cuick had done lived after him in his son's mind; and even when that load of infamous debt was off his shoulders, the young man was still bowed down by the recollection of it. "How can she look at me, except with loathing," said he to himself, "whose father robbed her father, being dead?"›

'But why was he silent?' inquired Nelly gravely. Did he think of me so ill as to imagine that a quarrel about money between our fathers would have parted me from him? Why was he not frank with me? What right had he to send me that huge sum without a line of kindness? One gracious word would have outweighed it all.' .

'Oh, Nelly, do not steel your heart against this lad. He loves you dearly, and I think-I think my darling returns his love. Believe me, he is worthy of it. But for his generosity of soul you would never have called me father. We foresaw your scruples, should you come to hear my story, and I was content to leave it all untold, rather than risk its separating you from Raymond. But he who loves you, and has ever loved, and looks upon you as the dearest treasure earth possesses, refused the sacrifice. "You shall not die," he said, "a stranger to your child." You despise the wealth with which he would have loaded you; but let this gift of his--myself (since it seems you value it)—have weight with you, and plead his cause.'

'Oh, father,' faltered the young girl, there is no need-if I were sure-but it was months ago since Raymond sought my love, and I withheld it; and it well may be since then (though you think otherwise)-

Tut, tut, my girl,' interrupted the old man, drumming on the table with his fingers, no fear but that I read his heart aright. Would he have left England, think you, to go none knows whither, had another taken your place in his affections?"

'What! has he left England?' exclaimed she, the colour fading from her cheeks. Oh, not, I trust, to wander aimless as his father did?'

'That depends on you, dear Nelly,' said a soft voice behind her. It was Raymond's voice, who, at her father's signal, had stepped opportunely from the inner room where he had been in waiting all along. Without your love all countries are alike to me, and in none shall I find a home.'

6

His blue eyes gazed upon her with earnest wistfulness, but in an instant their expression changed to tender triumph; he was clasping his darling to his breast.

Dear Ray, I have always loved you,' was her passionate cry, as she threw herself into his arms,

CHAPTER LI.

UNITED.

No veteran lags more superfluous on the stage than do lovers, whose course of love is run, in the pages of fiction. But it must be acknowledged that there were exceptional obstacles to be surmounted in the case of Raymond and Nelly notwithstanding that they had plighted troth. To acknowledge one's parents has

before now been found, by persons moving in good society, as difficult a matter as for others to acknowledge their offspring; and the existence of Captain Arthur Conway was a fact the publication of which was likely to be fraught with much more than inconvenience both to himself and other people. For Raymond's sake, or rather for the sake of smoothing for him his way to Nelly's heart, he had to his own daughter pictured his conduct in a way that did him great injustice. He had allowed her to imagine that he had committed the act which had made Pennicuick's life forfeit to Chinese justice; and he had actually borne false witness against himself on the subject of the money owed to him, which, though in one sense a debt of honour, was by no means a gambling debt such as Nelly understood it to be. In thus lowering himself in his daughter's eyes (albeit for her own advantage), and trusting to her loving charity to rectify what seemed to have been amiss in him, instead of standing on his moral rights, it will be conceded that Arthur Conway had done enough in the way of self-sacrifice. He was not bound to stand in the pillory for the world at large to jeer at. He did not regret his generosity; perhaps he felt that he was atoning by it for the rancour with which he had avenged his wrongs, and which had found vent on the hustings at Slowcombe (for it was he, of course, who had contrived the advertisement about Dhulang) and in the columns of the daily press; but he felt that it had gone far enough. As for personal recognition, except at Nelly's hands, he cared nothing for it. In England he had no friends; and his time was getting far too short to make them. What, then, was to be done, which, while on the one hand, it should give him the companionship of his daughter, should yet not compel him to tell the story he had told to her to the world at large? He could scarcely pass even the brief remainder of his days-for he had told truth in saying they were numbered-under the same roof with her as Mr. Pearson, and yet he felt it would be beyond his powers, having once acknowledged her, having felt those loving arms about him for whose embrace he had yearned for years, to become again, even to others' eyes, a stranger to her.

As often happens, this serious difficulty was surmounted through the pursuance of the path of duty, though it did not seem to lead in the direction of any such relief.

Nelly, even as matters were, conceived that the chief objection to the disclosure lay in the slur that the facts would cast upon Ralph Pennicuick's memory, and in that view was as strongly adverse to it as the other two possessors of the secret; but in Mrs. Wardlaw's case she knew that nothing that could come to light respecting this unhappy man would make that lady's opinion of him worse than it was already, while she did feel that she owed nothing less to her fond and faithful friend than a frank explanation of her position.

6

'I think, dear father,' said she, while the subject was under discussion, if you have no vital objection, that an exception should be made in the matter of our secret with respect to Mrs. Wardlaw. Her affection, nay, her devotion, to me has been such as to make me ashamed not only of my own unworthiness of it, but even of the step I took in leaving her to gain my own living; it was my duty, as you know, but, though I felt it to be such, I also felt that in so doing, contrary to her vehement entreaties, I was making a poor return for her unexampled kindness. If I conceal my present happiness from her, I shall be depriving her of happiness also, for she loves me-almost' (here she cast a tender look at her father) as though I were her own child.'

