CHAPTER XXVI.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2060, 19 September 1885, Page 5 (Supplement)

CHAPTER XXVI.

AT • i HOOT,. AuoE DiiRWKNT found thai ahc had ilmie ft wise thing for herself in leaving home. There

she would simply have made herself miserable and wretched — have wasted her time and thoughts in lamenting her love, the absence of her husband, his cruel indifference. She would havel ost her beauty by fretting and fuming, in melancholy thoughts and futile desires. Here life had a thousand ends and, aims ; the world was quite a different place ; life wore another aspect. For the first time she saw the fashionable aspect of life— its gayeties, pleasures, amusements were all discussed in her presence. She learned to talk as others talked ; the drawing-room, the balls, all became familiar to her as household words. She improved rapidly, wonderfully. She had been well and solidly grounded in all the elements of education ; now to this was added a superstructure of accomplishments. Alice also acquired a grace of manner that was in itself almost perfeot. Madame Koubart took great interest in her new pupil ; they had togetner many of those trtr a-tetcs with whioh madame only favored her moat aristocratic pupEfi. Maditme was deeply interested in that most fair face; the sad, sweet eyes had a language all her own for her. She was ourious, too ; she longed td know more of this fair, gentle girl, whoße life seemed apart from others, over whom a Btrange shadow hovered always, who seemed to havo sprung from a lowly lot, and aspired to ft higher «ne. Madama was interested. Most of her pupiln she read easily, as sbo would have done the pages of a book ; this gentle, thoughtful girl was rather beyond her ordinary powers of observation. Mrs. Howard liked her exceedingly, and many little hints that were of greatest nse to her came to her through the kindness of the head-mistress. (To be continued.