Brown is killed by them
nasty cruel railroads." And she burst into tears.

"How, where--where? Good God! Jenny, don't waste time in crying, but
tell us something."

Miss Matty rushed out into the street, and presently an affrighted
carter appeared in the drawing-room and told the story.

"'Tis true, mum, I seed it myself. The captain was a-readin' some book,
waitin' for the down train, when a lass as gave its sister the slip came
toddling across the line. He looked up sudden, see'd the child, darted
on the line, cotched it up, and his foot slipped and the train came over
him in no time. The child's safe. Poor captain would be glad of that,
mum, wouldn't he? God bless him!"

The great rough carter turned away to hide his tears. I turned to Miss
Jenkyns. She looked very ill, as though she were going to faint, and
signed to me to open a window.

"Matilda, bring me my bonnet. I must go to those girls. God pardon me if
ever I have spoken contemptuously to the captain."

Miss Brown did not long survive her father. Her last words were a prayer
for forgiveness for her selfishness in allowing her sister Jessie to
sacrifice herself for her all her life.

But Miss Jessie was not long left alone. Miss Jenkyns insisted she
should come and stay with her, and would not hear of her going out into
the world to earn her living as a saleswoman. "Some people have no idea
of their rank as a captain's daughter," she related indignantly, and
stumped out of the room. Presently she came back with a strange look on
her face.

"I have been much startled--no, I've not been startled--don't mind me,
my dear Miss Jessie, only surprised--in fact, I've had a caller whom you
once knew, my dear Miss Jessie."

Miss Jessie went very white, then flushed scarlet.

"Is it?--it is not----" stammered out Miss Jessie, and got no farther.

"This is his card," said Miss Jenkyns, and went through a series of
winks and odd faces at me, and formed a long sentence with her lips, of
which I could not understand a word.

Major Gordon was shown upstairs.

While downstairs Miss Jenkyns told me what the major had told her. How
he had served in the same regiment as Captain Brown and had fallen in
love with Miss Jessie, then a sweet-looking, blooming girl of eighteen;
how she had refused him, though obviously not indifferent to him; how he
had discovered the obstacle to be the fell disease which had stricken
her sister, whom there was no one to nurse and comf