HIS L7770 GIRL

Afterwards Ellinor lay with her head rest- ing against Mrs. Montresor’s knee, gazing up through the trellis work of green to the blue depths beyond. She dreamed peaccetully a vague, fanciful dream, half pleasant retro-

spection, half anticipation. She felt that her morning’s encounter had broken the isolation of her life. Strange that it should

happen upon this day, of all others; for its close was to reveal to her her one near link with her kind —the unknown father who yet had shaped her destiny. Miss Rawdon was distinctly an heiress, the sum ot her expece- tations had been \agua.ly hinted at as ncarly hall a million. She had stepped from her school life to this glorious independence 5 to be mistress of I 11holt “the place in Hamp- shirc 7 bought and up for her reeeption. And the royal giver of all this was her father, known only through letters dclivered to her through the medium of Miss Lake.

Her school days had been watched over vicariously by Messrs. Ridgway and Smithson, solicitors; but now, he was (()mnw—th(* l)un'f who should crown s o1fts with his presence.

She had often pie tured him. Tl shoe fancied him, with hair turning mwon grey ; perhaps a little stoop ; tired from the years in which he had amassed the wealth which he was coming to share with his little girl. That was the name he gave her m his letters. Short letters they had been, ex- plaining little, but often repeating his dunp that she should fully qualily hersell for the position it would be hers to fill—~teling her that all the hopes and desires of the writer's heart were centred upon s little girl, and that he was always “ her allectionate flthu Matthew Rawdon.”

‘T'o-day her drecams were clearer than ever. They scemed a very foreshadowing of - his presence. It was the restlessness of expecta- tion which had drawn her to persuade Mrs, Montresor to come out to spend these last hours n the open ficlds,

It was nearly five o’clock when they started on thcir homeward drive. On reaching I9r- holt they were met by the housckeeper with the news that dMr. Rawdon had already arrived---two hours before his time. Ellinor waited for no comment, she flew up the steps, and across the hall, to the small drawing-room where, told, he o was awaiting her.

she was

An older woman would have paused - tried to prepare hersclf for the mecting--1dlinmor thought only of the end of suspensce. She

threw open the door. He had seen the carriage drive up, heard

the toill of

ON, TTORKIZD OUT.

tD ~1 —

her coming ;3 he was standing 1n the middle of the room awaiting her.

“ Father 17 then she stopped short.

Was this he — this her father? There must be some mistake. A small man stood there. His right hand held the wrist of his left, as if sukmg support even from himself. One foot shuffled nervously over the other. Iis clothes hung loosely, and set badly. He was sparc and thin ; his scant hair was iron- (ru:y and stubbly, inclined to stand upright ; his beard was stubbly also, and apparently of receent growth. Above all) he did not look a gentleman. He came forward and spoke. His voice was a redeeming point ; 1t was soft and musical—coming from such a man, 1t was a surprise. So were his eyes, when he lifted them as he drew near. ILl.b1tuall} they were downceast. He came, leaving the custody of his own wrist, and rubbing his hands together.

“Is this,” he saad,

She lifted her head and blushed. for him, or for her thoughts of him ?

“Yes, father, I am sllinor.”

He leant forward and kissed her brow— he had no oceasion to stoop. As he did so, his eyes met hers.e She saw them, wistful, pleading, as though asking forgiveness for she knew not what, perhaps for his presence. Her heart reproached her; cverything was his, even herself. It was a relhief when Mrs. Montresor came . If she felt surprise, she was too clever to show it, and her somewhat cffusive greeting gave Ellinor time to recover

15 this my hittle girl 2”7 Was 1t

herself. She gave her father his tea; he begeed her to. His face it up at every

He fresh-

small office she performed for him. watched hery he gloated over her, her ness, her sxwutnus her beauty.

“My little girly” he said to himsclf, morce than once, hugging his own wrist.

Mrs. Montresor saw the straied look upon the girl’'s face, the trembling of her

hands among the tea-cups. As soon as the function was over, she proposed to conduct Mr. Rawdon over his own housec.

““Messrs. Ridgway and Smithson were so good as to consult me about the arrange- ments,” she said. 1 hope they will meet with your approval.”

“Sure to do that, ma’am —sure to do that,” he answered. “Llhinor, dear,” said Mrs. Montresor,

‘vou look tired. Had you not better go and take your hat off 7 Meet us in the long callery. We will wait for you there.” Ellinor was thankful for the respite, for the chance of solitude. In safety within her