nd pounds? My dear Frank! You have no need to go slaving
at your profession now."

Her brother looked at her in quiet surprise.

"I shall slave at my profession all the same. This windfall will,
however, alter my plans a good deal. I must start for Montreal to-morrow
morning."

He rose and left the room. Grace turned to her step-daughter.

"I am afraid you must think us heartless, Kate; but we have known very
little of this uncle, and that little was not favourable. He was a
miser--a stern and hard man--living always alone and with few friends. I
am so thankful he left his money to Frank."

Doctor Frank left St. Croix next morning for the city, and his absence
made a strange blank in the family. The spring days wore on slowly.
April was gone, and it was May. Captain Danton was absent the best part
of every day, superintending the erection of the new house, and the
three women were left alone. Miss Danton grew listless and languid. She
spent her days in purposeless loiterings in and out of the cottage, in
long reveries and solitary walks.

The middle of May came without bringing the young Doctor, or even a
letter from him. The family were seated one moonlight night in the
large, old-fashioned porch in front of the cottage, enjoying the
moonlight and Eeny's piano. Kate sat in a rustic arm-chair just outside,
looking up at the silvery crescent swimming through pearly clouds, and
the flickering shadows of the climbing sweetbrier coming and going on
her fair face. Captain Danton smoked and Grace talked to him; and while
she sat, Father Francis opened the garden gate and joined them.

"Have you heard from your brother yet?" he asked of Grace, after a few
moments' preliminary conversation.

"No; it is rather strange that he does not write."

"He told me to make his apologies. I had a letter from him to-day. He is
very busy preparing to go away."

"Go away! Go where?"

"To Germany; he leaves in a week."

"And will he not come down to say good-bye?" inquired Grace,
indignantly.

"Oh, certainly! He will be here in a day or two."

"And how long is he going to stay abroad?"

"That seems uncertain. A year or two, probably, at the very least."

Grace stole a look at Kate, but Kate had drawn back into the shadow of
the porch, and her face was not to be seen. Father Francis lingered for
half an hour, and then departed; and as the dew was falling heavily, the
group in the porch arose to go in. The young lady in the e