at now. He was always telling me that my temper'd ruin him in the
end, and now his word's come true."

She felt as if she ought to make some atonement for her past sin, even
though she was never to see her husband again, and with this end in view
she determined to cure herself of the habit of scolding and
fault-finding about which poor Amos had complained so bitterly.

After a few struggles at first, she found her new path very pleasant to
her feet, and was encouraged to persevere by the artless comments made
by her children on the improvement in her temper.

"You're so good, now, mother," they would say, when, instead of the
sharp rebuke they had expected on the commission of some childish folly,
came very kind words of regret and gentle reproof. "You are so different
from what you used to be. If father could only come home and live with
us now how happy we would all be."

But Amos did not come. Year after year passed, and he sent no word or
sign; and at length both wife and children grew to think of him as dead.

Seven years! Seven years to a day had passed since Amos Derby had left
his home, and up the street and past the mill came a tall man, with a
cap of sealskin pulled low over his eyes, and handsome overcoat trimmed
with the same costly fur over his arm. He whistled as he walked, and
seemed in great good humor, for occasionally he would break out into a
loud laugh.

But as he came near the cottage where Jane Derby lived, he became more
quiet, and an anxious expression stole into his face.

"I wonder if she'll know me," he muttered.

Going up to the window of the kitchen, he shaded his eyes with one hand
and looked in.

Jane was setting at supper, her five children about her. The room looked
warm and comfortable. A bright fire burned in the stove, the kettle sang
merrily, and a big maltese cat dozed among some plants on the broad
window seat.

Fred, the eldest son, a muscular young man of twenty-one now, was
speaking, and his words came distinctly to the ears of the watcher
outside.

"Brooks goes to-morrow," he said, "and we are to have a new
superintendent from ----. I hope he'll have a better temper than Brooks,
and I wish----Who's that?" as a sudden knock came upon the door.

"The new superintendent," said the tall man, as he walked into the room
and threw his overcoat on a chair.

"Jane, don't you know me?"

With a glad cry that was almost a sob, Jane sprang forward, and was
folded in the st