is--well, it will be a little strange at first. Zay has been our queen
so long, and it can't be quite like living together from infancy."

"No. So we must make allowance for both of them until they reach the
true level of birthright. Marguerite is very proud and has unusually
well defined ideas of duty, while we have never put anything but love
before Zay. I expect we have spoiled her."

Mount Morris was startled in the midst of its Christmas festivities by
the remarkable announcement that Marguerite, the twin baby of Major and
Mrs. Crawford, had been miraculously saved from the wreck, where the
nurse and several others had perished. Another passenger whose baby had
been killed, thinking the nurse was the true mother of the child, had
taken it to her heart out of pity for the helpless little creature, and
gone farther westward before real inquiries could be made as to whether
there were any relatives living.

Mrs. Crawford had insisted upon softening what her husband had
considered a crime on the part of Mrs. Boyd.

"Think how she must have loved the little creature she thought
friendless, to burden herself with it. And I am so thankful _my_ baby
found loving care. Why, she might have perished with neglect through
that dreadful time. We can do nothing for her and we will not, must not,
traduce her motives, when they were prompted by an overwhelming love."

So it was represented that Mrs. Boyd had taken the position at Mrs.
Barrington's that her adopted child might be better educated as her own
health was failing, which after all was the truth, though Lilian's
pleading had been a special factor.

The poor woman's burial had been quiet, in the early morning. Mrs.
Barrington and Miss Arran had gone with Lilian whose great regret had
been that there was not sufficient money to send her to Laconia to sleep
beside her husband and her little son, but she gave thanks that there
was no need of benevolence though Mrs. Barrington had insisted she
should supply any need.

She had begged that she might be left at the school over Sunday, and
Mrs. Crawford found herself so shaken by all the excitement that she
assented the more readily. Zaidee was quite well again and laughed at
herself for having been so easily alarmed. There had been no cases of
illness in the town and the clairvoyant had taken her family to a city
at some distance.

"It really would be the part of wisdom to go to the city if you felt
well enough," Aunt K