the
influenza, and even a little thing like that brings on palpitation; but
you must not think that I am not glad to see you."

"Thank you," returned Malcolm in a pleasant, friendly voice. "I only
arrived at the Manor House last evening, so you see I have lost no time
in coming over to Sandy Hollow. I wanted to see for myself how you
were. You are rather too thin and unsubstantial-looking, Miss Jacobi;"
but all the time he was saying to himself that he had never seen her
look more lovely.

"What does it matter how one looks?" she returned indifferently. "You
are thinner too, Mr. Herrick; but then you work so hard. Do you
know"--and here her voice changed--"that I saw you a few weeks ago. You
did not see me, and I could not speak; you were with some friends."
Leah's manner was so significant and pregnant with meaning that Malcolm
gazed at her inquiringly.

"I do not remember; I have so many friends," he observed in a puzzled
tone.

"You had been to see those French pictures in the new gallery," she
returned, "and a lady was waiting for you in her carriage." Then a
sudden light broke in upon Malcolm.

"It must have been my mother!" he exclaimed, and then he stopped a
little awkwardly, for of course he remembered now; but she finished his
sentence quite calmly.

"Yes, he was there--Mr. Templeton, I mean; he was talking to a girl
with fair hair, and with such a nice face--not pretty, but sweet and
good; and they were laughing together. I could hear him laugh quite
distinctly--my hansom was so close."

"Good heavens! what an escape," Malcolm said to himself inwardly; "it
was a near thing." Then aloud, "That was Anna Sheldon, my adopted
sister; she is the dearest girl in the world; but you are right, she is
not really pretty."

"They seemed very happy," returned Leah, but her voice was full of
wistful pain.

Malcolm, who was a fellow-sufferer, understood in a moment what she was
feeling, and his kind heart prompted the remedy.

"Cedric has been a great deal with them lately," he said quietly; "my
mother and Anna know all about his trouble; and they are very kind to
him. It is good for him to be with friends who can make allowances for
him, and help him."

"But he seemed happy," persisted the poor girl; "and--and--Miss Sheldon
will soon make him forget things." But Malcolm shook his head.

"I am afraid not," he returned rather sadly; "Cedric is by no means
happy, though we all do our best to make him so. He ha