his. What a sweet, tender
simpleness was in them, and yet what a womanly, thoughtful brow was
above them; and, yes, Sandie read somewhat else that a man likes to
read; a fealty of love to him that would never fail. It went to his
heart. But he saw too that Dolly's colour had left her cheeks, though
at first they were rosy enough; and in the lines of her face generally
and the quiver of her lip he could see that the nervous tension was
somewhat too much. He must lead off to commoner subjects.

"Who is here with you?"

"Nobody."

"You do not mean that you are _alone_ here, Dolly?"

"No. Oh no. I mean, nobody in the house. Aunt Harry and Uncle Ned are
at Baxter's. Aunt Harry only left me an hour or two ago, when it was
time to expect you."

"It was very kind of her to leave you!" said Sandie frankly.

"We have been here a fortnight. When I found I could not have mother, I
wrote to Aunt Hal; and she came."

"What was the matter with your mother?"

Dolly half unwound herself from the arms that held her, and turned her
face away. She was trying to choke something down that threatened to
stop her speech.

"Father"----

"What of him?" said Sandie with a grave change of tone.

"I am not sorry," said Dolly. "But, oh! to think that I should not be
sorry!" She covered her face.

Sandie was silent, waiting and wondering. It could not be Mr. Copley's
death that was in question; but what then could it be? He waited, to
let Dolly take her own time. Neither did he have to wait long.

"You remember," she began, still with her face turned away,--"you
remember what I told you one day in Brierley Park--about father?"

"Certainly I remember."

"You understood me?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Then you knew that I was--very anxious"--Dolly caught her
breath--"about what might come? Oh, it is not treason for me to talk to
you about it--now!" cried Dolly.

"It is not treason for you to tell me anything," said Mr. Shubrick,
drawing her again closer, though Dolly kept her face bent down out of
his sight. "Treason and you have nothing in common. What is it?"

"I told you, I knew there was no safety," she said, making a quick
motion of her hand over her eyes. "I hoped things would be better over
here, away from those people that led him the wrong way; and they
_were_ better; it was like old times; still I knew there was no safety.
And now--he is taken care of," she said with a tremble of her lip which
spoke of strong pain, stron