Year: 1878

! 4
been his BROTHER instead of his sister, shoulu


probably have taken part in. ;.,
| 1T is q trnst. not possession, l IeaVe WIN
| you, dear, and always meant to take Tue one
| of you most fitted for ii. You must Let me re-
! joce that can put it confidently into your
hands-that yon have not cnt yourself II rom
spring when feared you would so cut your
self off, and leave me no free person of my


own blood to whom could give up my work"
"You mean the time when Cousin DARCY


stayed with I did not believe you knew


what was passir & among us, or that if had
consented t. wnat he wished it would have


made you aahaPpy. Why did not You warn


mef'


81 did not want to Influence you unduly. I


rememb bered that had been young myself, and


how in th, 81 dsvs tones of voice like his and


looketike bis tf-cted me. Now that it is all


over should like to know why you sent him


away, md how you escaped his infloerc ce at the


time. i thought it Eas all over with you, and
that my poor Good Peoples Hollow people had
lost you quite, for conid not have given them
the wife of rebel leader for their mistress


II should like to tell you all since you have
able to help me understand myself better than
do now. You know that mamma and Pei
ham took to Darcy at once when he came to
stay with us at Eagles Edge after his visit to
like having papa again in the house. But
though he fascinated Us all, it was only to me
that he opened out on the subject be really
came for. at first his enthusiasm took as great
q hold on me as it has done on Connor; and
when he talked about his hopes and plans l
was dszzled, and could not help believing in
them and giving him the fullest sympathy.
Bot later, when he began to say words to me
about the new strength my sympathy gave,
and what might be to him and the cause if
could love him. l was startled and distressed.
aud I hated myself sometimes for shrinking
back. calling myself half-hearted, and incaps-
BILE of giving the devotion TO a cause or per-
son that more unselfsh women were giving. I
mad almost worked myself TO beliey9 that
my whole heart was with the cause aud with
him when that troubled time came of Pelham's
did not blame either Pelham or Darcy for the
part they took bn5 fonpd that my thoughts
te~ off at once to another friend of Pelham's,
whose infueu ce. ifhe b ad been near, would have
been very differently exercised, Darcy had
to leave Connemsra early in the next day, and
had promised to give him an answer before
he left. We speut the last day here. You
were very uuwel', and 1 passed the greater
opening drawer to tiud something you want
ed, caught sight of a letter from Bride
Thornley,, which some months before you lad
taken from me lest should make myself uu-
happy by reading it again. was seized with
q great desire to read il, and when you were
asleep took it to the hesrthrug, and spet it
evening had received it. 1 don't know what
it did to me, but as I read the words, every
one Of which membered perfectly, felt as
if scales fell from my eyes, and understood



discovered that a very different image from
D'Arcy's had come into my heart and become
impressed on all my thoughts; that it was
quite another sort of approval than his really
coveted. When / was o child, never could
be content unless mamma was satisfied with
me. Even when 1 had your good word and
psps's, hers seemed to be the only praise
worth struggling for because it was SO deliber-
stely and calmly given"


"Ah l see.'


"I have not vexed you, Amer


mo, darling, no. for I've come round to hope |
hat he will help you to carry out all the plans
have failed to perfect and to correct all my |
mistakes here" |
81 shall have the help in one way, bat,
Aune, you must not expect more than can
really be. Last summer, the bridge out
there, made my decision for life, and know
quite we'll that he will never ask me TO alter
e. l spoke too angrily ard yehemently for
anything further ever to be said.


Well, dear, it may be so; eSree with you
hat John Thornley, is not au TO get over a
'epulee easily, but suppose you fen meet
1ow that be aud his sisters have come back to


mot often. Mics Thornley,, who used to
'ome to Eagles Edge sometimes, left the Cas-
n England, and the other two have not time,
'r perhaps inclination, to pay visits to We
meet at the schools and the public kitchens,
md sometimes in the cabins, and Leabia makes
great fuss over me but, indeed, Anne, what
,ver coldness there is ia not my fsult. won
ler at myself sometimes for being able to talk
and consult with Mr. Thornley, as freely as if
asst Summer had never been, and he is, with
ne, just like anybody else, except that know
here is nothing that can suggest or ask that
will not be coptrived and brought about with
aim there. 1 think Pelham is the one that
Keeps up the distance between us. He can't
orget that d arby ORoone goes about accusing
him everywhere Of having forced duel upon
him fer the express purpose of currying favor
With the heirese; and the accusation is so gall
ng to Pelham that he can't do enough to
'how he does not expect any gratitude for his
He sometimes makes himself
- wooden and dignifed when Lesbia is talk
ng to him, and looking up with just the coax
ng expression in her eyes we used to admire
At Whitecliffe, that l should be dreadfully
sorry for her if did not see that she and her
brother are 90 happy together, that hardly
think she can care much for anything else"


"Aud the elder sister has left Castle DAILY;
so long"


"You were very i'll the week before she left,
and DR.. Lynch would not hear of her coming
TO say good-bye."


at would have been the last goodbye. 1
rbaD