that the higher qualities are often necessarily
subjected to the judgments of those who have absolutely no perceptions of their
existence. It followed that Serjeant Dunham was not altogether qualified to
appreciate his daughter's tastes, or to form a very probable conjecture of the
direction taken by those feelings which oftener depend on impulses and passion,
than on reason. Still, the worthy soldier was not so wrong in his estimate of
the Pathfinder's chances, as might at first, appear. Knowing, as he well did,
all the sterling qualities of the man, his truth, integrity of purpose, courage,
self devotion, disinterestedness, it was far from unreasonable to suppose that
qualities like these, would produce a deep impression on any female heart, where
there was an opportunity to acquire a knowledge of their existence, and the
father erred principally in fancying that the daughter might know, as it might
be, by intuition, what he himself had acquired by years of intercourse and
adventure.
    As Pathfinder and his military friend descended the hill to the shore of the
lake, the discourse did not flag. The latter continued to endeavor to persuade
the former, that his diffidence, alone, prevented complete success with Mabel,
and that he had only to persevere, in order to prevail. Pathfinder was much too
modest by nature, and had been too plainly, though so delicately, discouraged,
in the recent interview, to believe all he heard; still, the father used so many
arguments that seemed plausible, and it was so grateful to fancy that the
daughter might yet be his, the reader is not to be surprised, when he is told
that this unsophisticated being did not view Mabel's recent conduct in precisely
the light in which he may be inclined to view it, himself. He did not credit all
that the Serjeant told him, it is true, but he began to think virgin coyness,
and ignorance of her own feelings might have induced Mabel to use the language
she had.
    »The Quarter Master is no favorite,« said Pathfinder, in answer to one of
his companion's remarks. »Mabel will never look on him as more than one who has
had four or five wives already.«
    »Which is more than his share. A man may marry twice, without offence to
good morals and decency, I allow, but four times is an aggravation.«
    »I should think even marrying once, what Master Cap calls a circumstance!«
put in Pathfinder, laughing, in his quiet way, for, by this time, his spirits
had recovered some of their