ear natural and express
her own surprise at what she heard.

"I was right in my conjecture," Thornton thought, as he took his
leave of Mrs. Meredith who could not face Anna then, but paced
restlessly up and down her spacious rooms, wondering how much Thornton
had suspected and what the end would be.

She had sinned for naught. Anna had upset all her cherished plans,
and, could she have gone back for a few months and done her work
again, she would have left the letter lying where she found it. But
that could not be now. She must reap as she had sown, and resolving
finally to hope for the best and abide the result, she went up to
Anna, who having no suspicion of her, hurt her ten times more cruelly
by the perfect faith with which she confided the story to her than
bitter reproaches would have done.

"I know you wanted me to marry Mr. Hastings," Anna said, "and I would
if I could have done so conscientiously, but I could not; for, I may
now confess it to you, I did love Arthur so much; and once I hoped
that he loved me."

The cold hard woman, who had brought this grief upon her niece, could
only answer that it did not matter.

She was not very sorry, although she had wished her to marry Mr.
Hastings, but she must not fret about that, or about anything. She
would be better by and by, and forget that she ever cared for Arthur
Leighton.

"At least," and she spoke entreatingly now, "you will not demean
yourself to let him know of the mistake. It would scarcely be womanly,
and he may have gotten over it. Present circumstances would seem to
prove as much."

Mrs. Meredith felt that her secret was comparatively safe, and, with
her spirits lightened, she kissed her niece lovingly and told her of a
trip to Europe which she had in view, promising that if she went Anna
should go with her and so not be at home when the marriage of Arthur
and Lucy took place.

It was appointed for the 15th of January, that being the day when Lucy
came of age, and the very afternoon succeeding Anna's interview with
Mr. Hastings the little lady came down to New York to direct her
bridal trousseau making in the city.

She was brimming over with happiness, and her face was a perfect gleam
of sunshine when she came next day to Anna's room, and, throwing off
her wrappings, plunged at once into the subject uppermost in her
thoughts, telling first how she and Arthur had quarreled.

"Not quarreled as Uncle and Aunt Hetherton and lots of people do,