“Oh! there he is, mousing off by himself; but he don’t take his eyes from your face. No wonder, there is enough in it to strike anyone all in a heap. He don’t seem to get over it, though. Awful sensitive! But we all are that. Exquisite feelings, born with us. He’s my brother, you know—my only brother. Left New York when he was a young man, and just come back again. I shouldn’t have known him, he’s so altered. Do you think we look alike? He used to be very handsome, and people took us for twins.” A smile quivered across Eva’s lip, and the lids drooped over her laughing eyes; but both died out suddenly as her glance fell on the strange man, who seemed to shrink away from her mirth as if it wounded him. “I must not laugh,” said Eva, in her thoughts. “Perhaps he feels how ridiculous his relative makes herself, and is annoyed by it. But why does he look at me with such sorrowful eyes. Yes, he is a handsome man, and seems to be both sensible and sensitive; but _her_ brother—I don’t believe it.” The man came forward as these thoughts disturbed the girl, asked Mrs. Carter if she was ready to return home, and, lifting his hat with grave politeness, led the way down stairs. The tall footman was at his post, shut the carriage-door with a lordly bang, and climbed up to his place by the coachman, leaving the two persons inside to themselves. “Well, now,” said Mrs. Carter, eagerly, “did you ever see anything so handsome? She quite took my breath away at first. As for you, Ross, well the color hasn’t come back to your face yet. What _is_ the matter with you?” “Yes, I saw,” answered the man, dreamily, “I saw that she was beautiful.” CHAPTER IX. THE LAMBERT MANSION. The Lamberts were a proud family, aristocratic in birth intellect and breeding. This branch with which our story deals, had added great wealth to its other possessions by marriage with a rich man’s only daughter. Mrs. Lambert was not content with a home in the Fifth Avenue, which many a small monarch might have coveted for a regal palace, but she must have it altogether different, more superb than her neighbors, unique as well as magnificent. Mrs. Lambert had led society so long, and travelled so much, that commonplace things, bought by the yard, and arranged exactly like every other house of the class, were far beneath her aspirations. Her stately mansion abounded in beautiful objects, rare and costly, which she had been years in collecting at every curiosity-shop and brie-a-brae sale in Europe.