herself only should have liberty with her. She was taking Lali
to the home of General Armour, and that must be kept constantly before
her mind. Therefore, from the day they set foot on the Aphrodite, she
kept her place beside Mrs. Armour, sitting with her,--they walked very
little,--and scarcely ever speaking, either to her or to the curious
passengers. Presently the passengers became more inquisitive, and
made many attempts at being friendly; but these received little
encouragement. It had become known who the Indian girl was, and many
wild tales went about as to her marriage with Francis Armour. Now it was
maintained she had saved his life at an outbreak of her tribe; again,
that she had found him dying in the woods and had nursed him back to
life and health; yet again, that she was a chieftainess, a successful
claimant against the Hudson's Bay Company--and so on.

There were several on board who knew the Armours well by name, and two
who knew them personally. One was Mr. Edward Lambert, a barrister of the
Middle Temple, and the other was Mrs. Townley, a widow, a member of a
well-known Hertfordshire family, who, on a pleasant journey in Scotland,
had met, conquered, and married a wealthy young American, and had
been left alone in the world, by no means portionless, eighteen months
before. Lambert knew Richard Armour well, and when, from Francis
Armour's solicitor, with whom he was acquainted, he heard, just before
they started, who the Indian girl was, he was greatly shocked and sorry.
He guessed at once the motive, the madness, of this marriage. But he
kept his information and his opinions mostly to himself, except in so
far as it seemed only due to friendship to contradict the numberless
idle stories going about. After the first day at sea he came to know
Mrs. Townley, and when he discovered that they had many common friends
and that she knew the Armours, he spoke a little more freely to her
regarding the Indian wife, and told her what he believed was the cause
of the marriage.

Mrs. Townley was a woman--a girl--of uncommon gentleness of disposition,
and, in spite of her troubles, inclined to view life with a sunny eye.
She had known of Frank Armour's engagement with Miss Julia Sherwood, but
she had never heard the sequel. If this was the sequel--well, it had to
be faced. But she was almost tremulous with sympathy when she
remembered Mrs. Armour, and Frank's gay, fashionable sister, Marion, and
contemplated the ar