each other, her
thoughts dwelt upon him. It was pleasant to think of his beautiful face,
his soft voice, and his marvelous dancing. It was a fascination from
which she could not easily escape, even when he was absent; and there
was a charm in the memory of him, in thinking of how she would turn him
from being a lover to being a friend, which drew her mind away from the
main question that occupied it, and gave her a momentary sensation of
peace.

Suddenly the two men came vividly before her in profile, side by side.
The bold, manly features and cold glance of the strong man contrasted
very strangely with the exquisitely chiseled lines of his brother's
face, with the soft brown eyes veiled under long lashes, and the
indescribable delicacy of the feminine mouth. Paul wore the stern
expression of a man superior to events and very careless of them.
Alexander smiled, as though he loved his life, and would let no moment
of it pass without enjoying it to the full.

It was but the vision of an instant, as she closed her eyes, and opened
them again to the faint light which came in through the blinds. But
Hermione felt that she must choose between the two men, and it was
perhaps the first time she had quite realized the fact. Hitherto
Alexander had appeared to her only as a man who disturbed her previous
determinations. If she had hesitated to marry Paul while the disturbance
lasted, it was not because she had ever thought of taking his brother
instead. Now it seemed clear that she must accept either the one or the
other, for the comparison of the two had asserted itself in her mind. In
that moment she felt that she was worse than she had ever been before;
for the fact that she compared the two men as possible husbands showed
her that she set no value on the promises she had made to Paul.

To choose,--but how to choose? Had she a right to choose at all? If she
refused to marry Paul, was she not bound to refuse any one
else,--morally bound in honor? The questions came fast, and would not be
answered. Just then her aunt moved in the next room, and the thought of
her possible insanity returned instantly to Hermione's mind. She
determined that it was best to speak to her father about it. He was the
person who ought to know immediately, and he should decide whether
anything should be done. She made up her mind to go to him at once, and
she rang for her maid.

But before she was dressed she had half decided to act differently, to
w