’But I insist.  I will not marry Mr Crosbie.  But you must not misunderstand me, John.  There;—­all that is over for me now.  All those dreams about love, and marriage, and of a house of my own, and children—­and a cross husband, and a wedding-ring growing always tighter as I grow fat and older.  I have dreamed of such things as other girls do—­more perhaps than other girls, more than I should have done.  And now I accept the thing as finished.  You wrote something in your book, you dear John—­something that could not be made to come true.  Dear John, I wish for your sake it was otherwise.  I will go home and I will write in my book, this very day, Lily Dale, Old Maid.  If ever I make that false, do you come and ask me for the page.’

‘Let it remain there till I am allowed to tear it for you.’

’I will write it, and it shall never be torn out.  You I cannot marry.  Him I will not marry.  You may believe me, Johnny, when I say there can never be a third.’

‘And is that to be the end of it?’

’Yes;—­that is to be the end of it.  Not the end of our friendship.  Old maids have friends.’

‘It shall not be the end of it.  There shall be no end of it with me.’

‘But, John—­’

’Do not suppose that I will trouble you again—­at any rate not for a while.  In five years perhaps—­’

’Now, Johnny, you are laughing at me.  And of course it is the best way.  If there is not Grace, and she has caught me before I have turned back.  Good-bye, dear John.  God bless you.  I think you the finest fellow in the world.  I do, and do does mamma.  Remember always that there is a temple at Allington in which your worship is never forgotten.’  Then she pressed his hand and turned away from him to meet Grace Crawley.  John did not stop to speak a word to his cousin, but pursued his way alone.

‘That cousin of yours,’ said Lily, ’is simply the dearest, warmest-hearted, finest creature that ever was seen in the shape of a man.’

‘Have you told him that you think him so?’ said Grace.

‘Indeed, I have,’ said Lily.

’But have you told this finest, warmest, dearest creature that he shall be rewarded with the prize he covets?’

’No, Grace.  I have told him nothing of the kind.  I think he understands it all now.  If he does not, it is not for the want of my telling him.  I don’t suppose any lady was ever more open-spoken to a gentleman that I have been to him.’

‘And why have you sent him away disappointed?  You know you love him.’

‘You see, my dear,’ said Lily, ’you allow yourself, for the sake of your argument, to use a word in a double sense, and you attempt to confound me by doing so.  But I am a great deal too clever for you, and have thought too much about it, to be taken in in that way.  I certainly love your cousin John; and so do I love Mr Boyce, the vicar.’

‘You love Johnny much better than you do Mr Boyce.’