ful Lucia!" she said to herself indignantly; "as if she were
not ten times more lovely, and a thousand times more worth loving, than
any of those well-born, daintily brought up, pretty dolls, that Lady
Dighton is likely to find for him! I did think better of Maurice. But,
of course, it is all right enough. I had no right to expect him to be
more than mortal."

And Lucia went on in the most perfect unconsciousness of all the
troubled thoughts circling round her. She spoke honestly of her regret
at leaving Canada when, perhaps, Maurice might so soon be there, though
she kept to herself the hopes which made her going so much less sad than
it would have been otherwise. She was extremely busy, for Mrs. Costello,
now that she thought no more of returning to the Cottage, had decided to
sell it; all their possessions, therefore, had to be divided into three
parts, the furniture to be sold with the house, their more personal
belongings to go with them, and various books and knickknacks to be left
as keepsakes with their friends. It was generally known now all over
Cacouna that Mrs. Costello was going "home," in order that Lucia might
be near her relations in case of "anything happening,"--a thing nobody
doubted the probability of, who saw the change made during the last few
months in their grave and quiet neighbour. They were a little vague in
their information about these relations, but that was a matter of
secondary importance; and as the mother and daughter were really very
much liked by their neighbours, they were quite overwhelmed with
invitations and visits.

So the days passed on quickly; and for the second time, the one fixed
for their journey was close at hand. One more letter had arrived from
Maurice, containing the news of his grandfather's death. It was short,
like the previous one, and almost equally hurried. He said that he was
struggling through the flood of business brought upon him by his
accession to estates so large, and till lately so zealously cared for by
their possessor. As soon as ever he could get away, he meant to start
for Canada; and as the time of his doing so depended only on his
success in hurrying on certain affairs which were already in hand, his
father might expect him by any mail except the first after his letter
arrived. There was no message to Mrs. Costello in this note, but, on the
other side of the half sheet which held the conclusion of it, was a
postscript hastily scrawled,

"Tell Mrs.