his love's sake, he had
no right to see her. At moments it seemed as if that were right and he
could do it, no matter how impossible, and then he almost ran forward;
but only to check himself, to stop short, and doubt whether not to turn
back altogether. By such faltering progresses, he found himself in the
Northwick avenue at last, and keeping doggedly on from the mansion,
which the farm road had brought him to, until he reached the cottage at
the avenue gate. On the threshold drooped a figure that the sight of set
his heart beating with a stifling pulse in his throat, and he floundered
on till he made out that this languid figure was Adeline. He could have
laughed at the irony, the mockery of the anti-climax, if it had not been
for the face that the old maid turned upon him at the approach of his
footfalls, and the pleasure that lighted up its pathos when she
recognized him.

"_Oh_, Mr. Hilary!" she said; and then she could not speak, for the
twitching of her lips and the trembling of her chin.

He took her hand in silence, and it seemed natural for him to do that
reverent and tender thing which is no longer a part of our custom; he
bent over it and kissed the chill, bony knuckles.

She drew her hand away to find her handkerchief and wipe her tears. "I
suppose you've come to see Suzette; but she's gone up to the village to
talk with Mr. Putney; he's our lawyer."

"Yes," said Matt.

"I presume I don't need to talk to you about that--letter. I think,--and
I believe Suzette will think so too in the end,--that his mind is
affected, and he just accuses himself of all these things because
they've been burnt into it so. How are your father and mother? And your
sister?"

She broke off with these questions, he could see, to stay herself in
what she wished to say. "They are all well. Father is still in Boston;
but mother and Louise are at the farm with me. They sent their love, and
they are anxious to know if there is anything--"

"Thank you. Will you sit down here? It's so close indoors." She made
room for him on the threshold, but he took the step below.

"I hope Miss Suzette is well?"

"Why, thank you, not very well. There isn't anything really the matter;
but we didn't either of us sleep very well last night; we were excited.
I don't know as I ought to tell you," she began. "I don't suppose it's a
thing you would know about, any way; but I've got to talk to somebody--"

"Miss Northwick," said Matt, "if there is