zabeth;
she stooped, caught sight of the paper, and grew pale. Fairly pushing
Mellen aside, she snatched the paper from the animal's mouth.

"It's only an old bill, I must have dropped it," she said, thrusting it
hurriedly in her pocket.

Mellen saw how pale his wife had become; he noticed her alarm; he
remembered, too, seeing Fanny running about the shrubbery just before he
came in.

It was another phase of the mystery, he was certain of that; the little
creature was carrying a note to his wife. He seated himself at the table
again, and appeared to forget the circumstance, but Elizabeth hardly
looked like herself during the entire meal.

It was late before the visitors departed; after that Tom Fuller was
compelled to take his leave,--a heartrending performance as far as he
was concerned; so the day drew to a close, leaving both the husband and
wife more preoccupied and anxious than the dreary morning had found
them.

CHAPTER XLIX.

ELSIE FINDS THE BRACELET.

There was a dinner engagement the next day. When Elizabeth came down to
the library in full dress, her husband sat moodily over the fire. He
looked up as she entered, and gazed upon her with mournful admiration,
for her beauty that day was something wonderful; unabated excitement had
fired her eyes with a strange lustre, and lent a rich scarlet to cheeks,
from which protracted suspense had of late drained all the color. Her
dress, of rose colored silk, was misty with delicate lace that shaded
her neck and arms like gossamer on white lilies. Star-like jewels
flashed in the rich blackness of her hair and shone through the soft
lace. The calm loveliness of former days was nothing to the splendor of
her beauty now a feverish restlessness was upon her,--a glow of pain
conquered by courage.

Mellen arose from his seat as his wife came in with the graceful rush of
a cloud across the sky. He watched her approach gloomily. It seemed to
him that her first impulse was to flee when she saw him sitting there,
but if so the desire was quickly controlled, and she came up to the
hearth, standing so near him that the folds of her dress brushed his
arm.

"You are ready too," she said. "But it is impossible to say how long we
shall have to wait for Elsie and Mrs. Harrington!"

He made no answer; she began clasping and unclasping her bracelets, but
was watching him all the while from under her downcast lashes.

"Are you ill, Grantley?" she asked at length.

"O