er, and
more than half repenting his advice to remain with her uncle. How
could the warm-hearted girl have become this cold, haughty being,
speaking by mechanism? He scarcely felt inclined to see her again; but
early the next morning, as he was at breakfast with his father, there
was a knock at the door, and a voice said, 'May I come in?' and as
Louis opened, there stood the true Clara, all blushes and abruptness.
'I beg your pardon if it is wrong,' she said, 'but I could not help it.
I must hear of him--of James.'

Lord Ormersfield welcomed her in an almost fatherly manner, and made
her sit down, telling her that she had come at a good moment, since
Louis had just received a letter; but he feared that it was not a very
good account of Isabel.

'Isabel! Is anything the matter?'

'You are behindhand. Had you not heard of the arrival of number four?'

'I never hear anything,' said Clara, her eyes overflowing.

'Ha! not since we last met?' asked the Earl.

'They wrote once or twice; but you know they thought me wrong, and it
has all died away since I went abroad. The last letter I had was dated
in November.'

'You know nothing since that time!'

'No; I often thought of writing to Miss Faithfull, but I could not bear
to show how it was, since they would not answer me. So I made bold to
come to you, for I cannot ask before my uncle. He is quite passionate
at the very name.'

'He is kind to you?' asked Lord Ormersfield, hastily.

'Most kind, except for that, the only thing I care about. But you have
a letter! Oh! I am famishing to hear of them!'

She did not even know of the loss of the school; and her distress was
extreme as she heard of their straits. 'It must be killing Isabel,'
she said; 'if I could but be at home to work for her!'

'Isabel has come out beyond all praise,' said Louis. 'I am afraid
there is much for them to undergo; but I do believe they are much
happier in the midst of it.'

'Everybody must be happy in Dynevor Terrace,' said Clara.

Louis shook his head and smiled, adding, 'But, Clara, I do believe, if
it were to come over again, Jem would hardly act in the same way.'

'Do you think he has forgiven me?'

'Judge for yourself.'

Her hand trembling, she caught at the well-known handwriting that to
her seemed as if it could hardly be the property of any one else; and
it was well for her that Louis had partly prepared her for the tone of
depression, and the heavy trials it reve