mortify and humiliate those city strangers who
sat in his father's seat, she thought.

Oh, but she would have given a great deal to have seen her hated rival's
face on that wedding-morning when no wedding took place?

No doubt "John" would tell her all about it when he arrived. And oh! How
impatient she became for his arrival!

Her reflections were interrupted by the entrance of the housekeeper with
a cup of tea in one hand and the _Times_ in the other.

"Good morning, ma'am. And hoping you find yourself well this morning!
Here is your tea, ma'am. And here is the paper, ma'am. There's the most
hawful murder been committed, ma'am, which I thought you might enjoy
along of your tea," said the worthy woman, as she drew a little stand by
the bedside and placed the cup and the newspaper upon it.

"A murder?" listlessly repeated Rose Cameron, rising on her elbow, and
taking the tea-cup in her hand.

"Ay, ma'am, the most hawfullest murder as ever you 'eard of, on an'
'elpless old gent, away up at a place in Scotland called Lone!"

"EH!" exclaimed Rose Cameron, starting, and nearly letting fall
her tea-cup.

"Yes, ma'am, and the most hawfullest part of it was, as it was done in
the night afore his darter's wedding-day, and his blessed darter herself
was the first to find her father's dead body in the morning."

"Gude guide us!" exclaimed Rose Cameron, putting down her untasted tea,
and staring at the speaker in blank dismay.

"You may read all about it in the paper, ma'am," said the housekeeper.

"When did it a' happen?" huskily inquired the girl, whose face was now
ashen pale.

"On the night before last, ma'am. The same night you were traveling up to
London by the Great Northern. And bless us and save us, the poor bride
must have found her poor pa's dead body just about the time you arrived
at home here, ma'am, for the paper says it was ten o'clock."

"Ou! wae's me! wae's me! wae's me!" cried Rose, covering her ashen-pale
face with her hands and sinking back on her pillow.

"Oh, indeed I'm sorry I told you anything about it, ma'am, if it gives
you such a turn. I _did_ hope it would amuse you while you sipped
your tea. But la! there! some ladies do be _so_ narvy!"

"An' that's the way the braw wedding was stappit!" cried Rose, without
even hearing the words of her attendant.

"Yes, ma'am," replied Mrs. Rogers, not understanding the allusion of the
speaker, "_that_ was the way the wedding was stopped, in course.