at very day
to claim her rightful post as Christian's nurse.

"I did intend to do so," she answered, "but for two or three reasons I
think I had perhaps better wait until to-morrow. Mr. Strafford may
possibly be here then."

"You will be glad to have him with you," Mr. Leigh answered, "but it
seems to me that an old neighbour who has seen you every day for years,
might not be out of place there too. Will you let me go with you to the
jail?"

"Dear Mr. Leigh! you cannot. You have not been out of the house for
weeks."

"All laziness. Though indeed I could not pretend to walk so far. But we
can have Lane's covered sleigh, and go without any trouble."

Mrs. Costello still protested; but in her heart she was perfectly well
aware that Mr. Leigh's presence would be a support to her in the first
painful moments when she must acknowledge herself the wife of a supposed
murderer--and more than that, of an Indian, who had become in the
imagination of Cacouna, the type and ideal of a savage criminal. So,
finally, it was arranged that she should be accompanied to the prison on
the following day by her two faithful friends (supposing Mr. Strafford
to have then arrived), and that in the meantime she should merely pay
her husband a visit without betraying any deeper interest in him than
she had shown already.

Mr. Leigh asked whether he should tell Maurice what he had himself just
heard, and in reply Mrs. Costello gave him the note she had written, and
asked him to enclose it for her.

"I thought it was better and kinder to write to him myself," she said.
"It will be a shock to Maurice to know the real position of his old
playfellow."

Mr. Leigh looked at her doubtfully.

"It will be a surprise, no doubt," he said, "as it was to me, and he
will be heartily sorry not to be here now to show you both how little
change such a discovery makes. But do you know, Mrs. Costello, it has
struck me lately that there was something wrong either with you and
Maurice, or with Lucia and Maurice?"

"There is nothing wrong with either, I assure you. You know yourself,"
she answered with a smile, "that Maurice never forgets to send us a note
by every mail."

"That is true; but it does not altogether convince me; Maurice is
worried and unhappy about something, and yet I cannot make out that
there is anything in England to trouble him."

"On the contrary," Mrs. Costello said, as she rose, "except for Mr.
Beresford's illness I think he has ev