1 37B
 
 "I WONDER IF ANY ONE EVKR WAX THANKFUL FOR TKOUBLK AM) 
 
 MISFORTUNE?" Page 10.
 
 HOME NOOK 
 
 BY 
 
 AMANDA M. DOUGLAS 
 
 FRONTISPIECE BY JOHN GOSS 
 
 BOSTON 
 LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO,
 
 Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, 
 
 BY LEE AND SHEPARD, 
 In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1901, BY AMANDA M. DOUGLAS. 
 
 HOME NOOK.
 
 SOPHIA L. SHAW. 
 
 The gate called Beautiful may be the human heai% 
 
 Where pilgrims knock and ask the alms of lore, 
 Clasp hands in faith a while and then depart, 
 
 But still remembering wheresoe'er they rove, 
 A word, perchance, a smile all rich in faith, 
 
 May in some costlier stead an offering be ; 
 And lacking royal favors to bequeath, 
 
 Such as I have I gladly girt to thee. 
 
 A, M.D 
 
 K.J. 
 
 2135886
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER PAGK 
 
 I. A CLOUD IN THB SET. 7 
 
 II. TOGETHER IN COUNCIL 20 
 
 III. A CBOSS FOB ALL 31 
 
 IV. CHANGES 43 
 
 V. A NEW HOUSE 66 
 
 VI. ROMANCE AND EXPERIENCE 69 
 
 VII. SHIFTING SANDS 81 
 
 VIII. LOOKING AT THE FUTURE 95 
 
 IX. ELEANOR 106 
 
 X. DRIFTING WITH THB TIDE 118 
 
 XI. AMONG THORNS 132 
 
 XII. IN THE SHADOW 146 
 
 XIH. PHILIP 161 
 
 XIV. THE WORLD AGAIN 174 
 
 XV. A MISSING LINK. 184 
 
 XVI. A NEW FRIEND 198 
 
 XVII. THORNS AND ROSES 211 
 
 XVIII. A VEXED QUESTION 226 
 
 XIX. TOUCHING THE GOLDEN SHORE 239 
 
 XX. THROUGH PLEASANT WATS SB8
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 XXI. DATS SONNY AND SHADT. 993 
 
 XXII. WORK nr EABNEST 280 
 
 XXIII. FLOATING our 292 
 
 XXIV. BETWEEN two 804 
 
 XXV. CLEMENT 816 
 
 XXVI. LILIES AKD RUE 828 
 
 XXVII. CROWNED WITH THORVB 881 
 
 XXVIII. COBCLCMOB Id
 
 HOME NOOK; 
 
 THE CROWN OF 1 DUTY. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 A CLOUD IN THE SKY. 
 
 THE short winter day was drawing to a close. Madge 
 Ashburton could read no longer, and this was her dream- 
 time ; so shutting her book, she tossed it over on the 
 study-table. It just grazed the edge, and fell into Elea- 
 nor's willow work-basket. 
 
 " O Madge ! " This was said reprovingly by her elder 
 sister. 
 
 "My dear Madge !" This was uttered in the sweetest 
 of tones by mamma, though it meant quite as much as 
 Eleanor's more forcible check. 
 
 "I'm always doing something! Now and then I wish 
 I was like other people well, not much, either. I can't 
 tell how it is, but I have a kind of affection for myself 
 whenever I go wrong ; so I often say to Madge Ashbur- 
 ton, * With all thy faults, I love thee still.' Mamma, do 
 you think me very naughty?" 
 
 Mrs. Ashburton smiled. She was a small, pale, sweet- 
 looking woman, bearing marks of great delicacy. There 
 was an expression on the face and in the eyes that spoke 
 of a restful soul. 
 
 T
 
 8 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 " Eleanor and Jessie are very nice," the girl went on 
 "but if it wasn't for me, you would all fall asleep. Surplui 
 energy is one of the results or accidents which is it, 
 Eleanor? of the nineteenth century. Doesn't that 
 sound sententious, and almost like Carlyle ? Mamma, I'm 
 not sure but there has been a mistake. I've crept into 
 your family unaware, and though I'm no angel, you have 
 all entertained me in the tenderest possible fashion. I am 
 restless and uneasy, and when I think of growing up with 
 nothing to do " 
 
 " My dear," said her mother, " there is work for every 
 one in this world." 
 
 "But a little housekeeping and visiting, and thinking 
 about one's dresses " 
 
 " If you paid more attention to yours, Madge, it would 
 not be amiss," exclaimed Eleanor, rather warmly. " Read- 
 ing Carlyle, and all that, is not specially beneficial to you 
 or any other very young girl." 
 
 " But it seems to me that most lives are quite stupid." 
 
 " O ! " said Jessie, in amaze. 
 
 "You are so good and thoughtful, Jessie I I don't be- 
 lieve that I could bother over children's dresses and poor 
 women's babies, and I fancy that I should like to have 
 some real work to do when I am grown. Mamma, do you 
 not believe that there are women just fitted for some par- 
 ticular employment? Men don't all rush hap-hazard into 
 the same thing. Clement now has gone off to China to 
 make a fortune, and every one compliments papa upon 
 having such a business-like son. His genius is purely 
 Commercial. Then Philip is quite crazy about medicine 
 and surgery. Eleanor ought to marry a rich man, and be 
 a great lady. Jessie would make a missionary, or else one 
 of those sweet old maids whom every one adores. But I 
 am troubled to know what my destiny will be." 
 
 "You need not be for the next two or three years," said 
 her mother. " A good education is the first important step."
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 9 
 
 " I wonder why papa does not come ! " and Madge was 
 off to the window. 
 
 "It is past his time," remarked Jessie. " He must have 
 missed the train." 
 
 Madge peered out in silence for many moments, think- 
 ing very rapidly, and yet she could not have separated one 
 distinct idea from the confused mass. What she saw was 
 a broad, sloping lawn, with an edge of leafless trees fronting 
 the street like sentinels, groups of shadowy evergreens 
 here and there, and the winding carriage-road, the hard 
 path looking whiter than the surrounding ground. Not 
 a footstep, not a rumble of wheels, however distant not 
 even the wind moaning up and down. Out beyond there 
 were millions of human beings ; and were any of them 
 living a still, cold life, like this night ? What were they 
 all doing, thinking, and suffering ? Ah, there came a 
 bright star. Did it point any of them to the God up 
 above ? 
 
 She turned suddenly. The grate-fire was sending a 
 cheerful glow through the room. It was such a pretty, 
 home-like place 1 The bright carpet and partly-worn furni- 
 ture, without being at all shabby, had reached that pecu- 
 liarly comfortable and tempting stage. A lounge with a 
 pillow in the corner, easy-chairs, a wire stand in the bay- 
 window, containing some geraniums and roses in bloom ; 
 choice pictures, reflecting the ruddy fire-light, and here 
 and there a gracefully carved bracket in black walnut, sup- 
 porting a vase or tiny statue. Every one admitted that 
 the sitting-room at Home Nook was the cosiest place in 
 the world. The spacious parlor down stairs or drawing- 
 room, in Eleanor's aristocratic parlance was nothing in 
 comparison. 
 
 There was fair Jessie peering into the changeful blaze, 
 thinking, doubtless, of those shivering souls huddled to 
 Aether on this cold night over a handful of fire. Eleanor 
 sat in an arm-chair, grave and regal, like the queen she
 
 10 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 was. Tall, slender, but with a firm, round figure, that 
 gave an expression of decision to what might otherwise 
 have been languid grace. A smooth, white forehead, with 
 the hair banded plainly above ; large, dark eyes, and a 
 rather firm mouth, though the lips were a brilliant scarlet. 
 She was a handsome girl, but the grand truths that set a 
 seal upon some faces had not become her inheritance as 
 yet. Meekness, tenderness, and long-suffering were not 
 inborn, and would come to her only in some great strait 
 of life after a severe battle. Seeing her there so calm and 
 stately, something like this passed through Madge's mind. 
 In her crude way, she had begun to speculate. 
 
 But feeling and thought were evanescent with her. 
 Another mood swept over her, and the next instant she 
 knelt before the fire, and laid her head in her mother's lap. 
 
 "Mamma," she exclaimed, "how very happy we arel 
 We seem to have everything that we want ; so you must 
 not think that I was discontented a while ago." 
 
 "No, my dear, but I would like to have you remember 
 from whom all these good gifts come." 
 
 " Yes ; when anything particularly nice happens, I 
 always feel like giving thanks. But, mamma " 
 
 " Well ? " for the pause was a long one. 
 
 u I wonder if any one ever toas thankful for trouble and 
 misfortune ? " 
 
 "Not at first, I suppose. After a while we begin to BGO 
 where we might have strayed into sin or temptation but 
 for this very trial laid upon us. Or we are taught some 
 needful lesson brought nearer to God, and led to realize 
 that our lives were given for a higher purpose than mere 
 selfish aims and pleasures." 
 
 " It is easy to talk about by this lovely fire, but could 
 we bear it patiently? I wonder if every one doesn't 
 theorize a good deal, and " 
 
 "You do," said Eleanor, with a short laugh. "And 
 Hannah must be dreaming and have forgotten the lights ;" 
 to she rose and rang the bell.
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. 11 
 
 "O, w exclaimed Madge, disappointedly. "Sitting in 
 the dark is so nice ! It always makes me feel like talking 
 to mamma." 
 
 A grave, middle-aged woman answered the summons. 
 She lighted the lamp, and placed it upon the table in the 
 centre of the room. 
 
 " Mr. Ashburton is late," she said, slowly. " The din 
 U9r has been done some time." 
 
 Mrs. Ashburton glanced at the French clock on tht 
 mantel. Eleanor caught the anxious look. 
 
 " They are very busy at the store, you know, and papa 
 has staid late several evenings." 
 
 " Yes," thoughtfully. 
 
 Madge raised her brown eyes to her mother's face. 
 Something flashed across her brain and rose in her throat 
 at the same time a quick, nervous apprehension. She 
 possessed one of those natures in which impressions are 
 electrical. Eleanor always called them whims. The elder 
 sister understood that an undue indulgence would prove 
 dangerous to such a temperament. 
 
 " What is the matter ? " asked Jessie. " You look as if 
 there was a ghost in the room." 
 
 " Like poor Mrs. Gradgrind ; " and she gave a short 
 laugh. " 1 can't say that I have the ghost I was only 
 thinking." 
 
 "Mamma," began Eleanor, rather sharply, "it seems to 
 me that Madge is falling into bad habits. She is full of 
 fancies and caprices, and has no stability of purpose. She 
 xeads too much." 
 
 " Well, I will not look at another book to-night. I'll 
 put my head here in mamma's lap and let her sermonize 
 me." 
 
 Mrs. Ashburton's slender fingers threaded her darling's 
 sunny hair. Somehow, on this night, little Madge, with 
 all her faults and short-comings, seemed very dear. She 
 watched the bright glow stealing back to the cheek, and
 
 12 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 breathed a prayer for the child's future, that appeared 
 much less assured than either of her sisters.' 
 
 Madge thought, " What if something should happen to 
 papa! " Nothing ever had, of course. He had come and 
 gone daily, been spared accidents and misfortunes ; and 
 then she wondered how God could watch over every step 
 when there were so many things in this busy world. 
 
 Her meditations were brought to a close by a sharp 
 ring of the door-bell. She raised her head and pushed 
 aside the bright curls. 
 
 " One of the clerks, Mr. Barnet. He wants to see Mrs. 
 Ashburton," Hannah announced. 
 
 " Let me go, mamma ; " and Eleanor rose. If it were 
 bad news, she was strongest to receive the first shock. 
 Mrs. Ashburton acquiesced, seized with a sudden pre- 
 sentiment. 
 
 Mr. Barnet rose and bowed at Eleanor's entrance. He 
 looked nervous and flurried, and stammered out a few 
 sentences. 
 
 "Papa?" she questioned, decisively. 
 
 " He has been taken ill, Miss Ashburton ; and if you 
 and your mother could come down for the doctor 
 thinks that he had better not be removed." 
 
 " He is not dead ? " Eleanor asked, through white lips. 
 
 "No; he was taken a few hours ago paralysis, I 
 believe. Mr. Stanhope begged me to come for you." 
 
 Eleanor passed her hand across her eyes. She felt 
 Btunned, and could not comprehend the fact. 
 
 " If you prefer, I will accompany you," Mr. Barnet said, 
 in a low tone. " The train goes down in about twenty 
 minutes." 
 
 "Yes, we shall be obliged to you," she answered, 
 mechanically, turning towards the door as if but half 
 awake. 
 
 When she reached the sitting-room, she found that 
 Madge had infected her mother with the wildest fears
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 13 
 
 and though her own heart sank within her, she rallied aL 
 her strength. 
 
 "Hush," she said to the eager questions of the girls 
 "Papa has been taken ill; and we must go to the city 
 immediately. Jessie, get mamma's cloak and bonnet ; and, 
 Madge, go order the carriage." 
 
 Her prompt manner brought them to their senses. In 
 a few moments the travellers were ready for starting. 
 The girls kissed their mother with frantic tenderness. 
 Eleanor tried to keep her voice steady as she said, 
 
 " You will hear in the morning, or perhaps we shall 
 return." 
 
 Madge and Jessie made a vain attempt to eat their 
 dinners, but they could only speculate upon what had 
 happened to papa. They went back to the sitting-room ; 
 but, though the fire was bright as before, the charm had 
 gone out of all. Madge remembered what she had been 
 saying an hour ago no, she could not feel thankful for 
 misfortune and trouble. Perhaps Jessie might Jessie, 
 who always turned to some side of the picture that others 
 failed to see. 
 
 Although twin sisters, Jessie was the taller and more 
 womanly. Indeed, they were very little alike, except the 
 family resemblance that one always remarks. Jessie was 
 quiet and thoughtful, with brown hair, and shady violet 
 eyes that looked like hidden lakes gleaming from some 
 woody nook. Madge was neither fair nor dark : chestnut 
 hair that still kept its tint of gold ; eyes that were sun- 
 shine in themselves a sort of hazel ; and a peculiar 
 creamy complexion, with a peachy tint in the cheeks. 
 She had been petted and indulged on every side, and was 
 warm, impulsive, affectionate, and often unreasonable. 
 
 The household at Home Nook was a happy one indeed. 
 Though not rich, Mr. Ashburton had been a fairly pros- 
 perous man. Misfortunes had hitherto held aloof, and the 
 only sorrow they knew by actual experience had been the
 
 14 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 parting with Clement, the eldest son, who, three monthi 
 before, had gone to China. 
 
 Mrs. Ashburton and Eleanor continued their journey in 
 silence. Once the daughter roused herself to make a few 
 inquiries. Her father had been taken to Mr. Weir's, and 
 she recognized the name of the head clerk. Dr. Conway 
 vas in attendance. 
 
 In about an hour they had reached Mr. Weir's an 
 unpretentious house, too near the business part of the city 
 to be considered at all stylish, but very comfortable with- 
 in, as they soon found. Mrs. Weir received them with 
 tender yet unobtrusive sympathy. 
 
 " The doctor thinks there is a little improvement," she 
 said; "but one can hardly tell so soon. You look chilled 
 through. Take off your wraps, and have a good warm 
 cup of tea." 
 
 "Has he been is he fatally ill?" gasped Mrs. Ash- 
 burton. 
 
 " There is a hope of his being brought round, I believe. 
 It's a sad thing to happen at such a time, but one cannot 
 help losses and crosses. I sometimes tell Mr. Weir that 
 those who have nothing are the happiest." 
 
 Mrg. Ashburton listened blankly, as if the latter part of 
 the speech was of no importance to her, but Eleanor's 
 mind took it in with a sharp pang. 
 
 Presently they were ushered into the invalid's room 
 He lay helpless and speechless, unconscious of all outward 
 objects, even the voices of wife and daughter. Except 
 for the heavy breathing, they might have thought him 
 already dead. 
 
 Mrs. Ashburton's composure gave way at once. She 
 threw herself beside her husband with a cry of anguish, 
 for her heart seemed breaking. 
 
 Eleanor tried to comfort, but soon found it wiser to 
 lead her away from the scene. Under Mrs. Weir's gentle 
 ministrations she grew calmer after a while, and, seeing
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 15 
 
 this, the young girl returned to her father. Mr. Weir sat 
 there, grave and silent. He would have motioned her 
 away, but she came close beside him. 
 
 "Mr. Weir," she began, in a slow tone, that sounded 
 cold and hollow even to herself, " was there some trouble 
 connected with papa's sudden illness?" 
 
 The man cast his eyes down upon the carpet, and was 
 silent. A slow, stubborn kind of man by nature, yet be 
 had a misgiving that Miss Ashburton would be hard to 
 evade. But did they really know or suspect nothing? 
 
 " It has been a hard winter, and almost every one has 
 met with losses, papa among the rest, and he has had to 
 be careful. But I should like to know the truth." 
 
 Eleanor was quite surprised at the energy with which 
 she made this direct and steady speech, and searched the 
 face opposite with questioning eyes. 
 
 " I don't know, myself, Miss Ashburton," he answered, 
 with a grim satisfaction, as if there was something she 
 could not wrest from him. 
 
 " But you are aware of some complications ? " 
 
 She did not know what other word to use, and stumbled 
 upon this. 
 
 " Several recent failures have crippled us pretty badly ; 
 but Mr. Ashburton hoped to get through, and eo did Mr. 
 Stanhope." 
 
 And now ? " 
 
 Eleanor's voice and face were indicative of something 
 besides firmness a resolve to learn all, however disheart- 
 ening it might prove. 
 
 " I don't exactly know " 
 
 " Mr. Weir, tell me what you think I " 
 
 She glanced steadily into his face with her clear eyes. 
 
 They'll have to know it some time, he mused. After 
 all, why should any one be so tender to these people, who 
 had never denied themselves a single want or wish? 
 Right, and truth, and honor were as much for them as for
 
 16 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 the poor man, whom the law punished so rigorously if he 
 stepped aside. There was a good deal of sentiment about 
 these matters, when the person in question was kind and 
 gentlemanly as Mr. Ashburton had always been. Yet it 
 was cowardly to strike a fallen man such a blow. 
 
 " Mr. Weir, I think I have a right to the truth, and I 
 am able to bear it. It may be a long while before papa ia 
 sufficiently well to attend to business " 
 
 If her voice faltered, her face was resolute. 
 
 M Women girls, I mean can't understand these mat- 
 ters, Miss Ashburton," he returned, evasively. 
 
 " I could understand if papa had been unfortunate, and 
 I thrak it is that." 
 
 He could resist no longer. 
 
 "It's pretty bad. I'm sorry to say it, but I don't 
 believe they will get through." 
 
 He brought the words out with a jerk. He was a 
 plain man, and when any one insisted upon the fcruth, he 
 gave it. 
 
 Eleanor's breath came rapidly, and her face turned very 
 pale. 
 
 " And this was what proved such a shock to papa," she 
 said, chokingly. 
 
 He felt very sorry for the young and beautiful girl, 
 though, as a general thing, he considered beauty only as a 
 lure to vanity and extravagance. 
 
 M Miss Ashburton, there's something about it all that I 
 don't understand myself. A month ago I would have 
 eaid we were strong enough for anything, and even in 
 epite of the losses, I don't see how some bad news came 
 this morning," he added, abruptly. 
 
 "And Mr. Stanhope?" 
 
 " They talked and went over the books until about two, 
 when this happened." 
 
 w And you fear the worst ? " 
 
 A peculiar expression crossed nis face, in which wai
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 17 
 
 mingled unmistakable sorrow. Eleanor stood straight 
 and rigid, for the secret she had wrested from him sur- 
 prised herself as well. Three hours ago she could not 
 have dreamed such an event possible. 
 
