just take the nearest duty and fulfil it, and
sleep well, and rise joyfully to fresh effort.

Margaret felt as if she would never sleep again. The summer night was
cool, she was cramped and chilly; but still her thoughts raced on, and
she could not shut her eyes. She turned and pressed her face
resolutely into the pillow, and with a great sigh renounced the joys
and sorrows, the lessons and the awakening that the long day had held.

A second later there was a gentle rustle at the door.

"Mark--" a voice whispered. "Can't you sleep?"

Margaret locked her arms tight about her mother, as the older woman
knelt beside her.

"Why, how cold you are, sweetheart!" her mother protested, tucking
covers about her. "I thought I heard you sigh! I got up to lock the
stairway door; Baby's gotten a trick of walking in his sleep when he's
overtired. It's nearly one o'clock, Mark! What have you been doing?"

"Thinking." Margaret put her lips close to her mother's ear.
"Mother-" she stammered and stopped. Mrs. Paget kissed her.

"Daddy and I thought so," she said simply; and further announcement
was not needed. "My darling little girl!" she added tenderly; and
then, after a silence, "He is very fine, Mark, so unaffected, so
gentle and nice with the boys. I--I think I'm glad, Mark. I lose my
girl but there's no happiness like a happy marriage, dear."

"No, you won't lose me, Mother," Margaret said, clinging very close.
"We hadn't much time to talk, but this much we did decide. You see,
John--John goes to Germany for a year, next July. So we thought--in
June or July, Mother, just as Julie's was! Just a little wedding like
Ju's. You see, that's better than interrupting the term, or trying to
settle down, when we'd have to move in July. And, Mother, I'm going to
write Mrs. Carr-Boldt,--she can get a thousand girls to take my place,
her niece is dying to do it!--and I'm going to take my old school here
for the term. Mr. Forbes spoke to me about it after church this
morning; they want me back. I want this year at home; I want to see
more of Bruce and Ju, and sort of stand by darling little Beck! But
it's for you, most of all, Mother," said Margaret, with difficulty.
"I've always loved you, Mother, but you don't know how wonderful I
think you are--" She broke off pitifully, "Ah, Mother!"

For her mother's arms had tightened convulsively about her, and the
face against her own was wet.

"Are you talking?" said Rebecca, rearing herself