for the third time. "I will go and ask Mrs. Palmer what I ought to do; but no," said she, "it is my own heart that must counsel me in this matter." For some time Isabella had sought to check her tears, but now she gave free course to them; they relieved, and the mood which they softened soon became elevated; tears smooth the way for prayers.
"I may," said she, "be wrong; Heaven support and direct me! but my heart seems reassured. He says that his heart is lonely, and that I shall have a home for my sisters; should I not think of him and them rather than of myself?" Her cheek was pale as the marble of a gravestone, and her hand cold and trembling as she wrote the following answer:—
"You tell me I may consult a friend, and I will consult my oldest and my kindest—yourself. Tell me what to do, and, in order that you may advise, I will tell you what my feelings are. I am very grateful to you; and you say most truly 'that I should be happy in making you so;' but can I? As you answer that question to me, so do I answer to you. Accept the prayers and blessings of
"Your gratefully attached,
"Isabella Granard."
The note was duly sent for the next morning, and an answer returned in less than half an hour.
"My dearest Isabel, you can make me very happy, and to make you so will be my constant anxiety. I
