ost reassuring. "But I
can't understand. Is it morning or evening?"

"Evening, my dear. They are at supper. Are not you hungry?"

"Oh, yes, I believe I am;" but as she was about to wash her hands: "My
rings, my wedding-ring? Look in my glove!"

"No, they are not there my dear, they must have robbed you! And oh!
Aurelia, what have you done to your hair?"

"My hair? It was all there this morning. Sister, it was that woman, I
remember now, I was not quite sound asleep, but I had no power to move
or cry out, and the woman was snipping and Loveday crying."

"Vile creature!" burst out Betty.

"My hair will grow!" said Aurelia; "but I had so guarded my
wedding-ring--and what will he, Sir Amyas, think?"

Their voices were at this moment heard, and in another second Aurelia
was held against her father's breast, as in broken words he sobbed out
thanks for her restoration, and implored her pardon for having trusted
her out of his care.

"Oh! sir, do not speak so! Dear papa, I have tried hard to do you no
harm, and to behave well. Please, sir, give me your blessing."

"God bless you indeed, my child. He has blessed you in guarding you as
your innocence deserved, though I did not. Ah! others are impatient. The
poor old father comes second now."

After a few minutes spent in repairing the disorder of her dress, and
her hands in those of her father and little brother, she was led to the
outer room where in the twilight there was a rapturous rush, an embrace,
a fondling of the hand in the manner more familiar to her than the
figure from before whom it proceeded. She only said in her gentle
plaintive tone, "Oh, sir, it was not my fault. They took away your
rings."

"Nay," said a voice, new to her, "here are your rings, Lady Belamour. I
must trust to your Christian charity to pardon her who caused you to be
stripped of them."

The name of Lady Belamour made her start as that of her enemy, but a
truly familiar tone said, "You need not fear, my kind friend. This
is Mr. Wayland, who, to our great joy, has returned, and has come to
restore your jewels."

"Indeed I am very glad yours is not lost," said Aurelia, not a little
bewildered.

Mr. Wayland said a few words of explanation that his wife's agent at
Greenwich had brought them back to her.

"Pray let me have them," entreated Sir Amyas; "I must put them on
again!"

"Stay," said Major Delavie; "I can have such things done only under true
colours and in the full light o