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Thus it befell that Edith Harnham found herself in the strange position of having to correspond, under no supervision by the real woman, with a man not her husband, in terme which were virtually those of a wife, concerning a condition that was not Edith’s at all; the man being one for whom, mainly through the sympathies involved in playing this part, she secretly cherished a predilection, enbtle and imaginative truly, but strong and absorbing. She opened each letter, read it as if intended for herself, and replied from the promptings of her own heart and no other.

Throughout this correspondence, carried on in the! girl’s absence, the high-strung Edith Harnham lived in the eestasy of fancy; the vicarious intimacy engendered euch a flow of passionateness as was never exceeded. For conscience’ sake Edith at first sent on each of his letters to Anna, and even rough copies of her replies ; but later on these so-called copies were much abridged, and many letters on both sidea were not sent on at all,

Though selfish, and, superficially at least, infested with the self-indulgent vices of artificial society, there was a substratum of honesty and fairness in Raye’s character. He had really a tender regard for the country girl, and it grew more tender than ever when he found her apparently capable of expressing the deep-eat sensibilities in the simplest words. He meditated, be wavered; and finally resolved to consult his sister, a maiden lady much older than himeelf, of lively sympathies and good intent. In making thie confidence he showed her some of the letters,

“She seems fairly educated,” Miss Raye observed, “and bright in ideas. She expresses herself with a taste that must be innate.”

“Yes, She writes very prettily, doean’t she, thanks to these elementary schools,”