st
admiration. Miss Essie turned to Mrs. Stoutenburgh and remarked, half
loud,

"_That's_ easy to understand. I was dull."

"What do you think of it?" said the doctor softly, stooping towards
Faith. But if she heard she did not answer him. She sat with downcast
eyes that did not move. She had been wondering whether that was a
description of "Pet,"--or of somebody else.

"Faith," whispered Mrs. Stoutenburgh's kind mischievous voice in her
ear,--"in whose face do you suppose he finds 'continual comfort'?" But
she was sorry the next instant, for the pained, startled look which
flashed up at her. Sorry and yet amused--the soft little kiss on
Faith's cheek was smiling although apologetic.

"Mr. Linden," said the doctor, who held the bag of forfeits,--"it is
your duty to punish Miss Essie with some infliction, such as you can
devise."

"Miss Essie," said Mr. Linden, walking gravely up to her, "if there is
any person in this room towards whom you entertain and practise
malicious, mischievous, and underhand designs, you are hereby sentenced
to indicate the person, declare the designs, and to 'shew cause.'"

"Why I never did in my life!" said Miss Essie, with a mixture of
surprise and amusement in her gracious black eyes.

"The court is obliged to refuse an unsupported negative," said Mr.
Linden bowing.

"Well," said Miss Essie, with no diminishing of the lustre of her black
orbs,--"I had a design against you, sir!"

"Of what sort?" said Mr. Linden with intense gravity, while everybody
else laughed in proportion.

"I had a design to enter your mind by private fraud, and steal away its
secrets;--and the reason was, because the door was so terribly strong
and had such an uncommon good lock! and I couldn't get in any other
way."

"I hope that is news to the rest of the company," said Mr. Linden
laughing as he bowed his acknowledgments. "It is none to me! Miss
Essie, may your shadow never be less!"--

"Aint you ashamed!" said Miss Essie reproachfully. "Didn't such a
confession deserve better? Who's next, Mr. Harrison?"

Some unimportant names followed, with commonplace forfeits according;
then Faith's name came to Mr. Linden. Then was there an opening of eyes
and a pricking of ears of all the rest of the company. Only Faith
herself sat as still as a mouse, after one little quick glance over to
where the person stood in whose hands she was. He stood looking at
her,--then walked with great deliberation across the roo