picions on the subject, but chose to
keep them to herself.

Meantime the winter was passing rapidly and, to Mr. Wilmot, very agreeably
away. He liked his boarding place much and one of its inmates had almost,
without his knowledge, wound herself strongly around his heart. For a time
he struggled against it, for his first acquaintance with Julia had not
left a very favorable impression on his mind. But since that night she had
been perfectly pleasant before him and had given out but one demonstration
of her passionate temper.

This was one evening at the supper table. Zuba, a mulatto girl, brought in
some preserves and, in passing them, very carelessly spilled them upon
Julia's new blue merino. In the anger of the moment Mr. Wilmot and his
good opinion were forgotten. Springing up, she gave the girl a blow which
sent her half across the room and caused her to drop the dish, which was
broken in twenty pieces. At the same time she exclaimed in a loud, angry
tone, "Devil take you, Zube!" The loss of the dish elicited a series of
oaths from Mr. Middleton, who called his daughter such names as "lucifer
match," "volcano," "powder mill," and so forth.

For her father's swearing Julia cared nothing, but it was the sorrowful,
disappointed expression of Mr. Wilmot's face which cooled her down.
Particularly did she wish to recall what she had done when she saw that
Fanny also had received some of the preserves on her merino; but instead
of raging like a fury, she arose and quietly wiped it off, and then burst
into a loud laugh, which she afterward told her mother was occasioned by
the mournful look which Mr. Wilmot's face assumed when he saw that Julia's
temper was not dead, but merely covered up with ashes.

From this remark of Fanny's the reader will understand that she was well
aware of the part her sister was playing. And she was perfectly satisfied
that it should be so, for by this means she occasionally got a pleasant
word from Julia. She, however, often wished that Mr. Wilmot could be
constantly with her sister, for his presence in the house did not prevent
her from expending her wrath upon both Fanny and the blacks.

For some days after the affair of the preserves, Mr. Wilmot was somewhat
cool in his manner toward Julia, who had discernment enough to attribute
the change to the right cause. Earnestly did she desire to win back his
esteem, and she accordingly cast about for some method by which she could
undo what she ha