r." And she was lifted out of the sleigh by Janet, and carried
into the house, and kissed before she was set down.

"I'll be along down after dark, sometime," said Mr Snow, as he drove
away.

Little Emily had never heard so much noise, at least so much pleasant
noise, before. Mr Elliott sat down beside the bright wood fire in the
kitchen, with Marian on one knee and the little stranger on the other,
and listened to the exclamations of one and all about the sleigh-ride.

"And hae you nothing to say, my bonnie wee lassie?" said he pushing back
the soft, brown hair from the little grave face. "What is your name,
little one?"

"Emily Snow Arnold," answered she, promptly.

"Emily Arnold Snow," said Menie, laughing.

"No; Emily Snow Arnold. Grandma says I am not father's own little girl.
My father is dead."

She looked grave, and so did the rest.

"But it is just the same. He loves you."

"Oh, yes!" There was a bright look in the eyes for once.

"And you love him all the same?"

"Oh, yes."

So it was. Sampson Snow, with love enough in his heart for half a dozen
children, had none of his own, and it was all lavished on this child of
his wife, and she loved him dearly. But they did not have "good times"
up at their house the little girl confided to Graeme.

"Mother is sick most of the time, and grandma is cross always; and, if
it wasn't for father, I don't know what we _should_ do."

Indeed, they did not have good times. Old Mrs Snow had always been
strong and healthy, altogether unconscious of "nerves," and she could
have no sympathy and very little pity for his son's sickly wife. She
had never liked her, even when she was a girl, and her girlhood was
past, and she had been a sorrowful widow before her son brought her home
as his wife. So old Mrs Snow kept her place at the head of the
household, and was hard on everybody, but more especially on her son's
wife and her little girl. If there had been children, she might have
been different; but she almost resented her son's warm affection for his
little step-daughter. At any rate she was determined that little Emily
should be brought up as children used to be brought up when _she_ was
young, and not spoiled by over-indulgence as her mother had been; and
the process was not a pleasant one to any of them, and "good times" were
few and far between at their house.

Her acquaintance with the minister's children was the beginning of a new
life to Emily.