me to do, now that I am in for it, and have taken upon myself a duty towards Olga, I will never practise a concealment again-I will never put myself into such a position as this again—I was free to take the first step or not to take it, and all that has followed is the consequence of that step. Such a step as that, voluntarily to enter into a concealment, which must be kept up towards those to whom I owe a duty, I will never take again. I feel almost sure that I must have been wrong when I consented to hide Olga; how strange it is that it never occurred to me at the moment that I was doing wrong!" Mr. Linton walked home with her, and she was in an agony of fear all the way. Without an atom of confidence in Olga's discretion, each moment she was expecting her to appear. She knew that she was capable of leaping down on them from the top of a tree, springing up at them from the bottom of a ditch, and masquerading in any character besides her own. It is like having a wild animal to deal with, thought poor Clarice, or one of those spirits

that are half-good and half-evil, but are always off their balance, so that you cannot reckon on them for two minutes together. Two minutes? I would not reckon on Olga for half-a-minute, or for half half-a-minute. Lost in these reflections,

-now glancing anxiously round her, now shutting her eyes for fear she should see what she was looking for, Clarice did not appear to Mr. Linton to be as intelligent a companion as usual; and when, after a long speech he had made, which ended with the words, "Do you think so, Clarice?" she replied, “Oh, yes, by all means;" he said very quietly, "I don't believe you have heard a single word I said to you." She could only give

a little nervous laugh, beg his pardon, and confess that she had been thinking of something else.

"I believe that gray woman frightened you, and that you are really afraid your father means to send you to school."

Clarice blushed, but protested that she was not at all afraid of that; she had too often heard

Mr. Clavering express his dislike to schools to have any doubt on that head.

They reached the house just after Mr. Clavering's return from London. He was delighted to see Mr. Linton, and insisted on his staying to dine with him. The two men were old friends, and, though. widely different in character and pursuits, valued each other truly, and sincerely enjoyed each other's society. When she had seen the diningroom door close upon them, Clarice went to pay Miss Simmonds a visit. She was lying down, had slept, and pronounced herself to be a great deal better, though she had still a 'nervous look about her, and said she thought she would keep quite quiet for the rest of the day. Clarice left the books with her, told her Mr. Linton had accompanied her home, and was dining with her father, and then went to her own room, which she entered with a beating heart. But neither in the room nor in the closet did she find Olga.

"This worry is intolerable," she said aloud. "The whole thing must be put a stop to; one can't