 " And must there be a failure ? " 
 
 " I fear so, miss." 
 
 " Poor papa ! " Her lip quivered with emotion. 
 
 "You had better go into the other room," he said, 
 gently. " I will watch him, and let you know if there is 
 any change." 
 
 Eleanor did as she was bidden, for she had no strength 
 to resist. 
 
 As she opened the door, Mrs. Ashburton roused from 
 her recumbent position, and glanced at her with eagerly 
 questioning eyes. 
 
 " He is just the same, mamma," she said, softly, crossing 
 the room and clasping the slender hand in her own with a 
 sense of protecting power. 
 
 Then she began to think. All these years had been 
 spent in the midst of abundance and perfect health ; at 
 least, no one had ever been dangerously ill. And now to 
 have death and poverty confront them in this stern 
 fashion ! 
 
 Eleanor was proud and sensitive, and she shrank in- 
 stinctively from the prospect. She possessed a refined 
 and delicate nature was one of those persons, indeed, 
 to whom petty self-denial and the practice of economy are 
 in the last degree distasteful. Not that she was foolishly 
 extravagant her friends considered her rather severe in 
 the matter of dress; but if gay colors were not to her 
 taste, her laces, gloves, and handkerchiefs were faultless. 
 She was accustomed to the most scrupulous care, and her 
 uressing-room at home was a marvel with its dainty ap- 
 pointments. 
 
 Her books and pictures were chosen with the same 
 fastidiousness, and her flowers were the rarest that could . 
 2
 
 18 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 be found. True, there had been no particular need foi 
 sacrifice, and she was not one to take the hard and un 
 pleasant in life when the sunny path was at hand. I do 
 not mean that she was selfish in the broad sense of the 
 word, but she always did take into consideration her own 
 ease and comfort. Her ideals had been moulded from the 
 classics, and she was, perhaps, capable of making any 
 great and heroic effort ; but poverty and the petty trialt 
 staring her in the face were bitter and humiliating. With 
 the loss of wealth must go their lovely house, position, 
 and many social enjoyments. When she dropped out of 
 the ranks, friends would regret for a brief while, and then 
 solace themselves with new faces. Already in her short 
 experience she had seen this happen to others. She re- 
 membered with something akin to shame that she had 
 never sought out these unfortunates, and endeavored to 
 soften the blow by friendly sympathy. Could she blame 
 others for doing the same by her? 
 
 In March she would be twenty. If that worst of all, 
 death, came, she must in some degree be a dependence 
 for the rest. Then her range of love and grief grew a 
 little wider. There was mamma to suffer by the loss. 
 She clasped her hands in a spasm of anguish, and Mrs. 
 Ashburton roused herself. 
 
 "My dear, what is it?" she asked, in tremulous tones. 
 
 " Nothing, mamma, save my troubled thoughts." 
 
 "Nelly," and the mother's face was full of tender en- 
 treaty, " let us pray that he may be spared. I could bear 
 any trial but that. If God will only restore him to health! 
 I feel so weak and helpless ! If I could be of any service " 
 
 " No, mamma ; lie still. Nothing can be done save that 
 hardest of all waiting patiently." 
 
 The words rose to her lips of their own accord. A kind 
 of desperate courage to endure to the uttermost came in 
 the place of trust. 
 
 Mrs. Weir went in and out quietly, or took a snatch of
 
 THE CKOWN OF DUTY. 19 
 
 sleep in her chair. Occasionally Eleanor stole away for & 
 glimpse of the still, death-like face, or comforted her 
 mother in soothing tones. At last, morning dawned, and 
 they came back to common life in Mrs. Weir's rather worn 
 sitting-room, so different from the cheerful brightness of 
 Home Nook. 
 
 Dr. Conway pronounced his patient improved, though 
 it was apparent to none save a medical eye. Mrs. Ash- 
 burton held a long consultation with him, and it was 
 deemed best to remove Mr. Ashburton as soon as it would 
 be safe. 
 
 "His recovery will be tedious, for he no longer has 
 youth on his side. Still, I think it is possible, if he can be 
 kept free from all care and perplexity. This is his first 
 serious illness." 
 
 This fiat of the doctor's seemed positively good news to 
 Mrs. Ashburton, and her heart rose in gratitude to God. 
 The trial that lay behind it all she could not see. 
 
 Her own health had been delicate for many years, and 
 her feeling even now was that she could better be spared 
 than her husband. But God knew best, and she tried to 
 keep near him in this time of trouble.
 
 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 CHAPTER H. 
 
 TOGETHER IN COUNCIL. 
 
 NEARLY three weeks had elapsed since the day of Mr. 
 Ashburton's illness. As soon as it was practicable, he had 
 been removed to Home Nook, but his improvement was 
 very slow indeed. They nursed him in a quiet, devoted 
 manner, and forbore to mention any exciting topics in his 
 presence. He had recognized them all, and, though very 
 weak, had regained the use of his limbs ; so they were 
 quite hopeful. 
 
 Mr. Weir had been up on business, bearing kind mes- 
 sages from Mr. Stanhope. The prospect was not very 
 encouraging. When it was found that the regular assets 
 would not be sufficient to satisfy the creditors, Mr. Stan- 
 hope relinquished his property at once. A house quite 
 heavily mortgaged, but handsomely furnished, was all that 
 he had to offer. There was some property belonging to 
 his daughter, that had been left by her mother, and this, 
 of course, was not his, but he mentioned it in a manly 
 fashion. 
 
 Mr. Stanhope was a widower with one child, a daughter, 
 who was at a boarding school ; so the change in household 
 matters would not prove as important to them as to the 
 Ashburtons. He seemed to take his reverse of fortune 
 bravely, and was most anxious to satisfy all those with 
 whom he had any dealings. 
 
 His course tended naturally to throw the blame upon 
 Mr. Ashburton, who had been living much more expen- 
 sively, it was supposed. A word of suspicion at such a 
 time does incalculable injury. Mr. Ashburton was one of
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 21 
 
 those gentlemanly, easy-going persons, extremely generous 
 kind to inferiors, and universally esteemed, except that he 
 had not been considered very sharp in a business way. 
 
 With his advantages, many thought that he ought to 
 have amassed a handsome fortune. He possessed a fine 
 sense of honor, that would not have allowed him to over- 
 reach in bargain-making. Yet there had grown up a 
 strange misgiving of doubt and dissatisfaction concerning 
 him. No one could tell just how it started, but anxious 
 creditors considered merely their own interests, and when 
 it was hinted that he had been living far beyond his means, 
 they were not disposed to be particularly lenient. It is 
 such an easy thing to see the faults of those who are in 
 adversity. 
 
 At Home Nook they hardly realized the extent of their 
 misfortunes. Jessie and Madge had been in despair at 
 first, for an illness like their father's had but one meaning 
 and end for them death. Mrs. Ashburton scarcely left 
 her husband's side, and thought no evil could be compared 
 to his possible loss. So Eleanor brooded over the coming 
 change in silence. 
 
 The weather proved stormy and inclement. Philip was 
 only partially informed of the state of affairs. Eleanor 
 had no heart to disclose the worst, and since he could do 
 no actual good by coming, she did not consider it worth 
 while to interrupt his studies. 
 
 However, he was not long in hearing a confused news- 
 paper statement, that fell upon him with a crushing weight. 
 u It surely cannot be true," he said to himself, and imme- 
 diately asked for leave of absence. 
 
 Turning his glance back upon the college buildings, hii 
 brain was filled with busy thoughts and hopes. Eighteen 
 months before he had entered Yale with an earnest am- 
 bition to distinguish himself. He had marked out a careef 
 that suited every faculty of his soul. After his classical 
 studies would come medicine, then a few years abroad,
 
 22 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 and a life of interest to himself and usefulness to hit 
 fellow-creatures. How many times he had dreamed this 
 overl The pleasant home that he was to make, the pride 
 that his parents would take in his career, and the tender 
 regard of his sisters ! Home Nook would always be the 
 central point of their love, no matter how far they might 
 stray. Whatever toil, or labor, or success crowned their 
 lives, would be enhanced by the benediction of this dear 
 place, where they might meet year after year. But what 
 if these dreams were never realized ? 
 
 That day another incident had occurred at Home Nook. 
 About noon a sleigh drove up the avenue, crunching over 
 the icy road. 
 
 Madge ran to the window. Some one enveloped in vel- 
 vet and furs, and a snowy plume nodding from the French 
 bonnet. 
 
 "Aunt Waltham!" she exclaimed, in surprise. 
 
 A slight expression of dissatisfaction crossed Jessie's 
 face ; then she checked it immediately. It was kind in her 
 to come, for she could not tell that they would rather be 
 alone. 
 
 Eleanor rose in her usual self-possessed fashion, and 
 stepping into the hall, requested the servant to send their 
 visitor up stairs. There she stood awaiting her. 
 
 " My dear, dear Eleanor 1 " and the young woman found 
 herself clasped in a warm embrace. " My poor, sorrowing 
 child!" 
 
 Since Mr. Ashburton's illness, they had seen but few 
 visitors. Many of their neighbors had kindly offered any 
 assistance, but delicately withheld officious intrusion. 
 
 Eleanor was unnerved for an instant by the deep emo- 
 tion expressed in the tone ; then recovering herself, she 
 ushered Aunt Waltham into the room. 
 
 The lady greeted Madge and Jessie with tender cordial- 
 ity, and at Eleanor's solicitation, began to remove her 
 wrappings.
 
 THE CEOWN OF DUTY. 23 
 
 ** How is your father ? " she asked, presently. " I confess 
 I was so shocked at the tidings that I could hardly believe 
 them true." 
 
 " Papa is improving. He has recognized us all, ! " Madge 
 answered, hopefully. 
 
 " Was it really paralysis, and superinduced by losses ? I 
 thought some of you would have written." 
 
 " I suppose we waited every day for more of a certainty," 
 Eleanor replied, gravely apologizing. 
 
 "True, my dear, you have had a great deal of care. 
 Philip is home, of course." 
 
 " No. It was a week before we could bring papa home, 
 though he rallied in a slight degree very soon. Since 
 there appeared no immediate danger,mamma and I thought 
 it better not to interrupt him." 
 
 " Is your father able to sit up ? " 
 
 " Only for a short time." 
 
 "When I heard the news I felt that I must come imme- 
 diately, but I reached town so late that I spent the night 
 at Mrs. Everett's ! " 
 
 Mrs. Waltham gave Eleanor a searching glance as she 
 uttered these words. The young girl was silent, though 
 she knew that her aunt must have heard all there was to 
 tell. 
 
 " Is it true, my dear ? " she asKed, rather hesitatingly 
 " this story about the business? " 
 
 " Yes, aunt Waltham. Mr. Stanhope has already given 
 up everything, and I suppose we must do the same." 
 
 Madgo resolutely winked away a tear. If it was hard 
 to confess the fact, it was some gratification to have the 
 listener aunt Waltham. 
 
 That lady did not like the hard manner of stating it, 
 though, for that matter, refinement was not one of Madge's 
 characteristics. 
 
 " But your father has certainly made some provision 1 
 I was talking to him a year or two ago about settling this 
 place upon your mother."
 
 24 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 "Mr. Stanhope did not keep his," said outspoken Madge 
 
 "There was very little of it;" and a touch of contempt 
 tinged Mrs. Waltham's tone. "In fact, my dear Eleanor, 
 affairs are in a very bad state, to say the least. I know 
 your father had this place clear, and it doesn't seem quite 
 right that he should do so much while Mr. Stanhope gets 
 off with a little. A man ought to think of his family first. 
 I hope there has been some arrangement made." 
 
 Madge felt her blood rising with every word. Now she 
 said hurriedly, 
 
 "Papa will do just what is right, and it is right to pay 
 one's debts. Neither mamma nor any of us would feel 
 willing to keep this house, dear as it is, if it had to be done 
 dishonorably." 
 
 " Madge, you know nothing about business," replied her 
 aunt, sharply. 
 
 " I hope I know enough to be honest," the child re- 
 turned, with heightened color. 
 
 " We were not discussing honesty," her aunt said, dryly. 
 " And now, my dear Eleanor, tell me all the particulars of 
 this sad event. You know that my interest and anxiety 
 must be great." 
 
 Eleanor gave a brief account of the first alarm and the 
 subsequent results. Mr. Ashburton's illness had so far 
 prevented any settlement. She did not know how they 
 stood, but she feared that everything would be swept 
 away. 
 
 "It is most unfortunate, for, at your papa's time of life, 
 it is so difficult to make a new start ! And how does your 
 mamma bear it? I should think that, with her poor health, 
 it would have crushed her at once." 
 
 " Mamma has endured bravely so far. We have not 
 talked much about the business part, as there seemed no 
 use in adding to her cares until we knew the worst." 
 
 Eleanor's voice faltered a little. After all, they 
 sure, and it was only playing at hope thus to delay.
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. 25 
 
 "Of course not. It is like your thoughtfulness, Eleanor;" 
 and aunt Waltham gave Madge a reproving glance, as 
 much as to say that no heroic virtues could be expected 
 from her. Then the lady drew near the fire, and began to 
 toast her feet. 
 
 Presently the bell rang for lunch, and the girls hailed it 
 as a relief, for aunt Waltham was not a great favorite with 
 either of them, Yet the change did not extinguish the 
 subject. 
 
 "What a misfortune that Clement should be away just 
 at this crisis ! " she began, sipping her tea with languid 
 grace. "With his energy and assistance, you might be 
 extricated from the difficulty. If you could send for him 
 but it would be all over before he could return. I am 
 very sorry that he went." 
 
 "But if he makes a fortune! " exclaimed Madge. 
 
 "There are fortunes to be made here. I never did ap- 
 prove of young men starting off as soon as they could be 
 useful. And now you need him sorely, for Philip is too 
 young to be of much account." 
 
 They had all wished, dozens of times, for Clement's 
 quick brain and cool judgment. In their forlorn state, his 
 strong and tender heart would have proved an inestimable 
 comfort. 
 
 Afterwards Eleanor went to announce their visitor to 
 her mother, and presently aunt Waltham was received in 
 the invalid's room. Madge and Jessie retired to the library. 
 
 "It's too bad to let the house go, but it would be mean 
 and dishonest to cheat," Madge exclaimed with much 
 warmth. " I should hate to have such a thing on my con- 
 science. If we could only do something, Jessie ! " 
 
 Madge had turned this idea over many times in her 
 brain. She felt so energetic and courageous that she 
 longed to go to work at once, and do her very best. If 
 she were a man, how many paths would be opened to herl 
 
 "We shall have enough to do by and by," Jessie re
 
 26 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 turned, soberly. " It will not be an easy matter to make 
 ourselves content with all the changes." 
 
 "And you know what I was talking about that night, 
 Jessie feeling thankful for trouble. Now that it has 
 come, I am afraid I don't like it very much." 
 
 Jessie smiled at the perplexed little face, and yet her 
 OM-n eyes filled slowly with tears. 
 
 When aunt Waltham returned to the sitting-room, she 
 found Eleanor alone, much to her delight. 
 
 "My poor child," she exclaimed, in the tenderest of 
 tones, "this is indeed a cruel blow, and it will fall the 
 heaviest upon you. Your mamma has not the forethought 
 to realize how much it will affect you all " 
 
 "But I have not told her," interrupted the daughter. 
 " I thought she required her strength for nursing papa." 
 
 " Well, it is the town talk, and is not considered much 
 of a secret, though it is like your generous heart to bear 
 the burden alone. Your mamma is so fond of seclusion 
 that it will make little difference to her, but it ruins your 
 prospects completely. I confess I can't see what you are 
 all to do. Your father never was the one to look ahead. 
 The Ashburtons are just that sort of come-day, go-day 
 people; but I have learned a little by experience. If this 
 place had been settled upon your mother ! " 
 
 Eleanor knew in her heart that her mother would not 
 have kept it a day, but her nature was not as courageous 
 as that of Madge ; so she simply said, 
 
 " What do you think of papa ? " 
 
 " I was surprised to see so great an improvement. His 
 mind seems rather weak and confused, but he inherits a 
 good constitution from both sides of the family. I haven't 
 any doubt but that he will recover." 
 
 "I am so glad!" and a sudden hope thrilled through 
 Eleanor's heart. 
 
 "Though I cannot imagine how it will be possible for 
 him to make a new start in these dull times. The stagna- 
 tion in business is fearful."
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 27 
 
 Eleanor wondered within herself when he would be able 
 to think of business again. 
 
 " You will feel it so much more keenly than Madge or 
 Jessie," aunt Waltham went on, with winning softness. 
 I always said you were much like myself, and such a blow 
 would kill me. With your refinement and sensitiveness, 
 you will be miserable in any coarse, common sphere." 
 
 Mrs. Waltham was one of those persons who believed 
 that poverty must necessarily be coarse and vulgar. 
 
 Eleanor winced a little. There was much in the im- 
 pending change that filled her with dismay. 
 
 " To an educated and refined person, certain surround- 
 ings are absolutely necessary. It seems to be a law of 
 nature. Now, Jessie could take to kitchen-work, and I 
 dare say Madge, when a little older, could teach school 
 without the slightest feeling on the subject ; but you could 
 not, my dear Eleanor. The least word or slight would 
 sink deeply into your soul." 
 
 Eleanor Ashburton felt that this was true. Was she to 
 blame for her nature ? 
 
 " And this is why I sympathize so keenly with you. In 
 your own set you could marry well, but in the grade below, 
 vou will find few men of attractive mind or manner. You 
 
 
 
 cannot mix with the vulgar mass, and will always seem 
 isolated. Dear child, I wish that you belonged to me." 
 
 Eleanor's eyes filled with tears. Something in the pity- 
 ing voice soothed while it stirred up rebellion. 
 
 Mrs. Waltham was emphatically a woman of the world. 
 Not wanting in certain kindly and generous elements, 
 which many people esteem as the higher virtues, she was 
 gracefully charitable to delicate poverty, and performed 
 many meritorious acts of kindness ; but to pinching want, 
 accompanied with rags, gaunt faces, and obscurity, she 
 turned a deaf ear. It was part of her creed that no one 
 need be ignorant, dirty, or ragged. There were public 
 schools on the one hand, and charitable institutions for the
 
 28 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 sick and destitute. Those who would not improve these 
 means of comfort deserved to suffer. She could discourse 
 eloquently upon these topics, and she was considered in 
 her circle a very superior woman. 
 
 For herself she wanted all the elegances of life. Any 
 sacrifice of her own comfort and ease would not have been 
 endurable. She had no sympathy with the high heroism 
 of earnest souls who worked their way upward over thorny 
 paths. To strengthen Eleanor for the life and duties that 
 lay before her was like folly to Mrs. Waltham. On the 
 contrary, she was already speculating whether it would not 
 still be possible to make Eleanor's handsome face redeem 
 her misfortunes. Poor girls did sometimes marry well. 
 
 But she was wise enough to give no hint of this. The 
 other girls, being so much younger, were not as settled in 
 their tastes and habits, and could readily adapt them- 
 selves to the new life that was inevitable. 
 
 Eleanor listened to the plausible arguments and tender 
 but specious sympathies, until, in an incomprehensible way, 
 she seemed absolutely wronged by the late events. And 
 if some exertion on her part would be necessary, what 
 could she do? Teach music, with her fine ear, to which 
 the slightest discord was torture? or take a situation in a 
 school, which would be equally distasteful ? 
 
 The sun was sinking slowly, sending level yellow rays 
 through the half-closed blinds, when there was another 
 stir through the quiet house. Madge had seen Philip 
 coming up the walk, and ran eagerly to the hall door. 
 
