he babe from the justice of the Wise King. The letter was
placed in Rhoda's hand; Dahlia laid hers on it. Their mouths were shut;
any one not looking at them would have been unaware that a supreme
conflict was going on in the room. It was a strenuous wrestle of their
eyeballs, like the "give way" of athletes pausing. But the delirious
beat down the constitutional strength. A hard bright smile ridged the
hollow of Dahlia's cheeks. Rhoda's dark eyes shut; she let go her hold,
and Dahlia thrust the letter in against her bosom, snatched it out
again, and dipped her face to roses in a jug, and kissing Mrs. Sumfit,
ran from the room for a single minute; after which she came back smiling
with gravely joyful eyes and showing a sedate readiness to eat and
conclude the morning meal.

What did this mean? The farmer could have made allowance for Rhoda's
behaving so, seeing that she notoriously possessed intellect; and he had
the habit of charging all freaks and vagaries of manner upon intellect.

But Dahlia was a soft creature, without this apology for extravagance,
and what right had she to letters addressed to "Miss Fleming?" The
farmer prepared to ask a question, and was further instigated to it
by seeing Mrs. Sumfit's eyes roll sympathetic under a burden of
overpowering curiosity and bewilderment. On the point of speaking, he
remembered that he had pledged his word to ask no questions; he feared
to--that was the secret; he had put his trust in Rhoda's assurance, and
shrank from a spoken suspicion. So, checking himself, he broke out upon
Mrs. Sumfit: "Now, then, mother!" which caused her to fluster guiltily,
she having likewise given her oath to be totally unquestioning, even
as was Master Gammon, whom she watched with a deep envy. Mrs. Sumfit
excused the anxious expression of her face by saying that she was
thinking of her dairy, whither, followed by the veteran, she retired.

Rhoda stood eyeing Dahlia, nerved to battle against the contents of
that letter, though in the first conflict she had been beaten. "Oh, this
curse of love!" she thought in her heart; and as Dahlia left the room,
flushed, stupefied, and conscienceless, Rhoda the more readily told
her father the determination which was the result of her interview with
Robert.

No sooner had she done so, than a strange fluttering desire to look on
Robert awoke within her bosom. She left the house, believing that she
went abroad to seek her uncle, and walked up a small gra