about his neck.

"'I shall never leave him, Philip. I will do my best to make his
old age happy and serene, and since I continue to be his daughter,
it is for you to decide whether or not I shall still be your
sister.
"DOLORES."

A few hours after the receipt of this letter, which carried desolation
to his heart, Philip, accompanied by Coursegol, left Versailles for
Chamondrin. In spite of the ever increasing gravity of the political
situation it had not been difficult for him to obtain leave of absence
for an indefinite time on account of the bereavement that summoned him
to his father's side and might detain him there. He made the journey in
a post-chaise, stopping only to change horses.

Dolores was little more than a child when they parted and they had been
separated more than four years, but absence had not diminished the love
that was first revealed to him on the day he left the paternal roof, and
the thought of meeting her again made his pulses quicken their
throbbing. Time and change of scene had proved powerless against the
deep love and devotion that filled his heart, and he was more than ever
determined to wed the companion of his youth; and now that she was no
longer ignorant of the truth concerning her birth, he could press his
suit as a lover. As the decisive moment approached, the moment when
Dolores' answer would make or mar the happiness of his life, he
experienced a profound emotion which was increased by the host of
memories that crowd in upon a man when he returns to his childhood's
home after a long absence to find some one of those he loved departed
never to return.

Philip thought of the mother he would never see again, of his father,
heart-broken and desolate, of Dolores, whose grief he understood. His
sadness increased in proportion as he approached the Pont du Gard. Yet
the road was well-known to him; the trees seemed to smile upon their old
companion as if in greeting, and the sun shone with more than its usual
brightness as if to honor his return. How many times he had journeyed
from Avignon to Chamondrin on such a day as this! Every object along the
roadside awakened some pleasant recollection; but the joy of again
beholding his beloved home and these familiar scenes was clouded by
regret, doubts and uncertainty; and Philip was far from happy. During
their journey, Coursegol had done his best to cheer his young master,
b