itious dread which was stealing upon her, as she witnessed the
solemnity of Morris's farewell to him. They all spoke of her return to
them; but no one felt that there was any comfort in so vague a hope,
amidst the sadness of the present certainty.

As Hester and Margaret stood out on the steps to watch the gig till the
last moment, a few flakes of snow were driven against their faces. They
feared Morris would have a dreary journey; and this was not the
pleasantest thought to carry with them into the house.

While Hester nursed her infant by the fire, Margaret went round the
house, to see what there was for her to do to-night. It moved her to
find how thoughtfully everything was done. Busy as Morris had been with
a thousand little affairs and preparations, every part of the house was
left in the completest order. The very blinds of the chambers were
drawn down, and a fire was laid in every grate, in case of its being
wanted. The tea-tray was set in the pantry, and not a plate left from
dinner unwashed. Margaret felt and said how badly she should supply the
place of Morris's hands, to say nothing of their loss of her head and
heart. She sighed her thankfulness to her old friend, that she was
already at liberty to sit down beside her sister, with actually nothing
on her hands to be done before tea-time.

It was always a holiday to Margaret when she could sit by at leisure, as
the morning and evening dressing and undressing of the baby went on.
Hester would never entrust the business to her or to any one: but it was
the next best thing to watch the pranks of the little fellow, and the
play between him and his mother; and then to see the fun subside into
drowsiness, and be lost in that exquisite spectacle, the quiet sleep of
an infant. When he was this evening laid in his basket, and all was
unusually still, from there being no one but themselves in the house,
and the snow having by this time fallen thickly outside, Margaret said
to her sister--"If I remember rightly, it is just a twelvemonth since
you warned me how wretched marriage was. Just a year, is it not?"

"Is it possible?" said Hester, withdrawing her eyes from her infant.

"I wish I could have foreseen then how soon I might remind you of this."

"Is it possible that I said so?--and of all marriage?"

"Of all love, and all marriage. I remember it distinctly."

"You have but too much reason to remember it, love. But how thankless,
how wicked of me