ndbourne, isn't it?"

"Yes; it is not crowded yet."

"When do you go down there?"

"On Saturday afternoon," returned Miss Payne. "I have taken rooms at
Marine Cottage; you know, it is at the end of the parade, near an old
house."

"Yes, quite well; it is a nice little place."

"I will write to secure another bedroom; and let us meet at the station
on Saturday. I go by the 2.50 train." A few more preliminaries and the
affair was settled.

Previous to leaving town, however, Katherine felt she must see Rachel
Trant, though she half dreaded meeting her. It must have been an awful
blow to meet De Burgh as she did. Would she divine what brought him
there? Katherine felt she had been cold and remiss in having kept
silence towards her friend so long, and, when Miss Payne left, she
walked with her across the park to Rachel's abode, in spite of Mrs.
Needham's assurances that it would be too much for her, and retard the
recovery of her nervous forces, etc., etc.

Katherine was not kept long waiting in the neat little back parlor,
which was Miss Trant's private room. Rachel came to her looking very
white, while she breathed quickly. She paused just within the door, in a
hesitating, uncertain way, which seemed to Katherine very pathetic.

"Oh! Rachel," she cried, her soft brown eyes suffused with tears as she
tenderly kissed her brow, "I know everything, and--I will never see him
again."

"He is not all bad," said Rachel, in a low tone, as she clasped
Katherine's hand in both her own.

"No, I am sure he is not; but he has passed out of our lives; let us
speak of him no more."

"I should be glad not to do so; but he has written me a letter I should
like you to see. He seems grieved for the past and makes munificent
offers."

"I should rather not see it, Rachel. I want to forget. Did you reply?"

"I did, very gravely, very shortly. I told him I wanted nothing, that
the best friend I ever had had put me in the way perhaps to make my
fortune, and--and, dearest Miss Liddell, if you care for----"

"But I do not, I did not," interrupted Katherine. "Oh! thank God I do
not. How could I have borne what has come to my knowledge if I did? Now,
let the past bury its dead."

"Is it not amazing that we should be so strangely linked together?"
murmured Rachel.

Katherine made no reply. After a short silence, as if they stood by a
still open grave, Katherine began to speak of her intended visit to Miss
Payne, and before they pa