s might be
enrolled. Now, she was old and harassed and poor, and there seemed
little ahead but work and worry; yet she could not call life a failure.

"I have had the best thing," she said to herself, as she shut the door
and re-entered the empty house--"plenty of dear ones to love, and to
love me in return. God bless my two girls, and give them the same sweet
gift."

CHAPTER SIX.

AT THE COURT.

The girl whose lot has been cast in narrow places, and whose youth has
known few relaxations, should take heart at the thought of the future.
There is a good time coming! However long be the lane, the turning must
eventually be reached; and then--ah, then, what zest of delight, what
whole-hearted, unqualified enjoyment!

If Ruth and Mollie Farrell had been in the habit of paying half a dozen
visits a year,--if, indeed, they had even once before started off
together on pleasure bent, would they have hailed every incident of the
journey with the delight which they experienced to-day? Not a bit of
it!

They would have grumbled at the wait on the platform, at the stoppages
of the train at country stations, at the draught from the window, the
banging of the door, the constant requests for tickets. They would have
yawned and lolled back in their corners, and eventually shut their eyes
and fallen asleep, regardless of the scenes through which they were
passing.

As it was, every fresh stop was a delight. They beamed at the porter
who collected their luggage, paid for return tickets with the
complacence of millionaires, and thought it lucky that there were ten
minutes to spare before the arrival of the train. They tried each
other's weight, to the delight of the onlookers; put a penny in every
available slot, and made a reckless expenditure in penny magazines.
Last, and greatest luxury of all, Ruth actually ordered a tea-basket to
be handed into the carriage at a half-way station; one basket to do duty
for two, but still a deliberate extravagance, when refreshments had been
provided from home; and oh, dear me, how delicious it was to be
extravagant for once!

When the train came in, one porter dashed forward to secure window-seats
in an empty carriage, another hurried up with rugs and handbags; groups
of people standing upon the platform looked after the two girls with
kindly glances; everybody seemed kind and interested, as though
understanding the nature of their expedition, and wishing them good-
speed.

The