gravely. "But, Sir Piers, _she_ must
not know."

"Certainly not," he said, quietly. "Tell her nothing; let her think, if
she will, that the angels did it. And--tell me nothing. Farewell."

He stooped down and kissed the cold white brow of the dead child.

"That can hurt no one," said Piers, in a low voice. "And she may be
glad to hear it--when she meets the child again."

He glided out of the hall so softly that Heliet did not hear him go, and
only looked up and found herself alone. She knelt for a few minutes by
the bier and then went quietly to her own room.

The next morning there were abundance of conjectures as to who could
have paid this tender and graceful tribute. The Earl was generally
suspected, but he at once said that it was no doing of his. Everybody
was asked, and all denied it. Father Bevis was appealed to, as being
better acquainted with the saints than the rest of the company, to state
whether he thought it probable that one of them had been the agent. But
Father Bevis's strong common sense declined to credit any but human
hands with the deed.

Clarice was one of the last to appear. And when the sweet, fair tribute
to her darling broke suddenly upon her sight, the result was attained
for which all had been more or less hoping. That touch of nature set
the floodgates open, and dropping on her knees beside the bier, Clarice
poured forth a rain of passionate tears.

When all was over, and Rosie had been hidden away from sight until the
angel-trump should call her, Clarice and Heliet went out together on the
Castle green. They sat down on one of the seats in an embrasure. The
Earl, with his thoughtful kindness, seeing them, sent word to the
commandant to keep the soldiers within so long as the ladies chose to
stay there. So they were left undisturbed.

Heliet was longing intensely to comfort Clarice, but she felt entirely
at a loss what line to take. Clarice relieved her perplexity by being
the first to speak.

"Heliet!" she said, "what does God mean by this?"

"I cannot tell, dear heart, except that He means love and mercy. `All
the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth unto the lovers of His will and
testimony.' Is not that enough?"

"It might be if one could see it."

"Is it not enough, without seeing?"

"O Heliet, Heliet, she was all I had!"

"I know it, beloved. But how if He would have thee to make Him all thou
hast?"

"Could I not have loved God and have had Rosie