nd my place seems to be with him at present, but in the spring,
if I come back in the spring, will you see me then? Will you let me
tell you--"

I moved away from him hurriedly.

"No, no--don't say it! Say nothing to-day, but just `Good-bye.' I
don't want to think of the future--it's too soon. You said we must not
think of ourselves."

"I did. You are quite right, but sometimes it is difficult to be
consistent. You are not angry with me for coming to-day?"

He held out his hand as he spoke, and--I was inconsistent, too! I laid
mine in it, and we stood with clasped fingers, quite still and silent
for a long, long time, but I think we said many things to each other,
all the same.

Then Will went away--my Will!--and I came upstairs to my room, and sat
down all alone. No, that is not true--I can never fed alone now as long
as I live!

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX.

_January 20th_.
Mrs Greaves and Rachel came home after the New Year and set to work at
once to break up the old home. All the furniture is to be sold by
auction, and the house is to be sold too, or let upon a very long lease.
I wanted to see Rachel, but dreaded seeing her, at the same time, so at
last I sent a letter asking when I might come, and she wrote back a dear
little affectionate note fixing the very next afternoon. When I arrived
she took me upstairs to the sitting-room where I used to spend my days
when my ankle was bad, and fussed over me in just the same old way. She
looked--different! Just as sweet, just as calm, but--oh, I can't
describe it, as if something had gone which had been the mainspring of
it all.

I should never have dared to mention Will, but she began almost at once
to speak of the broken engagement, quite calmly and quietly, repeating
that it was the best thing for both, and that she should be perfectly
content if she were satisfied about Will's future.

"Nothing will give me greater pleasure than to hear that Will is happily
married and settled down. He has been too long alone, and would so
thoroughly appreciate a home of his own. I have done him a great
injustice by condemning him to so many lonely years, but our engagement
need be no hindrance now. It was known to very few people, and,"--she
smiled a little sadly--"even those who did know refused to take it
seriously. They saw at once what I was so slow in discovering--that we
were unsuited to each other.