"I should like to see you do that," said Thornton as he refolded the note and put it in his pocket. "What is the other?"

"Not much-a request from Mrs. Raynor that I will spend to-morrow with her."

"And you will?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I do not wish to go."

"I wonder if your foot ever trembles on the narrow bridge of truth?" said her brother, raising her face and surveying it intently.

"Not in this case. But don't you wish to go to dinner?''

"Well I certainly might be hungry," said Thornton, as he followed her, "for I have been parading and walking in the most exemplary and orthodox manner-quite à-la-bon fils. Where have you been?"

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Where I wish you had."

"O-I remember, and cannot echo the wish. And you have been working yourself up to some untenable point of perfection, I suppose-à-la-vraie femme.'

Only untenable to the people who never occupy it."

"By the way," said Thornton, "just for the fun of the thing, I think I will have a party upon the proposed plan. Only I shall not fail to proclaim to the company whose "hospitable thought' contrived it all."

"I had company this morning," said Hulda, who thought she had been long enough unnoticed. "Indeed!" said her brother. "Was it a wasp or a yellow

jacket?"

"He did not wear a yellow jacket at all," said Hulda "it was a black one.

Thornton burst out laughing.

"If I am to have two sisters to look after," he said, "I may as well build a castle at once. I really did not know you were grown Hulda."

up,

Not understanding Greek, Hulda was not in the least discomposed.

"You see, Alie, I ran on before Martha to open the door, for I thought maybe it was you; and it was Mr. Raynor."

"Mr. Raynor!" said Thornton, every particle of the laugh vanishing. What the deuce brought him here?"

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"I don't think the deuce brought him here at all," said Hulda, in a very dignified manner. "I'm sure he was very pleasant, and a great deal more goodnatured than

"Hush, Hulda!" said her sister.

A silent play of knives and forks followed.

And what had Mr. Raynor to say for himself?" inquired Thornton, when he had swallowed the first effervescence produced by this information.

"O not much," said Hulda. "Nothing at all for himself. He only kissed me, and asked for Rosalie."

Thornton carried his fork to his mouth with more expression than is usually bestowed upon salad, but verbal remark he made none.

CHAPTER XIII.

Not for my peace will I go far,

As wanderers do, that still do roam,

But make my strengths, such as they are,

Here in my bosom, and at home.-BEN JONSON.

"MISS ARNET, ma'am," said Tom, opening the sitting-room door next morning.

"O Marion!" cried little Hulda, springing towards her, "is that you? I thought you never were coming here again.’ "I began to think so myself, pet. Good morning, Alie. Good morning, Captain Thornton! I saw your troop out, and supposed you were with them."

"Good morning, Miss Arnet. I am sorry you should be disappointed; but I can soon go, if that be all.'

"You are excessively stiff and disagreeable this morning!" said Marion, colouring. "Can't one give one's cousin his title without being immediately hailed as Miss Arnet?'

"It is in the nature of ice to freeze, nevertheless," said Thornton.

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Alie," said Marion, turning to her, "I came to borrow this child-will you let her go?"

"Ah, please do !" said Hulda, who was bestowing on Miss Arnet a small hundred of kisses. "I always like to go with you, Marion. But why don't you come here as you used to?-when we all love you so much."

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"Are you sure you do?" said Marion. Alie, you haven't spoken to me yet, except with those violet eyes of yours. Will you let Hulda go?"

"Yes, and glad. She is too quiet here with me sometimes." "O no, I'm not," said Hulda. "But I like to go too."

"Then run and get ready, pet-get your bonnet, I mean., Don't put on another frock-I'll lace-ruffle you if it is necessary."

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Why do you plague yourself with that child?" said Thornton. "I do not plague myself with that child. Of all the children I ever saw, she is the least of a plague."

"Your experience differs widely from mine."

"You have not studied the subject of counterpoise, Captain Thornton. Things to love one in this world are not so plenty that one can afford to put out the fire of a child's affection, for fear it should now and then fill the room with smoke."

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Very rhetorically expressed," said Thornton; "and quite in Rosalie's style. I should think she had been giving you lessons." "She gives me a great many that I do not take," said Marion, with a sudden change of expression-"I wish I had ever been more ready to learn! I wish all the world were like her? Alie, my dear, what do you do to me? When you are silent, I feel reproved for speaking, and when you speak I feel reproved for the way I have spoken. Your power is like nothing but the old fashion of a lock of hair round a love-letter-very strong, because nobody would break it. One would have small compunction about filing

a chain in two, but who could struggle against such a lock as this

"You are riding off too fast on your simile," said her cousin. "The hair bound up only the lady's own thoughts-and was destined to be untied, after all."

"By the proper person," said Marion. "O yes-and I expect to see your power in other hands than your own, by and by. Which is the thing of all things that Thornton least likes to hear. I would not for something be the man to encounter him in such circumstances.

"Are there any circumstances under which you would like to encounter me, Miss Arnet?"

"Did either of you ever hear," said Rosalie, "of the man who was so anxious to bring down a bird, that when other shot failed he fired all his treasure into the tree-top? And he never perceived the while that he was standing upon a cricket, whose overthrow could yield him neither glory nor satisfaction."

Marion's eyes filled to overflowing.

"I have felt it in my heart sometimes," she said. "But I would rather the cricket should bite my foot than send out such a soft little chirp as that. Here comes Hulda at last."

"At last?" said Hulda. "Why Martha said I had been no time at all. Good bye, dear Alie-you wont be lonely ?”

"I shall be as happy as possible to think you are, love.”

"Well do," said Hulda, with a somewhat doubtful breath. "Good bye, Thornton."

