ed to think, and so did the minister, but Katie
did not understand all the allusions in it, and missed the point. And
besides, Clifton Holt was not a favourite with her. She was a little
scornful of a lad who seemed to care so little for the opportunities he
had, and who did so little good work with them. He was idle, she
thought, and conceited, and she could not but wonder at Miss Elizabeth's
delight in him, and listened with some impatience to the discussion of
him and his affairs that followed the reading of the letter.

"To be sure he is her brother, and she must make the best of him," said
Katie.

By and by Mr Maxwell rose to go away, and Miss Elizabeth bade him
good-night in the sitting-room, and did not go with him to the hall, as
was her way usually with visitors who were going away. Then she said
she had to see Sally about something, and was so long away that Katie
had time to get fairly into her story, and so she read on after she came
in again, and it was a good while before she noticed that her friend was
gazing with a strange, fixed look into the embers, and that her roses
had paled sadly since Mr Burnet had praised them when they first came
in. But she smiled brightly enough when she turned and met Katie's
wistful look.

"Well! How do you like it, Katie? But we must do something besides
reading to-morrow, dear, or grannie will not be pleased."

And then she went on to tell of some pretty fancy-work that they were to
learn together, and was so full of it, and of all they were to do the
next three days, that Katie forgot her grave looks for that night. As
the days went on, and she saw how feeble Mr Holt had become, she did
not wonder at her sadness, and it did not come into Katie's mind that
there could be any other cause for her sadness and her grave looks than
her father's illness gave.

"Except, perhaps, her brother may not be doing so well as he ought. And
that is enough of itself to make her sad," said Katie. "For what should
I do if it were our Davie?"

Katie had a pleasant visit in many ways. The leisure was delightful to
her. They had a drive every day. Sometimes Mr Holt went with them,
and then they had the large sleigh and a pair of horses, and sometimes
Katie laughed, and made Miss Elizabeth laugh too, pretending that she
was a rich lady riding in her own sleigh, and taking her friends for a
drive. But she liked it best when Miss Elizabeth drove her own horse
Lion, and they we