if it had not been evident that, as she said, it was happiness that thus
enabled her to be good. The satisfied look of rest that had settled on
her fair face made it new. All her animation and archness had not
rendered it half so pleasant to look upon.

The purchaser of Castle Blanch proved to be no other than Mr. Calthorp!
Lucilla at first was greatly discomfited, and begged that nothing might
be said about the picture; but the next time Mr. Prendergast arrived, it
was with a request from Mr. Calthorp that Miss Sandbrook would accept the
picture as a wedding gift! There was no refusing it--indeed, the curate
had already accepted it; and when Lucilla heard that 'the Calthorp' had
been two years married to what Mr. Prendergast called 'a millionairess,
exceedingly hideous,' she still had vanity enough to reflect that the
removal of her own resemblance might be an act of charity! And the sum
that Honor had set apart for the purchase was only too much wanted for
the setting up housekeeping in Spain, whither the portrait was to
accompany her, Mr. Prendergast declared, like the Penates of the pious
AEneas!

Robert brought in his gift on the last day of November, just before
setting off for Sutton. It was an unornamented, but exquisitely-bound
Bible and Prayer Book, dark-brown, with red-edged leaves.

'Good-bye, Lucilla,' he said; 'you have been the brightest spot to me in
this life. Thank you for all you have done for me.'

'And for all I never intended to do?' said Lucilla, smiling, as she
returned his pressure of the hand.

He was gone, not trusting her to speak, nor himself to hear a word more.

'Yes, Robin,' proceeded Lucy, half aloud, 'you are the greater man, I
know very well; but it is in human nature to prefer flesh and blood to
mediaeval saints in cast-iron, even if one knows there is a tender spot
in them.'

There was a curious sense of humiliation in her full acquiescence in the
fact that he was too high, too grand for her, and in her relief, that the
affection, that would have lifted her beyond what she was prepared for,
had died away, and left her to the more ordinary excellence and
half-paternal fondness of the man of her real choice, with whom she could
feel perfect ease and repose. Possibly the admixture of qualities that
in her had been called _fast_ is the most contrary to all real
aspiration!

But there was no fault to be found with the heartfelt affection with
which she loved and honoured h