s, I fear, however, failing rapidly, and if she is
taken away I shall lose the best friend I ever expect to have, next to
Janet. She hears occasionally from Alec, who is at Montreal, which is,
I suppose, a long way from you, or you would have mentioned him. Mr
Galbraith has much altered; he looks grave and anxious, and is often
irritable with his dear wife. I pray that she may be spared, but I am
very very anxious about her."

The next letter to this acknowledged with pleasure and gratitude the
receipt of the first sum of money Donald was able to send home.
Margaret wrote:--"It has made us rich beyond our most sanguine hope; but
Janet seems unwilling to spend any of it, and says she does not like to
deprive you of your siller; so pray do not send any more unless we
really require it. Mrs Galbraith is kinder than ever, and insists on
giving me everything I can possibly want, saying that I am of so much
service to her that I ought to receive a salary in addition. I, of
course, only do what I can to show my gratitude for her kindness to me
since I was a little girl."

Another letter came from Margaret some months after this, when Donald
had been in the colony upwards of a couple of years. Her kind friend,
Mrs Galbraith, had been taken away, and though she had died with the
hope that Alec would be brought to know the truth, she had been for the
last few months of her life so deeply anxious about his spiritual
welfare, that she could not help speaking on the subject to Margaret,
who had hitherto not been aware of the dangerous notions he had imbibed.
Margaret expressed herself deeply grieved with what she heard, and
promised to unite her prayers with those of her friend for Alec's
conversion.

A few months later Donald again heard from Margaret. Mr Galbraith had
followed his wife to the grave. Her exhortations to him had not been in
vain, and having accepted the truth himself, he was as anxious about his
son as she had been. "I visited him frequently during his illness, as
Mrs Galbraith had entreated me to do," said Margaret, "and though he
was undoubtedly most anxious about Alec's spiritual state, he also, from
what he said, seemed to fear that his worldly prospects were very
different from what he had hoped. The mercantile house with which he is
connected has failed, and I fear that the greater part--if not all--of
Mr Galbraith's property has been lost also, so that Alec will be left
without support unless he