grin; she had started out with
bright hopes of securing a brilliant match, and now, though not yet
twenty, began to be haunted with the terrible, boding fear of old
maidenhood.

She confided her trouble to Isadore one day, when a fit of extreme
depression had made her unusually communicative.

Isa could scarce forbear smiling, but checked the inclination.

"It is much too soon to despair, Virgy," she said; "but indeed, I do not
think the prospect of living single need make one wretched."

"Perhaps not you, who are an heiress; but it's another thing for poor,
penniless me."

Isadore acknowledged that that probably did make a difference.

"But," she added, "I hope neither of us will ever be so silly as to marry
for money. I think it must be dreadful to live in such close connection
with a man you do not love, even if he is rolling in wealth; but suppose
he loses his money directly? There you are, tied to him for life without
even riches to compensate you for your loss of liberty."

"Dear me, Isa, how tiresome! Where's the use of supposing he's going to
lose his money?"

"Because it's something not at all unlikely to happen; riches do take
wings and fly away. I do not feel certain that Aunt Delaford's money will
ever come to me, or that, if it does, I may not lose it. So I intend to
prepare to support myself if it should ever become necessary."

"How?"

"I intend to take up the English branches again, also the higher
mathematics, and make myself thorough in them (which I am far from being
now; they do not teach them thoroughly at the convent), so that I may be
able to command a good position as a teacher.

"And let me advise you to do the same."

"Indeed, I've no fancy for such hard work," sneered Virginia. "I'd rather
trust to luck. I'll be pretty sure to be taken care of somehow."

"I should think if any one might feel justified in doing that it would be
Cousin Elsie," said Isadore; "but Uncle Horace educated her in a way to
make her quite capable of earning her own living, and she is doing the
same by every one of her children."

"Such nonsense!" muttered Virginia.

"Such prudence and forethought, I should say," laughed her sister.

A few days after this Isadore was calling at Ion and in the course of
conversation Mrs. Travilla remarked, with concern, "Virginia looks really
unhappy of late. Is her trouble anything it would be in my power to
relieve?"

"No; unless she would listen to good counsel fro