\"no, you would not. it was wrong, disobedient, faithless. at that verytime fred was safely out of england, and in my blindness i forgot that

there was another witness who could testify to my being there.\"

\"who?\"

\"mr. thornton. you know he had seen me close to the station; we hadbowed to each other.\"

\"well! he would know nothing of this riot about the drunken fellow\"sdeath. i suppose the inquiry never came to anything.\"

\"no! the proceedings they had begun to talk about on the inquest werestopped. mr. thornton did know all about it. he was a magistrate, andhe found out that it was not the fall that had caused the death. but notbefore he knew what i had said. oh, mr. bell!\" she suddenly coveredher face with her hands, as if wishing to hide herself from the presenceof the recollection.

\"did you hāve any explanation with him? did you ever tell him thestrong, instinctive motive?\"

\"the instinctive want of faith, and clutching at a sin to keep myself fromsinking,\" said she bitterly. \"no! how could i? he knew nothing offrederick. to put myself to rights in his good opinion, was i to tell himof the secrets of our family, involving, as they seemed to do, thechances of poor frederick\"s entire exculpation? fred\"s last words hadbeen to enjoin me to keep his visit a secret from all. you see, papanever told, even you. no! i could bear the shame--i thought i could atleast. i did bear it. mr. thornton has never respected me since.\"

\"he respects you, i am sure,\" said mr. bell. \"to be sure, it accounts alittle for----. but he always speaks of you with regard and esteem,though now i understand certain reservations in his manner.\"

margaret did not speak; did not attend to what mr. bell went on to say;lost all sense of it. by-and-by she said:

\"will you tell me what you refer to about \"reservations\" in his manner ofspeaking of me?\"

\"oh! simply he has annoyed me by not joining in my praises of you.

like an old fool, i thought that every one would hāve the same opinionsas i had; and he evidently could not agree with me. i was puzzled at thetime. but he must be perplexed, if the affair has never been in the leastexplained. there was first your walking out with a young man in thedark--\"

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