have met with sympathy. We were so absorbed that we did not notice the gathering clouds in the sky, and the large drops which fell, and the distant rumbling of thunder roused us as from a dream.

packet to Fanny, for her eyes looked as if she had been crying, and her face had lost the set and resolute look it usually wore when I was present. Once during dinner, Mannering said,

By the time, however, we did arrive at the rectory, the rain was falling in such torrents that the hospitable Maynards would not hear of our going further. We must wait till the

storm was over.

Meanwhile we must dine with him. He seemed so bent upon it, that, after some little hesitation, we consented.

We caught that amphibious animal, the postman, who fortunately left the letters at the rectory before he went on to the Hall, and sent a message by him that we were detained, and that they must not wait for us for dinner.

We dried ourselves as best we might, and while Mannering went to the dressing-room to array himself in some of Maynard's garments, the rector and I continued our conversation in his study.

I took an opportunity, however, of giving him the little packet for Fanny, and asked him to give it her, and tell her what it was. We were interrupted just as he seemed about asking me some question, relative, I thought, to Fanny's estrangement from her dearest friend's son, and I was too glad to escape giving him an answer.

was in you, with your half-foreign education and long residence abroad. What pleasure it would have given my dear friend, your mother, could she have lived to see her son the member for G. She had the clearest brains, and the strongest wish to use brains, time, influence, heart, for others, of any woman, or man, I may add, that I ever knew."

It was fortunate that Mannering's speech was long. Involuntarily I raised my eyes, and met those of Fanny, who sat opposite to me. She blushed painfully. I felt I turned livid.

After dinner there was music. Maynard was obliged to leave us. Nora and Fanny played and sang to Mannering, who said he wanted to get the Lascellian music out of his head. They asked him what he meant, but he refused to gratify them, and only said that it was distasteful to him.

I leant my elbow on the mantel-piece, and stood in deep, sad thought. How everywhere I turned I evoked some memory, or recalled some association which was painful. By this deep, deep pain, which every moment was sinking deeper and deeper into my heart, was I paying all those long arrears of heartless indifference and of selfish neglect. It seemed to me that those words of Mannering's blighted all the desire that I had for success in this new object of effort.

"It is quite from a different cause, Nora, I assure you; nothing can alter the dislike and contempt I feel for him; but I helped him for his mother's sake."

"Here, Spencer," called out Mannering, "come here, and try and make yourself presentable. I am rather proud of my success."

We did not meet till dinner, and then I saw that Maynard must have given the

"I come to thank you for your kindness," she said.

"I do not deserve your thanks." "For this remembrance of my dearest." She stopped, and I saw the tears in her

eyes.

"It's no act of mine-she had written your name on it-"

"Was it not with the others-"

"No. I found it in a desk which I had

"Thank you. It is so identified with her (you know she always wore it) that it is very dear and precious to me."

"And no one ought or should have had it but you, whom she loved so dearly, and who so loved her."

Fanny looked at me with something of a puzzled, inquiring air. There are tones which betray so much more than the words. Did mine betray some of my unavailing repentance ?

desire of ingratiating myself with one who despised me, mingled with an honest wish to carry out the too-long neglected intentions of my mother.

"Let her despise me," I thought; "she cannot equal my own contempt for myself." How I now longed for defeat in this present ambition of mine, which had been despoiled by Mannering's words of all its gilded promise. I had sought this escape from disappointment and satiety; and it was a miserable thought that, if successful, I should be congratulated on all sides as doing what

"When I first returned from abroad, Maynard told me of certain charities which she had wished to initiate. At the time I neglected them, but now, if it were possible, I should like to fulfil those wishes of hers. Not to make myself popular, Miss Egerton," I said, for there was something in the halfsurprise, half-doubt of her look, which stung me, "I could not attend to them till after the election has been decided; but then-" "I beg your pardon : again let me thank you for this unexpected kindness."

66

Again: why should it be unexpected, Miss Egerton; could I have possibly done otherwise ?"

"The brilliants are so valuable; and, indeed, at first I thought they had formed part of the set which I sent; I thought you would not have separated them.”

"It was, perhaps, natural for you to think so," I answered, weariedly, for I was thoroughly humbled and dispirited; "one is too apt to forget how low a place one holds in the opinion of some persons, and still more that we ourselves only are to blame for it." Fanny looked at me with something of the steadfast intentness which had so often struck me in my mother's looks. It was not surprising that she had acquired a rescmblance to her. She turned from me and rejoined her friend, and I did not speak to her again.

