conspicuous. Possibly I might never meet Mr. Smith any more. I rather
hoped not. Life is long, and the world wide, and it is sometimes
possible to lose sight of people with whom one has disagreeable
associations. And then it was a wholesome lesson for the future.

"'And what was the old gentleman like?' was Fatima's first question,
when I came upstairs. I had just been talking of Mr. Brooke, and no
other old gentleman occurred to my memory at that moment.

"'What old gentleman?' I asked dreamily.

"'Miss Martha's old gentleman, the merchant--wasn't he there, after
all?'

"I blushed at my stupidity, and at a certain feeling of guiltiness in
connection with the person alluded to.

"'Oh, yes, he was there,' I answered; 'but he is not an old
gentleman.'

"'What is he, then?' Fatima asked, curiously.

"It is undoubtedly a luxury to be the bearer of a piece of startling
intelligence, and it is well not to spoil the enjoyment of it by over
haste. I finished unsnapping my necklace, and said, very
deliberately--

"'He is one of the little Russians.'

"Fatima's wit jumped more quickly than mine had done. It was she who
added--

"'Then he is Ivan.'

* * * * *

"My hopes in reference to Mr. Smith were disappointed. I had not seen
the last of him. My mother was at this time from home, and I was
housekeeper in her absence. It was on the morning following the
Bellevue tea-party that my father said to me--

"'Mr. Smith is coming up to refer to a book of mine to-day, my dear;
and I asked him to stay to dinner. I suppose it will be convenient?'

"I said, 'Certainly, sir.'

"I could plead no domestic inconvenience; but I thought that Mr.
Smith might have gone quietly back to London by the early coach, and
spared me the agitation which the prospect of seeing him again
undoubtedly excited. He came, however. It was the first visit, but by
no means the last; and he lingered in the town, greatly to my father's
satisfaction (who had taken a strong fancy for him), but not,
apparently, to that of the Misses Brooke.

"As I afterwards found the clue to the somewhat strange conduct of our
old friends at this time, I may as well briefly state how it was.

"When the merchant first announced to them his proposed business visit
to the town, and his intention of calling on them, the good ladies (in
their affection for me, and having a high opinion of him) planned a
kindly little romance of which he