smile did not escape her notice.

"You think I am blown about by every contending breath of feeling," she
said, wearily; "when the truth is, I am trying to make out the right of
a case in which there is so much wrong; and it is no easy thing to do."

"But you will find the right of it at last," I answered. "You are not
called upon to decide in a moment upon a matter of such weight as this.
Take time, take rest, take counsel."

"Will you read the letter over to me?" she asked, lying down again, and
preparing to listen by shielding her face with her hands.

The letter of Arthur Greyfield ran as follows:

"My Dear Anna: How strange it seems to me to be writing to you again! It
is like conversing with one returned from another world, to you, too, no
doubt. There is so much to explain, and some things that perhaps will
not ever be explained satisfactorily to you, that I know not where to
begin or what to say. Still Benton insists on my writing before seeing
you, and perhaps this is best.

"To begin at the beginning. When I was left for dead by my frightened
comrades on the plains, I had not died, but was only insensible; and I
do not believe they felt at all sure of my death, for they left me
unburied, as if to give me a chance; and deserted me rather than take
any risks by remaining any longer in that place. How long I laid
insensible I do not know. When I came to myself I was alone, well
wrapped up in a large bed-quilt, and lying on the ground close by the
wagon-trail. Nothing was left for my support, if alive, from which I
concluded that they agreed to consider me dead.

"When I opened my eyes again on the wilderness world about me, the sun
was shining brightly, and the wind blowing cool from the near mountains;
but I was too much exhausted to stir; and laid there, kept alive by the
pure air alone, until sunset. About that time of day I heard the tread
of cattle coming, and the rumbling of wagons. The shock of joy caused me
to faint, in which condition I was found by the advance guard of a large
train bound for the mines in California. I need not tell you all those
men did for me to bring me round, but they were noble fellows, and
earned my everlasting gratitude.

"You can imagine that the first thought in my mind was about you and
Benton. When I was able to talk about myself and answer questions, my
new friends, who had laid by for a couple of days on my account, assured
me that they should be able to overtake th