ne
stood knee-deep in the long, scented grass; over the rocks, and down by
the sea shore, where the waves chanted their grand anthem, and broke in
white foam drifts upon the sands.

No wonder the young girls imbibed a deep warm love for all that was
beautiful in Nature. Dora never wearied of it--from the smallest blade
of grass to the most stately of forest trees, she loved it all.

The little twin sisters grew in beauty both in body and mind; but the
contrast between them was great; Beatrice was the more beautiful and
brilliant; Lillian the more sweet and lovable. Beatrice was all fire
and spirit; her sister was gentle and calm. Beatrice had great faults
and great virtues; Lillian was simply good and charming. Yet, withal,
Beatrice was the better loved. It was seldom that any one refused to
gratify her wishes.

Dora loved both children tenderly; but the warmest love was certainly
for the child who had the Earle face. She was imperious and willful,
generous to a fault, impatient of all control; but her greatest fault,
Mrs. Vyvian said, was a constant craving for excitement; a distaste for
and dislike of quiet and retirement. She would ride the most restive
horse, she would do anything to break the ennui and monotony of the
long days.

Beautiful, daring, and restless, every day running a hundred risks, and
loved the better for the dangers she ran, Beatrice was almost worshiped
at the Elms. Nothing ever daunted her, nothing ever made her dull or
sad. Lillian was gentle and quiet, with more depth of character, but
little power of showing it; somewhat timid and diffident--a more
charming ideal of an English girl could not have been
found--spirituelle, graceful, and refined; so serene and fair that to
look at her was a pleasure.

Lady Earle often visited the Elms; no mystery had been made to the
girls--they were told their father was abroad and would not return for
many years, and that at some distant day they might perhaps live with
him in his own home. They did not ask many questions, satisfied to
believe what was told them, not seeking to know more.

Lady Earle loved the young girls very dearly. Beatrice, so like her
father, was undoubtedly the favorite. Lord Earle never inquired after
them; when Lady Earle asked for a larger check than usual, he gave it
to her with a smile, perfectly understanding its destination, but never
betraying the knowledge.

So eleven years passed like a long tranquil dream. The