thinkthepictureescapedmealso；Idon’tremembernoticinganythingexcepttheyounggentleman，especiallywhenhetookoffhishattome。Helookedatmetwicebeforehewentaway。Igothotagain。IsaidtoMrs。Staveley："Whoishe？"
Shelaughedatme。Isaidagain："Whoishe？"Shesaid："HeisyoungMr。Dunboyne。"Isaid："DoesheliveinLondon？"Shelaughedagain。Isaidagain："DoesheliveinLondon？"Shesaid：
"Heishereforaholiday；heliveswithhisfatheratFairmount，inIreland。"
YoungMr。Dunboyne——hereforaholiday——liveswithhisfatheratFairmount，inIreland。Ihavesaidthattomyselffiftytimesover。Andhereitis，sayingitselfforthefifty—firsttimeinmyJournal。Imustindeedbeasimpleton，asHelenasays。Ihadbettergotobedagain。
CHAPTERXIII。
EUNICE’SDIARY。
NOTlongbeforeIlefthome，Iheardoneofourtwoservantstellingtheotheraboutapersonwhohadbeen"bewitched。"Areyoubewitchedwhenyoudon’tunderstandyourownself？Thathasbeenmycuriouscase，sinceIreturnedfromthepictureshow。
ThismorningItookmydrawingmaterialsoutofmybox，andtriedtomakeaportraitofyoungMr。Dunboynefromrecollection。I
succeededprettywellwithhisfrock—coatandcane；but，tryasI
might，hisfacewasbeyondme。IhaveneverdrawnanythingsobadlysinceIwasalittlegirl；Ialmostfeltreadytocry。WhatafoolIam！
ThismorningIreceivedaletterfrompapa——itwasinreplytoaletterthatIhadwrittentohim——sokind，sobeautifullyexpressed，solikehimself，thatIfeltinclinedtosendhimaconfessionofthestrangestateoffeelingthathascomeoverme，andtoaskhimtocomfortandadviseme。Onsecondthoughts，I
wasafraidtodoit。Afraidofpapa！Iamfurtherawayfromunderstandingmyselfthanever。
Mr。Dunboynepaidusavisitintheafternoon。Fortunately，beforewewentout。
IthoughtIwouldhaveagoodlookathim；soastoknowhisfacebetterthanIhadknownityet。Anotherdisappointmentwasinstoreforme。Withoutintendingit，Iamsure，hedidwhatnootheryoungmanhaseverdone——hemademefeelconfused。Insteadoflookingathim，Isatwithmyheaddown，andlistenedtohistalk。Hisvoice——thisishighpraise——remindedmeofpapa’svoice。Itseemedtopersuademeaspapapersuadeshiscongregation。Ifeltquiteateaseagain。Whenhewentaway，weshookhands。Hegavemyhandalittlesqueeze。Igavehimbackthesqueeze——withoutknowingwhy。Whenhewasgone，IwishedI
hadnotdoneit——withoutknowingwhy，either。
IheardhisChristiannameforthefirsttimeto—day。Mrs。
Staveleysaidtome："Wearegoingtohaveadinner—party。ShallIaskPhilipDunboyne？"IsaidtoMrs。Staveley："Oh，do！"
Sheisanoldwoman；hereyesaredim。Attimes，shecanlookmischievous。Shelookedatmemischievouslynow。IwishedIhadnotbeensoeagertohaveMr。Dunboyneaskedtodinner。
AfearhascometomethatImayhavedegradedmyself。Myspiritsaredepressed。This，aspapatellsusinhissermons，isamiserableworld。IamsorryIacceptedtheStaveleys’invitation。
IamsorryIwenttoseethepictures。Whenthatyoungmancomestodinner，IshallsayIhavegotaheadache，andshallstopupstairsbymyself。Idon’tthinkIlikehisChristianname。I
hateLondon。Ihateeverybody。
WhatIwroteupabove，yesterday，isnonsense。IthinkhisChristiannameisperfect。IlikeLondon。Iloveeverybody。
Hecametodinnerto—day。Isatnexttohim。Howbeautifuladress—coatis，andawhitecravat！Wetalked。HewantedtoknowwhatmyChristiannamewas。IwassopleasedwhenIfoundhewasoneofthefewpeoplewholikeit。Hishaircurlsnaturally。Incolor，itissomethingbetweenmyhairandHelena’s。Hewearshisbeard。Howmanly！Itcurlsnaturally，likehishair；itsmellsdeliciouslyofsomeperfumewhichisnewtome。Hehaswhitehands；hisnailslookasifhepolishedthem；IshouldliketopolishmynailsifIknewhow。WhateverIsaid，heagreedwithme；Ifeltsatisfiedwithmyownconversation，forthefirsttimeinmylife。Helenawon’tfindmeasimpletonwhenIgohome。Whatexquisitethingsdinner—partiesare！
