t is in

h shade f

oonlight on he

irit's ha

part wi

of speak

e thinketh

utterin

arrett

glish home-she was an intensely happy bride-she loved her husband devotedly-she looked forward to a good and blessed life by his side, but still (and to her credit be it spoken) she could not forget old times. In the Rectory gardens now the crocuses and snowdrops were putting out their first dark-green leaves, and showing their tender petals to the faint winter sunshine. Judy and Babs, wrapped in furs from top to toe, were taking their afternoon walk-Babs was lookin

longest on the figure of the tall, rather overgrown child, whose

to take Judy to see a really good picture-how her eyes shine in her dear face when she looks at it. My sweet little Judy, Jasper does not care fo

ng-bag stood, opened it, pressed the spring on a certain lock, and taki

ve you better than anyone else in the world. I'll always go on loving you

ght. I hope you will be very happy. I won't fre

ud

p the letter, slipped it back into its hiding plac

"the English mail has just come

ou too, Jasper. Wha

a good case coming on at the Law Courts; he says I shall be counsel for it i

ing to be home again. Do you think we could go down to

e in London, not in Hampshire. Now that I have got

e turned sl

etly at her tall husband; "but where are we to

ave not taken a house yet, we must spend a week with the Malverns when first we ge

ugh in their lofty room, began to open her letters. The Rectory budget was of course first attended to. It contained several inclosures-one from her father,

oice of surprise; "she has only writ

thy. He was reading a letter of his own, and its conten

?" asked Hilda. "Wh

l you presently. Capital fellow he is; if I g

mewhat rambling correspondent. Her letters were always closely written and v

me. I miss you awfully, my love. I never could stand theology, even when I was surrounded by comforts, and now when I have to stint the fires and suffer from cold feet, you may imagine how unpleasant it is to me. My dear Hilda, I am afraid I shall not be able to keep Miss Mills, she seems to get sillier every day; it is my private conviction that she has a love affair on, but she's as mum as possible about it. Poor Sutton cried in a most heartrending way when she left; she said when leaving, 'I'll never get another mistress like

ho said she had a chill, and was a good deal run down. She's up again now, but looks like a ghost with her big eyes. She certainly is a most peculiar child-I don't pretend to understand

. Give her my dear love and heaps of kisses' (my dear Hilda, you must tak

ng further to say-really a most queer child. Babs

ectionate

rjo

a, in a choked sort

Why, how queer you look,

ilda. "I ought to go to her, I ought not t

by Hilda's manner. "What is wrong with t

whatever it is, I ought to go to her-I ought not to

ble you are! What can b

derstand-Aunt Marjorie sa

t crabbed, crosse

o you; see where it begins-

lmost choking her voice. When she had finished, Quen

rong with Judy now; she was ill, but she's much better. My darling Hilda-my lo

y-I know how she looks and what she feels.

give it to me, and let me see for myself what it is all about. Why will old ladies write such villainous hands? Where

the sentences fell from his lips, his full tones seemed to put new meaning into them-the ghostly terrors died out of Hilda's heart. Whe

ou there was nothing wrong with Jud

lly, really think-if you are qu

say so? The fact is, Hilda, you make too great a fuss about