repose after the long nursing; though,
before the end, her refreshed energies began to pine for Daisy and her
hymns, for Aubrey and his Virgil, for Cherry and her scholars, and,
above all, for her father; for, come as often as he would, it was not
papa at home.

On the other hand, Mary was at a loss for Ethel every hour; Richard
was putting off his affairs till Ethel should come home; Miss Bracy
and Blanche longed for her to relieve the schoolroom from the children;
Aubrey could not perform a lesson in comfort with any one else--never
ended a sum without groaning for Ethel, and sometimes rode to Abbotstoke
for the mere purpose of appealing to her; in short, no one could get on
without her, and the doctor least of all.

Dr. Spencer, and Mr. Wilmot, and all his sons and daughters, had done
their best for him; but, in spite of his satisfaction at seeing the two
sisters so happy together, he could not help missing Ethel every minute,
as the very light of his home; and when, at last, Flora brought her
back, she was received with uproarious joy by Aubrey and Daisy, while
the rest of the household felt a revival and refreshment of spirits--the
first drawing aside of the cloud that had hung over the winter.
The pearl of their home might be missed every hour, but they could
thankfully rest in the trust that she was a jewel stored up in safety
and peace, to shine as a star for evermore.

A few weeks more, and there were other partings, sad indeed, yet cheery.
Dr. May told Mrs. Arnott that, though he grieved that so much of sorrow
had come to dim her visit, he could not but own that it was the very
time when her coming could be most comforting; and this, as she truly
said, was satisfaction enough for her, besides that she could not
rejoice enough that her arrival had been in time to see their dear
Margaret. She should carry away most precious recollections; and she
further told Dr. Spencer that she was far more comfortable about
her brother-in-law, than if she had only known him in his youthful
character, which had seemed so little calculated to bear sorrow or care.
She looked at him now only to wonder at, and reverence the change that
had been gradually wrought by the affections placed above.

Norman and his wife went with her--the one grave but hopeful, the other
trying to wile away the pain of parting, by her tearful mirth--making
all sorts of odd promises and touching requests, between jest and
earnest, and clinging to th