ent and preparation
attending Fred's departure for India, the mixture of sorrow and
satisfaction with which her mother parted from him, of how bitterly she
had cried herself; for though somewhat tyrannical, Fred had been always
kind and generous.

How well she remembered the day he had left them never to return--how
her mother had clasped her to her heart and exclaimed: "You must be all
in all to me now, Katie. I have done but little for you yet, dear, Fred
needed so much."

A spell of happy, busy life in Germany followed, enlivened by long
letters from the young Indian officer, whose career seemed full of
promise. But when Katherine was a little more than thirteen sorrow fell
upon them. Fred's letters had become irregular; then came a confession
of weakness and debt, crowned by the supreme folly of marriage,
concluding with a prayer for help.

Mrs. Liddell was cruelly disappointed. She had hoped and expected much
from her boy. She believed he was doing so well! She told all to Katie,
who heartily agreed with her that Fred must be helped. Some of their
slender capital was sold out and sent to him, while mother and daughter
cheerfully accepted the loss of many trifling indulgences, drawing the
narrow limits of their expenditure closer still, content and free from
debt, though as time went on Katherine cast many a longing glance at the
world of social enjoyment in which their poverty forbade her to triumph.

Mrs. Liddell had always loved literature, and her husband had been an
accomplished though a reckless and self-indulgent man. She had wandered
a good deal with him, and had seen a great variety of people and places.
It occurred to her to try her pen as a means of adding to her income,
and after some failures she succeeded with one or two of the smaller
weekly periodicals. This induced her to return to London, hoping to do
better in that great centre of work. Here the tidings of her son's death
overwhelmed her. Next came an imploring letter from the young widow, who
had no near relatives, praying to be allowed to live with her and
Katherine--sharing expenses--as the pension to which an officer's widow
and orphans were entitled insured her a small provision.

So Mrs. Liddell again roused herself, and managed to furnish very
scantily the little home where Katherine sat thinking. But the addition
to their income was but meagre compared to the expenses which followed
in the train of Mrs Frederic Liddell and her two "li