week. There is,
at any rate, nothing extraordinary in the way she clung to the sweet
dignity that a similar belief on the part of others brought to her--the
poor, plain girl, who had always been "out of it".

The long-hidden photograph was now put into a costly frame, and set up
in her room for anybody to see. Frances would often sneak in with a
visitor, to show the manner of man who would have married Molly; there
were even times when Mary herself was the exhibitor. At other times she
might have been found kneeling before it as at a shrine, and weeping
her eyes out. And she put off her colours and ornaments, and wore
black, and nobody made any objection. The hero of romance was given to
her unquestioningly, and with him a respect and consideration such as
she had never known before. Lovers talked to her of their love affairs,
feeling that she was now one of them. Her father maundered to her for
hours at a stretch of the old Mary Carey, at last secure of sympathy
and a perfect listener. Deb was reserved and silent, but otherwise as
devoted as the rest.

And then came the inevitable discovery that Guthrie Carey was not dead,
after all. It was made at Five Creeks, while Frances was on a holiday
visit to her friend, Belle Urquhart. At Redford, nobody thought of
reading the shipping columns in the newspaper--their interest was
supposed to be gone for ever; but Jim Urquhart glanced at them daily,
looking for the arrival of a friend from overseas. And one day he saw a
ship's name that was familiar to him, and bracketed with it the name of
G. Carey as its commander. The coincidence was startling. He pointed it
out to a man staying in the house--a stranger to the Redford family and
to the district.

"There was a mate named Carey on this ship a while ago. He changed into
that unfortunate DOVEDALE that was wrecked, and was lost with her. Odd
that the captain of his old vessel should have the same name--same
initial too. Our friend was Guthrie--"

"Guthrie Carey? Oh, I know Guthrie Carey. Met him in London last year,
just after the DOVEDALE wreck. He told me of his narrow escape--was
really going with her on her last voyage, and only prevented at the
last moment by the offer of this captaincy from his former owners. It's
the same man. Do you know him?"

They all told how much they knew him; and there was great commotion at
Five Creeks. Jim was for driving hot-foot to Redford to warn Mr
Pennycuick against disseminating the n