y, whom I now kept entirely in the sick-room, as
she was too old to bear the children's noise, and the constant draughts
from the opening door would soon have laid her on a sick-bed. I had baby
in my lap, and was feeding her when he looked in on us.

I rose at once to follow him into the sick-room, but he waved me back.

'Do not disturb yourself, Miss Garston; you all look very comfortable.
Jock, are you trying to swallow that spoon? You will find it a hard
morsel.' And then he went into the other room, and, to my surprise, we
did not see him again.

I left a little earlier that evening, as I knew Uncle Max meant to pay me
a visit; but it was already dark when I closed the little gate behind me.
I had not gone many paces when I heard footsteps behind me, and, somewhat
to my dismay, Mr. Hamilton joined me.

'Have you only just finished your day's work?' he said, in evident
surprise. 'This will never do, Miss Garston; we shall have you knocking
yourself up if you use up your time and strength so recklessly, and I
want you for another case.'

'I am quite prepared for that,' I answered; but I am afraid my voice was
a little weary. 'You called on me yesterday, Mr. Hamilton. I was sorry to
be out, but there was so much to do that I stayed at the cottage until
quite late in the evening.'

'Just so,' in rather a vexed tone. 'The village nurse will be on a
sick-bed herself if this goes on.'

'Oh, what nonsense!' I returned, laughing, for I forgot for the moment in
the darkness that I was speaking to the formidable Mr. Hamilton. 'I do
not always mean to work quite so hard. Mr. Tudor called me a charitable
charwoman last evening; but this is an exceptional case,--so many
helpless beings, and such shocking mismanagement and neglect. When I put
things on a proper footing I shall not spend so much time there.'

'What do you mean by putting things on a proper footing?' he asked, with
some show of interest.

'When the place has been properly cleaned it will be kept tolerably tidy
with less labour. Hope Weatherley has been hard at work for two days, and
things are now pretty comfortable.'

'I suppose--excuse me if the question seems impertinent, but I imagine
that you paid Hope out of your own purse?'

'For those two days, certainly. It was necessary for my own comfort,
speaking selfishly, that the place should be made habitable. My nursing
would have been a mere mockery unless we could have got rid of the dirt,'

'You are