yed Mrs. L'Oiseau and her child to Luckenough. They
were very kindly received by the commodore, and affectionately embraced
by Henrietta, who conducted them to a pleasant room, where they could
lay off their bonnets, and which they were thenceforth to consider as
their own apartment. This was not the one which had been occupied by
Edith. Edith's chamber had been left undisturbed and locked up by Mrs.
Waugh, and was kept ever after sacred to her memory.

The sojourn of Mrs. L'Oiseau and Jacquelina at Luckenough was an
experiment on the part of the commodore. He did not mean to commit
himself hastily, as in the case of his sudden choice of Edith as his
heiress. He intended to take a good, long time for what he called
"mature deliberation"--often one of the greatest enemies to upright,
generous, and disinterested action--to hope, faith, and charity, that I
know of, by the way. Commodore Waugh also determined to have his own
will in all things, this time at least. He had the vantage ground now,
and was resolved to keep it. He had caught Sans Souci young, before she
could possibly have formed even a childish predilection for one of the
opposite sex, and he was determined to raise and educate a wife for his
beloved Grim.

CHAPTER VI.

THE BLIGHTED HEART.

In February the deepest snow storm fell that had fallen during the whole
winter. The roads were considered quite impassable by carriages, and the
family at Luckenough were blocked up in their old house. Yet one day, in
the midst of this "tremendous state of affairs," as the commodore called
it, a messenger from Benedict arrived at Luckenough, the bearer of a
letter to Mrs. Waugh, which he refused to intrust to any other hands but
that lady's own. He was, therefore, shown into the presence of the
mistress, to whom he presented the note. Mrs. Waugh took it and looked
at it with some curiosity--it was superscribed in a slight feminine
hand--quite new to Henrietta; and she opened it, and turned immediately
to the signature--Marian Mayfield--a strange name to her; she had never
seen or heard it before. She lost no more time in perusing the letter,
but as she read, her cheek flushed and paled--her agitation became
excessive, she was obliged to ring for a glass of water, and as soon as
she had swallowed it she crushed and thrust the letter into her bosom,
ordered her mule to be saddled instantly, and her riding pelisse and
hood to be brought. In two hours and a half Hen