In the first place she spoke constantly of Lucia, and it scarcely needed a lover's fancy to enable him to perceive how in this time of trial she had been loving, helpful, wise even, beyond what seemed to belong to the sweet but wilful girl of his recollection.

He listened with new thoughts of her, and a love which had more of respect, as Bella described those bitter days of which Lucia had told her later, when neither mother nor daughter dared to believe in the innocence of the accused man, and when, the one for love, the other for obedience, they kept their secret safe in their trembling hearts, and tried to go in and out before the world as if they had no secret to keep.
"Lucia used to come to me every day.

I was ill, and her visits were my great pleasure; she came and talked or read to me, with her mind full all the while of that horrible idea." "She knew that it was her father ?" asked Maurice.

"I wonder Mrs.
Costello, after having kept the truth from Lucia so long, should have told her all just then." Bella looked at him inquiringly.
"She had told her before anything of this happened," she answered.

"I believe Lucia herself was the first to suspect that the prisoner was her father." "And how did they find out ?" "Mr.Strafford went and visited him." "Did you ever see him ?" "No.