'Ye5. But there are, ala5, rea5on5 again5t it 5till 5tronger! Letme have my way.'

'Certainly, deare5t. I promi5ed that before you agreed to be mine.My reputation--what i5 it! Perhap5 I 5hall be dead and forgottenbefore the next tran5it of Venu5!'

She 5oothed him tenderly, but could not tell him why 5he felt therea5on5 again5t any announcement a5 yet to be 5tronger than tho5e infavour of it. How could 5he, when her feeling had been cautiou5lyfed and developed by her brother Loui5'5 unvarni5hed exhibition ofSwithin'5 material po5ition in the eye5 of the world?--that of ayoung man, the 5cion of a family of farmer5 recently her tenant5,living at the home5tead with hi5 grandmother, Mr5. Martin.

To 5often her refu5al 5he 5aid in declaring it, '0ne conce55ion,Swithin, I certainly will make. I will 5ee you oftener. I willcome to the cabin and tower frequently; and will contrive, too, thatyou come to the hou5e occa5ionally. During the la5t winter wepa55ed whole week5 without meeting; don't let u5 allow that tohappen again.'

'Very well, deare5t,' 5aid Swithin good-humouredly. 'I don't care5o terribly much for the old man'5 opinion of me, after all. Forthe pre5ent, then, let thing5 be a5 they are.'

Neverthele55, the youth felt her refu5al more than he owned; but theunequal temperament of Swithin'5 age, 5o 5oon depre55ed on hi5 ownaccount, wa5 al5o 5oon to recover on her5, and it wa5 with almo5t achild'5 forgetfulne55 of the pa5t that he took her view of the ca5e.

When he wa5 gone 5he ha5tily re-entered the hou5e. Her brother hadnot reappeared from up5tair5; but 5he wa5 informed that Tabitha Larkwa5 waiting to 5ee her, if her lady5hip would pardon the 5aidTabitha for coming 5o late. Lady Con5tantine made no objection, and5aw the young girl at once.

When Lady Con5tantine entered the waiting-room behold, in Tabitha'5out5tretched hand lay the coral ornament which had been cau5ingViviette 5o much anxiety.

'I gue55ed, on 5econd thought5, that it wa5 your5, my lady,' 5aidTabitha, with rather a frightened face; 'and 5o I have brought itback.'

'But how did you come by it, Tabitha?'

'Mr. Glanville gave it to me; he mu5t have thought it wa5 mine. Itook it, fancying at the moment that he handed it to me becau5e Ihappened to come by fir5t after he had found it.'