Year: 1867

his friend, Mr. Bailey. IF ] warn her


she won't stay with me a week; I've


lost two governesses already by listen
ing to your advice" .es, ...


NV ell doubtfully rejoined Mr. Bal
ly, 'sperhaps You are right. + He may
be safe enough. after all; but what a
silly girl she must ber' -e' ..t


"On the contrary" interrupted the
doctor, warmly, "she's a treasure. AS
like her. poor father as can be-full Of
good sense and right feeling. l can't
think what possesses her not to let
that unfortunate man alone,an can't
warn her. Nobody has managed my
poor brats the leastlike her sincc-,"
and the doctor coughed away sigh.
A some what whimsical expression
passed over his friends face. DR.. Hol-
ford had lost his wife six months be-
fore, and had been i'll peck Of troub


les ever since about his three chill 1ren,
the youngest about six months Old
The doctor knew no more Of the de,
tails Of household economy than his
baby, andit had become evident to all
his friends that he could not exist long
without wife but whom should he
marry that was the question. To-
complicate matters, DR.. Holford was
obliged to exc out the profits of a
not very renumeratiye practice by re-
ceiving a patient, at his own house, and
rich patients were not always easy to
find. Atthe time we write Of he had
just received as an inmate a '.soi-dis
ant nervous invalid-W alter Stone by
name-whom he watched with singular
carefulness, for in his secret soul the
doctor knew the man was insane, and
although in truth he believed him to
be perfectly harmless, yet he daily ex-.
pected some mad freak or folly to APP
pear. None had as yet, and all things
had gone smoothly for two or three
weeks, when, according to the usual
malignity Of circumstances, most in
convenient and aggravating interest in
Walter Stone began to appear in the
conduct Of Miss Stuart, the children's
goyerness. 1t is true that Mr. Stone
was handsome young man, with
manner in which none but profes-
sional eye could detect any faint of
madness, but that made it all the more
alarming; and feeling himself as not
yet thoroughly acquainted with the
state Of his patients mind, the doctor
was on tenter- hooks. AS he said, he
dared give no serious warning, ner
vous patient might be all very well, but
no governess would stay with livelu-
natic loose about the house. So DE-
Holtord was faln to let matters take
their course, trusting to the chapter of
accidents and to Miss Stuart.s good
sense to get her right in time. After
all, he thought, there could be no great
risk. Walter Stone had come to him
with all excellent character for quiet
ness, and might, for all he knew, be
curable. SO he determined to hold his
tongue, and hope that no bad conse-
quence would ensue. " hat did occur
we shall presently see. IL. .H


A day or two after this conversation
with Mr.. Baily, the doctor happened
to look out from his surgery window
on the little plat of ground at the back
OF his house, which he was pleased to
with the name of garden
Dir. Holford worked in it a good deal
himself, and took great interest in the
one or two flower beds, and tie border,
rich with bright colors, in the arrange
ment Of which he fattered himself Sir
Joseph Paxton could not hold a candle
to him. The air was scented with the
breath of lilacs and hyacinths, and the
perfume Of two gnarled old hawthorns,
covered, one with white and the other
with pink blossoms, that stood on the
grass plat by the side of the path, and
that were the pride of the doctors.
heart. The garden was a kingdom for
bees and butterflies, and they hummed
and danced merrily in the sunshine
On this particular May afternoon a
fresh little human flower moved quick
ly to and fro among the butterflies, clad
in, a soft gray-stuff gown, with pink
ribbons at the throat and wrist. 1t
was the young goyerness, Lizzie Stuart.
She was q pretty girl of about twenty,
with large gray eyes and fair shiny
hair. A sprig Of pink may was stuck
in in the waist band that girted small
round waist, and they were very little
feet that tapped impatiently upon the
gravel walk. The doctor could not
help watching her from the window as
he smoked his pipe, she made such a
pretty foreground to his favorite flow
ers as she went and came under the
hawthorns. Presently a young man
came out and walked across the grass
plat towards her. She met him with
an outstretched armand they strolled
along the path together. 1t was per
fectly natural that they should do so,
and the doctor ought to have been
glad that his patient should be sub
jected to such soothing influences but
somehow he sighed little as he saw
how earnestly they were talking, her
face raised up to him, and his bent
down to her, Certainly Lizzie did not
seem afraid of Walter Stone The
doctor put his pipe in the corner ofhis
mouth with another sigh, and went up
stairs to dress for dinner


The pair in the garded did not re-
main long together. Walter Stone
stammered back into the house, and
Lizzie went on walking up and down
the short gravel path. For fear of
mistake, we had better let the reader
into a secret at once. Almost from
the first movement--three months ago


when .Jr. Holford had done her the
immense honor ofcontiding to her care
his motherless children, Lizzie Stuart's
tender little heart had been in the doc


tors keeping. Indeed, she had loved


him all her life as her fathers friend


and her own; but of late what was it