the floor, to try and walk off the
excitement that was fast gaining upon her.

Before this night and this discovery, not for the world would Marian
have made her existence known to him, far less would she have sought his
presence. Nay, deeming such a meeting improper as it was impossible, her
mind had never contemplated it for an instant. She had watched his
course, sent anonymous donations to his charities, hoped much from his
repentance and good works, but never hoped in any regard to herself. But
now it was absolutely necessary that she should make her existence known
to him. She would go to him! She must save him! She should see him, and
speak to him--him whom she had never hoped to meet again in life! She
would see him again in three days! The thought was too exciting even for
her strong heart and frame and calm, self-governing nature! And in
defiance of reason and of will, her long-buried youthful love, her pure,
earnest, single-hearted love, burst its secret sepulchre, and rejoiced
through all her nature. The darkness of the past was, for the time,
forgotten. Memory recalled no picture of unkindness, injustice or
inconstancy. Even the scene upon the beach was faded, gone, lost! But
the light of the past glowed around her--their seaside strolls and
woodland wanderings--

"The still, green places where they met,
The moonlit branches dewy wet,
The greeting and the parting word,
The smile, the embrace, the tone that made
An Eden of the forest shade--"

kindling a pure rapture from memory, and a wild longing from hope, that
her full heart could scarce contain.

But soon came on another current of thought and feeling opposed to the
first--doubt and fear of the meeting. For herself she felt that she
could forget all the sorrows of the past; aye! and with fervent glowing
soul, and flushed cheeks, and tearful eyes, and clasped hands, she
adored the Father in Heaven that He had put no limit to forgiveness--no!
in that blessed path of light all space was open to the human will, and
the heart might forgive infinitely--and to its own measureless extent.

But how would Thurston meet her? He had suffered such tortures from
remorse that doubtless he would rejoice "with exceeding great joy" to
find that the deed attempted in some fit of madness had really not been
effected. But his sufferings had sprung from remorse of conscience, not
from remorse of love. No! except as his deliverer, he would probably not
be pleased