aaies 
long; an’ it ’pears if Mass’r Edgar couldn’t see noffin 
through his specs but print. Ef he do be hearty, 
toder folks only pick and mince like robins. Ear’s 
dat. new young lady, Miss Jinny, dey call her, bress 
your heart alive-■” 
“ That new young lady,” repeated the old man, 
shrilly, after one of his convulsive barks, “that for¬ 
eign girl Winnie has taken such an insane fancy for. 
I have to thank my foolish, hair-brained nephew, 
Bradley Halcourt, for fastening her upon my back. 
What of her, Nanna ?” 
“ ’Pears she’s dat small in her eating,” returned 
Nanna, closing her eyes to represent the vanishing point 
of an appetite, “ dat de keep (Jr a sparrow would cost 
more ; and roun’ de house she’s still as a little mouse.” 
“ Fiddle fiddle!” piped the old Judge, “ she is an¬ 
other mouth to feed, and it has occurred to me if she 
can write a plain, legible hand, that I might train her 
in the duties of secretary, and let Edgar go.” 
“ But it ’pears d.it Mass’r Bradley ’gaged lier to 
teach little Missy planner music, and dem forrin 
tongues,” said Nanna, with a dismayed lace. 
“ E nit meddle with what does not concern you,” 
snapped the old Judge. He would bear more from 
the old negress than from any one but his daughter 
Winnifred, the only creature he loved. “ Go and tell 
Miss Virginia 1 desire to see her here in my room.” 
“ Shall I speak to Mass’r Edgar f” 
“ No ; I do not require his services this morning.” 
Nanna went out reluctantly, looking much discom¬ 
posed, and closed the door behind her. At the same 
instant, Mrs. Braithwaite issued from her chamber. 
She was a large, heavy woman, lame in one knee, and 
with a slight halt in consequence. Her countenance 
had the waxen pallor of settled ill-health, and her 
pale, watery, blue eyes were dead and lifeless. She 
spent her life on the bed, or in an easy chair in her 
own chamber, adjoining the Judge’s study. The old 
man liked to have her within reach, as a target for his 
sarcasms, which she received as a soft pincushion re¬ 
ceives pins. If she was wounded, her dull, vacant face 
seld i 11 gave signs of discomposure. 
N i\v, as she came hastily out and closed the door, 
halting forward as rapidly as her lameness would al¬ 
low, she looked unusually Harried and awake. 
“ Nanna,” said she, in a deep, inward whisper, as 
she unclosed her hand furtively, and displayed a piece 
of silver, “ its fast day and I must have some fish. 
Send Steenie d >wn to Pete Finsfer, and see if he has 
caught a pickerel. And shut all the doors when you 
are broiling it, Narnia, lie has such a sharp nose.” 
The old negress eyed the silver suspiciously without 
touching it. 
“ I took it out of his pocket, I don’t deny it,” said 
her mistress,' abjectly. “ You know, Nanna, I can’t 
help it. Ho has got such a strong will, I never could 
resist,, for I love peace and quiet. And Winnifred is 
just like him. They all oppose me, they all brow¬ 
beat me, and keep me down. I shall confess it to the 
priest, the next time he comes.” 
“ ’Pears like ’taint right to do things underhand, 
Miss Susan,” said Nanna, looking at her with her 
honest old face of disapproval. “ Wasn’t you burned 
into enuf, Miss Susan, and didn’t de ole place by 
rights b’loiig to you, and didn’t I tote ye and miss ye 
when you was a pickiuinuy, Miss Susan, and hasn’t I 
a right to speak ? ” 
“Yes, Nanna,” groaned the poor woman, “the 
Hall was mine, it came to me by inheritance, with all 
the farms that belonged to the old manor. I was 
called an heiress in my day, and so was iny mother 
before me, in those times when your mother was a 
slave. But I married the-Judge, and then everything 
went out of my hands, I don’t know just how. He 
had a strong will, and rode everywhere rough shod,” 
and with a feeble sigh, “ I always did love peace; but 
its hard to think how once I had my own fortune, and 
now I can’t get the necessaries of life.” 
“ Little.Miss will never let nobody saddle and bridle 
her,” returned Nanna, with a peculiar twist of her 
broad shoulders, indicative of impatience. 
“ She’s her father’s child,” returned Mrs. Braith- 
waite, out of the abyss of her nervelessness and weak 
spirits. “ And Nanna, when he is gone, I’ve a feel¬ 
ing that Winnie will rule me in the same way.” 
