foreign lands. Now, as she turned from the window and went back into the
large, sunny rooms, so quiet with the young people all gone, her
thoughts lingered upon her brother, and into them came the remembrance
of the sweet-faced Miss Sherman, whom they had met yesterday and who
seemed destined to come more or less into their lives.

"Perhaps"--she thought, and smiled at her thought so evidently born of
her wish; and then hastened to despatch a message to Miss Sherman and
Howard, lest she might miss them.

Lucile Sherman differed somewhat in character from the impression she
had made upon Mrs. Douglas. Lovely in face and figure, gifted with
winning ways, possessed of a certain degree of culture, and very
desirous of gaining the friendship of cultured people, she was most
attractive on short acquaintance. An intimacy must always reveal her
limitations and show how she just missed the best because of the lack of
any definite, earnest purpose in her life,--of real sincerity and of the
slightest element of self-sacrifice, without which no character can grow
truly noble.

She was very dear unto herself, and was accustomed to take the measure
of all things according to the way in which they affected Lucile
Sherman. When her father, for whose health the present journey to Italy
had been primarily planned, was imperatively summoned home, her
disappointment was so overwhelmingly apparent that her sister Marion was
chosen to accompany him back to America, and Lucile was permitted to
spend the winter as she so much wished.

She was fond of society, of music, of literature and art; had seemingly
an enthusiastic admiration and desire for all things good and true, and