soft
touch upon my arm, and turned to find her beside me. I am free
to confess I never received such a welcome to any church before.

'When I gave her my name she looked puzzled for a minute.

'"Everidge," she repeated. "It is, it must be; she would be just
about your age. I believe you are the little Muriel that my
cousin Belle used to write about. You must come home with me at
once: your father was my dear friend in the long ago."

'And so here we are, ensconced with my princess. She has a
wonderful way with her, for mamma came without making the
slightest objection, and seems happier than I have seen her for
months.

'There are just four in the family, besides Martha Spriggs, the
funny old girl. My princess, and her two stepbrothers, Stephen
and Lemuel, and Polly, who has been a sufferer from spinal
trouble all her life.

'It is the quaintest old house, with low, small rooms, except on
the east side, where Captain Lemuel has added two large rooms
with the loveliest bay windows, which are always full of flowers
and sunshine. I think the neighbours are horrified that they use
them for common. You know country people always keep their best
parlours done up in must and green paper; but the princess says,
"Nothing is too good for Polly and the boys!" They just idolize
her, and I fancy they have good reason to, for, as Stephen said,
in his queer, blunt way, "she comes as near to an angel as any
mortal ever will." Captain Lemuel has been all over the world,
and is very interesting. Mamma is so amused over his stories.
Stephen is blunt, but I shouldn't be afraid to trust him with
every cent I owned, and Polly is just a bundle of sweetness and
patience. I wish you could see how gentle these great, strong
men are with her: Stephen won't let any one but himself carry
her to bed, and Lemuel is always ready to push her about in her
wheel chair, and talk nonsense to her till she laughs and cries
together.

'And the princess! She is just everything to everybody. I cannot
fancy what the house would be without her. I only hope she won't
die before Polly, for I'm sure it would kill her. She never
takes her eyes off her when she is in the room, and when I
teased her a little about it her eyes filled, and she cried
softly:--

'"It's little wonder if I do love her, afte