and held
open the door. She drew back to suffer her uncle to limp in and lay aside
his crutches, saw him give his hand to the stranger, and, sweeping her veil
aside as she entered, she saw Russell quietly resume his seat at the end of
the pew.

Startled beyond measure, she looked at him intently, and almost wondered
that she recognized him, he had changed so materially since the day on
which she stood with him before his mother's gate. Meantime the service
commenced, she gave her hymn-book to her uncle, and at the same moment
Russell found the place, and handed her one of two which lay near him. As
she received it their eyes met, and she held out her hand. He took it, she
felt, his fingers tremble as they dropped hers, and then both faces bent
over the books. When they knelt side by side, and the heavy folds of her
elegant dress swept against him, it seemed a feverish dream to her; she
could not realize that, at last, they had met again, and her heart beat so
fiercely that she pressed her hand upon it, dreading lest he should hear
its loud pulsations.

The discourse was ended, the diapason of the organ swelled through the
lofty church, priestly hands hovered like white doves over the
congregation, dismissing all with blessing. Once more Irene swept back the
rich lace veil, fully exposing her face; once more her eyes looked into
those of the man who politely held the pew door open; both bowed with
stately grace, and she walked down the aisle. She heard Russell talking to
her uncle just behind her, heard the inquiries concerning his health, the
expression of pleasure at meeting again, the hope which Eric uttered that
he should see him frequently during his stay in W----. Without even a
glance over her shoulder, she proceeded to the carriage, where her uncle
soon joined her.

She met his searching gaze calmly, and as they now neared the house he
forbore any further allusion to the subject which he shrewdly suspected
engaged her thoughts quite as fully as his own.

CHAPTER XVII

IRENE MEETS RUSSELL

"Surely, Uncle Eric, there is room enough in this large, airy house of ours
to accommodate my mother's brother! I thought it was fully settled that you
were to reside with us. There is no good reason why you should not.
Obviously, we have a better claim upon you than anybody else; why doom
yourself to the loneliness of a separate household? Reconsider the matter."

"Irene, I want a house of my own, to which I can