Produced by Delphine Lettaum, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net NIECE CATHERINE By MARY HAMPDEN AUTHOR OF 'ALISON'S AMBITION' 'THE GIRL WITH A TALENT' 'STRANGER MARGARET' ETC. LONDON THE RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY 56 PATERNOSTER ROW AND 65 ST PAUL'S CHURCHYARD BUTLER & TANNER, THE SELWOOD PRINTING WORKS FROME, AND LONDON. [Illustration] Contents CHAPTER I. THE HEROINE CHAPTER II. UNCLE ROSS CHAPTER III. UNCLE JACK CHAPTER IV. CATHERINE'S RESOLUTION CHAPTER V. AN UNSHAKEN RESOLUTION CHAPTER VI. A SUNDAY'S EXPERIENCES CHAPTER VII. A RAY OF LIGHT CHAPTER VIII. THE COMING OF CATHERINE'S BETROTHED CHAPTER IX. AN IMPORTANT OFFER CHAPTER X. THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS CHAPTER XI. CONFIDENCES AND AN ATTEMPT CHAPTER XII. GOOD-BYE CHAPTER XIII. THE FATE OF A LETTER CHAPTER XIV. CATHERINE'S APPEAL CHAPTER XV. AS GOD WILLED CHAPTER I The Heroine 'Catherine!--_Catherine!_' Mrs. Arderne stood at the foot of the staircase, looking upward, and calling her companion. Though her voice sounded impatient there was an amused smile on her face, because she could hear merry laughter from the night-nursery, where 'Catherine' was helping nurse to put Ted and Toddie into bed. The last call produced the effect desired. A tall slim young woman came running downstairs, explaining and apologising. 'Oh, I am really very sorry! Have you been trying to make me hear? I didn't know that you were calling, not until a minute ago; and then Ted was on my lap, and made himself _so_ heavy when I tried to lift him back into his cot!' 'You spoil my children.' The mother was still smiling. Catherine laughed aloud, and very musically, the laugh of a girl to whom people had always been kind. 'If you seriously meant that accusation, Mrs. Arderne, I should have to try to prove my innocence; but as I am sure you didn't, I will only tell you what a darling Ted has been to-night. He said his hymn right through, and afterwards composed a dear little prayer for "mother's wicked headache to be taken right away." Now could I refuse to tell him about _Jack and the Beanstalk_ after that?' Catherine was trying to smooth back her brown hair with her hands as she spoke, for several curly locks were fluttering round her equally brown eyes, Toddie having 'rumpled dear Carr's head all up,' as the little girl herself would have expressed it. 'Kiss the tiny fellow "good-night" for me, dear,' said Mrs. Arderne, leading the way into the villa drawing-room. 'I called you down that you might fasten this flower in my dress, your fingers are so deft.' After having performed the task Catherine stood back a few paces to survey the effect. 'You look delightful,' she remarked. 'But I'm not certain that it's a "companion's" place to tell you so!' 'The remark might be flattery. "Companions" are supposed to flatter.'