. Hart. Well, some time ago, before I left for London, he met me, and talked about things in general. Whenever he meets me he likes to get up a conversation, and I generally avoid him; but this time I couldn't. After a time, with a great appearance of concern, he said:
