The Rector of St. Mark's

e times a day and dance every night till twelve. She was beginning to find that there was something to live for besides consulting one's own pleasure, and she meant t

pect Hill in peace, and so one morning in July she saw the family depart to their summer gayeties without a single feeling of regret that she was not of their number. She had too much on her hands to spend her time in regretting anything. There was the parish school to visit, and a class of children to hear-children who were no longer ragged, for Lucy's money had been poured out like water, till even Arthur had remonstrated with her and read her a long lecture on the

greatly improved, and Arthur always smiled gratefully upon her, and then walked back with her to Prospect Hill, where

le he never returned from an interview with Lucy that he did not contrast the two and sigh for the olden time, when Anna was his co-worker instead of pretty Lucy Harcourt. And yet there was about the latter a powerful fascination, which he found it hard to resist. It rested him just to look at her, she was so fresh, so bright, so beautiful, and then she flattered his self-love by the unbounded deference she paid to his opinions, studying all his tastes and bringing her own will into perfect subjection to his, until she scarcely could b

minister, gallyvantin' after her, as I must say you've been after this one for the last few weeks. She's a pretty little creature, and I don't blame you for liking her. It makes my old blood stir faster when she comes purring around me with her soft ways and winsome face, and so I don't wonder at you; but when you say you've no intentions, I blame you great

ture who seemed to have supplanted her; but he was over that now, and in all honesty of heart he spoke both for Lucy's interest and that of his clergyman. And Arthur listened to him

when he heard that she was sick. And so Lucy came to him, looking dangerously charming in her green riding-habit-with the scarlet feather sweeping from her hat. Very prettily she pouted, too, chiding him for his neglect, and asking why he had not been to see her,

s filling with tears as she saw the grave expression on his

ind his head, a position he always assumed when puzzled and perplexed, the rector looked at her a moment before he spoke. He could not define to himself the nature of the interest he took in Luc

do that, but she amused, and soothed, and rested him, and made his duties lighter by taking half of them upon herself. That she was more attached to him than he could wish, he greatly feared, for,

her so long. She was very beautiful this morning, and Arthur felt his heart beat rapidly as he looked at her, and thought most any man who had never known Anna Ruthven would be glad to gather that bright creature in his ow

are beginning to talk ab

very morning the old housekeeper at Prospect Hill had ventured to remonstrate with her for "running aft

ould learn to love the other very much, and the love was not reciprocated, harm would surely come of tha

t as she looked steadily at Arthur. Was he going to send her from him, send her back to the insipid life she had lived before she knew him? It was too te

hutting yourself up here among your books and studies to the neglect of other duties? But it need be so no longer. The n

nd her gauntlets. One of them had dropped upon the floor, between the table and th

rdly entangling his foot in her dress, so that when she rose she stumbled b

m completed the work of temptation, and he h

let me

let you go; I want

tful, pleading, wondering look, that Arthur saw, or thought he saw, his duty plain, and,

t for me to see you. Promise to be my wife, and not

f Anna, whose brown eyes seemed for an instant to look reproachfully upon that wooing. But Arthur

e the rector's wife, hiding her face in his bosom, and telling him brokenly how unworthy she was, how foolish and how unsu

ing," she said, and her white hand crept slowly into the

ge for the half-lifeless one he should render in return, the heart where scarcely a pulse of joy was beat

" he thought, pressing the warm fi

looking at him as if asking what he did. There was a strange spell about those ph

d not confess that you are not the first

her hand went quickly to her side, where the heart beats were so visib

marry her? Did you love her very

be a breach of confidence. She did not care to be my wi

e loved her, but Lucy for

young and

Arthur replied, his fingers softly parting back the go

hantom eyes haunting him so strangely. And Lucy, who took all things for granted, was more than content, only she wondered that he did not kiss her again, and wished she knew the girl who had come so near being in her place. But she respected hi

her drive round on purpose to look at the house on Madison Square where the future Mrs. Hastings was to live. But his coolness afterwards, and his comments on her frivolity had terribly angered her, making her think she hated him, as she had said to Anna. Now, however, as she remembered the drive and the house, she nestled closer

call me frivolous," Lucy said, as she arose to go; then suddenly turning to the rector, she added: "I

plied, "Of course not; one never forgets, but I don't care a pin for him now,

eport a piece of gossip, and continued: "She is a great belle, Fanny says-dressed beautifully and in perfect taste, besides talking as if she knew something, and thi

you never fell in love with Anna yourself. I am sure if I were you I should prefer her to me. She knows something and I do not, but I am going to stud

he would go before she indulged in any more spec

m not going to be jealous of that other love. There is only one person who could make me so, and that is Anna Ruthven; but I know it was not she, for that night we all came from Mrs. Hobbs'

's eyes as he returned to his study, and went over again, with all the incidents of Anna's refusal, even to the reading of the letter which he already knew by heart. Then, as the thought came over him that possibly Mrs. Meredith played him false i

cy to be my wife when my heart belonged to Anna. God help me to forget the one and love the other as I ought.

fter that first hour of anguish, burying it so far from sight that he went that night to Captain Humphreys and told of his engagement; then called upon his bride-elect, trying so hard to be sati

was how i