 " Madge ! My poor darlings ! " and he clasped both sis- 
 ters to his heart. " Why was I not sent for ? And dear 
 papa " 
 
 "He is better, Philip, and Nelly thought " 
 
 " But as Clement is away, I surely come next. And I 
 never dreamed of anything so bad as this business. 1 
 have been in the city since ten this morning. Do you 
 know"
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. 29 
 
 Madge and Jessie were both sobbing in Philip's arms. 
 The brave fellow swallowed a lump in his throat and tried 
 to steady his voice for a word. But at eighteen it was a 
 hard blow, and to him there was a keener sting than the 
 loss. 
 
 " But we will be honest, Philip. If the house must go, 
 we will not cheat or do anything wrong." 
 
 That was Madge's entreaty. 
 
 " Heaven forbid ! " he exclaimed, fervently. I hope no 
 one thought of that, and if so, it is too late. I want the 
 debts paid, if we do not have a dollar left." 
 
 Eleanor came flying down the stairs, glad to hear the 
 strong, inspiriting voice. And between them all they led 
 him into the library, where they talked and cried together 
 
 " Aunt Waltham is here," Eleanor said, at length. 
 
 " I am glad to have her remember us in our adversity," 
 Philip replied, cheerfully. "But it is too bad that you 
 should have borne this alone." 
 
 " There has not been much so far, only the sickness. Dr. 
 Conway said that papa must not be agitated, and mamma 
 thought it best not to disturb you until we knew the facts. 
 Indeed, she does not imagine the full extent of our misfor- 
 tune. I have not had the heart to tell her." 
 
 " You have seen the papers ? " 
 
 "Yes," and Eleanor's fair face flushed. 
 
 " Papa's honesty has been called in question. My one 
 prayer is, that there may be enough to cover the debts. I 
 want no one to suffer through us." 
 
 " We will give up everything," Jessie said, with quiet 
 firmness. 
 
 " Yes, my darling. Now, I must go and see mamma, 
 and then for a talk by the fireside. I almost wish aunt 
 Waltham was not here. Nelly, what a dear, brave girl 
 you have been!" 
 
 Eleanor colored with vivid consciousness. She had 
 borne each day's trials with a kind of defiant strength but
 
 80 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 somehow she felt that it was not true courage. Neither 
 was she at all resigned. The tender grace that brings re- 
 liance upon God and trust in him was yet to come. She 
 was trying the dreary waste of waters in her own strength. 
 Well for her if she was not forced to say, some day, "All 
 thy waves and storms are gone over
 
 THE CKOWN OF DUTY. 81 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 A CROSS FOB ALL. 
 
 THE shutters were closed, the curtains drawn, and the 
 little group around the fireside had no thought for the mid- 
 winter night without, but looked at Philip with expectant 
 faces. Even aunt Waltham appeared deeply interested. 
 
 " And you had a long talk with this person, Philip. You 
 said his name was Weir did you not? " 
 
 Mrs. Waltham usually designated those in inferior 
 stations as persons beings rendered necessary by circum- 
 stances. 
 
 " Yes, I was there nearly all day." 
 
 " Are you sure nothing can be saved ? " 
 
 "Papa has no right to anything when there is barely 
 enough to pay his debts," Philip replied, almost bluntly. 
 
 Madge gave his hand a tender little squeeze. 
 
 " I think it very hard to work all one's life and not have 
 anything, and then to be laid upon a sick-bed ! These 
 events occur so frequently in financial circles, that one 
 ought to make some provision in prosperity." 
 
 " I don't know how papa could unless he had put hia 
 property out of his hands ; and I am very thankful now, 
 for if his good name is called in question, we shall be able 
 to answer truly that we have not kept back a farthing." 
 
 " Want of success is as bad as a crime in this world," 
 Mrs, Waltham said, dryly. 
 
 "But success is not always within one's reach. It is 
 very strange, though, for Mr. Weir said the house was in 
 an excellent condition in the fall. He thinks " 
 
 Philip checked himself, for Mr. Weir's suspicion had
 
 32 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 been hardly expressed, and he had no right to repeat it at 
 present. 
 
 "I spent last niglit at the Everetts', and they were dis- 
 cussing it. Mr. Everett thought it very singular that so 
 good a house should go down so suddenly, unless affairs 
 had been very loosely conducted. And it's odd that Mr. 
 Stanhope should have so little." 
 
 "The more need of our giving up everything." 
 
 "To pay his debts," was the rather angry rejoinder. 
 
 " No, aunt Waltham ; papa is responsible only for half, 
 since it can be proved by the books that they have shared 
 alike." 
 
 "I dare say that he has made a better use of it," was 
 the reply, with considerable asperity. 
 
 Mrs. Waltham was vexed with the scrupulousness that 
 Philip displayed. While she would not have counselled 
 any open fraud, if by sharp management even a small sum 
 could have been saved, she would have approved of it. 
 
 " Papa's illness is the most unfortunate part. Mr. Weir 
 thinks that if he could explain a few matters, it would 
 render the settlement much easier." 
 
 " Why doesn't he go to Mr. Stanhope ? " 
 
 tt l believe Mr. Stanhope has given all the facts within 
 his province." 
 
 " Your father has been too easy and credulous, Philip. 
 He might just as well have been independent by this time ; 
 and here he is, helpless himself, with a family " 
 
 "But we all have youth and health, and can work, 
 interrupted Philip. "I, for one, will forego my hopes 
 and take up my burden. I am sorry for the girls and 
 mamma " 
 
 u I am not sure that it will be so very bad," said Madge, 
 reflectively. "Think how nicely Miss Foster and her 
 mother live on what she earns by teaching school. They 
 always look so cosy and pretty, and Miss Foster makes 
 inch lovely cone frames and baskets, and has such a bean
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 33 
 
 tiful collection of skeleton leaves. And she actually cash* 
 ioned a chair that looks just as if it had been done by an 
 upholsterer." 
 
 " When you are forty, Madge, you may possibly emulate 
 this object of your admiration, if cone frames and albums 
 of dried leaves have not gone out of fashion," was the 
 rather contemptuous rejoinder. 
 
 " We shall find something to do, little Madge," Philip 
 said, twining his arm around her neck. 
 
 There was a silence of many minutes. Each one was 
 busy thinking. Sad enough were they all at heart. 
 
 " What do you propose to do first ? " aunt Waltham 
 asked presently. 
 
 " I should like to have the business settled as soon as 
 possible. Of course we must leave Home Nook." 
 
 It fell like a stern sentence upon them all. They had 
 known it before, but they had hitherto appended an "if" 
 to their misfortunes, with that resolute clinging to hope 
 which seems a constituent element in human nature. 
 
 " And you ? " Eleanor said, hesitatingly, glancing at her 
 brother. 
 
 " I shall look for a situation in some business where 1 
 can get the highest salary. You see I am growing mer- 
 cenary already;" and he gave a faint smile. 
 
 " I think it would be wisdom to send for Clement." 
 
 " I do not agree with you there, aunt Waltham. If he 
 should be prospered, he may be able to do in a few years 
 what it would take him a lifetime to accomplish here. 
 Some day he may be rich enough to buy back Home 
 Nook." 
 
 "O!" exclaimed Madge, "we ought all to set ourselves 
 about that. There will never be so precious a place in the 
 wide world. Like the old knight's quest for the San Greal, 
 Philip." 
 
 " Without a Sir Galahad," he returned, sadly. 
 
 " No, you are to be that." 
 8
 
 34 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 " Do stop your nonsense, Madge 1 " said aunt Waltham. 
 who did not feel in a very serene mood. " Philip will 
 have other things to occupy his attention. I wonder that 
 you can be so childish at such a time." 
 
 The quick tears sprang to her eyes. How many delight- 
 ful evenings they had enjoyed with mamma, who never 
 checked their fancies, and always took an interest in their 
 little schemes ! Madge wished she could talk to her cow. 
 Although there was a nurse in Mr. Ashburton's room, his 
 wife rarely left it. 
 
 Philip tried not to rouse aunt Waltham in the discus- 
 sion about business that followed, but she was quite in- 
 clined to cavil at his suggestions. It was a relief to all 
 when she proposed to retire. 
 
 . " I will go and take one more look at poor brother," she 
 Baid, motioning to Eleanor, who left the room also. 
 
 "I'm glad she has gone," exclaimed Madge, with much 
 satisfaction. "She always throws a grim shadow over 
 everything. I never could understand Nelly's liking for 
 her." 
 
 " But she is very sweet to Nelly." 
 
 "On account of her beauty and style, I suppose;" and 
 Madge laughed. " Somehow, Philip, I don't feel utterly 
 cast down, hard as it is." 
 
 " I am very glad, my darling. And you, Jessie ? " 
 
 Jessie's lip quivered, and a soft flush stole to her brow. 
 
 "If papa was well, and mamma didn't mind, we could 
 bear it quite comfortably, I think. But is it true, Philip, 
 that something has been said about papa ? " 
 
 " There are enough standing ready to cast a stone. 
 When I think how kind and generous papa has always 
 been, and how he has helped others out of trouble, it al- 
 most makes me angry." 
 
 "They don't say that papa has not been honest?" 
 
 Madge's face was aflame with indignation, and her voioe 
 faltered.
 
 THE CEOWN OF DUTY. 35 
 
 "Not exactly that, but they insinuate that he has been 
 living beyond his means, and since he has this handsome 
 property, and Mr. Stanhope hardly anything, there is 
 something wrong about it. I can't get it out ot my mind 
 but that there has been unfair dealing, only I am sure 
 papa is innocent. I would not say this before aunt 
 Waltbam." 
 
 Madge rose and stood in the firelight, the imperson- 
 ation of scorn, her eyes brilliant, her cheeks glowing in 
 scarlet. 
 
 "Papa guilty of anything dishonorable!" she cried. 
 " It is a cruel and wicked falsehood ! I could almost be 
 glad that he is sick, and can hear nothing of it!" 
 
 "It is bitter and unjust, when he has always been so 
 good," exclaimed Jessie, her faith receiving a shock. 
 
 "Mr. Stanhope wants the business hurried through, as 
 he has received some kind of an offer to go to Europe. 
 Mr. Weir is coming up again to-morrow. We shall all 
 have to make sacrifices ; " and Philip sighed wearily. 
 
 " And it falls hard enough upon you, Phil," Madge said, 
 earnestly, kissing the thoughtful brow. 
 
 " There is a long life before me, in all probability, and I 
 may be able to regain what I lose now. I expect to be a 
 doctor, and all that, if it is a dozen years hence." 
 
 "'All that' means to have Home Nook back again, I 
 suppose," Madge said, with a bright look. 
 
 " Dear old home ! You remember when we christened 
 it ? Papa was so glad to have it in perfect order and out 
 of debt! And we had planned such long, happy years 
 here. Yes, I shall never rest until it is ours again." 
 
 "If I could only do something!" began Madge, ener- 
 getically. " Some women, when they are grown, paint pic- 
 tures and write books." 
 
 " And which do you think you will achieve ? " he asked, 
 with a smile. 
 
 " Neither, I am afraid. I don't believe I have a ">it of
 
 86 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 genius," she said, sorrowfully, but with real humility. 
 " Only I will try to do my best." 
 
 " That is all any one can ask. We must keep mamma 
 from feeling the difference too plainly. Now, it is high 
 time that you and Jessie were in bed." 
 
 They bade each other a tender good night, and paused 
 for a moment in papa's room. It did make them feel 
 stronger to have Philip home. 
 
 It was nearly midnight when Eleanor sought her apart- 
 ment. All day her brain had been distracted with con- 
 tending emotions. Some peculiar phase of mind led her 
 through to the girls' room, which Madge and Jessie always 
 shared. 
 
 They were sleeping peacefully, Jessie fair and calm, as 
 if no troublous thoughts haunted her pillow ; Madge, half 
 smiling, the scarlet lips slightly apart, and the bright curls 
 carelessly shading her smooth brow. 
 
 An almost bitter expression passed over Eleanor's face. 
 What did they know of care and anxiety about the 
 future ? Aunt Waltham was right it would be no great 
 cross to them partly because they were too young, but 
 more, she believed, from the fact that their natures were 
 radically different, and could not suffer to the extent that 
 hers would. And she began to feel with her aunt, that some- 
 thing might have been done in prosperity to secure them 
 against such an utter reversion as this. She could never 
 be light-hearted and happy again. These events would 
 sink deeply into her soul, and the daily wear of trials and 
 cares bow her to the earth. All the brightness and beauty 
 of life was over for her. 
 
 She did not think that, through all the doubt and dark- 
 ness, Jessie was clinging in simple faith to the support 
 more sure than any human strength, and that even if God 
 had allowed this to come upon them, he would lead them 
 through perilous paths, and bring them to the house Beau 
 tiful at last.
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 37 
 
 Childish Madge had said with a sob and a smile, " Jessie, 
 darling, I can never be as good as you and mamma, but I 
 keep praying that God will show me the right way." 
 
 But Eleanor uttered no prayer, neither did she bow her 
 head to the storm. Their tranquillity came, she fancied, 
 from an inability to comprehend the higher losses that 
 would be hers ; and while she wished for a calmer mood, 
 she still prided herself upon her keener suffering, as if it 
 raised her above them. 
 
 The next morning Philip had a long interview with tig 
 father. Mrs. Ashburton was not as ignorant of the busi- 
 ness as Eleanor supposed. In his reaction from stupor, 
 her husband had referred to the events of the day that had 
 proved so nearly fatal to him, and she gathered that the 
 loss would be total. Philip, therefore, took her into coun- 
 sel at once. 
 
 "I cannot seem to remember," Mr. Ashburton said weakly, 
 with an entreating glance at his son. " I meant to go 
 over it all. I think there was some mistake." 
 
 " Mr. Weir explained it to me yesterday. The creditors 
 are anxious for a settlement. Some of them are in urgent 
 need, I believe." 
 
 And yet Philip thought that his father would never have 
 so pushed an unfortunate man. 
 
 Will it take all ? " 
 
 The eyes questioned with an intense, feverish light, and 
 there was a painful quiver in the voice. 
 
 " Father, I am young and strong, and though I cannot 
 supply your place, I will do all in my power to ease the 
 burden." 
 
 "The house must be given up? " 
 
 Philip bowed his head. 
 
 Mr. Ashburton glanced at his wife. Both thought of the 
 day when they had exchanged their city home for this 
 spot, where they had fondly hoped to pass their declining 
 years. It was bitter, indeed, that this cup of conteot 
 should be dashed from their lips.
 
 88 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 "God help us!" he groaned. 
 
 "My dear husband, we still have each other," his wift 
 said, clasping his wasted hand. " If God chooses to with- 
 hold some comforts and try us by adversity, shall we mur- 
 mur after having had so many pleasant years ? " 
 
 "You are right, Margaret," he returned, feebly. "But 
 to lie here helpless, and see all plunged into poverty " 
 
 tt lt seems to me," began Philip, cheerfully, " that one 
 grand feature in it all is the fact of our sharing it together 
 It will not be as hard as you think, my dear father." 
 
 Mrs. Ashburton gave her son a look of grateful love. 
 To see him ready and willing to take the care in this 
 manly fashion was most satisfying to her troubled and 
 anxious heart. 
 
 "The girls will bear it bravely, too," he said, assuringly. 
 
 " Poor Eleanor ! " was Mr. Ashburton's sighing com- 
 ment. 
 
 " Nelly will feel it the most, to be sure ; " and then 
 Philip remembered for a moment what he was giving up, 
 perhaps forever who could tell? 
 
 By degrees they came around to the business part 
 again. It was evident that Mr. Ashburton's mind had 
 been considerably shattered. He made several ineffectual 
 efforts to recall the events of that fatal morning, but could 
 seem to get no farther than the declaration that there had 
 been a mistake. 
 
 "If I could see Stanhope," he said, feebly. 
 
 Presently Mr. Weir made his appearance. He remarked 
 considerable amendment in Mr. Ashburton, and explained 
 very clearly how matters stood. During the last two 
 months there had been some heavy losses, and the busi- 
 ness was not in as prosperous a condition as they had all 
 thought. Mr. Stanhope was away, but Mr. Weir had re- 
 ceived instructions to act for him. Some of the creditors 
 were urgent, and it was considered best to proceed to a 
 settlement as soon as possible.
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. 80 
 
 Mrs. Waltham remained at Home Nook foi the next 
 fortnight. Eleanor was her constant companion. Madge 
 and Jessie were left much to themselves, and unconsciously 
 took up the old routine, which was quite easy for them, aa 
 they were still in school. Philip spent the greater part of 
 his time in the city, and when at home was unusually 
 grave. Indeed, their light-hearted enjoyment seemed past 
 forever. 
 
 M I believe we have found a purchaser for Home Nook," 
 he announced to the girls one evening. " A gentleman 
 who will take all the furniture we care to leave, and who 
 may offer us a chance to buy it back in the course of eight 
 or ten years." 
 
 "As if we could!" said Eleanor, despondingly. "It 
 will be worth a good deal more then." 
 
 " And Clement may come home a rich man. Poor fel 
 low ! it will be sorry news to him. Have you sent letters 
 since papa's illness ? " 
 
 "One; but mamma requested nothing should be said 
 about the losses. Who is to buy the house ? " 
 
 "The offer came through Mr. Weir's instrumentality. 
 A Mr. Browning, a grave, queer sort of man, who has had 
 a good deal of trouble so we are not alone. His father, 
 an old man, is a helpless invalid and childish, and he haa 
 a sister incurably insane quite harmless, but requiring 
 constant attention. His mother and his wife make up the 
 family, as they have no children. He wants a quiet coun- 
 try home near the city, a place that will be pleasant for his 
 wife. He took a great fancy to the name, I think, and is 
 coming up to-morrow." 
 
 " And where are we to go ? " asked Madge, in dismay. 
 
 " That is just what I want to talk about. Mamma saya 
 that it will make no difference to her, only she doesn't 
 wish to be right in the city. I fancy that it would prove 
 more convenient to me to be up town, as I expect to turn 
 into a business man."
 
 40 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 " What will you do, Phil ? " 
 
 "I am negotiating for a situation. Business is very dull, 
 and at my age I cannot expect wonderful things. Six 
 hundred must do for a beginning. Indeed, I shall esteem 
 myself fortunate to get that." 
 
 "But we cannot live on six hundred!" exclaimed El- 
 eanor, in dismay. 
 
 Madge took it up immediately. " We must have a 
 cosy little cottage, and only one servant, as they do in 
 story-books." 
 
 " There will be no servant on that," was Eleanor's de- 
 cisive rejoinder. 
 
 " Well, Jessie ought to know how poor people manage ; 
 she goes among them so much." 
 
 " It is often hard and inconvenient," was Jessie's slow 
 reply. " I do not believe that poor people are the happiest 
 or are less free from care; but one can find many pleasant 
 things in life." 
 
 " People may romance about poverty, but I do not con- 
 sider it a blessing in disguise," Eleanor said in a hard, 
 haughty tone. "You may all feel willing to go away from 
 this place, but no other ever can be home to me. It is a 
 bitter, bitter trial ! " 
 
 "It will not be easy for any of us, Nelly;" and Jessie's 
 soft eyes filled with tears. " But since it is God's will, we 
 must strive to bear it with patience and courage." 
 
 " One can resolve to endure anything, but I must confess 
 that I do not see any pleasure in hardships and depriva- 
 tion." 
 
 " Only as we find it in cheerful sacrifice," was Jessie's 
 timid rejoinder. 
 
 ** We shall all have many pangs to suffer," Philip said, 
 in a low yet brave tone. " The actual experience is al- 
 ways so different from what one imagines." 
 
 Somehow it did not seem so very terrible to Madge. It 
 was true that she had a vein of romance in her nature.
 
