A NOBLE WOMAN. BY MRS. ANN S. STEPHENS. AUTHOR OF "PALACES AND PRISONS," "FASHION AND FAMINE," "MARRIED IN HASTE," "MABEL'S MISTAKE," "DOUBLY FALSE," "WIVES AND WIDOWS," "MARY DERWENT," "THE HEIRESS," "THE REJECTED WIFE," "THE SOLDIER'S ORPHANS," "THE OLD HOMESTEAD," "RUBY GRAY'S STRATEGY," "THE CURSE OF GOLD," "THE WIFE'S SECRET," "THE GOLD BRICK," "SILENT STRUGGLES," ETC. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1871, by T. B. PETERSON & BROTHERS, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. "A Noble Woman," is the name of the new novel written by Mrs. Ann S. Stephens. Its pages are replete with incidents of absorbing interest, and her admirers will read it with avidity, and with a zest which would indicate that the freshness and interest of each of her new novels are still as potent as were her earliest productions. The leading characters are carried through a series of exciting adventures, all of which are narrated and drawn out with such ingenuity that the reader's attention is kept on a tension of interest from the opening page to the close of the volume. This is the great secret of Mrs. Stephens' success--her readers cannot get out of her influence. She does not fatigue them with the subtleties of metaphysics or philosophy. She gives you a thrilling story, pure and simple, sensational if you please, and she leaves the whole affair in the hands of her readers, feeling quite secure of a favorable verdict on every new emanation from her pen. "A Noble Woman" will prove to be the most popular novel that she has ever written. PHILADELPHIA: T. B. PETERSON & BROTHERS; 306 CHESTNUT STREET. CONTENTS. I.--A PROPOSAL II.--TOM THE GROOMSMAN III.--A FRIGHT AND A RESCUE IV.--HIGH FESTIVAL AT PINEY COVE V.--A BALL IN THE BASEMENT VI.--THE WEDDING VII.--THE FIRST CLOUD VIII.--THE BRIDE'S WELCOME HOME IX.--COUSIN TOM VISITS PINEY COVE X.--SHADOWS OF A SEPARATION XI.--THE BALL XII.--TOM MAKES A DECLARATION XIII.--WHO COULD IT HAVE BEEN? XIV.--THE HUSBAND'S LAST CHARGE XV.--MRS. HARRINGTON'S FRIENDS XVI.--THE WIDOW'S FLIRTATION XVII.--STARTING FOR THE PIC-NIC XVIII.--FACE TO FACE XIX.--LETTERS XX.--AN INTERVIEW IN THE WOODS XXI.--FIRE AND WATER XXII.--AMONG THE BREAKERS XXIII.--DEAD AND GONE XXIV.--HOME IN A STORM XXV.--THE SUNSHINE OF THE HOUSE XXVI.--SUNSHINE AND STORMS XXVII.--COURTSHIP IN THE KITCHEN XXVIII.--THE DEAD SECRET XXIX.--TOM FULLER'S LETTER XXX.--THE WIDOW'S FASCINATIONS XXXI.--THE HEIR COMES HOME XXXII.--THE GAUNTLET BRACELETS XXXIII.--SEARCHING FOR THE BRACELET XXXIV.--BELOW STAIRS XXXV.--MRS. MELLEN AND HER COUSIN XXXVI.--LURED INTO DANGER XXXVII.--THE AFTER STRUGGLE XXXVIII.--A HALF UNDERSTANDING XXXIX.--TRIFLES LIGHT AS AIR XL.--TWO FACES IN THE GLASS XLI.--SECRECY IMPOSED ON TOM FULLER XLII.--THE RIDE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES XLIII.--KINDLY ANXIETIES XLIV.--ALMOST DEFIANCE XLV.--THE TIGER IN HIS DEN XLVI.--THE PAWNBROKER'S SHOP