d shown her kindness, forbearance,
even magnanimity; had forgiven her for an errant passion which he might
with some reason have denounced, notwithstanding her cruel position as a
child entrapped into marriage ere able to understand its bearings.

Her mother, in her grief and remorse for the loveless life she had led
with her rough, though open-hearted, husband, made now a creed of his
merest whim; and continued to insist that, out of respect to his known
desire, her son-in-law should not reside with Betty till the girl's
father had been dead a year at least, at which time the girl would still
be under nineteen. Letters must suffice for Stephen till then.

'It is rather long for him to wait,' Betty hesitatingly said one day.

'What!' said her mother. 'From _you_? not to respect your dear father--'

'Of course it is quite proper,' said Betty hastily. 'I don't gainsay it.
I was but thinking that--that--'

In the long slow months of the stipulated interval her mother tended and
trained Betty carefully for her duties. Fully awake now to the many
virtues of her dear departed one, she, among other acts of pious devotion
to his memory, rebuilt the church of King's-Hintock village, and
established valuable charities in all the villages of that name, as far
as to Little-Hintock, several miles eastward.

In superintending these works, particularly that of the church-building,
her daughter Betty was her constant companion, and the incidents of their
execution were doubtless not without a soothing effect upon the young
creature's heart. She had sprung from girl to woman by a sudden bound,
and few would have recognized in the thoughtful face of Betty now the
same person who, the year before, had seemed to have absolutely no idea
whatever of responsibility, moral or other. Time passed thus till the
Squire had been nearly a year in his vault; and Mrs. Dornell was duly
asked by letter by the patient Reynard if she were willing for him to
come soon. He did not wish to take Betty away if her mother's sense of
loneliness would be too great, but would willingly live at King's-Hintock
awhile with them.

Before the widow had replied to this communication, she one day happened
to observe Betty walking on the south terrace in the full sunlight,
without hat or mantle, and was struck by her child's figure. Mrs.
Dornell called her in, and said suddenly: 'Have you seen your husband
since the time of your poor father's death?'

'Wel