 THE CKOWN OF DUTY. 41 
 
 and possessed a happy, sanguine temperament, that could 
 not long linger on the dark side. With Jessie it had be- 
 come a deeper and more comprehensive matter. Already 
 she was trying to bring her occasionally rebellious feelings 
 to the higher standard of Him who said, " Follow me." 
 
 " We have strayed from our first subject," Philip recom- 
 menced. "If you girls will decide upon any locality, 1 
 will get a list of the houses that may be rented." 
 
 Mr. Browning came up that afternoon with his wife. 
 Eleanor received them with stately coldness, and took 
 them through the house. It seemed almost a profanity to 
 her that stranger eyes should peer into their sacred little 
 nooks, and discuss the many things so dear to them in a 
 practical business manner. She disliked Mr. and Mrs. 
 Browning, though she could have given no good reason. 
 
 " Papa's room," she said, pausing at a door. 
 
 " Do not disturb them, please," Mrs. Browning entreated, 
 in a sweet tone, for she was aware of the family misfor- 
 tunes. 
 
 Philip joined them in their walk through the grounds. 
 They were charmed with the place even at this unpromis- 
 ing season, and on the following day negotiations were to 
 commence. 
 
 " It will hardly be possible for us to give possession be- 
 fore the first of May," Philip said. 
 
 "Very well," was the rejoinder, in a kindly tone. "Do 
 not distress yourself. It will be a severe trial, I know." 
 
 "What a fine young man!" Mrs. Browning exclaimed, 
 as they were walking down the street. "Miss Ashburton 
 is handsome, but very haughty. My heart never warmed 
 to her at all. She seemed to look upon us as interlopers." 
 
 "Do not judge her too harshly. A reverse of fortune is 
 a hard thing to bear." 
 
 " Was there not some talk of the Ashburtons living be- 
 yond their means ? " 
 
 u There is enough to be said when a man is unfortunate.
 
 42 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 The son seems very much in earnest about paying every 
 debt, and I like that." 
 
 "They have been living in a very handsome style, I 
 should judge. But I am charmed with the house. What 
 a lovely place it must be in summer ! " 
 
 " I am glad you like it," her husband replied, with a 
 smile. " Some way, I am deeply interested in these people." 
 
 "If the other girls are like the eldest one, I am afraid 
 that I am not," said his wife, quietly. " I was prepared 
 to feel much sympathy for them." 
 
 And so Eleanor lost when she might have attracted a 
 true and tender friend.
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. 48 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 CHANGES. 
 
 THE Brownings decided to take Home Nook. The 
 agreement was made, and all legal matters duly settled. 
 But when Mr. Ashburton came to sign the deed, a pang 
 seemed to wrench every fibre of his nature. Why had 
 this misfortune fallen upon them ? he asked, in feeble pro- 
 test. Other men were successful and prosperous, men who 
 had been less scrupulous in their dealings than he. 
 
 Yet there was one bright ray in the darkness. He could 
 stand before the world a just and honest man. No one 
 should say that he had wronged him in the slightest par- 
 ticular. It was a comfort to know that all liabilities would 
 be covered. 
 
 But it was a sad night for them. The children clustered 
 about the sitting-room hearth in silence, for they were too 
 sorrowful to talk to each other. Eleanor had her book 
 open, but was not reading. 
 
 There was a gentle turning of the door, and a light step 
 beside them. Mamma, in her silvery-gray dress, with a 
 tiny lace-frill at the throat, and the sweetest of all faces. 
 Madge could always remember the picture she made, the 
 fire-light giving her a faint glow, for the March nights wei e 
 still chilly. 
 
 Philip sprang up, but Mrs. Ashburtou took her olden 
 place by Madge. The bright head was laid in her lap, 
 but she could not see the tears that flowed quietly. 
 
 "My darlings," she began quite calmly, "as papa was 
 asleep, 1 could not resist the impulse to join you and make 
 it seem once more like old times. They will soon be gone, 
 Are you all discouraged ? "
 
 44 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 "O, no, mamma, not quite that," replied Jessie. "But 
 it's very, very hard. There never can be another place 
 like this. It seems to me that we feel as sorrowful as Eve 
 when she went out of Eden only this is not any special 
 fault in us." 
 
 " No, dear, there are some misfortunes against which we 
 cannot guard. And since papa will have so much the 
 worst in his shattered health, it is our duty to help beat 
 the burden and take up the new life cheerfully. Madge, 
 do you remember our last talk here ? " 
 
 "I shall never forget it. mamma." The child's voice 
 faltered, and she had much ado to keep back the sobs. 
 "About being thankful for trouble; but O, when I think 
 it all over, I cannot be ! " 
 
 " We do not see the end, my dear. It looks very dark 
 now ; " and the clear voice faltered, as if it was an effort 
 to keep from tears. "But the Lord God has promised that 
 it shall be light at even time." 
 
 " To wait all one's long life ! " and now the sentence 
 ended with a pitiful cry. 
 
 " There are many things besides light. Don't you re- 
 member, my darling, about the songs in the night? It 
 seems to me a type of the sweet thoughts one might have 
 in even the darkest surroundings. And the cloud by day 
 leading the Israelites into a new and beautiful country? 
 Who knows whither our cloud and pillar of fire may 
 take us ? " 
 
 " But we do not want any new country. Yet you are 
 all comfort, mamma. You see on the outside of things, 
 and a long way off, like a glint of rainbow before the 
 shower is done." 
 
 "We must remember that somewhere God's hand is in 
 it, and take it not complainingly, but with meekness." 
 
 She gave a furtive glance at Eleanor as she uttered this. 
 The handsome face was haughty and impassible. How 
 many hours of anxious thought her mother had bestowed
 
 THE CEOWN OP DUTY. 4 
 
 apon her, Eleanor could hardly guess. As if with a 
 strange foreknowledge, she understood that her child's 
 nature must surge and surge against the stony shores, 
 bruised and beaten", and accept peace at last only after the 
 severest struggle. For with Eleanor the deeper phases of 
 spiritual life were held as illusions that the ignorant en- 
 joyed in their simplicity, or that, with fanatics, took the 
 higher forms of transcendentalism. She was not in a state 
 to be ennobled by any suffering. 
 
 " Philip and I have been discussing our new home," 
 said Jessie. "It will be small, but you know Gerald 
 Massey says, ' We all can bring a little love to mend the 
 world!'" 
 
 "True, my darling, and that is all we shall have to 
 mend our broken fortunes love, and faith, and trust in 
 God." 
 
 Jessie clasped her arms around her mother's neck and 
 kissed her amid tears. A half-strangled sob came up from 
 Madge's heart. A long, long silence ensued, for no one 
 had the strength or courage to talk. 
 
 A bright, breezy morning, with a fresh, bracing air, fol- 
 lowed this. Philip went to the city to see what he could 
 find in the way of houses, and Jessie donned her cloak 
 and hat for a tour among what Madge styled her poor 
 folks. 
 
 There was a very general feeling of sympathy for the 
 Ashburtons with the people at Riverside. They had al- 
 ways been kind and generous to the poor, and while this 
 endeared them to one class, their graces and refinements 
 made them equally admired by the other. Mrs. Ashburton 
 had received many true and tender evidences of regard 
 since their misfortunes. 
 
 Eleanor had held herself coldly aloof since the trouble 
 began. Morbidly sensitive, she had chosen not to run the 
 risk of being either slighted or pitied. Jessie had shrunk 
 from the spirit of sohool-girlish curiosity and wonder; but
 
 46 HOME NOOK, OR 
 
 Madge, finding no change in herself, had gone on in hei 
 usual fashion. 
 
 Walking down the wide street, a strange feeling rushed 
 over Jessie. Not exactly a sense of loneliness, and yet a 
 certain dreary misgiving. Now that the fortvne was ac- 
 tually gone, she thought of the many pleasures it had 
 brought, hitherto unremarked ; and most of all the oppor- 
 tunity of making others happy. Very little of it could 
 come in the new sphere. 
 
 From this broad avenue she turned into a side-street. 
 A few modest cottages were at the lower end, surrounded 
 by small gardens. At one of these Jessie paused. 
 
 A neat, fair-looking woman opened the door an odd 
 little thing withal, who wore short side-curls that had once 
 been flaxen, but were now silvery. An old-fashioned 
 chintz dress, a small dove-colored shawl, pinned tightly 
 about her neck, and a wide gingham apron, completed her 
 costume. 
 
 "O, Miss Jessie!" she ejaculated. "It's a long time 
 since we've set eyes on you, child ! Come right in. I'm 
 powerful glad, and Rachel will be delighted ! " 
 
 The parlor for on this floor there were parlor, kitchen, 
 and bedroom, and the first named, with a southerly front, 
 lay in floods of sunshine. Across both windows was a 
 shelf of flowers in the highest state of perfection. The 
 furniture was quaint enough. Here a carved cedar secre- 
 tary, now used for household linen ; opposite an Indian 
 chest of drawers, both of which had taken a long sea 
 voyage before reaching their present home. An old ma- 
 hogany sofa, studded with brass nails ; high-backed chairs, 
 elaborately carved and polished until they shone like glass. 
 A few smoke-stained pictures, and two or three bright 
 modern ones Jessie's addition to the household adorn- 
 ments. One pretty crayon, done by her hand, bearing the 
 date of the past Christmas, 
 
 In a rocker by the window sat Mrs. Rachel. Everybody
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 47 
 
 always called her so because her sister did. Her husband 
 had been lost at sea many a long year before : so Mrs 
 Rachel Dormer and her sister Hetty Bright lived alone. 
 The former had been an invalid a long while, and was 
 quite crippled the result of a bad fall. She was older 
 than Hetty, and a little larger in every respect not so 
 quaint-looking or energetic. 
 
 Mrs. Rachel kissed Jessie tenderly. Part of it was for 
 the misfortune. 
 
 " My dear child, I am so glad to see you ! " 
 
 Hetty bustled up with a chair, and almost out of breath. 
 
 "Sit down," she said, "and take off your things. Why, 
 the sight of you is good for weak eyes ! How is your papa 
 and the rest ? " 
 
 " Papa is improving. I have not been anywhere of 
 late;" and Jessie came to a sudden pause. "I don't know 
 as it was right to neglect every one, but some how home 
 seemed the dearest place." 
 
 " Yes, I told Hetty that we couldn't expect you at such 
 a time. My dear, it has been a hard blow. If we did no' 
 know that we were in the hands of One who was all love 
 and wisdom, it would be blind walking for us. But you 
 have learned to trust " 
 
 " I try to remember," said Jessie, tremulously. 
 
 "Is it all true, Miss Jessie? Is the place really sold? 
 Miss Perkins was in here last night, and said you were 
 going away. And then I couldn't help saying to Rachel, 
 says I, 'Now, that's what I call hard and cruel! I don't 
 believe the Lord had much to do with it.' Are you sure 
 your father's partner was an honest man ? " 
 
 "Why, I suppose so;" and Jessie could not forbear 
 smiling at the energetic little body. 
 
 "There are many rogues in this world, Miss Jessie 
 wolves in sheep's clothing. To think that Rachel and I 
 should put most of our little fortin' in that speculation years 
 ago, and be misled by our own cousin, too ! Why, I'd a
 
 48 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 trusted him with every dollar that I had in the world, only 
 I'm glad we didn't. But we've had to pinch since. To be 
 sure, we have our house, as Miss Perkins says; but if you 
 eat and drink that, it's soon gone ! " 
 
 The fortune was a standing grievance to Miss Hetty, a 
 sort of gauge with which she always compared everything 
 that happened, and drew some parallel. Nearly ten years 
 before they had been induced to invest it in some lands 
 said to be rich in copper ore ; but the mining company 
 failed, and the plausible cousin wen *, to South America: 
 so they still held title-deeds to acres and acres of unsalable 
 imid. 
 
 " We have no reason to believe that Mr. Stanhope would 
 take the advantage of papa," Jessie replied, quite firmly. 
 
 "But you never know what people will do until they are 
 tried. Didn't we have the utmost faith in cousin Bright? " 
 
 Hetty looked up in triumph, as if that was an unanswer- 
 able argument. 
 
 " But Miss Jessie is right. It's not fair to surmise when 
 one has no proof. He lost as much as your papa did he 
 not?" 
 
 "He gave up his house," Jessie answered, in a little 
 embarrassment. " They have had a great many losses this 
 winter." 
 
 " And at the back of all, somebody is dishonest, or lives 
 beyond his means. My dear, most of the trouble in this 
 world does come from dishonesty. Now, if your papa 
 had been paid what was owing to him, you see he could 
 have met his debts without any sacrifice." 
 
 Miss Hetty was quite logical, and always cleared up her 
 points as she went along. 
 
 " You are really going away ? " 
 
 Mrs. Rachel asked this in the softest of tones, and her 
 eyes expressed a fervent sympathy. 
 
 " Yes." Jessie's lip quivered. "Philip is to take a situa- 
 tion in New York, and it is best that we should live nearer."
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 49 
 
 U O, I can't bear to think of your leaving Riverside!" 
 and Miss Hetty burst into tears. " We shall miss you so 
 much ! I tell Rachel that she 's always better after you 
 have been here." 
 
 " And I am always better, too. Dear Mrs. Rachel, how 
 many times in the last few weeks I have thought of your 
 good counsel, your patience, and " 
 
 Something else that could not be put in words. Mrs. 
 Rachel clasped the little hand. 
 
 " It may be a hard way for you, my child, but you know 
 in whom to trust. Maybe, if you should live to.be an old 
 woman, you will see with clearer eyes, and perhaps under- 
 stand that it was good to bear the burden in your youth. 
 Now you must tell me about your mamma and Madge." 
 
 They had a delightful talk, broken now and then by 
 Miss Hetty's odd sentences, which seemed to bounce down 
 and up like an India-rubber ball. Jessie grew quite light- 
 hearted and hopeful. 
 
 They both made her promise to come to tea before she 
 went away from Riverside. 
 
 "Though I can't help believing that some day you'll 
 come back to Home Nook," said Hetty, smiling amid 
 her tears. It seems just like a dream to me." 
 
 Jessie gave a lingering look at the house. How many 
 pleasant hours she had enjoyed with these two women ! 
 and to part with old friends appeared harder than giving 
 up their beautiful house. 
 
 She walked on slowly to her next place a small tene- 
 ment-house, with a family on each side ofthe hall, the whole 
 building pervaded with a sort of shabby, discouraged air. 
 Obeying the summons to enter, she was greeted by a thin, 
 faded-looking woman, who was vainly trying to make two 
 troublesome children neat and orderly; but what with 
 their putting dirty hands upon clean faces, and giving their 
 heads a swift whirl, as soon as their hair had been brushed 
 straight, the work did not progress very rapidly. 
 4
 
 50 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 " O, Miss Jessie ! " and though the smile was almost ai 
 faded and wan as herself, there was a strand of tender 
 grace in it. " Excuse my wet hands, and " She finished 
 with a kind of deprecating glance around the room. 
 
 "Don't disturb yourself," returned Jessie, cheerfully. 
 M How are you all ? " 
 
 " Is that Jessie Ashburton ? " inquired a querulous voice 
 from the adjoining bedroom. "Well, I began to think 
 you was too proud to go out any more. But everybody's 
 got to learn that they can't be carried to the skies on 
 flowery beds of ease ! " 
 
 " O, mother 1 " entreated the mild and still deprecating 
 v'oice. This mother-in-law had been the bane of weak Mrs. 
 Deane's life. 
 
 "Yes why not? Rich folks always have to comedown. 
 Don't the Bible say it'll be hard for a rich man to enter 
 the kingdom of heaven ? And so I thank the Lord that 
 I'm not rich." 
 
 " But Miss Jessie's folks were always so good, mother, I 
 don't believe that's the reason," the emphasis meaning 
 riches, "for there's many a poor person who doesn't seem 
 fit for heaven." 
 
 After her protest Mrs. Deane looked more faded and 
 frightened than ever. 
 
 " If you mean me," and Mrs. Deane senior thought that 
 her daughter-in-law did mean her by every remark she 
 made, "if you mean me, I can tell you that after you've 
 gone through with all the trials I've had, .you'll think a 
 deal more of heaven than you do now ! " and the old 
 woman's voice rose shrill and high. " Few people have 
 gone through with as much trouble one way and another. 
 Loss of money's nothing to it ! " 
 
 " No, there are worse things," said Jessie, gently, fcr she 
 knew by experience that old Mrs. Deane loved to think 
 her case harder than that of any other human being. 
 
 "Money is a great snare, a great snare 1 Them that
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 61 
 
 haven't any may be thankful, though it's a hard thing to be 
 dependent. If I was young I wouldn't mind poverty ; " and 
 a deep sigh finished the sentence. 
 
 " How is the baby ? " asked Jessie, anxious to escape 
 these tirades. 
 
 U O, he is well;" and Mrs. Deane took her to the 
 opposite side of the room, turning down the corner of the 
 crib-quilt. He had been washed until he shone, and 
 though his baby-slip was calico, it was clean and pretty 
 But his mother had another motive besides pride in her 
 baby. 
 
 " O, Miss Jessie !" and the tears rose to her eyes ; "I'm 
 so sorry for your misfortune ! It is hard to be poor and 
 to give up all your comforts. I've thought of it night and 
 day. You have always been so good to me, and it's such a 
 pleasure to see your sweet face. Are you really going 
 away ? " 
 
 "Yes; the place has been sold." 
 
 Jessie tried very hard to keep her voice steady. 
 
 " It's a shame ! I don't understand why God lets such 
 things happen to people who have always been good and 
 kind. Your mother, I am sure, is one of the sweetest 
 women in the world. I used to enjoy going to sew at her 
 house before I was married ; and though Tom isn't a hard 
 man to get along with, I sometimes half wish that I'd let 
 him alone. But my trouble is nothing to yours ; only what 
 shall I ever do without you?" 
 
 " You will find some new friends, I hope ; " and Jessie's 
 voice had a quiver in it. " Mamma sent a message to you. 
 We are going to sell some of our most expensive furniture, 
 but there are several old articles that we shall not want to 
 take some partly-worn clothes, and the like. If you 
 could send Mr. Deane over for them, you would be quite 
 welcome." 
 
 " O, Miss Jessie 1 you and yours are always thinking what 
 you can do for others. If ever any one made good use of
 
 52 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 money, it is your mamma. And now that you should be 
 poor " 
 
 " We try to think that it is all best and right, and that 
 God has some wise purpose in it all. We must learn to 
 do our duty in any state of life ; " and Jessie gave a sweet 
 yet sorrowful smile. 
 
 " When I hear you or your mamma talk, Miss Jessie, I 
 believe there is some heart in religion ; but she" nodding 
 to the bedroom "takes it all out of me." 
 
 The words had been uttered hardly above a breath, but 
 Mrs. Deane started guiltily at the interruption. 
 
 " Betsey, is Jessie Ashburton's call aJl to you ? If it 
 isn't, I'd like to see her!" 
 
 Old Mrs. Deane always ignored the polite usages of 
 society, as mere forms, pampering pride and vanity. Once, 
 when her daughter-in-law had ventured to suggest that 
 " Miss Jessie " sounded more respectful, the old lady re- 
 plied, angrily, 
 
 "If anybody's Christian name ain't good enough for 'em, 
 things have come to a pretty pass ! Why, in Bible times 
 they didn't have any other. Just look if you can find a 
 place where any one is called Mr. Paul or Miss Dorcas ! 
 It's nothing but worldliness and wanting to be honored. 
 I shan't call anybody Lord in this world ! " 
 
 So meek Mrs. Deane never made another protest. 
 
