you have made me happy."

"I do not understand why," she answered with serious simplicity.

"Perhaps you will some day," he replied as her father came down to
receive her, rather more content with her than he usually was, seeing
that Edgar Harrowby--Major Harrowby, the possessor of the Hill and
some thousands a year--had singled her out for his special attention,
and had made a picture on the ice almost as pretty as an illustrated
weekly.

But Edgar, not wishing to go too far in the way of provocation, nor
to burn his boats behind him before he had decided on his settlement,
skated off to Adelaide so soon as he had deposited Leam, and by a few
judicious praises and well-administered tendernesses of voice and look
succeeded in bringing her back to her normal condition of quiescent
resolve and satisfaction. Then, when she was her smiling self
again--for if she had frowns for many others, she had always
smiles for the Harrowbys as a race, and specially for Edgar as an
individual--he said, in the manner of one wishing to know the truth of
a thing, "What made you so savage to Miss Dundas just now?"

"I cannot bear her," said Adelaide with energy.

"No, I see that you dislike her; but why?"

"I can hardly tell you: she has never done anything very bad, but I
always feel as if she could, she is so silent, so reserved, so odd
altogether."

"A woman's reason!" he laughed, "Dr. Fell over again."

"It may be," returned Adelaide coldly, "but I believe in my own
instinctive dislikes. I felt the same kind of mistrust for that
wretched woman who called herself Madame de Montfort, about whom papa
and mamma and the whole place went mad. And after her death quite
odd-enough stories came out to justify my doubts and condemn her
faithful friends. Every one said she poisoned herself because she knew
that she would be unmasked and she was afraid to face the ordeal. And
her debts, I believe, were frightful; though it served that ridiculous
Mr. Dundas right for marrying such a creature."

"But granting that this woman was an adventuress, as you say, what has
that to do with Miss Dundas?"

"Nothing, of course: I only mentioned her to show you that I have some
accuracy of judgment, and that when I say I dislike Leam Dundas my
opinion ought to be taken as worth consideration."

Adelaide said this quietly, in the well-bred but absolutely positive
manner which she would have when they were married and she differed
from him in opinion