But she had changed her mind, and the squire had remained in ignorance.

It was best so, she thought; for now, after more than six months, Mr.Juxon had taken the position of a friend towards her, and, as she thought, showed no disposition whatever to overstep the boundaries of friendship.

The regularity of his visits and the sameness of the conversation seemed of themselves a guarantee of his simple goodwill.

It did not strike her as possible that if he were going to fall in love with her at all, that catastrophe should be postponed beyond six months from their first acquaintance.

Nor did it seem extraordinary to her that she should actually look forward to those visits, and take pleasure in that monotonous intercourse.