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May settled down to frank enjoyh--weren't you?--that aunt Medora came after all Ellen wrote that they were neither of theh to take the journey; I do wish it had been she who had recovered! Did you see the exquisite old lace she sent me?"

He had known that the ined that by force of willing he ht hold it at bay

"Yes--I--no: yes, it was beautiful," he said, looking at her blindly, and wondering if, whenever he heard those two syllables, all his carefully built-up world would tumble about hiood to have so beautifully ready," he rattled on, taking her hand in his; and her nificent tea and coffee service of Baltimore silver which the Beauforts had sent, and which "went" so perfectly with uncle Lovell Mingott's trays and side-dishes

In the spring twilight the train stopped at the Rhinebeck station, and they walked along the platfore

"Ah, hofully kind of the van der Luydens--they've sent their man over from Skuytercliff to meet us," Archer exclaimed, as a sedate person out of livery approached thes

"I'm extremely sorry, sir," said this emissary, "that a little accident has occurred at the Miss du Lacs': a leak in the water-tank It happened yesterday, and Mr van der Luyden, who heard of it this et the Patroon's house ready It will be quite comfortable, I think you'll find, sir; and the Miss du Lacs have sent their cook over, so that it will be exactly the same as if you'd been at Rhinebeck"

Archer stared at the speaker so blankly that he repeated in still etic accents: "It'll be exactly the saer voice broke out, covering the embarrassed silence: "The same as Rhinebeck? The Patroon's house? But it will be a hundred thousand times better--won't it, Newland? It's too dear and kind of Mr van der Luyden to have thought of it"

And as they drove off, with the s on the seat before them, she went on excitedly: "Only fancy, I've never been inside it--have you? The van der Luydens show it to so few people But they opened it for Ellen, it see little place it was: she says it's the only house she's seen in A perfectly happy in"