a change which was so much for his good, and
strove by attention to her duties to quiet the pain at her heart.

"I ought to be glad and thankful," said she to herself, again and
again,--"glad and thankful;" but the dull pain ached on, and the days
seemed like weeks; and when Saturday afternoon came at last, and Archie
rushed in, with a joyful shout, a few minutes before he was expected,
she surprised herself and him by a great flood of tears.

"Lilias, my child, what ails you?" said her aunt, while Archie stood
gazing at her in silent consternation.

It was some time before she found her voice to speak.

"It's nothing, aunt; indeed it's nothing, Archie. I had no thought of
crying. But I think my tears have been gathering all the week, and the
sight of you made them run over in spite of me."

"Lily," said Archie, gravely, "I won't go to the school again. You have
been wearying for me, Lily."

It had been something more than "wearying,"--that dull pain that had
ached at Lilias' heart since they parted. It was like the mother's
unappeasable yearning for her lost darling. Her cheek seemed to have
grown pale and thin even in these six days. Archie stood with one hand
thrown over her neck, while with the other he pushed back the fair hair
that had fallen on her face, and his eyes looked lovingly and gravely
into hers. The tears still ran fast over her cheeks; but she forced
back the sobs that were ready to burst out again; and in a little while
she said, with lips that quivered while they smiled:

"Nonsense, Archie! You must go to the school. I haven't wearied much:
have I, aunt? Everything has been just the same this week, except that
you didn't come home."

"A woeful exception," said her aunt to herself; but aloud she said,
"Yes; just the same. We have missed you sadly; but we couldn't think of
keeping you at home on that account. How do you like biding with the
master?"

"Oh, I liked it well, after the first night or two. I have been twice
at the manse, and Davie has been with me; and the master has more books
than I could read in years and years; and I have had a letter from John
Graham. It came with one to Davie."

And soon Lilias was listening to his history of the week's events with
as much interest as he took in giving it. She strove by her
cheerfulness to make Archie forget her reception of him. Indeed, it did
not require a very great effort to be cheerful now. Her heart had been
wonderfu