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vestiges of summer-weeds, and through a dark approach, the carriage presently stopped before the entrance of the wide-fronted edifice. Geraldine longed to linger a few minutes on the steps to contemplate the scene before her, in which earth, ocean and sky seemed to rival each other in the marvellousness of their mysterious beauty, but Lady Ida begged her to come in immediately, as the wind was keen and chilling.

Geraldine was very soon quite at home at Deanbar; Lady Ida Illford was genuinely, unostentatiously kind, and less abrupt in her manner to her than to any one else. Mr. Illford was extremely courteous and agreeable -so far as a monotony of pleasantness can be agreeable; he was one of those individuals, whose whole lore can be gathered, whose whole history read in a day; no cares

had enviously marred the smoothness of his brow, no melancholy brooded in the diaphanous depths of his light grey eyes, no silver streaks in his dark brown hair told of grief, disappointment, or physical suffering. No voiceless meanings lurked in his frequent smile, no mysterious designs lay silent beneath the musical play of his careless tones; the topics of his discourse were unilluminated by the levin-gleam of wit, or the quieter, richer glow of unobtrusive humour. Destitute of originality, he simply reflected the opinions and principles of others; having immense faith in the combined wisdom of his wife and elder brother, Sir Frederick Illford, who often came over from Illford Manor, about three miles distant from Deanbar, and who was consulted in little and great matters.

Illford Manor, the

paternal mansion, with its contiguous acres, thus having, of course, descended to the eldest son, Mr. Illford had owed the possession of his own far more splendid estate, to the sternly-intolerant spirit of the late Earl of Derrington, his father-in-law, who, deeming that the old family faith and politics should be religiously adopted by each successive heir to the ancient title and ancestral property, was doubly incensed when his only son forsook the church of his forefathers and their political creed. And to punish him as far as lay in his power, he bequeathed the rich domain of Deanbar, which was unentailed, to his daughter Ida.

Not many days had elapsed before a marked improvement was discernible in Geraldine's appearance. The deadly pallor, and lustreless eyes, which, in the mornings

at Loder House, had, as reflected in her startled Geraldine herself,

mirror, often

appearing like a death-reflection from the tomb; and the vivid, brilliant suffusion of her cheeks, the unnatural brightness of her glance, which in the evening hours had invested her countenance with a strange, mysterious beauty, mournfully glowing as the autumn splendour of the changeful earth, had both departed, and in their place was a healthy, unfluctuating, soft, clear hue. Was it the breath of the old ocean that strengthened her constitution, and cooled her fevered brows, or the subtile, fragrant, nectarean draught of hope that Lady Ida had administered; or had Sir Arthur's evil spells tortured and paralyzed her soul with incubus, which the genial spirits of a remote haunt had dispelled with their counter-spells? Sir

Frederick, as he came nearly every day,

marvelled at the change, and as he marMr. Illford thought it

velled, admired. perfectly natural and proper that people should recover rapidly at Deanbar, and therefore did not wonder; and Lady Ida was delighted, and felt so confident that Mr. Assulton, through some mesmeric influence, would infallibly discover that his presence was desired at Deanbar, that his sudden appearance, so far from startling her, would have seemed perfectly accordant with

reason.

Frequently the post brought letters to Geraldine from Miss Loder, full of delicate flattery and artful insinuations: whispering now that her brother was suffering in his health from over application consequent upon his unremitting, conscientious attention to

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