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But she continually repressed her misery and bitterness of heart till the effort to do so showed signs of lessening At length she even tried to hope that her lost lover and her rival would love one another very dearly

The scene and the sentiment dropped into the past Meanwhile, Manston continued visibly before her He, though quiet and subdued in his bearing for a long tirief that he did not feel At first his loss seee rather than as a heavy sorrow--that he paid Cytherea no attention whatever His conduct was uniformly kind and respectful, but little rew rean to wear a different aspect towards her He always contrived to obliterate by his manner all recollection on her side that she was coof her situation Prohtful petits soins at all times, he was not officious

In this way he irresistibly won for himself a position as her friend, and the more easily in that he allowed not the faintest symptom of the old love to be apparent

Matters stood thus in thewhen the next move on his behalf was made by Miss Aldclyffe

2 THE THIRD OF MAY She led Cytherea to a surounds about the mansion in the form of a Grecian temple; it overlooked the lake, the island on it, the trees, and their undisturbed reflection in the sthe scene

TheCuckoos, thrushes, blackbirds, and sparrows gave forth a perfect confusion of song and twitter The road was spotted white with the fallen leaves of apple-blossorass and flowers Tans floated into view in front of the women, and then crossed the water towards them

'They seem to come to us without any will of their own--quite involuntarily--don't they?' said Cytherea, looking at the birds' graceful advance

'Yes, but if you look narrowly you can see their hips just beneath the water, working with the greatest energy' 'I'd rather not see that, it spoils the idea of proud indifference to direction which we associate with a swan' 'It does; we'll have "involuntarily" Ah, now this re who involuntarily comes towards yourself' Cytherea looked into Miss Aldclyffe's face; her eyes grew round as circles, and lines of wonderment came visibly upon her countenance