faintly turned away her head, without even an attempt at
speech.

Taking advantage of the moment, Agnes left the chamber, and glided down
into the room where Ralph sat waiting, harassed with painful thoughts.

He did not notice Agnes as she came gliding up the room, and took her
place on the sofa by his side; but directly the clasp of soft fingers on
his hand, which fell listlessly on the cushion, made him look up, and
the large, compassionate eyes of Agnes Barker looked into his.
Unconsciously he clasped the fingers that had sought his. "How is she
now? I am sure that you were kind to her, poor young thing."

Agnes did not answer; but, as he looked up, astonished at her silence,
the sight of her dark eyes flooded with tears, and a broken sob that
struggled up from her bosom, took him by surprise. In all his
acquaintance with her, he had never seen Agnes shed a tear till that
moment.

"You are ready to cry," he said, gratefully. "Heaven knows a better
reason for tears never existed--poor, lost girl!"

"You give me too much credit," said Agnes, in a low voice; "from my soul
I pity the unhappy young creature up-stairs--but, indeed, indeed I envy
her, too!"

"Envy her?"

"Indeed, yes, that so much love--such heavenly forgiveness can outlive
her fault; that she has even now the power to reject the compassion
withheld from deeper and purer feelings in others. Oh, yes, Ralph
Harrington, it is envy more than anything else that fills my eyes with
tears."

"Agnes!" exclaimed the young man, breathlessly.

The girl bent her head, and made a faint effort to withdraw her hand
from his tightened clasp. Directly Ralph relinquished the hand slowly,
and arose.

"Miss Barker, you pity me. You feel compassion for the tenacity of
affection which clings around its object even in ruin. I understand
this, and am grateful."

Agnes clenched the rejected hand in noiseless passion, but Ralph only
saw the great tears that fell into her lap. He stood a moment
irresolute, and then placed himself again by her side.

"Do not weep, Miss Barker; you only make my unhappiness more complete!"

He looked up, and again their eyes met.

"If it were so, you can at least give me pity in exchange for pity!" she
said, with gentle humility; "faith to the faithless cannot forbid this
to me."

Ralph was silent; in the tumult of his thoughts he forgot to answer, and
that moment Zillah entered the room.

CHAPTER LXX.

MABEL HARRINGTON AN