n the following Saturday; and, next, both he and
Miss Leavenworth were too conspicuous in their personal appearance to
make it at all possible for them to be secretly married anywhere within
gossiping distance of this place. And yet it was desirable that the
scene of the ceremony should not be too far away, or the time occupied
in effecting the journey to and from the place would necessitate an
absence from the hotel on the part of Miss Leavenworth long enough to
arouse the suspicions of Eleanore; something which Mary felt it wiser
to avoid. Her uncle, I have forgotten to say, was not here--having gone
away again shortly after the apparent dismissal of Mr. Clavering.
F----, then, was the only town I could think of which combined the two
advantages of distance and accessibility. Although upon the railroad, it
was an insignificant place, and had, what was better yet, a very obscure
man for its clergyman, living, which was best of all, not ten rods from
the depot. If they could meet there? Making inquiries, I found that it
could be done, and, all alive to the romance of the occasion, proceeded
to plan the details.

And now I am coming to what might have caused the overthrow of the
whole scheme: I allude to the detection on the part of Eleanore of the
correspondence between Mary and Mr. Clavering. It happened thus. Hannah,
who, in her frequent visits to my house, had grown very fond of my
society, had come in to sit with me for a while one evening. She had not
been in the house, however, more than ten minutes, before there came a
knock at the front door; and going to it I saw Mary, as I supposed, from
the long cloak she wore, standing before me. Thinking she had come with
a letter for Mr. Clavering, I grasped her arm and drew her into the
hall, saying, "Have you got it? I must post it to-night, or he will not
receive it in time."

There I paused, for, the panting creature I had by the arm turning upon
me, I saw myself confronted by a stranger.

"You have made a mistake," she cried. "I am Eleanore Leavenworth, and I
have come for my girl Hannah. Is she here?"

I could only raise my hand in apprehension, and point to the girl
sitting in the corner of the room before her. Miss Leavenworth
immediately turned back.

"Hannah, I want you," said she, and would have left the house without
another word, but I caught her by the arm.

"Oh, miss--" I began, but she gave me such a look, I dropped her arm.

"I have nothing to say