WYLDER'8 HAJVD.
I happened at that moment to raise my eyes, and I saw
Dorcas's face reflected in the mirror; her back was to-
wards us, and she held the letter in her hand as if reading
it, but her large eyes were looking over it, and on us, in
the glass, with a gaze of strange curiosity. Our glances
met in the mirror; but her's remained serenely undis-
turbed, and mine dropped and turned away hastily. I
wonder whether she heard us. I do not know. Some
people are miraculously sharp of hearing.
Wylder was leaning on his elbow, with just the tip of
, his thumb to his teeth, with a vicious character of biting
it, which was peculiar to him when anything vexed him
considerably, and glancing sharply this way and that —
"You know," he said, suddenly, "we are a sort of
cousins; his mother was a Brandon — a second cousin of
Dorcas's — no, of her father's — I don't know exactly
how. He's a pushing fellow, one of the coolest hands I
know; but I don't see that I can be of any use to him, or
why the devil I should. I say, old fellow, come out and
have a weed, will you?"
I raised my eyes. Miss Brandon had left the room.
I don't know that her presence would have prevented his
invitation, for Wylder's wooing was certainly of the cool-
est. So forth we sallied, and under the autumnal foliage,
in the cool amber light of the declining evening, we en-
joyed our cheroots; and with them, Wylder his thoughts;
and I, the landscape and the whistling of the birds; for
we waxed Turkish and taciturn over our tobacco.