“Excellent,—­how discerning you are!” smiled Francesca, in return.

If Clara had had a little more discernment, she would have discovered that what wrought this miracle was a friendly courtesy, that never failed to either equal or subordinate.

Six weeks after the Seventh had marched out of New York, Francesca, sitting in her aunt’s room, was roused from evidently painful thought by the entrance of a servant, who announced, “If you please, a young woman to see you.”

“Name?”

“She gave none, miss.”

“Send her up.”

Sallie came in.  “Bird of Paradise” Francesca had called her more than once, she was so dashing and handsome; but the title would scarcely fit now, for she looked poor, and sad, and woefully dispirited.

“Ah, Miss Sallie, is it you?  Good morning.”

“Good morning, Miss Ercildoune.”  She stood, and looked as though she had something important to say.  Presently Francesca had drawn it from her,—­a little story of her own sorrows and troubles.

“The reason I have come to you, Miss Ercildoune, when you are so nearly a stranger, is because you have always been so kind and pleasant to me when I waited on you at the store, and I thought you’d anyway listen to what I have to say.”

“Speak on, Sallie.”

“I’ve been at Hyacinth’s now, over four years, ever since I left school.  It’s a good place, and they paid me well, but I had to keep two people out of it, my little brother Frank and myself; Frank and I are orphans.  And I’m very fond of dress; I may as well confess that at once.  So the consequence is, I haven’t saved a cent against a rainy day.  Well,” blushing scarlet, “I had a lover,—­the best heart that ever beat,—­but I liked to flirt, and plague him a little, and make him jealous; and at last he got dreadfully so about a young gentleman,—­a Mr. Snipe, who was very attentive to me,—­and talked to me about it in a way I didn’t like.  That made me worse.  I don’t know what possessed me; but after that I went out with Mr. Snipe a great deal more, to the theatre and the like, and let him spend his money on me, and get things for me, as freely as he chose.  I didn’t mean any harm, indeed I didn’t,—­but I liked to go about and have a good time; and then it made Jim show how much he cared for me, which, you see, was a great thing to me; and so this went on for a while, till Jim gave me a real lecture, and I got angry and wouldn’t listen to anything he had to say, and sent him away in a huff”—­here she choked—­“to fight; to the war; and O dear!  O dear!” breaking down utterly, and hiding her face in her shawl, “he’ll be killed,—­I know he will; and oh! what shall I do?  My heart will break, I am sure.”

Francesca came and stood by her side, put her hand gently on her shoulder, and stroked her beautiful hair.  “Poor girl!” she said, softly, “poor girl!” and then, so low that even Sallie could not hear, “You suffer, too:  do we all suffer, then?”