Mr. Horace Dinsmore was quite remarkable for his conversational powers, and Rose, who hadalways heretofore found him a most entertaining companion, wondered greatly at his silence on thisparticular evening. She waited in vain for him to start some topic of conversation, but as he did notseem disposed to do so, she at length made the attempt herself, and tried one subject after another.Finding, however, that she was answered only in monosyllables, she too grew silent andembarrassed, and heartily wished for the relief of Elsie's presence.She had proposed summoning the child to accompany them as usual, but Mr. Dinsmore replied thatshe had already had sufficient exercise, and he would prefer having her remain at home.They had walked some distance, and coming to a rustic seat where they had often rested, they satdown. The moon was shining softly down upon them, and all nature seemed hushed and still. Forsome moments neither of them spoke, but at length Mr. Dinsmore broke the silence."Miss Allison," he said, in his deep, rich tones, "I would like to tell you a story, if you will do me thefavor to listen."13It would have been quite impossible for Rose to tell why her heart beat so fast at this verycommonplace remark, but so it was; and she could scarcely steady her voice to reply, "I always findyour stories interesting, Mr. Dinsmore."He began at once."Somewhere between ten and eleven years ago, a wild, reckless boy of seventeen, very much spoiledby the indulgence of a fond, doting father, who loved and petted him as the only son of his departedmother, was spending a few months in one of our large Southern cities, where he met, and soon felldesperately in love with, a beautiful orphan heiress, some two years his junior."The boy was of too ardent a temperament, and too madly in love, to brook for a moment thethought of waiting until parents and guardians should consider them of suitable age to marry, inaddition to which he had good reason to fear that his father, with whom family pride was a rulingpassion, would entirely refuse his consent upon learning that the father of the young lady had begunlife as a poor, uneducated boy, and worked his way up to wealth and position by dint of hard laborand incessant application to business.