,
and she felt that the gaiety around was rather ill-timed and out of
harmony with the feelings of the hostess. The hours passed slowly to
those who were merely looking on, but at ten the dancing ceased, the old
fiddler was dismissed, and amidst a great deal of laughter and chatter
the gay party left the castle and made their way to the steamer.

The moon was shining brilliantly, and the walls of the old castle
gleamed in its light or were hidden in dense shadow by the surrounding
trees. The steamer lay in the little bay just below, every inch of her
visible in the moonlight, and all agreed that it was a perfect night for
a water trip.

Ruth longed for a little quiet, and strove to escape from her lively
companions, whose mirth did not accord with her feelings. She sat in a
sheltered corner, and looked at the vast expanse of water and at the
quiet stars keeping watch overhead. Nothing so much reminded her of home
as the stars, which shone upon her just as they had shone at home, and
with the thought of home came a remembrance of the Heavenly Father of
whom she had thought so little lately, but who had watched over her
unceasingly and had helped her that day to save her little cousin from a
horrible fate.

Mr. Woburn and Gerald returned to Busyborough a few days after the
picnic, and the remaining weeks of the sea-side holiday passed all too
quickly for Ruth, who was never tired of the delights of sea and shore
and all the varied amusements that Stonegate afforded.

Still, she was anxious to commence her studies at the young ladies'
college her cousin attended, and spent many an hour thinking of it and
trying to imagine what the school, the governesses, and the pupils would
be like. It was of little use to question Julia, who always declared
that she "didn't want to be bothered about school in the holidays," and
that Ruth would soon find out "how horrid it was."

It was in September that they bade farewell to Stonegate and left for
Busyborough. The days were growing shorter and colder, and as the
railway journey occupied two or three hours it was late in the day when
they reached their destination, and the street lamps and shop windows
were all aglow with gas-light.

What a large noisy place it seemed to country-bred Ruth, as their cab
rattled through street after street brilliantly lighted, down long
roads, past handsome houses and gardens, until it stopped before a large
many-windowed house, with a long flight o