course, she should tell Frank all about it by and by, when her friend had relieved her from her solemn promise of secrecy. The best part of everything, after all, was the telling Frank. She might be a little frightened at first, because perhaps he would think she ought not to have taken the note even for such a purpose, and even when it would be returned so soon; but she did not suppose he would think about this much, and she should soon coax him out of thinking about it at all.

Lettice took her solitary breakfast, wondering how soon the news of Diana Hope's elopement would be spread through the place, and from whom she should first hear it; probably from Kitty, to whom it would come through Pat when the first customers had visited the shop. But when Kitty entered the room to announce Mrs. Donolly, she did not for a moment doubt that the time had arrived that all her self-command and readiness would be called into play, and that Mrs. Donolly was paying her a visit at this early hour for the sake of communicating a very startling piece of scandal. She remembered how very many morning visits her aunt and her aunt's friends had made for similar purposes.

She laid aside the sock she had true wifely pleasure in darning for Frank during his absence, and, opening an album, hastily began turning over

the leaves, for she thought it was a very genteel

thing to be found looking at a book of pictures so early in the day.

'Just as if I had nothing whatever to do, like a real lady,' said Lettice.

AM an early visitor; not too early, I hope?' said Mrs. Donolly. 'I came to inquire after your headache.'

'Thanks,' drawled Lettice with a fine-lady air of patronage; I am always glad to see you, you know.' She thought she had a right to be patronizing. Was she not the confidential chosen friend of the girl whose father bought his common sherry of this woman's husband?

'And I hope your headache is better?'

'Oh, it was nothing; one is not always inclined to go out, you know.'

Mrs. Donolly winced a little at that, and said she hoped Mr. Tippington had told her how much pleased he had been with what he saw in the microscope.

'Anything but frogs?' drawled Lettice, closing her eyes, as if doing so helped the words to drop out of her mouth.

'Oh yes, plenty of other things,' was the goodhumoured answer. 'I hope we shall convert you to the wonders of the microscope some day, by showing them to you. Now, I am sure Mr. Tippington told you a great deal; he was quite excited.'

'Thanks. How good of you! But I did not hear a word from Frank; and he is gone away. He was obliged to leave me; he had a telegram; his father is ill.'

'His father! Oh, I am so sorry! The good old man! How grieved Brian will be!'

'Frank said he would be back to dinner. I do hope his father will recover: death is so shocking; and I can't think what I will do if Frank is unhappy.'

'You would be his best consoler,' replied Mrs. Donolly, smiling kindly at her.

'I never consoled any one. I never was with any one at all who wanted it. I'm thinking that I will not know one little bit what to do or say.'

Lettice was natural now, for she was interested, as she always was about anything that concerned her husband.

'It's easy,' said Mrs. Donolly; 'it's just thinking only of him, and not of yourself at all.'

Is it?' cried Lettice, surprised.

'It is; and so you'll find you're doing it and you not knowing.'

'It may be so,' said Lettice; 'but it's not easy, anyway, not to be thinking of yourself at all.'

'You would find it so when your husband wanted comfort,' replied the other again, smiling at her very kindly.

Lettice's eyes met hers, and a sweet responsive smile broke over her fair young face.

'I'm not good enough for him at all,' she said, 'but sometimes I think I will be. It is to give up my own fancies for his. We do not always think alike, you know, Mrs. Donolly; and now he is away from me, I'm sorry for it.'

'You will think more and more like him,' replied Mrs. Donolly with gentle eagerness. 'He is so good and sensible. My husband has such a high opinion of him; he is so steady, and was so well brought up. His mother'

Oh, mercy, Mrs. Donolly,' was the reply as Lettice relapsed into her affectation; 'don't bring his mother over me, if you please. I'm tired of her entirely. Sure it's the married men have no right to have mothers, I'm thinking.'

'I wonder what his mother will do if it pleases God to take her husband?' replied Mrs. Donolly gravely. 'She would be too lonely at the farm. When old Mr. Tippington was so ill before, Frank