 As a young girl she had always been called Bessy 
 Lawton a rather pretty and interesting person, who had 
 been a great favorite with Mrs. Ashburton ; and when, six 
 years before, she had married Tom Deane, every one con- 
 sidered it a good match. A year or so afterwards, his sister 
 had died; so Tom took his mother to live with him. 
 There was an end to the young wife's comfort. Mrs. 
 Deane considered herself a martyr. No one had ever 
 worked so hard, or made so many sacrifices, or borne trials 
 so patiently. Hers had been no harder than the common 
 lot, but she had a way of magnifying the slightest events.
 
 THE CEOWN OF DUTY. 53 
 
 She seemed to take particular delight in thwarting her 
 daughter-in-law. One of those selfish, complaining, irrita- 
 ble, and unreasonable women who make old age unlovely, 
 and are a torment to a household. 
 
 She insisted upon calling her Betsey, and nearly worried 
 ihe poor wife into a shadow. Tom could get rid of his 
 mother's ill-temper by going out to have a smoke, but there 
 was no such relief for Bessy. 
 
 Now she gave Jessie's hand a fond squeeze, wiped her 
 eyes with her apron, and said in her usual tone, which 
 always seemed to beg her listeners not to find fault, 
 
 " We were looking at baby." 
 
 " You'd better look to the others they're both out of 
 doors, and it's cold as any winter's day. Dear! if it wasn't 
 for me sick and worn out as I am things would come 
 to a pretty pass in this house ! It's a hard matter to have 
 the care of your grandchildren after you have brought up 
 your own family ! " 
 
 Bessy went to find the little truants. Old Mrs. Deane 
 deigned to ask after Mr. Ashburton, and predicted that he 
 would never get well ; people at his time of life rarely did ; 
 and it wasn't likely that he would ever have his mind clear 
 again. She was sure some one had told her that Mr. Ash- 
 burton was completely childish. And she'd heard that 
 Philip had given up college a good thing, in her opinion. 
 Half the young men nowadays were ruined by going to 
 college. Did Eleanor mean to teach school ? it was time 
 she put her education to some use. She'd heard tending 
 store was a good business, but it made girls forward and 
 of so much consequence. "And you're old enough to go 
 to a trade. I should advise dress-making, you're so handy 
 at cutting out clothes." 
 
 Jessie was much annoyed, but she was too well-bred to 
 resent it from a person so much older than herself. Mrs. 
 Deane really enjoyed other people's misfortunes. She 
 would gladly have enlarged upon the topic; but Jessie
 
 54 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 asked after her ailments, an equally fruitful theme, and 
 tried to get away as soon as she could do so gracefully. 
 
 Bessie followed her to the gate. There was something 
 touching and delicate in the woman's sympathy, albeit she 
 was a person of no special refinement. 
 
 " O, Miss Jessie ! you have been such a comfort ! The 
 Lord bless you wherever you go, and send you back again 
 to Home Nook I shall pray daily for that! " 
 
 Jessie could not help contrasting old Mrs Deane and 
 Mrs. Rachel, as she had more than once. Both professed to 
 be animated and controlled by the same love, but how 
 different were its fruits ! In the one, meekness, loving: kind- 
 
 ' * O 
 
 ness, and the highest kind of charity, dealing generously 
 with fellow-creatures in thought, word, and deed. Was 
 not true religion the same everywhere ? 
 
 She made the rest of her calls, and though pain was 
 largely mingled with pleasure, now and then a word of 
 sympathy, a look or a tone, went to her heart. Soon she 
 would cease to be one of this pleasant community. Would 
 she be forgotten ? 
 
 As she was nearing home a carriage passed, containing 
 two occupants. She knew the elegant gray ponies so well 
 that she glanced up with an eager smile. 
 
 The elder lady bowed very coldly, and the fair young 
 girl gave a languid nod. The warm blood rushed to 
 Jessie's face, and every nerve quivered. 
 
 Mrs. Westlake had always made a great deal of Jessie 
 and Madge, and May, her niece, had been on terms of 
 intimate friendship with them. To be passed now in this 
 indifferent manner gave her a keen pang. 
 
 Mrs. Westlake was secretly consoling herself that her 
 son, whom she had half suspected of a penchant for Jessie, 
 was away at this period. He was full of boyish impulsive- 
 ness, and there was no knowing what he might be tempted 
 to do. 
 
 w You look tired," Mrs. Ashburton said, as Jessie entered 
 the room the brightness and animation faded from her face.
 
 THE CKOWN OF DTJTr. 55 
 
 "It is so good to have you mamm..* '. " and Jessie leaned 
 against the fond bosom. "Poverty cannot destroy all our 
 love and happiness." 
 
 "Where have you been?" her mother asked gently. 
 
 So Jessie began. Hetty Bright's little nest of a cottagu 
 was gone over, and the call at Mrs. Deane's. 
 
 " O, mamma ! I hope I never shall have such an unhappy 
 disposition. How one pities poor Bessie Deane ! There's 
 nothing in our lives as hard as that. But " 
 
 " Well, Jessie ! " For the soft eyes had roved off into 
 the sunshine, and the little brain was in a brown study. 
 
 " Mamma, why do you suppose that religion makes one 
 person happy, and seems to fail in the case of another ? " 
 
 " The one person makes it a living, vital truth, and the 
 other does not. I should be sorry to judge Mrs. Deane 
 harshly, but if she does not render herself miserable, she 
 certainly must those around her." 
 
 " She did not seem a bit sorry that we had lost our for- 
 tune, though she will miss some of its benefits." 
 
 " We must learn a lesson, my little girl, and not fall into 
 the habit of aggravating our troubles, and thinking our lot 
 the hardest. There are many rough paths in this world, 
 but we will remember who has said, 'My grace shall be 
 sufficient for thee.' " 
 
 Jessie did not mention her meeting with Mrs. Westlake. 
 It was the first time that she had received any direct re- 
 buff, and from this source it came with double keenness. 
 And yet she was glad that it had not been Eleanor. 
 
 She understood the changes now as she never had before. 
 She began to realize that they must fill an entirely different 
 sphere. It was the greater trial because she was conscious 
 of no alteration in herself. The virtues, graces, and refine- 
 ments of the old life would be carried into the new ; and 
 yet who would seek them for their absolute worth ? But 
 Were such summer friends worthy of regard and regret? 
 
 In this hour Jessie Ashburton drew still nearer to Gad
 
 56 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 A "STEW HOUSE. 
 
 THE quiet tide of life was broken with the Ashburtons. 
 Eleanor went to the city several times with Philip to look 
 at houses, but always returned dispirited and moody. 
 
 At length, in despair, he said one night, 
 
 " Madge, will you and Jessie go down with me to-mor- 
 row? I have been offered a house at quite a bargain. El- 
 eanor looked at it once and thought it would not do, but 
 I find that we cannot have much choice for the rent we 
 will be able to pay." 
 
 Madge was quite elated ; Jessie, in her more quiet fash- 
 ion, was equally pleased with this mark of Philip's con- 
 fidence. 
 
 " I am sorry that Nelly takes matters so hard," Philip 
 said, anxiously. "You two will have to assume the lead, 
 with mamma's counsel. And I think we can have quite a 
 pretty little nest of a home without being very extrava- 
 gant ; for now, my small women, we are poor." 
 
 " Jessie spends half her time in the kitchen, learning to 
 cook," exclaimed Madge, by way of encouragement. 
 
 u Bravo ! " said Philip, laughingly. " The house is some- 
 thing of a journey up town, but you can see the river ficm 
 it, and we shall have quite a garden." 
 
 " That will suit mamma admirably." 
 
 "Eleanor inclines to Brooklyn or Williamsburg, but the 
 extra expense will more than make the difference in rent. 
 This neighborhood is quiet and respectable, though the 
 house is old-fashioned." 
 
 tt It will be the more cosy, then."
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 57 
 
 u Madge, I am glad and thankful that you can always 
 find a stray gleam of sunshine." 
 
 She smiled brightly at his commendation. 
 
 They started off in good spirits the next morning. The 
 house was on the east side of the town a long block, 
 with some rather pretentious buildings at one end, a num- 
 ber of vacant lots between, and near the river this cluster 
 of cottages, old-fashioned indeed. 
 
 "The very last one," said Philip. 
 
 Beyond rose a ledge of rock, but between that and the 
 opposite shore of Long Island the river gleamed and 
 sparkled in the spring sunshine. The house stood de- 
 tached, as did all in this row, and, what was quite unusual 
 in the way of adornment, a wisteria had climbed to the 
 roof, and a month or two later would be trailing long 
 sprays of green and lilac about the windows. 
 
 "Why, it is pretty," declared Madge. "And I like 
 the wildness of the place about here. I couldn't get my 
 breath in those houses;" and she nodded towards the 
 brick row. 
 
 w They are to be let in tenements, a floor to a family. 
 We looked at one. They are finished in a very pretty, 
 modern fashion." 
 
 " But to be crowded in with other people ! " 
 
 " No, we couldn't take that quite yet," said Philip, with 
 rather a proud gesture. 
 
 They had a gay time exploring the interior. On the 
 lower floor were two very fair-sized rooms, and back of the 
 hall a large kitchen, with a basement wash-room quite con- 
 venient. Above there were three sleeping apartments, and 
 one small one, with a garret over the whole. 
 
 " Why, I think we could do very well," said Madge, 
 "only I'd like to have that horrid blue and buff paper 
 taken off the parlor. I suppose that frightened Nelly. 
 And if it could be painted up a little O, do look at 
 these funny brass knobs ! Why, they are so small that on
 
 68 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 can hardly take hold of them ! And the mantels are so 
 very high and quaint! O, it isn't Home Nook!" and th 
 brightness died out of her voice. 
 
 " No," Philip returned, gravely. 
 
 " But the garden will be nice ; " and Jessie took a glimpse 
 out of the window. " There is a long grape arbor, and trees 
 and rose-bushes." 
 
 "Thank you, Jessie, for seeing so much. It is quite the 
 best thing for the rent that I have found, and I must give 
 an answer to-morrow. I think we will have the paper 
 changed, and the knobs. I could paint it myself." 
 
 They went over it again, arranging it for use. They 
 would have one parlor, and a library or sitting-room. In 
 the summer, they could cook down stairs, and use their 
 kitchen exclusively for a dining-room. Mamma could have 
 one of the second-floor apartments, Nelly one, which would 
 be a sort of guest chamber, also "if they ever had any 
 company," appended Madge. 
 
 "And I'll take the small one," said Philip. 
 
 "If we have a servant, we must put her in the garret." 
 
 ** I think we had better learn to do without," was Jessie's 
 quiet rejoinder. 
 
 They explored nooks, and corners, and closets, and found 
 them really capacious. Jessie looked at all with the eye 
 of a housekeeper, for somehow she felt that Eleanor was 
 not just the one to go into kitchen details. 
 
 "Now we will run around in the next street, and take a 
 flying view of a house for four hundred." 
 
 "And this ?" 
 
 " I can have for three hundred dollars, by paying six 
 months' rent in advance." 
 
 "Four hundred would be two thirds of your salary, 
 Philip." 
 
 " Yes. Clement will help us out a little ; but it seemi 
 right to begin with the utmost economy. If we are pros- 
 pered, we can make a change."
 
 THE CBOWN OF DUTY. 59 
 
 " Yes," said Jessie, with quiet decision. 
 
 She remarked that Philip never spoke of their father 
 being able to do anything again. What if Mrs. Deane's 
 unkind surmise should prove correct? 
 
 The house was larger and a trifle more modern, besides 
 having two bedrooms in the attic, but they thought they 
 could have as many comforts in the small one. 
 
 *' Now, I want you to see a suit of rooms in a tenement 
 house that can be had for four hundred." 
 
 " I should not like it," said Jessie, promptly. 
 
 " They are very nice, and quite to one's self." 
 
 A second floor, containing parlor, kitchen, three bed- 
 rooms, a large clothes-press, and a bath-room. There were 
 corniced ceilings, one marble mantel, doors grained in oak, 
 and the whole had a very pretty, stylish air; but the sleep- 
 ing-rooms were all small, and the yard was merely a square 
 of grass, with clothes-line posts at the corners, and a flagged 
 walk around. 
 
 "It's pretty," said Madge, "but I believe I like the 
 other best for us." 
 
 " I am sure that I do," was Jessie's rejoinder. 
 
 " Philip, how do real poor people manage to live in a 
 city?" 
 
 " In a year's time you will be able to answer the ques- 
 tion," he replied, with a half-sad, half-playful smile. 
 
 " But, after all, we have some resources that very poor 
 people cannot fall back upon." 
 
 And yet Jessie sighed. She was coming face to face 
 with poverty very rapidly. 
 
 So they returned home, and talked the matter over with 
 mamma. She approved of their decision, and the house 
 was taken at once. 
 
 Eleanor listened in silence, esteeming her acquiescence 
 a great sacrifice. Philip travelled to and fro, busy, ener 
 getic, and cheerful. Mr. Ashburton began to walk round 
 his room, and business matters progressed towards a set-
 
 60 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 tlement. Friends flocked in to comfort and assist, and 
 some, perhaps from curiosity, to see how the Ashburtons 
 bore their misfortune ; for there seemed to be a strand of 
 this underlying much of human nature, and though very 
 few actually rejoiced over their downfall, more than one 
 felt that it was not an altogether unsatisfactory turn in the 
 wheel of fortune, where so much seems like chance. 
 
 Mr. Kenneth, their clergyman, was one of their firmest 
 and most comforting friends. His mother, a very estima- 
 ble widow lady, who was not likely to change her home, 
 offered them room for pictures, or any choice articles they 
 did not care to dispose of, as their new abode would be 
 rather limited. 
 
 Philip took the girls down again to see how much it had 
 improved. The obnoxious paper had been replaced by one 
 chaste and neutral-tinted, the mantels, that had been a sort 
 of dismal lead-colored imitation of marble, were black, and 
 the paint fresh and really pretty. 
 
 "I did that myself!" announced Philip, with a touch of 
 triumph. " And now look at our dining-room ! " 
 
 Instead of the smoky wall, it was a soft grayish-pearl 
 color. 
 
 " Phil, you are a jewel ! " exclaimed Madge. " Why, we 
 shall be a sort of Swiss Family Robinson only we shall 
 not live on an island." 
 
 "Now, we will bring the furniture down and arrange it. 
 I haven't but about ten days' grace, and then I must take 
 my place in the ranks." 
 
 But when they began to dismantle their beloved home, 
 a sharp pang of anguish seized them all ; for every corner 
 and every article was associated with some tender remem- 
 brance. Jessie's tears fell silently, but now and then 
 Madge broke down. 
 
 " I can't help it," she would say, with a sob. " It's so 
 hard, after all ! and now I begin to feel afraid that we shall 
 never come back."
 
 THE CKOWN OF DUTY. 61 
 
 Philip, gaining daily experience, thought it quite prob- 
 lematical also. Fortunes were not so easily won. His 
 own dreams he thrust into the background, and not even 
 his mother guessed the pain he hid beneath the smiling 
 face. 
 
 Was it wrong to pray for prosperity and happiness, and 
 work faithfully for them ? It did not seem an ignoble aim 
 when hallowed by love and self-sacrifice. "For their 
 sake," he said to himself, when the way looked long and 
 dreary. 
 
 Eleanor assisted with a grave face and pre-occupied 
 manner. It would have been a comfort now to hear her 
 chide Madge's follies ; but she preserved a silence that, 
 while it had nothing actually sullen or cross in it, was still 
 uncomfortable. Even her mother was shut out of her con- 
 fidence. 
 
 The young girl was fighting a hard battle in her own 
 strength. Nothing could soften this misfortune with her. 
 Every day she felt her nameless little wants and longings, 
 her artistic perceptions, her refinements, and subtile har- 
 monies rushing over her, and flooding her very soul. 
 Then the contact with coarse materialisms for so she 
 would call them stung her into keenest misery. Jessie's 
 quiet persistence and Madge's energy roused a bitter feel- 
 ing. They did not suffer as she. They were not giving 
 up their very life, wrenching their souls out of the true 
 orbit. 
 
 With the exception of the piano and two or three pic- 
 tures, the parlor was to remain untouched. Their sitting- 
 room and library furniture was transferred to the new 
 house, and when the two rooms were put in order, Philip 
 declared them charming. Their dining-room needed much 
 more simplicity, and some of their chamber furniture was 
 quite too elegant for their new station. 
 
 As they drew near the end, Mr. and Mrs. Ashburton 
 went to spend a few days with Mrs. Kenneth. Madg
 
 62 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 and Jessie worked unweariedly, and Eleanor, too, did good 
 service. 
 
 " Poor Nelly ! " Madge said, pityingly, in her absence. 
 " Aunt Waltham was right it is harder for her. She 
 doesn't seem meant for poverty and toil. I wish something 
 nice could happen to her;" and the generous child racked 
 her brains, wondering what would be " nice." 
 
 " And it is mean that a little money should make such 
 difference. She is as good and handsome as she was be- 
 fore, and it seems to me that she ought to be loved the 
 better for her misfortunes. And yet see that young Max- 
 well you know we always thought he looked like a 
 hero, and I'm sure that he was quite devoted to Nelly 
 and on Sunday he and his sister swept by in state, giv- 
 ing her the merest little nod but, O, didn't she look 
 like a queen ! And Mrs. Westlake and May Rossiter 
 who would have thought of their being so ungenerous?*' 
 
 " Isn't that rather severe, Madge ? " 
 
 " No," was the frank and ready rejoinder. "If May had 
 lost her fortune, and we were riding round in our carriage, 
 do you suppose we should pass her with a disdainful little 
 sniff? O, Jessie 1 why isn't the world better and kinder? 
 It is in trial and adversity that one most needs love and 
 tenderness." 
 
 "Yes," Jessie faltered, "but we cannot have everything 
 just as we would like." 
 
 "And yet I don't see why these grand, heroic things 
 cannot beautify common life. See what Phil has given 
 up ; yet no one praises him, or seems to think it at all be- 
 yond the merest duty." 
 
 " He is not doing it to be seen of men." 
 
 " But I would like some one to see it, all the same. 
 There is a great deal of talk about noble and unselfish 
 deeds ; but are they really appreciated ? " 
 
 " There is One who knows, Madge." 
 
 The girl was silent, revolving some tangled problem ui
 
 THE CEOWN OF DUTY. 63 
 
 ner mind. The world looked so wide and conlused to 
 her just then ! Why were the good and true called upon 
 to suffer, the selfish and cold-hearted prospered, burdens 
 of all kinds coming together, and 
 
 "Jessie, what do you do when everything looks wrong 
 and hard, unjust, I mean? Doesn't it seem as if God 
 sometimes forgot people for a while ? " 
 
 " I don't know," Jessie returned slowly, her eyes going 
 out to the distant heavens. "I feel as if I wanted to keep 
 close to him, that I might not be forgotten ; and he can 
 make a little light shine on the darkest path." 
 
 "I do not believe that I understand it in your way. 
 When I see anything wrong and mean, I experience a 
 strong desire to rush out and fight it to the end, set the 
 matter right, and make others acknowledge it. I met 
 May Rossiter a few days ago, and I wanted to say to her, 
 'I am just as good and worthy without a dollar as I was 
 three months ago, when papa was rich.' " 
 
 Jessie smiled at the energy and the face flushing to a 
 brilliant color. 
 
 " We must let some things go, Madge," she said. " You 
 remember poor Don Quixote's fate. No one but God can 
 *ight all the wrong things in the world." 
 
 " More's the pity ! " and Madge sighed. 
 
 "Do you want a human deliverer? O, Madge, that is 
 a dangerous longing." 
 
 "I would like to have matters set straight." 
 
 "But that can only be in heaven. And if God places 
 as here to work out a destiny, we must take up the duty 
 that lies nearest; I believe we shall always find that 
 sufficient." 
 
