nley, at this period of her life, had their
brighter side. She found reason to congratulate herself on the
reconciliation which had brought her back to her father. Mr. Henley had
received her, not perhaps with affection, but certainly with kindness.
"If we don't get in each other's way, we shall do very well; I am glad
to see you again." That was all he had said to her, but it meant much
from a soured and selfish man.

Her only domestic anxiety was caused by another failure in the health
of her maid.

The Doctor declared that medical help would be of no avail, while Rhoda
Bennet remained in London. In the country she had been born and bred,
and to the country she must return. Mr. Henley's large landed property,
on the north of London, happened to include a farm in the neighbourhood
of Muswell Hill. Wisely waiting for a favourable opportunity, Iris
alluded to the good qualities which had made Rhoda almost as much her
friend as her servant, and asked leave to remove the invalid to the
healthy air of the farm.

Her anxiety about the recovery of a servant so astonished Mr. Henley,
that he was hurried (as he afterwards declared) into granting his
daughter's request. After this concession, the necessary arrangements
were easily made. The influence of Iris won the goodwill of the farmer
and his wife; Rhoda, as an expert and willing needlewoman, being sure
of a welcome, for her own sake, in a family which included a number of
young children. Miss Henley had only to order her carriage, and to be
within reach of the farm. A week seldom passed without a meeting
between the mistress and the maid.

In the meantime, Mountjoy (absent in France) did not forget to write to
Iris.

His letters offered little hope of a speedy return. The doctors had not
concealed from him that his father's illness would end fatally; but
there were reserves of vital power still left, which might prolong the
struggle. Under these melancholy circumstances, he begged that Iris
would write to him. The oftener she could tell him of the little events
of her life at home, the more kindly she would brighten the days of a
dreary life.

Eager to show, even in a trifling matter, how gratefully she
appreciated Mountjoy's past kindness, Iris related the simple story of
her life at home, in weekly letters addressed to her good friend. After
telling Hugh (among other things) of Rhoda's establishment at the farm,
she had some unexpected results to relate, which had