At last Mr. Mellen's step sounded in the hall. Elizabeth heard it, and immediately gathered up her embroidery silks, making a great pretence of being busy, lest he should enter suddenly, and pierce her with one of his dark, suspicious glances, which made her heart actually stand still with apprehension. He came on towards the room, looked in at the door and saw his wife sitting there apparently quiet, comfortable, and wholly occupied with her pretty task. She glanced up and nodded a welcome. "So you have come back," she said; "I have been wishing for you." He smiled, came forward and stood by her, saying: "I thought you had given up any such weakness. You seem very busy." "This tiresome embroidery has been lying about so long that I am working on it for very shame," she replied. "Elsie began it and was delighted with it for three days, but she has not touched it since." "Very like the little fairy," he said, with a smile any reference to the young girl always brought to his lips. Elizabeth did not wish to talk, it was important that she should hide the real feelings that oppressed her even under an appearance of playfulness. She looked up and smiled: "If you were good-natured you would sit down here and read to me. There is Bulwer's new book." "I will, with pleasure; but where is Elsie?" "Oh, Tom Fuller came, and she made him take her out for a row; so I have been alone in my den, as she calls it." "The child can't bear the least approach to a shadow," he said; "she must have her sunshine undisturbed." He drew an easy chair near the window where Elizabeth sat, took up the novel she had asked him to read, and began the splendid story. He read beautifully, and Elizabeth was glad to forget her unquiet reflections in the melody of his voice and the rare interest of the tale. Mellen himself was in a mood to be comfortable and at rest. The brightness of the sunset was flooding the waters before either of them looked up again. Then Mellen said: "Those careless creatures ought to come back; it grows chilly on the water as evening comes on, and the least thing gives Elsie cold." Elizabeth shaded her eyes with her hand and looked over the bay. "They are coming," she said; "I can see them." Mellen looked in the direction to which she pointed, and saw the boat rounding a point of land and making swiftly up the bay. "Tom is as strong as a young Hercules," he said, watching the little skiff as it fairly flew through the water under the impulse of that powerful arm, and aided by the inward rush of the tide. They remained watching it till it approached near enough for them to distinguish Elsie's white wrappings. Suddenly Mellen said: "She is rocking the boat dreadfully! She is standing up--The girl is crazy to run such risks!"