of the children
during their minority.

And so closed this exciting drama, begun in weakness, and ending in
hopeless disaster. Oh, a few years! How many broken hearts do they close
over? How many wrecks of goodly lives do they see scattered among the
breakers!

The interposition of Mr. Wallingford, in this case, was so managed as to
keep him entirely out of sight, and Mrs. Dewey was never made aware of
the fact that he had rendered her a great service.

CHAPTER XXIV.

We did not see a great deal of Mr. Dewey in S----for some months after
this. I heard it casually remarked that he was traveling in the South
and West, for a part of the time, on business. The large interests of
his firm involved in the two mills, however, made his presence necessary
among us, and late in the fall he came back, and remained through the
winter residing at the Allen House.

In the spring a rumor got afloat that Mr. Dewey was soon to be married.
A lady in New York was mentioned; the same, it was said, to whom the
letter found by Mrs. Dewey was addressed. A few signs of renovation at
the Allen House gave confirmation of this rumor, which at length assumed
a more positive shape.

The intimacy between Mrs. Wallingford and Constance, had grown into a
close interior friendship, and scarcely a week passed that an evening
was not spent by them together, sometimes at our house, and sometimes
at Ivy Cottage. Mr. Wallingford had developed into a man after my own
heart; and so I shared, when professional engagements allowed, in the
enjoyment of these pleasant seasons.

One evening Mr. and Mrs. Wallingford came round to spend an hour with
us. I was happily at leisure. Conversation naturally falls into the
current of passing events, and on this occasion, the approaching
marriage of Mr. Dewey came naturally into the field of topics. This
led to a review of the many strange circumstances connected with Mrs.
Wallingford's presence in S----, and naturally, to an inquiry from my
wife as to the present position of the property left by Captain Allen.

"What about this young Garcia?" said Constance, addressing Mr.
Wallingford. "I haven't heard of him for some time."

"He is at school yet, I believe," replied Mr. Wallingford, not showing
much interest in the matter.

"He must be nearly of age," said I.

"About twenty, if his years were correctly given."

"He will come into the possession of a handsome property," I remarked.

"Yes, if it ca