er from its
hiding-place, and thrust it into Elizabeth's hand.

"Thank heaven I've got rid of it at last," she exclaimed, shaking the
flounces of her dress as if the note had left some contamination behind.

"How did you get it?" faltered Elizabeth, looking at the folded paper
with strained eyes, as if it had been an asp which she held by the neck.

"Oh, Elizabeth, he was in this very room."

"Here! here! Great heavens! why will no one shoot this man?" exclaimed
the tortured woman.

"I thought of it, upon my word I did," said Elsie. "But, then, I don't
know how to fire off a pistol!"

"How madly we are talking!" said Elizabeth, pressing one hand to her
throbbing forehead.

Elsie pressed her own soft palm upon the strained hand, striving to
soothe the evident pain. But Elizabeth shrunk away from the half caress,
and said, in a low, husky voice:

"Leave me, Elsie, leave me; I will deal with this alone."

The young girl went away with a sense of relief. Then Elizabeth started
up in bed, tore open the hateful note, and read it through.

CHAPTER XLIII.

KINDLY ANXIETIES.

Elsie went in search of Tom; who was walking up and down the veranda,
looking anxious still, but his face cleared when he saw Elsie, like a
granite rock lighted up by a sudden flood of sunshine.

"How is she?" he asked.

"Oh, a great deal better; she is going to sleep; that is, if Grant will
be sensible enough to leave her alone; you men are dreadfully stupid
creatures."

"Yes, dear," replied Tom, meekly.

"Well!" said Elsie; "you might show a little spirit at least."

"I thought I was to agree with you!"

"There is nothing I hate so much; if you don't contradict me, I shall
die certainly."

"Then, since you want the truth, I must say I think you are a little
hard on men in general."

"And you in particular, perhaps?"

"Sometimes you are."

"Indeed!" said she, tossing her curls. "Very well, Mr. Fuller, if you
have such dreadful opinions as that, you had better have nothing more to
do with me; I'll go away."

"Oh, don't; I didn't mean it," cried Tom, in a fright.

Elsie laughed at his penitence and teased him more unmercifully than
ever, but Tom could bear it now with undisturbed equanimity. She had
given him happiness, lifted his soul into such a flood of light as he
had never thought to reach in this world, and his state of rapturous
content utterly defied description.

They walked up and down the long colonnade, j