I am afraid I have grown fanciful and silly." He was rather put to it for the right words, for she had precisely divined the dim thought that had overshadowed his mind when she had looked so intently at him.

But he caressed her, and reassured her with fond words, as incoherent as lovers' words generally are.
By-and-by they sauntered homewards.

When they reached the house, Ellinor left him, and flew up to see how her father was.

When Ralph went into his own room he was vexed with himself, both for what he had said and for what he had not said.

His mental look-out was not satisfactory.
Neither he nor Mr.Wilkins was in good humour with the world in general at dinner-time, and it needs little in such cases to condense and turn the lowering tempers into one particular direction.