sister, half-smiling through her sympathetic
tears.

"Will be yours also, Amy tells me," said Aunt Martha. "Thank God! thank
God!"

"Martha, who gave him his name?" asked Mrs. Bennet.

Aunt Martha paused for a little while. Then she said:

"You never knew who my--my--husband was?"

"Never."

"I remember--he never came to the house. Well, I gave my child almost his
father's name. I called him Wynne; his father's name was Wayne."

Mrs. Bennet clasped her hands in her lap.

"How wonderful! how wonderful!" was all she said.

Lawrence Newt knocked at the door, and Amy and he came in. There was so
sweet and strange a light upon Amy's face that Mrs. Bennet looked at her
in surprise. Then she looked at Lawrence Newt; and he cheerfully returned
her glance with that smiling, musing expression in his eyes that was
utterly bewildering to Mrs. Bennet. She could only look at each of the
persons before her, and repeat her last words:

"How wonderful! how wonderful!"

Amy Waring, who had not heard the previous conversation between her two
aunts, blushed as she heard these words, as if Mrs. Bennet had been
alluding to something in which Amy was particularly interested.

"Amy," said Mrs. Bennet.

Amy could scarcely raise her eyes. There was an exquisite maidenly
shyness overspreading her whole person. At length she looked the response
she could not speak.

"How could you?" asked her aunt.

Poor Amy was utterly unable to reply.

"Coming and going in my house, my dearest niece, and yet hugging such a
secret, and holding your tongue. Oh Amy, Amy!"

These were the words of reproach; but the tone, and look, and impression
were of entire love and sympathy. Lawrence Newt looked calmly on.

"Aunt Lucia, what could I do?" was all that Amy could say.

"Well, well, I do not reproach you; I blame nobody. I am too glad and
happy. It is too wonderful, wonderful!"

There was a fullness and intensity of emphasis in what she said that
apparently made Amy suspect that she had not correctly understood her
aunt's intention.

"Oh, you mean about Aunt Martha!" said Amy, with an air of relief and
surprise.

Lawrence Newt smiled. Mrs. Bennet turned to Amy with a fresh look of
inquiry.

"About Aunt Martha? Of course about Aunt Martha. Why, Amy, what on earth
did you suppose it was about?"

Again the overwhelming impossibility to reply. Mrs. Bennet was very
curious. She looked at her sister Martha, who was smiling intelligently.
T