“ T’ings would have gone a powerful sight better, 
if dem priests hadn’t been let into ,de house,” said 
Nanna, discharging this Parthian arrow as she turned 
to go down the broad oaken staircase that led into the 
tonal iluEinet tmi3 SHciairal Home 
omjiToyiion. 
front ball. It was wainscotted like the Judge’s study, 
in still panels, and was of tlie most generous dimen¬ 
sions. The house door was open, and tlie sun 
streamed in a broad sheet over the dark, uncarpeted 
floor, partially covered with a few faded rugs. A 
large bound lay in this strip of sunlight, and now and 
then he lifted his head to snap at the flies. There were 
old-fashioned mahogany tables, and carved high- 
backed chairs, and a few engravings in shabby gilt 
frames. An old-fashioned clock ticked slowly in one 
dim corner. The place had what an artist calls tone; 
it was like a picture. 
At the moment old Nanna was about to descend 
the stately staircase, Winnifred Braithwaite, and the 
young lady in white, and the young man who had so 
anxiously watched the breaking of Thunderbolt from 
the lawn, entered the hall in a group. The dark, 
graceful girl was dressed in a long blue riding skirt, 
pinned over her white spencer, and a hat with a blue 
plume sat jauntily upon her head. There was the 
lingering flush of exercise in her brown face, and her 
eyes were in a glow. It could he seen now that she 
was above the medium height, hut the exquisite pro¬ 
portions of her form were the more striking in con¬ 
sequence. Iu one hand she held her riding whip, 
and the other arm was curled lovingly around the 
shoulders of the girl iu white who had watched her 
mad ride with such undisguised terror, and who now 
looked almost like a child beside her tall protector ; her 
abundant golden hair seemed to coil naturally around 
an elegant little head, with misty touches over the full 
white forehead; the large blue eyes were soft and 
appealing, almost pathetic in their expression, and 
now they were half full of tears as they looked up 
into the other’s face. 
“ You silly little goose,” said Winnie, laughing, and 
displaying a beautiful set of even, white teeth, while 
warm, vivid changes of color and expression passed 
over her face, “you were frightened nearly out of 
your wits to see me punish Thunderbolt. I saw that 
you were, as I was flying over the gate. Your face 
looked as white as chalk, and you had put your inno¬ 
cent little hands together as if praying to the Virgin, 
good protestant, though you are, Virginie.” 
“0, it was terrible!” returned the young girl, with 
a very slight but delicious foreign accent, and a half 
sob iu her throat, “the furious beast snorted lire from 
his nostrils, and when he plunged I thought I should 
see you fall dead upon the road, I could no longer 
look, I hid iny eyes.” 
“ It was delightful to make the mad beast mind me,” 
said Winnie, lightly. “ He found there was a stronger 
will than his own that had the mastery and he was 
forced to obey. I shall have no more trouble with 
him now. He will jog along, under my hand, as 
gentle as an old cow.” 
“They say we all find a master sooner or later,” 
said Virginie, looking up with one of her appealing 
glances. 
“ Thunderbolt has found a mistress and has learned 
a lesson he wont soon forget,” returned Winnie in the 
same light tone. “As for iny master, I don’t believe 
he has been horn; I would a great deal rather rule 
than obey. But it was a burning shame to give you 
such a fright, you dear little puss ; and now your hands 
are like bits of ice.” Winnie swept up the childish 
figure with a strong hand and laid her on the sofa. 
“ There,” said she, tucking in the little slippers, “I 
shall give you something to quiet your nerves, and 
you can sleep it off.” 
The near-sighted young man, with a pale, studious 
face and slightly consumptive bend of the shoulders, 
had stood for the last three minutes looking at this 
scene with a mild but fascinated gaze. Now Winnie 
flashed around upon him, and with a half sarcastic 
toss of the head addr ssed herself to him : 
“ Were you frightened, too,. Mr. Edgar? Eid your 
little heart go pil-a-pat when you saw Thunderbolt in 
the air? I will give you some valerian, if you will 
take it, and then you can read me a homfy on the 
impropriety of breaking wild colts and racking the 
nerves of delicate young people.” 
The speech was cruel, and Edgar looked into the 
dark, brilliant, mocking face with a surprised, almost 
stunned air ; he nervously readjusted his eye-glasses— 
a motion habitual to him—and a flush of pain and 
humiliation gradually spread over his pale cheek and 
even dyed his forehead. Before he could find words 
to answer, old Nanna had descended the stairs. 
