hesitate. Perhaps you are not quite sure that you do
love him. A girl ought to be sure of that."

"Oh, I am quite sure of that! I love him with all my heart," exclaimed
Ida, and began to cry.

Miss Ludington sat down beside her, and, drawing the girl's head to her
shoulder, tried to soothe her; but her gentleness only made Ida sob more
vehemently.

Presently the elder lady said, "You are nervous, my little sister, don't
cry, now. We won't talk about it any more. I did not intend to say a word
to urge you against your wishes, but only to find out what they were. You
shall wait as long as you please before marrying him, and he shall not
tease you. Meanwhile I will see to it that, if I should die, you will be
left secure and well provided for, even if you never marry any one."

"What do you mean?" asked Ida, raising her head and manifesting a sudden
interest.

"I will adopt you as my daughter," said Miss Ludington, cheerily. "Won't
it be odd, pretending that you are my daughter, and that instead of
coming into the world before me you came in after me? But it is the only
way by which I can give you a legal title to the name of Ida Ludington,
although it is yours already by a claim prior to mine. I would rather see
you Paul's wife, and under his protection, but this arrangement will
secure your safety. You see, until you have a legal name I cannot make
you my heir, or even leave you a dollar."

"Do you mean that you want to make me your heir?" exclaimed Ida.

"Of course," said Miss Ludington. "What else could I think of doing? Even
if you had married Paul, do you suppose I would have wished to have you
dependent on him? I should then have left you a fortune under the name of
Mrs. De Riemer. As it is, I shall leave it to my adopted daughter, Ida
Ludington. That is the only difference."

"But, Paul?"

"Don't fret about Paul," replied Miss Ludington. "I shall not neglect
him. I have a great deal of money, and am able to provide abundantly for
you both."

"Oh, do not do this thing! I beg you will not," cried Ida, seizing Miss
Ludington's hands, and looking into her face with an almost frenzied
expression of appeal. "I do not want your money. Don't give it to me. I
can't bear to have you. You have given me so much, and you are so good to
me!--and that I should rob Paul, too! Oh, no I you must not do it; I will
never let you."

"But, my darling," said Miss Ludington, soothingly, "think what you are
to me, and what I