their guest, and said,

"Now, dear Miss Lind, please understand that, if there was any stranger
here at all, we should not dream of asking you to sing. Ermentrude and I
take all that on our shoulders; we squawk for the whole of the family.
But Evelyn has told us so much about your singing--"

"Oh, I will sing for you if you wish it," said Natalie, without
hesitation.

Some little time thereafter Brand was walking up and down the room
below, slowly and thoughtfully: he was not much of a wine-drinker.

"Evelyn," he said, suddenly, "I shall soon be able to tell you whether I
owe you a life-long gratitude. I owe you much already. Through you I
have got some work to do in the world; I am busy, and content. But there
is a greater prize."

"I think I can guess what you mean," his companion said, calmly.

"You do?" said the other, with a quick look. "And you do not think I am
mad?--to go and ask her to be my wife before she has given me a single
word of hope?"

"She has spoken to others about you: I know what she thinks of you,"
said Lord Evelyn. Then the fine, pale face was slightly flushed. "To
tell you the truth, Brand, I thought of this before you ever saw her."

"Thought of what?" said the other, with a stare of surprise.