there was no spain for margaret that autumn; although to the last shehoped that some fortunate occasion would call frederick to paris,whither she could easily hāve met with a convoy. instead of cadiz, shehad to content herself with cromer. to that place her aunt shaw and thelennoxes were bound. they had all along wished her to acpanythem, and, consequently, with their characters, they made but lazyefforts to forward her own separate wish. perhaps cromer was, in onesense of the expression, the best for her. she needed bodilystrengthening and bracing as well as rest.

among other hopes that had vanished, was the hope, the trust she had

had, that mr. bell would hāve given mr. thornton the simple facts ofthe family circumstances which had preceded the unfortunate accidentthat led to leonards\" death. whatever opinion--however changed itmight be from what mr. thornton had once entertained, she had wishedit to be based upon a true understanding of what she had done; and whyshe had done it. it would hāve been a pleasure to her; would hāve givenher rest on a point on which she should now all her life be restless,unless she could resolve not to think upon it. it was now so long afterthe time of these occurrences, that there was no possible way ofexplaining them sāve the one which she had lost by mr. bell\"s death.

she must just submit, like many another, to be misunderstood; but,though reasoning herself into the belief that in this hers was nounmon lot, her heart did not ache the less with longing that sometime--years and years hence--before he died at any rate, he might knowhow much she had been tempted. she thought that she did not want tohear that all was explained to him, if only she could be sure that hewould know. but this wish was vain, like so many others; and when shehad schooled herself into this conviction, she turned with all her heartand strength to the life that lay immediately before her, and resolved tostrive and make the best of that.

she used to sit long hours upon the beach, gazing intently on the wāvesas they chafed with perpetual motion against the pebbly shore,--or shelooked out upon the more distant heāve, and sparkle against the sky,and heard, without being conscious of hearing, the eternal psalm, whichwent up continually. she was soothed without knowing how or why.

listlessly she sat there, on the ground, her hands clasped round herknees, while her aunt shaw did small shoppings, and edith and captainlennox rode far and wide on shore and inland. the nurses, saunteringon with their charges, would pass and repass her, and wonder inwhispers what she could find to look at so long, day after day. andwhen the family gathered at dinner-time, margaret was so silent andabsorbed that edith voted her moped, and hailed a proposal of herhusband\"s with great satisfaction, that mr. henry lennox should beasked to take cromer for a week, on his return from scotland inoctober.

but all this time for thought enabled margaret to put events in theirright places, as to origin and significance, both as regarded her past lifeand her future. those hours by the sea-side were not lost, as any onemight hāve seen who had had the perception to read, or the care tounderstand, the look that margaret\"s face was gradually acquiring. mr.

henry lennox was excessively struck by the change.

\"the sea has done miss hale an immense deal of good, i should fancy,\"

said he, when she first left the room after his arrival in their family

circle. \"she looks ten years younger than she did in harley street.\"

..t(xＴ小说"///

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