The String of Pearls (1850), p. 344

"Then you will be mine?"
"No, no, no. Farewell."
She rose, and this time the colonel did not attempt to detain her. He stepped back a pace or two, and bowed, and then rose and walked a pace or two away. Then she turned, and holding out her hand, she cried—
"We may—may be friends."
The colonel took the little hand in silence, but the expression of his face was one of deep chagrin.
"Good-bye," said Arabella.
How courageous she had become all of a sudden, as it were.
"And is this all?" said Jeffery.
"Yes, all. When I see Johanna I will remember you to her."
The colonel bowed again, as he replied—
"I shall be much beholden to you, Miss Wilmot, for that kindness."
"And—and I hope you will find—find—that is, meet with some one, who—who don't chance to know that your love is a kind of second-hand—that is, I don't mean that, but a—a—Yes, that is all."
Arabella was saying too much. The colonel replied gently—
"I am truly obliged for the highly explanatory speech just uttered by Arabella Wilmot, whom I have the honour to wish a very good-day."
Arabella trembled.
"No, no. Not thus, Colonel Jeffery. We are friends, indeed."
"Remarkable good acquaintances," said the colonel, as he walked away towards Sir Richard Blunt and Ben. Arabella walked hastily on, having but one idea at the moment, and that was to leave the gadren, but she could not find the gate, and Ben ran after her as well as he could, calling—
"Miss A. W.—Miss A. W., where are you a-going? Don't you go yet. I'll take care of you and see you all right, you know, or perhaps you'd like to
take a wherry here at the Temple stairs, and go to the Tower, and see the animals fed?"
"Yes, no—that is, anything," replied Arabella. "I will go home now, I am so very—very wretched!"
"What, wretched? Here, Colonel thingumy, she says she—"
"If you dare!" said Arabella, as she placed her hand upon the arm of Ben.
"If you dare!"
"Lor!" said Ben, as he looked down from his altitude upon the frail and beautiful young creature. "Lor! easy does it!"
The voice of Ben, however, had brought both the colonel and Sir Richard Blunt to the spot. During that brief time that had elapsed since the colonel had last spoken to Arabella, Sir Richard had told him of the perilous position of Johanna, and the look of anxiety upon his face was most marked. Arabella heard him say—
"Make use of me in any way you please, Sir Richard, Regard my safety or even my life as nothing compared to her preservation."
Arabella knew what he meant.
"Ben," she said, "will you come with me, and see me a part of my way home?"
"Yes, my dear, to be sure. Then you won't come and see the criturs fed to-day, I supposes?"
"No, no."
"Very well. Easy does it. Come along, my dear—come along. Lord love you! I'll take care of you. I should only like to see anybody look at you while you are with me, my duck. Bless your little bits of twinkling eyes!"
"Thank you—thank you."
"Lor! its enough to make a fellow go mad in love, to see such criturs as you my dear; but whenever I thinks of such things, I says to myself—I'll just pop in and see Mother Oakley, and that soon puts it all out of my head, I can tell you."