weight of a terrible affliction. She judged Lillie as a pure woman
generally judges another,--out of herself,--and could not and would
not believe that the gross and base construction which had been put
upon her conduct was the true one. She looked upon her as led astray
by inordinate vanity, and the hopeless levity of an undeveloped,
unreflecting habit of mind. She was indignant with Harry for the part
that he had taken in the affair, and indignant and vexed with herself
for the degree of freedom and intimacy which she had been suffering to
grow up between him and herself. Her first impulse was to break it off
altogether, and have nothing more to say to or do with him. She felt
as if she would like to take the short course which young girls
sometimes take out of the first serious mortification or trouble in
their life, and run away from it altogether. She would have liked to
have packed her trunk, taken her seat on board the cars, and gone home
to Springdale the next day, and forgotten all about the whole of it;
but then, what should she say to Mrs. Van Astrachan? what account
could she give for the sudden breaking up of her visit?

Then, there was Harry going to call on her the next day! What ought
she to say to him? On the whole, it was a delicate matter for a young
girl of twenty to manage alone. How she longed to have the counsel of
her sister or her mother! She thought of Mrs. Van Astrachan; but
then, again, she did not wish to disturb that good lady's pleasant,
confidential relations with Harry, and tell tales of him out of
school: so, on the whole, she had a restless and uncomfortable night
of it.

Mrs. Van Astrachan expressed her surprise at seeing Rose take her
place at the breakfast-table the next morning. "Dear me!" she said, "I
was just telling Jane to have some breakfast kept for you. I had no
idea of seeing you down at this time."

"But," said Rose, "I gave out entirely, and came away only an hour
after you did. The fact is, we country girls can't stand this sort
of thing. I had such a terrible headache, and felt so tired and
exhausted, that I got Mr. Endicott to bring me away before the
'German.'"

"Bless me!" said Mr. Van Astrachan; "why, you're not at all up to
snuff! Why, Polly, you and I used to stick it out till daylight!
didn't we?"

"Well, you see, Mr. Van Astrachan, I hadn't anybody like you to stick
it out with," said Rose. "Perhaps that made the difference."

"Oh, well, now, I am sure