ello was sitting thoughtfully watching a little disk of glowing
light formed by the opening in the stove door; she took her eyes from it
slowly, and paused so long before answering that Lucia began to doubt
whether she had heard.

"Yes," she said at last, speaking deliberately, as if she were still
debating the question in her own mind. "I believe we shall be able to
arrange everything here so as to reach New York in time for the Havre
steamer of the 28th. That will be our best way of going."

"That is, four weeks from to-day?"

"We may not need so long. But I wish to be at liberty to spend a week at
the island, if, when we get there, I should wish to do so. I am not sure
even about that. It may be more pain than pleasure. And we may trust
ourselves now to say good-bye to our friends here; and if we sail on the
28th, we must leave Cacouna, on the 26th at the latest. The time will
soon pass."

"Yes, indeed," Lucia answered with a sigh.

"But, mamma," she went on a minute afterwards. "Why cannot we wait till
spring?" There was a kind of tremble in her voice as she spoke, for she
felt a strange mixture of desire and reluctance for this journey. On one
hand, she wished to reach Europe quickly, because Percy was there, and
because even if they never met again, she believed she should be able to
hear of him, and to satisfy herself that he still thought of her. On the
other, she was really a little afraid of the winter voyage. She had
never even seen the sea, and had a kind of mysterious awe of it.
Stronger, however, than any selfish feeling was a keen anxiety which had
taken possession of her with regard to her mother's health, the
feebleness of which became daily more apparent; so that her double
wishes neutralized each other, and she could scarcely tell whether if
the decision rested with her, it would have been to stay or to go.

But she wanted to hear her mother's reasons, so she asked--

"Why cannot we wait till spring?"

Mrs. Costello again paused before answering. She, like Lucia, had more
thoughts on the subject than she was willing to express; but she had one
powerful reason for losing no time, which she decided that Lucia ought
to know.

"Because I am anxious to see my cousin, who is almost our only relation,
and to introduce you to him."

"But why, mamma? As we cannot go to England what good will it do us just
to see him for a moment?"

"I cannot go to England, but there is nothing to prevent you from