"Do you, indeed? I am glad to hear you say that. I thought you could not be insensible to the charms of so sweet a girl."
"Do you, then, really believe that if I offered myself to Mary Lester, she would accept me?"
"If you went the right way about it, I am sure she would."
"What do you mean by the right way?"
"The right way for you, of course, is to endeavour to win her affections. She is already, I can see, strongly prepossessed in your favour, but is not herself aware to what extent her feelings are interested. Throw yourself into her company as much as you can, and when in her company pay her the kindest attentions. But do not visit her at her own house at present, or her father may crush the whole affair. When I see her again, I will drop a word in your favour."
"I am certainly very much indebted to you, Mrs. Martindale, for your kind hints and promised interference. I have often felt drawn toward Mary, but always checked the feeling, because I had no idea that I, could make an impression on her mind."
"Faint heart never won fair lady," was Mrs. Martindale's encouraging response.
"Well, Mary," said the lady to Miss Lester, a few days afterward, "have you seen Mr. Fenwick since?"
"Mr. Fenwick!" said she, in tones of affected surprise.
"Yes, Mr. Fenwick."