not read a good deal of it written upon the faces before her.

"I thought I should find you in this room," she said sweetly; "what a lovely room it is. I die with envy of it whenever I come in." Laura said this, unfortunately losing the pleasure of knowing that she stabbed Ernestine to the heart. For Ernestine, to whom to think a thing right was to do it, had already endured the first pang of saying farewell to this room, which was as it were the physical embodiment of the dreamland she had entered into.

"It's

"You don't look well," went on the quick tongue of Laura. "It's the weather, I suppose. It is very unbecoming weather; I have had to put on a spotted veil to-day, which makes my eyes ache and makes me cross.

Her remarks did not seem likely to elicit any very enthusiastic response, so she plunged into her business.

"Uncle," she said, fluttering her fan and her feathers, as she turned to Dr. Doldy, who was still walking up and down, "I hope you have time to receive a visitor to-day, as a friend of mine wishes to call upon you."

"Indeed!" said Dr. Doldy, not in a very encouraging tone.

"Sir Percy Flaxen," said Laura; "you know him, do you not? He wants to see you at once, and I hope you will have no objection to make, but will instead give me your congratulations."

"Does he want to marry you?" said Dr. Doldy, gloomily.

"He says so," said Laura, in her archest manner.

"And so," said Dr. Doldy, drily, "you have found an eligible partner at last?"

I think," returned Laura, with great demureness, "no objection can be made to him or his family."

Silence followed, in the midst of

which Ernestine rose, and, without a word or a look towards uncle or niece, left the room.

She could not at the moment pause to speculate what Dr. Doldy would think of her conduct.

Laura laughed to herself. She had wished to get rid of Ernestine before she went on with another part of her business; and she thought she had succeeded very well, although she was a little disturbed as to what Dr. Doldy might think. It was her principal dread with regard to Ernestine, lest that lady's inability to conceal her feelings should rouse Dr. Doldy's suspicions. picions. But she might have been easy in her mind to-day had she known all. Dr. Doldy would scarcely have been astonished at anything which Ernestine might have done. And indeed he himself felt in anything but a favourable frame of mind to offer congratulations even upon a marriage which so much concerned him as Laura's.

"I want to tell you to ask your advice," said Laura, as soon as the door had closed upon Ernestine, "about another matter which is as distressing as it well can be. In what I have to say you will see one whom you always disliked in a less favourable light than ever."

Dr. Doldy stopped in his promenade and stared at her. He could not conjecture what was coming.

Laura found it much more difficult to tell her uncle than to tell Lewis Lingen; and before she had said many more words she took refuge in handing him Yriarte's letters, trusting to them to tell their own tale discreetly.

Dr. Doldy read them with a rising fury written on his face. Having finished them he flung them down on the table, and turned to walk the room again.

"This comes of connecting

yourself with a monkeyman like. that, worthy of nothing but to be regarded as a possible specimen of the missing link," then, suddenly looking at her, "but what is there in these letters which you are ashamed of?"

"Nothing," said Laura, "what should there be?"

"Then why have you already given him money?"

"What woman," she replied, with a quick droop of those clever eyelids, "would not pay money rather than run the risk of her love letters being made public?"

This seemed true enough to Dr. Doldy, on whose high ideal of her sex Laura was partly calculating in making her impression on him. She went on to tell him that she had been to Mr. Lingen for advice, and that he recommended her to prosecute Yriarte for obtaining money from her on false pretences. "What do you think, uncle?" she asked pathetically, "It will be very, very painful."

"Punish him, Laura," exclaimed Dr. Doldy angrily; "punish him even at the expense of your own feelings. It will not really be painful, because you are so plainly in the right; you will have the sympathies of all who know you. And he must be punished. should like to horsewhip him myself!"

I

Laura had no idea her uncle could be so angry-could so depart from his usual manner, and lose himself in passion. Two great veins had swollen out upon his forehead; she had never seen them before. She did not know that she had but added the match to a welllaid fire. His mind was already

inflamed when she began to irritate it, and it was a vast relief to him to have a subject upon which it might safely explode.

"Let us go down to Lingen at once," went on Dr. Doldy, with suppressed excitement; "will you come, Laura?-we will punish nim; the little eur! he shall learn what it is to insult a lady."

But

He hurried out of the room to fetch his hat. Laura, preparing in a more leisurely manner to follow him, saw that Ernestine had returned, and stood near. She was startled, although certainly it was. natural enough that Ernestine should be in her own room. something in the look that came upon her from out those deep-set eyes affected her strangely, almost as if an uncanny presence were beside her. Ernestine made her feel, by her intensity, that she came from another world of thought.

"Who is to be punished?" asked Ernestine.

66

Do you wish to know ?—I did not think you cared for gossip. I don't mind telling you, as you must soon know unless you shut your eyes and ears. Don Jose Yriarte is the cur my uncle is so anxious to correct."

"The man you were engaged to?" exclaimed Ernestine, "your lover ?"

"Don't jump to conclusions," said Laura, "it is unprofessional. Good morning."

And so saying she hurried outfor Dr. Doldy was impatiently calling her and left Ernestine half-blinded by the mental cloud which had risen before her eyes. On all sides the world was dark.