time before been bitterly jilted—­he proposed to marry her.  The arrival of his parents, who came up to town beseeching of him to do nothing rash, only served to intensify his determination, and, losing his temper utterly, he told his father and mother that he would never set his foot in Appleton Park in their lifetime if they ever again ventured to pry into his private affairs; and, refusing to give any information regarding his intentions, he asked them to leave his lodgings.  What he did after they never knew; years went by, and they sighed and wondered, but the matter was never alluded to in Appleton Park.

But the Major had only L400 a year, and though he lived at Appleton Park, never spending a penny more than was necessary, he could not allow her more than L3 a week.  He had so many expenses:  his club, his clothes, and all the incidental expenses he was put to in the grand houses where he went to stay.  By strict economy, however, Mrs Shepherd managed to make two ends meet.  Except when she was too ill and had to call in a charwoman to help her with the heaviest part of the work, she undertook the entire housework herself:  when times were hardest, she had even taken in a lodger, not thinking herself above cooking and taking up his dinner.  She had noticed that her economies endeared her to the Major, and it was pleasant to please him.  Hers was a kind-hearted, simple nature, that misfortune had brought down in the world; but, as is not uncommon with persons of weak character, she possessed a clear, sensible mind which allowed her to see things in their true lights, and without difficulty she recognized the unalterable nature of her case.  It mattered little whether the Major acknowledged her or not, his family would never have anything to do with her; the doors of Society were for ever closed against her.  So within a year of her marriage with the Major she was convinced that her marriage had better be kept a secret; for, by helping to keep it a secret, she could make substantial amends to the man who had married her; by proclaiming it to the world, she would only alienate his affection.  She understood this very well, and in all docility and obedience lent herself to the deception, accepting without complaint a mean and clandestine existence.  But she would not allow her little girl to carry up a jug of hot water, and it was only rarely, when prostrate with pain, that she allowed Nellie to take the basket and run round to the butcher’s and buy a bit of steak for their dinner.  The heiress of Appleton Park must be brought up free from all degrading memory.  But for herself she had no care.  Appleton Park could never be anything to her, even if she outlived the old people, which was hardly probable.  What would she, a poor invalid, do there?  She did not wish to compromise her husband’s future, and still less the future of her darling daughter.  She could only hope that, when dead, her sins would be forgiven her; and that this release might not be