do not know when I shall return.

Adieu, Mr

Hesketh! Saluez pour moi Mademoiselle Maturin, je vous en prie."

And again twining her arm within that of her old governess, she turned to go. Through the square hall into the porch, and through the wellordered garden to the gate, whereat the carriage waited. The children followed in a troop, loud with their regrets that "cousin Blanche was going away," impetuous in their demands on her attention. She embraced them all, fondly but hurriedly, then escaped from them. The steps were downthe man stood by the door to assist his mistress. Madame de Vigny clung for a minute to Miss Kendal, kissed her hastily on both cheeks, then, drawing her veil over her face, she prepared to spring in. Another hand than the servant's held hers for a minute, and the flushed face of Vaughan met her eyes. He murmured a few words. She bent her head courteously-nothing more.

Another minute, and the carriage drove off, and the rest stood watching the brown fallen leaves that had been tossed aside by its relentless wheels.

The children had run outside the gate, and were tossing the withered leaves about, laughing, in their quickly-regained glee. Vaughan's eyes were strained forward with an expression eloquent enough of the bitter, desperate wretchedness he felt. Miss Kendal looked at him; she was not without pity, even where she had little liking.

"Will you come in again for a few minutes?" she asked him.

"No-no, thank you. I am going on a long walk," returned he, passing his hand about his brows wearily and perplexedly-" that will be best. Good-morning!"

Miss Kendal paused in the midst of gathering her little folk around her, as he said that, raised his hat, and turned to leave the cottage.

Stop an instant !

Tell me," she said, in a low but emphatic tone, "when shall I come to see Caroline ?"

"When you will; I care nothing," he said, recklessly.

66

once.

But, understand! she must be told, and at

Before to-night either you or I must tell

her-which shall it be?" Her uncompromising eyes fixed him-held him fast. "It ought to be done-it must be done," she further pronounced.

If you are afraid "—with a touch of the old irresistible sarcasm-"I'm not. Doing wrong is worse even than giving pain. She must be told."

"She shall," he rejoined.

it be as you wish."

"Be satisfied-let

And he was gone, and had plunged into the dark shadow of the pine wood, while Miss Kendal marshalled the children back into the house :-" In with you—quick, and to lessons! To the study at once ! I'll be with you in two minutes."

And for the two minutes she looked out on the misty hills and bare-branched trees, thinking to herself, "I am a female Brutus-nothing less. I know that I have expedited the very stroke that is to wound her; for he is right-he is right. To think that it should be so, and such as he have the power to make my girl wretched. If I were not a Christian woman, how I could hate that man!"

She seemed to find some not altogether Christían satisfaction in deliberately and distinctly utter

ing these words, and at the same time tying a small end of packthread, which she had been twirling in her fingers, into about a dozen very hard and very tight knots. And having so solaced herself, but still with an aspect of unredeemed gloom and disturbance, she sought her pupils, and prepared to enter on the business of the day.

Chapter xiit.

CAROLINE, informed that Miss Kendal awaited her in the study, entered to her there.

It was dim twilight, and half the room was in shadow. Only near the windows lingered a pale light, and about the hearth, where the fire burned and threw a sullen red glow around it. By the window stood the visiter. She drew Caroline towards her, kissed her forehead, and then abruptly asked for the invalid.

"He is asleep; he has slept much to-day." "And you have watched much? Poor child." A pause. Miss Kendal's face grew stern and stony in the grey half-light. But Caroline did not see it. Her own look was fixed on the vague shape of the trees in the garden, just dimly discernible through the overhanging mist. When her companion looked at her, it was to note with sur