legacy of four hundred pounds in bank-notes tucked into her bosom
--had achieved a success beyond her wildest dreams, and now had
only to declare her identity to become a "celebrity." Miss Lavinia
had been for some days in a state of nervous excitement, knowing
that it was Innocent's first literary effort which had created
such a sensation. By this time she had learned all the girl's
history--Innocent had told her everything, save and except the one
fact of her parentage,--and this she held back, not out of shame
for herself, but consideration for the memory of the handsome man
whose portrait stood on the silent harpsichord. For she in her
turn had discovered Miss Lavinia's secret,--how the dear lady's
heart had been devoted to Pierce Armitage all her life, and how
when she knew he had been drawn away from her and captivated by
another woman her happiness had been struck down and withered like
a flowering rose in a hard gale of wind. For this romance, and the
disillusion she had suffered, Innocent loved her. The two had
become fast friends, almost like devoted mother and daughter. Miss
Leigh was, as she had stated in her "Morning Post" advertisement,
well-connected, and she did much for the girl who had by chance
brought a new and thrilling interest into her life--more than
Innocent could possibly have done for herself. The history of the
child,--as much as she was told of it,--who had been left so
casually at a country farm on the mere chance of its being kept
and taken care of, affected her profoundly, and when Innocent
confided to her the fact that she had never been baptised, the
gentle old lady was moved to tears. No time was lost in lifting
this spiritual ban from the young life concerned, and the sacred
rite was performed quietly one morning in the church which Miss
Leigh had attended for many years, Miss Leigh having herself
explained beforehand some of the circumstances to the Vicar, and