nonsense," said Hester; "what do you mean?"

Annie was sitting in a corner of the room busily engaged over Henry
Kingsley's novel, "Geoffrey Hamlyn." She did not raise her eyes, but
bent her curly head still lower over the fascinating pages. Nan had gone
to spend a few days at the Towers, and the great house at the Grange
seemed very quiet and still.

Molly sank down into a chair near Hester.

"I have been so excited about this meeting," she said. "Nora is almost
my twin-sister, and I have suffered so terribly about her. I cannot tell
you the relief and joy of being allowed to come here to look after her,
but now I fear I shall be next to no good."

"Well, you'll be no end of good to me," said Hester; "and, of course,
Nora will like to have you by-and-by, but she is still very weak and
cannot bear the least excitement."

"But nurse tells me that you, Annie, spent some hours in her room
to-day."

At these words Annie sprang to her feet, and "Geoffrey Hamlyn" fell with
a bang to the floor.

"I did spend hours in her room," she said, "and I don't think I tired
her; but, then, perhaps you kissed her a lot, Molly?"

"Kissed her?" exclaimed Molly; "I should think so, at least a hundred
times."

"Oh, good gracious, how dreadfully fatiguing for a sick person. Well,
you see, I didn't kiss her once, nor even touch her."

"But you aren't her sister," said Molly.

"No, no; and that is the reason that I am a very good person to be with
her, because I amuse her without exciting her. All I did to-day was to
sit in the room where she could see me, and arrange some flowers and
have a little talk about dressmaking."

Molly opened her eyes in astonishment. Nora had been at the brink of
death. Had not Molly spent a whole night in fervent and passionate
prayers for her recovery? Did not Nora love Molly, and did not Molly
love Nora as only loving sisters can love? and yet Molly exhausted poor
Nora, while Annie Forest, who was a stranger, soothed her.

Molly looked at Annie now without in the least comprehending her, and
for the first time in all her gentle life a distinct sensation of
jealousy was aroused within her.

Annie left the room a moment later, and Hester turned to Molly.

"I see you don't understand Annie," she said.

"Yes, I'm sure I do; what an awfully frivolous girl she must be. Fancy
her talking of dress to Nora, and she so ill."

"But it did Nora heaps of good; nurse said she was quite jolly this
afterno