her sole ambition now was a desire to reach the protection of others, and then dissolve the slight, formal bonds which bound us. The position she assumed left me small choice; I must crush within me the love I felt; for the slightest conception of its existence would add to her embarrassment, and render more unpleasant our necessary companionship. I felt confident she had no suspicion; I had guarded well my words, and my actions. She had no cause to question my motives, nor to suppose that I was actuated by any personal desire. Her answers to my proposition proved that, for she had voiced no protest, given vent to no expression which I could construe favorably. No; our future relationship was already fixed, decided—it was to be that of simple friendship.
I sat there a long while motionless, my back pressed against a tree, thinking, and endeavoring to plan the future. Nothing disturbed the silence,, except the movements of the two horses as they grazed, and the impudent chatter of a squirrel overhead. The sky above was cloudless, and the sunlight fell warm through the tree branches. The pike road was too far away for any noise of passing travelers to reach my ears, although once I imagined I heard the report of a distant rifle. I must have dozed, for the sun was high overhead when I finally aroused
