ories to one who was a comparative stranger
to them; but I could not but note how conscientiousness reined in her
sensibilities and curbed their career, as they reached the due bounds
of privacy. She did but realize one's conception of the transparent
truthfulness that will pervade advanced societies of the future, where
the very atmosphere shall be honorable faith.

Nearer and nearer Margaret was approaching a secret throned in her
heart that day; and the preceding transitions were but a prelude of
her orchestra before the entrance of the festal group. Unconsciously
she made these preparations for paying worthy honors to a high
sentiment. She had lately heard of the betrothal of two of her
best-loved friends; and she wished to communicate the graceful story
in a way that should do justice to the facts and to her own feelings.
It was by a spontaneous impulse of her genius, and with no voluntary
foreshaping, that she had grouped the previous tales; but no drama
could have been more artistically constructed than the steps whereby
she led me onward to the denouement; and the look, tone, words,
with which she told it, were fluent with melody as the song of an
improvisatrice.

Scarcely had she finished, when, offering some light refreshment,--as
it was now past noon,--she proposed a walk in the open air. She led
the way to Bussey's wood, her favorite retreat during the past year,
where she had thought and read, or talked with intimate friends. We
climbed the rocky path, resting a moment or two at every pretty point,
till, reaching a moss-cushioned ledge near the summit, she seated
herself. For a time she was silent, entranced in delighted communion
with the exquisite hue of the sky, seen through interlacing boughs
and trembling leaves, and the play of shine and shadow over the wide
landscape. But soon, arousing from her reverie, she took up the thread
of the morning's talk. My part was to listen; for I was absorbed in
contemplating this, to me, quite novel form of character. It has
been seen how my early distaste for Margaret's society was gradually
changed to admiration. Like all her friends, I had passed through an
avenue of sphinxes before reaching the temple. But now it appeared
that thus far I had never been admitted to the adytum.

As, leaning on one arm, she poured out her stream of thought, turning
now and then her eyes full upon me, to see whether I caught her
meaning, there was leisure to study her thoroughly. H