ntment. 'I thought that these circumstances
would make the reason for doing so doubly strong.'

'Yes. But there are, alas, reasons against it still stronger! Let me
have my way.'

'Certainly, dearest. I promised that before you agreed to be mine. My
reputation--what is it! Perhaps I shall be dead and forgotten before the
next transit of Venus!'

She soothed him tenderly, but could not tell him why she felt the reasons
against any announcement as yet to be stronger than those in favour of
it. How could she, when her feeling had been cautiously fed and
developed by her brother Louis's unvarnished exhibition of Swithin's
material position in the eyes of the world?--that of a young man, the
scion of a family of farmers recently her tenants, living at the
homestead with his grandmother, Mrs. Martin.

To soften her refusal she said in declaring it, 'One concession, Swithin,
I certainly will make. I will see you oftener. I will come to the cabin
and tower frequently; and will contrive, too, that you come to the house
occasionally. During the last winter we passed whole weeks without
meeting; don't let us allow that to happen again.'

'Very well, dearest,' said Swithin good-humouredly. 'I don't care so
terribly much for the old man's opinion of me, after all. For the
present, then, let things be as they are.'

Nevertheless, the youth felt her refusal more than he owned; but the
unequal temperament of Swithin's age, so soon depressed on his own
account, was also soon to recover on hers, and it was with almost a
child's forgetfulness of the past that he took her view of the case.

When he was gone she hastily re-entered the house. Her brother had not
reappeared from upstairs; but she was informed that Tabitha Lark was
waiting to see her, if her ladyship would pardon the said Tabitha for
coming so late. Lady Constantine made no objection, and saw the young
girl at once.

When Lady Constantine entered the waiting-room behold, in Tabitha's
outstretched hand lay the coral ornament which had been causing Viviette
so much anxiety.

'I guessed, on second thoughts, that it was yours, my lady,' said
Tabitha, with rather a frightened face; 'and so I have brought it back.'

'But how did you come by it, Tabitha?'

'Mr. Glanville gave it to me; he must have thought it was mine. I took
it, fancying at the moment that he handed it to me because I happened to
come by first after he had found it.'

Lady Constantine s