Mysistertoldme（whenwesaidgood—by）tobeparticularinwritingdownmytrueopinionoftheStaveleys。HelenawishestocomparewhatshethinksofthemwithwhatIthinkofthem。
MyopinionofMr。Staveleyis——Idon’tlikehim。MyopinionofMissStaveleyis——Ican’tendureher。AsforMasterStaveley，mycleversisterwillunderstandthat_he_isbeneathnotice。But，oh，whatawonderfulwomanMrs。Staveleyis！Wewentouttogether，afterluncheontoday，forawalkinKensingtonGardens。
NeverhaveIheardanyconversationtocomparewithMrs。
Staveley’s。Helenashallenjoyithere，atsecondhand。Iamquitechangedintwothings。First：IthinkmoreofmyselfthanI
everdidbefore。Second：writingisnolongeradifficultytome。
Icouldfillahundredjournals，withoutoncestoppingtothink。
Mrs。Staveleybegannicely；"Isuppose，Eunice，youhaveoftenbeentoldthatyouhaveagoodfigure，andthatyouwalkwell？"
Isaid："Helenathinksmyfigureisbetterthanmyface。ButdoI
reallywalkwell？Nobodyevertoldmethat。"
Sheanswered："PhilipDunboynethinksso。Hesaidtome，’I
resistthetemptationbecauseImightbewantinginrespectifI
gavewaytoit。ButIshouldliketofollowherwhenshegoesout——merelyforthepleasureofseeingherwalk。’"
Istoodstockstill。Isaidnothing。Whenyouareasproudasapeacock（whichneverhappenedtomebefore），Ifindyoucan’tmoveandcan’ttalk。Youcanonlyenjoyyourself。
KindMrs。Staveleyhadmorethingstotellme。Shesaid："IaminterestedinPhilip。IlivednearFairmountinthetimebeforeI
wasmarried；andinthosedayshewasachild。Iwanthimtomarryacharminggirl，andbehappy。"
WhatmademethinkdirectlyofMissStaveley？Whatmadememadtoknowifshewasthecharminggirl？Iwasboldenoughtoaskthequestion。Mrs。StaveleyturnedtomewiththatmischievouslookwhichIhavenoticedalready。IfeltasifIhadbeenrunningatthetopofmyspeed，andhadnotgotmybreathagain，yet。
Butthisgoodmotherlyfriendsetmeatmyease。Sheexplainedherself："Philipisnotmuchliked，poorfellow，inourhouse。Myhusbandconsidershimtobeweakandvainandfickle。Andmydaughteragreeswithherfather。TherearetimeswhensheisbarelyciviltoPhilip。Heistoogood—naturedtocomplain，but_I_seeit。Tellme，mydear，doyoulikePhilip？"
"OfcourseIdo！"Outitcameinthosewords，beforeIcouldstopit。WastheresomethingunbecomingtoayoungladyinsayingwhatIhadjustsaid？Mrs。Staveleyseemedtobemoreamusedthanangrywithme。Shetookmyarmkindly，andledmealongwithher。"Mydear，youareasclearascrystal，andastrueassteel。Youareafavoriteofminealready。"
Whatadelightfulwoman！asIsaidjustnow。Iaskedifshereallylikedmeaswellasshelikedmysister。
Shesaid："Better。"
Ididn’texpectthat，anddidn’twantit。Helenaismysuperior。
SheisprettierthanIam，clevererthanIam，betterworthlikingthanIam。Mrs。StaveleyshiftedthetalkbacktoPhilip。
IoughttohavesaidMr。Philip。No，Iwon’t；IshallcallhimPhilip。IfIhadaheartofstone，Ishouldfeelinterestedinhim，afterwhatMrs。Staveleyhastoldme。
Suchasadstory，insomerespects。Motherdead；nobrothersorsisters。Onlythefatherleft；helivesadismallifeonalonelystormycoast。Notasevereoldgentleman，forallthat。Hisreasonsfortakingtoretirementarereasons（soMrs。Staveleysays）whichnobodyknows。Heburieshimselfamonghisbooks，inanimmenselibrary；andheappearstolikeit。Hissonhasnotbeenbroughtup。likeotheryoungmen，atschoolandcollege。Heisagreatscholar，educatedathomebyhisfather。Tohearthisaccountofhislearningdepressedme。Itseemedtoputsuchadistancebetweenus。IaskedMrs。Staveleyifhethoughtmeignorant。AslongasIliveIshallrememberthereply："Hethinksyoucharming。"
