crisis; and,
on this occasion, his mother made no remark as to the urgency of his
business. When he was gone Lady Ball began to potter about the house,
after her daily custom, and was longer in her pottering than was
usual with her. Miss Mackenzie helped the younger children in their
lessons, as she often did; and when time for luncheon came, she
had almost begun to think that she was to be allowed to escape any
conversation with her aunt touching the great money question. But
it was not so. At one she was told that luncheon and the children's
dinner was postponed till two, and she was asked by the servant to go
up to Lady Ball in her own room.

"Come and sit down, my dear," said Lady Ball, in her sweetest voice.
"It has got to be very cold, and you had better come near the fire."
Margaret did as she was bidden, and sat herself down in the chair
immediately opposite to her aunt.

"This is a wonderful story that John has told me," continued her
aunt--"very wonderful."

"It is sad enough for me," said Margaret, who did not feel inclined
to be so self-forgetful in talking to her aunt as she had been with
her cousin.

"It is sad for you, Margaret, no doubt. But I am sure you have within
you that conscientious rectitude of purpose that you would not wish
to keep anything for yourself that in truth belongs to another."

To this Margaret answered nothing, and her aunt went on.

"It is a great change to you, no doubt; and, of course, that is the
point on which I wish to speak to you most especially. I have told
John that something must be done for you."

This jarred terribly on poor Margaret's feelings. Her cousin had said
nothing, not a word as to doing anything for her. The man who had
told her of his love, and asked her to be his wife, not twelve months
since,--who had pressed her to be of all women the dearest to him
and the nearest,--had talked to her of her ruin without offering her
aid, although this ruin to her would enrich him very greatly. She
had expected nothing from him, had wanted nothing from him; but by
degrees, when absent from him, the feeling had grown upon her that he
had been hard to her in abstaining from expressions of commiseration.
She had yielded to him in the whole affair, assuring him that nothing
should be done by her to cause him trouble; and she would have been
grateful to him if in return he had said something to her of her
future mode of life. She had intended to speak to him about the