ks he said so to implicate her.

At any rate it left her shuddering with dread and remorse, yet half
triumphant at the notion of putting an end to Fulk's power over the
estate, and of installing her son as heir of Trevorsham.

She had no fears for him, she trusted to his lame foot to detain him,
and said to herself that if it was to be, he would be spared the sight.
She was growing jealous of his love for Alured and of us, and had a
fierce glad hope of getting him more to herself.

And then! oh! poor Hester!

No wonder her desire was to be

Anywhere, anywhere,
Out of the world.

But out of all the anguish, the remorse, the despair, repentance grew
at last. Love seemed to open the heart to it. The sense of infinite
redeeming love penetrated at last, and trust in pardon, and with pardon
came peace. Peace grew on her, through increasing self-condemnation,
and bearing her up as the bodily powers failed more and more.

There is little more to say. She was a dear and precious charge to us,
and as she grew weaker, she also became more cheerful! and even that
terrible, broken-hearted sense of bereavement calmed.

She found out about Jaquetta and Arthur, and took great interest in his
arrangements for getting a partnership at Shinglebay.

"And Hester," said Jaquetta, "it is so lucky for me that I came down
from being a fine lady. I might never have known Arthur; and if I had,
what an absurd creature I should have been as a poor man's wife!"

As to the Deerhursts, the mother sent a servant once or twice to
inquire, but never came herself to see her dear friend; and Miss Prior
took care to tell us that there were horrid whispers about, that Hester
had known, and if not, Mrs. Deerhurst could not have on her visiting
list the wife of a man with a warrant out against him! She thought it
very unfeeling in us to harbour her.

But Emily came. Hester had a great longing to thank her for checking
her on that walk to the scarlet-fever place, and asked Jaquetta one day
to write to her and beg her to come to see a dying woman.

Emily showed the note to her mother, and did not ask leave. The white
doe had become a much more valiant animal.

Hester had liked Emily even while Emily shrank from her, and she now
realized what she had inflicted upon her and Fulk.

She asked Emily's pardon for it, as she had asked Fulk's, and said that
when she was gone she hoped all would come right. Of course the old
position