Anyothergirlwouldhavebeensatisfiedwiththis。Iamthemiserablecreaturewhoisalwaysmakingmistakes。MystupidcuriosityspoiledthecharmofMrs。Staveley’sconversation。Andyetitseemedtobeaharmlessquestion；IonlysaidIshouldliketoknowwhatprofessionPhilipbelongedto。
Mrs。Staveleyanswered："Noprofession。"
Ifoolishlyputawrongmeaningonthis。Isaid："Isheidle？"
Mrs。Staveleylaughed。"Mydear，heisanonlyson——andhisfatherisarichman。"
Thatstoppedme——atlast。
Wehaveenoughtoliveonincomfortathome——nomore。Papahastoldushimselfthatheisnot（andcanneverhopetobe）arichman。Thisisnottheworstofit。Lastyear，herefusedtomarryayoungcouple，bothbelongingtoourcongregation。Thiswasveryunlikehisusualkindself。HelenaandIaskedhimforhisreasons。Theywerereasonsthatdidnottakelongtogive。Theyounggentleman’sfatherwasarichman。Hehadforbiddenhissontomarryasweetgirl——becauseshehadnofortune。
Ihavenofortune。AndPhilip’sfatherisarichman。
ThebestthingIcandoistowipemypen，andshutupmyJournal，andgohomebythenexttrain。
IhaveagreatmindtoburnmyJournal。IttellsmethatIhadbetternotthinkofPhilipanymore。
Onsecondthoughts，Iwon’tdestroymyJournal；Iwillonlyputitaway。IfIlivetobeanoldwoman，itmayamusemetoopenmybookagain，andseehowfoolishthepoorwretchwaswhenshewasyoung。
Whatisthisachingpaininmyheart？
Idon’trememberitatanyothertimeinmylife。Isittrouble？
HowcanItell？——Ihavehadsolittletrouble。ItmustbemanyyearssinceIwaswretchedenoughtocry。Idon’tevenunderstandwhyIamcryingnow。Mylastsorrow，sofarasIcanremember，wasthetoothache。Othergirls’motherscomfortthemwhentheyarewretched。Ifmymotherhadlived——it’suselesstothinkaboutthat。Welosther，whileIandmysisterweretooyoungtounderstandourmisfortune。
IwishIhadneverseenPhilip。
Thisseemsanungratefulwish。Seeinghimatthepicture—showwasanewenjoyment。SittingnexttohimatdinnerwasahappinessthatIdon’trecollectfeeling，evenwhenPapahasbeenmostsweetandkindtome。Ioughttobeashamedofmyselftoconfessthis。ShallIwritetomysister？Buthowshouldsheknowwhatisthematterwithme，whenIdon’tknowitmyself？Besides，Helenaisangry；shewroteunkindlytomewhensheansweredmylastletter。
Thereisadreadfullonelinessinthisgreathouseatnight。I
hadbettersaymyprayers，andtrytosleep。Ifitdoesn’tmakemefeelhappier，itwillpreventmespoilingmyJournalbydroppingtearsonit。
Whataneveningofeveningsthishasbeen！Lastnightitwascryingthatkeptmeawake。To—nightIcan’tsleepforjoy。
Philipcalledonusagainto—day。HebroughtwithhimticketsfortheperformanceofanOratorio。Sacredmusicisnotforbiddenmusicamongourpeople。Mrs。StaveleyandMissStaveleywenttotheconcertwithus。PhilipandIsatnexttoeachother。
Mysisterisamusician——Iamnothing。Thatsoundsbitter；butI
don’tmeanitso。AllImeanis，thatIlikesimplelittlesongs，whichIcansingtomyselfbyrememberingthetune。There，mymusicalenjoymentends。Whenvoicesandinstrumentsburstouttogetherbyhundreds，Ifeelbewildered。Ialsogetattackedbyfidgets。Thislastmisfortuneissuretoovertakemewhenchorusesarebeingperformed。Theunfortunatepeopleemployedaremadetokeepsingingthesamewords，overandoverandoveragain，tillIfinditaperfectmiserytolistentothem。Thechoruseswereunendurableintheperformanceto—night。Thisisoneofthem："Hereweareallaloneinthewilderness——aloneinthewilderness——inthewildernessalone，alone，alone——hereweareinthewilderness——aloneinthewilderness——allallaloneinthewilderness，"andsoon，tillIfeltinclinedtocallforthelearnedpersonwhowritesOratorios，andbeghimtogivethepoormusicamoregenerousallowanceofwords。
