ness to think I had betrayed my horror to Ah! Monsieur, tell me, I pray,

no one.

how it was that you found the child in the great city, where she must have been lost a thousand times but for the mercy of the Blessed Virgin !"

"Now," he said, "promise me never to utter a harsh word or a reproach to the poor child on the subject."

"I, Monsieur? Mon Dieu! I make reproaches to the little innocent! Do you take me for a barbarous one ?"

"On the contrary, I believe you to be all that is kind and tender. We will go to her now, and this afternoon I am coming up to see her. To-morrow, also, I have promised to remain in Rouen."

Marcelline looked at him for a moment doubtfully, but she had not courage to oppose, even by a word, this man whom she looked upon as a marvel of nobleness. and generosity. Then they went up the aisle together, and found Dolores, with her face still buried in her hands.

"Pauvre chou!" murmured Marcelline, her eyes filling with tears as she laid a kind hand on the child's shoulder. Then she took her gently by the arm saying, "Come home with me, my lamb."

Guy stooped down and whispered, "Go with her, dear. I will come and see you at four this afternoon."

Then Dolores took heart, and drying her tears, went away up the hill with Marcelline; and Guy stayed behind in the great church, feeling sore grieved and perplexed.

"Would to God I had never followed

her in here the first time !" he said to himself. "If I could only undo what I have unwittingly done, what would I not give !" It tortured him horribly to think of the tear-stained face and sobbing mouth; he who would not willingly have given pain to anyone or anything on earth. "She is only a child," he tried to comfort himself by saying; "she will soon forget." But he knew that in the nature of things it could not be yet awhile. A young beauty in the world of fashion may soon lose the heartache in a whirl of continual excitement, but this poor child, with no resources or amusements, leading a dull, monotonous life in this old town-what had she to do but nurse and foster her sorrow, until it grew into a burden too heavy for her poor, frail nature to bear?

As he stood leaning against the great column, he asked himself seriously whether

he was not in honour bound to marry the girl whom he had wronged, however unintentionally. She was a dear lovable thing. Then he remembered the misery he had seen amongst his friends from incongruous marriages, and how bitterly some of them had repented, and he felt it was impossible.

Presently he left the church, and wandered down among the old streets that had interested him so much only a week ago; the curious old market-place, the Rue des Arpents, the Rue Malpalue. Then, bethinking himself of his servant, he went down to the quay. Stevens was standing at the door talking to the landlord.

66

There is a room disengaged on the first floor, Sir Guy, if you like to have it," the discreet valet said, touching his hat.

Very well," Guy answered, "I shall probably stay until Monday morning, but you can go back to Paris. Tell Captain