kettle, and busied herself among the tea-cups, thankful that the
presence of Mrs. Gale, as a stranger, would prevent the immediate
recurrence to the one subject which she felt must be present in
Michael's mind as well as in her own. But Mrs. Gale was withheld by
no such feelings of delicacy. She had come ready-primed with the
case, and had undertaken to bring the girl to reason. There was no
time to be lost. It had been prearranged between the brother and
sister that he was to stroll out into the farm-yard before his sister
introduced the subject; but she was so confident in the success of
her arguments, that she must needs have the triumph of a victory as
soon as possible; and, accordingly, she brought a hail-storm of good
reasons to bear upon Susan. Susan did not reply for a long time; she
was so indignant at this intermeddling of a stranger in the deep
family sorrow and shame. Mrs. Gale thought she was gaining the day,
and urged her arguments more pitilessly. Even Michael winced for
Susan, and wondered at her silence. He shrank out of sight, and into
the shadow, hoping that his sister might prevail, but annoyed at the
hard way in which she kept putting the case.

Suddenly Susan turned round from the occupation she had pretended to
be engaged in, and said to him in a low voice, which yet not only
vibrated itself, but made its hearers thrill through all their
obtuseness:

"Michael Hurst! does your sister speak truth, think you?"

Both women looked at him for his answer; Mrs. Gale without anxiety,
for had she not said the very words they had spoken together before?
had she not used the very arguments that he himself had suggested?
Susan, on the contrary, looked to his answer as settling her doom for