We left about ten o'clock, but on reaching Speynings I left Mannering to find his way to the drawing-room alone, and turned into the library.

I was ashamed of the momentary impulse which had exposed me to unnecessary humiliation. I was indignant also at the weak

"My dear Hubert," said Marian, as she entered, "what are you doing here by yourself? Mr. Mannering has been giving us the most glorious accounts of your day; but I must say, looking at you, that you do not bear him out-you look bored to the last extent. What is the matter ? "

“I am tired—but I was coming up." "You need not, for they are almost all gone to bed; I came down only to see you." "Who are left ? "

There was a pause, and our eyes met. I turned away mine first. In hers was something of that stern, dominant, overbearing expression, with which it is said a sane person can control an insane one, or a human being master an animal. It was but a moment-but it was there.

"Good-night, then ; don't sit up all night." And I heard the rustle of her soft satin dress along the passages. She did not return to the drawing-room.

CHAPTER VIII.

It seemed that my evil wishes had called down their own accomplishment, for the next day news was brought us that a neighboring gentleman, representing the same opinions as my own, was going to offer himself to the electors. My friends held a meeting, and,

much to their mortification, I somewhat abruptly declared that I would not divide the votes on our side, and that I would not be put in nomination.

Mannering held up his hands at such Quixotic generosity, others were almost angry, but I was firm. I was accused of idleness, of caprice; Lascelles was especially indignant, and my wife seemed much disappointed, but I was not to be moved.

I saw that Marian watched me closely at this time. She scrutinized my words, and tried to read my looks. She could not understand me. Whatever she might say, she felt secure of her power over me; she would not have believed that it was over, had any one insinuated such a thing, and yet I was evidently changed. She redoubled her airy fascinations, and all but two persons would have considered her a model of a devoted and loving wife. These two persons were Lascelles and myself. Lascelles considered her as an angelic, mismatched being, who strove to do her duty to an unsympathizing, capricious brute of a husband who did not care a straw for her, and who did not understand all the exquisite refinement and poetry of her nature, and who could not therefore be loved by her; and I-I read her as one reads a book, and no mere lip-service would avail with me. Once or twice I saw she thought she had detected jealousy, and she was rejoiced. That could be controlled to her own purposes. Most of our friends had now left, and at last Lascelles found he had no excuse to linger, and took his departure. Mannering (who was to stay till the next day), Marian, and I, stood in the porch to see the last of the last detachment of our guests. Among these was Lascelles.

"So ends our pleasant time," said Marian, with a sigh.

"Yes, we have had a delightful visit," said Mannering; "what a pity it is over! But Spencer owes himself to the county, and the next time he shall not be allowed to slip through our fingers."

"Yes, most wives, I believe, feel, or affect to feel, a kind of jealousy of their husband's parliamentary duties; but I think Hubert would make a good member. He has both energy and persistence when roused, and he wants rousing"

"He looks rather relieved, however, now, whether at being left at last alone with you,

"Do you mean, Hubert, that you did not like a person who was devoted to you as Lord Lascelles was? I appeal to you, Mr. Mannering could any one have worked harder than Lord Lascelles in Hubert's cause ?-how very ungrateful men are―"

"To each other ?-Yes, I am afraid so; but between ourselves, Mrs. Spencer, Hubert did not like the Lascellian muse, or music."

We all laughed, but I detected Marian's eyes exploring my face with keen and inquiring scrutiny. The next day we were left alone.

It is an old proverb that says, "Murder will out," that stones will not hide, the heavens will not cover it, the reeds will speak, the walls will whisper it, but even truer is it of love. We cannot conceal its life, we must betray its death. And yet I can honestly say that I endeavored to appear the same. Never since I had been married had I so sincerely tried to make Marian happy. No, it should not be my fault if she were not so. I did not dare to be capricious, self-absorbed, negligent; for the first time in my life I tried to rule myself. The ice was cracking so fast under my feet that one unguarded movement would plunge me into the depths below. I must needs be wary. I had never striven so hard in all outward acts to follow the old precept," preferring another to one's self," and my success was-null.

Marian saw through it, and tried me hard. I could be gentle, attentive, kind; but how impossible to simulate the feeling which had once been the motive power of my being I cannot describe. A garden which had once been a paradise of choice and fragrant flowers, transformed by some elemental convulsion into a yawning chasm, was not more different from the state of my heart then and now. And she ?-how inexplicable are women! I was convinced that she did not love me, that she could not love any one; that her whole nature had been unnaturally forced in one direction to the serious detriment and impoverishment of all others; that