tended, altogether to his own ease and
comfort. In any case Emily Fox-Seton was a fine creature, and only
thirty-four, and with Alec Osborn at the other side of the globe the
question of leaving an heir had been less present and consequently had
dwindled in importance.

The nearness of the Osborns fretted him just now. If their child was a
son, he would be more fretted still. He was rather glad of a
possibility, just looming, of his being called away from England through
affairs of importance.

He had spoken to Emily of this possibility, and she had understood that,
as his movements and the length of his stay would be uncertain, she
would not accompany him.

"There is one drawback to our marriage," he said.

"Is it--is it anything I can remove?" Emily asked.

"No, though you are responsible for it. People seldom can remove the
drawbacks they are responsible for. You have taught me to miss you.",

"Have I--have I?" cried Emily. "Oh! I _am_ happy!"

She was so happy that she felt that she must pass on some of her good
fortune to those who had less. She was beautifully kind to Hester
Osborn. Few days passed without the stopping of a Walderhurst carriage
before the door of The Kennel Farm. Sometimes Emily came herself to take
Mrs. Osborn to drive, sometimes she sent for her to come to lunch and
spend the day or night at Palstrey. She felt an interest in the young
woman which became an affection. She would have felt interested in her
if there had not existed a special reason to call forth sympathy. Hester
had many curious and new subjects for conversation. Emily liked her
descriptions of Indian life and her weird little stories of the natives.
She was charmed with Ameerah, whose nose rings and native dress,
combining themselves with her dark mystic face, rare speech, and
gliding, silent movements, awakened awe in the rustics and mingled
distrust and respect in the servants' hall at Palstrey.

"She's most respectably behaved, my lady, though foreign and strange in
her manners," was Jane Cupp's comment. "But she has a way of looking at
a person--almost stealthy--that's upset me many a time when I've noticed
it suddenly. They say that she knows things, like fortune-telling and
spells and love potions. But she will only speak of them quite secret."

Emily gathered that Jane Cupp was afraid of the woman, and kept a
cautious eye upon her.

"She is a very faithful servant, Jane," she answered. "She is devoted to
Mrs. Os