hespoke, and throwing his horse's bridle over the branch of atree, came to lift me down; first throwing his cap on thegrass. Then keeping me in his arms and bending a brilliantinquisitive look on my face, he asked me,
"Daisy - is this my Daisy, as I left her?"
I could not help answering a plain yes. Nothing in me waschanged; and come what might, that was true. No other answerwould have been true. And I could not blame him that he heldme fast and kissed me, almost as he had done that first time.Almost; but the kisses were more grave and deliberate now;every one seemed a seal and a taking possession. Indeed thewhole manner of Mr. Thorold had taken gravity and manlinessand purpose; he was changed, as it would have taken muchlonger in other circumstances to change a man. I stood stilland trembled, I believe; but I could no more check him than Icould that first night.
Still holding me fast, he lifted my face a little and smilingasked me, what Daisy had to say to him? The tone, tender andhappy, was as much as I could bear; more than I could answer.He led me a little way, arranged a seat for me on a greenbank, and threw himself down by my side. But that was veryinconvenient, for he could look up right into my face.
"Business, Daisy?" he said gayly and tenderly at once. Thetone seemed to .touch the colour in my cheeks and the droop ofmy eyes.
"Yes," I said. "It is business."
"Well, what, love?"
"Christian," said I, putting my hand in his, "you know papaand mamma do not know of this."
"They shall know, as soon as I can write to them," he answered."I understand - you do not wish that, Daisy; but see - Icannot leave it unsaid, as long as your thought would leaveit. Till they know, I have only half a right to you. I cannotlive so."
"You must," I whispered, - "till this war is over."
"What then?" said he quickly. "How will that help the matter?"
"Then they may see you for themselves. A letter would not do."
"If you please, how do you expect I am to live till then?" hesaid smiling. "With half a right to you."
"Yes - with that, - and without writing to me," I answered.
"Daisy!" exclaimed Thorold, raising himself half up.
"Yes," I said - "I know - I have been wanting to talk to youabout it. You _know_, Christian, I could not write nor receiveyour letters without my father's and mother's permission."
"Can _you_ bear that, Daisy?" he asked.
My heart seemed to turn sick. His words suggested nothing new,but they were his words. I failed to answer, and my face wentdown in my hands.
"There, is no need of that, darling," he said, getting one ofthem and putting it to his lips. "Here you are fearing dangersagain. Daisy -with truth on your side and on mine, nothing canseparate us permanently."
"But for the present," - I said as soon as I could speak. "Iam sure our chance for the future is better if we are patientand wait now."
"Patient, and wait?" said Mr. Thorold. "If we are patient now?What do you mean by patience? You in Switzerland, with half ahundred suitors by turns; and I here in the smoke of artillerypractice, unable to see twenty yards from my drill - and _that_,you think, does not call for patience, but you must cut offthe post-office from our national institutions. And to waitfor you is not enough, but I must wait for news of you aswell!"
"Christian!" said I, in desperation - "it is harder for methan for you."
He laughed at that; laughed and looked at me, and his eyessparkled like a shower of fireworks, and then I was sure thata mist was gathering in them. I could scarcely bear the onething ands the other. My own composure failed. He did not thistime answer by caresses. He got up and paced the turf a littledistance below me; his arms folded, his lips set, and thesteps never slackening. So he was when I could look up andsee. This was worse than anything. And the sun was loweringfast, and we had settled nothing, and our time was going. Iwaited a minute, and then I called him. He came and stoodbefore me, face and attitude unchanged.
"Christian," I said, - "don't you see that it is best - myplan?"
"No," he said.
I did not know what to urge next. But as I looked at him, hislips unbent and his face shone down at me, after a sort, withlove, and tenderness and pleasure. I felt I had not prevailedyet. I rose up and stood before him.
"Indeed it is best!" I said earnestly.
"What do you fear, Daisy?" His look was unchanged and fearednothing. It was very hard to tell him what I feared.
"I think, without seeing you and knowing you, they will neverlet us write; and I would rather they did not know anythingabout the - about us - till you can see them."
He took both my hands in his, and I felt how hard it is for awoman to move a man's will when it is once in earnest.
"Daisy, that is not brave," he said.
"No - _I_ am not," I answered. "But is it not prudent?"
"I do not believe in cowardly prudence," he said; but hekissed me gently to soften the words; "the frank way is thewisest, always, I believe; and anyhow, Daisy, I can't standany other. I am going to ask you of your father and mother;and I am going to do it without delay."
"I wish they could see you," I said helplessly.
"And as I cannot be present to do my pleading in person, Imust trust you to plead for me."
"You forget," said I; "it is against you that you are aNorthern officer."
"That may depend upon the event of the war," he said; and Isaw a sparkle again. Wilful and manly as he could be; but hedid not know my father and mother. Yet that last word of hismight be true; what if it were? The end of the war! When mightthat be? and how? If all the Northern army were Thorolds, -but I knew they were not. I felt as if my magazine of wordswas exhausted. I suppose then my face spoke for me. Heloosened his hold of one hand to put his arm round me and drawme to him, with a fine tenderness, both reverent andmasterful.
"My Daisy" - he said, - "what do you want of me?"
And I could not tell him then. As little could I pretend to bedignified. Pain was too sharp. We drew very close to eachother, and were very silent for those minutes. I would commandmyself, and did, hard work as it was, and though my face layon his shoulder. I do not know how his face looked; when hespoke again the tone was of the gravest tenderness.
"What do you want of me, Daisy?"
"I think, this," I said, raising my head and laying my hand onhis shoulder instead. "Suppose, Christian, you leave thequestion undecided - the question of letters, I mean, - untilI get there, - to Switzerland, - and see my father and mother.Perhaps I can judge then what will be safe to do; and if I canwrite, you know I will write immediately."
"And if you cannot?"
"Then - I will write once, to let you know how it is."
He stood still, reading my face, until it was a little hard tobear, and my eyes went down.
"Suppose your father and mother - suppose they are obdurate,Daisy, and will not have me, being a Northern man and in theGovernment service?"
What then? I could not say.
"Suppose it, Daisy."
"Well, Christian?" I said, raising my eyes to his face.
"What will you do?"
"You know, Christian, I _must_ obey my father and mother."
"Even as I my other duty. Well, we are both soldiers. But whatwould you do, Daisy?"
"Do? -" I repeated.
"Yes," he said very gravely, and with a certain determinationto have the answer.
"I should do nothing, Christian. I should be just the same."But I believe my cheeks must have answered for me, for I feltthem grow pale.
"What if they chose a Southern husband for you, and laid theircommands in his favour?"
"I am _yours_ -" I said, looking up at him. I could not say anymore, but I believe Mr. Thorold understood it all, just what Imeant him to understand; how that bond could never beunloosed, what though the seal of it might be withheld. He wassatisfied.
"You are not brave, Daisy," he said, holding me again veryclose; "here are these cheeks fairly grown white under mysupposings. Does that bring the colour back?" h
e addedlaughing.
"Christian," I said, seizing my time while my face was halfhidden, "what would _you_ do, supposing I should prove to be avery poor girl?"
"What is that?" said he, laughing more gayly, and raising myface a little.
"You know what our property is."
"No, I do not."
"You know - I mean, you know, my father's and mother'sproperty is in Southern lands mostly, and in those thatcultivate them."
"Yes. I believe I have understood that."
"Well, I will never be the owner