he days when they were poor school-teachers in
Richmond.

Olive and Ela, who had so vigorously persecuted Dainty, with the able
assistance of their aunt, rejoiced without stint when they learned that
their machinations had driven their envied cousin to a premature death;
and they regretted that the young girl's body had been swept away by the
high waters, longing for her death to be made public, that they might
exult in secret over the poor mother's woe.

So bitterly had they hated and envied Dainty that it extended to her
gentle mother, and even the sight of her pale, sorrowful face, as she
moved unobtrusively about the place, giving the most motherly care to
Love in his affliction, goaded them to futile rage, until in the malice
of their natures they decided that she should no longer remain at
Ellsworth.

To further their purpose, they made secret complaints to their aunt that
Mrs. Chase was maligning them behind their backs to the servants, and
ridiculing them as "beggars on horseback," who had forgotten their
former poverty and toil in the sudden accession of riches.

No doubt Mrs. Ellsworth was glad of a pretext for ridding herself of one
whose sweet, sad face must have been a constant silent reproach to her
for driving her loved daughter to death; for she hastened to assail the
astonished creature with reproaches, dismissing her denials with
incredulous scorn, and declaring that under the circumstances the roof
of Ellsworth could no longer be her shelter.

"I will go this evening, madame," her sister-in-law answered with gentle
pride, her pale face flushing as she added: "I should not have
trespassed so long on your hospitality but I thought I was making myself
useful by nursing Mr. Ellsworth."

"There is a trained nurse," Mrs. Ellsworth said, loftily.

"Yes; but she has been both careless and incompetent."

"I shall dismiss her to-morrow. He will only need his man Franklin now,"
Mrs. Ellsworth returned; and they parted with cold bows on either side,
the heartless woman to return to her nieces with the news of Mrs.
Chase's banishment, and the latter to take a sorrowful leave of Lovelace
Ellsworth, and pack her trunk and Dainty's for immediate departure.

The hot tears that fell on each dainty piece of clothing as she packed
it away only the angels knew, for the mother's heart was breaking over
the loss of her child.

She could not bring herself to believe that Dainty had fled with another
man, for havi