bdued light from a Queen's reading-lamp, and from the glowing embers of a half burned-out fire, were very pleasant. Uncle Jasper was leaning back in an armchair, but Charlotte stood

and during its whole recital her uncle had sat motion

nestly hoped that its existence might turn out a myth-that the phantom so suddenly conjured up might depart

Uncle J

. And now he roused himself

ry true, Un

otte, that my father and you

, un

er of that marriage. When I saw her in this room to-day I was p

then she stopped. There was a whol

ver he came into this room Charlotte had occupied this footstool, and he wanted

xcited-greatly excited. This look

has committed the

Harman lit a pair of candles

sper, if I had so near a relation living all these years why was I never told of it? I have over and over again longed for a

, my dear; so human, and-and-womanly. You jump to conclusions without hearin

airs of all sizes and descriptions, but she chose one hard and made of cane, and she sat upright upo

ile scarcely an old man. He made us over the entire business he had made, taking, however, from it, for his own private use, a large sum of money. On the interest of this money he would live, promising, however, to return it to us at his death. The money taken out of the business rather crippled us, and we begged of him to allow us to pay him the interest, and to let the capital remain at our disposal; but he wished to be completely his own master, and he bought a place in Hertfordshire out of part of the money. It was a year or two

I won't repeat what we all said, my dear, or how bitter John and I felt when we rode away

oney difference to you two fellows,

st," said Charlotte, but nevertheless

ter the birth of this child, the news reached us, that a lawyer had been summoned down to the manor-house in Hertfordshire. We supposed that our father was making provision for the ch

ad always been his favorite. On his deathbed he seemed to have returned to the old times, when John was a little fellow. He liked to have him by his side; in short, he could not bear to have him out of hi

aby girl were left totally unprovided for. We were amazed! We thought it unjust. We instantly reso

but you shut her out, her and her child, from

e; but he was remaining at home. He was not very long married. You don't remember your mother, Charlotte. Ah! what a fine young creature she was, but proud-proud of her high birth-of a thousand things. It would have

ion now of her favorite easy-chair. "But I like Charlotte Home," she said after a pause. "She is-whatever her mother may have been-quite a lady. I think it is hard that when she is so nearly related to me she should be so poor and I so rich. I will speak to my

k expression which for a moment passed over Jasper Harman's face

or you would not speak of three thousand pounds in a manner so light as almost to take one's breath away. But suppose-suppose the money could be given, there is ano

rlotte, opening her

the doctors have forbidden hi

but I did not hear this; and why-why

r. "I am glad you came with this tale to me-it would have done your father harm. The doctors hope soon to make him much better, but at present he must hear nothing

not to injure my father, b

think over your tale, but now I mus

I would rathe

, for in an hour I am off to

soft and catlike were the footsteps of t