day they rang in her
head, and her heart chanted them. And though in the years that followed
she often forgot her good resolutions, and many and many a time did wrong
and foolish things, knowing them to be wrong and foolish, though she let
herself be swayed by her moods, when she should have fought against them,
she never entirely forgot old John Darbie's simple, comforting words, nor
the lesson they had taught her that day, and unconsciously they helped her
on her life's road, just as he himself helped her along her road to her
new home.

There was indeed a great deal that she could do, as she discovered
presently, when the van deposited them and their parcels at the door of
their new home, for the furniture had arrived but a couple of hours
earlier, and though her father and the man had lifted most of the heavier
things into their places, and Lucy had done all that she could to make the
little house look habitable, there was much that Mona, knowing her
grandmother's ways as well as she did, could do better than anyone else.

As soon as the van drew near, Lucy was at the door to greet them, and in
the warmth and pleasure of her welcome, Mona entirely forgot the
circumstances under which they had last parted: and it never once occurred
to her to think how different their meeting might have been had Lucy not
been of the sweet-tempered forgiving nature that she was.

Lucy had forgotten too. She only remembered how glad she was to have them
there, and what a trying day it must have been for poor old Granny Barnes.
And when, instead of the stern, cold, complaining old woman that she had
expected, she saw a fragile, pale-faced little figure, standing looking
forlorn, weary, and half-frightened on the path outside her new home,
Lucy quite forgot her dread of her, and her whole heart went out in
sympathy.

Putting her arms round her, she kissed her as warmly as though it had been
her own mother, and led her tenderly into the house.

"Don't you trouble about a single thing more, granny, there are plenty of
us to see to everything. The fire is burning, and your own armchair is
put by it, and all you've got to do is to sit there till you're rested and
tell us others what you'd like done."

Granny Barnes did not speak, but Lucy understood. She took up the poker
and stirred the coals to a more cheerful blaze. "It's a fine little stove
to burn," she said cheerfully, "and it is as easy as possible to light."

Granny was i