of certainty that it has come, _now_----

The trees were thick enough to conceal her from any passer-by on the
path, the young half-unfolded foliage of the birches fluttered over her
head, while a solid fir or two stood, grim guardians, yet catching
pathetic airs from every passing wind to soothe her. But Elinor neither
heard nor saw lake, mountain, nor sunshine, nor spring breezes, but only
the bit of paper in her hand, and the uncomprehended words she had heard
when it was given to her. It was not long, however, before she perceived
and knew exactly what it meant. It was a subpoena in the case of "The
Queen _versus_ Brown," to attend and give evidence on a certain day in
May, in London. It was for a few minutes a mystery to her as great as it
was alarming, notwithstanding the swift and certain mental conviction
she had that it concerned infallibly the one secret and mystery of
her life. But as she sat there pondering, those strange strays of
recollection that come to the mind, of things unnoted, yet unconsciously
stored by memory, drew gradually about her, piecing out the threads of
conviction. She remembered to have heard her mother read, among the many
scraps which Mrs. Dennistoun loved to read out when the newspaper
arrived, something about a man who had absconded, whose name was Brown,
who had brought ruin on many, and had at length, after a number of
years, ventured back to England and had been caught. It was one of the
weaknesses of Mrs. Dennistoun's advancing years to like these bits
of news, though there might be little interest in them to so quiet
a household; and her daughter was wont to listen with a very vague
attention, noting but a word now and then, answering vaguely the lively
remarks her mother would make on the subjects. In this case even she had
paid no attention; and yet, the moment that strong keynote had been
struck, which vibrated through her whole being, this echo suddenly woke
up and resounded as if it had been thundered in her ears--"Brown!" She
began to remember bit by bit--and yet what had she to do with Brown?
He had not defrauded her; she had never seen him; she knew nothing
about his delinquencies. Then there came another note faintly out
of the distance of the years: her husband's image, I need not say,
had come suddenly into her sight with the first burst of this new
event. His voice seemed to be in the air saying half-forgotten things.
What had he to do with this man? Oh, she knew very