Year: 1867

m. IT'S MpssAGE-AFTER MANY DAYS.


1t was in verse, as Franks valentine.
had always been; halting, ana WIFI
queer rhymes and changes OF measure
II was full of the half-humorous tender.
ness of quiet friendship; and 1t ended
with a hope that she would make "old
Hugh happier than his first wife did
that was if she accepted him; and with
n demand for her congratulations upon
his own approaching marriage since he
was "the happiest fellow alive" and
could mt keepthe news from her, though
it was a secret to all beside.


And the evening grew old; the white
flecked sky turned colder, and the moon
came out. But Lady Rainham sat with
this voice from the dead in her hand
motionless; full of humiliation and re-
morse. And she was thinking OF many
years of bitterness and sorrow and
pride; and of heavy sacrifice to myth,
for she had never loved him. And her
husband-whom she did lOve-whom
she had wronged-how was she to atone
to him


By and by the door opened and Cecil
ftole in. And she saw Lady Rainhams
SAGE turned towards the window with
the moonbeams lightingit, and thought
she had never seen anything so beauti-
full in her life. :.


Mamma" she said, softly, "why don't
you come downi We are waiting, papa
and /; and its cold up here"


81 will come," said Lady Rainhsm;
but her voice was strange. Cecil knelt
down beside the chair and drew her
mothers arm ronnd her neck.


"How vJld you are! Dear mamma, is
anything tho matteri Cannot COM
fort you"


Lady Rainham bent down and held
her in close embrace.


My darling, you do always. cannot
tell whether want comfort now or not.
l am going down to your father, and
Cecil, must go alone; have something
to say"


She went into the drawing-room,
straight up to where her husband sat
listlessly in the chair at the window.
He started when he saw her, and said
something hurriedly about ringing fol-
lights, but she stopped him.


"It will be better Thus, for what ]
have to say. Hugh, have come to ask
your forgiveness


Sir Hugh did not answer. The speech
took him by surprise, and she had never
called him Hugh before, since their mar,
riage. He had time enough to tell him
self that it was only another mockery,
and would end in the old way.


But standing there, with Franks
letter in her hand, she told him all not
sparing herself, and then asked if he
could ever forgive her. She was not
prepared for the great love which an.
So cred her; which had lived unchanged
through oil her GOODNESS and repulses;
and which drew her to him closer now
perhaps than it might have done if her
pride had never suffered under these
years of wretchedness.


Cecil never knew exactly what had
hsppened; but when her father put his
arm round her and called her his bless
ing, she looked up at him with an odd
sort of consciousness that in some way
or other the old valentine found in her
rummage amongst his papers had to do
with the change she saw. Aud it was
her doing. So she made up her wilful
mind straightway to exu!t and triumph
over the fact to poor Charlie; and then,
| if he wanted to send her another next
year,-why, after a proper amount OF
teasing and suspense, which was good
for him and kept him in order, she
| would nerhons say that he might.