'Do you remember, love?' he murmured. 'And how I requited you
with my insolence the next day?' 'I remember how wrongly I spoke to you,--that is all.' 'Look here! Lift up your head. I have something to show you!' She
slowly faced him, glowing with beautiful shame.
'Do you know these roses?' he said, drawing out his pocket-book,
in which were treasured up some dead flowers.
'No!' she replied, with innocent curiosity. 'Did I give them to
you?' 'No! Vanity; you did not. You may have worn sister roses very
probably.' She looked at them, wondering for a minute, then she smiled a
little as she said-'They are from Helstone, are they not? I know the deep
indentations round the leaves. Oh! have you been there? When were
you there?' 'I wanted to see the place where Margaret grew to what she is,
even at the worst time of all, when I had no hope of ever calling
her mine. I went there on my return from Havre.' 'You must give them to me,' she said, trying to take them out of
his hand with gentle violence.
'Very well. Only you must pay me for them!' 'How shall I ever tell Aunt Shaw?' she whispered, after some time
of delicious silence.
'Let me speak to her.' 'Oh, no! I owe to her,--but what will she say?' 'I can guess. Her first exclamation will be, "That man!"' 'Hush!' said Margaret, 'or I shall try and show you your mother's
indignant tones as she says, "That woman!"'