borough was a handsome woman too,' said the housekeeper.
'But Miss Esther's very promisin'--you're right there; she's very
promisin'. She's just beginnin' to show what she will be.'

'She's got over her dumps lately uncommon. I judged the dumps was
natural enough, sitiwated as she is; but she's come out of 'em. She's
openin' up like a white camellia; and there ain't anythin' that grows
that has less shadow to it; though maybe it ain't what you'd call a gay
flower,' added Christopher thoughtfully.

'Is that them stiff white flowers as has no smell to 'em?'

'The same, Mrs. Barker--if you mean what I mean.'

'Then I wouldn't liken Miss Esther to no sich. She's sweet, she is, and
she ain't noways stiff. She has just which I call the manners a young
lady ought to have.'

'Can't beat a white camellia for manners,' responded Christopher
jocularly.

So the servants saw what the father did not. I think he hardly knew
even that Esther was growing taller.

One evening in the spring, Esther was as usual making tea for her
father. As usual also the tea-time was very silent. The colonel
sometimes carried on his reading alongside of his tea-cup; at other
times, perhaps, he pondered what he had been reading.

'Papa,' said Esther suddenly, 'would it be any harm if I wrote a
letter to Pitt?'

The colonel did not answer at once.

'Do you want to write to him?'

'Yes, papa; I would like it--I would like to write once.'

'What do you want to write to him for?'

'I would like to tell him something that I think it would please him to
hear.'

'What is that?'

'It is just something about myself, papa,' Esther said, a little
hesitatingly.

'You may write, and I will enclose it in a letter of mine.'

'Thank you, papa.'

A day or two passed, and then Esther brought her letter. It was closed
and sealed. The colonel took it and turned it over.

'There's a good deal of it,' he remarked. 'Was it needful to use so
many words?'

'Papa,' said Esther, hesitating, 'I didn't think about how many words I
was using.'

'You should have had thinner paper. Why did you seal it up?'

'Papa, I didn't think about that either. I only thought it had got to
be sealed.'

'You did not wish to hinder my seeing what you had written?'

'No, papa,' said Esther, a little slowly.

'That will do.' And he laid the letter on one side, and Esther supposed
the matter was disposed of. But when she had kissed him and gone off to
bed, the colonel b