WheneverIlookedatPhilip，Ifoundhimlookingatme。Perhapshesawfromthefirstthatthemusicwaswearyingmusictomyignorantears。Withhisusualdelicacyhesaidnothingforsometime。Butwhenhecaughtmeyawning（thoughIdidmybesttohideit，foritlookedlikebeingungratefulforthetickets），thenhecouldrestrainhimselfnolonger。Hewhisperedinmyear：
"Youaregettingtiredofthis。AndsoamI。"
"Iamtryingtolikeit，"Iwhisperedback。
"Don’ttry，"heanswered。"Let’stalk。"
Hemeant，ofcourse，talkinwhispers。Wewereagooddealannoyed——especiallywhenthecharacterswereallaloneinthewilderness——byburstsofsingingandplayingwhichinterruptedusatthemostinterestingmoments。Philipperseveredwithamanlyfirmness。WhatcouldIdobutfollowhisexample——atadistance？
Hesaid："IsitreallytruethatyourvisittoMrs。Staveleyiscomingtoanend？"
Ianswered："Itcomestoanendthedayafterto—morrow。"
"AreyousorrytobeleavingyourfriendsinLondon？"
WhatImighthavesaidifhehadmadethatinquiryadayearlier，whenIwasthemostmiserablecreatureliving，Iwouldrathernottrytoguess。Beingquitehappyasthingswere，IcouldhonestlytellhimIwassorry。
"Youcan’tpossiblybeassorryasIam，Eunice。MayIcallyoubyyourprettyname？"
"Yes，ifyouplease。"
"Eunice！"
"Yes。"
"Youwillleaveablankinmylifewhenyougoaway——"
Thereanotherchorusstoppedhim，justasIwaseagerformore。
ItwassuchadelightfullynewsensationtohearayounggentlemantellingmethatIhadleftablankinhislife。ThenextchangeintheOratoriobroughtupayounglady，singingalone。Somepeoplebehindusgrumbledatthesmallnessofhervoice。Wethoughthervoiceperfect。Itseemedtolenditselfsonicelytoourwhispers。
Hesaid："Willyouhelpmetothinkofyouwhileyouareaway？I
wanttoimaginewhatyourlifeisathome。Doyouliveinatownorinthecountry？"
Itoldhimthenameofourtown。Whenwegiveapersoninformation，Ihavealwaysheardthatweoughttomakeitcomplete。SoImentionedouraddressinthetown。ButIwastroubledbyadoubt。Perhapshepreferredthecountry。Beinganxiousaboutthis，Isaid："WouldyouratherhaveheardthatI
liveinthecountry？"
"Livewhereyoumay，Eunice，theplacewillbeafavoriteplaceofmine。Besides，yourtownisfamous。Ithasapublicattractionwhichbringsvisitorstoit。"
Imadeanotherofthosemistakeswhichnosensiblegirl，inmyposition，wouldhavecommitted。Iaskedifhealludedtoournewmarket—place。
Hesetmerightinthesweetestmanner："Ialludedtoabuildinghundredsofyearsolderthanyourmarket—place——yourbeautifulcathedral。"
Fancymynothavingthoughtofthecathedral！ThisiswhatcomesofbeingaCongregationalist。IfIhadbelongedtotheChurchofEngland，Ishouldhaveforgottenthemarket—place，andrememberedthecathedral。NotthatIwanttobelongtotheChurchofEngland。Papa’schapelisgoodenoughforme。
Thesongsungbytheladywiththesmallvoicewassoprettythattheaudienceencoredit。Didn’tPhilipandIhelpthem！Withthesweetestsmilestheladysangitalloveragain。Thepeoplebehinduslefttheconcert。
Hesaid："Doyouknow，Itakethegreatestinterestincathedrals。Iproposetoenjoytheprivilegeandpleasureofseeing_your_cathedralearlynextweek。"
IhadonlytolookathimtoseethatIwasthecathedral。Itwasnosurprisetohearnextthathethoughtof"payinghisrespectstoMr。Gracedieu。"Hebeggedmetotellhimwhatsortofreceptionhemighthopetomeetwithwhenhecalledatourhouse。
