Poor little motherless girl!" said he, laying his other hand on her head, with the caressing gesture he had been accustomed to use when she had been a little child.

"Did you love him so very dearly, Nelly ?" he whispered, his cheek against her: "for somehow of late he has not seemed to me good enough for thee.

He has got an inkling that something has gone wrong, and he was very inquisitive--I may say he questioned me in a relentless kind of way." "Oh, papa, it was my doing, I'm afraid.

I said something long ago about possible disgrace." He pushed her away; he stood up, and looked at her with the eyes dilated, half in fear, half in fierceness, of an animal at bay; he did not heed that his abrupt movement had almost thrown her prostrate on the ground.
"You, Ellinor! You--you--" "Oh, darling father, listen!" said she, creeping to his knees, and clasping them with her hands.

"I said it, as if it were a possible case, of some one else--last August--but he immediately applied it, and asked me if it was over me the disgrace, or shame--I forget the words we used--hung; and what could I say ?" "Anything--anything to put him off the scent.