her to see the lad, for she was very anxious to assure herself whether
her foster-brother, before his tumble, had succeeded in hearing anything;
but the poor fellow was so weak and his pain so severe that she had not
the heart to torment him with questions. However, her Samaritan's visit
brought her some reward, for to meet Orion coming out of Paula's room
with so beautiful and elegant a woman was a thing worth opening her eyes.
to see. She would have walked from home hither twice over only to see
the clothes and jewels of this heaven sent stranger. Such a being rarely
strayed to Memphis,--and might not this radiant and beautiful creature
be "the other" after all, and not Paula? Might not Orion have been
trifling with her rival as he had already trifled with her? They must
have had a rapturous meeting in that room; every feature of the fair
beauty's saint-like face betrayed the fact. Oh, that Orion! She would
have liked to throttle him; and yet she was glad to think that there was
another besides herself--and she so elegant and lovely--whom he had
betrayed.

"He will stay!" Heliodora exclaimed as she came out of the room; and
Martina held out her hand to the young man, with a fervent: "God bless
you for that!"

She was delighted to see how happy her niece looked but the lively old
woman's eyes were everywhere at once, and when she caught sight of
Katharina who had stood still with curiosity, she turned to her with a
friendly nod and said to Orion:

"Your sister? Or the little niece of whom you used to speak?"

Orion called Katharina and introduced her to his guests, and the girl
explained what had brought her hither; in such a sweet and pathetic