Mr. Grant exclaimed, excitedly. ' Bless my
soul, again! Dear me!' and running out into
the hall, his servant and I following more
leisurely behind, he fidgeted up to a man who
was standing there hat in hand, and exclaimed,
' Bless my soul! here again! Why, I thought
I told you I had nearly engaged a person—
subject to character, of course! But that's
turned out first rate, and now I have engaged
him.'

"' Very good, sir. I beg your pardon—I
only called just for the chance,' a civil voice
replied that made my blood run cold. Till then
Mr. Grant had hid the speaker from my sight;
but now, as he turned to leave him, we suddenly
stood in full view of one another. It was Philip
Steele. Handsome, well dressed, almost
gentlemanlike in appearance—Philip Steele.

"The blood rushed to my heart and brain;
yet my senses were rather sharpened than otherwise,
and I was able to observe him narrowly.
He made one step forward, and said, with great
respect to Mr. Grant, ' May I venture to ask if
that is the person you have engaged, sir?'

"' Bless my soul! yes, it is!' that gentleman
replied, in a fever, directly. 'Why? why?
what? Bless my soul! what?'

"' Because it is right to inform you, what
you are probably not aware of, that that person,
Clement Carew, was convicted of theft some
years ago, and sent to prison.'

"Mr. Grant started as though he had been
shot, and stared at him, trembling in every
joint.

"' Bless my soul! Bless my soul! And
body! In prison!'

"' He will not deny it himself, sir, if you
will kindly ask him.'

"He spoke with apparent reluctance, as
though fulfilling an unpleasant duty.;

"Mr. Grant turned to me. ' Is this true?'
he cried, literally dancing about in the extremity
of his horror.

"He need not have asked. The truth was
written in my face. I knew that I was white
as the letter I held in my shaking hand. I was
guilty; and looked so.

"I returned him that letter without one
word. Words would not come just then.

"' Bless my soul! but this is shocking, you
know!' Mr. Grant cried, his face shining with
perspiration; 'this is—this is shocking! A
man I had actually engaged for that poor
helpless lady! With such a character! To deceive
one so! Bless my soul and body! I'm sure,'
turning to Philip, who stood there apparently
unmoved, ' I'm. sure I'm infinitely indebted to
you for having——'

"But here words came to me, pouring forth
from my bursting heart like a torrent.

"' Yes, you are indebted! Yes, he spoke
truth! I was sent to prison for theft—sent by
him! I did steal a few pounds of meat to save
my mother from starving! my mother who had
nursed him day and night through a dreadful
fever, and saved his life at the risk of her
own!'

"Then I turned and confronted him with
glaring, murderous eyes.

"' This is the second time you have
denounced, destroyed me; and if I don't tear you
limb from limb, where you stand, it's not for
your sake, nor yet mine, but for one I won't
even name in your presence. There! you've
had your turn twice—the third may be mine!'

"And dashing furiously past him, as he
sprang aside, scared at the expression of my
eyes, I threw myself on the door, and darted
from the house.

"I ran as I had ran the day of the theft—as
though I sought to fly from my own despair—I
never stopped till I had reached my lodging. I
tore through the little shop—past the astonished
greengrocer and his wife, scraping asparagus
on the counter—up into my own room, and
locked myself in like a hunted creature.
Hunted! I was hunted by the ghost of my
own deed! That curse had found me out
again—dragged me down as it would always
do—as those thieves had said it would! I was
lost for ever!

"All that day I sat there immovable—trying
to think—a dull sense of agony weighing me
down! Oh! it was hard!  it was hard! I
had so striven for the right—so resisted every
temptation to even trivial faults—so prided
myself on my honest name—on the trust
reposed in me! so gloried in my lady's high
recommendation! And now disgraced!
publicly proclaimed a thief!  For Mr. Grant's
servant had been present; and Mr. Grant himself
would of course inform my lady. Fanny would
know it! I covered my face with my hands,
and groaned aloud, as I thought of that. I
longed to die—to throw myself into the river,
and end it all. There was no peace for me on
earth—no hope! And all because of him!
What would the master say now? He would
have me forgive him, no doubt! Forgive him!
I would rather die for destroying him, than I
would forgive him now.

"For three days I never moved from that room;
the first night I never went to bed at all, but
sat through the dark hours, motionless, staring
at the sky, like one in a dream. The woman of
the house, alarmed at my strange behaviour,
came up to my room several times, bringing
food by way of excuse, and, to rid myself of her
importunities, I tried to eat. On the fourth
morning she brought a letter. It was from
Fanny. I opened it mechanically; too well I
knew what it would, what it must contain. And
I was not mistaken. All was to end between
us. I could not be surprised, she wrote, at her
refusing to keep to an engagement made in
utter ignorance of my former life. She would
try and forgive the cruel wrong I had done her,
the deception I had practised, and I should have
her prayers——But she must bid me farewell.

"I sat gazing vacantly at this letter as it lay
open before me, altogether unconscious that
the woman of the lodging was lingering in the
room, watching me. At last she spoke.

"' We've always been partickler, me and