“ Is the Judge ready for me?” he asked in a forced 
voice of composure, turning towards her. 
“Ole Mass’r says he haint no call for you dis mornin’.” 
“ What is it then ?” said Winnie imperiously, read¬ 
ing something unusual in the old woman’s face. 
“ ’Pears ole Mass’r got suffun nuver in his head, 
honey,” she answered, fumbling about for words! 
Took a freak all ol a sudding like, and axed to 
have Miss Jinny walk up to de study.” 
Virginie, at the mention of her name, rose to a 
sitting posture and pushed away the shawl Winnifred 
had spread over her. At the suggestion of an inter¬ 
view with the dreadful old man, up-stairs, she shrank 
into a corner of the sofa and faltered out: “Eoes he 
want to send me away ?” 
“ Tell me, at once, Nanna,” Winnie demanded, 
imperiously, “why my father wishes to speak with 
Miss Virginie!” 
“ Bress your heart, chile ! I nussed you and carried 
you in my bosom when you was little, and why should 
you speak cross to ole Nanna ; de ole Mass’r has got a 
notion in his head to make Miss Jinny his sec’tary.” 
“Virginie, his secretary!” repeated Winnie, in a 
shrill tone of wonder. 
Virginie involuntarily put her hands over her face, 
with a little moan. The thought of being shut up 
hours a day with that old man, whom she so feared 
and dreaded, was unendurable. 
“ Then the Judge wishes to dismiss me from his 
service,” said Edgar, in a low voice, as he moved 
nearer to Winnifred. 
“No, it is 1 that must go away,” suddenly broke in 
Virginie, “ It is I that have intruded and done harm !” 
“ Hush!” cried Winnifred, with her imperious, 
clear, resonant voice. “You are neither of you going 
away; I shall arrange matters with papa myself! 
Go to the kitchen, Nanna!” And she immediately 
arose and swept up the stairway, trailing her long 
skirt like a young princess. 
Edgar had taken a chair near Virginie. They 
were both pale, and sat looking at each other in 
silence, with painful chords vibrating in their hearts. 
The strange situation in which they found themselves 
had suddenly created a thrill of sympathy never be¬ 
fore awakened during their residence under the same 
roof. They were both dependent, both homeless, 
both almost friendless, and on the issue of the moment 
seemed to hang the fate of the future. They waited 
with the breathless anxiety the prisoner feels when 
his sentence is about to he pronounced, and the mo¬ 
ments seemed to prolong themselves to hours ; but at 
last she came, sweeping down the grand staircase, in 
her long blue skirt, glowing, radiant with the light of 
victory upon her face. 
“I have had a dreadful battle,” said she, laughing 
gaily; “it was necessary to order up the heaviest 
artillery, hut I have won. Mr. Edgar, you will re¬ 
sume your duties ; 1 have convinced papa that Virginie 
could no more do your work than a butterfly could 
grind corn.” She went up to him and held out her 
hand, with beautiful benignity and frankness shining 
in her eyes. “ If I have wounded you, you must try 
and forgive me; attribute it to thoughtlessness, rather 
than to a had heart.” 
Poor Edgar was wounded in a way she wot not of. 
He looked as if he would have fallen straightway 
down at her feet. “ 0, Miss Braithwaite !” he mur¬ 
mured, in a sudden rush of happiness that almost took 
away his breath. “ I am not worthy of so much 
goodness!” 
Winnifred drew away and released her hand. “ l r es 
you are!” she said dryly, “You have done a great 
deal of hard work for small pay,” and then she turned 
her back on his mortification and chagrin. 
“ The funniest, part of it is, Virginie, that mamma 
thinks that you, being a foreigner, are a dangerous 
character. She fancies , that you have brought an 
infernal machine into the house.” 
“ 0 !” exclaimed Virginie, clasping her little hands 
in one of those expressive gestures that belonged 
toher French blood. “I have done a great wrong; 
I have made you quarrel with your parents !” 
“ Nonsense !” returned Winnifred, lightly. “ I have 
always quarrelled with papa, and yet we love each 
other dearly; you know the old eagle would not like 
the eaglet unless it tried to peck; and as for mamma, 
it is not of the slightest consequence what she thinks.” 
Virginie gave her a glance full of wonder and pain. 
[To be continued .] 
