Year: 1872

forehead, and her eyes grew dim
and the tears seemed to flicker and
become enveloped in mist. She
had not been seen by the young
married pair, and she avoided them
and fastened to the house. The
door stood open, and, unseen by any
one, she entered the old familiar
room where the piano used to stand.
A piano was there still, and the
folding doors were nearly closed.
Isabel was about to ring the bell in
order to make her presence known,
when she heard two voices in the
adjoining room; and she could not
move from where she stood; the
sounds and words had a fascination
for her. She seemed to have no
choice left, she could only stand
and listen.


"My poor Frank" said the voice
of Mrs. Alsager, I am so grieved
about you and about her But
you foolish boy, why didn't you
speak out in timer"


a." I don't know hadn't the
courage; and even if I had, what
would have been the usel She
never could have loved me; I know
| itp'


Ii was the voice of Frank Rowan
which spoke this.


GLOW would your brother have
got his wife if he hadn't at least
given Alice a chance for accepting
him? Do you think she could have
proposed for him?"


"Eustace is q better fellow than I
am every way; and then Alice was
always near-and you were so kind!
But it was different with us-I
mean with me-and now / have
lost her forever"


Frank" said Mrs. Alsager,
speaking in a very grave tone, d" do
you. know that / always supected
that in her heart Isabel Germaine
loved you2"


"Oh, Mrs. Alsager, don't torture
me for nothing. IT cannot be. If
it were so, why should she have
! gone away in such a manner; left US
without a word to let us know where
even a friendly line might reach
| her ?"


"That very thing is one of my
reasons. I can't tell why, but l
have thought We were not clear
enough in explaining about Alice's
marriage. I took it for granted
that your father had explained ev-
crything, he took it for granted that
l had explained, and we neither of
us did, and I fear we made a sad
blunder of it.''


" But what could that have to do
with her sudden disappearance?"


Don't you understand? Can't
you guess?''


" [ don't understand; I can't
guess"


"Suppose she thought it was you,
and not Eustace, that was to marry
Alice?"


There was q sudden sound as if
Frank had sprung to his feet, and
he exclaimed:


ooh, Mrs. Alsager, if 1 could on
| ly believe in that, would search
the world for her until I found her!
And would bring her back or kill
myself before her eyes! What is
life to me within her?"


Isabel could stand no more. a
sudden inspiration seized her. She
turned to the piano and played a
a few hurried, and tremulous bars
of the old familiar farewell she
knew so well. There was a cry in
the next room, crash, a finging
back of the folding-doors, and Mrs.
Alsager and Frank rushed into the
room, and Isabel was nearly fainting
with emOtion-half shame, half Joy
when the young man caught her
in his arms.


No more of the story need be
told but that the Alsagers found the
old home too small for them, as their
daughter Alice and her husband
were always to live with them. So
they discovered another place not
very far away, and they made ar
rangements to resell the old home
to Frank Rowan for his young wife
and himself. Nor does the tale need
any particular moral, except per-
haps, that in announcing by letter
an approaching marriage it is al
ways safer toSmsntion the exact
names of the persons about to
marry.


The Independent thinks that when
child is whipped just as hard for
breaking a dish as for breaking a
commandment, there is need that
somebody should pray for his par