y less honourable names. She had never,
during all these years, spoken, even to her mother, of her plans, but
their fulfilment was none the less settled in her own mind, and none the
less dear to her because of that. Could she give this up? Could she go
away from her home, her friends, the land of her birth, and be content
to see no respite from her labour till the end? Yes, she could. The
love that had all these years been growing for the children she had
tended with almost a mother's care, would make the sacrifice possible--
even easy to her. But her mother? How could she find courage to tell
her that she must leave her alone in her old age? The thought of
parting from her son, her "bonny Sandy," loved with all the deeper
fervour that the love was seldom spoken--even this gave her no such pang
as did the thought of turning her back upon her mother. He was young,
and had his life before him, and in the many changes time might bring,
she could at least hope to see him again. But her mother, already
verging on the three-score, she could never hope to see more, when once
the broad Atlantic rolled between them.

And so, no wonder if in the misery of her indecision, Janet's words grew
fewer and sharper as the days wore on. With strange inconsistency she
blamed the minister for his determination to go away, but suffered no
one else to blame him, or indeed to hint that he could do otherwise than
what was wisest and best for all. It was a sore subject, this
anticipated departure of the minister, to many a one in Clayton besides
her, and much was it discussed by all. But it was a subject on which
Janet would not be approached. She gave short answers to those who
offered their services in the way of advice. She preserved a scornful
silence in the presence of those who seemed to think she could forsake
her master and his children in their time of need, nor was she better
pleased with those who thought her mother might be left for their sakes.
And so she thought, and wished, and planned, and doubted, till she
dazed herself with her vain efforts to get light, and could think and
plan no more.

"I'll leave it to my mother herself to decide," she said, at last;
"though, poor body, what can she say, but that I maun do what I think is
my duty, and please myself. The Lord above kens I hae little thought o'
pleasin' myself in this matter." And in her perplexity Janet was ready
to think her case an exception to the gener