r position, poor creature,
they are words, and nothing more."

"I advise you not to be too sure of that," said Magdalen. "I know her
better than you do."

She paused at those words--paused in a momentary terror. The sting of
Mrs. Lecount's pity had nearly irritated her into forgetting her assumed
character, and speaking in her own voice.

"You have referred to the letters written by my pupil," she resumed,
addressing Noel Vanstone as soon as she felt sure of herself again. "We
will say nothing about what she has written to your father; we will only
speak of what she has written to you. Is there anything unbecoming in
her letter, anything said in it that is false? Is it not true that these
two sisters have been cruelly deprived of the provision which their
father made for them? His will to this day speaks for him and for them;
and it only speaks to no purpose, because he was not aware that his
marriage obliged him to make it again, and because he died before he
could remedy the error. Can you deny that?"

Noel Vanstone smiled, and helped himself to a strawberry. "I don't
attempt to deny it," he said. "Go on, Miss Garth."

"Is it not true," persisted Magdalen, "that the law which has taken
the money from these sisters, whose father made no second will, has now
given that very money to you, whose father made no will at all? Surely,
explain it how you may, this is hard on those orphan girls?"

"Very hard," replied Noel Vanstone. "It strikes you in that light,
too--doesn't it, Lecount?"

Mrs. Lecount shook her head, and closed her handsome black eyes.
"Harrowing," she said; "I can characterize it, Miss Garth, by no other
word--harrowing. How the young person--no! how Miss Vanstone, the
younger--discovered that my late respected master made no will I am at
a loss to understand. Perhaps it was put in the papers? But I am
interrupting you, Miss Garth. Do have something more to say about your
pupil's letter?" She noiselessly drew her chair forward, as she said
these words, a few inches beyond the line of the visitor's chair. The
attempt was neatly made, but it proved useless. Magdalen only kept her
head more to the left, and the packing-case on the floor prevented Mrs.
Lecount from advancing any further.

"I have only one more question to put," said Magdalen. "My pupil's
letter addressed a proposal to Mr. Noel Vanstone. I beg him to inform me
why he has refused to consider it."

"My good lady!" cried Noel Vanstone, ar