a glance of despair upon her friend.

To be condemned to spend Christmas alone with Aunt Margaret in this mood
of melancholy resignation; to realise that she had deprived her of the
happiness of talking over past troubles with poor dear Emma; to listen
from morning to night to her transparently-veiled repinings--this was
indeed a cheerful prospect for an invalid, who might naturally have
expected to receive the sympathy herself.

"Aren't you sorry for me?" the brown eyes asked Bridgie mutely. But,
lo! Bridgie was radiant, her face one sparkle of animation, her hands
uplifted to hail the advent of a happy thought.

"The Diversion," she cried rapturously--"the Diversion! I see it all,
and it is perfectly charming! Sylvia shall be the diversion! She shall
stay over the New Year with us; Miss Munns shall go to her friend and
talk over old times; nurse shall visit her sister and have a rest after
her hard work; I will look after Sylvia, and Sylvia shall flirt with the
boys, and keep them happy. It's a perfectly charming arrangement all
round!"

"My dear!" cried Aunt Margaret in horrified protest against the last
item on the programme. But Sylvia gave a chuckle of cheerful
complacency, and, so far from being overcome, looked so much revived by
the prospect that there could be no doubt as to the expediency of the
proposed visit, so far as health at least was concerned.

Miss Munns went through the form of protesting, but her objections were
easily waved aside, for to tell the truth she was only too ready to be
persuaded, and her objections had no deeper root than the belief that it
was not polite to seize too eagerly on an invitation.

"I could not think of it, my dear! Such an upset for you. You don't
know how much work an invalid makes in the house! She has to be carried
up and down stairs, and waited on hand and foot!"

"I have three big strong boys, and you have only women in the house.
Pat could put her in his pocket, and not know there was anything there!"

"My dear--how can you! It would take up your spare room, too, and make
so much ringing at the bell with nurse coming in the morning and the
doctor in the afternoon."

"But what a lesson it would be to me to see them attending to her! So
useful for the next time the boys break their legs! I love Whitey, and
feel better for it every time I see her sweet, kind face."

"If you had had to prepare meals at all hours of the night and day, you
would b