w to be the sincerest compliment.

But on this autumnal day she had received a letter in which another note
was struck. And it was for this reason that she had brought it out into
the garden, so that she might think over it, and read it again in the
shadow of the great beech trees, away from the anxious eyes of Mrs.
Brand and the eager childish questions of Wyvis' boy.

For three pages Wyvis had written in his usual strain. He was not
perhaps an ideally good letter-writer, but he had a terse, forcible
style of his own, and could describe a scene with some amount of graphic
power. In the midst of an account of certain brigands with whom he had
met in Sicily, however, he had, in this letter, broken off quite
suddenly and struck into a new subject in a new and unexpected way.

"I had written thus far when I was interrupted: the date of the letter,
you will see, is three weeks ago. I put down my pen and went out: I
found that fever had made its appearance, so I packed up my traps that
afternoon and started for Norway. A sudden change, you will say? Heaven
knows why I went there, but I am glad I did.

"It was early in July when I reached the hotel at V----. There was
_table d'hote_ and many another sign of civilization, which bored me not
a little. However, I made the best of a bad job, and went down to dinner
with the rest, took my seat without noticing my companions until I was
seated, and then found myself next to--can you guess who, Janetta?--I am
sure you never will.

"_Lady Caroline Adair!!!_

"Her daughter was just beyond her, and Mr. Adair beyond the daughter, so
the fair Margaret was well guarded. Of course I betrayed no sign of
recognition, but I wished myself at Jericho very heartily. For, between
ourselves, Janetta, I made such an ass of myself last summer that my
ears burn to think of it, and it was not a particularly honorable or
gentlemanly ass, I believe, so that I deserve to be drowned in the deep
sea for my folly. I can only hope that I did not show what I felt.

"Miss Adair was blooming: fair, serene, self-possessed as ever. _She_
did not show any sign of embarrassment, I can tell you. She did not even
blush. She looked at me once or twice with the faint, well-bred
indifference with which the well-brought-up young lady usually eyes a
perfect stranger. It was Mr. Adair who did all the embarrassment for us.
He turned purple when he saw me, and wanted his daughter to come away
from the table. My ears a