de him
so unhappy about it. I am sure I hope it is not true,' she added,
considering, 'for, Charlie, you must know that Guy had an impression
against him.'

'Had he?' said Charles, anxiously.

'It was only an impression, nothing he could accuse him of, or mention
to Lord Kilcoran. He would have told no one but me, but he had seen
something of him at Oxford, and thought him full of conversation,
very clever, only not the sort of talk he liked.' 'I don't like that.
Charlotte concurs in testifying to his agreeableness; and in the dearth
of intellect, I should not wonder at Eva's taking up with him. He would
be a straw to the drowning. It looks dangerous.'

They were very anxious for further intelligence, but received none,
except that Philip had a letter from his friend, on which his only
comment was a deep sigh, and 'Poor Thorndale! She little knows what
she has thrown away!' Letters from Kilcoran became rare; Laura scarcely
wrote at all to Philip, and though Mrs. Edmonstone wrote as usual, she
did not notice the subject; while Charlotte's gravity and constraint,
when she did achieve a letter to Charles, were in such contrast to her
usual free and would-be satirical style, that such eyes as her brother's
could hardly fail to see that something was on her mind.

So it went on week after week, Charles and Amabel wondering when they
should ever have any notice to go home, and what their family could be
doing in Ireland. October had given place to November, and more than a
week of November had passed, and here they still were, without anything
like real tidings.

At last came a letter from Mrs. Edmonstone, which Amabel could not
read without one little cry of surprise and dismay, and then had some
difficulty in announcing its contents to Philip.

'Kilcoran, Nov. 8th.

'My Dearest Amy,--You will be extremely surprised at what I have to tell
you, and no less grieved. It has been a most unpleasant, disgraceful
business from beginning to end, and the only comfort in it to us is the
great discretion and firmness that Charlotte has shown. I had better,
however, begin at the beginning, and tell you the history as far as I
understand it myself. You know that Mr. James Thorndale has been here,
and perhaps you know it was for the purpose of making an offer to
Eveleen. Every one was much surprised at her refusing him, and still
more when, after much prevarication, it came out that the true motive
was her attachment to