time immemorial, though each successive lord of Belforest tried to buy them out. The alienation between them and Mr. Barnes, the present master, had however much stronger grounds than these. His nephew and intended heir has stolen a match with the old man's pretty daughter, and this had never been forgiven. The young couple had gone out to the West Indian isles, where the early home of her husband had been, and where he held some government office, and there yellow fever had carried him off. Old Mr. Gould had gone home to fetch his daughter and her child, but the former had died from the same complaint before he reached her, and he had only brought back the little girl about two years ago.

Mr. Barnes ignored her entirely, and the Goulds, who had a good deal of pride, did not choose to apply to him. It was very unfortunate, for unless he had any other relations the child must be heiress to his immense wealth, though it was as likely as not that he would leave it all to hospitals out of pure vindictiveness.

They found Allen out of doors attended by the three little girls, all eagerly watching the removal of a sheepfold. He was a pleasantmannered boy, ready to adapt himself to all circumstances and to throw ready intelligent interest into everything, and he had won the hearts of the whole River Hollow establishment, from old Mr. Gould down to the smallest puppy.

Elfie, as he called her, stood her ground, and as she looked up under her brown mushroom hat Caroline was struck with her beauty, fair, but with a southern richness of bloom and glow-the carnation cheek with a depth of tint more often found in brunette complexions. The eyes were not merely blue by courtesy, but with a wonderful deep azure, shaded by very long lashes, dark except when the sun glinted them with gold, and round her shoulders hung masses of hair of that exquisite light auburn which cannot be accused of red.

She let herself be greeted by the strangers with much more ease and grace than the other two children, but the slow walk of her grandfather and Colonel Brownlow seemed more than she could brook, and she went off, flying and spinning round like a little dog.

While all the acknowledgments and farewells were being made and Colonel Brownlow was taking directions for finding Higg's house and forge so as to remunerate him for his services, Elfie came hurrying up to Allen, holding out a great, gorgeous pink-lined shell, and laid within it two heads of scarlet geranium on a green leaf.

'O Elfie, Elfie! how could you?' exclaimed he, knowing them to be the only flowers in bloom.

You must have them. There's nothing else pretty to give you, and I love you,' said the child, holding up her face to kiss him.

'Elvira !' said her aunt in warning, 'how can you! What will this lady think of you?'

Elvira's gesture would in any other child have seemed a sulky thrust

of the elbow, but in her it was more like the flutter of the wing of a brilliant bird.

"You must,' she repeated; and when he hesitated with If Mrs. Gould,' she broke away, dashed the flowers, shell and all, into the middle of a clump of rosemary, and rushed out of sight like a little fury.

'You will excuse her, Mrs. Brownlow,' said Mrs. Gould, much annoyed. She has been sadly spoilt, living among Negro servants and having her own way, so that she is sometimes quite ungovernable.' 'Nay, nay, she is a warm-hearted little thing if you don't cross her,' said the old farmer; "and the young gentleman has been very kind

to her.'

Mrs. Gould looked as if she thought she knew her niece better than grandpapa did, but she was too wise to speak; and the little girls, having assisted Allen in the recovery of the shell and the flowers, he tendered them again to her.

'You had better keep them, Mr. Brownlow,' she said. 'The shell is her own, and if you did not take it she is so tenacious that she would be sure to smash it to atoms.'

Allen accepted perforce and proceeded with his farewells, but as he was stooping down to kiss little five-year-old Kate Gould, something wet, cold, and sloppy came with great force on them both, almost knocking them down and bespattering them both with black drops. The missile proved to be a dripping sod pulled up from the duck-pond in the next field, and a glimpse might be caught of Elvira's scarlet legs. disappearing over the low wall between.

Over poor Mrs. Gould's apologies a veil had best be drawn. Mother Carey pitied her heartily, but it was impossible not to make fun at home over the black tokens on Allen's shirt-collar. His brothers and sisters laughed excessively, and Janet twitted him with his Undine, till he, contrary to his wont, grew so cross as to make his mother recollect that he was still a suffering patient, and insist on his lying quiet on the sofa, while she banished every one, and read Tennyson to him. Poetry, read aloud by her, was Allen's greatest delight, but not often enjoyed, as Bobus and Jock scouted it, and Janet was getting too strong-minded and used to break in with inopportune criticisms.

So to have Mother Carey to read Elaine undisturbed was as great an indulgence as Allen could well have, but she had not gone far before he broke out

'Mother, please, I wish you could do something for that girl. She really is a lady.'

'So it appears,' said Carey, much disposed to laugh.

'Now, mother, don't be tiresome. You have more sense than Janet. Her father was Vice-consul at Sant Ildefonso, one of the Antilles.' 'But, my dear, I am afraid that is not quite so grand as it sounds--'

'Hush, mother. He was nephew to Mr. Barnes, and they lived out of the town in a perfect paradise of a place, looking out into the bay. Mr. Gould says he can hardly believe he ever saw anything so gorgeously beautiful, and there this poor little Elvira de Menella lived like a princess with a court of black slaves. Just fancy what it must be to her to come to that farm, an orphan too, with an aunt who can't understand a creature like that.'

who says any school he could afford would only turn her out a sham, and he means, when Mary and Kate are a little older, to get some sort of governess for the three. But, mother, couldn't you just let him bring her in on market days and teach her a little?'

'My dear boy, what would your aunt do? We can't have sods of mud flying about the house.'