 Madge was silent, but her active mind went traversing 
 limitless space. She was daring, and but for her extreme 
 honesty and love of truth, would have been easily set 
 astray. 
 
 One April morning, the last of their possessions were
 
 64 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 carried out of dear old Home Nook. Madge wnnderea 
 up and down declaring that it was just like a funeral. 
 Among the trees the birds were chirping and sending out 
 little trills on the mellow air. Down there the maples 
 would bud, the lilacs shower wafts of spicy sweetness, 
 and the wind make long, tremulous furrows in the tall 
 June grass. Here on the porch, roses and honeysuckle 
 would bloom in riotous beauty, and the flowers they had 
 tended with such care would delight other hearts and 
 eyes. 
 
 Madge suddenly felt rebellious and defiant. What had 
 they done that this great trouble should come upon 
 them? 
 
 Eleanor paced slowly down the stairs and through the 
 wide hall. She was very pale so stricken, indeed, that 
 Jessie longed to clasp her arms about the slender form 
 and comfort her. The pain and suffering had not lifted 
 her out of herself, nor ennobled her in any respect. The 
 self-reliance had not the vital pith of an heroic soul, but 
 the pride of a narrow one. There was a strange sinking 
 about the eyes, and a look that in a tenderer face would 
 have been wistful. But the scarlet lips were still defiant, 
 and in strong contrast with the pallor of the brow. 
 
 Ah, Eleanor Ashburton, you think now that life has no 
 greater trial to offer than leaving behind all these luxuries, 
 and going out into what you call the desert. But there 
 are strifes that rend the soul, pangs that go deeper than 
 loss of wealth and station. It may be yours to know all 
 this, to find yourself solitary and friendless, and to cry from 
 the depths of despair to the God whom you now slight. 
 
 "Come," Philip began, in his cheery way; "we are 
 going to seek our fortunes in a new world. Just here on 
 the threshold let us pray that we may return." 
 
 Would they ever? Glancing at each other with sor- 
 rowful young eyes, the voices were too tremulous to uttei 
 any response. Perhaps the silent prayers were heard 
 above by Him whom nothing escapes.
 
 THE CBOWN OP DUTY. 66 
 
 The servants, except Hannah, had been discharged a 
 few days before. She was to accompany them, and was 
 fain to remain ; but Mrs. Ashburton was too conscientious 
 to take advantage of her devotion. One and another 
 thronged round for a last good by ; but at length they were 
 seated in the cars. How frequently they had taken the 
 short journey for pleasure! 
 
 The fragrant breath of the spring morning came in 
 delicious wafts as they passed reaches of meadows broken 
 by hurrying streams, or clumps of pungent cedars of deep- 
 est green. The sunshine quivered in the air like a tremu- 
 lous veil, but their eyes were dim to beauty. All th 
 tender grace of the world seemed left behind at Home 
 Nook. 
 
 Madge was the first to rally. For all they had spent 
 days in arranging their new house, it was still far from 
 perfect. There was some unpacking yet to be done, and 
 the home-like touches to add. Philip was to go back 
 after his parents, and the three girls went to work with 
 much energy. 
 
 " What a lucky thing that there is a grate here ! " ex- 
 claimed Madge. " I'm going to build a tiny fire, for it will 
 be chilly this evening." 
 
 She longed to add that it would also give a touch 
 of the place that had always been so dear, but she 
 deemed it wiser not to call up the recollection. As the 
 fire blazed in its blue and scarlet gleams, her courage 
 returned. Jessie slid into the housekeeping niche most 
 gracefully. Indeed, so engrossed were they that the after 
 noon sped by almost unheeded. 
 
 A carriage rolled through the street and halted at the 
 door. Philip assisted his mother out, and Jessie ran to 
 give her a welcome. Mr. Ashburton followed, leaning 
 heavily on his son, and they were ushered into the library, 
 as they had christened the back parlor. Pretty and fa- 
 miliar things were grouped about, quaint bracket* with a 
 5
 
 t>6 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 vase, or a little marble bust that had commended itself tc 
 some one's love, the well-known pictures, papa's easy-chair 
 and the great, roomy lounge in green reps. In the chim- 
 ney recesses stood two book-cases that just filled the space. 
 One had belonged to Philip, and the other to the girls. 
 
 "It is really delightful!" exclaimed Mrs. Ashburton. 
 "I think you must have been gifted with fairy skill 
 Why, we hardly miss anything!" 
 
 She could not have bestowed more precious praise upon 
 Madge and Jessie. 
 
 Mr. Ashburton was made comfortable upon the lounge, 
 Eleanor arranged his pillow and threw a light afghan 
 over his shoulders. The younger ones took their mother 
 through the house, displaying each room with no little 
 pride. 
 
 " It is quite wonderful," she said, in her sweet fashioa 
 " I feel as if we might be very happy here." 
 
 "O, mamma, if we should be!" 
 
 " And why not, Jessie ? " 
 
 There was a look of calm and tender resignation in the 
 fair face that it was good to behold a kind of glorified 
 endurance. 
 
 "My darlings," Mrs. Ashburton said, "God has left us 
 the greatest of all blessings in preserving our little house- 
 hold unbroken. We must show our gratitude by not 
 repining at what he saw best to take. I believe I could 
 spare the fortune more readily than any of you." 
 
 "O, mamma, I begin to think it will not be so 
 terrible, after all. And now look at our rooms. Philip 
 insisted upon taking this little one. Nelly's will have to 
 bo used if we have any company." 
 
 "I do not suppose that we shall be altogether neg- 
 lected." 
 
 " Some one will want to see how we look, and if we 
 bear our misfortunes well," Madge said, with natirica) 
 gayety.
 
 THE CKOWN OP DUTY. 67 
 
 a l hope that we have a few friends actuated by a 
 higher motive than curiosity," Mrs. Ashburton rejoined 
 with tender gravity. 
 
 "There is a good deal of meanness and selfishness in 
 the world," Madge made energetic reply. 
 
 " My darling, it pains me to see you begin life with this 
 spirit of railing. Can we not give others credit for as 
 much generosity and kindness as we possess?" 
 
 Madge was silent from regard to her mother. Eleanor 
 fancied that the careless and light-hearted child was not 
 capable of much suffering; but many things during the 
 past month had stung her keenly. 
 
 They did not finish their examination a moment too 
 soon, for just then the dinner-bell rang. 
 
 " Help me out, Philip," Mr. Ashburton said to his son. 
 "I want to take this first meal in our new home with 
 you all." 
 
 As he uttered the words " our new home," it touched 
 them with a sense of nearness they had not experienced 
 before. And though it was an effort to totter out to the 
 dining-room and sit through the meal, growing more ex- 
 hausted with every second, yet he bore up for his children's 
 sakes. 
 
 His illness had told fearfully upon him, and he looked 
 like an old man. His eyes were sunken, and the lines had 
 deepened in his thin cheeks. His whole frame trembled 
 at the slightest motion, and his voice had in it a strangely 
 weak quaver. 
 
 Yet, on the whole, it was an enjoyable meal, more cheer- 
 ful than they could have imagined. And though Mr. 
 Ashburton had to be taken to bed immediately afterwards, 
 he begged his wife to spend the evening with the chil- 
 dren. 
 
 "I surely can spare you for a little while," he said, 
 u after having had all your time of late." 
 
 Mrs. Ashburton found the young folks in quite an
 
 68 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 animated discussion about household affairs. It WIN 
 rather warm, and, in some respects, Utopian. Eleanor, 
 perhaps, best understood the value of money. 
 
 Philip announced to them that, after all expenses wer 
 paid, they would have about seven hundred dollars re- 
 maining. This he proposed to place in a bank for a sort 
 of reserve-fund. Eleanor had said that they could not 
 live on Philip's salary. 
 
 "But I'm thankful that we shall not have to call upon 
 Clement this year. It is high time that we heard from him. 
 And who will write ? " 
 
 Philip paused, for his voice was a trifle unsteady. 
 
 " I will," said Mrs. Ashburton. " And I believe that we 
 shall find him both sympathizing and generous." 
 
 " If he can buy back Home Nook some day ! " 
 
 They all hoped in their hearts that he might possess both 
 the desire and the ability. 
 
 u I believe I shall learn to do something," Madge de- 
 clared. " I must dream out my splendid possibilities ! " 
 
 "And now let us sing 'Naomi' for our evening hymn," 
 said Mrs. Ashburton. 
 
 Eleanor went to the piano. Mrs. Ashburton had a 
 purpose in proposing this hymn. It had always been a 
 great favorite of hers, for the sweet content breathed in 
 every line. And as the young voices blent with Philip's 
 rich tenor, she observed with pain that one was silent. 
 How they lingered over the last dear line, 
 
 " And crown my journey's end," 
 
 M if it were indeed a prayer. 
 
 "Good night." 
 
 It was their mother's voice and kiss. They had taken 
 the first important step in their journey ; but how and 
 where would it end ?
 
 THE CBOWN OF DUTY. 69 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 ROMANCE AND EXPERIENCE. 
 
 A maw life indeed. Its social aspects were so widely 
 different that it took the family some time to feel at all 
 settled in their new sphere. They would have been more 
 than human if they could have submitted to the change 
 at once, and kindly. Every day, dozens of trifling wants 
 and sacrifices bore down upon them, making in the aggre- 
 gate a burden not easily borne as yet. 
 
 Philip accepted his position with a sturdy manliness. 
 At eight in the morning he took his place at the desk, with 
 piles of correspondence before him, through which he 
 waded, answered, and placed on file, vibrating between 
 this and the journal-like ledger. He had to endure the 
 imperious ways of consequential elders, and a species of 
 sneering impertinence from ill-bred and rather jealous 
 juniors, who considered him an interloper, promotion being 
 generally the rule in this large mercantile house. From 
 three till six the seniors finished their work, and dropped 
 off slowly, and Philip was thankful when he could close 
 the tiresome pages and set his face homeward. 
 
 Hannah had remained a week, and then left reluctantly. 
 Jessie insisted upon trying the post of housekeeper first, 
 for, as Mr. Ashburton appeared rather poorly again, his 
 wife devoted herself chiefly to nursing. Eleanor took the 
 supervision of the rooms, and Madge declared, dismally, 
 that there was nothing left for her. 
 
 She did not find much time to be idle, however. There 
 was the yard to tidy, and the flower-beds to be put in 
 order ; errands to do, sweeping, cleaning, and odds and 
 ends af all kinds, which generally fell to her lot.
 
 70 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 When they came to the end of May, the monthly account* 
 were made out. It seemed that they had given up all the 
 luxuries and every needless expense, except a few delica 
 cies for their father. And yet the expenses during the 
 month had amounted to nearly one hundred dollars 1 
 
 The girls glanced at each other in dismay. 
 
 " Just twice Philip's salary," said Eleanor. " I said that 
 we could not live on that. And when we come to buy 
 clothes " 
 
 " I'm sure we have studied over every dish and every 
 dollar haven't we, Madge?" Jessie began, in great ear- 
 nest, as if she felt herself tacitly accused of extravagance. 
 
 "And had the very simplest of lunches and desserts. 
 How do poor people live ? " 
 
 They still retained their late dinners on Philip's account, 
 but they had been shorn of much of their elegance. In- 
 deed, the girls had prided themselves upon being partic- 
 ularly economical, and consulted mamma beforehand. 
 
 " We must try again," said Jessie, hopefully. " When 
 we come to have experience " 
 
 "I wish I could do something," interrupted Madge, 
 energetically. " We have everything in such good order 
 now that I might be spared." 
 
 Eleanor flushed and bit her lip. This seemed a covert 
 thrust for her, though Madge had no such thought. 
 
 " What could you do ? " she asked, with something like 
 contempt. 
 
 tt I do not know ; " and a lovely color mantled the child's 
 face. " Around on the avenue there is a girl tending in a 
 fancy store. She gets four dollars a week." 
 
 "Madge, have you no more pride than to mix up with 
 such people ? " demanded Eleanor, angrily, her dark eyes 
 flashing. 
 
 Madge was abashed. She had fallen into a friendly talk 
 with the girl one day, who, finding herself an object of 
 interest, did not hesitate to make her case as entertaining 
 as possible.
 
 THE CEOWN OF DUTY. 71 
 
 But, Nelly " 
 
 "I am sure neither mamma nor Philip would tolerate 
 such an idea! You are too young, and such positions 
 always give a girl a bold and flippant manner; and you are 
 careless enough now, Madge. If you must do anything 
 presently, there is gchool teaching, which is always respect- 
 able " 
 
 u And which would kill me, I am sure. I never could 
 endure that." 
 
 A ring at the door made a break in the discussion. 
 Madge ran, and brought back a letter for Eleanor. 
 
 " From aunt Waltham," she said, handing it to her sister. 
 
 Eleanor broke the seal of violet-colored wax containing 
 her aunt's aristocratic monogram. Then she read in silence. 
 The others could not well renew the conversation ; so Jessie 
 took up some sewing that was in her kitchen work-basket. 
 
 " Aunt Waltham is coming next week," said Eleanor, 
 presently. " She will spend Tuesday with us." 
 
 That was not the most agreeable announcement in the 
 world, but the girls took it without comment. 
 
 Philip laughed a little at their long faces that evening, 
 when they related their poor attempt at economy. 
 
 " Why, I think that does very well," he said. " You 
 will learn much by experience, and there have been several 
 articles purchased this month that we may not need in 
 some time again." 
 
 " But by the end of the year we shall have all our money 
 spent," rejoined Jessie, in a tone of apprehension. 
 
 "Well, we may be doing better another year at least, 
 I may. Just now, you see, my age is against me. Every 
 year tells on a salary." 
 
 Philip spoke hopefully, as he believed. Having taken 
 hold of work in good earnest, he would look only at the 
 bright side. 
 
 " And there is always Clement to fall back upon," pui- 
 sued Madge.
 
 72 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 a l have a fancy that I should like to work through with- 
 out any help from Clement. I know just how he will feel 
 about the loss of Home Nook, and he will never rest until 
 it is ours again. So if we could save that much for him, 
 it would be like adding to the store." 
 
 " Dear Phil, when I hear you talk it seems as if we 
 might have it ; but I am doubtful." 
 
 " Well, we'll do the best we can." 
 
 " But some of us ought to help." 
 
 Madge uttered this with a perplexed face. She was 
 quite anxious to know Philip's opinion concerning employ- 
 ment for girls. 
 
 " I think you do assist," he said, gravely. " For a month 
 we have only had a woman come in to wash and iron. 
 5Tou have kept the house in order, cooked, gone to market, 
 and helped wait upon papa. I have found no buttons oflj 
 had plenty of collars and handkerchiefs, and have not been 
 compelled to go without my breakfast. Are you not satis- 
 6ed with that praise, O small housekeeper?" 
 
 They both laughed. Madge felt that she must give up 
 her point for the present, but it only slept in the active 
 brain, and was ready to wake at the first summons. 
 
 u I am glad that you do not feel discouraged with us," 
 Jessie said, almost gayly. 
 
 " Discouraged ! No, indeed." 
 
 Then they talked a little about aunt Waltham's visit, 
 which was rather dreaded. 
 
 "Girls," said Philip, "she must take us just as we are. 
 And I think aunt Waltham is very sensible in some mat- 
 ters. She will not expect the elegance of Home Nook in 
 this little nest, and I'm sure Jessie cooks nicely enough for 
 a queen." 
 
 "And Madge can make lovely desserts," was Jessie's 
 comforting rejoinder. 
 
 It could hardly be said that Mr. Ashburton improved at 
 all. Some days he cheered them a good deal ty coming
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. 7& 
 
 down stairs and taking a walk around the garden, as 
 Madge insisted upon calling it. Small as it was, it proved 
 quite a source of interest and pleasure. The lilacs had 
 budded, and the honeysuckle thrust out long, brownish-red 
 tendrils, that suggested sweetness and bloom. The peach 
 tree was ready to shower the glory of its pale pink blos- 
 soming, and Philip had brought home several clusters of 
 pansies, and a lovely monthly rose. 
 
 Mr. Ashburton glanced at them listlessly, as if his mind 
 was far away. It had certainly received a severe shock. 
 Then there were days when he hardly left his couch, and 
 his pallid face filled them all with alarm. 
 
 Mr. Stanhope had gone to Europe, though no one knew 
 in exactly what capacity, taking his daughter with him. 
 Mr. Ashburton had not seen him since the commencement 
 of his illness, and he had felt quite hurt at this want of 
 friendly interest. It could hardly be called that, either, 
 for he had always been eager in his inquiries. Frequently 
 had he said to Philip, "I was coming up to Riverside 
 yesterday, but this or that event occurred. Remember 
 me to your father, and tell him that I shall surely be up 
 in a day or two." 
 
 A few days before his sailing he had hurried into Philip's 
 place of business. 
 
 "I just stepped in to leave a good by for your father," 
 he exclaimed, in apparent haste. " It is too bad that I've 
 not seen him, for we have been the best of friends many a 
 year, and I'm sorry to go away without ; but my time is so 
 brief, and I have been just driven every moment. We both 
 tried to do our best, Fin sure, and no one can regret this 
 unfortunate affair more deeply than I. Give him my sin- 
 cerest regards, and my hopes for his recovery and prosper- 
 ity. I have set out to do the best that I can." 
 
 "He wanted to see you very much," Philip could not 
 help saying ; and he gave a quick, scrutinizing glance at 
 the other's face.
 
 74 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 Mr. Stanhope colored, and his peculiar light-gray eye* 
 wavered somewhat. 
 
 " It is just possible that I may run up a moment. Give 
 me the number, please ; and I am sure that I wish you all 
 success, though there are many changes in life ;" and he 
 Bighed. 
 
 Philip went on with his writing, but he could not dismiss 
 the half suspicion that Mr. Stanhope was at the bottom of 
 their misfortunes. He had acted rather singularly. Mr. 
 Weir, who had now gone to Chicago, had once expressed 
 something like a doubt, and it haunted Philip persistently. 
 He never whispered it at home, however. 
 
 Mr. Ashburton felt the coldness and neglect keenly, 
 though he made no sign. After this last message, he waited 
 in a nervous, expectant state, the disappointment rendering 
 him noticeably worse. 
 
 He had never been able to recall the exact conversation 
 of that fatal morning. It seemed to him that he had in 
 the heat of the moment expressed some unguarded doubt 
 or suspicion that he regretted the instant after. The 
 swarthy flush upon Mr. Stanhope's face and the flash of 
 his eye had startled him in many a dreaming moment 
 since. Then that endless and confusing mass of fig- 
 ures, the appalling losses, the sort of crushing, hopeless 
 weight that seemed to be dashed upon him, still made him 
 shiver. 
 
 He knew that Home Nook was Bold, and that he had 
 come out of the wreck with a good name ; but it was the 
 dreary waste between that so troubled him. If some one 
 could set the weak brain straight, and tell him what was 
 reality, and how much feverish dreams and reveries ! Or 
 if he could recover 1 But this lapse of time and energy 
 upon a sick-bed seemed unendurable. 
 
 Madge's two or three unwittingly pointed sentences 
 stirred an uncomfortable feeling in Eleanor's soul. She 
 kept thinking of it that night in the solitude of her own
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 75 
 
 room, after the rest were in peaceful slumber. She could 
 not deny but that the new life had entailed some duty upon 
 her as well as the rest. If Philip was unable to meet the 
 family expenses, she surely came next on the list. 
 
 What should she do ? Teach school, as she had recom- 
 mended to Madge? Situations in private schools were 
 generally dispensed to those who were well armed with 
 credentials, and, perhaps, for public schools one would 
 need favor or friends. She shrank from both with intense 
 disgust. There was music left, but how could she gain 
 any pupils ? And could her fine, sensitive nerves stand 
 the rude shocks such labor would bring? 
 
