be much that any one could say. Each girl was busy with her own thoughts and private interpretation of a most sorrowful enigma. What w

this affect certain vague hopes she had lately cherished? Then she thought of

fought against Sisera"? And at this juncture of her thoughts she could feel Phillis's hand folding softly over hers with a most sisterly pressure of full understanding and sympathy. Phillis had no Dick to stand sentinel over her private thoughts; she was free to be alert and vigilant for others. Nevertheless, her forehead was puckered up with hard thinking, and her silence was so very expressive that Dulce sat and looked at

as relics of a wealthy past. "It is not this sort of thing that I mind. I would live on a crust thankfully, if I could only ke

ivered, and she made

w you are talking as though we must starve, and never have anything to wear, and go nowhere and be miserable forever?" And here Dulce broke into actual sobs; for was she not the petted darling? and had she not had a

ich was hardly true as far as Nan was concerned, for she blushed guiltily over this telling point in Phillis's eloquence. "It only upsets mother to talk like this." And then she touched the coals skilfully, till they spluttered and blazed

ation; and, though Mrs. Challoner said nothing, she started a little

, with a shrill rendering of each adjective. "You woul

succession of q

in munching our crusts here," she continued, with a certain grim humor. Things were apparently at their worst; but at least she,-Phillis,-the clever one, as she had heard herself called, would do her best to k

ld cottage coming into your head! 50 And it so seldom lets. And people say it i

is not to be despised; and Hadleigh is a nice place, and the sea always suits you. There is the house, and the furniture,

a hundred pounds. "But there are my rings and that piece of point-lace that Lady F

the money. Not that a hundred pounds would last long, with mo

ssion of admiring confidence in Phillis's

erhaps;" but at this proposition Mrs. Chall

preposterous idea!

am sure he would be sorry if his on

ot able to judge. But I never liked my brother-in-law,-never; he was not a good man. He was not a person whom

t sable hue; and though, for such prodigals, there may be a late repentance and much killing of fatted calves, still

acter, a black sheep; he might be landless, with the exception of that ruined tenement in the North; nevertheless, Nan loved to know that he was of their kith and kin. It seemed to settle th

mained to her,-that Sir 51 Francis Challoner had long filled the cup of his iniquities, and lay in h

ed at their mother's wan looks; her feebleness and uncertainty of speech, the very vagueness of her lamentations, filled them with sad forebodings for the future.

ade no further allusion to Sir Francis; she only rose

and try and go to sleep, and hope that things may turn out better than we expect." And, as Mrs. Challoner was too utterly spent to resist this wise counsel, Nan achieved her pious mission with some success. Sh

eam of retiring to rest. She was somewhat surprised to find her sisters' room dark and empty as she passed. They must be still downstairs, talking ove

e called "a good cry." Phillis, sombre and thoughtful, was pacing the room, with her hands clasped behind her head,-a favorite a

lief to talk to a sensible person. Dulc

nother sob; "everything is so horrible, a

g down on the arm of the chair and stroking Dulce's hair; "i

d. But it is not worse for Dulce than for the rest of us. Crying will not mend matters, and it is a sheer waste of tears.

round Dulce, and drew her head against her shoulder. The

ring her words slowly as she spoke; "she does look s

t they rarely alluded to them except in this vague fashion. For years they had shielded and petted her, a

ittle worries from her," Nan had been accustomed

too roughly upon their cherished charge? The roof, and perhaps the crust, might be theirs; but how were they to

he unwelcome topic, for Nan felt almos

rightness of determination. She looked too young for that quiet care-worn look that had come so suddenly to her; but one felt she could be equa

rather dubiously; and D

es enough to last some time, and––" here Dulce put her hands together pleadingly, but Phillis looked at her severely, and went on: "Forty or fifty pounds will soon

zarded Dulce, with quavering v

it 53 would be ruinous to fail, and perhaps we should not make it answer. I cannot fancy mother living in the basem

position took her breath away. What would Mr. Mayne say to that?

urpose, and they dare not use up their little capital too quickly. They were too young, too, to carry out such a thing, Nan did not add "and too pretty," thoug

nd a sort of relief in throwing out feelers in every direction. Nan brighte

the evening; she could busy herself about the house, and we could leave her little things to do, and she

Phillis, with an ominous stress on the no

pouted Dulce, who knew every

ht: we all dote on children. I should dearly like to be a governess myself; i

re of Phillis's speech. "Of course we are not certificated, and I for o

as though I were going through the Catechism: we are only girls, but we must sift the w

returned Nan, st

Come, I am really in earnest; I mea

oked a little frightened. As for Phillis, she sat erect, wit

marvellous manner. I remember your insisting that Anne of Cleves was Louis XII.'s second wife; and you

did better than I; and so did you, Phillis. When I teach the children I can h

ence;" but Dulce disdained to answer. "You were better at arithmetic, Nan. Dulce never got through her rule of thre

ite settled to talk in French over our work three times a week, and we have always forgotten it; and we were

ebelliously. "I began German with

how many words in every sentence you had to hunt out in the dictionary. I am glad you feel so competent, Dulce; but I could not teach German myse

our idea to pieces?" returned

o, Dulce please let me finish our scanty stock of accomplishments. I only know my notes,-for no one cares to hear me lumber through my pieces,-and I sing at church. You have the sweetest voice Dulce, but it is not trained; and I cannot co

illis looked at them both thoughtfully; her trouble was very rea

liable teachers so much increased, that we can afford to discourage the crude efforts to teach, or un-teach, our children.' And then he goes on to ask, 'What has become of womanly conscientiousness, when such ignorance presses forward to assume such sacred responsibilities? Better the competent nurse than the incompetent governess.' 'Why do not these girls,' he asks, 'who, through their own fault or the fault of circumstanc

h, when we are so wretched? You may talk for hours, Phil, but I never, never will be a nurse!" And Dulce