spoke of Maurice, which
was so entirely new as to appear a great deal more significant than it
really was; and this, added to the fact that two letters had been
received, one written before, and the other after the arrival of hers,
neither of which contained so much as a message for her or Lucia,
suddenly suggested to Mrs. Costello that she was a very foolish woman
who was still wasting her wishes and thoughts on plans, the time for
which had gone by, instead of following steadily, and without
hesitation, what her reason told her was the best and most sensible
course. She so far convinced herself that it was time to give up
thinking of Lucia's marriage to Maurice, as to be really in earnest both
in completing her preparations for leaving Canada, and in rejoicing at
the receipt of a letter from her cousin expressing his perfect approval
of her decision to return to Europe.

This letter even Lucia could not help acknowledge to be thoroughly kind
and kinsmanlike. Mr. Wynter proposed to meet them at Havre, and, if
possible, accompany them to Paris.

"If you are travelling alone," he said, "I may be of service to you; and
since you have decided on going to France, I should like to see you
comfortably settled there. By that means, too, we shall have plenty of
time to talk over whatever arrangements you wish made with regard to
your daughter. However, I have great hopes that when you find yourself
away from the places where you have suffered so much, and near your own
people, you will grow quite strong again."

There were messages from his wife and daughters, in conclusion, which
seemed to promise that they also would be ready to welcome their unknown
relatives.

"Blood is thicker than water." Mrs. Costello began to feel that the one
secure asylum for Lucia, in her probable orphanhood, would be in the old
house by the Dee.

The next time she saw Mr. Leigh, she told him her plans quite frankly.
She did so with some suspicion of his real feelings, only that in spite
of their long acquaintance she did him the injustice to fancy that he
would, for reasons of his own, be glad that Lucia should be out of
Maurice's way if he returned to Canada. She supposed that he had, on
reflection, begun to shrink from the idea of a half-Indian
daughter-in-law, and while she confessed to herself that the feeling
was, according to ordinary custom, reasonable enough, she was at heart
extremely angry that it should be entertained.

"My beauti