6

Conway shook his head, not in absolute negation, but grave doubt; he was a proud man-far prouder, indeed, than Ralph Pennicuick (who passed for proud) had ever been. The hard and selfish man is never proud except in the vulgarest sense; there is always a point with him where self-interest will outweigh a degradation. Conway, who had stooped to revenge (for another's sake), possessed a nature otherwise incapable of baseness: he was very sensitive as to his own honour; he had had a far harder struggle to represent himself as he had done to his daughter than to sacrifice his life for her at Dhulang; and it was a bitter thought to him that another woman-and a good one too-should have cause to think ill of him.

Another counsel, however, followed on the same side.

If any words of mine, Captain Conway, may weigh with you,' said Raymond earnestly, I beseech you to give ear to Nelly's request. I scarcely think that even she herself is conscious of the love that Mrs. Wardlaw bears to her. My testimony may be

considered independent,' added he, since I have good reason to believe that it is no fault of that lady's that my darling here is not ow Mrs. Herbert Milburn,'

'Independent, sir! not a bit of it,' answered Conway, smiling. • Whatever this girl says-God bless her! I believe you are prepared to swear to. Well'-this with a little sigh-let it be as you please.'

Thus it came about that the very next morning Nelly presented herself at Coromandel Lodge. It was the first time she had seen its mistress since she had left the hotel at Sandy beach; not that Mrs. Wardlaw nourished any anger against her, but the good lady hoped that, if she kept aloof, solitude and discomfort would be her best assistants to drive her darling back the sooner to her friendly arms.

'Ah, you are coming back to us, my darling; I see it in your pretty eyes,' was her welcome; you could never dare to smile like that if you meant to be as obstinate as ever.'

Then Nelly told her, in brief terms, what was the reason of her having such a happy face: how in Mr. Pearson she had found the father she had so long mourned as dead. Then she went on to say that to none but to so dear and tried a friend as she to whom she spoke would she have confided this, since the disclosure of it would reflect upon Ralph Pennicuick's memory.

'That wouldn't hurt it much,' returned Mrs. Wardlaw drily, for she was one of those 'good haters' who, while allowing the force of the de mortuis nil nisi bonum argument, still think with the poet that truth should be spoken in any case :

Rien jusqu'ici poursuivre une mémoire ;
Rien-excepté la vérité.

'But at least you should consider Raymond, Mrs. Wardlaw.'

To be sure, my dear; I have forgotten him: although I must say that the lad has sadly disappointed me. I thought that, when his father was dead, the lad would not have lost a moment--' 'Dear Mrs. Wardlaw,' put in Nelly quietly, I have promised to be his wife.'

6

'You, darling!' cried the old lady rapturously, and embraced her on the spot. Whatever shall I get you good enough for your marriage present! Oh, when is it to be?'

Alas, dear Mrs. Wardlaw, my father is in a very critical state of health. I am thinking of nothing but him at present.'

Then let him come down here at once, and be nursed,' was the other's prompt reply. Richmond air is better than London smoke. We have room for half-a-dozen such patients: and I am so fond of him—though I did think him queer—already, you know; but, Nelly, I must tell John.'

'Of course you must, dear Mrs. Wardlaw. husband's discretion is to be relied upon.'

I know your

'Yes, indeed, I wish it wasn't: I mean, I wish he would talk

things over a little more. I think his going to all those auctions makes him reticent; he seems to be afraid of opening his mouth lest he should be knocked down for something without intending it. But I'll manage him, you may rely upon it.'

That very evening she made her approaches, and carried the citadel-her point-though under very disadvantageous circumstances. Mr. Wardlaw had met with a misfortune at a wine sale: he had gone to buy claret, but had tasted some hock which pleased his palate, and had bidden 35s. for it. When it was knocked down to him, he found it was being sold by the bottle and not by the dozen. No wonder he had liked the wine, but he didn't like the price.

It required, therefore, some considerable dexterity on the part of his wife to bring him into his natural condition of mindwhich was one, as we know, of the most unbounded hospitality.

When this was attained Mrs. Wardlaw told him Nelly's story, and the difficulty that had arisen of bringing father and daughter under the same roof.

'He must be disposed of by private contract,' said Mr. Wardlaw thoughtfully.

of

'What on earth do you mean, John? how can you be thinking your auction sales on such an occasion as this?'

'I mean, there can be no public competition for the pleasure of his presence, my dear; why shouldn't he come here, to Coromandel Lodge? His daughter will come, of course, to nurse him; only we will give out that she has come back to us, as we always wished her to do, and that we have arranged for her having a resident tutor. Yes, that will be a capital plan.'

He did not seem to think there was the least generosity or benevolence in the arrangement; but only that it was a convenient one for all parties.

'John,' said Mrs. Wardlaw, with quiet pride, 'you are a duck:' and she kissed him.

So it came about that Arthur Conway was received at Coromandel Lodge with a welcome with which few sick guests-except very rich ones-are received anywhere; and all out of love and kindness. For Nelly to talk of obligation was, as she protested, ridiculous, since she owed more than a lifetime could repay to these good friends already.

Then why do you talk of it, my dear?' said Mr. Wardlaw logically. And he forbade the least allusion to it upon Captain Conway's part as being exciting, and therefore prejudicial to the patient's health.

I can only say,' said the sick man with tears in his eyes, 'that it seems to me, so far as Nelly is concerned, I might just as