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"Isn't she a lovely girl, Mr Jones?"

"Oh! yes, indeed--yes--very, indeed!" and Mrs Meredith was delighted

to have an excuse for dilating on her visitor's charms of person and

character; while Cardo set hie which Dr Belton had entrusted to him

He bore Colonel Meredith's cross-exaested fresh topics of inquiry, for, while he had carried

Valmai up the stairs he had come to the deterain The strain of the situation was more

than he could bear To live under the same roof with her, and not to

claim her for his oas impossible--to adhere to the terms of his

promise, never to allude to his former acquaintance with her was

utterly beyond his power "Base--dishonourable!" Could it have been

Valmai who spoke to hie hallucination?

When at last the evening cahted his

candle at the hall table, the whole fa round with various

hopes that "he would sleep well," "that he didn'tin in the ht"

"What ti?" he asked

"Oh! at seven o'clock; you can have your letters brought up if you

wish; but ays like to have the yours up"

"If it's no trouble," said Cardo