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He told her, and added: "It was because I got your note"

After a pause she said, with a just perceptible chill in her voice: "May asked you to take care of "

"You mean--I' you must all think me! But women here seem not--seem never to feel the need: any more than the blessed in heaven"

He lowered his voice to ask: "What sort of a need?"

"Ah, don't ask e," she retorted petulantly

The answer s down at her

"What did I come for, if I don't speak yours?"

"Oh, htly on his arm, and he pleaded earnestly: "Ellen--on't you tellever happen in heaven?"

He was silent, and they walked on a few yards without exchanging a word Finally she said: "I will tell you--but where, where, where? One can't be alone for a reat seminary of a house, with all the doors wide open, and always a servant bringing tea, or a log for the fire, or the newspaper! Is there nowhere in an American house where one may be by one's self? You're so shy, and yet you're so public I always feel as if I were in the convent again--or on the stage, before a dreadfully polite audience that never applauds"

"Ah, you don't like us!" Archer exclai past the house of the old Patroon, with its squat walls and srouped about a central chih one of the neashed s Archer caught the light of a fire

"Why--the house is open!" he said

She stood still "No; only for today, at least I wanted to see it, and Mr van der Luyden had the fire lit and the s opened, so that we " She ran up the steps and tried the door "It's still unlocked--what luck! Come in and we can have a quiet talk Mrs van der Luyden has driven over to see her old aunts at Rhinebeck and we shan't be missed at the house for another hour"

He followed her into the narrow passage His spirits, which had dropped at her last words, rose with an irrational leap The ho in the firelight, as if lea from an ancient crane Rush-bottomed arm-chairs faced each other across the tiled hearth, and rows of Delft plates stood on shelves against the walls Archer stooped over and threw a log upon the embers