ly enraged
at Willie's presumption in striking her, and still more provoked at
him for untying himself, as she supposed he had, was laying before her
husband quite an aggravated case of assault and battery.

In the midst of her argument Willie entered the room, with
tear-stained eyes, and without noticing the presence of his father,
went directly to his mother, and burying his face in her lap, sobbed
out, "Willie is sorry he struck you, and will never do so again, if
you will forgive him."

In a much gentler tone than she would have assumed had not her husband
been present, Mrs. Hamilton replied, "I can forgive you for striking
me, Willie, but what have you to say about untying yourself?"

"I didn't do it," said Willie; "Leno did that."

"Be careful what you say," returned Mrs. Hamilton. "I can't believe
Lenora would do so."

Ere Willie had time to repeat his assertion Lenora, who all the time
had been standing by the door, appeared, saying, "You may believe him,
for he has never been whipped to make him lie. I did do it, and I
would do it again."

"Lenora," said Mr. Hamilton, rather sternly, "you should not interfere
in that manner. You will spoil the child."

It was the first time he had presumed to reprove his stepdaughter, and
as there was nothing on earth which Mrs. Hamilton so much feared as
Lenora's tongue, she dreaded the disclosures which further remark from
her husband might call forth. So, assuming an air of great distress,
she said, "Leave her to me, my dear. She is a strange girl, as I
always told you, and no one can manage her as well as myself." Then
kissing Willie in token of forgiveness, she left the room, drawing
Lenora after her and whispering fiercely in her ear, "How can you ever
expect to succeed with the son, if you show off this way before the
father."

With a mocking laugh Lenora replied, "Pshaw! I gave that up the first
time I ever saw him, for of course he thinks me a second edition of
Mrs. Carter, minus any improvements. But he's mistaken; I'm not half
as bad as I seem. I'm only what you've made me."

Mrs. Hamilton turned away, thinking that if her daughter could so
easily give up Walter Hamilton, _she_ would not. She was resolved upon
an alliance between him and Lenora. And who ever knew _her_ to fail in
what she undertook?

She had wrung from her husband the confession that "he believed there
was a sort of childish affection between Walter and Kate Kirby, though
'twas doubtful