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eyed me exactly as if you owed himn fisty pounds which I was carrying off in my valise! I know the looks of all such ruffians !”

Madame Lamont turned pale at this, and in the glance which she threw upon her daughter I saw all the worry which had unnerved her the evening before.

“But, madame," said her son, turning about before the trouble had been quite dispelled from her face, “I will show those fellows—at any rate, I will show you—that it is over ; and that I, too, can be what they call ą useful member of society. And now there is an end of all that at present, by general consent !”

“ Meanwhile ?" said Charlotte.

“ Meanwhile," he repeated, as if determined not to be outdone by a mere sister in coolness, “ I go to smoke a cigar on the beach. You will be there, by-and-by? And, my dear mother, when I tell you that I have not eaten a fish these three months, you will know how to give me a holiday dinner."

Touching his hat, he sauntered away, more disturbed than he looked, I fancied. Indeed, under all this affectation of ease, restlessness and mortification were plain.

As soon as the door had closed after him, madame lifted her table, napkin, and took up two unopened letters. " One from Black and one from Calthorp-already!” she murmured, looking at her daughter in great distress; and turned them over and over without daring to break the seals.

“Of course. Give them to me, mamma," Miss Lamont said, taking the letters from madame's nerveless hand, and putting them into her pocket. “ It is useless to concern yourself about them. Let us go and choose some fish for Arthur's dinner!”

From this conversation all passing in my presence, it will be seen how much I had become “one of the family ;” and though it was not for me to speak, I found myself inclining to take sides, as a member of the family would. My mistress's distress-through all which her affection for her son only appeared plainer-I well understood, and it made my heart ache. But as for Miss Lamont, I was almost indignant at her coldness and her hardness—downright indignant, indeed, at her “ Let us go and choose some fish for Arthur's dinner," because the manner was 80 even, the tone so cheerful and commonplace. Was it remarkable, then, chat Mr. Lamont should like to have some fish at his dinner? True, it was not a thing that graced our table more than once a week, and the landlady had said only yesterday that there was nothing to be had but salmon at a dreadful price; but what then? I thought of Mr. Lamont -weary and famished—refusing to dine at his mother's house in her absence; and that appeared to me not right-no more than his hard welcome here. And he had been a soldier, too ! and had been wounded in battle, and carried the bullet in his body still !

CHAPTER VIII,

ARTHUR LAMONT ADRIFT. Tue account-books were packed away. Madame took care that they were never again seen during our stay at Brighton; but somehow the ghost of the little black box that contained them haunted the room. Every day at dinner I beheld it: not less distinctly, but all the more, because now the dishes were better and more numerous than those we had been accustomed to before Mr. Lamont appeared. I have seen myself helped to soup from it quite plainly; and there was a game pie which turned itself into the black box whenever I was not exactly looking at it, though it became a game pie again the instant it was steadily regarded. The illusion was not comical then.

But for all that, those last days at Brighton were pleasanter than the first. If Madame Lamont had her cares and apprehensions, she also had her son ; and there was a restlessness now about Charlotte which was like a breaking up of the dead dark frost that bound her life : only I observed that this restlessness was never shown in her brother's presence : with him she was always as she had been with us,

How the time became pleasanter to me I can hardly explain without risk of being misapprehended. I verily believe it was only because it was then that I found myself standing " where the brook and river meet.' --the brook which is childhood, the river which is womanhood. Not that I stood long in that place with “lingering feet," as the poem has it, or sweetly loitered looking back, or hesitated to look onward. rather as if I had come to that grand juncture in a woman's life all in an hour—the hour in which madame gave me her confidences, in which I did that unworthy thing, in which Mr. Lamont came, to treat me with all the respect given to women grown-talking to me about his being a dead man as if he had no doubt I should quite understand him!

