now almost deserted rooms, restored his tone; he lighted
another cigar, and now there came up before him a vision of the girl
who, from loyalty to her dead father, preferred to sit all day behind
Candy's money desk rather than go to a relative who had not been his
friend. And then he saw the young girl who took up so courageously the
cause of one of her own blood--the boy cousin of her childhood; and
with a lover's pride, Lawrence thought of the dash, the spirit, and
the bravery with which she had done it.

"By George!" he said to himself, his eyes sparkling, and his step
quickening, "she has more in her than all the rest of them put
together!"

Who were included in "the rest of them," Lawrence was not prepared
just then to say, but the expression was intended to have a very wide
range.

It was about the middle of December, when Lawrence paid another visit
to Mrs Keswick's house. The day was cold, but clear, and as he drove
up to the outer gate, he saw the old lady returning from a walk to
Howlett's. She stepped along briskly, and was in a very good humor,
for she had just posted a carefully concocted letter to Mr Brandon, in
which she had expatiated, in her peculiar style, on the pleasure
which she expected from an early visit to Midbranch. She had not the
slightest idea of going there, at present, but she thought it quite
time to freshen up the old gentleman's anticipations.

Descending from his carriage to meet her, Lawrence was very warmly
greeted, and the two went up to the house together.

"I expect the late Mrs Null will be very glad to see you," said Mrs
Keswick. "I think she has burned up all her widow's weeds."

"You should be very much obliged to your niece," said Mr Croft, "for
so delicately ridding you of that dreadful fertilizer man."

"Humph!" said the old lady. "She cheated me out of the pleasure of
telling him what I thought of him, and I shall never forgive her for
that."

As Lawrence and Annie sat together in the parlor that evening, he told
her what he had been doing in New York, and this brought to her lips a
question, which she was very anxious to have answered. She knew that
Lawrence was rich; that his methods of life and thought made him a man
of the cities; and she felt quite certain that the position to
which he would conduct her was that of the mistress of a handsome
town-house, and the wife of a man of society. She liked handsome
town-houses, and she was sure she would like society