Chapter I: Front Matter

MABEL'S MISTAKE.

BY

MRS. ANN S. STEPHENS.

AUTHOR OF "FASHION AND FAMINE," "THE SOLDIER'S ORPHANS," "DOUBLY FALSE,"
"SILENT STRUGGLES," "THE OLD HOMESTEAD," "THE REJECTED WIFE," "THE
HEIRESS," "THE GOLD BRICK," "MARY DERWENT," "THE WIFE'S SECRET," ETC.,
ETC.

"Imagine something purer far,
More free from stain of clay,
There friendship, love, or passion are,
Yet human still as they:
And if thy lips for love like this
No mortal word can frame,
Go ask of angels what it is,
And call it by that name."

PHILADELPHIA:
T. B. PETERSON & BROTHERS;
306 CHESTNUT STREET.

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1868, by

T. B. PETERSON & BROTHERS,

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States,
in and for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

* * * * *

ANN S. STEPHENS' WORKS.

Each work complete in one vol., 12mo.

_THE CURSE OF GOLD._
_WIVES AND WIDOWS._
_THE REJECTED WIFE._
_FASHION AND FAMINE._
_THE GOLD BRICK._
_SILENT STRUGGLES._
_THE OLD HOMESTEAD._
_MARY DERWENT._
_THE SOLDIER'S ORPHANS._
_THE WIFE'S SECRET._
_MABEL'S MISTAKE._
_DOUBLY FALSE._
_THE HEIRESS._

Price of each, $1.75 in Cloth; or $1.50 in Paper Cover.

* * * * *

Above books are for sale by all Booksellers. Copies of any or all of the above books will be sent to any one, to any place, postage pre-paid, on receipt of their price by the Publishers,

T. B. PETERSON & BROTHERS,
306 CHESTNUT STREET, PHILADELPHIA, PA.

TO

MY DEAR, YOUNG FRIEND,
MISS EUDORA J. HART,

OF NEW YORK,

THIS VOLUME
IS
MOST AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED.

ANN S. STEPHENS.

WASHINGTON, D. C., OCTOBER 17, 1868.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER PAGE

I.--THE STEP-MOTHER AND STEP-SON 23

II.--OLD MR. HARRINGTON 29

III.--THE HILL SIDE ADVENTURE 32

IV.--LINA COMES OUT OF HER FAINTING FIT 38

V.--ON THE BANKS AND ON THE RIVER 45

VI.--THE LITTLE HOUSE ON THE HILL 51

VII.--THE UNEXPECTED PASSENGER 57

VIII.--OUT OF THE STORM 63

IX.--THE BURNING CEDAR 70

X.--HOME IN SAFETY 75

XI.--GENERAL HARRINGTON IS SHOCKED 82

XII.--LOVE DREAMS 85

XIII.--THE BROKEN CONFESSION 93

XIV.--RALPH'S LOVE DREAM 101

XV.--THE STOLEN JOURNAL 107

XVI.--JAMES HARRINGTON'S RIDE 111

XVII.--THAT WOMAN 117

XVIII.--OLD HEADS AND YOUNG HEARTS 125

XIX.--THE LOVER'S CONFESSION 131

XX.--THE BOUQUET OF ROSES 136

XXI.--BEN BENSON GIVES AN OPINION 139

XXII.--A RENEWAL OF CONFIDENCE 147

XXIII.--THE LOVE SONG 152

XXIV.--A MEETING IN THE HILLS 155

XXV.--CONTINUED PLOTTING 160

XXVI.--THE NOTE WITH A GREEN SEAL 165

XXVII.--GENERAL HARRINGTON'S CONFESSION 168

XXVIII.--THE NOTE ON THE BREAKFAST TABLE 172

XXIX.--FATHER AND DAUGHTER 179

XXX.--BROTHER AND SISTER 186

XXXI.--THE SLAVE AND HER MASTER 190

XXXII.--THE BOAT-HOUSE 198

XXXIII.--GENERAL HARRINGTON READS THE VELLUM BOOK 202

XXXIV.--AMONG THE WATER LILIES 211

XXXV.--AFTER THE STORM 216

XXXVI.--MISTRESS AND MAID 218

XXXVII.--THE SLAVE WE LEFT BEHIND US 223

XXXVIII.--THE EATON FAMILY 226

XXXIX.--THAT SPANISH NOBLEMAN 230

XL.--THE MANOEUVRING MOTHER 236

XLI.--THE CATHEDRAL AT SEVILLE 239

XLII.--A DUKE IN THE HOUSE 245

XLIII.--HOPES AND PERSUASIONS 248

XLIV.--THE INFANTA AND HER GUESTS 252

XLV.--THE PROCESSION OF THE MADONNAS 256

XLVI.--WHERE WE SAW THE DUKE 259

XLVII.--MRS. EATON'S TRIBULATION 265

XLVIII.--ZILLAH'S LETTER 270

XLIX.--THE GENERAL PROPOSES A TRIP TO CADIZ 273

L.--MISS EATON MAKES MISS CRAWFORD A VISIT 279

LI.--CONTINUED MISUNDERSTANDING 286

LII.--GENERAL HARRINGTON RETURNS WITH ZILLAH 290

LIII.--ZILLAH IS ANXIOUS ABOUT THE HEALTH OF HER
MISTRESS 296

LIV.--BEHIND THE GIPSIES' TENT 301

LV.--BURDENED WITH A SECRET 304

LVI.--TOO LATE, TOO LATE 313

LVII.--ZILLAH 318

LVIII.--GENERAL HARRINGTON'S TEMPTATION 323

LIX.--A STORM IN THE WOODS 328

LX.--THE DARK-HOUSE 332

LXI.--STRANGE PLANS 337

LXII.--THE TEMPTATION 339

LXIII.--JAMES HARRINGTON'S GREAT STRUGGLE 347

LXIV.--THE LIFE DEED 352

LXV.--WHO WAS LINA FRENCH? 355

LXVI.--THREATS AND PERSUASIONS 360

LXVII.--THE EVENING RIDE 367

LXVIII.--RALPH FINDS LINA 372

LXIX.--AGNES BECOMES PATHETIC 376

LXX.--MABEL HARRINGTON AND HER SON 382

LXXI.--THE MISSING BOOK 387

LXXII.--FRAGMENTS OF MABEL'S JOURNAL 391

LXXIII.--THE TWO BROTHERS 393

LXXIV.--GENERAL HARRINGTON'S SECRET 399

LXXV.--THE DESERTED CHAMBER 404

LXXVI.--THE UNEXPECTED RETURN 407

LXXVII.--MOTHER AND DAUGHTER 411

LXXVIII.--A STORMY PARTING 414

LXXIX.--UNDER THE ICE 419

LXXX.--WHO WAS LINA 423

LXXXI.--THE MANIAC 426

MABEL'S MISTAKE.