ad while we share it."

"And I have frightened you about nothing."

"Nothing! nothing about Edward?"

"Oh, no, no!"

"And no one has made you uncomfortable?"

"No."

"Then there is only one thing that it can be, Ailie, and you need not
fear to tell me that. I always knew that if he lived I must be prepared
for it, and you would not have hesitated to tell me of his death."

"It is not that, indeed it is not, Ermine, it is only this--that I found
to-day that Lady Temple's major has the same name."

"But you said she was come home. You must have seen him."

"Yes, but I should not know him. I had only seen him once, remember,
twelve years ago, and when I durst not look at him."

"At least," said Ermine, quickly, "you can tell me what you saw to-day."

"A Scotch face, bald head, dark beard, grizzled hair."

"Yes I am grey, and he was five years older; but he used not to have a
Scotch face. Can you tell me about his eyes?"

"Dark," I think.

"They were very dark blue, almost black. Time and climate must have left
them alone. You may know him by those eyes, Ailie. And you could not
make out anything about him?"

"No, not even his Christian name nor his regiment. I had only the little
ones and Miss Rachel to ask, and they knew nothing. I wanted to keep
this from you till I was sure, but you always find me out."

"Do you think I couldn't see the misery you were in all the evening,
poor child? But now you have had it out, sleep, and don't be
distressed."

"But, Ermine, if you--"

"My dear, I am thankful that nothing is amiss with you or Edward. For
the rest, there is nothing but patience. Now, not another word; you must
not lose your sleep, nor take away my chance of any."

How much the sisters slept they did not confide to one another, but
when they rose, Alison shook her head at her sister's heavy eyelids,
and Ermine retorted with a reproachful smile at certain dark tokens of
sleeplessness under Alison's eyes.

"No, not the flowered flimsiness, please," she said, in the course of
her toilette, "let me have the respectable grey silk." And next she
asked for a drawer, whence she chose a little Nuremberg horn brooch for
her neck. "I know it is very silly," she said, "but I can't quite help
it. Only one question, Ailie, that I thought of too late. Did he hear
your name?"

"I think not, Lady Temple named nobody. But why did you not ask me last
night?"

"I thought beginning to talk again would destroy you