d so
majestically that they passed on into another car, leaving us to
our extra seat. At Rhinebeck, however, she found her match in a
very fine-looking man, apparently forty or thereabouts, with a weed
on his hat and a certain air, which savored strongly of psalms and
hymns and extempore praying. In short, I guessed at once that he
was a Presbyterian minister, old school at that. Now, madam, you
know, is true blue--apostolically descended, and cannot tolerate
anything like a dissenter. But I do not give her credit for having
sufficient sagacity to detect the heretic in this handsome,
pleasant-faced stranger, who stood looking this way and that for a
seat. Madam, I saw, grew very red in the face, and finally threw
down her veil, but not till the minister saw it, and half started
forward as if about to speak. The movement showed him one extra
seat, and very politely he laid his hand upon it, saying:

"'Pardon me, ladies, this, I believe, is unoccupied, and I can find
no other.'

"Madam's feet came down with a jerk, ditto madam's portion of the
traps, although the stranger insisted that they did not trouble
him, while again his mild but expressive eyes scanned the brown
veil as if he would know whose face was under it. When we reached
New York, he bowed to us again, as if to offer us assistance, but
the doctor himself appeared, so that his services were unnecessary.

"'Did you see him?' madam whispered to John, who answered:

"'See who?'

"'Millbrook! He sat right there!'

"'What, the parson? Where is he going?'

"'I don't know. I'm so glad Anna was not here.'

"All this was in an aside, but I heard it, and here are the
conclusions. Parson Millbrook has been and wants to be again a
lover of Anna Richards, but madam has shut up her bowels of
compassion against him for some reason to this deponent unknown.
Poor Anna, I am sorry for her, and as her sister, may perhaps help
her; but shall I ever be her sister? Ay, there's the rub, and now,
honor bright, I reach the point at last.

"I am determined to bring the doctor to terms, and so rid you and
Hugh of myself. To do this I must at some rate keep up the
appearance of wealth. Perhaps Hugh never knew that Nell Tiffton
lent me that elegant pearl bracelet, bought by her father at Ball &
Black's. Night before last the doctor took me to hear Charlotte
Cushman as _Meg Merrilies_. I wore all th