"Do I look like man who makes puns ? " I asked, being very conscious melancholy face and sad looks

Miss Lammas eyed me critically

"No; mournful temperament trust you," she answered " communicate to my aunt the fact that Cairngorm and neighbor ? like "

I leaned toward the old lady, inflating my lungs for yell But Miss Lammas stopped me

" slightest use," she remarked " write it on bit of paper utterly deaf "

" pencil," I answered; "but no paper Would my cuff do, ? "

"Oh, yes ! " replied Miss Lammas, with alacrity; "men often "

on my cuff: "Miss Lammas wishes me to explain that your neighbor, Cairngorm " Then I held out my arm old lady's nose She seemed perfectly accustomed proceeding, put up her glasses, read the words, smiled, nodded, and addressed me unearthly voice peculiar to people who hear nothing

" your grandfather ," she said Then she smiled and nodded again, and to her niece, and relapsed into silence

" all right," remarked Miss Lammas "Aunt Bluebell knows deaf, and say much, like the parrot , she knew your grandfather How odd that neighbors ! Why have we never met before ? "

" had told me my grandfather appeared garden, I least surprised," I answered rather irrelevantly "I really thought you were the ghost old fountain How did you come there hour ? "

"We were large party and we went out for walk Then we thought like what your park was like moonlight, and so we trespassed I got separated rest, and came upon you by accident, just as admiring the extremely ghostly look of your house, and wondering whether anybody would ever come and live there again It looks like the castle of Macbeth, or scene opera anybody here ? "

"Hardly soul ! ? "

"No Aunt Bluebell said our duty easy for her out; she bear the burden conversation "

" sorry you find it burden," said I "Shall I go away ? "

Miss Lammas looked at me with sudden gravity in her beautiful eyes, and sort of hesitation lines of her full, soft mouth

"No," she said at last, quite simply, "don't go away like , stay little longer--and we ought to, because neighbors country "

I suppose I thought Miss Lammas very odd girl , indeed, sort of freemasonry between people who discover live near and known before But sort of unexpected frankness and simplicity girl's amusing manner which struck anyone else as being singular, the least of it , however, it all seemed natural enough I had dreamed of her face too long not utterly happy when I met her at last and could talk to her as I pleased , the man of ill luck in everything, the whole meeting seemed too good true again that strange sensation of lightness which I had experienced after I had seen her face garden The great rooms seemed brighter, life seemed worth living; my sluggish, melancholy blood ran faster, and filled me with new sense of strength to myself that without this woman but an imperfect being, but that with her accomplish everything set my hand Like the great Doctor, when he thought he had cheated Mephistopheles at last, cried aloud fleeting moment, Verweile doch, du bist so schon !

" always gay ? " I asked, suddenly "How happy ! "

"The days would sometimes seem very long if I were gloomy," she answered, thoughtfully "Yes, life very pleasant, and I tell it so "

"How 'tell life' anything ? " I inquired "If catch my life and talk , abuse it prodigiously, I assure you "

"I dare say melancholy temper You ought to live out- of-doors, dig potatoes, make hay, shoot, hunt, tumble into ditches, and come home muddy and hungry for dinner It much better than moping in your rook tower and hating everything "

" rather lonely down there," I murmured, apologetically, feeling that Miss Lammas was quite right

"Then marry, and quarrel with your wife," she laughed "Anything is better than being alone "

" very peaceable person I never quarrel with anybody try it it quite impossible "

" let me try ? " she asked, still smiling

"By all means--especially only preliminary canter," I answered, rashly

"What ? " she inquired, turning quickly upon me

"Oh--nothing try my paces with view to quarreling imagine how going to resort to immediate and direct abuse "

"No only say that like your life, your own fault How can man of your age talk of being melancholy, or hollowness of existence ? consumptive ? subject to hereditary insanity ? deaf, like Aunt Bluebell ? poor, like--lots of people ? been crossed in love ? lost the world for woman, or any particular woman sake world ? feeble-minded, cripple, an outcast ? --repulsively ugly ? " She laughed again " any reason why enjoy all got in life ? "

"No no reason whatever, except that dreadfully unlucky, especially in small things "

"Then try big things, just for change," suggested Miss Lammas "Try and get married, for instance, how it turns out "

" turned out badly it rather serious "

"Not half so serious to abuse everything unreasonably If abuse is your particular talent, abuse something that abused Abuse the Conservatives--or the Liberals--it matter which, since always abusing Make yourself felt by other people like it, don't make man of you Fill your mouth with pebbles, and howl sea, do anything else It did Demosthenes no end of good, the satisfaction of imitating great man "

"Really, Miss Lammas, the list of innocent exercises you propose--"

" -- don't care sort of thing, care for some other sort of thing Care for something, or hate something Don't be idle Life is short, and though art long, plenty of noise answers nearly "

" care for something--I mean, somebody,"

"A woman ? Then marry her Don't hesitate "

" know whether marry me," I replied " never asked her "