her French exercise, during the
first few lines of which Mr. Linden stood by her and looked on. But
then he suddenly turned away and went up stairs--returning however,
presently, to take his usual seat by her side. He watched her progress
silently, except for business words and instructions, till the exercise
was finished and Faith had turned to him for further directions; then
taking her hand he put upon its forefinger one of the prettiest things
she had ever seen. It was an old-fashioned diamond ring; the stones all
of a size, and of great clearness and lustre, set close upon each other
all the way round; with just enough goldsmith's work to bind them
together, and to form a dainty frill of filagree work above and
below--looking almost like a gold line of shadow by that flashing line
of light.

"It was my mother's, Faith," he said, "and she gave it to me in trust
for whatever lady I should love as I love you."

Faith looked down at it with very, very grave eyes. Her head bent
lower, and then suddenly laying her hands together on the table she hid
her face in them; and the diamonds glittered against her temple and in
contrast with the neighbouring soft hair.

One or two mute questions came there, before Mr. Linden said softly,
"Faith!" She looked up with flushed face, and all of tears in her eyes
_but_ the tears; and her lip had its very unbent line. She looked first
at him and then at the ring again. Anything more humble or more grave
than her look cannot be imagined. His face was grave too, with a sort
of moved gravity, that touched both the present and the past, but he
did not mean hers should be.

"Now what will you do, dear child?" he said. "For I must forewarn you
that there is a language of rings which is well established in the
world."

"What--do you mean?" she said, looking alternately at the ring and him.

"You know what plain gold on this finger means?" he said, touching the
one he spoke of. She looked at first doubtfully, then coloured and said
"yes."

"Well diamonds on _this_ finger are understood to be the avant-couriers
of that."

Faith had never seen diamonds; but that was not what she was thinking
of, nor what brought such a deep spot of colour on her cheeks. It was
pretty to see, it was so bright and so different from the flush which
had been there a few minutes before. Her eyes considered the diamonds
attentively.

"What shall I do?" she said after a little.

"I don't know--you must try