et, and I pictured them to myself as very charming
young ladies.

"The hour is somewhat unusual for tea," observed the lady of the house,
"but I doubt not after your long march you will find it refreshing."

I thanked the lady very much, and assured her that I should particularly
enjoy a cup of tea. She accordingly gave the order to an attendant
slave, and in a short time a whole troop of black girls came in with urn
and teacups and candles, and in a twinkling a table was spread, and all
the party drew round it.

As I was approaching the tea-table, I started and stood like one
transfixed, for there appeared before me, with the light of a candle
falling full on her countenance, a young lady the very image of Madeline
Carlyon. "It must be her," I thought; and yet my heart told me that it
could not be, for she did not appear to recognise me. The young lady,
however, saw my confusion, and looked up with an inquiring glance at my
countenance. Women have, I suspect, very sharp eyes in discovering
where anything connected with the heart of the opposite sex is
concerned, and are generally equally clever in concealing what is
passing in their own. She kept looking at me, and I looked at her for a
minute or more without speaking. More than once I made a move towards
her as if the lady I saw before me must be Madeline, and then the
expression of her countenance showed me I was mistaken.

At last I was aware that I was making myself somewhat remarkable or, as
some of my friends would have said, very ridiculous; so, trying to
overcome my agitation, I drew my chair to the table and sat down. I
watched the young lady, and observed that she still cast an inquiring
glance at me, as much as to say, "For whom do you take me?" On the
strength of this I thought I would venture to inquire if she was in any
way related to Madeline. Just as I was going to speak, a cup of tea was
handed to me. I first emptied half the contents of the sugar-bason into
it, then said I took very little sugar, and asked for a spoonful. Then
I threw off the tea as if it were a doctor's dose, and passed my cup for
some more. At last I mustered courage to look across the table and to
say, "I beg pardon--I fear that I must have appeared very rude, but your
resemblance to a young lady whom I know is so very striking that I
should suppose you to be her sister if I was not aware that she has
none."

"Then you must be Mr Hurry!" she said quickly. "I am co