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When the afternoon train froirl who had been devouring the landscape for the last hour with eager eyes, rose nervously to prepare for exit To Alice Wishart the country was a novel one, and the prospect before her an unexplored realreat ly environs of a city, save for such time as she had spent at the conventional schools She had never travelled; the world of irlhood, lonely and brightened chiefly by the coiven her self-confidence She had casuallyin her father's house, and the elder wo to the quiet, abstracted child Then caladly yet withof heart Now, as she looked out on the shining ht that she was about to dwell in the heart of it Souest of a great lady, and see so of a life which seehts But when her journey drew near its end she was foolishly nervous, and scanned the platforht of her hostess reassured her Lady Manorwater was a se colourless eyes, and untidy fair hair She was very plainly dressed, and as she darted forward to greet the girl with entire frankness and kindness, Alice forgot her fears and kissed her heartily A languid young woman was introduced as Miss Afflint, and in a few e with the wide glen opening in front

"Oh, my dear, I hope you will enjoy your visit We are quite a small party, for Jack says Glenavelin is far too small to entertain in You are fond of the country, aren't you? And of course the place is very pretty There is tennis and golf and fishing; but perhaps you don't like these things? We are not very well off for neighbours, but we are large enough in number to be sufficient to ourselves Don't you think so, Bertha?" And Lady Manorwater sroup

Miss Afflint, a silent girl, sed in a secret study of Alice's face, and whenever the object of the study raised her eyes she found a pair of steady blue ones beaazed out at the landscape with a fictitious curiosity