last moment was come. The last kiss her chilling lips could feel had been imprinted there by Rose's husband. He groped about with his hands for an instant, as if to catch at some solid support, and then he fell forward fainting at John Morley's feet.

For an instant no one stirred. John Morley leaned heavily upon Hester's shoulder; but when Grant bent over the senseless form, he pushed him gently on one side, and stooping down he raised Robert in his arms, with a woman's tenderness of touch, and carried him into his own room and laid him upon his own bed.

CHAPTER XX.

A FULL FORGIVENESS.

GRANT removed the dead child from Hester's lap, and bade her take Rose down stairs to her father's sitting-room. Rose shed no tears, but appeared calm and almost apathetic. Hester, carrying a light in her trembling hand, led the way to the gloomy room, where John Morley's life had been wasted. There was a chilly sense of vacancy about it then, for all the every-day confusion had been carefully put into frigid order by Lawson's mother. Hester set Rose down in the old chair on the hearth, and busied herself for some time in lighting the fire; while she sat by, watching her movements with dull but tearless eyes. The rare, refined beauty of Hester's face, pale with suppressed emotions, had never shown itself as it did now. When the fire had burned up, she brought a footstool to the side of Rose, and sitting down, weariedly laid her head upon her lap. The fond, daughterlike attitude, the sweetness of Hester's wan

face, the utter oblivion of her step-mother's sin, expressed by her silence, roused Rose from her stupefaction. She laid both her hands upon Hester's head, and hiding her face upon them burst into a passion of tears.

Why are you so good to me?" she cried. Why was I ever born? You would have been happier if you had never seen me, little Hetty. Oh, little Hetty! little Hetty! why did I ever come into this house to be a sorrow to you? Oh, I did not think it would all end in this. And yet you love me through it all!"

"Yes; I love you dearly, poor mother," said Hester, in her softest accents.

Then you think God will love me in spite of all," murmured Rose.

'I am sure He does," she answered.

"And my husband?" she continued, in a voice of mingled entreaty and incredulity.

Yes; my father loves you," said Hester; " he forgives you. He has come back knowing

you were here.

Waldron now.

stairs."

He is taking care of Robert

Hush! they are coming down

They listened breathlessly to the sound of footsteps descending the staircase. Would

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they come in here, both John Morley and Robert Waldron, and meet Rose face to face? She pressed her hand against her heart, praying silently to God to spare her this trial. The door was open, and they could hear distinctly all that was passing in the old-fashioned entrance-hall. Grant had come down with them, and said he would walk home with Robert. Then Robert spoke, in a troubled, scarcely articulate voice.

"John Morley," he said, "I have sinned grievously against you, and I can do nothing to atone for it to you. Yet I have suffered for my sin, and repented of it with a very bitter repentance. Can you pardon me?"

"As freely as God pardons us all," answered John Morley, in a clear tone. "Yet it may be will have to bear the consequences of your you sin all your life long. But if at any time I can help you to bear that burden, by counsel, by sympathy, by prayer, come to me and let us talk together as friend with friend. You are young yet; young enough to do good work in the world. God bless you and give you

peace!"

There was a minute's silence in the outer

room, and then the house-door closed upon Grant and Robert; and John Morley's foot took a step or two towards his own forsaken parlour. Hester looked up into Rose's face, and saw it flushed and kindled with a new light. He, who had forgiven Robert freely and with a blessing, was coming towards her, his wife, whom he had loved with a profound passion. Neither of them moved, except that Rose leaned back in the chair, with a strange flutter of hope and joy making her tremble. He came on, entered the room, and stood just within the threshold, looking sadly towards them, as they sat together in the red fire-light, upon his dishonoured hearth.

"Father!" cried Hester, rising from her footstool, and going towards him as he remained motionless at the door.

"Do not go," he said, laying his hand upon her arm; "do not leave us. You have ministered between us this long time past. Stay with us still."

"But speak to her," urged Hester; "tell her that you forgive her too, freely."

She drew him on towards the hearth, her arm pressed about him with a tender force,