othing more.

She suspected who had made the floral offering, however, and secretly
resolved that Louis should not be guilty of continuing such attentions to
her seamstress.

She gave orders to Mary to go into the sewing-room every morning before
breakfast, and if she found flowers there to take them down to the
dining-room and put them upon the table.

The girl found a bouquet on Mona's table three mornings in succession.

She carried out her mistress' instructions to the letter, and Mr. Louis
Hamblin, observing the disposition of his expensive gifts, imagined that
the pretty seamstress herself had taken this way to reject them.

The measure angered him, and only made him more resolute to conquer
Mona's indifference and pride.

"By Jove!" he said to himself, as he gazed frowningly upon the discarded
blossoms, "I believe I am really becoming interested in the proud little
beauty, and I must find some other way to bring her around. It is evident
that she recognizes the social distance between us, and wishes me to
understand it. Perhaps, however, with a little judicious coaxing of a
different character, I may win her to a more friendly mood."

He waylaid Mona several times after that, while she was out walking, but,
though she never forgot to conduct herself in the most lady-like manner
she plainly indicated by her coldness and reserve that she did not care
to cultivate Mr. Hamblin's acquaintance.

This opposition to his wishes only made him the more persistent, and
added zest to his pursuit of her.

The girl's exquisite beauty and grace--her high-bred self-possession and
polished manner--impressed him as he had never been impressed before,
even by the society girls whom he was in the habit of meeting, and Kitty
McKenzie's charms grew pale and dim beside the brighter and more perfect
loveliness of this dainty sewing-girl.

When Mona found that the young man persisted in following her and forcing
his society upon her, she changed the time of her daily walk to an hour
when she knew he would be down town, and she also took care to go in
different directions, thus successfully avoiding him for some time.

But fortune favored him later on.

One morning Mrs. Montague came into the sewing-room all animation, and
beaming with smiles.

"Ruth, I am going to ask a great favor of you," she said: "I wonder if
you will oblige me."

"Certainly, Mrs. Montague, I shall be very glad to do so, if it is within
my power," Mon