In that hour I was launched upon the broader streamı; and—I do not know, but all my thoughts seemed to blow in the sails with one accord, wafting me swiftly along. Nor were these imaginary sails everything. It happened on the very next day after Mr. Lamont's arrival that my guardian sent a beautiful shawl for his “good girl," as he called me—a shaivl of Indian pattern-my first shawl; and when I put that on, it was like a formal investiture of womanhood. Madame herself was not taller, nor so great and grand as the figure which appeared in the glass when I looked to see how my present became me. How glad I was ! however mute and shy the gladness. There came such an access of life into my limbs, my heart abounded so much with its own mysterious wealth, that it seemed to flow out upon the air, surrounding me wherever I went. The earth has its atmosphere, and so had I: through it every sound came to me softened, and nothing was sordid or unmeaning that I saw. Music had always been my delight, I had found out years ago how much it may say which

It was

,

words cannot utter: but now I scarcely dared to listen or to play-music had become so much my interpreter and master. I have already told how from the time when I was a little child I would wander away into the forest, lost in unconscious love for the beauty of a summer day. They came and went, these days, and were forgotten; but now they returned linked all together. They were like strings in a harp, silent till their number was complete, and then responsive to every sweeter wind that blew. They made up a rosary, which, whenever I was alone in the sun, or even at midnight, I could tell off while I made little songs in my mind to the joy of youth, the pride of strength, the glory of life.

How much of all this was seen by my friends I do not know: I think not much. Girls are not commonly suspected of feelings of this kind, and they are taught to conceal feelings of all kinds. I concealed mine very willingly; and whatever satisfaction may have peeped through the mask was probably assigned to delight at the glories of my new present. At first, that is to say ; for soon madame began to suspect the existence of other causes, and every reader of this history will share her suspicion, perhaps.

No doubt Mr. Lamont's deferential manner had much to do with launching me upon the poet's river. It is impossible to say,

, for instance, how far he pushed me off, simply by asking my permission, one evening on the downs, to light a cigar. It was a commonplace courtesy enough, but it was the first time it had been offered to me; and, as the days went by, I could but perceive, without thinking about it, that Mr. Lamont sought my companionship more and more. But that was very natural, since Charlotte maintained her coldness so rigidly, and even the pleasure of madame herself at having her son with her was too seriously balanced by the difficulties he had brought with him. That he felt all this bitterly I could well see; for when, in our rambles, we happened to walk together at any

distance from his mother and sister (and Charlotte avoided him at every opportunity) his cheerfulness forsook him, and he allowed me to see that he was angrily miserable. Whenever this happened, the feeling of pity which had possessed me at our first interview returned : it was always as if he had told a very sorrowful story.

At length our last day at Brighton approached; another, and we had to go back to Valley House, there to resume our school duties. The prospect was less pleasant to me than ever it had been before. The charm under which I had been living for a whole week past seemed in danger of dissolution ; we were all ill at ease.

It was our custom to dine at five, and to walk for an hour or so before tea was served at eight. This evening Miss Lamont preferred remaining within doors; and as her brother did not appear inclined to offer her his company, she asked him for it in the kindest tone. Perhaps that did not make the request any the less a surprise for him. He glanced inquiringly at his mother: she turned her face away. The glance then fell for a moment upon me as he said, somewhat drily, “With great pleasure, Charlotte," and sat down to the piano. The two were left alone, looking placid enough; but, for all that, there was a cloud about cach which I could almost fancy sparkled with the signs of a thunderstorni.

Madame herself was evidently agitated; and not a word passed between us as we walked down to the beach. She loitered. Once or twice she looked back on the way we came; and when we got to the shore she paced slowly up and down upon a space not fifty yards long. Wondering what all this could mean, I, too, glanced frequently upon the way that led from our lodgings, and presently saw Mr. Lamont striding toward us with a step, quick, fierce, soldierly. He did not observe us, but kept his eyes fixed upon some point in the distance, as he swung martially along, his head aloft, his face flushed, his whole demeanour full of anger and mortification.

