But again, with strange and unwonted weakness of
soul, Barbara found her thoughts resuming their former
gloomy hue. The diamonds seemed to lie so cold and
heavy on her neck, that they oppressed her. Every one's
eyes would be attracted by them, and already she heard
dresses rustling on the stairs. Lancelot had left her side
to speak to some persons entering the room. Why could
she not shake off this strange, foolish, ungrateful fore-
boding ? It was very wrong, very pitiful, she felt. She
was sure she had a sincere affection for Lancelot : was not
that enough? Could she have ever hoped for something
altogether transcending what was now promised to her?

At that moment, as she stood looking down upon her
flowers just inside the dining-room, to which she had re-
treated, almost unconsciously, to avoid the entering guests^
Barbara had a vision. She saw before her eyes a face look-
ing up into her own — a face more beautiful for its youth
and intellectual strength and passion than for any perfec-
tion of feature. The lips quivered in the struggle between
pride and tenderness, but the blue eyes were raised to her



THB MAH WITH THE MACHINE. 335



own in an abandonment of sorrowful, passionate pleadingj
that needed no accompanying words ; and that made her
gate and gase into their depths, drawing her soul irresis*
tibly farther and farther into the past^ till she felt herself
a girl again, standing by the old well, in the morning san«
shine, looking down with the proud but troubled look on
the little peace-offering that lay upon the welL How vivid
and life-like the whole scene was I Why had it come now
back to her; why, when she was trying to make her heart
acknowledge a new love, was her soul to be thus shaken
by remembrance of the old love, that had been so long
dead and buried, killed by neglect and wrong ?. 