house; concluding with the plan of removing thither. Betty, saying
nothing herself, watched the other members of the party; the gleam in
Mr. Dallas's money-loving eyes, the contained satisfaction of Mrs.
Dallas's motherly pride, and the extremely different look on the
younger man's face. With all the brightness and life of his talk to
them, with all the interest and pleasure he showed in the things talked
about, there was a quiet apartness on his brow and in his eyes, a lift
above trifles, a sweetness and a gravity that certainly found their
aliment neither in the sudden advent of a fortune nor in any of the
accessories of money. Betty saw and read, while the others were
talking; and her outward calm and careless demeanour was no true
indication of how she felt. The very things which drew her to Pitt,
alas, made her feel set away at a distance from him. What had her
restless soul in common with that happy repose that was about him? And
yet, how restlessness is attracted by rest! Of all things it seemed to
Betty one of the most delightful and desirable. Not to be fretted, not
to be anxious; to be never 'out of sorts,' never, seemingly,
discontented with anything or afraid of anything!--while these terms
were the very reverse of all which must describe her and every one else
whom she knew. Where did that high calm come from? No face that Betty
had ever seen had that look upon it; except--

Oh, she wished she had never seen that other, or that she could forget
it. Those two fitted together. 'But I should make him just as good a
wife,' said Betty to herself; 'perhaps better. And _she_ does not care;
and I do. Oh, what a fool I was ever to go into this thing!'

CHAPTER XLI.

_AN OLD HOUSE_.

Arrangements were soon made. The landlady of the house was contented
with a handsome bonus; baggage was sent off; a carriage was ordered,
and the party set forth.

It was a very strange experience to Betty. If her position was felt to
be a little awkward, at the same time it was most deliciously
adventurous and novel. She sat demurely enough by Mrs. Dallas's side,
eyeing the strange streets through which they passed, hearing every
word that was spoken by anybody, and keeping the while herself an
extremely smooth and careless exterior. She was full of interest for
all she saw, and yet the girl saw it as in a dream, or only as a
background upon which she saw Pitt. She saw him always, without often
seeming to look at him. The