gentleman on the stairs. She glanced up at him, and was about to pass on with a 56slight though graceful salutation, when he stopped short and regarded her with surprise. 56 “Halloa! who are you?” he asked, brusquely, yet not unkindly. Star colored a lovely pink, as she replied, modestly: “I am Star—or, I should say, Stella Gladstone.” “Stella—Star Gladstone!” he exclaimed, in surprise. Then he added, with an appreciative glance at her golden head with its dainty forelocks, her great, star-like eyes, and red lips: “That sounds well—very appropriate, too, I should say. When did you arrive? We have been very anxious on your account.” Star’s scarlet lips curled slightly. It appeared that he had not been notified of her arrival—Mrs. Richards had not considered it necessary to speak of the welfare of one whom she intended to make her servant. They had been anxious on her account! He might have experienced some uneasiness concerning her; his kind eyes and pleasant face seemed to indicate a good heart; but the other members of his family, she judged, would not have grieved so very much if she had really gone to the bottom of the ocean, as they feared she had. “I arrived the day before yesterday—Tuesday,” she said, somewhat coldly, in reply to his question. “Ah! I was in Chicago that day—reached home last night. You’ve had a pretty hard time, little girl, haven’t you?” “Yes, sir,” Star returned, wondering if he had any idea how hard, while the tears rushed unbidden to her eyes at his kind tone. “I never expected to see land again,” she added, trying hard to suppress a sob, as she thought she would almost rather have died than come among such cold-hearted people as her mother’s cousin’s family appeared to be. “Well, well, you are safe now, thank Heaven, and you must 57try to be as happy as possible with us,” Mr. Richards said, still more kindly as he remarked her agitation.
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