afraid you will not be able
to bear it."

"On the contrary I think it would do me good; but why would you not come
this afternoon?"

"I am here now."

"But why not before? Was it not unkind?"

"It was not so intended."

"Will you not give me the reason?

"You must not ask me; believe that I had sufficient cause." The words
were not such as he would have, but the manner was so winning that he
could not choose but be satisfied. "I am here now, solely on your
account, to amuse you as you like best. You must have been very ill,"
she said, regarding him kindly.

"Yes, I am awfully weak," he returned, "it seems so strange to me,
I have usually been so strong."

"You will soon get strong here," replied Isabel, cheerfully.

"Not if you plague me as you did this afternoon," he said reproachfully.

"Don't be angry," she pleaded.

"Not angry, but hurt," he said.

"I couldn't help it," she answered, almost with a sob.

"It did seem a chilling reception, a strange coming home, so cold, so
utterly without welcome, and I had longed so much to come.

"It was not my fault they were all out."

"Yes, they were all out, and you wouldn't come."

"You are angry," she was crying now, her face down on her hands.

"I am a brute," he said.

"Oh, no; but I am a naughty girl," and seating herself at the piano, she
asked what he would have. She had not thought of the seeming neglect,
she had not thought what he would feel at finding Alice the only one to
receive him. She could not help it she told herself, perhaps so, but she
had been selfish, very selfish; she was sorry, sorry that Everard should
take it so hardly; but even so, did it occur again, she could not act
differently. "What will you have," she asked.

"You know my favorites."

"Ah, that is right; I was just going to send for you," said Mr.
Arlington, who now entered. "I see you know what will please him most;
I don't know what we should do without you," he added warmly. "You don't
know how good she has been to me, Everard, she is a good substitute for
my gay party-going daughter, but for her I don't know what I should do
now Emily is away." She is not good to me, thought Everard, and then a
ray of hope sprung up, as he thought of her very kind manner, but no,
had he not been led into thinking so before, but whenever he had touched
ever so lightly on the old topic, he had been repelled.

Isabel felt sad to-night, and could only sing plaintive melodies, and
the