"I see you understand, my own Fanny," observed Mr. Ralph, "and I
expected nothing less from a young lady of your quickness. What say
you? It is not necessary for me to say that I'm desperately in love
with you."
"Oh, not at all necessary!" replied Fanny, satirically, but with a
blush.
"I see you doubt it."
"Oh, not at all."
"Which means, as usual with young ladies, that you don't believe a
word of it. Well, only try me. What proof will you have?"
Fanny laughed with the same expression of constraint which we have
before observed, and said:
"You have not looked upon the map of Virginia yet for my
'boundaries?'"
Ralph received the hit full in the front.
"By Jove! Fanny," he exclaimed, "I oughtn't to have told you that."
"I'm glad you did."
"Why?"
"Because, of course, I shall not make any efforts to please you--you
are already 'engaged!'"
"Engaged! well, you are wrong. Neither my heart nor my hand is
engaged. Ah, dear Fanny, you don't know how we poor students carry
away with us to college some consuming passion which we feed and
nurture;--how we toast the Dulcinea at oyster parties, and, like
Corydon, sigh over her miniature.
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