The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1879-06-17

she left message for Mr.. Lynton, to the
effect that she had gone into the village
and at the latest would be back for
luncheon.
In halfan-hour Dora stood by the
bedside of one, if not her mother, had
always, even in Mrs. Lynton's lifetime,
filled the place of one. Dora looked
down upon the placid face, so calm and
peaceful in the repose of death, and she
was only dimly conscious that the still
features bore out the words she heard
the previous night, and that she would
find similar features reflected in her
glass /; but the silence of the darkened
room quieted her. In the presence of
the dead her resentment died out, and
she murmured heartfelt prayer for
guidance through whatever paths the
future might lead her.
Dora found no tangible proofs of Mrs.
East's story. The box of letters of
which she had spoken, had either never
existed, or had mysteriously disappear
ed, for the most careful search failed to
discover it. Mrs. East had had weak
ness for collecting all sorts of fancy
boxes, but none of them contained the
letters so, as the days went by, Dora
came to the conclusion that Morley was
right in asserting that the whole tale had
been the delusion of wandering mind,
though it was long time before the
idea of being Mrs. East's child quite
ceased to haunt her.
.*
Six years had passed since the events
recorded above and these years had
wrought the usual amount of change
There had been births, and marriages,
and deaths, and great political changes;
but these did not much affect the inhab-
itants of the quiet country village with
which we have to do. They were too
far removed from the arena in which the
changes were wrought to take more
than passing notice, and were, as
rule,on the whole more concerned about
more immediate claims to attention.
So Nutbourne remained very much
the same, except that there were two or
three new shops, few more cottages
built, few more graves in the yew-
shadowed churchyard, and another coffin
added to those in the Lynton vault, the
plate on which bore the inscription:
John Lynton, aged &c."
The Lyntons thought the simple fam
lily name too weighty to need any affix
or prefix on their coffin plates.
At LyDton Hall few alterations and
Improvements had been made. Some
time before the death of her father, Dora
had assumed the dignities and responsi-
bilities of married life, and, as Morley
Osborne, had delighted the entire coun-
ty, first by her trousseau and then by
her behavior for some way, strange as
it may seem, Dora Osborne was infinite
ly more fascinating than Dora Lynton
had been, being held up to wives, and
in due course of time to mothers, as a
pattern of every feminine virtue.
And we think the good ople were
right, for as the c.tiairr rises, and
we catch glimpse vi our loioine, we
too consider that hel womanhood more
than fulfilled the promise of her girl
hood. The same sweet face, wearing
the same untroubled expression; the
same graceful figure, looking very pic
turesque in the looped-up dress and the
scarlet cloak, meets our view. Dora is
little changed, except there is an air of
gentle dignity about her that has gradu-
ally become part and parcel of her ma
ture, and has supplied that one grace
that had been wanting in her girl
hood.
Master Lynton Osborne, young gen.
tleman of four summers, clad in won
derful combination of black velvet and
blue Cashmere, walks, or rather trots, by
her side, and imagines his help in find
ing the violets, of which his mamma is
in search, to be far more efficient than il
really is. The spirit of the bright spring
morning is with mother and child; they
are both very happy, and altogether
form very pretty picture.
However, the search was brought to
an abrupt conclusion, for before the lit
tie basket was half filled, servant
brought the information that man in.
sisted on seeing Mrs. Osborne, and Dora,
studiously courteous to high and low,
took Master Lynton by the hand and
walked back towards the house.
Something in the VISITORS manner OF
appearance had made an unfavorabls