le as their tongues,
and amusement and work were intermingled.

Amidst the fun and merriment that was taking place in the room, Dexie's
abstracted and absent-minded manner was not noticed, except by one pair of
eyes--and very little that concerned Dexie Sherwood escaped the notice of
Guy Traverse.

He was finding it hard to check the feelings with which he had long
regarded her, for he had become attached to her from the very first, and
his eyes were keen to note her varying moods. His frequent visits to the
house gave him opportunity to study her character, and the more he saw of
her, the higher grew his respect. A more tender feeling also was growing
within his breast, that gave him secret pleasure, though he kept well in
check any sign of its existence. He never had found the opportunity of
asking the truth of her engagement; but being assured that she had a
gentleman correspondent, he felt he had little cause to hope. He had been
present on more than one occasion when Dexie had discussed with the rest of
the family various extracts from letters which had come from over the sea.
To be sure, these extracts were mostly descriptions of places that the
writer had visited, or accounts of amusing episodes met with while
travelling; but there lingered an undefined impression on Guy Traverse's
mind that these letters were not so sacred as one would naturally suppose
they should be if the writer were dear to the heart of the recipient.

"Something is troubling Dexie to-night," he said to himself, as he noticed
how unusually silent and preoccupied she remained, even when the merriment
seemed at its height. "I must be on the alert and see that she is not
troubled unnecessarily," for being a frequent visitor, he was aware that
Gussie was not always the pleasant person she appeared to be, and he,
somehow, connected her with Dexie's present mood.

But in this case he was mistaken. The evening mail had brought Dexie a
letter from Hugh McNeil. She had heard so little of him for some time that
she began to hope (when she thought of him at all) that he had forgotten
her or had found other attractions that had effaced her from his memory.
But this unlooked-for letter told a different story, and his half-expressed
determination to seek her presence and renew his suit filled her with
dismay.

She had thrust the letter hastily into her pocket with but a rapid glance
at its contents, just as her numerous guests were ushered in; and her