ucheafen, and, frightened at his frowning face, the child darted
toward "Ma'm'selle."

"Ma'm'selle, Ma'm'selle!" She tugged at the governess's dress, at her
hand. "'Ook what he dave me!"--holding up the ball. "Nice, nice man,
vewy nice! Floss s'an't have it, he s'ant--Floss a geedy boy. He dived
it me for meself. Oh, an' yes!"

With a sudden remembrance of something less absorbing than the ball,
she held up the paper--a mere folded scrap. Alexia seized it eagerly,
held it fast in her hands, asked almost inaudibly:

"Who gave it to you, child?"

"Him did. You droppened it. Him," said the child, turning round to
point. Then she cried out blankly, "Oh, him's gone!"

Miss Boucheafen glanced behind her hastily. The seat by which the
gay-colored ball had lain was empty. She opened the paper, and read
within it, written in a blood-red color, the one word "Absolved!"

* * * * *

Doctor Brudenell found his nephews and niece unusually excited and
talkative when, as was his custom, he came up after his dinner to see
them in Miss Boucheafen's pleasant sitting-room. The rides in the
tram-cars, the park, the buns, and the ducks were enlarged upon in
turn; and then Maggie produced her ball, and plunged onto such broken
and lavish praises of the "vewy nice man" that the Doctor looked at the
governess for enlightenment.

"A gentleman in the park, sir, gave her the ball," explained Miss
Boucheafen gravely.

"And zou a letter!" cried Maggie.

"And also returned me a paper that I had dropped," amended Alexia.

"I see. Well, don't smash more windows with the ball than you can
help," said the Doctor, putting his niece down upon her feet.

He rose and approached the stately young governess, standing, beautiful
in the light of lamp and fire, one hand drooping at her side, the other
lying upon the marble of the mantel-piece, hardly whiter and hardly
colder. George Brudenell had begun to think that her coldness and
gravity suited her beauty--laughter, blushes, dimples would have
spoiled it. Her frigid manner did not repel him now; it had a charm for
him which no warmth and graciousness could have had; and yet,
perversely he longed intensely to see her both kind and sweet. How
beautiful she was! He glanced at her reflected face in the mirror, and
winced and frowned and bit his lip, seeing his own beside it. A small,
plain, dark, clean-shaven man--he was her very antithesis.
Intellectual-