ht so, but she had such good reasons, I am sure she
believed them herself."

"If she had not believed them, she could not have had such perfect
sincerity of manner," said the Colonel; "she must have persuaded at
least one half of herself that she was acting for every one's good
except her own."

"And Mr. Clare, whom Alick always thought she neglected, never felt it.
Alick says he was too unselfish to claim attention."

"I never doubted her for one moment till I came home, on that unhappy
day, and found how ill Keith was. I did think then, that considering
how much she had seen of Alick while the splinters were working out,
she ought to have known better than to talk of sciatica; but she made
me quite believe in her extreme anxiety, and that she was only going
out because it was necessary for her to take care of you on your first
appearance. How bright she looked, and how little I thought I should
never see her again!"

"Oh, she meant what she said! She always was kind to me! Most kind!"
repeated Rachel; "so considerate about all the dreadful spring--not one
word did she say to vex me about the past! I am sure she did go out on
that day as much to shelter me as for anything else. I can't bear to
think all this--here in this pretty room that she had such pleasure
in; where she made me so welcome, after all my disagreeableness and
foolishness."

The Colonel could almost have said, "Better such foolishness than such
wisdom, such repulsion than such attraction." He was much struck by
Rachel's distress, and the absence of all female spite and triumph,
made him understand Ermine's defence of her as really large-minded and
generous.

"It is a very sad moment to be undeceived," he said; "one would rather
have one's faults come to light in one's life than afterwards."

They were simple words, so simple that the terrible truth with which
they were connected, did not come upon Rachel at the first moment; but
as if to veil her agitation, she drew towards her a book, an ivory-bound
Prayer-book, full of illuminations, of Bessie's own doing, and her eye
fell upon the awful verse, "So long as thou doest well unto thyself,
men will speak good of thee." It was almost more than Rachel could
bear, sitting in the midst of the hoards, for which poor Bessie had sold
herself. She rose up, with a sob of oppressive grief, and broke out,
"Oh! at least it is a comfort that Alick was really the kindest and
rightest! Only too right! but you