ate said to her sister-in-law. "Of course there will
be a good deal of talk, and it is but natural that our friends should
desire to see the new daughter of the house. It is a most excellent
thing that Dr. Kendricks has been mixed up with it all and can vouch for
the truth. And the child might get some training to fit her for her new
position."

"Mrs. Barrington has had her in training for some time, and from the
very first was attracted by her natural grace and dignity; and her
strength of character," was the reply, "and her father found
resemblances to me in the first interview!"

"But the years before would naturally leave some impress. Mrs. Boyd, it
seems, had not much education, and they must have lived in the commoner
streets with all kinds of people. I feel something as brother does, that
I can hardly forgive her for robbing the child of her natural
birthright and subjecting her to plebian surroundings."

Mrs. Crawford winced and flushed a little. Her last remembrance of the
smiling, cooing baby, bright eyed and full of health and sweetness,
never faded from her mind, and she fancied now she should have the same
instinctive impressions that had puzzled Mrs. Barrington. Aunt Kate
might be rather captious at first, but she could pardon it and
understand it as well, for she had been a most devoted mother to Zaidee.

Then, too, school would begin so soon and all these little breaks would
bring about the finer claims of relationship.

No one went to church on Sunday. Mrs. Crawford was not quite up to the
mark, and Aunt Kate declared she could not face the curious eyes or
answer a question. The Major longed to go over to Mrs. Barrington's but
some feeling of delicacy restrained him.

Lilian had come home from the lonely burial like one in a strange dream.
The brief illness, the excitement of the confession, the quiet passing
out of existence had transpired so rapidly that she could hardly make it
real. She almost expected to find Mrs. Boyd lying there on the bed when
she entered the room. She felt that Mrs. Boyd had never taken root at
Mount Morris; she smiled sadly thinking of Mrs. Dane's suspicions that
there was some secret between them, that she, Lilian, was afraid would
come to light. But she had never in her wildest moments dreamed of the
truth. Mrs. Boyd had all the limitation of a commonplace nature, sweet,
devoted, with no lofty aspirations. The refinements of Barrington House
wore upon her. She did try,