Alan caught her in his arms and kissed her forehead tenderly. And
thus was Herminia Barton's espousal consummated.
VII.
The next six months were the happiest time of her life, for
Herminia. All day long she worked hard with her classes; and often
in the evenings Alan Merrick dropped in for sweet converse and
companionship. Too free from any taint of sin or shame herself
ever to suspect that others could misinterpret her actions,
Herminia was hardly aware how the gossip of Bower Lane made free in
time with the name of the young lady who had taken a cottage in the
row, and whose relations with the tall gentleman that called so
much in the evenings were beginning to attract the attention of the
neighborhood. The poor slaves of washer-women and working men's
wives all around, with whom contented slavery to a drunken, husband
was the only "respectable" condition,--couldn't understand for the
life of them how the pretty young lady could make her name so
cheap; "and her that pretends to be so charitable and that, and
goes about in the parish like a district visitor!" Though to be
sure it had already struck the minds of Bower Lane that Herminia
never went "to church nor chapel;" and when people cut themselves
adrift from church and chapel, why, what sort of morality can you
reasonably expect of them? Nevertheless, Herminia's manners were
so sweet and engaging, to rich and poor alike, that Bower Lane
seriously regretted what it took to be her lapse from grace.
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