'Oh, Father; happy! if you only knew, if you only knew.... I cannot tell you.' Then seeing in the priest's arrival a means of escape from the danger of her position between her father and mother, she cried, 'You must take me back to the convent to-night. I cannot meet mother when she comes home. Something dreadful might happen. Father White, you must take me back to the convent, say that you will, say that you will.' 'My dear child, you are agitated, calm yourself. What has happened? Tell me.' 'It is too long a story, it is too dreadful. I cannot tell it all to you now. Later I'll tell you. Take me back to the convent. I cannot meet mother. I cannot.' 'But what has your mother done; has she been cruel to you--has she struck you?' 'Struck me! if that were all! that would be nothing.' The priest's face turned a trifle paler. He felt that something dreadful had happened. The girl was overcome; her nerves had given way, and she could hardly speak. It were not well to insist that she should be put to the torture of a complete narrative. 'Where is your father?' he said. 'Major Lahens will tell me, he knows, I suppose, all about it. Calm yourself, Agnes. Tell me where your father is, that will be sufficient.' 'Father is walking round the Square. But don't leave me, don't. I cannot remain in this room alone,' she said, looking round with a frightened air. 'I'll wait till he comes in.' 'He may not come in for hours. Perhaps he'll never come back, anything may happen.' 'If he's walking round the Square he can be sent for.' 'No, Father White. I'll be calm. I'll tell you. I must tell you, but you'll not desert me, you'll not leave me here to meet mother.' 'Don't you think, my dear child, that it would be better that I should see your father, that he should tell me?' 'No, I'd sooner tell you myself. Father could not explain. To-morrow, or after in the convent I'll tell you. I'll tell you and the Mother Abbess.' 'You must see, Agnes, that I cannot take you away from your father's house without his permission.' 'It is not father's house.' 'Well, your mother's house.' 'That is quite different. I see that I must tell you--of course I must.' 'Surely, Agnes, it would be better to postpone telling me till to- morrow, you're tired, you've been crying, you'll be able to tell me better in the morning. I'll call here early to-morrow morning.' 'No; you must take me back to the convent to-night, I cannot remain here.... You'll agree with me that I cannot when I tell you all.'... Agnes looked at Father White, she was no longer crying, she had regained her self possession in the necessity of the moment, and she began with hardly a tremble In her voice. 'Mother is not--is not--I'm afraid she is not--But how am I to accuse my own mother.' 'I'm sure now, my dear child, that I was right when I suggested that I should speak to Major Lahens.' 'Because you don't know the circumstances, nor do you know my father. No, it must be I. I must tell you.'