When we did, however, it seemed very hard for me to speak to her in cold conventional terms—when, my heart was overflowing with love towards her; and, this made me appear constrained; while, she showed a shy avoidance of me, which, only natural as it was, pained me—although I was certain, all the time, that she had not changed towards me in the least.
Really, if it had not been for the kind contrivances of dear little Miss Pimpernell, I don’t think we would have met for a long, long time, at all.
Now, that my days were fully occupied at “the office,” you know, I could not meet her out, or see her at the window; and, in spite of her mother’s gracious intimation that I might call occasionally, I did not care about going there in the evening to be stared into formality under her icy eye.
When Christmastide came round again, too, there were no more of the happy days that had occurred on its previous anniversary.
Although I had obtained special leave from my chief, through working up an enormous number of old accounts beforehand, and thus gaining his good will, it was entirely thrown away:—Min did not present herself at the room of the evergreens once!
Mrs Clyde had checkmated me, again, there.
Had it not been for Miss Pimpernell’s pleadings, I think I would now have gone against her advice, and brought matters to an issue by another proposal before the year was out.
My better judgment, however, restrained me from this, when I reflected over all the circumstances of the case in more reasoning moments.
I saw that it was best for me to wait until the full probationary period which my old friend had prescribed should elapse. I waited accordingly; but, my heart was daily torn with a despair and longing, that very much altered me from the merry Frank Lorton of former times.
Could I hope?