ng her to remain as long as she liked, and
just as often the young girl succeeded in securing an interview with
Wallace.

She saw that both he and Mrs. Richardson were averse to his returning
her call, and she did not urge it; but in her pretty, imperious way she
insisted that he must help her out into the sitting-room or she should
get "awfully homesick" staying in the parlor all the time.

They could not well refuse her request, and every morning as soon as the
nurse disappeared she went out to them.

Sometimes Mrs. Richardson would remain and join in their conversation,
but this could not always be, for her household duties must be attended
to, and so they were often left by themselves.

Occasionally Wallace read to her from the daily paper, or from some
interesting book; but more frequently they spent the time conversing,
growing every day more friendly, and falling more and more under the
spell of each other's society.

Wallace realized his danger--knew that every hour spent in the fair
girl's presence was serving to make him more wholly her slave.

That first meeting, when she had come upon him so unexpectedly, had
assured him that he could not see her often without riveting the chains
of his love more hopelessly about him. Her exquisite beauty, her
artless, impulsive manner, the glance of her beautiful eyes, all moved
him as he had never been moved before, and warned him that danger to
both lay in indulging himself in the delight of her society.

Danger! Yes, for he well knew that he--a poor carpenter who had to toil
with his hands for his daily bread--ought never to speak words of love
to the delicate girl who had been reared amid the luxuries of wealth;
knew that her haughty relatives would scorn such an alliance with one in
his humble circumstances.

But he seemed powerless to prevent it--powerless to save either himself
or her; for Violet, all unconscious of the precipice toward which they
were drifting, thinking only of the enjoyment of the moment, persisted
in seeing him, day after day, and thus, before she was aware of the
fact, becoming entangled in coils from which she was never to escape.

Mrs. Mencke came every afternoon, but never remained long, for she was a
woman of many social obligations, and thought if she simply came to
inquire regarding Violet's welfare, she was doing her whole duty by her.

She always found her alone with the nurse, or with Mrs. Richardson, if
the former was busy, a