tudy. All of a sudden he said, half aloud, as if he had made up
his mind,

"I might as well begin at once, and give the child something new to
think about, for Myra's dismals and Jane's lectures have made her as
blue as a little indigo bag."

Diving into one of the trunks that stood in a corner, he brought up,
after a brisk rummage, a silken cushion, prettily embroidered, and a
quaint cup of dark carved wood.

"This will do for a start," he said, as he plumped up the cushion and
dusted the cup. "It won't do to begin too energetically, or Rose will be
frightened. I must beguile her gently and pleasantly along till I've won
her confidence, and then she will be ready for anything."

Just then Phebe came out of the dining-room with a plate of brown bread,
for Rose had been allowed no hot biscuit for tea.

"I'll relieve you of some of that," said Dr. Alec, and, helping himself
to a generous slice, he retired to the study, leaving Phebe to wonder at
his appetite.

She would have wondered still more if she had seen him making that brown
bread into neat little pills, which he packed into an attractive ivory
box, out of which he emptied his own bits of lovage.

"There! if they insist on medicine, I'll order these, and no harm will
be done. I will have my own way, but I'll keep the peace, if possible,
and confess the joke when my experiment has succeeded," he said to
himself, looking very much like a mischievous boy, as he went on with
his innocent prescriptions.

Rose was playing softly on the small organ that stood in the upper hall,
so that Aunt Peace could enjoy it; and all the while he talked with the
old ladies, Uncle Alec was listening to the fitful music of the child,
and thinking of another Rose who used to play for him.

As the clock struck eight, he called out,

"Time for my girl to be abed, else she won't be up early, and I'm full
of jolly plans for to-morrow. Come and see what I've found for you to
begin upon."

Rose ran in and listened with bright attentive face, while Dr. Alec said
impressively,

"In my wanderings over the face of the earth, I have picked up some
excellent remedies, and, as they are rather agreeable ones, I think you
and I will try them. This is a herb-pillow, given to me by a wise old
woman when I was ill in India. It is filled with saffron, poppies, and
other soothing plants; so lay your little head on it to-night, sleep
sweetly without a dream, and wake to-morrow without a pain."