not remain, Mary."

"He shall have the choice as far as I am concerned. You must let him
know at once that I am going. I think I will say Saturday,--the day
after to-morrow. I could hardly get away to-morrow."

"Certainly not. Why should you?"

"Yet I am bound to hurry myself,--to release him. And, Janet, will
you give him these? They are all here,--the rubies and all. Ah, me!
he touched me that day."

"How like a gentleman he has behaved always."

"It was not that I cared for the stupid stones. You know that I care
nothing for anything of the kind. But there was a sort of trust in
it,--a desire to show me that everything should be mine,--which would
have made me love him,--if it had been possible."

"I would give one hand that you had never seen your cousin."

"And I will give one hand because I have," said Mary, stretching
out her right arm. "Nay, I will give both; I will give all, because,
having seen him, he is what he is to me. But, Janet, when you return
to him these things say a gentle word from me. I have cost him money,
I fear."

"He will think but little of that. He would have given you willingly
the last acre of his land, had you wanted it."

"But I did not want it. That was the thing. And all these have been
altered, as they would not have been altered, but for me. I do repent
that I have brought all this trouble upon him. I cannot do more now
than ask you to say so when you restore to him his property."

"He will probably pitch them into the cart-ruts. Indeed, I will not
give them to him. I will simply tell him that they are in my hands,
and Frank shall have them locked up at the banker's. Well;--I suppose
I had better go down and write him a line."

"And I will name Saturday to my aunt," said Mary.

Mrs. Fenwick immediately went to her desk, and wrote to her friend.

DEAR HARRY,

I am sure it is of no use. Knowing how persistent is your
constancy, I would not say so were I not quite, quite
certain. She goes to Loring on Saturday. Will it not be
better that you should come to us for awhile after she has
left us. You will be less desolate with Frank than you
would be alone.

Ever yours,

JANET FENWICK.

She has left your jewels with me. I merely tell you this
for your information;--not to trouble you with the things
now.

And then she added a second postscript.

She regrets deeply what you have suffered on her account,
and bids me be