ended to be asleep, and then I crept out of the bed, and went to
your door and tried to keep awake."

"Why did you want to see me, Nea?" asked her father, more and more
puzzled; it never entered his head that his only child wanted him, and
longed for him.

"Oh," she said, looking up at him with innocent eyes that reminded him
of her mother, "I always want you, papa, though not so badly as I did
yesterday; Colonel Hambleton was playing with Nora and Janie, and Nora
said her papa was never too busy to play with them, and that made me
cry a little, for you never play with me, do you, papa? and you never
look up when I am waving to you from the balcony, and nurse says you
don't want to be worried with me, but that is not true, is it, papa?"

"No, no!" but his conscience pricked him as he patted her head and
picked out a crimson peach for her. "There, run away, Nea, for I am
really in a hurry; if you are a good girl you shall come down and sit
with me while I have dinner, for I shall be alone to-night;" and Nea
tripped away happily.

From that day people noticed a change in Mr. Huntingdon; he began to
take interest in his child, without being demonstrative, for to his
cold nature demonstration was impossible; he soon evinced a decided
partiality for his daughter's society; and no wonder, as people said,
for she was a most engaging little creature.

By and by she grew absolutely necessary to him, and they were never
long apart. Strangers would pause to admire the pretty child on her
cream-colored pony cantering beside the dark, handsome man. Nea always
presided now at the breakfast-table; the dimpled hands would carry the
cup of coffee round to her father's chair, and lay flowers beside his
plate. When he was alone she sat beside him as he ate his dinner, and
heard about the ships that were coming across the ocean laden with
goodly freights. Nea grew into a beautiful girl presently, and then a
new ambition awoke in Mr. Huntingdon's breast. Nea was his only
child--with such beauty, talents, and wealth, she would be a match for
an earl's son; his heart swelled with pride as he looked at her; he
begun to cherish dreams of her future that would have amazed Nea. A
certain young nobleman had lately made their acquaintance, a handsome
simple young fellow, with a very moderate allowance of brains; indeed,
in his heart Mr. Huntingdon knew that Lord Bertie Gower was merely a
feather-brained boy with a weak vacillating will that ha