t the
days till that of her mother's arrival, she could not repress a sigh at
the number yet remaining. But still the time, even for her, passed
quickly. For she was busy--working more steadily at her lessons than
ever before, in the hope of having satisfactory progress to show--and
full of the happiest anticipations. Morning and night the faithful,
simple-hearted girl added to her other petitions the special one that
things might be so over-ruled as to prevent the necessity of further
separation.

'It can't be wrong to ask it,' she said to herself, 'for God made
fathers and mothers and children to be together. It's something wrong
somewhere when they can't be. And I've got a feeling that it _is_ going
to be like that for us now. I don't care a bit where we live--that place
in the north or anywhere--if only we're with them.'

Jacinth, too, on the whole was happy in her own way. Personally,
perhaps, she longed less for her mother's presence and sympathy than
Frances did, for she was by nature more self-sufficing. And when one
scarcely knows till one is fifteen or sixteen what it is to have a
mother and a real home of one's own, small wonder if the inestimable
blessings of such possessions are barely realised. Then, too, Jacinth's
frequent visits to Lady Myrtle, and the old lady's ever-increasing
affection for and interest in her had almost filled up the voids the
girl had at first felt bitterly enough in her new life. She would in
many ways have been quite content for things to go on as they were for a
year or two. And if she built castles in the air, it must be allowed
that Lady Myrtle was to a great extent responsible for their
construction.

'I can scarcely fancy feeling as if mamma were more of a mother to me
than you seem now,' she said one day to her old friend.

'Nay,' Lady Myrtle replied, 'I must represent a grandmother. You really
do not know what a mother feels like, dear child.'

'Well,' Jacinth went on, 'perhaps that's it. But somehow I think mamma
will seem more a sort of elder sister to me. And I hope she will take it
that way. We shall get on better if she does. I--I'm afraid I shouldn't
be very good about giving in. You see I've never had to do it much.'

She smiled a little as she made the confession.

'I can scarcely imagine you anything but docile, my dear,' said Lady
Myrtle; 'but then, of course, I know I have not seen you really tested.
I fancy, however, there will be a mingling of the elder-