BOOK V. (continued 2)

“In either case an honest fellow,” answered Mr. Sylvester, and allowed the janitor to depart.

One more scene, and this in the house which Paula is henceforth to make a home for herself and its once melancholy owner. They have come back from their wedding-journey, and are standing in their old fashion, he at the foot, and she half way up the stairs. Suddenly she turns and descends to his side.

“No, I will not wait,” said she. “Here, on this spot we both love so well, and in this the first hour of our return, I will unburden my mind of what I have to say. Edward, is there nothing of all the past that still rests upon you like a shadow? Not one little regret you could wish taken away?”

“No,” said he, enfolding her in his arms with a solemn smile. “The great gift which I hold is the fruit of that past, perhaps; I cannot wish it changed.”

“But the sense of obligation never fulfilled, would you not be happier if that were removed?”

“Perhaps,” he said, “but it cannot be now. I shall have to live without being perfectly happy.”

She lifted her face and her smile shone like a star. “Oh God is good,” she cried, “you shall not lack being perfectly happy;” and taking a little paper out of her pocket she put it in his hand. “We found that hidden in Jacqueline Japha’s breast, when we went to lay her out for burial.”

It was only a line; but it made Mr. Sylvester’s brow flush and his voice tremble.

“Whatever I own, and I have been told that I am far from penniless, I desire to have given to the dear and disinterested girl that first told me of Margery Hamlin’s vigil.”

“Paula, Paula, Paula, thou art indeed my good gift! May God make me worthy of your love and of this His last and most unexpected mercy!”

And the look which crossed her face, was that sweet and unearthly radiance which speaks of perfect peace.

PUBLICATIONS OF G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS.

THE LEAVENWORTH CASE. By Anna Katherine Green.

“Wilkie Collins, in his best period, never invented a more ingeniously constructed plot, nor held the reader in such suspense until the final denoûment. The most blasé novel-reader will be unable to put aside ‘The Leavenworth Case’ until he has read the last sentence and mastered the mystery which has baffled him from the beginning.”—N. Y. Evening Express.

A MAN’S A MAN FOR A’ THAT.

“A novel of decided excellence. * * * Contains delicate and charming work. Thoroughly clever * * * Its spirit is one of robust and healthy enthusiasm for manliness and womanliness.”—N. Y. Evening Post.

THE BRETON MILLS: A Romance of New England Life. By Charles J. Bellamy.

“Nothing from the pen of Mrs. Burnett was ever more intensely dramatic.”—Jackson Daily Citizen.

“Looked at from a purely literary point of view it is almost faultless. It shows a hand both of culture and power.”—Detroit Evening News.

CUPID AND THE SPHINX. By Harford Flemming.

“Its characters are skilfully drawn, its incidents well conceived, the dialogues brilliant, and the story told with ease and gracefulness.”—Boston Transcript.

“The suggestion of the story is extremely beautiful, and its treatment graceful and enchanting throughout.”—Hartford Evening Post.

A STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE. By Anna Katherine Green.

“Wilkie Collins would not need to be ashamed of the construction of this story. * * * It keeps the reader’s close attention from first to last.”—N. Y. Evening Post.

“Shows the same skill as ‘The Leavenworth Case’ in the management of the plot and the incidents.”—Boston Transcript.

THE HEART OF IT: A Romance of East and West. By William O. Stoddard.

“Uncommonly good reading, even for that uncommonly readable Series.”—Philadelphia Times.

“An American novel, dealing with a few well-chosen characters and involving a striking and original plot. * * * A thoroughly entertaining piece of fiction.”—Boston Traveller.

UNCLE JACK’S EXECUTORS. By Annette Lucille Noble.

“Comes from a writer of unusual talent. * * * Remarkable for its sketches of character, its naturalness, its frequent flashes of intellectual brightness, and its genuine humor. * * * One of the best novels of the season and deserving of a permanent place among works of genuine American fiction.”—The Churchman.

THE STRANDED SHIP: A Story of Sea and Shore. By L. Clarke Davis.

“Full of the finest dramatic action. * * * The work of a man of firm genius and exquisite delicacy of touch.”—N. Y. Evening Post.

NESTLENOOK. By Leonard Kip, Author of “The Dead Marquise,” “Under the Bells,” etc.

Of “The Dead Marquise” the Boston Globe writes: “The book is admirable and its style almost perfect in its transparent simplicity.”

THE TRANS-ATLANTIC SERIES.

I. CAPTAIN FRACASSE. By Theophile Gautier. Translated by E. M. Beam.

Of Le Capitaine Fracasse, Henry James, Jr., writes: “In this delightful work Gautier surpassed himself, and produced the model of picturesque romances. * * * The great charm of the book is a sort of combined geniality of feeling and coloring, which leaves one in doubt whether the author is the most joyous of painters or the cleverest of poets. * * * Le Capitaine Fracasse ranks, in our opinion, with the first works of imagination produced in our day.”

“A masterpiece of literary art.”—N. Y. Nation.

“The translation is most admirable.”—Troy Whig.

II. THE AMAZON. By Franz Dingelstedt. Translated by Jas. Morgan Hart.

“Full of scintillations of wit. * * * Sparkles throughout with vivacity and sparkling humor.”—Leipsic Blätter für Lit. Unt.

“A delightful novel, characterized by force and fire, strong dramatic power, and rare skill in its analysis of human motives and character.”—Philadelphia Times.

MOTHER MOLLY. By Frances Mary Peard.

“The book is charming; and, more than this, it is a well-finished historical study of stirring times.”—Philadelphia Times.

“It deserves to rank among the best English stories of the year.”—Louisville Courier-Journal.

THE LOST CASKET. Translated from “La Main Coupée” of F. de Boisgobey by S. Lee.