't know. I don't suppose Dr. Gray can tell to a few weeks, or
even months. A lot depends on how quiet she keeps. He said that perhaps
by next spring or summer she would be quite well again, and able to go
about."

"Oh!" Audrey's face fell, but before she could say anything more,
Faith opened a door and in another moment Audrey was in her mother's arms.

"Oh, my dear, my dear, I am so glad to see you. I hardly realised what a
great big daughter I possessed. How you have grown, Audrey, and how nice
you look, darling. You are going to be tall, like your father, and you
have his features." Audrey's face brightened, fond as she was of her
mother, it was her father she wished to resemble. Faith had her mother's
short tip-tilted nose and big brown eyes, and Audrey had many times envied
her the latter, but if she herself had her father's straight nose and
aristocratic features, she felt she would not grudge Faith her pretty
eyes. Faith was short too--as her mother was--a soft, sweet dumpling of a
girl. Audrey admired tall people.

She glanced about her mother's room interestedly and with a happier face.
Here, at any rate, all was comfortable and orderly. The litter that lay
about was the litter of books and papers, which was what Audrey liked.
Perhaps things would not, after all, be as bad as at first they seemed.

"I expect, dear, you would like to take off your hat and coat and have
some tea. You must be tired and hungry." Mrs. Carlyle loosened her arm
from round her daughter, but reluctantly. "Well," she said, looking after
her as she left the room with Faith; "you have your father's features, but
you have my mane, I see. Shocking, isn't it, to have six red-headed
people in one house!"

"Six red-headed tempers too," laughed Faith, "no five--you haven't a
temper, mummy. Come along, Audrey." She hurried along the narrow
corridor and opened a door at the other end, "There--that is our room--
won't it be jolly? I am sorry it is so untidy now, but it will be lovely
when we have settled in, won't it?"

Audrey glanced about her, speechless, "How--how small and--and
old-fashioned the room looks," she said at last. "At granny's they are so
high, and they look so light and bright. Where am I to put all my things?
You see I have rather a lot of clothes."

"Have you?" said Faith wistfully, "well it's lucky that I haven't.
I will give you another drawer in my chest of drawers. Now I must run
down to baby. Ma