of a fashion never seen in Adams. She went straight up to the group on
the door-step, and although she had too much poise of manner to appear
agitated, it was evident that she was very eager and very much in
earnest. Mrs. Lynn half arose, with an idea of giving her a chair, but
there was no time, the lady began talking so at once.

"You are Miss Sarah Lynn, are you not?" she asked of Sarah, and she did
not wait for a reply, "and you are going to be married to him?" and
there was an unmistakable emphasis of scorn.

"I have just returned," said the lady; "I have not been in the house
half an hour, and my father told me. You do not know, but the gentleman
who has lived so long in the Ware house, the caretaker, is my father,
and--and my mother was Hyacinthus's mother; her second marriage was
secret, and he would never tell. My father and my mother were cousins.
Hyacinthus never told." She turned to Sarah. "He would not even tell
you, when he knew that you must have seen or heard something that made
you believe otherwise, because--because of our mother. No, he would not
even tell you."

She spoke again with a great impetuosity which made her seem very young,
although she was not so very young. "I have been kept away all my life,"
she said, "all my life from here, that the memory of our mother should
not suffer, and now I come to tell, myself, and you will marry my
brother, whom you must love better than that gentleman. You must. Will
you not? Tell me that you will," said she, "for Hyacinthus is breaking
his heart, and he loves you."

Before anything further could be said John Mangam rose, and walked
rapidly down the gravel walk out of the yard and down the street.