She stopped again; her voice was failing her.  For a moment, she struggled to keep her self-possession—­struggled as only women can—­and succeeded in the effort.  She pressed her arm closer round my neck; but her tones were steadier and clearer when she resumed: 

“It will not be very easy for me to give up our country rides and walks together, and the evening talk that we always had at dusk in the old library at the park.  But I think I can resign all this, and go away alone with papa, for the first time, without making you melancholy by anything I say or do at parting, if you will only promise that when you are in any difficulty you will let me be of some use.  I think I could always be of use, because I should always feel an interest in anything that concerned you.  I don’t want to intrude on your secret; but if that secret should ever bring you trouble or distress (which I hope and pray it may not), I want you to have confidence in my being able to help you, in some way, through any mischances.  Let me go into the country, Basil, knowing that you can still put trust in me, even though a time should come when you can put trust in no one else—­let me know this:  do let me!”

I gave her the assurance she desired—­gave it with my whole heart.  She seemed to have recovered all her old influence over me by the few simple words she had spoken.  The thought crossed my mind, whether I ought not in common gratitude to confide my secret to her at once, knowing as I did, that it would be safe in her keeping, however the disclosure might startle or pain her, I believe I should have told her all, in another minute, but for a mere accident—­the trifling interruption caused by a knock at the door.

It came from one of the servants.  My father desired to see Clara on some matter connected with their impending departure for the country.  She was unfit enough to obey such a summons at such a time; but with her usual courage in disciplining her own feelings into subserviency to the wishes of any one whom she loved, she determined to obey immediately the message which had been delivered to her.  A few moments of silence; a slight trembling soon repressed; a parting kiss for me; these few farewell words of encouragement at the door; “Don’t grieve about what papa has said; you have made me feel happy about you, Basil; I will make him feel happy too,” and Clara was gone.

With those few minutes of interruption, the time for the disclosure of my secret had passed by.  As soon as my sister was out of the room, my former reluctance to trust it to home-keeping returned, and remained unchanged throughout the whole of the long year’s probation which I had engaged to pass.  But this mattered little.  As events turned out, if I had told Clara all, the end would have come in the same way, the fatality would have been accomplished by the same means.