Touching madame's arm, I called her attention to her son just as he was about to pass by. " Arthur !” she exclaimed; but her voice was so faint it failed to reach him. In another moment he would have been out of hearing altogether, so what could I do but repeat the call ? Only, to be sure, it was clumsy to repeat the name she called him by. I should have said " Mr. Lamont; and when he turned about so suddenly, I blushed crimson to think that I had fallen into such an error.

In the depth of my shame, however, I remember a feeling of gratification, at once shy, bewildered, and triumphant, on observing that as soon as my exclamation reached Mr. Lamont's ears his manner changed. The mane-shaking head drooped; the angry flush upon his face softened instantly; even the mortification disappeared. It was quite another man who came toward us. How much of this change was attributable to his natural courtesy, I confess I did not calculate; but how great the change itself was, I could tell from the fact that even now, when he addressed his mother, his lips trembled and his voice was husky. Nor could le conceal for a moment the cause of his agitation, as a man thoroughly English would have done.

“ Mother," said he, lifting his hat, "I am sorry you did not speak with me yourself this evening, instead of deputing my sister." “Dear Arthur, do not be angry

It was because I thought I could not bear to see you angry that—that—"

“ You committed the bitter mistake. Believe me, it was a mistake. To you-well, I might have made some explanation to you, even yet; an explanation which might have shown you these past years in another light. To her I could not, though I verily think she deserves it at last! It might do her good! A little real sharp pain --!” he said, meditatively, with that gray, troubled look which I had observed before.

"Is it always so with her?"

"Always."

“Then she is vastly unreasonable ! So much for sentiment overcherished-for error permitted too long! And yet if it be one's only pleasure to live a victim !-since we are determined to nourish injuries

with me.

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that are not injuries, and are still so much in love with blightWell, it shall be as it is, and as you wish."

* Not as I wish, dear Arthur. It will be easy, I hope, to arrango some plan for your future, near us,"

“No, no. Charlotte has been exquisitely clear and candid this evening, as I confess I do not think you could have been; and I will go as I came-blaming nobody, for my part." No more was said, and we continued our homeward

way.

Madame Lamont took her son's arm with an air of affectionate deprecation which must have touched him, though he only half acknowledged it. His whole manner seemed to repeat and to emphasize his last sentence—“I will go as I came, blaming nobody. I understand and feel for you; at the same time, I wish some one could understand and feel for me." More than that, even, was expressed in his manner. Nearer as we approached the house, I saw that his thoughts were gathering about me, like a swarm of ghostly, silent bees. How I w ed had not be so awkward as to call him by his Christian name !

CHAPTER IX.

REVELATION.

The door stood open, as is not uncommon with sea-side lodging-houses; and madame, disengaging her arm, passed in quickly, as if she wished to run away and be alone. Mr. Lamont immediately paused in the streetto bid me good-night, I supposed, before he returned to his hotel. But what he did was to say, with a light, appealing touch upon my hand,

“ Miss Forster, if you could permit me to speak with you, only for five little minutes ? "

I pleaded that I ought to go in with madame, and that I must.

“ Yes," said he; “I know, I know! But what if I am to go away again to-morrow-to-night, perhaps—without seeing my mother and sister any more? And suppose I have something to say which brought

? me to England ? something which I wish them to know by-and-by? something which I wish you to know, too, before I become a vagabond again? With me, indeed, it is scarcely a matter of choice ; I feel I must tell you,

whether I will or no." And whether I would or no, I turned back with him. We walked upon the cliffs, where was a seat which faced the sea, still bright with sunlight.

" To-morrow," said Mr. Lamont, "my face will be turned this way: to these cliffs, which are charmingly white but deadly inhospitable. You saw my welcome, Miss Forster. I am going to tell you,

will listen, how I came to deserve it; and when I am done, you shall agree with me that I am what I said I was-a dead man."