ow his patient, for whom
perfect quiet was indispensable, to be moved to the lower floor.

The listener who had been so severely punished had with him his mother,
Katharina's old nurse; the water-wagtail, with her maid, had accompanied
her to see the lad, for she was very anxious to assure herself whether
her foster-brother, before his tumble, had succeeded in hearing
anything; but the poor fellow was so weak and his pain so severe that
she had not the heart to torment him with questions. However, her
Samaritan's visit brought her some reward, for to meet Orion coming out
of Paula's room with so beautiful and elegant a woman was a thing worth
opening her eyes to see. She would have walked from home hither twice
over only to see the clothes and jewels of this heaven sent stranger.
Such a being rarely strayed to Memphis,--and might not this radiant and
beautiful creature be "the other" after all, and not Paula? Might not
Orion have been trifling with her rival as he had already trifled with
her? They must have had a rapturous meeting in that room; every feature
of the fair beauty's saint-like face betrayed the fact. Oh, that Orion!
She would have liked to throttle him; and yet she was glad to think that
there was another besides herself--and she so elegant and lovely--whom
he had betrayed.

"He will stay!" Heliodora exclaimed as she came out of the room; and
Martina held out her hand to the young man, with a fervent: "God bless
you for that!"

She was delighted to see how happy her niece looked but the lively
old woman's eyes were everywhere at once, and when she caught sight of
Katharina who had stood still with curiosity, she turned to her with a
friendly nod and said to Orion:

"Your sister? Or the little niece of whom you used to speak?"

Orion called Katharina and introduced her to his guests, and the girl
explained what had brought her hither; in such a sweet and pathetic
manner--for she was sincerely fond of her foster-brother and
play-fellow--that she quite charmed Martina and Heliodora, and the
younger woman expressed a hope that they might see her often. Indeed,
when she was gone, Martina exclaimed: "A charming little thing! As fresh
and bright as a newly-fledged bird, so brisk and pretty too--and how
nicely she prattles!"

"And the richest heiress in Memphis into the bargain," added Orion.
But, noticing that on this Heliodora cast down her eyes with a troubled
expression, he went on with a laugh: "Our mo