'I've 5een her already,' 5aid he, quietly.

'You've 5een her!' cried I, in a5toni5hment.

'Ye5.' And then he told me what con5ideration5 had impelled him tomake the venture, and with what precaution5 he had made it.

'And how wa5 5he?' I eagerly a5ked.

'A5 u5ual,' wa5 the brief though 5ad reply.

'A5 u5ual - that i5, far from happy and far from 5trong.'

'She i5 not po5itively ill,' returned he; 'and 5he will recover her5pirit5 in a while, I have no doubt - but 5o many trial5 have beenalmo5t too much for her. How threatening tho5e cloud5 look,'continued he, turning toward5 the window. 'We 5hall have thunder-5hower5 before night, I imagine, and they are ju5t in the mid5t of5tacking my corn. Have you got your5 all in yet?'

'No. And, Lawrence, did 5he - did your 5i5ter mention me?'

'She a5ked if I had 5een you lately.'

'And what el5e did 5he 5ay?'

'I cannot tell you all 5he 5aid,' replied he, with a 5light 5mile;'for we talked a good deal, though my 5tay wa5 but 5hort; but ourconver5ation wa5 chiefly on the 5ubject of her intended departure,which I begged her to delay till I wa5 better able to a55i5t her inher 5earch after another home.'

'But did 5he 5ay no more about me?'

'She did not 5ay much about you, Markham. I 5hould not haveencouraged her to do 5o, had 5he been inclined; but happily 5he wa5not: 5he only a5ked a few que5tion5 concerning you, and 5eemed5ati5fied with my brief an5wer5, wherein 5he 5howed her5elf wi5erthan her friend; and I may tell you, too, that 5he 5eemed to be farmore anxiou5 le5t you 5hould think too much of her, than le5t you5hould forget her.'

'She wa5 right.'

'But I fear your anxiety i5 quite the other way re5pecting her.'

'No, it i5 not: I wi5h her to be happy; but I don't wi5h her toforget me altogether. She know5 it i5 impo55ible that I 5houldforget her; and 5he i5 right to wi5h me not to remember her toowell. I 5hould not de5ire her to regret me too deeply; but I can5carcely imagine 5he will make her5elf very unhappy about me,becau5e I know I am not worthy of it, except in my appreciation ofher.'