Follow your own sweet heart, Grace, and torment yourself no more with these dark dreams!" "My heart ?" cried she, looking down; "it is deceitful and desperately wicked." "I wish mine were too, then," said Tom: "but it cannot be, as long as it is so unlike yours.

Now stop, Grace, I want to speak to you." There was a gate in front of them, leading into the road.
As they came to it, Tom lingered with his hand upon the top bar, that Grace might stop.

She did stop, half-frightened.

Why did he call her Grace?
"I wish to speak to you on one matter, on which I believe I ought to have spoken long ago." She looked up at him, surprise in her large eyes: and turned pale as he went on.
"I ought long ago to have begged your pardon for something rude which I said to you at your own door.

This day has made me quite ashamed of--" But she interrupted him, quite wildly, gasping for breath.
"The belt?
The belt?
Oh, my God! my God! Have you heard anything more ?--anything more ?" "Not a word; but--" To his astonishment, she heaved a deep sigh, as if relieved from a sudden fear.