Year: 1870

cry Iohe OuC when she caught sight of his
stern, set face and flashing eyes deep flush
fiickered over her face.


She looked relieved when Aunt Jane ut
tered a shrll summons to tea.


you'll stay to tea, Gilbert" she said,
coaxingly, laying her hand on his arm.
"You like Aunt James biscuit so much,
you know, and-and I'll forgive you for
being so rude to me just now if you'll
Gomez


1T seems to me Phebe," said Gilbert,
softened, in spite of himself, by the touch
OF her hand, "that am not the one who
needs forgiveness. should like an expla-
nation of the scene witnessed few mo-
ments ago."


81 can't give you an explanation" said
Phebe, quickly, dropping her hand from his
arm, and her face grew very grave and
stern under Glbert's searching eyes, but
did not change color in the least.


The young man looked perplexed
Phebe was always so frank and true, he
hardly knew how to doubt her. but then
there was the evidence of his own eyes.


Phebe looked up in his face very humbly
and beseechingly.


81 can't tell you anything more, now, than
that he is an old friend, and | was so glad
and SO surprised to see him that perhaps
l wasn't quite $3.50 celemonious as
should have BEEN"


Gilbert's brow darkened, and Phebe saw
plainly that she was not mending matters.
She tucked her little white hand inside his
large, brown one, and her baby-blue eyes
looked pleadingly up into his face.


"Gilbert, won't you trust me?' she said,
softly. "There as something that l keep
back that l can't tell you now, though some
time l may. But you know, Gilbert, that
there is nobody in the wide world that L"
and her eyes dropped, and shy pink blush
es chased each other over her face, her
voice was very low, and faltering, and sweet
-"that loCe-like you."


1t was the first time that Phebe had ever
confessed so much, and Gilbert caught her
in his arms and kissed her, and drove the
last shadow away from his brow, and al
lowed himself to be led into the house,
where Aunt Jane awaited them in a fever
Of anxiety lest the biscuit were cold.


Gilbert was no great favorite with Aunt
Jane. She had always been determined
that Phebe should not marry seafaring
man, and then the knowledge that Phebe
might have done better, as far as money
and position were concerned, harTassed her
continually. For there was Gerald Bayne,
the great man of ROckport, the owner of
nobody knew how many ships, and
warehouses and Stock and lands, who had
been in love with Phebe ever since she
wore pinafores, and who might have won
her, Aunt Jane was continually saying to
herself if it had not been for Gilbert Drew,
Not that Phebe had ever manifested the
least liking for Gerald Bayne, but she could
not have been insenSible to such attractions
as his, Aunt Jane was sure, if Gilbert Drew,
with his handsome face had not come in
the way, and coaxed her into fancying her
self in love with him. But Phebe was the
apple of her eye, and she hadn't the heart
to try to thwart her perhaps, too, she was
conscious that it would not be of much use
to try, for Phebe was determined little
being when she had once made up her mind
Willfulness was a family trait. Aunt
Jane well remembered how being thwart-
ed in his will had been the ruin of one
member of it. That was Phebe's brother ::
from childhood all his dreams had been of
the sea, every ship that sailed out of the
port he followed with longing eyes, and all his
hopes and fancies flew forward to the time
when he should be able to 60


But his mother was widow, and the sea
had swallowed up so many of her kindred
her husband among them--that she had
dread and horror of it, and absolutely re-
fused to let the boy go. She kept an un-
! ceasing watch over him, and when, in his