She perversely and passionately centred her affection on
quite a plain-looking young man of humble birth and no position at
all; though it is true that he was gentle and delicate in nature, of
good address, and guileless heart. In short, he was the parish-
clerk's son, acting as assistant to the land-steward of her father,
the Earl of Avon, with the hope of becoming some day a land-steward
himself. It should be said that perhaps the Lady Caroline (as she
was called) was a little stimulated in this passion by the discovery
that a young girl of the village already loved the young man fondly,
and that he had paid some attentions to her, though merely of a
casual and good-natured kind.
Since his occupation brought him frequently to the manor-house and
its environs, Lady Caroline could make ample opportunities of seeing
and speaking to him. She had, in Chaucer's phrase, 'all the craft
of fine loving' at her fingers' ends, and the young man, being of a
readily-kindling heart, was quick to notice the tenderness in her
eyes and voice. He could not at first believe in his good fortune,
having no understanding of her weariness of more artificial men; but
a time comes when the stupidest sees in an eye the glance of his
other half; and it came to him, who was quite the reverse of dull.
As he gained confidence accidental encounters led to encounters by
design; till at length when they were alone together there was no
reserve on the matter.
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