IgotsoexcitedindoingjusticetopapathatIquiteforgottowhisperwhenthenextquestioncame。PhilipwantedtoknowifMr。
Gracedieudislikedstrangers。WhenIanswered，"Ohdear，no！"I
saiditoutloud，sothatthepeopleheardme。Cruel，cruelpeople！Theyallturnedroundandstared。Onehideousoldwomanactuallysaid，"Silence！"MissStaveleylookeddisgusted。EvenkindMrs。Staveleyliftedhereyebrowsinastonishment。
Philip，dearPhilip，protectedandcomposedme。
Heheldmyhanddevotedlytilltheendoftheperformance。Whenheputusintothecarriage，Iwaslast。Hewhisperedinmyear：
"Expectmenextweek。"MissStaveleymightbeasill—naturedasshepleased，onthewayhome。Itdidn’tmatterwhatshesaid。TheEuniceofyesterdaymighthavebeenmortifiedandoffended。TheEuniceofto—daywasindifferenttothesharpestthingsthatcouldbesaidtoher。
Allthroughyesterday’sdelightfulevening，IneveroncethoughtofPhilip’sfather。WhenIwokethismorning，IrememberedthatoldMr。Dunboynewasarichman。Icouldeatnobreakfastforthinkingofthepoorgirlwhowasnotallowedtomarryheryounggentleman，becauseshehadnomoney。
Mrs。Staveleywaitedtospeaktometilltherestofthemhadleftustogether。IhadexpectedhertonoticethatIlookeddullanddismal。No！herclevernessgotatmysecretinquiteanotherway。
Shesaid："Howdoyoufeelaftertheconcert？Youmustbehardtopleaseindeedifyouwerenotsatisfiedwiththeaccompanimentslastnight。"
"TheaccompanimentsoftheOratorio？"
"No，mydear。TheaccompanimentsofPhilip。"
IsupposeIoughttohavelaughed。Inmymiserablestateofmind，itwasnottobedone。Isaid："IhopeMr。Dunboyne’sfatherwillnothearhowkindhewastome。"
Mrs。Staveleyaskedwhy。
Mybitternessoverflowedatmytongue。Isaid："Becausepapaisapoorman。"
"AndPhilip’spapaisarichman，"saysMrs。Staveley，puttingmyownthoughtintowordsforme。"Wheredoyougettheseideas，Eunice？Surely，youarenotallowedtoreadnovels？"
"Ohno！"
"Andyouhavecertainlyneverseenaplay？"
"Never。"
"Clearyourhead，child，ofthenonsensethathasgotintoit——I
can’tthinkhow。RichMr。Dunboynehastaughthisheirtodespisethebaseactofmarryingformoney。HeknowsthatPhilipwillmeetyoungladiesatmyhouse；andhehaswrittentomeonthesubjectofhisson’schoiceofawife。’LetPhilipfindgoodprinciples，goodtemper，andgoodlooks；andIpromisebeforehandtofindthemoney。’Thereiswhathesays。AreyousatisfiedwithPhilip’sfather，now？"
Ijumpedupinastateofecstasy。JustasIhadthrownmyarmsroundMrs。Staveley’sneck，theservantcameinwithaletter，andhandedittome。
Helenahadwrittenagain，onthislastdayofmyvisit。Herletterwasfullofinstructionsforbuyingthingsthatshewants，beforeIleaveLondon。IreadonquietlyenoughuntilIcametothepostscript。Theeffectofitonmemaybetoldintwowords：
Iscreamed。Mrs。Staveleywasnaturallyalarmed。"Badnews？"sheasked。Beingquiteunabletoofferanopinion，Ireadthepostscriptoutloud，andlefthertojudgeforherself。
ThiswasHelena’snewsfromhome：
"Imustprepareyouforasurprise，beforeyourreturn。Youwillfindastrangeladyestablishedathome。Don’tsupposethereisanyprospectofherbiddingusgood—by，ifweonlywaitlongenough。Sheisalready（withfather’sfullapproval）asmuchamemberofthefamilyasweare。Youshallformyourownunbiasedopinionofher，Eunice。Forthepresent，Isaynomore。"
IaskedMrs。Staveleywhatshethoughtofmynewsfromhome。Shesaid："Yourfatherapprovesofthelady，mydear。Isupposeit’sgoodnews。"
ButMrs。Staveleydidnotlookasifshebelievedinthegoodnews，forallthat。
CHAPTERXIV。
HELENA’SDIARY。
TO—DAYIwentasusualtotheScripture—classforgirls。Itwasharderworkthanever，teachingwithoutEunicetohelpme。
