Morris. Here's the whole story. But begin at the
beginning."

Seated side by side, they now proceeded to read the letter over
together, nor did either speak a word till it was finished.

"And to be so jolly with all that on her mind!" exclaimed Agincourt.
"Why, she most have the courage of half a dozen men."

"I now begin to read the meaning of many things I never could make
out her love of retirement,--she, a woman essentially of the world and
society, estranging herself from every one; her strange relations with
Clara, a thing which used to puzzle me beyond measure; and lastly, her
remarkable injunction to me when we parted, her prayer to be forgotten,
or, at least, never mentioned."

"You did not tell me of that."

"Nor was it my intention to have done so now; it escaped me
involuntarily."

"And what is to become of Clara?"

"Don't you see that she has found an uncle,--this Mr. Winthrop,--with
whom, and our friend Quackinboss, she is to arrive at Rome to-night or
to-morrow?"

"Oh, these are the friends for whom I was to bespeak an apartment; so,
then, I 'll not leave my hotel. I 'm delighted to have such neighbors."

"May ought to go and meet her; she ought to bring her here, and of
course she will do so. But, first of all, to show her this letter; or
shall I merely tell her certain parts of it?"

"I 'd let her read every line of it, and I 'd give it to Sir William
also."

Charles started at the counsel; but after a moment he said, "I believe
you are right The sooner we clear away these mysteries, the sooner we
shall deal frankly together."

"I have come to beg your pardon, May," said Charles, as he stood on the
sill of her door. "I could scarcely hope you 'd grant it save from very
pity for me, for I have gone through much this last day or two. But,
besides your pardon, I want your advice. When you have read over that
letter,--read it twice,--I 'll come back again."

May made him no answer, but, taking the letter, turned away. He closed
the door noiselessly, and left her. Whatever may be the shock a man
experiences on learning that the individual with whom for a space of
time he has been associating on terms of easy intimacy should turn out
to be one notorious in crime or infamous in character, to a woman the
revulsion of feeling under like circumstances is tenfold more painful.
It is not alone that such casualties are so much more rare, but in the
confidences between women there is so much more in