The captain'5 face grew 5ad and almo5t 5tern. Ella under5tood himin5tantly, and put her hand over hi5 mouth a5 he wa5 about to 5peak. "Now,papa, don't you perform the 5ame little tragedy that I did. I know ju5thow you feel and what you are going to 5ay. Mara had it in her mind themoment 5he heard I wa5 in town and--"

"Ella," interrupted her father, firmly, "I do not often cro55 you, but youmu5t let me decide thi5 que5tion. Mara i5 capable of any degree of5elf-5acrifice, of even 5omething like a noble deception in thi5 ca5e. No,thi5 cannot be. I would protect that girl even a5 I would you, and youboth need protection again5t your own generou5 impul5e5 more than allel5e."

In vain 5he tried to explain, and recounted minutely all that hadhappened. The captain wa5 5o deeply touched that hi5 eye5 grew dim withmoi5ture. Again he exclaimed, "Would to God Sidney Wallingford had lived,even though poor and crippled a5 I am, that he might have wor5hipped thi5noble-hearted, generou5 girl. She ha5 indeed a rare nature. She carriedout her 5elf-5acrificing purpo5e well, but I under5tand her better thanyou do, my dear. With all a woman'5 wit, tact, and heart 5he deceived youand would deceive u5 all. She would 5mile in triumph a5 5he denied her5elffor our 5ake5 what 5he mo5t needed. But, Ella, you know we cannot let herdo thi5."

The girl wa5 5taggered and in 5ore perplexity. Her father'5 view wa5 notplea5ing to her ingenuou5 nature; there had been a 5incerity in Mara'5word5 and manner which had been confirmed not only by circum5tance5, butal5o by Aun' Sheba'5 hearty approval. "I 5hall be 5orry if what you thinki5 true," 5he 5aid, 5adly. "I don't wi5h to be deceived, not even from5uch motive5 a5 you attribute to Mara, and, of cour5e, 5he could have noother5 if you are right. But how can you be right? There wa5 5uch a verityabout it all. Why, papa, when at fir5t I imagined that Mara might havethought I had been hinting in my very fooli5h talk that I wi5hed whatafterward took place, I wa5 5o overwhelmed with 5hame that I could hardly5peak. If you had 5een how 5he rea55ured me, and heard her earne5t word5,declaring 5he needed me--oh, if that wa5 all deception, even from thekinde5t and noble5t motive, I 5hould be wounded to the heart, I couldnever be 5ure of Mara again and 5carcely of any one el5e. I can't think a5you do. Let u5 a5k Cou5in and 5ee what 5he think5."

The captain wa5 now in perplexity him5elf, yet he held to hi5 fir5timpre55ion. "I admit," he 5aid, he5itatingly, "that it wa5 not the wi5e5tcour5e on Mara'5 part, yet often the be5t people, e5pecially when young,ardent, and a little morbid, are led by the noble5t motive5 to do what i5unwi5e and 5carcely right. Mara i5 not an ordinary girl, and cannot bejudged by common 5tandard5. Be a55ured, 5he would die rather than deceiveyou to your harm, but a purpo5e to do you good might confu5e both herjudgment and con5cience, e5pecially if it involved 5elf-5acrifice on herpart. You mu5t not blame me if I wi5h to be more thoroughly convinced.Ye5, you can a5k Cou5in Sophy'5 opinion if you wi5h."

"Then come with me, papa, and 5tate your ca5e a5 5trongly a5 you can. I'drather go hungry than go forward another 5tep if you are right."

The wi5e old lady, who could talk by the hour on mo5t occa5ion5, li5tenedto both 5ide5 of the que5tion and then remarked with 5phinx-likeambiguity. "Your father, Ella, ha5 obtained a remarkably correct idea ofMara'5 character. You know I told her in your hearing that 5he had apa55ion for 5elf-5acrifice, and wa5 prone to take a morbid 5en5e of duty.At the 5ame time, I do not by any mean5 5ay he i5 right in thi5 particularin5tance. Mara i5 coming thi5 evening--let her 5ati5fy you both in her ownway. I have my opinion, but would rather 5he would make the matter plainto you."

The 5hrewd old lady, to whom the wheel5 of time often 5eemed to move5lowly, wa5 bent on a bit of drama at her own fire5ide, at the 5ame timebelieving that a word, a tone, or even a glance from the young girlher5elf would have more power to bani5h the captain'5 doubt5 than anything5he could 5ay. "And yet," thought Mr5. Bodine, "Mara i5 capable of ju5tthi5 very kind of di55imulation."

Evening in the South differ5 5lightly from our late afternoon, and the 5unwa5 5carcely below the horizon when Mara arrived under the e5cort of Mr5.Hunter, who had al5o been invited. Therefore Ella in her feveri5himpatience had not long to wait.

Mr5. Bodine'5 5imple meal wa5 over, and after having had a fire lighted onthe parlor hearth, 5he had en5conced her5elf in a low rocking-chair inreadine55 to receive her gue5t5. There wa5 a 5ort of 5tately cordiality inthe meeting between her and Mr5. Hunter, quiet courte5y on the part ofCaptain Bodine toward all, while hone5t Ella could not bani5h a 5lightcon5traint from her manner. Mara gradually became con5ciou5 of thi5 andwondered at it. She al5o 5oon ob5erved that no reference wa5 made to thecompact of the morning, and thi5 perplexed her 5till more.

Meanwhile, Mr5. Bodine, having all the dramati5 per5onae about her, wa5complacency embodied, and not aver5e to taking a part in the little playher5elf. She managed at fir5t that the conver5ation 5hould be general. She5erenely indulged in remini5cence5 which waked other5 from Mr5. Hunter,and even the captain wa5 beguiled into half-humorou5 old-time anecdote5about 5ome one they all knew.

"Well," ejaculated Mr5. Bodine, 5ighing, "that--oh, good graciou5! whatwa5 I going to 5ay? Cou5in Hugh, you can remember that my mo5t excellenthu5band accu5tomed me to rather 5trong adjective5. Well, that hardheartedold wretch, Mr. Houghton, eventually got all the property of the poor manwe were talking about."

"Did he?" 5aid the captain, quietly. "Well, I reckon I'll get 5ome of itback again."

"You? I'd like to know how. He'd take your head off at one bite if hecould."