t, and indeed few men could have
beheld the picture of extraordinary loveliness thus revealed, without a
shock of surprise equal to the delight it inspired. She was not pretty;
the very word was a misnomer, she was simply one of nature's most
exquisite and undeniable beauties. From the crown of her ebon locks to
the sole of her dainty foot, she was perfect as the most delicate
coloring and the utmost harmony of contour could make her. And not in
the conventional type either. There was an individuality in her style
that was as fresh as it was uncommon. She was at once unique and
faultless, something that can be said of few women however beautiful or
alluring.

Mr. Sylvester had not expected this, as indeed how could he, and for a
moment he could only gaze with a certain swelling of the heart at the
blooming loveliness that in one instant had transformed the odd little
parlor into a bower fit for the habitation of princes. But soon his
natural self-possession returned, and rising with his most courteous
bow, he greeted the blushing girl with words of simple welcome.

Instantly her eyes which had been hitherto kept bent upon the floor
flashed upward to his face and a smile full of the wonder of an unlooked
for, almost unhoped for delight, swept radiantly over her lips, and he
saw with deep and sudden satisfaction that the hour which had made such
an impression upon him, had not been forgotten by her; that his voice
had recalled what his face failed to do, and that he was recognized.

"It is Mr. Sylvester, your cousin Ona's husband," Miss Belinda
interposed in a matter-of-fact way, evidently attributing the emotion of
the child to her astonishment at the imposing appearance of their guest.

"And it was _you_ who married Ona!" she involuntarily murmured, blushing
the next moment at this simple utterance of her thoughts.

"Yes, dear child," Mr. Sylvester hastened to say. "And so you remember
me?" he presently added, smiling down upon her with a sense of new life
that for the moment made every care and anxiety shrink into the
background.

"Yes," she simply returned, taking the chair beside him with the
unconscious grace of perfect self-forgetfulness. "It was the first time
I had found any one to listen to my childish enthusiasms; it is natural
such kindness should make its impression."

"Little Paula and I met long ago," quoth Mr. Sylvester turning to the
somewhat astonished Miss Belinda. "It was before my marriage and