ty in
making the master responsible for his boorish servant," observed Edwin
in a jesting tone, as he folded the letter and handed it to her. "Will
you not at least condole with your faithful knight?"

Mechanically she took the black-edged sheet, but her face remained
perfectly immovable. "Come," she said after a pause. "It's beginning to
rain again. I don't feel very well. Take me back to the carriage. Oh!
it's horrible! horrible! horrible!"

He consoled her as well as he could.

"Suppose he offers you his hand and a count's coronet," he said, at the
same moment feeling a sharp pang in his heart that almost stopped his
breath.

She did not seem to hear him, but shook her curls back from her face,
so that her hair escaped from its confinement and rolled in luxuriant
masses from beneath her hood. Then she threw back her little cloak as
if suffocating. "Has it grown so hot?" she asked, "or is it only--but
let's walk faster. I can scarcely wait till I'm at rest--and alone! No,
no, you're not in my way, certainly not, I know what I owe you. But
that--that--there are things we can only conquer when we can close our
eyes and cry like little children. Do you know, my dear friend--I
should like--But why speak of it? You can't understand. To-morrow will
be your day, won't it? Yes, it was yesterday that you remained with me
and that insolent man--but we'll say no more about it. I shall expect
you to-morrow. Farewell for to-day. Forgive me for not asking you to
drive home with me. But it's better so--besides, I don't know what I'm
talking about--I--oh God!" She pressed her hand to her brow and paused
a moment, as if her head realed. Edwin ventured to draw her closer to
him, "My dear, dear child, compose yourself," said he. "What has
happened? What is lost?"

She instantly regained her composure, "Nothing," she murmured. "I thank
you very much for all your friendship. So to-morrow--and farewell!"

She held out her hand and looked at him, apparently quite calm again,
and then entered the carriage; the dwarf climbed nimbly up to the box,
and Edwin saw her bend forward and look at him with a long, earnest
gaze as she drove away. Then he remained alone in the grey day with his
gloomy thoughts.

CHAPTER VI.

Why was he so much more hopeless after her frank confession, than
before? He now knew that his feelings had not deceived him, that the
equivocal circumstances in her position had nothi