mplished daughter. When she came out in time of need so grandly,
and showed all a woman's instinct--'

'Woman's nonsense! Instinct is for irrational brutes, and the more you
cultivate a woman, the less she has of it, unless you work up her
practical common sense too.'

'Some one said she made a wonderful nurse.'

'Wonderful? Perhaps so, considering her opportunities, and she does
better with Spencer than with me; I may have called her to order
impatiently, for she is nervous with me, loses her head, and knocks
everything down with her petticoats. Then--not a word to any one,
Ethel--but imagine her perfect blindness to her poor mother's state all
yesterday, and last night, not even calling Burdon to look at her; why,
those ten hours may have made all the difference!'

'Poor thing, how is she getting on now?'

'Concentrated upon Leonard, too much stunned to admit another idea--no
tears--hardly full comprehension. One can't take her away, and she
can't bear not to do everything, and yet one can't trust her any more
than a child.'

'As she is,' said Ethel, 'but as she won't be any longer. And the two
little ones?'

'It breaks one's heart to see them, just able to sit by their nursery
fire, murmuring in that weary, resigned, sick child's voice, 'I wish
nurse would come.' 'I wish sister would come.' 'I wish mamma would
come.' I went up to them the last thing, and told them how it was, and
let them cry themselves to sleep. That was the worst business of all.
Ethel, are they too big for Mary to dress some dolls for them?'

'I will try to find out their tastes the first thing to-morrow,' said
Ethel; 'at any rate we can help them, if not poor Averil.'

Ethel, however, was detained at home to await Dr. Spencer's visit, and
Mary, whose dreams had all night been haunted by the thought of the two
little nursery prisoners, entreated to go with her father, and see what
could be done for them.

Off they set together, Mary with a basket in her hand, which was
replenished at the toy-shop in Minster Street with two china-faced
dolls, and, a little farther on, parted with a couple of rolls,
interspersed with strata of cold beef and butter, to a household of
convalescents in the stage for kitchen physic.

Passing the school, still taking its enforced holiday, the father and
daughter traversed the bridge and entered the growing suburb known as
Bankside, where wretched cottages belonging to needy, grasping
proprietors,