This story was first serialized in the _New York Family Story Paper_ in 1881; the version used as the basis for this electronic text comes from Street & Smith's _Eagle Series_ no. 192, which also contained the full text of another Mrs. Miller novel, _Jacquelina_. Italics are represented with _underscores_. Added table of contents. Some unusual spellings, such as using "hight" instead of "height" (a consistent habit of this author), are retained from the original. Some inconsistent punctuation (e.g. schoolroom vs. school-room) has been retained from the original. Page 1, corrected "portentious silence" to "portentous silence." Page 13, corrected "should-ders" to "shoulders" ("which had slipped from her shoulders"). Page 17, corrected "Dean" to "Dane" in "Leslie Dane drew the old man aside." Page 21, corrected typo "necesary" in "Is it necessary to reveal it?" Page 29, corrected comma to apostrophe in "gossip in the servants' hall." Page 37, Added missing close single quote after "present woes and past" and corrected "iudustry" to "industry." Added missing single quotes around poem beginning "Ah! who can tell how hard it is to climb." Page 39, added missing space to "every one" in "every one has been like a stab." Page 44, corrected "herself" to "himself" in "waited a proper season to declare himself." Retained unusual spelling "impident" as presumed dialect. Page 52, changed "yov" to "you" and "he" to "the" in "you to refuse Colonel Carlyle, and remain here to cheat her out of the...." Corrected typo "difficulty" in "the difficult art of self-control." Corrected typo "humilation" in "humiliation of her clever, handsome daughter." Corrected single to double quote before "It is impossible for me to marry...." Page 53, corrected ? to ! after "out you go from under the shelter of this roof!" Page 56, corrected "hals" to "half" in "he said, half questioningly." Page 58, corrected typo "Felese" in "tutored by Felise." Page 60, corrected comma to period after "against her cruelty." Page 61, moved misplaced quote from before "I will not have them!" to before "Mother, have done with your warnings" and corrected typo "warning's" in that second phrase. Page 62, deleted duplicate "some" from "like some wild heart." Changed "deeper meaner" to "deeper meaning." Page 65, removed unnecessary quote after "animated her now." Page 66, changed "Ere his first" to "Ere this first." Page 73, added missing period after "he answers, furiously." Page 75, added missing quote after "if I had been tucked into my bed." Page 81, added missing "a" before "lovely garden of roses." Page 86, added missing quote after "paint the portrait of a wrinkled old woman." Changed "was" to "were" in "chairs and sofas were upholstered." Page 88, corrected typo "Carlisle" in "You flatter me, Colonel Carlyle" and "Carlyle's masquerade ball." Page 96, corrected "wiil" to "will" in "will be as safe." Removed unnecessary quote after "hastened their departure."