nfluences of this holy time made themselves felt, and it was with an
air of gentle seriousness, he told her that it had been a happy
Christmas eve to him.

"And to me," returned Paula. "Bertram too, seemed very happy. Would it
be too inquisitive in me to ask what good news the little note
contained, to work such wonders?"

A smile such as was seldom seen on Mr. Sylvester's face of late, flashed
brightly over it. "It was only a card of invitation to dinner," said he,
"but it came from Mr. Stuyvesant, and that to Bertram means a great
deal."

The surprise in Paula's eyes made him smile again. "Will it be a great
shock to you, if I tell you that the name of the woman for whom Bertram
made the sacrifice of his art, was Cicely Stuyvesant?"

"Cicely? my Cicely?" Her astonishment was great, but it was also happy.
"Oh, I never dreamed--ah, now I see," she went on naively. "That is the
reason she refrained from coming to this house; she was afraid of
meeting _him_. But to think I should never have guessed it, and she my
dearest friend! Oh, I am very happy; I admire Bertram so much, and it is
such a beautiful secret. And Mr. Stuyvesant has invited him to his
house! I do not wonder you felt like making the evening a gala one. Mr.
Stuyvesant would not do that if he were not learning to appreciate
Bertram."

"No; there is method in all that Mr. Stuyvesant does. More than that, if
I am not mistaken, he has known this beautiful secret, as you call it,
from the first, and would be the last to receive Bertram as a guest to
his table, if he did not mean him the best and truest encouragement."

"I believe you are right," said Paula. "I remember now that one day when
I was spending the afternoon with Cicely, he came into the room where I
was, and finding me for the moment alone, sat down, and in his quaint
old-fashioned manner asked me in the most abrupt way what I thought of
Bertram Sylvester. I was surprised, but told him I considered him one of
the noblest young men I knew, adding that if a fine mind, a kind heart,
and a pure life were open to regard, Bertram had the right to claim the
esteem of all his friends and associates. The old gentleman looked at me
somewhat curiously, but nodded his head as if pleased, and merely
remarking, 'It is not necessary to mention we had this conversation, my
dear,' got up and proceeded slowly from the room. I thought it was
simply a not unnatural curiosity concerning a young man with whom he had