e till his return.

"Matilda?" said Margaret, looking up at her brother.

"She is very ill;--not likely to be better."

"And poor Mrs Howell is gone," said Hester. "What a sweep it is! Did
you hear, love? Mrs Howell is dead."

"I hear. It is a terrible destruction that we have witnessed. But I
trust it is nearly over. I know of only one or two cases of danger now,
besides this little girl's. Poor Matilda! But we have little thought
to spare, even for her, to-night. If I did not know that Margaret is
ready for whatever may betide," he continued, fixing his benevolent gaze
upon her, "and if, moreover, I were not afraid that some one would be
coming to tell my news if I do not get it out at once, I should hesitate
about saying what I have to say."

"Philip has been explaining--He is coming," said Margaret, with such
calmness as she could command.

"Enderby is coming; and some one else, whose explanations are more to
the purpose, has been explaining. Mrs Rowland, alarmed and shaken by
her misery, has been acknowledging the whole series of falsehoods by
which she persuaded, convinced her brother that you did not love him--
that you were, in fact, attached elsewhere. I see how angry you are,
Hester. I see you asking in your own mind how Enderby could be thus
deluded--how he could trust his sister rather than Margaret--how I can
speak of him as deserving to have her after all this. Your questions
are reasonable enough, love, and yet they cannot be answered. Your
doubts of Enderby are reasonable enough; and yet I declare to you that
he is in my eyes almost, if not quite, blameless."

"Thank you, brother!" said Margaret, looking up with swimming eyes.

"There is one great point to be settled," resumed Hope: "and that is,
whether you will both be content to bury in silence the subject of this
quarrel, from this hour, relying upon my testimony and Mrs Rowland's."

"Oh, Edward, do not put your name and hers together!"

"For Enderby's justification, and for Margaret's sake, my name shall be
joined with the arch-fiend's, if necessary, my love. You must, as I was
saying, rely upon the testimony of those who know the whole, that
Enderby's conduct throughout has been, if not the very wisest and best,
perfectly natural, and consistent with the love for Margaret which he
has cherished to this hour."

"I knew it," murmured Margaret.

"He will himself disclose as much as he thinks proper, when he comes:
but he c