He looked at me, too, and gave me a good stare, and then he saw the stable beside me, muttered something to himself, looked at me again, and with a little mock salute with his whip he turned into the stable. Then I knew that that was the new officer. There was something about him which took my fancy at once. He seemed so different from the others I had seen. They had always looked so heavy and black about the face, and altogether as if nothing was worth noticing on either side of them; whilst my new officer was so trim and jaunty, so pretty and nice looking, and he had actually smiled at me, and shown me that he had seen me. I felt quite a flutter when he made his little mock salute, and half drew back from the gate I was leaning on, but I did not go away. I wanted to see him again, so I stayed. Presently out he came, talking to the groom, then the groom went back into the stable. The young officer looked up the lane and down the lane whilst he pulled on his gloves, then, seeing me, he came playfully towards me, made me a little bow, smiled, and saying, "Good evening, Polly. A nice evening this," he turned and walked rapidly away. A new flutter again came into my bosom. I know I looked wistfully after him, and was delighted when, turning his head, he looked back at me from a little distance, and again waved his whip at me. Poor little fool that I was! I had fallen in love and I did not know it! But so it was!

'Well, evening after evening this young officer and I met this way. Nothing more than what I have described passed between us. If an evening came and he did not appear, I used to feel so grieved. I missed him dreadfully. I found out that his name was the Honourable Charles Vincent, and that he was a captain in the Hussars. I heard the grooms speak and that was how I knew; besides, all his horses had a big C. V. worked in white letters on their clothing,.

'Did I tell you that at the end of our garden, in the corner and next the road, was a little old shed without any door? No? Well, there was and I had planted honeysuckle and clematis and a climbing rose against it and as a schoolgirl used to love to learn my lessons there, when it was fine, warm weather. The honeysuckle and rose and other climbing plants had grown very well, and the dirty old shed was transformed by them into quite an elegant bower.

'One evening my handsome officer did not come as usual. I was vexed and sorry, for I did love seeing him, and he always seemed to look for me. I heard his groom talking to the men in the next stable, saying he wondered the captain did not come, that the bay mare was sick and he had told his master of it. So I knew my hero was coming. I went into my bower and sat down and listened and peeped through the chink into the lane. Soon the grooms all went away but one, and that was Captain Vincent's. At last he seemed to be altogether out of patience, and I heard him swear and talk to himself, saying he would be damned if he would stay any longer; he would go and get his glass, and then he would come back. So he locked the stable and put the key into his pocket and went off.

'Well, I waited and waited! At last I heard the footstep I knew so well, and with a heart beating as if I had really expected and ardently wished for a lover, I went out and stood as usual at the gate. The sun was setting and all the lane was in shadow. Captain Vincent came walking quickly, saw me, smiled as usual, saying, "Good evening, Polly!", and tried the door of his stable. Finding it locked he kicked at it, so, as I knew there was no one in there, I called out, "Sir, the groom waited for you, and after a while said that he must get his glass, but that he would come back."

'"Oh! did he, Polly? Thank you, my dear!" and then coming near me he went on, "How long ago was it that the groom went?"

'"Oh!" said I, guessing, for the time had seemed dreadfully long to me while waiting, "about three quarters of an hour, I should say, sir."

'"Three quarters of an hour," the captain exclaimed, looking at his watch, "well, then he should be along soon now, I should think. And how are you, Polly? I see you here every day. What a pretty hand! What a lovely girl you are, Polly! I declare I must marry you! Will you marry me, Polly, if I ask you?"

'Well, of course I was a little fool, but I could not help being pleased beyond measure at his admiration, though it was quite plain to me that his question about marriage was only a joke.

'"Oh! sir!" said I, "don't be making fun of me! You know I cannot marry you, sir!"

'"Well," said he, "at any rate you could give me a kiss, child, could you not, Polly?"

'I felt my face burning. It was just what I was longing for. Oh! I cannot tell you how I had longed to be taken notice of by him. I looked around carefully, and seeing no one in sight, I said: "If you are quick, sir, because someone might see and then there would be talk."

'The words were hardly out of my mouth before the gallant and eager captain had his lips to mine, and gave me such a kiss as I had never had before in my life, a kiss which seemed to go right through my body down to my very feet!

'"Polly!" said he, in a low voice, "could I come into your summerhouse after I have seen my horses and chat with you a little while?"

'I knew there might be a little chance of mother seeing him, so I said quickly and with a palpitating heart, "Yes sir! I'll go in now, and wait, and you can come in when you are ready, but please don't stand there talking to me – for fear – you know!"

'"I understand," said he, his eyes blazing as they looked into mine, and he turned away and walked a little down the lane, in the direction the groom had gone. I went into the 'summerhouse', as he called it, and stood watching at the chink. Oh! how my heart beat! Would he kiss me again! How I wished the groom would come, for if I stayed out too long my mother might call for me to come in. At last the groom came and the captain and he had some little talk, but no quarrel. I think I prevented that, for I am sure Captain Vincent was angry when he found his man had not waited for him, but now he was certainly glad. He did not stay long in the stable. He and the groom came out together, and walked away down the lane. Oh! what a pang I felt! Was he not coming then? How cruel! how cruel! I could not help it, I sat down and began to cry and sob, and all of a sudden there was my lover, inside the little house. He had come back as quick as he could, and had only walked the groom out of the lane to get rid of him. I sprang up as he came in, and he saw I had been crying, and he sat down and pulled me on his knee, and with one arm around my waist and his right hand on my bosom, he gave me, oh! hundreds of kisses! He seemed quite excited, and I was simply beside myself with happiness and joy.

'"Oh! Polly!" he said, "do you know I've been longing to kiss you ever since I first saw you; you are the very prettiest, loveliest girl I ever saw."

'I could only smile. It was rather dark now in the little house, but I could see him clearly enough. He kissed my face all over, and my neck too, and his hand closed over the bubbie it was nearest. I liked it too much to tell him to take it off, but I knew he ought not to have done that. All the time he was kissing me he called me his pet, his little dove, his lovely little darling, and so forth, and I stroked his hair and gave him sweet kisses too.

'At last he said, "How old are you, Polly?"

'"My name is not Polly, sir! It's Lizzie!"

'"Well! How old are you, Lizzie? Sixteen? Seventeen?"

'"Sixteen! Seventeen!" I replied. "No, sir! I am thirteen!"

'"Why Poll – that is Lizzie, you must be more than thirteen! Who ever saw so fine a girl as you only thirteen?"

'"Well, sir," I said laughing, "I really am only thirteen!"

'He looked at me; he put his hand on my other bubbie and gave it a delightful squeeze, as if feeling it, and then he replaced his hand on its old place on the first bubbie.