rled his lips.

"How he does love her!" thought I; "strong indeed must be the counter
charm, that can rival hers."

I had never seen his spirits so light as they were the remainder of the
evening. They rose even to gaiety; and again I wondered what had become
of the reserve and moodiness whose dark shadow had preceded his
approach.

"We are so happy now," said Edith, when we were alone, "I dread the
interruption of company. Ernest does not care for it, and if it be of an
uncongenial kind, he wraps himself in a mantle of reserve, that neither
sun nor wind can unfold. After commencement, our house will be
overflowing with city friends. They will return with us, and we shall
not probably be alone again for the whole summer."

She sighed at the anticipation, and I echoed the sound. I was somebody
now; but what a nobody I should dwindle into, in comparison with the
daughters of wealth and fashion who would gather at Grandison Place!

"Ernest must like you very much, Gabriella, or he would not show the
interest he does in all that concerns you. You do not know what a
compliment he pays you, because you have not seen him in company with
other young girls. I have sometimes felt quite distressed at his
indifference when they have been my guests. He has such a contempt for
affectation and display, that he cannot entirely conceal it. He is not
apt to express his opinion of any one, but there are indirect ways of
discovering it. I found him this morning in the library, standing before
that beautiful picture of the Italian flower girl, which you admire so
much. He was so absorbed, that he did not perceive my entrance, till I
stole behind him and laid my hand on his shoulder. 'Do you not see a
likeness?' he asked. 'To whom?' 'To Gabriella.' 'To Gabriella!' I
repeated. 'Yes, it is like her, but I never observed it before.' 'A very
striking resemblance,' he said, 'only she has more mind in her face.'"

"That enchanting picture like me!" I exclaimed, "impossible! There is,
there can be no likeness. It is nothing but association. He knows I am
the flower-girl of the house, and that is the reason he thought of me."

I tried to speak with indifference, but my voice trembled with delight.

The next morning, when I came in from the garden, all laden with
flowers, an irresistible impulse drew me to the library. It was very
early. The hush of repose still lingered over the household, and that
particular apartment, in which the silent e