r watch; and discovered that she had lost her opportunity. Other
old women, under similar circumstances, might have felt discouraged.
This old woman believed in her own suspicions more devoutly than ever.
When the breakfast-bell rang, Sydney found Mrs. Presty in the corridor,
waiting to say good morning.

"I wonder what you were doing last night, when you ought to have been in
bed?" the old lady began, with a treacherous amiability of manner. "Oh,
I am not mistaken! your door was open, my dear, and I looked in."

"Why did you look in, Mrs. Presty?"

"My young friend, I was naturally anxious about you. I am anxious still.
Were you in the house? or out of the house?"

"I was walking in the garden," Sydney replied.

"Admiring the moonlight?"

"Yes; admiring the moonlight."

"Alone, of course?" Sydney's friend suggested.

And Sydney took refuge in prevarication. "Why should you doubt it?" she
said.

Mrs. Presty wasted no more time in asking questions. She was pleasantly
reminded of the words of worldly wisdom which she had addressed to
her daughter on the day of Sydney's arrival at Mount Morven. "The good
qualities of that unfortunate young creature" (she had said) "can _not_
have always resisted the horrid temptations and contaminations about
her. Hundreds of times she must have lied through ungovernable fear."
Elevated a little higher than ever in her own estimation, Mrs.
Presty took Sydney's arm, and led her down to breakfast with
motherly familiarity. Linley met them at the foot of the stairs. His
mother-in-law first stole a look at Sydney, and then shook hands with
him cordially. "My dear Herbert, how pale you are! That horrid smoking.
You look as if you had been up all night."

Mrs. Linley paid her customary visit to the schoolroom that morning.

The necessary attention to her guests had left little leisure for the
exercise of observation at the breakfast-table; the one circumstance
which had forced itself on her notice had been the boisterous gayety of
her husband. Too essentially honest to practice deception of any kind
cleverly, Linley had overacted the part of a man whose mind was entirely
at ease. The most unsuspicious woman living, his wife was simply amused
"How he does enjoy society!" she thought. "Herbert will be a young man
to the end of his life."

In the best possible spirits--still animated by her successful exertions
to entertain her friends--Mrs. Linley opened the schoolroom door
bris