opes, to the
effect that after a time he should succeed in the object dearest to his
heart, had made far less impression on her mind than on his. She had
not heard the unearthly taps; she had not been startled by the
appropriate answers; she had not herself had her hand arrested at the
letters which spelled out the unknown names. Her curiosity led her to
attend a seance with Francis at the same place, but everything on that
occasion was a failure. The spirits had not got rightly EN RAPPORT with
her; her dead relations were misnamed; their messages were
uncharacteristic; and the spirit of Mr. Hogarth never could be summoned
up again. She therefore determined to dismiss the whole subject from
her thoughts, and advised Francis to do the same. Mr. Dempster,
however, was not willing to relinquish his half-made proselyte; and
certainly, the less Jane was inclined to believe in these
manifestations the more she became attached to the simple-minded pious
visionary who rested so completely in them.

Jane's own life was particularly full of work and of worry at this
time; for, as Miss Phillips might have taken part of the blame to
herself, if she had conceived it possible that she could do wrong; for
it was on her account that the housemaid had given warning--she said
that two missusses, that was, Mrs. Phillips and Miss Melville, was
enough for her, and she could not submit to a third, and she couldn't
abear Miss Phillips's interference. The nursemaid took umbrage at Elsie
sitting so much in the nursery with the children, though it was what
Mr. Phillips liked, and what the children delighted in; and besides
there was no other convenient place for her except her own bedroom,
which was too cold for comfort and too dark for fine work. Elsie's
position in the house was rather anomalous, and certainly added to
Jane's difficulties.

While Francis was busily engaged with his canvass, Mr. and Mrs.
Phillips took a short tour on the Continent. Harriett would have liked
to accompany them, and threw out hints to show that she expected an
invitation; but her sister-in-law thought they had done quite enough
for her, having her all that time in London, and taking her about
everywhere. Jane was to be left in charge of the children, and Elsie
was to go with her mistress. Now that Mrs. Phillips had a lady's-maid,
she could not possibly travel without one; and as neither her husband
nor herself knew any modern language but their own, Elsie might