er,
her father holding it in trust for her.

In another year Mr. Checkynshaw married his second wife, who treated
little Marguerite well enough, though she felt no deep and motherly
interest in her, especially after Elinora, her own daughter, was born.
Mr. Checkynshaw called himself a banker now. He had taken Mr. Hart and
another gentleman into the concern as partners, and the banking-house
of Checkynshaw, Hart, & Co. was a rising establishment.

The second Mrs. Checkynshaw was an ambitious woman, vain and
pretentious. Her friends had been to London, Paris, Naples, and Rome.
She had never been in Europe, and it galled her to be out of the
fashion. When Elinora was only two years old, she insisted upon going
abroad. Her husband did not like the idea of travelling with two
children, one five and the other two years old. But he was
over-persuaded, and finally consented to go. They arrived in Paris in
July, and intended to remain there two months; but, before this period
elapsed, the banker received a letter from Mr. Hart informing him of
the sudden death of the third partner in their house. This event
compelled him to return immediately; but Mrs. Checkynshaw was so well
pleased with Parisian life, that she was unwilling to leave the city so
soon. The voyage to her was terrible, and she had seen little or
nothing of Europe. The family had taken apartments, and she was loath
to leave them.

A friend of the banker, who with his wife occupied rooms in the same
house, suggested that Mrs. Checkynshaw and her children should remain
until her husband could return, two or three months later. An
arrangement to this effect was made, and the banker hastened home to
settle his business affairs. He had hardly departed before the cholera
broke out with fearful violence in Paris. One of its first victims was
the gentleman who had charge of Mr. Checkynshaw's family. His wife
followed him, only a day later, to the cholera hospital.

Of course the banker's wife was terribly frightened, and instantly made
her preparations to leave the infected city. Poor little Marguerite was
the first of the family to take the disease, and she was hurried off to
the hospital by the landlord of the house, who was very polite, but
very heartless. This event would not have delayed the departure of Mrs.
Checkynshaw, but she was stricken down herself before she could leave.
The fearful malady raged with awful violence; hospitals were crowded
with patients, a