INGATH'S VOOER. 335 



arid the decaying process is so very gradual as to be 

 imperceptible ; therefore Miss Ingath's changed appear- 

 ance was widely commented upon. 



If there had been the shadow of a suspicion that any 

 man had been her suitor, folks would naturally have 

 imputed her altered looks to a love disappointment ; 

 but her attitude towards every gentleman of her 

 acquaintance was exactly what it had been always, so 

 that there was no ground for supposing that any cause 

 beyond the carking cares of poverty had aged Miss 

 Ingath so soon and so markedly. 



Not even her sister knew of an episode in Miss 

 Ingath's life which would have been delicious food for 

 the gossips if they had but dreamed of its occurrence. 

 Whether that incident had affected her or not you 

 may judge for yourselves, only I must expressly tell 

 you that Miss Ingath was never in love during all her 

 life. 



There had been a sort of steward at Orgert in more 

 prosperous times, and his wife had been nurse to both 

 Ingath and Osla. 



When the worthy couple's services were no longer 

 required by the fallen house, they still continued to 

 consider themselves bound to serve the indigent orphan 

 girls ; and when the factor and his wife were dead, 

 their children kept up the old bond of fosterhood, and 

 persisted in working for Ingath and Osla without 

 dreaming of remuneration. 



Of course the sisters would not permit such services 

 to go unrewarded by anything more substantial than 



