ta's
home on the preceding evening. Being informed that the stranger desired
a conference with him, Ensal retired to his study, lighted the room and
invited her to enter. Foresta remained upon the porch and entertained
Mrs. Ellwood, with whom she was a favorite, because of her peculiarly
lovable disposition and her attention to the aged.

When the young woman was seated, Ensal took a seat and looked in her
direction, saying, "Consider me at your service, please." There was an
air of unnatural calm about the young woman. She now removed her hat
from her head and Ensal noted that her hair was so arranged as to allow
her face to fully stand as nature gave it to her, unrelieved. He also
noticed that her attire was of a simple order throughout, though good
taste and ample means were needed to produce the results attained by her
dress. The light of the train that had told Ensal that she was
beautiful, had only hinted at the attractiveness of form and feature as
disclosed upon closer inspection.

The young woman seemed in no haste to begin the conversation about the
matter that had brought her there, and chatted with Ensal in a
desultory manner. She was studying Ensal and was affording him an
opportunity to study her. Ensal had been so highly spoken of to her, and
in her present state of mind she was so anxious to meet such a person as
he was represented to be that she was calling into requisition all the
powers of intuition of which her soul was capable.

At length an instant of quiet on the part of his visitor told Ensal that
she was now to approach the matter that had given rise to her call.

"Mr. Ellwood," began the young woman, "it sometimes happens in the
course of human life that we are compelled to appeal to the faith that
people have in us. Life is more or less a matter of faith anyway, but
ordinarily there is some sort of buttress for our faith in surrounding
circumstances. To-night, I bring not one shred of circumstance, not one
bit of history from my past life, and yet I appeal to you for faith in
me, absolute unquestioning faith."

Her earnest tones and the pleading look in her beautiful eyes and the
trembling of her form burned those words into Ensal's memory:

"I have the necessary faith," said Ensal, earnestly and quietly.

"I have come to Almaville to begin life anew. This has become necessary
through no act of my own. This is all I care to say on that point, and I
do not promise to ever break the seal