help dreaming of the years to
come----"

"I hope God will give me strength to make them happy. Oh, I want to give
you the best of love and service and never pain you by any lack. For you
_are_ the mother I have longed for, who could capture and fill my
desires. I would like to work for you----"

"My dear, if you could be so devoted to the mother who was not your
ideal and could not understand your thoughts and feelings, I shall try
to come nearer and fill your whole heart, sympathize with your
aspirations. I shall be glad to listen to them. Oh, my child, if you had
been dull and coarse, but you simply could not have been, and this Mrs.
Boyd must have had a certain refinement. I appreciate her more every day
as I think it over."

"Oh, I thank you for that. It seems to me that I must have been willful
at times; but I wanted to take her out of that narrow round as well as
myself. I felt so certain I could do it after we came to Mrs.
Barrington's. She understood my aims."

"You fell into good hands. Oh, how many times we shall talk this over,
for I want to know all the incidents of these years we have been apart.
When I have lived them with you, I shall feel more truly still that I am
your mother. And now are you not a little curious about your new home?"

Mrs. Crawford rose with her arm about the girl, and Marguerite glanced
about the room. It was exquisitely appointed. The second story rooms
were ranged about an oval that gave a picturesque aspect. This and the
sleeping rooms were toward the east; Mrs. Crawford had a passion for
sunrise. On one side was Zay's room, adjoining it Aunt Kate's. Opposite,
two guest rooms with bath and closets. It all seemed like some lovely
description she had read of in books. Her girl's heart and the refined
tastes that had been her birthright seemed to leap for joy. Was she
really to live amid all this loveliness!

"We talked of your room on Friday. We couldn't take Zay away from Aunt
Kate to put you two together. Willard had this room next to my sitting
room, when he came home on vacations; sometimes, both boys; they are
very fond of each other. So he proposed his should be yours and had
everything taken out and the walls tinted afresh. But we couldn't order
new furniture at once, so we brought this from one of the guest
chambers. Some day you may choose for yourself. He took out the real
boys' pictures except 'Night and Morning' which are great favorites of
his and his two bookcase