n her: that
he had nearly done so was also evident. What had wrought that sudden
change? Had Captain Hamilton's brilliant successes really dazzled her
fancy and blinded her to Max's quiet unobtrusive virtues? Did she really
and truly prefer her cousin? This was what I had to find out, and here
Max could not help me.

There was one thing I was glad to know,--that Mr. Hamilton favoured Max's
suit. At least I should not be working against him. I do not know why,
but the thought of doing so would have pained me: I no longer wished to
array myself for war against Mr. Hamilton; my enmity had died a natural
death for want of fuel.

I felt grateful to him for his kindness to Max; no doubt he had a
fellow-feeling with him. That dear old gossip, Mrs. Maberley, had told
me something about Mr. Hamilton on my second visit that had made me feel
very sorry for him. Max knew about it, of course; he had said a word to
me once on the subject, but it was not Max's way to gossip about his
neighbours; he once said, laughing, that he left all the choice bits
of scandal to his good old friend at Maplehurst.

It was from Mrs. Maberley that I heard all about Mr. Hamilton's
disappointment, and why he had not married. When he was about
eight-and-twenty he had been engaged to a young widow.

'She was a beautiful creature, my dear,' observed the old lady; 'the
colonel said he had never seen a handsomer woman. She was an Irish
beauty, and had those wonderful gray eyes and dark eyelashes that make
you wonder what colour they are, and she had the sweetest smile possible;
any man would have been bewitched by it. I never saw a young man more in
love than Giles: when he came here he could talk of nothing but Mrs.
Carrick: her name was Ella, I remember. Well, it went on for some months,
and he was preparing for the wedding,--there was to be a nursery got
ready, for she had one little boy, and Giles already doted on the
child,--when all at once there came a letter from his lady-love; and a
very pretty letter it was. Giles must forgive her, it said, she was
utterly wretched at the thought of the pain she was giving him, but she
was mistaken in the strength of her attachment. She had come to the
conclusion that they would not be happy together, that in fact she
preferred some one else.

'She did not mention that this other lover was richer than Giles and had
a title, but of course he found out that this was the case. The fickle
Irish beauty had caught