'Now, mother, you know better! You could make anything of her, you know you could! And what a model she would make ! Think what a poor little desolate thing she is. You always have a fellow feeling for orphans, and we do owe those people a great deal of gratitude.'

Allen, you special pleader, it really will not do! If I had not undertaken Essie and Ellie I might think about it, but I promised your aunt not to have any other pupils.'

Allen bothered Essie and Ellie, but was forced to acquiesce, which was fortunate, for when on the last day of the holidays it was found that he had walked to River Hollow to take leave of the Goulds, his aunt administered to his mother a serious warning on the dangers of allowing him to become intimate there.

Caroline tingled all over during the discourse, and at last jumped up, exclaiming

'My dear Ellen, half the harm in the world is done by making a fuss. Things don't die half so hard when they die a natural death.' Ellen knew Carey thought she had said something very clever, but was all the more unconvinced.

To be continued.

OUR YOUNG LADIES, AS DESCRIBED BY THE
MINISTER'S DAUGHTER.*

A HIGHLAND STORY.

BY EUPHEMIA E. G. BUSSELL.

CHAPTER XXXI.

HOW THE NEWS WAS RECEIVED IN THE GLEN.

THE news reached the glen quickly enough, but I am not going to describe its effects upon us, perhaps because I cannot. Our first information was through the Courier. I was by the pond side watching the young ducks take the water, by way of scaring the rats who had lately been nipping them off as fast as they appeared, when my father came out and called me in. Then he put the Courier into my hands, and we cried and bawled together for a long while.

Poor Alexa! Poor, pretty, darling girl!

When I could think at all, I thought of Christiana's passage through the river, and compared it to hers, fearing, pity me! that her's might have been drearier, taken so sudden in the night, and with no kindred face about her; so young too, so beloved, with everything to make this life sweet to her and to let her forget the next. I could not but mind upon my dream, too, of Alexa lying asleep and the moneyspider on the pillow beside her, and my saying she would get a new one for it, and Mrs. Gowry sobbing out that it would be but cold for the lassie if she did. Cold? It was the wet sea wave itself, if there was any meaning in the dream at all, which I am far from saying for certain.

I went to call on Mrs. Gowry when she would let me see her, which was not at first; she and all the family took it so heavily and felt so much meeting anybody that I found the kindest thing I could do was to keep out of their way for a while, there being enough of them to comfort one another, or if they would not admit comfort, at least to grieve in company.

I thought I would begin by calling for Mrs. Gowry, so as soon as I judged she would admit me I drove out to Monykirk, intending there to make inquiries about her father and sisters, who had disappeared even from the kirk on the Sabbath when there was no English at S. Erlulph's, so that I could not but be anxious.

'The lady is seeing no one,' the smart butler says in answer to my ring.

Maybe she'll see me, though. Just tell her, man, that it's Miss Macbride from the manse, and I shouldn't wonder if she lets me in.'

* Miss Macbride's language and opinions have been preserved. "
28

VOL. 24.

PART 143.

He looked glad, I thought, of a commission; no doubt it would be very dull in yon old house without any goings or comings, any outings and innings to put life into it. He went away pretty smart and returned, saying that the lady was very glad I had come, and I was to be shown to the little drawing-room at once.

Oh dear me !' she sighed,

Truly it does not do to be bashful or faint-hearted in a world like this. I had been near going away fearing I would intrude, and here was Mrs. Gowry, I really believe, thinking long to have a sight of me. 'We have known each other all our lives, haven't we, Janetta?' she said, taking my hand affectionately. That was her first word. 'And you care for us too much to gossip. and turned away her head as if to keep me from noticing how very sad she looked. But indeed I saw a great change on her. She seemed to have grown thin again all at once, her face was lengthened and haggard; there were heavy circles under her eyes, and more new grey hairs than I could count upon her temples. The difference would not be entirely in her black dress I am sure, though that seemed sad enough to look upon with the bright July sunshine glittering over it.

Then I told her of my sorrow and how the sad occurrence had even drawn tears from the eyes of the minister himself; and she seemed in a manner pleased to talk it out with me, and even to tell me a few of the thoughts they had all had about Alexa and her sacrifice, which some people were good enough to say was uncalled for, considering that yon nurse-girl was not even known to her, and that she ought to have made every exertion to save her own life, for the sake of her husband that was to be!

'A doubt on that subject has never troubled any of us,' said Mrs. Gowry. We think that in that hurry she just tried to do what was readiest to her hand-readiest and best-as you would expect of one so loving and devoted, one, moreover, who had only newly risen from her knees. We are none of us doubting but that she was under the special direction and guidance of God throughout that long night, that she acted exactly as His Spirit bade her, and that He Himself soothed her last moments, so that she could die with that smile upon her face which you do not always see in the calm of a well-watched death-bed. It isn't any doubt about the wisdom and love which thought fit to take her from us, that is keeping us shut up, and sad, but just this that our sorrow was unexpected and is still very new, and we have hardly realised it to ourselves yet, and in that stage the comments and inquiries of well-meaning people-everybody is so intensely wellmeaning, you know-would be so painful.'

She broke down, and I believe I cried as much as she did; I could not have helped it.

'How is Phemie bearing it?' I asked.

'Phemie exults in Alexa's triumph; she will not have it that she is dead, or asleep, but alive in Christ, which is far better. When she can