"No, I was the only child (Florence gave a start when her old friend made this astounding assertion); there is an old branch of our family down in Devonishire though," said the Captain, after a pause, it might have been one those Drapers. I will tell you what I will do, Mr. Chalmers, I will write to Mr. Alfred Huntingdon and ask him."

'Thanks. It might save me a fruitless journey, for I had half made up my mind to go and see Mr. Fortescue again. He sails next week for Madeira, and I'm afraid, poor fellow, too late for that to do him much good."

"Ob, Mr. Chalmers," interrupted Flora, "you must not go before Friday; recollect it is the day for our great sleighing party at the White House' at Ebersholt. Please, do stop?" "You are very good, Miss Masterton, but I cannot promise." "We shall see you at the supper, Captain Draper," said Mrs. Schlagenweit.

"I will come with pleasure, and perhaps you will kindly allow Miss Florence to take me for a walk about the town?"

So Florence went to put on her warm wrapper, and she and the captain were soon outside the town walls, walking briskly along the level high road.

"It was beautifully managed, my dear Florence," said the Captain, and you have been the saving of my dear brother James."

and

"Oh, Captain Draper, you called him 'George Robert' before, you told Mr. Chalmers you were an only son." "My memory is awful! It was George Robert. other course, you see, but to say that I had no brother.

I had no

The fact is

I don't want Mr. Chalmers to take any further steps in the matter, and he won't now, I should say."

"What good could he do by going to England?"
"He might show the likenesses to Mr. Fortescue."

"What likenesses, in Heaven's name ?"

"The other day he asked me if I had any photographs of my father and of you, in order that he might let Mr. Fortescue see them."

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any?"

Florence, you don't mean to tell me that you showed him

"Yes, why not? I lent him a capital photograph of you, and a water colour drawing of my father, taken years ago, when he was quite a young man.'

"You did? Ho, you unfortunate girl! That man shan't go to England I will pick a quarrel with him and shoot him! Could we manage to keep him here next week? Somebody said this Mr. Fortescue sailed for Madeira on Friday. Miss Masterton asked him

to stop for a party here. I daresay she will ask him again; I will turn the conversation that way to-night, and you must ask him too, Florence."

"Oh, I could not do that, Captain Draper."

"You must, Florence; do you think I would ask you to beg the son of a schoolmaster to stay here to oblige you, if I had no reason for it? Florence, you can guess that I have told you a story which is not quite true. There are some stories too bad to tell, and this is one of them. Listen to me, if this young man shows those pictures to Mr. Fortescue, you will never have a day's peace of mind afterwards. Will you try and stop him?"

Florence looked hard at Captain Draper. All his jaunty manner was gone, his face was as white as a sheet, and he looked old and haggard.

"Yes, for your sake I will."

CHAPTER XXIII.

THE SLEIGHING PARTY.

AT supper Captain Draper announced his intention to stop a few days, in order that he might join the party to the "White House." He was the first to ask Mr. Chalmers to break his resolution to proceed to England. He only alluded to it in a casual manner, as if he had quite forgotten that Edward had any particular reason for leaving Eichelskamp just then.

The little spark which the cunning Captain laid was sufficient to fire the train, and a chorus of voices entreated the young man to stop.

Herr Schlagenweit said it was nonsense to hurry away, Mrs. Schlagenweit declared it to be unkind, and Flora Masterton's eyes asked plainly how he could have the heart to go?

His resolution, however, was still unbroken, when another gentle voice said, in a low tone

"Do stop, Mr. Chalmers!"

The voice was to others almost inaudible, but it sounded very loud to Edward Chalmers, and his heart gave a bound and his face flushed as he caught the words. But it was not to Florence he replied. He looked back at Flora Masterton, and said

"I am conquered; I will stay?"

Having once decided upon stopping, he devoted himself to the task of making the sleighing party a success. He resolved that all their intimate friends should join, and invitations were given in all directions-the biggest room in the "White House" at Ebersholt was engaged days beforehand, and the walls were decorated

with artificial flowers and rosettes of ivy, while the floor was waxed and polished for a dance. The village band was ordered to hold itself in readiness, and the cook of the "White House" surprised himself in the dishes which he prepared for the early supper which was to close the entertainment.

Edward Chalmers never acknowledged to himself why he took so much trouble, but Florence's request that he would stay was never out of his mind; it recurred perpetually, like the melody of a pretty song which has caught the fancy of a listener. He felt that he ought to have gone to England, but he had no power to go.

"I will give the likeness back to Miss Huntingdon," he said to himself," and let the matter rest. I might copy them!" he thought. "There can be no harm in that, and perhaps some day I can show them to Mr. Fortescue after all.”

He had a tolerable knowledge of photography, and he succeeded in taking very fair copies. The photograph of Mr. Geoffrey Huntingdon's likeness in water colours was, of course, not very successful. The features came out plainly enough, but the charm of the colouring was lost.

"Allow me to return the pictures you so kindly lent me," he said, to Florence. "I am not going to England, and may not see Mrs. Fortescue again."