"Good bye," said her brother. "Though I cannot conceive what is the use of having a ruffle to one's shirt if it is to be mussed up in that style."

"Come away, my dear," said Miss Arnet. "Thornton doesn't like smoke."

"Doesn't he!" said Hulda. "Why I thought he liked it sɔ much!"

The morning passed rather moodily. Thornton seemed disposed for home comforts-or home meditations, and yielded very little return for his sister's kind and delicate attempts to please him. When at last he roused himself to go out, however, he did condescend to signify his appreciation of them.

"You are like nobody else, Alie-nobody else in the world,— Marion is right there. But whether her growing like you would benefit me much, may be questioned. You are a stiff enough little child yourself, and I don't believe would shake her resolution if you could."

"I am sure I have tried to shake yours."

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My resolution wont shake-or if it does will do no more. It is fast at both ends. And that child thinks she can twirl me round her thumb-so she can, I suppose, in heart, but not in purpose. Well-I thought I had got used to it

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But why cannot you talk to each other peaceably, at least?” said his sister.

"Because having said the most provoking things we could to

each other, the less provoking come natural, I presume," said Thornton. "I don't think Marion could speak to me as she speaks to other people. There is a kind of lemon-squeezer effect about all she says.

"I am sure she never speaks of other people as she speaks of you."

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'Well it may be," said Thornton. "Snows, doesn't it?-But I tell you Alie, it's of no use for you to look sober about this-if you wear such a face, people will think my canary bird has a hard jailer."

It was no prisoner's look that she turned on him, and for that he kissed her more than once before he went,

An hour passed by, and Rosalie had gone up to her room, and was beginning the business of the toilette in a very leisurely and reflective sort of way, when Martha Jumps came in.

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My stars alive!" she said, “Well, if you ain't all undressed at this very identical minute!"

"Well?" said her mistress.

"Well's easy to spell," said Martha sententiously, "but whether the gentleman down stairs is a-going over the letters to himself, is a question."

*What gentleman?” I told Tom to let nobody in."

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"Very good," said Martha, "but you didn't tell me; and when Tom Skiddy's to the baker's he ain't at the front door, commonly. But do make haste, Miss Rosalie, because

"O, I don't know," said Martha-"because' never stays put in my head, it's a kind of floating population. I don't know who he asked for first, neither, but I told him Captain Thornton wa'n't home. I guess it don't much matter," said Martha, in a satisfied tone, as if it did matter a great deal, but all the right way.

"Are you sure I am wanted at all, Martha ?"

"Sure as he is; and there's no going beyond that, ma'am. Now you'll soon be ready. My! what white arms! It's a mystery to me what ever does come over some folks's skins. Miss Rosalie ! you forgetfullest of all ladies (in this house)," said Martha, parenthetically, "here's one of your rings on the washhand-stand. There, do go."

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Lovely she is, and he too," said Martha Jumps to herself as she looked over the balustrade after her mistress," and he was here yesterday, that's more. Now if I wasn't honourable, which I am, wouldn't I go down and second all the motions through the keyhole! There, shut fast. Such doors! I should think cur'osity 'd die an unnatural death in this house for want of air. Well, I'йl go look after Tom Skiddy!”

It was indeed a lovely vision that Mr. Raynor saw when the pening door drew his eye in that direction. She was dressed according to the fashion of the day; but her look was like no fashion that the world ever saw.

"I could not come sooner, Mr. Raynor," she said, "if that is any apology for keeping you waiting so long.'

"I have been conversing with an ideal presence," he said, with a slight smile, "and too pleasantly to find the time long. I wish I could hope to go over the same interview with the reality."

"You have brought your mother back with you," said Rosalie. Certainly; or rather she has brought me. But she was a little fatigued with the journey, and has not been able to go out since, or you would have seen her.'

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So I understood-so she said in the note she was so kind as to write me."

"The note whose request you were not so kind as to comply with," said he, smiling. "Why was it, Miss Rosalie ? Has the old friendship died out on your side?"

"O no," she said, earnestly.

"It died out on mine, long ago," said Mr. Raynor, “at least if transformation be death; and I should like to have your consent to the new order of things."

"No, the old one was too good to be changed. But Mr. Raynor

But Miss Rosalie, if you please, I am not ready to quit the subject. I went to Europe with one thing in my mind that I had been forbidden to speak out, though I begged hard for permission. But because we were both so young, I was required to go withput telling you in words who was the best loved of all the friends I left in America, which indeed I thought you must know without words."

She sat silently listening to him, with a face grave and quiet, as if her mind was but half upon what he said-as if she knew it already as if some emergency which she had expected and tried to ward off had come, and she knew what her answer must be, and was trying to strengthen her woman's heart and woman's voice to give it. A look very different from the almost sensitive timidity which reigned there when no deep feeling was in exercise. An expression which Mr. Raynor had seen but once before, and that was on the night of his arrival, when he had watched so long to see it change to one he remembered and liked much better. He did not like it now at all; he would rather have seen herself more present to her mind-her colour deeper, and her self-control less.

"Well," he said at last-and though the voice was gentle it was very grave-"what are you plotting against me? I see you knew all this long ago, and that it has been not quite forgotten in the mean time. I have told you my thoughts, dear Rosalie, tell me yours."

"I wish they had never been told me that they had been left to my own imaginings. I wish, oh, how much, that if you had any such thoughts before you went abroad, Mr. Raynor, you had left them all there."

"You might as well wish that I was not Mr. Raynor, at once. And as to not telling them, I'm afraid I should not soon have you really at the head of my house if I waited for your 'imaginings' to place you there. It is high time that my persuasions came in aid."

She passed her hands over her face for a moment, and then