Indeed，Ifeltlonelyalldaywithoutmysister。WhenIgothome，Iratherhopedthatsomefriendmighthavecometoseeus，andhavebeenaskedtostaytotea。Thehousemaidopenedthedoortome。IaskedMariaifanybodyhadcalled。
"Yes，miss；alady，toseethemaster。"
"Astranger？"
"Neversawherbefore，miss，inallmylife。"Iputnomorequestions。Manyladiesvisitmyfather。TheycallitconsultingtheMinister。Headvisesthemintheirtroubles，andguidesthemintheirreligiousdifficulties，andsoon。Theycomeandgoinasortofsecrecy。SofarasIknow，theyaremostlyoldmaids，andtheywastetheMinister’stime。
Whenmyfathercameintotea，Ibegantofeelsomecuriosityabouttheladywhohadcalledonhim。Visitorsofthatsort，ingeneral，neverappeartodwellonhismindaftertheyhavegoneaway；heseestoomanyofthem，andistoowellaccustomedtowhattheyhavetosay。Onthisparticularevening，however，I
perceivedappearancesthatsetmethinking；helookedworriedandanxious。
"Hasanythinghappened，father，tovexyou？"Isaid。
"Yes。"
"Istheladyconcernedinit？"
"Whatlady，mydear？"
"TheladywhocalledonyouwhileIwasout。"
"Whotoldyoushehadcalledonme？"
"IaskedMaria——"
"Thatwilldo，Helena，forthepresent。"
Hedrankhisteaandwentbacktohisstudy，insteadofstayingawhile，andtalkingpleasantlyasusual。Myrespectsubmittedtohiswantofconfidenceinme；butmycuriositywasinastateofrevolt。IsentforMaria，andproceededtomakemyowndiscoveries，withthisresult：
Nootherpersonhadcalledatthehouse。Nothinghadhappened，exceptthevisitofthemysteriouslady。"Shelookedbetweenyoungandold。And，ohdearme，shewascertainlynotpretty。Notdressednicely，tomymind；buttheydosaydressisamatteroftaste。"
TryasImight，Icouldgetnomorethanthatoutofourstupidyounghousemaid。
Laterintheevening，thecookhadoccasiontoconsultmeaboutsupper。Thiswasapersonpossessingtheadvantagesofageandexperience。Iaskedifshehadseenthelady。Thecook’sreplypromisedsomethingnew："Ican’tsayIsawthelady；butIheardher。"
"Doyoumeanthatyouheardherspeaking？"
"No，miss——crying。"
"Wherewasshecrying？"
"Inthemaster’sstudy。"
"Howdidyoucometohearher？"
"AmItounderstand，miss，thatyoususpectmeoflistening？"
Isalietoldbyalookasbadasalietoldbywords？Ilookedshockedatthebareideaofsuspectingarespectablepersonoflistening。Thecook’ssenseofhonorwassatisfied；shereadilyexplainedherself："Iwaspassingthedoor，miss，onmywayupstairs。"
Heremydiscoveriescametoanend。Itwascertainlypossiblethatanafflictedmemberofmyfather’scongregationmighthavecalledonhimtobecomforted。Butheseesplentyofafflictedladies，withoutlookingworriedandanxiousaftertheyleavehim。
Stillsuspectingsomethingoutoftheordinarycourseofevents，Iwaitedhopefullyforournextmeetingatsupper—time。Nothingcameofit。Myfatherleftmebymyselfagain，whenthemealwasover。Heisalwayscourteoustohisdaughters；andhemadeanapology："Excuseme，Helena，Iwanttothink。"
Iwenttobedinavilehumor，andsleptbadly；wondering，inthelongwakefulhours，whatnewrebuffIshouldmeetwithonthenextday。
AtbreakfastthismorningIwasagreeablysurprised。Nosignsofanxietyshowedthemselvesinmyfather’sface。Insteadofretiringtohisstudywhenwerosefromthetable，heproposedtakingaturninthegarden："Youarelookingpale，Helena，andyouwillbethebetterforalittlefreshair。Besides，Ihavesomethingtosaytoyou。"
Excitement，Iamsure，isgoodforyoungwomen。Isawinhisface，Iheardinhislastwords，thatthemysteryoftheladywasatlasttoberevealed。Thesensationoflanguorandfatiguewhichfollowsadisturbednightleftmedirectly。