"Bromley Street," repeated Mr. Erle, turning back to the card as he finished the Eastbourne address, "no, this can't be meant for you," he was vexed he had even repeated the name, to make it thus the more familiar in her ears, "I'd only looked as far as going down to Eastbourne to-morrow, yes, I had better return it to her, there must be some mistake," and he folded it across, put it in his envelope, stuck it down decisively, and put it and his other letters in his pocket saying, "I'll post them as I go. Yes, Freda! leave off your fretting and fuming, I'm ready at last."

"First Mr. Carter's pottering in, and then your waiting for Dulcie. I hate unpunctuality, it's ten minutes to five now."

"And I hate being hurried such a hot day," said Isabel, "it makes one so untidy."

"It makes my hand shake too much to play well," chimed in Kathleen with her soft sweet smile, whereat her father slipped her arm in his and bade her not join the grumblers, "or stay, girls, and take the pony carriage if you like. Andrew, wait a minute."

'Oh, papa, 'Diamond' must be tired, we did come round by Burnt Ash," cried Dulcibella feeling for her old favourite's dismay at being stopped on his way to his well earned food and repose.

But Freda was in a perverse mood, and with no one more than her eldest sister. "Thank you, papa," she said quickly, "that will be nice; jump in, Isa; come, Kathleen," and they were off.

ઃઃ

'Good-bye, my dear, you are not coming of course?" Mr. Erle turned back to say, conscious that he should find a reflection of old Andrew's displeasure at Miss Freda's thoughtlessness, on her sister's face.

“Oh no, I could not go out any more to-day! I am tired as well as poor old Diamond."

Ah, my dear, I am sorry I have vexed you."

Oh, papa, don't shame me so, I cannot think why I am so cross, except, except-"

"What, my love?" they were quite alone within the hall, and he drew her kindly to him.

"Oh, it will vex you! but I can't, I can't forget."

"What? whom ?"

"Either Captain Rowcroft, or poor Arthur; I know one is dead, and the other as good as dead, to me at least; and then comes poor Mr. Macdonald, as if all one's life had not been lived out long ago,

and you don't seem to see how cruel it is to him to throw us together, or or even let us meet," she was almost sobbing on his shoulder.

'My dear, what a strange mood you are in, you are overtired, Sarah shall bring you some tea, come into the drawing-room;. has the man really proposed to you already? only since you started for Hereford I got his note asking permission to do so, it seemed even to myself premature, and I told him to be patient and bide his time."

66

'Oh, father! you thought I could think of him one minute ?" cried Dulcibella, drawing herself away from him in her pain.

"Why not? he's a good honest man and gentleman to boot, has private means, and zeal enough surely to satisfy even you, to my mind he's going on too fast with his services and cottage lectures, and schools and catechisings, and I don't know what all! What more do you want? Poor young Rowcroft's been dead these four years, why if I had let you engage yourself to him, you see he'd never have lived to return to marry you; I've always felt what a providence it was I'd not let you part even on probation; and yet you've fretted and fretted-"

"I have never complained," said Dulcibella, proudly, "and I will not begin now, when all complaints are useless, and perhaps because I did not complain then, I've lost all right to do so about Arthur. But—I have-a-heart, he was the only one left really dear to me." "Perverse ungrateful children that you both are!"

"Only let me know where he is! let me be able to think of him somewhere!" sobbed Dulcie.

"I wish I'd walked off with the girls! I thought you were above scenes, Dulcie."

"I don't want to make a scene! only somehow Aunt Elizabeth's coming seemed to upset me, and her going again so quickly to leave me so lonely."

"And I dare say you talked of the foolish fellow to her!"

“I did, a little, a very little; and I am afraid I was very hard on him, and blamed him for what I really know very little about."

And the less the better! Well! I must be off, I am sorry to leave you in such distress."

"Oh never mind, father, I'm used to it, only I've never before been so foolish as to show it. Only promise me one thing, if Arthur is ever in want of me, let me know in time to go to him at least."

"Why the child's demented! hasn't he a wife to look after him

Do you

now? Are wives so very fond of their husbands' sisters ? imagine I could have let you go out to nurse young Rowcroft even had you been engaged, and any one foreseen how long the poor lad would linger? Why, here's the carriage back again, and Sarah with some tea," he added, much relieved at the diversion, "We've let Miss Dulcie tire herself to death, going all over Hereford for us, Sarah; give her some tea, and make her lie down, for I mustn't wait another minute, or I shall lose the post after all. I don't know what's become of Miss Amy."

"Miss Amy's writing to Australia, sir, and asked me to take a cup up to her."

