u." She could not rid herself of the feeling that
her granny was dead--had died angry with her, at the last. She felt sure
of it, too, when she saw her lying so still and white on her pillow.

Mrs. Lane placed her hand over the tired, faintly-beating heart.
"She is only faint," she said assuringly, a note of intense relief in her
voice. "She is coming round. Run and fetch me some water, dear,
and open that window as you pass."

So granny, when she presently opened her eyes and looked about her,
found Mona on one side of her and her old friend on the other; and both
were looking at her with tender anxious eyes, and faces full of gladness
at her recovery.

The old feud was as dead as though it had never existed.

"It's like going to sleep in a world of worries and waking up in a new
one." The poor old soul sighed contentedly, as she lay with the stars
looking in on her, and the scent of the flowers wafting up to her through
the open window. "It was too bad, though, to be calling you up in the
night--out of your bed. I'm very much obliged to you, Mrs. Lane,
I--I'm very glad to see you."

"Not as glad as I am to come, I reckon," her neighbour smiled back at her,
"we are all going to start afresh again from to-day, ain't we? So it's as
well to begin the day early, and make it as long as we can!"

CHAPTER IX.

Granny was much better, and was downstairs again, but she was weak and
very helpless still. She was sad too, and depressed. The last few weeks
had shaken her confidence in herself, her spirit was strong enough still,
but more than once lately her body had failed her. When, in her old way,
she had said that she would do this, or that, or the other thing, she had
found out after all, that she could not. Her body had absolutely refused
to obey her.

"I ain't dependent on other folks yet!" she had said sharply, and had
afterwards found out that she was, and the discovery alarmed her.
It saddened her, and broke her spirit.

"I ought to be in a home. I'd rather be in one, or--or be dead, than be a
burden on other folks," she moaned.

Granny was very hard to live with in those days. Even a grown-up would
have found it difficult to know what to say in answer to her complainings.

"Granny, don't talk like that!" Mona would plead, and she would work
harder than ever that there might be nothing for granny to do, or to find
fault with. But however hard she worked, and however nice she kept
things,