ng! She is so sweet and quiet--I'm glad, of
course; _very_ glad," repeated Mrs Saxon, with a forced emphasis, which
seemed to show that she needed to convince herself of her own sincerity,
"but it seems so short a time to have brought about such a change. I'm
afraid she has been unhappy!"

Rowena stared thoughtfully at the fire. Her face looked older, the
cheeks less rounded, the red lips dropping at the corner. She was a
beautiful girl, but the old sparkle had given place to an air of weary
endurance sad to see on a young face. At the moment when she had
expected most of life, she had been obliged to give up her dreams, and
to accept in their place a monotonous, uneventful existence, which left
too much time for the indulgence of her own thoughts. The weather was
depressing, visitors few and far between, and, from a girl's point of
view, lacking in interest when they did arrive. Maud was stupid and
obstinate, Dreda and the boys at school, and the parents depressed.
Lessons, walking, and practising occupied the days until four o'clock,
then the curtains were drawn, the lamps lit, and each afternoon afresh
Rowena counted up the long hours which must elapse before bedtime, and
asked herself how she could get through the time. Poor Rowena! She had
counted the days until Dreda's return, and now felt yet another pang of
depression at meeting this subdued edition of her lively sister. She
sighed in melancholy, long-drawn fashion, while Maud wriggled and
grimaced.

"I expect she's _misunderstood_. There's lots of people are, besides
the book. I know One who is. She's misunderstood by people who think
they know best, and are always scolding and finding fault. `'Tis better
far to rule by love than fear.' _I_ shall, when I'm big. You could do
something then, but when people are always grumbling, it's no use
trying. I expect Dreda has some one like that, and it's broken her
spirit. If you don't let her leave, she'll pine away and die!"

"Is that what you contemplate doing yourself beneath the persecution of
the people, or person, to whom you so eloquently refer? I must give you
a lesson in nominatives to-morrow, my dear. They are evidently another
point which is misunderstood," retorted Rowena with cutting composure.
It was one of the little encounters which was daily, almost hourly,
taking place between the two sisters, whose widely differing
dispositions seemed to jar more than ever in the close relationshi