chair.

He remained for about half an hour conversing with the family party, or
rather, to report exactly, with Mr. Force, for neither Mrs. Force nor any
other one of them contributed much to the conversation.

At length he arose, bowed and left them.

"A very agreeable man, indeed! A very entertaining companion! Well read
and well traveled! Knows the world! Understands human nature! An old
friend of yours, my dear?" said Abel Force, turning to his beautiful
wife.

"An old acquaintance of my brother, rather. They were in the same regiment
in India," coldly replied the lady.

"Ah! but that is a strong bond of union between men. Your brother's
comrade in the Indian campaign! He is traveling now on a long furlough, he
says. We must see more of him, good fellow! We must have him down for a
few weeks at Mondreer."

"No!" impulsively sprang from the lady's heart; but the word did not pass
her whitening lips. She suppressed the exclamation, sent back the strong
objection to hide in her bosom among other heavy secrets there, and--kept
silence.

The honest and honorable man, who had no mysteries of his own and never
suspected them in another, did not observe his wife's agitation. He was
not looking toward her, in fact, he was looking down on his own clasped
fingers and idly twirling thumbs, and thinking of the good time he was
going to have with his wife's old friend and his own new acquaintance.

"Yes," he went dreaming on and murmuring half to himself, "we must
certainly have him down to Mondreer for the autumn, and show him what
Maryland country life is like! I reckon he will find it more like old
England than anything he has seen in America. He is the first countryman
of yours, my dear, who has ever fallen in our way since we left England,
and we must make the most of him! Especially as he is not only a
countryman, but an old friend."

So saying, Abel Force arose and sauntered off to see if the evening mail
had come in.

Mrs. Force had sent off her children to bed, in charge of their eldest
sister and the governess, while she herself remained in the empty parlor,
walking up and down its whole length, and trying to think what would be
her best course in the present crisis.

She had, for the time being, the room all to herself. The other guests of
the house were either in their own apartments, or on the piazzas,
overlooking the rapids, or at tea, or abroad. At any rate, the lady was
alone, until she was joined by