ark's retiring form, she gazed eagerly after him; and
when he was at length hidden from her view, she sat down to pour out
her heart in passionate weeping.

Old Mrs. Lee, while she tenderly loved the sweet flower that had
grown up under her care, was not, in all things, a wise and discreet
woman; nor deeply versed in the workings of the human heart.

Rumor of Mark's wildness had found its way to the neighborhood of
Fairview, and made an unfavorable impression. Mrs. Lee firmly
believed that he was moving with swift feet in the way to
destruction, and rolling evil under his tongue as a sweet morsel.
When she heard of his arrival at his grandfather's, a fear came upon
her lest he should cast his eyes upon Jenny. No wonder that she met
the young man with such a quick repulse, when, to her alarm, she
found that he had invaded her home, and was already charming the ear
of the innocent child she so tenderly loved and cared for. To find
them sitting alone in the woods, only a little while afterwards,
almost maddened her; and so soon as she took Jenny home, she hurried
over to Mr. Lofton, and in a confused, exaggerated, and intemperate
manner, complained of the conduct of Mark.

"Together alone in the woods!" exclaimed the old gentleman, greatly
excited. "What does the girl mean?"

"What does he mean, thus to entice away my innocent child?" said
Mrs. Lee, equally excited. "Oh, Mr. Lofton! for goodness' sake, send
him back to New York! If he remain here a day longer, all may be
lost! Jenny is bewitched with him. She cried as if her heart would
break when I took her back home, and said that I had done wrong to
Mark in what I had said to him."

"Weak and foolish child! How little does she know of the world--how
little of the subtle human heart! Yes--yes, Mrs. Lee, Mark shall go
back at once. He shall not remain here a day longer to breathe his
blighting breath on so sweet a flower. Jenny is too good a girl to
be exposed to such an influence."

The mind of Mr. Lofton remained excited for hours after this
interview; and when Mark appeared, he met him as has already been
seen. The manner in which the young man received the angry words of
his grandfather, was a little different from what had been
anticipated. Mr. Lofton expected some explanation by which he could
understand more clearly what was in the young man's thoughts. When,
therefore, Mark abruptly turned from him with such strange language
on his tongue, Mr. Lofton's ang