And he asked me to come and choose a book, and we began to talk, and--Lyddy, he asked me if I'd be his wife.' Lydia's astonishment was for the instant little less than that which had fallen upon Thyrza when she felt her hand in Grail's.

Her larger experience, however, speedily brought her to the right point of view; in less time than it would have taken her to express surprise, her wits had arranged a number of little incidents which remained in her memory, and had reviewed them all in the light of this disclosure.

This was the meaning of Mr.Grail's reticence, of his apparent coldness at times.
Surely she was very dull never to have surmised it.

Yet he was so much older than Thyrza; he was so confirmed a student; no, she had never suspected this feeling.
All this in a flash of consciousness, whilst she pressed her sister closer to her side.

Then: 'And what did you say, dear ?' 'I said I would, Lyddy.' The elder sister became very grave.