usual
pleasant hours of relaxation together;--the sport with the babies, the
familiar chat, and interesting reading; but that too she bore with
patience.

It was not till the call to evening worship that she joined the family.
When the service was over she drew near her father.

"Papa, I have re-written that composition and hope you will find it a
great deal better, I have studied my lessons too, till I think I can
recite them creditably."

"Ah, that is well," he said, laying a hand tenderly on her head and
smiling affectionately down into the eyes upraised to his. "I will go
with you presently to hear the lessons and examine your little essay."

When he had done so, "I am very glad indeed, daughter," he said, "to be
able to bestow hearty praise on you this time; you have greatly improved
your composition, and your recitations were quite perfect."

He drew her to his knee as he spoke, she blushing with pleasure at his
words.

"I missed my eldest daughter, from the family circle this evening," he
went on smoothing her hair caressingly; "indeed I think we all missed
her. I hope we will not be deprived of her company in the same way
again."

"I hope not, papa; I do mean to be more faithful in preparing my
lessons. I'm sure I ought when I have such a kind, kind teacher," she
added looking lovingly into his eyes. "Dear papa," putting her arm round
his neck and laying her cheek to his, "I do love you so, _so_ much!"

"My darling," he responded, "your love is very precious to me, and I
don't think it can be greater than mine for you. My daughter's worth to
her fond father--could not be computed in dollars and cents," he added
with a happy laugh.

"I hope Grandma Elsie found your sewing well done?"

"Not so very, papa," she replied, her tone expressing some
mortification; "she said it was not so nicely done as the last."

"That is a pity; it will hardly do to keep on so--going backward instead
of forward as regards improvement in that line of work."

"No, papa, I don't mean to; I didn't bring home quite so much this time,
though some of the girls did look as if they thought I was growing
lazy--and it was dreadfully mortifying to have them think so--and I'm
going to try Eva's plan. She says she divides her work into as many
portions as there are days to do it in, and won't let herself miss doing
at least one portion each day. She says she gets it done quite easily in
that way, often finished before the day when it