Cruel As The Grave

"O, dear lady, Heaven forbid that great heart of yours should ever be

called to suffer, or that you should ever need such poor help as mine.

But this I know: so penetrated am I by your goodness, that, if ever you

should lose your present happiness and my death would restore it, I

would die to give it back to you," fervently exclaimed the stranger.

And for the moment she felt as she had spoken, for she was most

profoundly moved by a magnanimity she had never seen equalled.

Sybil blushed like a child, and found nothing to say in reply to this

excessive praise. She only left her hand in the clasp of the stranger,

who covered it with kisses, and then continued: "When I first saw your little white card and the delicate tracery of

your name and your kind words, I seemed to know it was a friend's

writing. And when I first saw your sweet face and heard your tender

tones, both so full of heavenly pity, I felt that the good Lord had not

forsaken me, for He had sent one of his holy angels to visit me. Ah,

lady, if you had only come and looked at me so and spoken to me so, and

then passed out and away forever, still, still, that look and that tone

would have remained with me, a comfort and a blessing for all time. But

now--but now to hold out your hands to lead me to a place in your own

home, by your own side--oh, it is too much! too much!"

And tears of many mingled emotions flowed down the speaker's cheeks.

"There, there!" said Sybil, utterly confused by this excessive, but most

sincere adulation, yet still caressing the stranger's fair head, "there,

dear, dry your eyes, and tell me if you can be ready to leave this place

with us to-morrow morning."

Again the foreign lady seized and kissed the hands of her new friend,

exclaiming fervently: "Yes dear lady, yes! I am too deeply touched by your heavenly goodness

not to be anxious to profit by it as soon as possible."

"Then I will leave you to your preparations for the journey," said

Sybil, rising.

Rosa also stood up.

"There will be much to be done in a short time. Will you let me send my

maid to help yours?" inquired Sybil, with a hesitating smile.

"Thanks, dear madam. I shall be much obliged," replied Rosa, with a bow.

"And there is yet another request I have to make," added Mrs. Berners,

pausing with her hand upon the latch of the door--"Will you kindly meet

us at breakfast at eight o'clock to-morrow morning in our private

sitting-room, so that I may make you acquainted with my husband before

we all start on our journey together?"