ng faded
before these convincing arguments, and she soon found herself much more
interested in looking forward to the receipt of the likeness which he
could not fail to send in return than with reproaches over a hasty piece
of folly.

The reply arrived in due course, and with it the photograph of a
handsome face, with fine, bold eyes, a prominent nose, an expressive
mouth, and a moustache in the springtime of its existence. It was
captivating, but, after her own deception, she was naturally in doubt as
to who the true owner of that very attractive physiognomy might be. If
indeed it were Dudley, her random shot had hit the mark. To her
imagination he had always been handsome; whether he were so in reality
had never before seemed at all a matter of importance; but now, with a
picture before her from which a lasting impression might be derived, it
became necessary either to accept it or reject it. Should this face,
then, be hereafter regarded as that of her playmate in his maturer
years? After careful scrutiny she decided that it should, and from that
time, when it was not in her hands undergoing admiration, it lay in
secure repose among the treasured notes, faded flowers, and
sweet-smelling rose-leaves in her writing-case. Not many days later she
felt impelled to acknowledge its receipt, and, taking her materials in
this precious box to a shaded corner of the pine wood, spread them out
before her and was soon deep in her pleasant task. She was necessarily
obliged to draw heavily upon imagination in tracing the points in the
photograph which she asserted recalled vividly his youthful countenance,
and, when at last she had finished, lay back exhausted by the effort,
and soon fell into a condition of dreaminess bordering closely on sleep.
Suddenly, however, the sound of approaching footsteps aroused her, and
before she had time to gather together all her sacred belongings, the
figure of a tall man, in a slouch hat and with an unprepossessingly
cadaverous cast of features, appeared from behind the rocks, which until
then had hidden them from each other's view. He stopped short on
discovering her, raised his hat in some confusion, muttered something in
apology for his intrusion, and was just planning a hasty retreat, when
she asked, with some nervousness, "Do you wish to see my father?"

"No," he answered, with equal embarrassment. "I--I was going down to the
beach. I forgot for the moment that--that this place was occupied: