tones.

"Don't think me horrid, _please_ don't," said Lillie, piteously. "I
did try to have things go right; didn't I?"

"Certainly you did, dearie; so don't worry. I'll get all the spots
taken out, and all the things mended, and make every thing right."

So John called Rosa, on his way downstairs. "Show me the sofa that
they spoiled," said he.

"Sofa?" said Rosa.

"Yes; I understand the children greased the sofa in Mrs. Seymour's
boudoir."

"Oh, dear, no! nothing of the sort; I've been putting every thing to
rights in all the rooms, and they look beautifully."

"Didn't they break something?"

"Oh, no, nothing! The little things were good as could be."

"That Leaning Tower, and that little Diana," suggested John.

"Oh, dear me, no! I broke those a month ago, and showed them to Mrs.
Seymour, and promised to mend them. Oh! she knows all about that."

"Ah!" said John, "I didn't know that. Well, Rosa, put every thing up
nicely, and divide this money among the girls for extra trouble," he
added, slipping a bill into her hand.

"I'm sure there's no trouble," said Rosa. "We all enjoyed it; and
I believe everybody did; only I'm sorry it was too much for Mrs.
Seymour; she is very delicate."

"Yes, she is," said John, as he turned away, drawing a long, slow
sigh.

That long, slow sigh had become a frequent and unconscious occurrence
with him of late. When our ideals are sick unto death; when they are
slowly dying and passing away from us, we sigh thus. John said to
himself softly,--no matter what; but he felt the pang of knowing again
what he had known so often of late, that his Lillie's word was not
golden. What she said would not bear close examination. Therefore, why
examine?

"Evidently, she is determined that this thing shall not go on," said
John. "Well, I shall never try again; it's of no use;" and John went
up to his sister's, and threw himself down upon the old chintz sofa as
if it had been his mother's bosom. His sister sat there, sewing. The
sun came twinkling through a rustic frame-work of ivy which it had
been the pride of her heart to arrange the week before. All the old
family pictures and heirlooms, and sketches and pencillings, were
arranged in the most charming way, so that her rooms seemed a
reproduction of the old home.

"Hang it all!" said John, with a great flounce as he turned over on
the sofa. "I'm not up to par this morning."

Now, Grace had that perfect intuitive knowledge of just