As very young girls, Della and Rusha had known each other. For many
years, however, having been at different schools they had rarely met.

Duncan held a faint impression that his half-sister had never been at
all partial to this near neighbor of his. She was coming home so soon,
he had such confidence in her judgment and womanly intuitions, he would
await her coming, and see if she could divine why it was that while he
_would_ be attracted to Rusha Thornton he could not.

Besides, Della was not returning home alone. Ellice Linwood had been for
five years her most intimate chosen friend, and room-mate. Ellice was
the only child of a widowed Presbyterian clergyman. Her father had spent
all he had to bestow upon her, in her education. This being thorough and
complete, in the way such terms are used, she was henceforth to support
herself by teaching.

In order to avoid a deplorable separation, these two young friends had
put their wits together, and lo, the result! Through Della's good
brother Duncan, a situation had been secured for Ellice in the family of
Col. Anderson, not over six miles from Kennons. They would speedily
become excellent equestrians, these friends, and annihilate the narrow
space every day in the year.

CHAPTER III.

AN INTERRUPTION TO DUNCAN'S REVERIE.

Duncan Lisle, still gazing vacantly into the varying flames, performed
anew the journey, not from Kennons to Troy on the Hudson, but from the
latter city, via New York, back to his Virginian plantation. His sister
and Ellice Linwood were his companions, for it had been arranged that,
though Ellice's session of school was not to commence for a couple of
months, yet she should thus early undertake the journey for sake of the
company; and Della's home was to be hers also in the intervening time.

Della and Ellice! They flitted hither and thither before Duncan's mental
vision, as they had on that memorable journey. Just free from the
irksome restraints of the school-room, full of joyous anticipations,
they gave way to that girlish gayety, and that unbounded enthusiasm,
which a thorough sense of happiness and enjoyment cannot fail to
inspire. Life was before them beautiful, glorious, and without end! This
was only nine years ago--and now!

As we look through Duncan's eyes, we see that Della was the taller and
more graceful of the two. Her hair and complexion were rather dark than
fair; long, dark eyelashes shaded eyes deep blue, dreamy and wo