rom
without, do not hurt much, when the heart's peace is undisturbed. The
words that rose to Violet's lips were kept back, as she looked from her
mother's face to David's. But Frank could see nobody's face, and his
own was very pale and anxious, as he listened to the happy tumult of
voices around him.

"Has Philip come home?" asked he, after a little. "Did he get my
letter? Is it all right, Davie?"

David laughed.

"Oh, yes! it's all right. He got your letter, but I am afraid he
couldn't read it very well. It brought him home a fortnight sooner than
he meant to come, however."

"And is it all right?" asked Frank, anxiously.

"All right! Only I am afraid he will be sorry he came, for he has taken
my place in the office for ten days at least, and he will be very sick
of it before that time is over. Oh, yes! it is all right as right can
be. Mamma, you were right. I need never have fretted, about it at all.
But Philip has something to say to you, Frank, and to Violet," added
David, laughing a little at the remembrance of his last glimpse of
Philip's astonished face.

But there was no more said then. Of course, the story of David's
troubled summer was all told afterwards, to his mother first, and then
to Frank and Violet. It was told to his mother before he slept, when
she went to say "good-night" and take his lamp, as she used to do, long
ago, in that very room. If David had had to tell the story of Mr
Oswald's suspicions, before Philip's return had proved their injustice,
he might have grown angry as he went on with it, and indulged in bitter
words, as he had sometimes indulged in bitter thoughts. He had no
temptation now to do this, and he did not seek to conceal from her how
angry he had been at first, and how faithless and unhappy afterwards.
He ended by giving Mr Caldwell's message to her, "that he had borne his
trouble not so ill," and his mother agreed with Mr Caldwell, though she
said less than she felt with regard to the whole matter.

"You should have written to me, Davie," said she.

"I wished you were there a thousand times, mamma, but I thought it would
only make you unhappy to know about my trouble, since you couldn't help
it. And for a long time there was nothing to tell. When I got your
letter, after Violet came, I was sorry I hadn't told you before."

There was a good deal more said before Mrs Inglis went down-stairs, but
not much more about this matter. Sitting in the dark, with