o their private
parlor, whence Mrs. Rockharrt sent her own and her granddaughter's cards
to Mrs. Stillwater's room.

A few minutes after, the young siren appeared.

"Heavens! how beautiful she is! More beautiful than before! Look, Cora!
Was there ever such a perfect creature?" said Mr. Clarence, under his
breath.

Cora looked at her former governess with a start of involuntary wonder
and admiration. Rose Stillwater was more beautiful than ever. Her
exquisite oval face was a little more rounded. Her fair complexion had a
richer bloom on the cheeks and lips. Her hair was darker in the shade
and brighter in the light; her blue eyes were softer and sweeter; her
graceful form fuller. She was dressed in some floating material that
enveloped her figure like a cloud.

She came, blooming, beaming, smiling, into the room, where all arose to
meet her. She went first to Mr. Rockharrt, and bent and almost knelt
before him, and raised his hand to her lips as if he had been her
sovereign; and then, before he could respond--for she saw that he was
slightly embarrassed as well as greatly pleased by this adoration--she
turned and sank into the arms of old Mrs. Rockharrt, and cooed forth:

"How sweet of you to remember your poor, lonely child and call her to
your side!"

"Why didn't you tell me you were going to be married, my dear?" was the
practical question of the old lady.

"It was shyness on my part. I dared not obtrude my poor affairs on your
attention until you should notice me in some way," she meekly replied,
and then she gracefully slipped out of Mrs. Rockharrt's embrace and went
and folded Cora to her bosom, murmuring:

"My own darling, how happy I am to meet you again! How lovely you are,
my sweet angel!"

"Oh, why did you not write to me that you were going to be married? I
should have so liked to have been your bridesmaid!" complained Cora.

"Sweetest sweet, if I had dreamed such honor and happiness were possible
for me, I should have written and claimed them with pride and delight.
But I dared not, my darling! I dared not. I was but a poor governess,
without any claims to your remembrance, and should not now be with you
had not the dear lady, your grandmamma, kindly recalled her poor
dependant to mind and brought me into her circle."

"Oh, Rose, do not speak so! I should hate to hear even the poorest maid
in our house speak so. You were never grandma's dependant, or anybody's
dependant. You were one of the nob