She had fully made up her mind to be very staid, very discreet, and very collected; to take a leaf out of her sister's book, and give him no encouragement whatever; she would not absolutely swear to him that she did not now, and never could, return his passion; but she would point out how very imprudent any engagement between two young persons, situated as they were, must be--how foolish it would be for them to bind themselves, for any number of years, to a marriage which must be postponed; she would tell Alaric all this, and make him understand that he was not to regard himself as affianced to her; but she with a woman's faith would nevertheless remain true to him.

This was Linda's great resolve, and the strong hope, that in a very few weeks, Alaric would be promoted to a marrying income of L600 per annum, made the prospect of the task not so painful as it might otherwise have been.

Fate, however, robbed her of the pleasure, if it would have been a pleasure, of sacrificing her love to her duty; and 'dear Linda, dearest Linda,' was not again whispered into her ear.
'And what on earth is it that you are to do down in the mines ?' asked Mrs.Woodward as they sat together in the evening.
'Nothing on the earth, Mrs.Woodward--it is to be all below the surface, forty fathom deep,' said Alaric.
'Take care that you ever come up again,' said she.
'They say the mine is exceedingly rich--perhaps I may be tempted to stay down there.' 'Then you'll be like the gloomy gnome, that lives in dark, cold mines,' said Katie.
'Isn't it very dangerous, going down into those places ?' asked Linda.
'Men go down and come up again every day of their lives, and what other men can do, I can, I suppose.' 'That doesn't follow at all,' said Captain Cuttwater, 'What sort of a figure would you make on a yard-arm, reefing a sail in a gale of wind ?' 'Pray do take care of yourself,' said Gertrude.
Norman's brow grew black.

'I thought that it was settled that Mr.
Neverbend was to go down, and that you were to stay above ground,' said he.
'So Mr.Neverbend settled it; but that arrangement may, perhaps, be unsettled again,' said Alaric, with a certain feeling of confidence in his own strong will.
'I don't at all doubt,' said Mrs.Woodward, 'that if we were to get a sly peep at you, we should find you both sitting comfortably at your inn all the time, and that neither of you will go a foot below the ground.' 'Very likely.

All I mean to say is, that if Neverbend goes down I'll go too.' 'But mind, you gloomy gnome, mind you bring up a bit of gold for me,' said Katie.
On the Monday morning he started with the often-expressed good wishes of all the party, and with a note for Sir Jib Boom, which the captain made him promise that he would deliver, and which Alaric fully determined to lose long before he got to Plymouth.
That evening he and Norman passed together.