 She could be spared the best, it was true. She had a 
 bitter feeling that no one would miss her or long for her, 
 that the girls would be really happier without her. It 
 was her misfortune to be so far removed from ordinary 
 souls that she could feel very little sympathy with their 
 tastes and aims. Hers were so different. Any great and 
 heroic task she would be quite ready for, but these petty, 
 wearying cares were distasteful in the last degree. 
 
 In this mood she turned again to aunt Waltham's letter, 
 with its dangerous tenderness and counsel. Eleanor felt 
 that here she was indeed understood ; that her shrinking 
 from aught that was commonplace or coarse was appreciated 
 to the full. And when that lady mentioned that she had 
 a plan to propose which might render dear Eleanor's life 
 more comfortable, she knew that she might trust in its 
 being something that she could accept. 
 
 Not that Eleanor had complained she was too proud 
 for that, even if her delicacy had not kept her from such 
 a step. But there had been a weariness and foreboding 
 in her letters that her aunt understood well, and gener- 
 ously hastened to the rescue. 
 
 I say generously, for Mrs. Waltham was a selfish woman, 
 and not quite as rich as she delighted to appear. Her 
 regret now was, that she had not insisted, the summer before,
 
 76 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 upon giving her a fashionable tour, instead, of having hei 
 go to Canada with her parents, and ramble around old 
 churches and nunneries. The family prestige would have 
 afforded her a fine opportunity of marriage ; but she was 
 still young and handsome, and it was worth trying. 
 
 Eleanor ended her troubled thoughts at last by resolving 
 to wait until aunt Waltham came. So she looked forward 
 anxiously to the following Tuesday, while it came quite too 
 noon for the girls. 
 
 A handsome carriage set Mrs. Waltham down at her 
 brother's house. The unfashionable neighborhood was bad 
 enough, but this mean abode ! Poor Eleanor, indeed ! 
 
 It looked very cheerful and pretty within, this June 
 morning. A small vase of flowers stood on the centre- 
 table, and the piano was open. She entered with her arm 
 around Eleanor, and her voice modulated to the tenderest 
 inflection. 
 
 " My poor child, how wonderfully you have borne the 
 trial ! Why, you are not as worn and faded as I felt almost 
 sure you must be." 
 
 Eleanor flushed, perhaps with a little conscious pride. 
 
 This had been Mrs. Waltham's greatest fear, and to find 
 her so fresh and lovely banished the last misgiving. 
 
 Jessie and Madge came in, presently, to see their aunt, 
 and found her exceedingly gracious. Mrs. Ashburton, too, 
 met with a warm greeting. In fact, aunt Waltham was in 
 her most delightful mood. 
 
 In spite of Philip's injunction, Madge begged for one or 
 I wo little luxuries for lunch. 
 
 "For aunt is so sweet and pleasant that I feel like 
 making everything as nice as possible," she said. "I 
 expected that she would look down upon us with supreme 
 contempt." 
 
 After an hour spent in her brother's room, and at the 
 dainty lunch, which she actually praised, she and Eleanor 
 took possession of the parlor.
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. 7T 
 
 " What do you think of papa ? " the young girl asked. 
 
 " Why, it seems to me that he has scarcely improved since 
 I left Home Nook in March. He is looking very poorly." 
 
 Eleanor sighed. 
 
 " It is a hard trial. I do not see how you are all to get 
 along." 
 
 " That is what troubles me every day and hour !" Eleanor 
 exclaimed, with sudden vehemence. 
 
 Suppose this foolish girl had made some quixotic re- 
 solves for herself! 
 
 "My dear Nelly," she began, in her soft, persuasive voice, 
 " a great part of my visit here to-day was to you. I have 
 some plans that I want to discuss, and I have been thinking 
 about your future. If you were a young man of twenty, 
 you might plunge into the world and soon do for yourself; 
 but women seem peculiarly helpless unless they well nigh 
 unsex themselves, as many of the present day are doing. 
 I have always taken a warm interest in you, as you well 
 know, and if you were alone you would find a kind friend in 
 me, I assure you." 
 
 "You have been such a comfort already," murmured 
 Eleanor. 
 
 " I fancy that you must sometimes have a misgiving that 
 you are not quite appreciated in this household. Some few 
 rare souls, Eleanor, are born to a higher estate than that 
 which fate thrusts upon them, and you are one. I know 
 how this life must annoy you what a daily trial it is." 
 
 Now and then a gleam of strong, pure truth shot across 
 Eleanor Ashburton's brain, drowning out these misty 
 fancies and longings that she called her nature. And just 
 at this instant she felt that it was cowardly not to make a 
 protest for the others. But she said, rather hesitatingly, 
 
 " It is a sore trial to us all." 
 
 " But Jessie seems quite in her element, and will make 
 a much more sensible woman than if she had run wild 
 about Riverside, considering herself a Lady Bountiful.
 
 T8 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 "No, they are quite different from you." 
 
 It was very true Eleanor could not gainsay that, and 
 was silent. 
 
 "So, my dear, I think of taking you in charge this sum- 
 mer. I spoke to your papa, and he appeared pleased, I 
 fancied. It is so hard to be shut out of all the pleasures 
 that girls of your age love." 
 
 If ever Eleanor was to make a stand, now was the time 
 to do it. In the depths of her heart there was a vague idea 
 that it would be more truly noble to share poverty and toil 
 with the stricken home-circle than to accept this opportu- 
 nity of ease and gayety. Her pulses rushed to a gudden 
 heat, but there was no strong power to weld them into the 
 requisite strength and shape. 
 
 "My dear, you are very silent," said aunt Waltham, 
 dryly. 
 
 Eleanor flushed deeply. 
 
 " I think aunt " she began, falteringly, " that I ought 
 to stay at home " 
 
 " Nonsense, Eleanor ! " with some asperity. u What 
 good can you do ? Madge and Jessie are sufficient for the 
 housework, and your father surely, does not need more 
 than one nurse. With Philip's salary, every one counts. 
 So, do not be foolish." 
 
 It seemed curious to Eleanor, in her after-life, that she 
 took this sharp retort so meekly. Her mental forces were 
 very evenly balanced, and a feather's weight one way or 
 the other decided the case. 
 
 Aunt Waltham gained it, of course. She set forth elo- 
 quently the advantage Eleanor's absence would prove, and 
 the great benefit that might accrue to the girl herself. 
 
 " For you have never actually been in society. The 
 money spent upon that foolish tour of last summer would 
 have given you a position at once ; but your mother thinks 
 very little of the future. My dear child, you will find you/ 
 best friend in me."
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. 79 
 
 She leaned over and kissed Eleanor tenderly. 
 
 "Mamma was quite willing? " she asked. 
 
 " Of course. And your father favors it. He feels keenly 
 the misfortune he has brought upon you all." 
 
 "O, auntl don't;" and Eleanor's face paled with help- 
 less supplication. 
 
 " Yes, you might as well have had something ! Doesn't 
 even the Bible recommend that one make friends of the 
 mammon of unrighteousness ? It sounds very pretty to 
 despise money, but we shall hardly be able to do without 
 it before the millennium comes." 
 
 Then Mrs. Waltham changed her tone, thinking that 
 she had flavored her speech sufficiently. The tenderness 
 was very hard for Eleanor to resist. 
 
 She dilated glowingly on her plans for the summer. A 
 friend, whose husband was absent in Europe, had begged 
 her to spend three months at least with her at Newport, 
 where Mr. Gifford owned an elegant little nest. And if 
 they could find some agreeable young lady 
 
 She understood just what pretty and foolish Mrs. Gifford 
 wanted. Her husband's sisters, neither of them very 
 young, would be rather severe censors. She, Mrs. Wal- 
 tham, could do the matronly part with high breeding and 
 style, and this young lady would be an apparent attraction 
 for visitors. 
 
 Mrs. Gifford was quite too discreet to compromise her- 
 self in any manner that Mrs. Waltham knew. There 
 would be a great deal of the best society at the house, and 
 if Eleanor happened to attract some one's attention, so 
 much the better for her. The child was capable of gracing 
 any station. 
 
 She did not think it necessary to explain to her brother 
 or sister-in-law the particulars of the invitation, and when 
 she mentioned very delicately that she should take charge 
 of Eleanor's expenses, they could only thank her for he/ 
 generosity. Mrs. Walthan gained a great deal of credil 
 one way and another on a very small capital.
 
 80 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 I am not sure but that both parents had a dim suspicion 
 of the end in view. Mr. Ashburton questioned within hii 
 weak mind whether he had any right to keep his child 
 from a pleasant future, if it chanced to smile upon her, 
 since he would never be able to restore the past brightness. 
 And the mother felt too sure of her daughter's truth and 
 honor to dream for a moment that she would sully it by 
 any worldly devices or a mercenary marriage. 
 
 It was settled, before aunt Waltham took her leave, that 
 Eleanor should accompany her. There was not much time 
 to be lost, so in a few days she would be up again with a 
 dress-maker, and Eleanor's wardrobe must undergo a reno- 
 vation, and perhaps sundry additions. 
 
 Eleanor rather dreaded Philip's verdict, but to her sur- 
 prise it was very agreeable. 
 
 "Well, why shouldn't she do something nice for you 
 girls ? " said he, frankly. " I remember once that papa 
 saved quite a large part of her fortune from ruin, and you 
 are the only nieces she has, for she does not affect her hus- 
 band's relatives a great deal. I suppose whatever is left 
 will come to us in the end ; though it seems odd for us to 
 count upon any one's money doesn't it ? And I hope 
 Nelly will have a delightful time."
 
 THE CEOWN OP DUTY. 81 
 
 CHAPTER VH. 
 
 SHIFTING SANDS. 
 
 ELEANOR ASHBURTON was not certain that this New- 
 port plan pleased her. It had looked quite tempting, at 
 first, in the change and relief which it promised, and 
 the time it gave her for consideration. She fancied that 
 she was trying earnestly to decide what it was best to do 
 with her future life what her duties were to her parents 
 and sisters. 
 
 And yet she was much deceived in herself. The strong- 
 est desire of all was to escape from the distasteful hard- 
 ships with which her path appeared to be encompassed. 
 Jessie and Madge might take to them with the ardent ro- 
 mance of youth to which every change has its charms, bu 
 she felt it all too keenly. She, too, had a vague idea of the 
 result in view, and this was what gave her the almost mor- 
 bid shrinking, and yet could not supply sufficient courage 
 for one brave step. 
 
 She knew enough of the world to understand that many 
 very fair marriages were entered into from motives of in- 
 terest. It must be confessed that some of them were far 
 more comfortable than the desperate so-called love- 
 matches. But her daily example had been one of the 
 highest and purest love, the reverence and sacred faith 
 that must be the foundation of true household life. 
 Through all their misfortunes she had never heard her 
 mother utter one word of regret for herself. She could 
 cheerfully have accepted one room and the plainest fare, 
 BO that her husband was spared. 
 6
 
 82 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 Not so with Eleanor. She found herself i everting to 
 many of her aunt's ideas concerning the business. If papa 
 had made a little provision in prosperity if there was 
 some slight dependence besides Philip and Clement ! 
 
 Aunt Waltham gave her little time for reflection. The 
 house was quite alive with bustle and interest. The dress- 
 maker went to work remodelling, and fashioned most 
 wonderful and elegant garments out of the past Bummer's 
 attire. A pale, quiet woman, verging on to middle life, 
 whose taste should have given her a much higher position, 
 hut she suited Mrs. Waltham admirably, as there would 
 be no danger of her gossiping about these economical ar- 
 rangements. Now and then Eleanor was tempted to de- 
 mur a little at some unusual finery, but it was quickly 
 checked. 
 
 "Nonsense, child; what do you know of such things? 
 You are much too pretty to look dowdy and old-fashioned." 
 
 She did not add, which was the truth, that she could not 
 afford to have this campaign lost. 
 
 The younger girls were wild with delight at the beauti- 
 ful transformations. Jessie, who was quick with her 
 needle, spent all her spare time in assisting, and, in the 
 course of a fortnight, Eleanor found her wardrobe in per- 
 fect order, and quite elegant, at a very small expense. 
 
 June came in warm, and the fashionable season opened 
 early. Eleanor and aunt Waltham were to start at the 
 middle of the month. 
 
 The young girl had been roused to new interest, it must 
 be confessed. The pleasure that the others anticipated for 
 her in some measure reacted upon herself. The gay 
 dresses, the pleasant flutter, the bright faces around her 
 growing tenderer with the parting in view, rendered her 
 quite like her olden self, or, perhaps, more fond ; for usually 
 Eleanor Ashburton was not a demonstrative girl. 
 
 Mr. Ashburton, lying on his couch with wistful eyes, felt 
 his heart yearn over his eldest daughter. He had always
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. 83 
 
 taken a peculiar pride in her, and he shrank now from al- 
 lowing her thus to appear a suppliant for the world's favor. 
 His ideas had always been at variance with his worldly- 
 wise sister, and he dreaded to trust his darling to her care. 
 
 Yet from the first it would have appeared selfish to re- 
 strain her. Perhaps, through a fatal lack of discretion, oi 
 energy and prudence at the proper moment, he had in 
 some degree blighted their lives. Helpless himself, he 
 must not make their burdens too heavy. And so he 
 could only commend her to God. 
 
 "My darling," her mother said, "I think you understand 
 some of the temptations that may come in your path. In 
 the whirl and excitement of pleasure, the highest good may 
 be so easily forgotten ! Can I not trust you to remem- 
 ber ? " 
 
 Eleanor colored as her glance met the tender yet steady 
 eyes of her mother. 
 
 " There is a loftier purpose to life than mere enjoyment, 
 though I do not wish to shadow yours now. Still, I can- 
 not let you go without a word of counsel." 
 
 " Mamma," Eleanor returned, rather proudly, " you may 
 trust me without a misgiving. I have no desire to rush 
 into follies and frivolities." 
 
 " It is not merely those quicksands. An unguarded step 
 sometimes opens the door to disastrous consequences. 
 Aunt Waltham's views are so different on many points, 
 that I should tremble if I thought her likely to gain any 
 ascendency over you." 
 
 Eleanor smiled. " I am not so weak or impulsive as to 
 be easily swayed against my judgment," she said, de- 
 sisively. 
 
 " And yet we can do so little in our own strength. O, 
 my child, if I knew that in any doubt or difficulty you 
 would rely upon this higher power ! " 
 
 A peculiar expression crossed Eleanor's face, leaving it 
 cold and reticent. Mrs. Ashburtou had always felt her
 
 84 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 self shut out, iu some measure, from her eldest daughter's 
 confidence. The fine sympathy, the tender nearness that 
 distinguished both Madge and Jessie, had always seemed 
 wanting in her; and though from early girlhood there had 
 been little to complain of in the almost critically correct 
 character, the glowing, vitalizing influence of that highest 
 of all motives had appeared lacking. 
 
 She was silent now, feeling consciously the gulf between ; 
 neither did she wish to pain her mother by any expression 
 of indifference, which, after all, she did not really feel. 
 In one respect her heart was very tender on this last day 
 that they were to be together in a long while. 
 
 Ah, why must there so often be a veil between ? Truly 
 said the apostle, "For now we see through a glass darkly." 
 Is it not so in human love, as well as divine ? And so the 
 grace of the moment is dimmed by a cold look, a careless 
 turn of the head, or a silence that sways the current, and 
 the barques that might have floated in dearest harmony 
 down the sea of content drift far apart, watched by pitying 
 angels. On what far ocean will they meet again ? 
 
 The mother breathed a fervent prayer with her farewell. 
 Would her child come back to her the same in heart ? It 
 is well that we learn to trust, that faith abides so long in 
 the soul, or some burdens would be heavy indeed. 
 
 They kissed her many times, and wished her all manner 
 of delight and enjoyment. Then the carriage door shut 
 with a sharp click, and the travellers were on their way. 
 
 Mrs. Waltham surveyed her companion with a great 
 deal of complacency. She fancied that she was conferring 
 a very generous favor, and meant to make her undertaking 
 a success. If Eleanor married well, it would be an excel- 
 lent thing for the family. She, in turn, could chaperon 
 Madge or Jessie Madge most likely, as she promised the 
 more brilliancy and effectiveness. It would be a great re- 
 lief to her poor brother, she thought, with pitying conde- 
 scension.
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 85 
 
 The picture opposite was a fair one, certainly ; this ele- 
 gant girl, with a figure and style that would be the envy 
 of half the women with whom she came in contact ; for 
 Mrs. Waltham was not ignorant of the petty jealousies 
 and rivalries of society that are so often hidden under a 
 charming demeanor. But her attractiveness did not end 
 there. The pure complexion requiring no aid from art ; the 
 fine, soft, abundant hair framing in the face with a sugges- 
 tive, shadowy twilight, relieved by the vivid scarlet of the 
 curved lips, and the slow-moving, lustrous eyes. Little 
 did Eleanor guess that she was being appraised for the 
 matrimonial market, and that every line, every grace of 
 nature was scanned with a critical eye, from the small, 
 faultlessly gloved hand, lying carelessly in her lap, to the 
 slender foot, with its arching instep. 
 
 "Yes," aunt Waltham mentally commented, "she is 
 sure to marry well. She has no foolish romance about her, 
 but is a dear, sensible girl, and has never been half appreci- 
 ated by her family." 
 
 She might not have been so well satisfied if she had 
 known Eleanor's thoughts. Conscience was making a 
 strong protest. It was cowardly to take this ease and en- 
 joyment while the others were left to bear the burden and 
 heat of the day. This queenly air and the haughty curl 
 of the lip, that her aunt was studying with infinite satis- 
 faction, was the result of the latent contempt in which she 
 held herself. If she had dared, she would have stopped 
 the carriage now and gone back ; but some spell stronger 
 than this desire restrained her, and so she drifted on to fate, 
 confident that the strength unable to save her here could 
 rescue her triumphantly elsewhere. 
 
 For the next few days they were very busy at home re- 
 storing order to the rooms that had been brought into con 
 gtant confusion by the late preparations. Madge declared 
 that she was thankful for a little quiet, and Mrs. Ashbur- 
 ton felt relieved in spite of her anxieties.
 
 86 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 It was destined to be of short duration, however. Philij 
 came home in a thoughtful mood. 
 
 " Dr. Conway was here to-day." Jessie announced. 
 
 The kind-hearted physician dropped in now and then, 
 having a friendly interest in his patient. 
 
 " Yes, I asked him to call. He came to see me after- 
 wards." 
 
 "Philip! " and Madge started in dismay. 
 
 a My dear Madge, there is no cause for alarm ; at least, 
 it was merely to satisfy myself." 
 
 "But you think papa worse?" she said, in quick alarm. 
 
 "No, not worse, but he is making very little, if any, 
 progress towards recovery. I wanted to know what Dr. 
 Conway thought." 
 
 Both girls looked at him with eager, questioning eyes, 
 Jessie's face pale with apprehension, while Madge's flexible, 
 nervous lips quivered in pain. 
 
 " Dr. Conway proposes a change to some stronger and 
 more bracing air. He needs rousing, both physically and 
 mentally, and there is nothing here to do it." 
 
 " But where could he go ? " 
 
 "Dr. Conway mentioned a place up at the Catskill 
 Mountains not among the fashionable resorts, but at a 
 roomy, quiet country-house, where he would have the 
 privilege of a drive every day, and the terms would not be 
 very expensive." 
 
 Philip looked doubtfully at the girls as he said this. He 
 wanted to ask another question, but a peculiar feeling re- 
 strained him. 
 
 " We need not go ! " Madge exclaimed, decisively, inter- 
 preting the perplexed expression. 
 
