er's, now, her pale, affrighted face. "It was a great temptation,
father," she said slowly. "A very great temptation."

Now he was alarmed, indeed. "Anna," he demanded, in a voice that was
not like his own, "what have you done? What have you done?"

Every horrid thought--but one--which could flash into being in the
human mind at such a time, rushed into his, in a terrific jumble of
mad speculations.

For a moment Anna cowered, alarmed by what a quick glimpse of his face
had shown her. She had never seen a human face so--not whitened by his
fear, but greyed--greyed as if seared with fire and turned to carven
ashes. She could tell, by that, that he would never, really, forgive
her. Too firmly had his hopes been fixed upon the plans which he had
built in many long hours of reflections going back along the years, no
doubt, to that far time when she was lying, a mere babe, in her dear
mother's arms. How ardently she wished, now, at this crisis, that that
mother might be there to soften things for her; to turn his wrath,
explain, make clear to him the fact that there are impulses too strong
for women's hearts to put aside!

She did not look at him again--she could not bear to see that face
again--but slowly rose and slowly crossed the little room to the crude
table and took from it her handbag, which, when M'riar had cleared off
the dinner things, she had replaced where it had been when she had
started, first, to lay the table. As she raised the bag her father's
eyes were fixed upon her in an agony of dread.

Trembling with apprehension, her fingers shaking so that it was with
great difficulty that she managed the bag's clasp, she opened the
receptacle, and, with accelerating nervousness which made her feel and
fumble, took from it a small box--a jeweler's box. Slowly she returned
to him, her feet dragging as if weighted; slowly, as she stood before
him, drooping, frightened, she took off the cover of the little box,
her heart hammering till it seemed as if it must burst from her
breast; slowly, then, with trembling fingers, while her eyes remained
steadfastly downcast and the quick rising, falling, of her delicately
rounded, girlish bosom showed how keen her agitation was, she took
from the opened box a sparkling trinket.

"You will understand me, father, when I show you--"

She held the brilliant bauble towards him, and, as she stretched out
her hand a hundred little facets on the glittering thing caught light,
ther