Florence took them eagerly. She felt guilty and ashamed. She asked herself indignantly why she had joined in asking him to remain? Of all things in the world she wished him to go. He annoyed her and made her vexed with everything. She was always thinking about him, and she did not want to think about anybody. She had made up her mind over and over again to keep out of his way, and not to listen to his conversation, and to shut her ears when he sang; but she was always forgetting her resolu. tions, and then it always ended in her thinking about Alfred Huntingdon! She did not want to think about either of them, all she wanted was that Mr. Chalmers would go away, and she had been obliged to ask him to stop.

"Thank you, Mr. Chalmers," she said. "It is almost a pity you did not go.'

A pained look came into his face.

"It is too late now," he replied.

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Yes; I suppose so. I am rather glad you are not going for my own selfish reasons, for I cannot get on with the language, and I shall look to you to be interpreter.

"I shall be delighted to be of service, Miss Huntingdon. I am determined to make everything pass off well, and I shall have

nothing but compliments to interpret then. And now I must be off again, and see about collecting more sledges."

"I wonder," he said to himself, "how I can be such an awful fool? She is the one particular star I ought not to worship, and yet there is not another under Heaven that is worth it. As soon as this wretched picnic is over I will leave Eichelskamp, and never see it more until she has gone."

The day fixed for the sleighing excursion was all that it should have been. The air was cold and calm, and the snow was hard and slippery; the landscape was transformed by its covering of snow, and the mass of pure white was broken here and there by the slight black tracery of the branches of the linden trees, standing out against the background of the slatey skies, while here and there clumps of pines contrasted more strongly with the glittering whiteness of the fields. A neutral tint of greyish smoke rose here and there from the chimney of some peasant's cottage; but the only positive colour was in the face of the sun, which seemed to keep all the heat to warm himself with. Most of the party cared very little whether there was a sun or not. The very young ladies of Mrs. Schlagen weit's establishment did not, nor did the young gengentlemen of Doctor Weber's school, who were allowed to join the party. These young people were already acquainted, for they had been in the habit of meeting twice a week at Mrs. Schlagenweit's for the purpose of being instructed in the mysteries of dancing. It need hardly be said that they were all in love with each other. As a matter of course the dread presence of Doctor Weber and of Mrs. Schlagenweit had intensified the repressed emotions. A gentle hand-squeeze and a whisper had been possible now and then; but, alas, they had never been allowed to choose their own partners, and the "pic-nic" afforded a splendid opportunity for little Charlotte to explain to young Karl that she really hated Wilhelm, who some. how always was given over to her for a partner; and Wilhelm was equally anxious to explain to Fanny that if he flirted with Charlotte, it was only because he was for ever separated by the injudicious Mrs. Schlagen weit from her. Nor did the seniors of the party care much about the weather. When the heavens frown, what can mortals do but draw more closely together?

Lieutenant Eberstein certainly thought it a day to keep as near as possible to Miss Masterton; while Flora seemed particularly anxious about Mr. Chalmers, and wished him to share the warm rug provided by the anxious Lieutenant. Captain Draper took care of Florence; and Edward, as manager, had to devote himself to everybody at once. It was a glorious drive, and the party almost regretted their arrival at the White House. But only for a moment, for the happiness of excitement is best heightened by

violent contrasts. The lightning flash would soon cease to rouse us if it were not for the afterclap of thunder. No doubt the cold. outside the White House was most enjoyable, but what was it to the warmth inside? The fiery stove, the double windows, the heated atmosphere, the steaming coffee, the savoury cakes, and the blooming paper flowers, made up a new scene of bliss; and when the three fiddlers of Ebersdorf made their appearance, it was with a positive shudder that the revellers looked out of window at the frozen solitude where they had all been so happy a few minutes before.

The sad hour of parting came at last, and with a mournful shiver the guests emerged into the biting air. True love might have enabled the sufferers to be happy even after they were expelled from the Garden of Eden of the White House; but, alas, true

love is very rare. Long before they reached Eichelskamp little Charlotte had quarelled with Karl; and on the following Sunday when the young ladies and gentlemen met on their way to their different churches, Fanny positively made a grimace at the disgusted Wilhelm.

The last sledge to leave the White House was a large one with two horses, driven tandem-fashion by Dr. Schlagen weit. By his side sat Edward, and behind were Florence and Flora, Captain Draper, and Lieutenant Eberstein. Dr. Schlagenweit was rather a theoretical than a practical whip; he was a learned man and had opinions of his own as to the management of the chariots in the Olympic games; but as a general rule horses objected to his direction, and refused to obey his guidance. It was so now. Instead of proceeding in the way he was intended to go, the leader turned round and tried to look the shaft horse in the face, and the latter immediately backed into a snowdrift. Something cracked, but there was no time to see what it was, and the stableman having placed the horses with their noses in the right direction, gave an encouraging shout, and away they went, and Dr. Schlagen. weit explained to Edward the true principles of coachmanship. For a quarter of an hour all went well, but then the forepart of the sleigh gave way, and some of the harness and woodwork dangled about the horses' heels, and they set off iu a mad gallop. The unexpected jerk dragged the reins from the hands of the philosophic doctor, and before he had time to arrange his ideas, a sudden tilt sent him flying through the air.

"Sit still!" cried Edward; "there is no danger."

Florence grew pale, and Captain Draper tried to look as if danger was the natural element of an Englishman. Lieutenant Eberstein slipped his arm round Flora's waist, and Flora began to scream. It was in vain the gallant gentleman tried to soothe her.