CHAPTER VI.

LOVE'S ROSY DAWN.

It's an era strange, yet sweet,

Which every woman's heart has known,

When first her young heart learns to beat

To the soft music of a tone--

That era when she first begins

To know, what love alone can teach,

That there are hidden depths within,

Which friendship never yet could reach.

--_Phebe Carey._

"Now," said Mrs. Ellsworth, while rising from the breakfast-table, "I

have invited some young people to come and spend the day and play golf;

so prepare yourselves for conquest, young ladies, as there will be

several eligibles among them."

They wandered out into the beautiful grounds, and the beauty of the day

and the scene made Dainty's sad heart brighter, until Ela, who had

pertinaciously clung to her ever since they came out, observed,

maliciously:

"You have offended Love Ellsworth beyond forgiveness by your story just

now. Did you not know that he becomes violently angry at the merest

mention of the family ghost, and has discharged several servants for

gossiping over it?"

Dainty's heart sank heavily, for she recalled Love's lowering looks

while she told the story he had insisted on hearing, and she could not

doubt that Ela's words were true.

She said, faintly:

"How should I know it, Ela? You did not tell me last night."

"Did I not? Well, I meant to do so; but I must have forgotten it, and

the mischief is done now. Love Ellsworth will never forgive you!"

repeated Ela, with a malicious little chuckle.

Dainty's red mouth quivered with pain for a moment; then pride came to

her aid, and cresting her golden head haughtily, she cried:

"Why should I care? Love Ellsworth is nothing to me!"

"I'm glad to hear it, for I thought, from the way you rolled your eyes

at him last night and this morning, that you had lost your heart to him

already, and I thought it a pity to show your heart to a man so

plainly," gibed her tormentor, viciously.

"You were mistaken, Ela. I never thought of loving him, and I hope he

did not think so," cried the proud child, fearfully.

"There's no telling what he thought. Men are very, very vain, and

believe that every girl who gives them a glance is in love with them. I

suppose Love Ellsworth is like the rest; and, rich as he is, I have no

doubt he is a terrible flirt. But there comes a carriage load of young

people, and perhaps you and I may catch a beau, too, Dainty; for Olive

seems to have captured Love," glancing toward her cousin, who was indeed

holding the young man in unwilling chains, while she lamented that her

cousin Dainty was the most arrant little coward in the world, and always

going into hysterics over some trifle, so that she and Ela had been

very sorry she was invited to Ellsworth, feeling sure that her vagaries

would cause dear Aunt Judith no end of trouble.

But in a minute he had to leave her side to welcome the newcomers--three

young men and one girl--which paired the party into four couples; and

after introductions all around, Dainty found that Love Ellsworth had

fallen to her lot; whether by chance or his own design, she could not

tell.

They went down to the golf ground, and played for an hour; but Ellsworth

found his fair companion very shy and _distrait_ all the while; and when

at last they all sat down beneath the trees to rest, he asked,

anxiously:

"Are you offended with me, that you seem so cold and quiet?"

The wistful blue eyes turned gravely on his face.

"I thought you were offended with me, because of last night; you looked

so angry while I was telling you of my scare," she answered, timidly.

"Angry with you, child? How could any one have the heart?" he cried. "I

was angry, I own, but it was because I believed that some of the

servants had played a cruel joke on you. But I have ordered a strict

investigation, and if the plot is discovered, the guilty parties shall

certainly suffer."

"Oh, if I could think it only a joke; but it seemed so terribly real!"

she breathed, tremblingly; and he longed to catch her in his arms and

kiss away her fears.

But the proprieties forbid this soothing process; so he hastened to

assure her that it could not possibly be real, only a trick of some

malicious person, who would certainly be discovered and punished.

"And now, Dainty," he said--"may I call you Dainty?" he added,

tenderly; for she had looked up with a start.

She faltered, "Yes," and he proceeded in a low voice thrilling with

passion:

"Dainty, you told me your story of last night, now I will tell you mine.

When I opened my door at your frenzied knock, and you fell fainting into

my arms, I longed to hold you there forever; for, darling, I lost my

heart to you even before I saw your bonny face, as soon as I heard your

sweet voice sobbing to your mother, inside the window, of the cruel

treatment of your jealous cousins. When I came into the parlor, and saw

you with the tears in your lovely eyes, I thought you fairer than any

flower, and longed to kiss your tears away. All the way to Ellsworth I

was longing to tell you that I loved you so I could not live without

you, and that you must promise to be my cherished bride. Can you believe

in a love so sudden and sweet and overwhelming as this I am confessing

to you?"

"Yes, oh, yes!" the girl murmured, forgetting Ela's caution, that he

must very likely be a dreadful flirt, and carried away by the fervor of

his passion, and the responsiveness of her own heart.

Oh, what a beautiful light of joy leaped to his eyes at her encouraging

reply!

"Bless you, my darling, bless you! Then our hearts have leaped to meet

each other. You will promise to be mine?" he cried, eagerly, his glad

eyes beaming on her face, the only demonstration of love possible under

the circumstances, for they were in plain view of all the other couples.

She trembled with exquisite delight, sweet Dainty, and could not reply

for a moment.

"Answer, darling," he pleaded. "Will you be mine? If you are too shy to

speak, look at me with those tender blue eyes, and I will read my fate."

Slowly, bashfully, the long fringe of her lashes fluttered upward, and

the glorious blue met the passionate dark ones in a long, lingering look

that needed no words to tell of the love that thrilled either heart with

deathless emotion; and he was content. He had won the prize.