eyes lifted not themselves from the diamonds. She was not ready to
speak.

"I did not think of the floor"--

"Of what then?"

She waited again. "I was afraid some harm would be done,"--

"Did you prevent it?"

"I don't know"--she said rather faintly.

Gently her head was drawn down till it rested on his shoulder.

"Faith," he said in his own low sweet tones, "I stretched a little
silken thread across the doorway to keep you out--did you make of that
a clue to find your way in?"

She did not answer--nor stir.

There were no more questions asked--no more words said; Mr. Linden was
as silent as she and almost as still. Once or twice his lips touched
her forehead, not just as they had ever done it before, Faith thought;
but some little time had passed, when he suddenly took up the book
which lay in her lap and began the lesson at which it lay open; reading
and explaining in a very gentle, steady voice, a little moved from its
usual clearness. Still his arm did not release her. Faith listened,
with a semidivided mind, for some time; there was something in this
state of things that she wished to mend. It came at last, when there
was a pause in the lesson.

"I am glad of all that happened last night," she said, "except the pain
to you and mother. There is nothing to be sorry for. You shouldn't be
sorry."

"Why not, little naughty child?--and why are you glad?"

"Because--it was good for me,"--she said, not very readily nor
explicitly.

"In what way?"

"It was good for me,"--she repeated;--"it put me in mind of some
things."

"Of what, dear child?"

It was a question evidently Faith would rather not have answered. She
spoke with some difficulty.

"That there are such things in the world as pain--and trouble. It is
best not to forget it."

Mr. Linden understood and felt; but he only answered, "It will be the
business of my life to make you forget it. Now don't you think you
ought to put up this book, and rest or sleep?"

"I dare say _you_ ought," said Faith,--"and I wish you would. _I_ want
to work."

He gave her a laugh, by way of reply, and then gave her work as she
desired; watching carefully against her tiring herself in any way, and
making the lessons more of talk on his part and less of study on hers.
They were none the less good for that, nor any the less pleasant. Till
there came a knock at the front door; and then with a little sigh Faith
leaned back against the sofa, as if lessons were done