rl, and thought he
understood it. He accepted it as the one remaining gleam of hope and
happiness for both of them amid the prevailing gloom. Rotha avoided
the searching light of his glances. When the work of the household was
in hand she shook off the glamour of the new-found emotion.

In the morning when the men came down for breakfast, and again in the
evening when they came in for supper, the girl busied herself in her
duties with the ardor of one having no thought behind them and no
feeling in which they did not share. But when the quieter hours of the
day left her free for other thoughts, she would stand and look long
into the face of the poor invalid to whom she had become nurse and
foster-child in one; or walk, without knowing why, to the window neuk,
and put her hand on the old wheel, that now rested quiet and unused
beneath it, while she looked towards the south through eyes that saw
nothing that was there.

She was standing so one morning a fortnight or more after Ralph's
departure from Wythburn, when Willy came into the kitchen, and, before
she was conscious of his presence, sat in the seat of the little
alcove within which she stood.

He took the hand that lay disengaged by her side and told her in a
word or two of his love. He had loved her long in silence. He had
loved her before she became the blessing she now was to him and to
his; to-day he loved her more than ever before.

It was a simple story, and it came with the accent of sincerity in
every word.

He thought perhaps she loved him in return--he had sometimes thought
so--was he wrong?

There was a pause between them. Regaining some momentary composure,
the girl turned her eyes once more aside and looked through the neuk
window towards the south. She felt the color mounting to her cheeks,
and knew that the young man had risen to his feet beside her. He, on
his part, saw only the fair face before him, and felt only the little
hand that lay passively in his own.

"It's a sad sort of home to bring you to. It would be idle to ask if
you have been happy here--it would be a mockery; but--but--"

"I _have_ been happy; that is, happy to do as Ralph wished me."

"And as _I_ wished?"

"As you wished too, Willy."

"You've been a blessing to us, Rotha. I sometimes think, though, that
it was hardly fair to bring you into the middle of this trouble."

"He did it for the best," said Rotha.

"Who?"

There was a little start of recovering conscious