freedom of former days; but a sudden blush, or sign of confusion and
distress, on Gertrude's part, deterred him from any further attempt to
put to flight the reserve which subsisted in their intercourse. Again,
Gertrude, who had resolved, previous to his last visit, to meet him with
frankness, smiled upon him affectionately at his coming, and offered her
hand with such sisterly freedom, that he was emboldened to take and
retain in his grasp, and was on the point of unburdening his mind of
some weighty secret, when she turned abruptly away, took up some trivial
piece of work, and while she seemed absorbed in it, addressed to him an
unimportant question--a course of conduct which disconcerted him for the
remainder of his stay.

As Gertrude pondered the distressing results of every visit, she half
hoped he would discontinue them, believing that their feelings would be
less wounded by a total separation than by interviews which must leave
on the mind of each a still greater sense of estrangement.

Strange, she had not yet acquainted him with the event so interesting to
herself--the discovery of her dearly-loved father. Once she tried to
speak of it, but was so overcome at the idea of imparting to the
confidant of her childhood an experience of which she could scarcely yet
think without emotion, that she paused in the attempt, fearing that,
should she on any topic give way to her sensibilities, she should lose
all restraint over her feelings and lay open her whole heart to Willie.

But one thing distressed her more than all others. In his first attempt
to throw off all disguise, Willie had more than intimated to her his own
unhappiness; and ere she could find an opportunity to change the subject
and repel a confidence for which she still felt herself unprepared, he
had spoken mournfully over his future prospects in life.

The only construction which Gertrude could give to this confession was
that it had reference to his engagement with Isabel, and it gave rise to
the suspicion that, infatuated by her beauty, he had impulsively bound
himself to one who could never make him happy. The little scenes to
which she herself had been a witness corroborated this idea, as, on both
occasions of her seeing the lovers and overhearing their words, some
cause of vexation seemed to exist on Willie's part. "He loves her,"
thought Gertrude, "and is also bound to her in honour; but he sees
already the want of harmony in their natures. Poor