, wringing her
hands passionately together at the time, and uttering low moans which
sounded scarcely human in their smothered intensity.

Then she would glance towards the mantel, upon which lay a letter with
the seal still unbroken, though it had reached her early that morning.
It was from her husband, and she had not yet dared to read its contents!

She had been thus for hours, walking to and fro, sometimes sweeping the
package on the table away, as if unable longer to endure it before her
eyes, only an instant after to recover it as if there were danger in
allowing it out of her sight. Then she would take up her husband's
letter and attempt to open it, but each time her courage failed, and she
would lay it down, while that sickening trouble at her heart sent a new
pallor across her face, and left her trembling and weak, like a person
just risen from a sick bed.

It was growing late in the afternoon; the sunlight played in at the
windows, and cast a pleasant glow through the room; but the glad beams
only made her shiver, as if they had been human witnesses that might
betray her fear and misery.

At last she took up the package, resolved to put it resolutely away
where she could no longer look at it; as she raised it a miniature fell
from among the papers, and struck the floor with a ringing sound. She
snatched it up quickly, crushed the whole into a drawer, locked it and
put the key in her bosom.

Then, with a sudden struggle she started forward to the mantel, caught
up her husband's letter, and began to read. A sharp cry broke from her
lips; she dropped slowly to her knees, and went on reading in that
attitude, as if it were the only one in which she could venture to
glance at those kindly words:

"Not coming quite yet," she gasped at length; "thank God, not yet--not
yet."

She allowed the letter to drop from her hand, and for a few moments gave
herself completely up to the horrible agitation which consumed her.

It would have been a piteous sight to the coldest or most injured heart
to have seen that beautiful woman crouched on the floor, in the
extremity of her anguish, writhing to and fro, and moaning in mortal
agony, which could find no relief in tears.

She remained thus for a long time; at last some sudden thought appeared
to strike her, which brought with it an absolute necessity for
self-control and immediate action.

She rose to her feet, muttering:

"He will be here again soon; he must not fi