nically took the child's hand. The gates closed on them,
and Miss Carlyle and Lady Isabel proceeded in the direction of the town.
But not far had they gone when, in turning a corner, the wind, which was
high, blew away with the veil of Lady Isabel, and, in raising her hand
in trepidation to save it before it was finally gone, she contrived to
knock off her blue spectacles. They fell to the ground, and were broken.

"How did you manage that?" uttered Miss Carlyle.

How, indeed? She bent her face on the ground, looking at the damage.
What should she do? The veil was over the hedge, the spectacles were
broken--how could she dare show her naked face? That face was rosy just
then, as in former days, the eyes were bright, and Miss Carlyle caught
their expression, and stared in very amazement.

"Good heavens above," she uttered, "what an extraordinary likeness!" And
Lady Isabel's heart turned faint and sick within her.

Well it might. And, to make matters worse, bearing down right upon them,
but a few paces distant, came Sir Francis Levison.

Would _he_ recognize her?

Standing blowing in the wind at the turning of the road were Miss
Carlyle and Lady Isabel Vane. The latter, confused and perplexed, was
picking up the remnant of her damaged spectacles; the former, little
less perplexed, gazed at the face which struck upon her memory as being
so familiar. Her attention, however, was called off the face to the
apparition of Sir Francis Levison.

He was close upon them, Mr. Drake and the other comrade being with him,
and some tagrag in attendance, as usual. It was the first time he and
Miss Carlyle had met face to face. She bent her condemning brow, haughty
in its bitter scorn, full upon him, for it was not in the nature of Miss
Carlyle to conceal her sentiments, especially when they were rather of
the strongest. Sir Francis, when he arrived opposite, raised his hat to
her. Whether it was done in courtesy, in confused unconsciousness, or
in mockery, cannot be told. Miss Carlyle assumed it to have been the
latter, and her lips, in their anger grew almost as pale as those of the
unhappy woman who was cowering behind her.

"Did you intend that insult for me, Francis Levison?"

"As you please to take it," returned he, calling up insolence to his
aid.

"_You_ dare to lift off your hat to me! Have you forgotten that I am
Miss Carlyle?"

"It would be difficult for _you_ to be forgotten, once seen."

Now this answer _was_ gi