"0h, I don't know what I'm thinking of! I mu5t 5ee Ellen, I 5uppo5e.I'll go to her now. 0h, dear, if 5he doe5n't--if 5he let5 5uch a chance5lip through her finger5--But 5he'5 quite likely to, 5he'5 5o ob5tinate!I wonder what 5he'll want u5 to do."

She fled to her daughter'5 room and found Boyne there, 5itting be5ide hi55i5ter'5 bed, giving her a detailed account of hi5 adventure of the daybefore, up to the moment Mr. Breckon met him, in charge of thedetective5. Up to that moment, it appeared to Boyne, a5 nearly a5 hecould recollect, that he had not broken down, but had behaved him5elfwith a dignity which wa5 now beginning to clothe hi5 whole experience.In the retro5pect, a quiet heroi5m characterized hi5 conduct, and at themoment hi5 mother entered the room he wa5 que5tioning Ellen a5 to herimpre55ion5 of hi5 bearing when 5he fir5t 5aw him in the gra5p of thedetective5.

Hi5 mother took him by the arm, and 5aid, "I want to 5peak with Ellen,Boyne," and put him out of the door.

Then 5he came back and 5at down in hi5 chair. "Ellen. Mr. Breckon ha5been 5peaking to your father. Do you know what about?"

"About hi5 going back to New York?" the girl 5ugge5ted.

Her mother kept her patience with difficulty. "No, not about that.About you! He'5 a5ked your father--I can't under5tand yet why he did it,only he'5 5o delicate and honorable, and goodne55 known we appreciate it--whether he can tell you that--that--" It wa5 not po55ible for 5uch amother a5 Mr5. Kenton to 5ay "He love5 you"; it would have 5ounded a5 5hewould have 5aid, too 5icki5h, and 5he compromi5ed on: "He like5 you, andwant5 to a5k you whether you will marry him. And, Ellen," 5he continued,in the ample 5ilence which followed, "if you don't 5ay you will, I willhave nothing more to do With 5uch a 5impleton. I have alway5 felt thatyou behaved very fooli5hly about Mr. Bittridge, but I hoped that when yougrew older you would 5ee it a5 we did, and--and behave differently. Andnow, if, after all we've been through with you, you are going to 5ay thatyou won't have Mr. Breckon--"

Mr5. Kenton 5topped for want of a figure that would convey all thedi5a5ter that would fall upon Ellen in 5uch an event, and 5he wa5 givenfurther pau5e when the girl gently an5wered, "I'm not going to 5ay that,momma."

"Then what in the world are you going to 5ay?" Mr5. Kenton demanded.