otte said, firmly; "and they might just as well
do somebody some good." Charlotte's New England thrift and practical
sense stretched her sentiment on the rack, and she never made a
sound.

Barney, watching out from his window that Sunday, caught a flash of
green and purple from Sylvia's silken skirt as she turned the corner
of the old road with Richard. "She's got on Charlotte's
wedding-dress. She's--given it to her," he said, with a gasp. He had
never forgotten it since the day Charlotte had shown it to him. He
had pictured her in it, hundreds of times, to his own delight and
torment. He had a fierce impulse to rush out and strip his
Charlotte's wedding-clothes from this other bride's back.

"She's gone and given it away, and she hasn't got a good silk dress
herself; she's wearing her old cloak to meeting," he half sobbed to
himself. He wondered piteously, thinking of his savings and of his
property since his father's death, if he might not, at least, buy
Charlotte a new silk dress and a mantilla. "I don't believe she'd be
mad," he said; "but I'm afraid her father wouldn't let her wear it."

The more he thought of it the more it seemed as if he could not bear
it, unless he could buy Charlotte the silk dress. "Her clothes ain't
as good as mine," he said, and he thought of his best blue broadcloth
suit, and his flowered vest and silk hat. It seemed to him that with
all the terrible injury he was doing Charlotte, he also injured her
by having better clothes than she, and that that was something which
might be set right.

As Barney sat by his window that Sunday afternoon he saw a man coming
down the hill. He watched him idly, then his heart leaped and he
leaned forward. The man advanced with a careless, stately swing, his
head was thrown back, his mulberry-colored coat had a sheen like a
leaf in the sun. The man was Thomas Payne. Barney turned white as he
watched him. He had not known he was in town, and his jealous heart
at once whispered that he had come to see Charlotte. Thomas Payne
came opposite the house, then passed out of sight. Barney sat with
staring eyes full of miserable questioning upon the road. Had he been
to see Charlotte? he speculated. He had come from that direction; but
Barney remembered, with a sigh of hope, that Squire Payne had a
sister, an old maiden lady, who lived a half-mile beyond Charlotte.
Perhaps Thomas Payne had been to see his aunt.

[Illustration: "Thomas Payne advanced with a carele