and
that of her "brother" Richard, would not falter now in finishing her
task; and the truth is that had she had no benevolence extending
further, she had the fox-hunter's anxiety to be "in at the death," and
the feminine fancy for her own peculiar "reward," which could only be
obtained at the end of the course.

Instructed by the diplomatic Joe on one particular point, the moment she
reached her own house again Mary Crawford despatched a messenger to
inform Domine Rodgers that his services would not be needed that evening
for the marriage, as Colonel Crawford had been called to Albany by
telegraph, at a moment's notice, on government business. It seemed idle
to attempt, in her father's senile and helpless condition, to make him
acquainted with the real circumstances of the case; and so Joe's
suggestion was carried much further than she had intended, and the old
man and all the household were led to the same understanding, with the
additional belief that the Colonel had left so suddenly as only to make
Mary his confidant, after the arrival of a special (imaginary) messenger
from the telegraph-office at Utica.

Old John Crawford seemed a little disappointed, and weary of waiting for
the final arrangement of his family affairs; but he had not life enough
left in him to make his disappointment very painful, and Mary, inspired
with a new hope which gave her energy to brave almost anything, trusted
to something in a coming day which might enable her to remove that
disappointment entirely. So that somewhat eventful day closed upon the
Crawford mansion and upon the humbler one near it which had that day
exercised so powerful an influence on the fortunes of its inmates.

Here again it is necessary to pass on with unamiable if not inexcusable
rapidity, omitting any details of the time remaining of Josephine
Harris's visit at West Falls. When the city girl went up to that place,
she had considered her stay there likely to extend to at least a week
and possibly to twice that period. But her errand had been done so much
sooner than she could have expected, and she was so unwilling to
communicate with Richard in any other way than personally, with
reference to affairs at West Falls and her own action in the
matter,--that within an hour after Mary Crawford had left the house the
second time, her visit was really over. That is, the _heart_ in her
visit was gone. The shade and the quiet might be very pretty and
pleasant, and precise