Dulcie drank her tea, and lay down, and closed her eyes thankfully : but could not so easily stop the throbbing in her heart and head. "How foolish I am," was her thought, "just like that poor little bird which Isa will keep, beating itself against its prison bars, and equally in vain. Why cannot I keep silence? have I ever gained one single point with my father? Never! and yet I must needs try again! Of course he does not remember it was this very day five years poor Frank Rowcroft came, that we parted like too dead things, I believe it killed him, that any hope, any-oh, why can't I let it all be? why did I name him to Aunt Elizabeth? why did she ever come? why did we talk of Arthur? why-" she suddenly sprang up to say aloud in a sudden conviction, "I see, I guess, Arthur lives in Bromley Street— she was going to see him! it would be just like her—she will let me know when he wants me;" and she rose and went to find the Postal Guide; and almost without thinking what she was doing, looked down the long list of Bs till she came to Bromley Street, E.; then she went up stairs thinking she would lie down and try to sleep, but as she entered her room, it struck her that her window looked east, and that Daniel had prayed three times a day with his face towards Jerusalem, for the love he bore it; she loved this unknown Bromley Street for Arthur's sake, and falling on her knees before her window, she prayed long-for him; for herself; even in her pity for one in a like trouble to her own, for the young Vicar of Burnt Ash.

When Amy came down from writing her long letter to Captain Lawson, she found her sister sitting working in the drawing-room; they had a pleasant, quiet, peaceful evening, Amy read out her two last letters from Australia, they had a consultation as to what time, as well as season it was then at Harra Squarra Harbour, within which

H.M. S. Nausicaa was at that moment probably lying; in what manner its Commander was then likely to be employing himself, and of many other Australian contingencies connected with this tedious Australian commission as well. Even Amy did not remember that Frank Rowcroft's farewell visit to her sister had been another Wednesday, June 16. nor could she trace any sign of reluctance in Dulcibella to talk ad infinitum of her own, in its way, trying enough separation and engagement: had she done so, she would have stopped her own "thinking aloud," at once.

It is very seldom you and I are ever alone now, Dulcie; it has been very nice, very pleasant, hasn't it?" she said affectionately, as, about dusk, the click of the garden gate was followed by the familiar cheerful chatter of young voices. "Well, papa, which side won ?"

Ask Freda. She doesn't look downcast, does she?"

"No, and just fancy-papa was so late, he could not join in the first game, and then wouldn't play, and I'd only that stupid Julius Denny in his place. We won, but it wasn't half the fun; and I am hungry, dreadfully hungry with only that afternoon tea. They put off dinner from eight to nine that we might have all the daylight possible.' "Well, you wouldn't go in to dinner, or let any of us stay for it," said Isabel, rather aggrieved.

"No, I'm not very fond of my Lady Wollaston and all that state. But you've got some supper for us, Dulcie ?”

Happily supper was all ready; there was a great clatter-talking, laughing, jesting, chaffing, some of which referred to past meetings with young Wollaston and Julius Denny, at an artist's studio in town, and were hardly intelligible to the elders. But when supper was over, the three young people suddenly collapsed; after all three hours of even lawn-tennis had been almost too fatiguing for after pleasure, and they soon said good night and went to bed. Amy followed their example directly prayers were over. Dulcie and her father were left last they often sat up a quiet hour after "the children" were all gone: it had, when Dulcie first began the practice on her mother's death three years ago, often been the crowning fatigue of her then always tiring days; but now she was quite used to it and liked it. To-night like a chidden child she felt a little shy this last quiet tête-à-tête hour, but she sat on working quietly, till, as eleven struck, Mr. Erle, by habit a punctual man, laid down his "Edinburgh"

and rose.

"Full time for all sober folk to be going to bed," he remarked, as usual also, "and you're tired body and mind, dear,—I'm afraid I was unnecessarily harsh, for you've always been a good, obedient child in deeds at any rate. I don't wish to give you Arthur's address, it would only be the stepping-stone to a fresh wish,-to write to it,-and then another, to go to it; but well! his mother's gone, you stand next in her place a man of my time of life may, for all this lawn-tennising and gallivanting about, drop any day; and lest this should be so, I will tell you how to find him,-your Aunt Elizabeth knows the direction."

"I think I am almost afraid, father, that I know it too-it seemed suddenly borne in on me, as some people would say, that it was Bromley Street"

"A little country town in Essex? Kent? Where did you think it ?" asked Mr. Erle, trying to laugh.

"I looked in the Postal Guide, feeling suddenly sure it was a London street after all; and that Aunt Elizabeth had really written those lines to him, and must have sent those intended for me to him." "Just like a woman if she did; to write the two addresses first. Absurd!"

"She says that she was writing in the dark, you see—what I think is, as you did not wish me to know the address, I ought not to have looked Bromley Street' out at all; at least, not without asking your leave."

My dear Dulcie, how you, at eight and twenty, strain at a gnat, whilst Freda (and with the greatest ease) can, at only eighteen, swallow a camel! Well!"

"But I do not even now know the number, nor will I try to find out," pursued Dulcibella, not quite seeing the relevance of her father's interruption, "Good night, I am sorry if I seemed undutiful—I—”

There, that will do: good night, my dear,—but if you would try to think a little more kindly of poor Macdonald, not only would he be a happier man, but even your old father too, and you a happier woman, I verily believe."

Dulcie only gently shook her head and withdrew.

“I'm afraid that High Church governess those three elder girls had made them far too ready to split straws for any very happy living in this work-a-day world," pondered Mr. Erle, as he turned down his lamp, “it was my Amabel's great wish, and yet―; well, better that