rtified, and humbled, and wounded. I am a great
disappointment to myself; quite as great as you are to me. I fancied
myself very superior to what I am. I hope you may not be disappointed in
that girl in Sark."

The latter words were not spoken in an amiable tone, but this was no
time for criticising Julia. She had made a tremendous sacrifice, that
was evident; and a whole sacrifice without any blemish is very rarely
offered up nowadays, however it may have been in olden times. I could
not look at her dejected face and gloomy expression without a keen sense
of self-reproach.

"Julia," I said, "I shall never be quite happy--no, not with Olivia as
my wife--unless you and I are friends. We have grown up together too
much as brother and sister, for me to have you taken right out of my
life without a feeling of great loss. It is I who would lose a right
hand or a right eye in losing you. Some day we must be friends again as
we used to be."

"It is not very likely," she answered; "but you had better go now,
Martin. It is very painful to me for you to be here."

I could not stay any longer after that dismissal. Her hand was lying on
her lap, and I stooped down and kissed it, seeing on it still the ring I
had given her when we were first engaged. She did not look at me or bid
me good-by; and I went out of the house, my veins tingling with shame
and gladness. I met Captain Carey coming up the street, with a basket of
fine grapes in his hand. He appeared very much amazed.

"Why, Martin!" he exclaimed; "can you have been to see Julia?"

"Yes," I answered.

"Reconciled?" he said, arching his eyebrows, which were still dark and
bushy though his hair was grizzled.

"Not exactly," I replied, with a stiff smile, exceedingly difficult to
force; "nothing of the sort indeed. Captain, when will you take me
across to Sark?"

"Come, come! none of that, Martin," he said; "you're on honor, you know.
You are pledged to poor Julia not to visit Sark again."

"She has just set me free," I answered; and out of the fulness of my
heart I told him all that had just passed between us. His eyes
glistened, though a film came across them which he had to wipe away.

"She is a noble girl," he ejaculated; "a fine, generous, noble girl. I
really thought she'd break her heart over you at first, but she will
come round again now. We will have a run over to Sark to-morrow."

I felt myself lifted into a third heaven of delight all that evening. My
m