Agatha's forehead towards her, and kissed it. Gradually her
lips recovered their colour, and she began to talk again, showing
herself surprisingly familiar with the monotonous past life of the young
girl, and likewise with her present circumstances.

"How kind of you to take such an interest in me!" cried Agatha, her
wonder absorbed in pleasure.

"It was natural," Anne said, rather hastily. "A woman left orphan
from the cradle as I was, can feel for another orphan. And though my
acquaintance with your father was too slender to warrant my intruding
upon you--still I never lost sight of you. Poor child, yours has been a
desolate position for so young a girl."

"Ay, very desolate," said Agatha; and suddenly the recollection
crossed her mind of how doubly she should feel that desolation when her
betrothed husband was gone, for how long, no one could tell! A regret
arose, half tenderness, half selfishness; but she deemed it wholly the
latter, and so crushed it down.

"How long have you been engaged to Nathanael?" asked Miss Valery, in a
manner so sweet as entirely to soften the abruptness of the question,
and win the unhesitating answer.

"A very short time--only a few days. Yet I seem to have known him for
years. Oh, how good he is! how it grieves me to see him so unhappy!"
whispered Agatha, watching his restless movements up and down.

"It will be a hard trial for him, this parting with you. Men like
Nathanael never love lightly; even sudden passions--and his must have
been rather sudden--in them take root as with the strength of years. I
am very sorry for the boy."

And Miss Valery's eyes glistened as they rested on him whom probably
from old habit she thus called.

"Well, have you done your little mysteries?" said he, coming up to the
sofa, with an effort to be gay. "Have you taken my character to pieces,
Anne Valery? Remember, if so, I have little enough time to recover it. A
fortnight will be gone directly."

No one answered.

"Come, make room; I _will_ have my place. I _will_ sit beside you,
Agatha."

There was a sort of desperation in his "I will" that indicated a
great change in the reserved, timid youth. Agatha yielded as to an
irresistible influence, and he placed himself by her side, putting his
arm firmly round her waist, quite regardless of the presence of a third
person--though about Anne there was an abiding spirit of love which
seemed to take under its shadow all lovers, ay, even though she her