Year: 1878

"Oh, they have come back TO London from


Paris, then" Lesbia exclaimed and coloreC


scarlet at the end OF her speech. Bride ws'


preparing to ask whom she meant by hty


when John broke up the conference 81 an
J "Yon had better read the debate aloud


to Lesba it will in terest you both"


Yes, dear Bride, do begin at once" Lesbin


window recess, and shall be listening to your


reading even il do seem to be looking out OF
| the window"


Bride grew absorbed in the d.. bate as she


read; but Lesbis heard very little, and under
| stood less. Bride might have spared her pre-
| csutlons to save her little sister from beariu <


news at the end of the day for Lesbla was not
| only we'll aware of fCaptain Pelhams In tentiops,
| bat she had already. in the solitude OF her own
| room without consulting any one, taken meas
! ures , prevent his carly ing them into execu'
| ton. She bad written him letter, and was
now busy asking herself what John and Bride
| would think of sach monstrous proceeding as
! refusing q man before he had asked her. 1t
had all come of some too atfectioRate demon
strstions from Lady Pelham while che and Les


bia had been pacing the avenue together
before Ham House, and from significant word
that Msrmaduke had let fall when he wished
her good night. When she was shut up alone
in her own room foil consciousness of the
seIi 1usness of the crisis she had brought upon
herself se;z d her, and she was over whelmed
with shauIe and Confusion. She had been an
ticipatipg this result of her own conduct, bot
now that it was close at hand it assumed q
very different aspect from that it had worn far
off


She did nat know now whether she
preached herself moe I bitterly for her conduct
to the Pelham family in encouraging them to
waste hopes aad build projects on her which
she had all along meant to disappoint, or
whether she was most self huuiliated for hav-
ing drawn on her own head the slight of an
insincere wooipg. "She might not be worthy
of so much love as Ellen DAILY, on whom IT
seemed much was bestow wed," she said to
herself; but surely she was worth something
more than to be married jost for her money;
no one caring for herself, or troubling them
selves 10 the least to consider whether she
should bs happy or unhappy III the bonus
that II ust be burdensome if love had had moth
ing to do with the binding of them. Surely
there muet be something better in etore for her
thaa that. Bride seemed to think Captain
Pelhams sort of love good enough for her; bat
then Bride was blind, and did not know any.
thing about love. But it was unjust to retiect
on other people. Sue knew she had brought
the insincere courtship on herself; and now
that her eyes were open to the shame of 1t there
was only one thing to be done-to draw back
as far as possible now, and spare herself and
her pretended lover the last step in the farce
that would be moi oItifcation to them both.


She sprang from her eeat with the resolute
expression on her face that came there some
times, and caused people to remark that after
all there was likeness between the sisters
and eestipg herself at her writing table she
wrote rapidly.


please don't come to see me to morrow as
you said you would. You will think it very
strange of me to say before you have spoken
that, whatever you are going to ask me would
be of use bat want us to remain good
friends, and think we can be so better if yon
don't ONE ID me to morrow. Try to get your
mother and sisters to forgive me for not seeing |
ing to ask John to take me back to Castle
Daily next week. The sight of the hawthorn in !
flower in the Petersham fields to-day has in |
epired me with a longing for the country and
days in town. When l come back next winter |
We will talk about Connemars just as we used
to do, and shall stll bS your little friend
whom you taugtt to lide.-LEsBIA MAYNARD1


She folded and directed her note without
reading it over, and then ran down stairs and
COL fided it to James Morris, the Days former |
servant, whom she bad adopted into great
favor and brought with her to England, and |
on whose despatch aud tact in any after that |
specially cJrcerned herself shs could al ways |
rely,
across The squ usre, and then awaited the result I
with msgivIngs gradually strengthening. Had |
she taken very monstrous, oot of-the-way |
step7 Would Bcide consider that it disgraced |
her for everf What would che have thought |
of it herself in he old days when she used to !
sit at her attic window looking over Aunt
Joseph's little oyster paved back garden when |
the possibility of barorets son making her |
offer would have seemed 80 very remote |
AID so glorious Was that James Morris |
sing the square again How could Bride |
tiresome stuff about liberty of the press, and |
laws of libel and treason- felony, when such |
very much more important questions were |
pending


How clear and pointed" Bride exclaimed
"tbis speech Of Sir Robert Peels would be
deeply interesting even if we had no friends
whom tae proposed law is likely to effect.
Do you think you have followed his argu-
ment, Lesbia or would you like to go through |
it againi"


I.esbia turned round in dread of an explana-
ton which Bli6e would expect her at least to |
try to understand, and was relieved by the
sound of ring at the servants' bell.


Yes, dea'; think it is quite clear all that
about treason and felony being exactly the !
same thing in Ireland. 1 quite understand,
but James Morris has just come in with a note |
for me, and think il you don't object will
go and see what it is and be back in few |
minu tes."


Bride finished the debate to herself, and |
then as the light failed rang for tea and can
dles and took up book. DO you know
where Miss Lesbin isf" she asked of the ser |
want who answe cred the bell. viii you tell |
her 1 am waiting tea for her I"


Mrs Maynard is in the study with Mr.. |
Thornly; she went there half an hour ago with |
a u I tnAt came for her and sAid Rhe |