"Yes, it was a very pleasant letter," he said; and then he asked her
what she had been doing in those hours when she had not been with him;
and she gave him an animated account of the occurrences of that and
several of the preceding days, and told of some little accidents that
had happened--amongst them that of the broken doll; and spoke of the
sorrow it had caused her; but she did not blame either Flora or Enna,
and concluded her narrative by saying that, "good, kind Mrs. Brown had
mended it, so that it was almost as good as ever."

He listened with evident interest to all she said, expressed sympathy in
her little trials, and gave her some good advice.

But at length he drew out his watch, and with an exclamation of surprise
at the lateness of the hour, told her it was half an hour after her
bedtime, kissed her good-night, and dismissed her to her room.




CHAPTER II.

"There comes
Forever something between us and what
We deem our happiness."

BYRON'S SARDANAPALUS.


It was quite late when the young party returned, and the next day all
were dull, and more than one peevish and fretful; so that Elsie, on whom