520

tinued Mrs. Stelling, placidly counting her stitches between cevery pause. “ Dulcie? Oh, yes ! of course vou wouldn’t know her. She 1s Dulcie Challis, my nicee, and the Doctor’s ward, and she sails in the Aangaroo on the 138th, to join her uncle and aunt in Jamalea.”

I was afraid to be too mquisitive, and decided to wait as patiently as [ could for the further development of my httle romance, but I soundced my hostess cautiously as to the previous night ~whether the visitors had cnjoyed rest in themr extempore shake-downs, cte.,, and could glean nothing that mplied anything like the adventure o which T had so strangely shared. T therefore concluded that my fan friend had kept her counsely as I rehigiously kept mine.

When [ oentered the bhreakfast-room the next morning, my doubts and conjectures were dispelled. My herome and Dulere turned out to be, as | strongly suspected, one and the same. She was already seated at the table, and when Stelling introduced us,

THE STRAND

MAGAZINE.

sccond time in my life, through the looking- glass. |

She became pale now, and obviously il at case and constramed. The Doctor glanced curtously from one to the other, and rallied his ward on her absent-mindedness ;. and when, with manifest cffort, she became bright and talkative;, Towatched my opportunity for insiuating myscll mto the conversation, which T daresay I did clumsily enough.

It was wonderful, however, to notice how soon all restramt died awav. In hall an hour we were capital friends, and the rest, I think, T nced not tell you. 'The 18th came and went, and Dulcie did not sail the Aangaroo.

Stelling alwavs declares that he saw on this occastion, for the only time 1 his hife,

A genuine case of love at first sicht. * You couldn’t take your cves off her from the first, old fcllow! Don't tell me! /7 saw

vou plamly cnough peeping at her in the mirror. As for her,” he continues, conli- dentially, “as for her: Tve known that girl

CSTILLING INTRODUCED Us.”

a crimson flush spread itself slowly over her face. She bowed and smiled, of course, but [ noticed that she studiously avolded meeting my eye, and, pitying her embarrassment, 1 deliberately turned my back upon her, though I could not refrain from studying her, for the

all her Dife, and T tell you, sivy there was a look on her face when vou entered the room that I have never seen there before.”

Stelling 1s an observant, clever fellow, and I have no doubt whatever he s perfectly right.