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“Mrs. Frank, is there any reason why we two should not put up our horses together?”

Alice stood still in a perplexed wonder. What did he mean? He had resumed the reading of his newspaper as if he did not expect any answer; so she found silence her safest course, and went on quietly arranging his breakfast without another word passing between them. Just as he was leaving the house to go to the warehouse as usual, he turned back and put his head into the bright, neat, tidy kitchen, where all the women breakfasted in the morning:

“You’ll think of what I said, Mrs. Frank” (this was her name with the lodgers), “and let me have your opinion upon it to-night.”

Alice was thankful that her mother and Norah were too busy talking together to attend much to this speech. She determined not to think about it at all through the day, and, of course, the effort not to think made her think all the more. At night she sent up Norah with his tea. But Mr. Openshaw almost knocked Norah down as she was going out at the door by pushing past her and calling out, “Mrs. Frank!” in an impatient voice, at the top of the stairs.

Alice went up, rather than seem to have affixed too much meaning to his words.

“Well, Mrs. Frank,” he said, “what answer? Don’t make it too long, for I have lots of officework to get through to-night “

“I hardly know what you meant, sir,” said truthful Alice.

“Well, I should have thought you might have guessed. You’re not new at this sort of work, and I am. However, I’ll make it plain this time. Will you have me to be thy wedded husband, and serve me, and love me, and honor me, and all that sort of thing? Because, if you will, I will do as much by you, and be a father to your child–and that’s more than is put in the Prayer-book. Now I’m a man of my word, and what I say I feel, and what I promise I’ll do. Now for your answer.”

Alice was silent. He began to make the tea as if her reply was a matter of perfect indifference to him; but, as soon as that was done, he became impatient.

“Well?” said he.

“How long, sir, may I have to think over it?”

“Three minutes” (looking at his watch).”You’ve had two already–that makes five. Be a sensible woman, say Yes, and sit down to tea with me, and we’ll talk it over together, for after tea I shall be busy; say No” (he hesitated a moment to try and keep his voice in the same tone), “and I sha’n’t say another word about it, but pay up a year’s rent for my rooms to-morrow, and be off. Time’s up. Yes or no?”

“If you please, sir–you have been so good to little Ailsie–“

“There, sit down comfortably by me on the sofa, and let us have our tea together. I am glad to find you are as good and sensible as I took you for.”

And this was Alice Wilson’s second wooing.

Mr. Openshaw’s will was too strong, and his circumstances too good, for him not to carry all before him. He settled Mrs. Wilson in a comfortable house of her own, and made her quite independent of lodgers. The little that Alice said with regard to future plans was in Norah’s behalf.

“No,” said Mr. Openshaw.”Norah shall take care of the old lady as long as she lives, and after that she shall either come and live with us, or, if she likes it better, she shall have a provision for life–for your sake, missus. No one who has been good to you or the child shall go unrewarded. But even the little one will be better for some fresh stuff about her. Get her a bright, sensible girl as a nurse; one who won’t go rubbing her with calf’s-foot jelly, as Norah does, wasting good stuff outside that ought to go in, but will follow doctors’ directions, which, as you must see pretty clearly by this time, Norah won’t, because they give the poor little wench pain. Now I’m not above being nesh for other folks myself. I can stand a good blow, and never change color; but, set me in the operating-room in the Infirmary, and I turn as sick as a girl. Yet, if need were, I would hold the little wench on my knees while she screeched with pain, if it were to do her poor back good. Nay, nay, wench! keep your white looks for the time when it comes–I don’t say it ever will. But this I know, Norah will spare the child and cheat the doctor, if she can. Now, I say, give the bairn a year or two’s chance, and then, when the pack of doctors have done their best–and, maybe, the old lady has gone–we’ll have Norah back, or do better for her.”