Hardly had she succeeded in escaping trom it at the ball scarcely an hour ago, by a stroke of good fortune for which she now began to see she was indebted to Sybil, and here it was again presented to her face like a pistol.

The whole town, then, was asking it.
Ratcliffe's offer must have been seen by half Washington, and her reply was awaited by an immense audience, as though she were a political returning-board.

Her disgust was intense, and her first answer to Sybil was a quick inquiry: "Why do you ask such a question?
have you heard anything,--has anyone talked about it to you ?" "No!" replied Sybil; "but I must know; I can see for myself without being told, that Mr.Racliffe is trying to make you marry him.

I don't ask out of curiosity; this is something that concerns me nearly as much as it does you yourself.

Please tell me! don't treat me like a child any longer! let me know what you are thinking about! I am so tired of being left in the dark! You have no idea how much this thing weighs on me.