Rookstone Priory.

ROOKSTONE PRIORY .

( From Keystone . ) CHAPTER II . "This is my nephew , Mr . Forrester , Miss West , " said aunt Jem , as Lowndes joined her and her companion in the Rookstone Priory drawing-room— -a low spacious apartment with a huge fire and niany windows .

Mr . lorresfcer , judging by their voices that the ladies were near the fire , crossed over to them at once . He held out his hand . "How do you do , Miss West ? " he said kindly , his speech and manner free from

all stiff conventional formality . " You are very welcome . " He felt a soft little hand timidly place itself in the palm of his own , and heard a sweet voice murmur , in scarcely audible

tones" You are all so kind to me , I do not know how to thank you . " "For what ] " cried aunt Jem lightly , who had caught the words . Don't be foolish , my dear . Let us go in to dinner ; you must be both tired and hungry

after your cold tedious journey from town . " Miss West hesitated . She was not dressed ; and Lowndes and Mrs . Lorrimore

were . Moreover , she was feeling uncomfortably shy , and would have liked to be alone on this her first evening at the Priory . She could hardly understand why Mrs . Lorrimore and Mr . Forrester should treat her , the companion , as though she wore at

Rookstone as a guest of the family . She did not know— -she had yet to find outthe depth and goodness of aunt Jem ' s heart , and the nobleness and soul-bravery of blind Lowndes Forrester . " I am not dressed" stammered Alice

, , " If you will excuse mo , plctvse . " " Nonsense , child , " answered Sirs . Lorrimore , whose aim was to make the girl feel thoroughly at home ; " come along . Lowndes , will you give your arm to Miss West 1

"And you take the other , aunt Jem , " said he , gaily . " Now , Miss West . " So tho three went into the dining-room and under the subtile influence of Mrs . Lorrituore ' s motherly kindness and Mr .

Forrester's clever , earnest conversation Alice ' s timidity soon began to fade like mists before the sunshine , and the conviction that she was among friends who were wonderfully good , gradually to dawn upon her . By degrees she became less shy and

more at her ease , this orphan girl who was cast upon the world ' s highway to win as best she could , the necessary daily bread . How very , very kind they were , she thought , gratefully , and how happy she might be at Rookstone Priory , if only she

could succeed in pleasing Mrs . Lorrimore , and fulfilling conscientiously her duties as that lady's companion ! Dinner and dessert over , aunt Jem and Miss West went back to the drawing-room . Lowndes was not long before he followed them . He found Mrs . Lorrimore dozing by the fire , and

Miss West reading aloud at a little round table by her side . He sat down opposite aunt Jem— -who , for a wonder , liticl not heard his careful , uncertain entrance—and spoke softly , for fear of waking her . " Why do you read to night , Miss West f

he asked . " You must be tired . " Miss West ' s timidity was all gone now ; her shyness had all vanished . " No , thank you , " answered she , raising her beautiful pitying eyes that Lowndes Forrester could not see ; " 1 am rested

completely . " The master of Rookstone lay back in his chair ; the cloud was coming over his face again . Somehow this night he was feeling his utter helplessness more than ever . Aunt Jem snored gently ; Miss West turned to her book , to shut it up , now that she had read Mrs . Lorrimore into the

land of dreams . "She is fast asleep , Miss West , " said Mr . Forrester , still iu the same undertone . " Let us talk ; don ' t read any more . " "Very well , " said she , with a smile , bright and amused . And then he drew her on to speak of

herself—of her life before she had met with Mrs . Lorrimore's advertisement in the Times newspaper , and the subsequent interview which resulted from the answering of the same . She told him how hard her young life had been in the large

London boarding-school whei-eshe had lived , nearly as long as she could remember , first as a pupil placed there by an uncle who could ill afford the terms demanded , and then at last as a pupil-teacher , paying