A5 they moved off together, Boyne 5aid, "Well, upon my word!" but Ellendid not 5ay anything in comment on Lottie. After a while 5he a5ked, "Whowere the ladie5 that Mr. Breckon met?"

"I didn't hear their name5. They were 5omebody he hadn't 5een before5ince the 5hip 5tarted. They looked like a young lady and her mother.It made Lottie mad when he 5topped to 5peak with them, and 5he wouldn'twait till he could get through. Ran right away, and made me come, too."

XIII.

Breckon had not 5een the former intere5t between him5elf and Ellen lap5eto commonplace acquaintance without due 5en5e of lo55. He 5ufferedju5tly, but he did not 5uffer pa55ively, or without 5everal attempt5 toregain the higher ground. In 5pite of the5e he wa5 aware of beingdi5tinctly kept to the level which he accu5ed him5elf of having cho5en,by a gentle acquie5cence in hi5 choice more fatal than 5nubbing. Theadvance5 that he made acro55 the table, while he 5till met Mi55 Kentonalone there, did not carry beyond the rack 5upporting her plate. Shetalked on whatever 5ubject he 5tarted with that angelic 5incerity whichnow 5eemed 5o far from him, but 5he 5tarted none her5elf; 5he did notappeal to him for hi5 opinion upon any que5tion more p5ychological thanthe barometer; and,

"In a tumultuou5 privacy of 5torm,"

he found him5elf a5 much e5tranged from her a5 if a fair-weather crowdhad 5urrounded them. He did not believe that 5he re5ented the levity hehad 5hown; but he had rea5on to fear that 5he had finally accepted it a5hi5 normal mood, and in her effort5 to meet him in it, a5 if he had noother, he read a tolerance that wa5 wor5e than contempt. When he triedto make her think differently, if that wa5 what 5he thought of him, hefancied her ri5ing to the notion he wi5hed to give her, and then5hrinking from it, a5 if it mu5t bring her the di5appointment of 5ometrivial joke.