 "If you girls wouldn't mind staying at nome and yet 
 you do need a holiday." 
 
 " But we can hardly afford it," returned Jessie, quietly 
 " Our expenses last month were quite heavy, and we must 
 begin to economize ; " with a sweet, patient smile.
 
 THE CBOWN OF DUTY. 87 
 
 " How much will it cost for them ? " asked Madge, going 
 at once to the practical part. 
 
 " They took two friends of the doctor's, last summer, foi 
 fifteen dollars a week, which is very cheap ; but then the 
 place is quite beyond the fashionable limits. I asked him 
 to write and inquire for me." 
 
 Philip sighed a little. Poverty had its inconveniences, 
 it must be confessed. He felt tempted to send them all, 
 and shut up the house. 
 
 "It will be a very good plan," said Jessie, "and just 
 what papa needs. The confinement begins to tell upon 
 mamma, too, I fancy, and so it will be best to try a change." 
 
 " You ought to go, too," Philip began remorsefully. 
 
 " No," returned Madge, clearly. " You would be very 
 lonesome, and since we are both well and strong we do 
 not need the trip. If they could remain through the two 
 warm months, it would be so nice ! " 
 
 "Dr. Conway feels confident that it will contribute ma- 
 terially to his recovery. Another year it might be too late." 
 
 Both girls shivered a little at this. 
 
 " We shall not mind staying at home, Phil, dear," Madge 
 began presently, in a reassuring tone. " I have a host of 
 things to do ; and then the house will be in nice order for 
 the return of the travellers. It is a splendid plan." 
 
 Her bright face, and rich, cheery voice, were worth a 
 good deal. Philip felt lighter-hearted already. 
 
 Nothing happened to interfere. Mrs. Cummings would 
 take the Ashburtons at her former reasonable terms, if 
 they could put up with plain accommodations. A large 
 room was at their service, and she would try to make it as 
 pleasant as possible. 
 
 Dr. Conway announced all the particulars, and advised 
 Mr. Ashburton to try, at least. 
 
 He was quite willing ; so preparations were undertaken 
 for another journey. 
 
 " The place has the merit of not being so very far oflj*
 
 88 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 Philip said, consolingly. " We can take a little trip up 
 there occasionally." 
 
 " If papa only should get well," was Madge's strong 
 hope, expressed dozens of times during the day. 
 
 He seemed to rally with the excitement, and a flush 
 came now and then to his pale cheek. There was no parade 
 of wardrobe this time, and the packing was not very ex- 
 tensive. 
 
 Eleanor had written twice, in very good spirits, and with 
 a touch of affection and earnestness that set all doubts at 
 rest. So that, although the parting was sad, there was 
 much to inspire them with hope. 
 
 Philip had arranged for Madge and Jessie to make a 
 brief visit at Riverside. He was to go with his parents 
 and remain one night, and their staying alone in the house 
 was not considered at all admissible. As yet they had 
 made no intimacy with neighbors. 
 
 Madge proposed dozens of old friends and places, but, 
 Jessie had a longing for Hetty Bright's simple home and 
 warm welcome. So, after seeing the three safely started, 
 the two girls took the cars for that familiar place to which 
 their hearts still clung. 
 
 Nothing could exceed the delight of Mrs. Rachel and 
 her sister at this surprise. The two girls were kissed 
 again and again by Miss Hetty, who cried one moment 
 and laughed the next. 
 
 " Why, Miss Madge," she exclaimed, " you're prettier 
 than ever! It is a good sight for old eyes. I believe I never 
 missed anj thing in my life so much as you and Miss Jessie 1 " 
 
 Mrs. Rachel looked so cool and sweet in her old-fashioned 
 *awn and black silk apron, her soft hair combed smoothly 
 across her white forehead, making two or three tiny curves ! 
 There was a peculiar still, refined grace about her, as if 
 the bustle and change of the world could never touch her. 
 Jessie felt rested at the first glance. It was a bit of shady 
 woodland fragrance after the glaring, dusty highway.
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. 89 
 
 "But Jessie looks pale and care-worn. What have yon 
 been doing, my dear ? " 
 
 " Why, nothing very much," she replied, inconsequently. 
 
 "Jessie has turned into a royal housekeeper," said Madge, 
 enthusiastically. " She doesn't exactly bake and brew, but 
 there are so many things, when you have no servant ! And 
 the hardest part, you see, is puzzling our brains over econ- 
 omy! How much for so much? we ask each other con- 
 tinually." 
 
 " Yes, it is a bother. I'm sure I do not know what I 
 should have done, if it had not been for Rachel. She 
 used to sit, and sew, and plan, turn ideas and things inside 
 out and upside down. I could do well enough after it 
 was thought out." 
 
 "Philip helps us think," said Madge. " He is almost as 
 good as a girl. I do believe I would rather have him in 
 the kitchen than Nelly." 
 
 " And now tell us about the others. Your dear father ? n 
 
 They described a little of what their life had been, and 
 how every one had taken it. Hetty bustled in and out, 
 putting forth one of her queer speeches now and then, that 
 always seemed to fit in with the completeness of a laugh. 
 And out of all the stir came the tempting dinner table, 
 with its four plates instead of two. 
 
 " It was so good of you to come right here," said Miss 
 Hetty. " I declare, I feel like the folks in fairy tales, when 
 stray piinces dropped down upon them. I wonder if every 
 thing is nice enough." 
 
 They laughed heartily at that. Madge was her gay ; 
 olden self. Afterwards she insisted upon helping. She 
 made such a charming picture, with her sleeves tucked up, 
 and Miss Hetty's wide gingham apron half enveloping her. 
 While she tripped around the kitchen, Jessie and Mrs. 
 Rachel fell into a more sober talk. 
 
 u Is there any trouble ? " she asked, taking the sweet 
 face between her soft, wrinkled hands.
 
 90 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 ** Not much," returned Jessie, with a slight color. 
 
 " Mrs. Rachel," after a long pause, and with a wistful^ 
 deprecating smile, " I wonder if one can be as good amid 
 all the hurry, and trouble, and anxieties of poverty?" 
 
 "Why not, my dear?" 
 
 "Because there are BO many things to occupy one's 
 thoughts, so many duties and cares. When we were at 
 Home Nook, it all seemed easy enough. There were nice 
 long talks with mamma, church and Sunday school, time 
 for reading and meditation, and visiting the poor, which 
 kept it all fresh in one's mind. 
 
 " And now you go to church, of course ? " 
 
 " Not always," she answered, slowly. " It is often late 
 in the morning, and we cannot all go out;" with a little 
 rise of color, that showed, Jessie-like, the spirit of self- 
 denial ; " and there is seldom any service in the afternoon. 
 We often spend our evenings in papa's room, singing 
 he likes it so much. Then we miss Mr. Kenneth. I can't 
 seem to take root anywhere." 
 
 " That is just it," said Mrs. Rachel. " Every one needs 
 some haven to which his bark can be moored." 
 
 " It is hard to make new friends." 
 
 "Have you tried?" 
 
 " Not very much. The nearest clergyman called upon 
 us once, but he seemed stiff and cold. I suppose we can- 
 not expect strangers to feel an interest in us immediately ; " 
 and Jessie sighed. 
 
 O, ministers of God, do you think your duty ends with 
 prayers, and sermons, and visits to the sick and needy, 
 who are thrust upon your notice, as it were ? For thuro 
 are some fine spirits vexed and hindered, whose inward 
 light burns dimly for want of friendly contact, and who 
 grope about in darkness, longing to love and to do, and 
 yet finding no niche where their souls may expand. W ho 
 shall answer for all this at the last ? 
 
 " And what else have you done, my dear ? "
 
 THE CROWN OS 1 DUTY. 91 
 
 "Nothing. I seem to be floating about, wondering, and 
 questioning God why all these things came upon us. I 
 don't mean that I am impatient or especially doubtful, but 
 I do not feel so much at rest." 
 
 " This is a trial of faith, Jessie. Some dark days come 
 into all lives. Can you not hold fast by God, and believe 
 that He who loved us and gave himself for us knows what 
 is best ? Our dim eyes cannot always see through the 
 clouds, and our faith is sometimes slow to perceive." 
 
 " He doesn't seem as near to me as at dear old Home 
 Nook. I sometimes feel myself drifting away, and long to 
 clasp some strong support a stay that will be sure and 
 vital. Then the cares and work come pressing, and I 
 almost lose my hold." 
 
 " Yes," Mrs. Rachel said, with a faint smile, " the carea 
 of this world choke out the good seed, you know." 
 
 " And what must I do ? " 
 
 She asked the question with simple earnestness, and the 
 shy, soft eyes were downcast. 
 
 "I often think of the old scriptural injunction, 'Pray 
 without ceasing.' It is only by keeping close to God that 
 we are safe. And yet it seems to me that if you have 
 thought so much of this, you have not strayed very far." 
 
 Madge and Miss Hetty emerged from the kitchen, the 
 maid bright and glowing, pulling down her sleeves, and 
 giving her shining ringlets a twist. 
 
 " I don't believe this little cubby ever was so gay be- 
 fore," declared Miss Hetty. "It's been a regular state 
 dinner. You are so entertaining and hopeful ! The storm 
 has only gone over you, my dear, not wet you a bit, and 
 you've come out in the blue sky, and the rainbow, and all 
 the promise of things to be." 
 
 " I can't help feeling bright and happy. I suppose 1 
 ought to be sorrowful, and croon dismally over my lost 
 estate; and yet I have a sort of presentiment that we shall 
 11 come back some day."
 
 92 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 "I hope it will be in my time," added Mrs. Kachel, with 
 a sweet smile. 
 
 Afterwards Madge set out for a ramble, but Jessie pre- 
 ferred to stay in and finish her talk. A pleasant one it 
 was, gradually growing clearer and more comforting, 
 sweetening and strengthening the life she had to brave, 
 ennobling the petty duties, and touching them with an 
 illuminating beam, giving a deeper meaning and sanctity 
 to the trial that had been laid upon them all. 
 
 Madge did not return until evening, and Jessie was 
 startled at finding their old friend, Charlie Westlake, her 
 escort. The explanation was simple enough. Madge had 
 been drinking tea with the Kenneths, and Charlie had 
 dropped in through the course of the evening. For almost 
 a year the girls had not seen him, as he was in college ; 
 but when he clasped Jessie's hand, she felt that he had 
 not changed with their fallen fortunes. 
 
 A fair, frank face this of Charlie Westlake's, with the 
 immaturity of twenty years that had left him still boyish 
 and impulsive. Yet there was a latent nobleness in his 
 broad brow and clear eyes, and the girlishly rounded chin 
 was redeemed by the firm lines about the mouth. Life 
 held no special meaning for him now, perhaps, but there 
 was much that could be roused into ambition and strength. 
 
 But there was a curious, absorbed expression in Madge's 
 face that her sister never remembered seeing there before, 
 a kind of introspection, as if she was glancing at some 
 thought that richly satisfied, and a strange depth and 
 tremor in her voice. The inexplicable quiet was not pain, 
 nor sadness, but a dreamy, restful peace. 
 
 u You're tired to death," said Miss Hetty, with kindest 
 solicitude, after Mr. Westlake had taken his departure. 
 w I've put the room all in order, and aired it until it is 
 quite cool and pleasant ; so now you must go to bed. You 
 will be bright as a bird again in the morning." 
 
 Madge made no demur. With a tender good night.
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 98 
 
 both girls went lightly up the narrow stairs. The room 
 was quaintly furnished, like the rest of the house, and the 
 capacious high-post bedstead, with carved head-board, was 
 mahogany, rich with the coloring of age, and the white 
 adornments were in strong contrast. 
 
 "How odd!" Madge exclaimed; and then she lapsed 
 into silence, and commenced her preparations slowly. 
 
 "Did you have a pleasant time!" Jessie asked. 
 
 " O, yes. I ventured on a few calls besides. Jessie, the 
 loss of fortune does make a difference with some people." 
 
 " And that is why you are unhappy ? " with the quick 
 pang of apprehension. 
 
 "Unhappy!" and she laughed, softly, like the ripple of 
 a brook blown about by summer winds. " Why, I am not 
 unhappy." 
 
 The glowing eyes and flushed face attested this. 
 
 " But you are so so strange ! " 
 
 " Am I ? " in a vague, careless way. 
 
 Jessie was puzzled. Then she and Madge read their 
 chapter alternately, and knelt to say their prayers with 
 their arms around each other's neck. Madge lingered a 
 long while. 
 
 At last the light was out, and the rays of the young 
 moon came stealing through the open window. Jessie 
 could not sleep. The tranquillity of a few hours before 
 had vanished, and though she was not troubled, a spell 
 seemed to quiver through every nerve a presentiment 
 that was too deep for pleasure and too calm for pain. 
 
 A soft hand came stealing over her shoulder presently, 
 and a low, tremulous voice said, 
 
 " Jessie, are you asleep ? " 
 
 " No," was the quiet answer. 
 
 " I want to tell you a secret something odd and 
 strange, and, O, so sweet ! " with a lingering intonation. 
 "Charlie Westlake loves me, and I love him. We are 
 engaged."
 
 94 HOME NOOK, OR 
 
 "O, Madge !" in a tone of fright and pain. "And with 
 out mamma's knowledge ! " 
 
 tt It is to be as she and papa say. I am sixteen, and he 
 is twenty ; so, of course, we will have some years of waiting. 
 He has one more term in college, and will then study a 
 profession. I don't mind. It is very, very sweet, Jessie. 
 And it all came from a talk about the fortune." 
 
 Jessie was too much amazed to reply. So long indeed 
 was the silence that Madge lapsed into blissful dreams ; 
 but Jessie watched until the moon had trailed her white 
 glory across the sky and fallen asleep amid the golden 
 tan.
 
 THE CEOWN OF DUTY. 96 
 
 CHAPTER Vltt. 
 
 LOOKING AT THE FUTUBE. 
 
 ALTHOUGH Jessie Ashburton's slumbers were in one 
 sense refreshing, they were far from being tranquil. 
 Snatches of strange and troubled dreams crossed her brain, 
 and she awoke at early dawn, while the birds were still at 
 their matins. Madge was sleeping peacefully, the fair 
 face delicately flushed, and her own soft, vague smile part- 
 ing the lips. 
 
 Had Madge actually confessed that wild and childish 
 romance of the night before, or had it been a part of 
 Jessie's fancy ? It really seemed as if it could not be true, 
 or, being true, might fail of possibility. Six months ago 
 Jessie would hardly have doubted; but now all was so 
 changed ! And then they were both so young ! 
 
 She rose, and sat a long while by the open window. 
 She could see the outline of the Hudson through the 
 spaces between clumps of trees and clusters of houses, and 
 the Palisades rising on the opposite shore, blue and dusky 
 in the morning light, with the fleecy clouds of rose and 
 pearl crowning them. All was so serene, so full of peace, 
 that Jessie forgot the mere worldly troubles, and lifted 
 her heart to God. It seemed then as if all things were 
 indeed possible; that out of this chaos of shadow, and 
 doubt, and dim foreboding, the promise of beauty asked 
 for might still be realized. 
 
 How long she lingered there drinking in heavenly 
 peace and comfort she hardly knew. She heard the ener- 
 getic Miss Hetty stirring about down stairs, and rejoined 
 her presently, leaving Madge still asleep.
 
 96 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 She and Miss Hetty had quite an entertaining tim 
 comparing housekeeping notes. Amid this the breakfast 
 was prepared, and Mis. Rachel assisted in her morning 
 duties. Just at this moment Madge came flying down, 
 bright and rosy, and the day was fairly begun. 
 
 Madge was quite like her olden self, it must be con- 
 fessed. During the morning several of the neighbors 
 came in to call upon them ; and until the moment of 
 starting, the sisters had not exchanged a word upon the 
 subject that occupied the thoughts of both almost ex 
 clusively. 
 
 Miss Hetty proposed to walk to the station with them. 
 " But this isn't half a visit," she said, in her brisk fashion. 
 " I do not see why you couldn't come up and stay a week. 
 Philip could do very well without you." 
 
 Jessie did not like to promise. The picture of Philip 
 in solitude was not a satisfying one. 
 
 " Well, you know you're welcome any time, and not 
 only you two, but any of the others. Remember to give 
 my love to them all, and especially to your dear mamma. 
 God bless you all, and watch over you.'* 
 
 Mrs. Rachel's farewell was very tender, She longed for 
 some power to restore their fallen fortunes, and yet she 
 felt that God knew best, and that in his infinite mercy he 
 would make manifest the right path. 
 
 As they were crossing the platform, Charlie Westlake 
 sauntered up from the opposite direction. He would have 
 been loath to confess to any one but Madge that he had 
 resolved to linger in the vicinity all the afternoon, in the 
 hope of meeting them at last. 
 
 Jessie looked very grave. The kind of elder-sisterly 
 feeling that she exercised over Madge seemed strong upon 
 her, and yet she was helpless. 
 
 "This is real nice," Charlie exclaimed. "I am going 
 down to the city, too ; so I suppose you will give them 
 into my charge, Miss Hetty, and 111 promise to see that 
 they reach their destination safely."
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. 97 
 
 His frank manner and winsome smile won Miss Hetty's 
 heart. Besides, she was certain that he was too noble 
 to forget his old friends. As for anything beyond the 
 merest boyish friendship, that would never have entered 
 her head. 
 
 " Yes, I am glad, Mr. Westlake," she replied, unsuspi- 
 ciously. " They're precious enough to a good many yet." 
 
 Madge colored violently, and turned her head. Charlie 
 had promised to see her again, it was true ; but she had 
 meant first to have a good long talk with Jessie. 
 
 However, there was no help for it. Charlie went for 
 their tickets with a very mannish air. They said good by 
 to Miss Hetty, and took their seats, Madge with a peculiar 
 consciousness, as if she really had been guilty of deceit. 
 And so they were all rather awkward, but the noise of the 
 car was an apology for conversation. 
 
 At last they reached their own little cottage. 
 
 " Why, how pretty it is ! " Charlie said, thankful there 
 was something that he could talk about. "One does 
 not often see anything like this in New York, unless it is 
 on a grand scale. You don't miss the river either, though 
 the Long Island hills are not much like our own Palisades." 
 
 Jessie found her key, and ushered him in. None of 
 their bygone friends had yet seen their simple home. It 
 did look pretty, and she was very glad. 
 
 Charlie Westlake could not resist the pleasure of mak- 
 ing himself quite at ease. It had been so in the old Home 
 Nook days. His own elegant home had always suffered 
 by contrast. He liked the air, the geniality, the pleasant 
 interchange of feeling that he had always found among 
 the Ashburtons. 
 
 " Only one misses your mother out of it all," he said, 
 with his bright smile. 
 
 Jessie hardly knew whether it was proper to leave the 
 lovers for an explanation or not. Finally, generosity 
 triumphed over prudence. She went ostensibly to open 
 7
 
 98 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 the windows, and see that nothing had been disturbed 
 Then she cut some fresh flowers and filled the vases, for 
 Philip would soon return. 
 
 She took one in her hand when she went back to the 
 parlor. Madge was in tears, but they were not those of 
 sorrow, for she smiled softly through them. 
 
 "Jessie," and Charlie Westlake rose and came towards 
 hot, " we both have something to tell you, though Madge 
 says she confessed it in part last night. I have always 
 loved her ; it seems to me that you must know that. And 
 when at college I first heard of your loss, I cannot tell how 
 glad I was to think that I could make it up in part to 
 Madge." 
 
 u But you are both so young : " Jessie replied, trembling- 
 ly, shrinking from the responsibility thus thrust upon her. 
 
 "Yes ; but 1 believe I have loved Madge ever since she 
 could walk; so it's no new thing. And I once heard Mrs. 
 Ashburton say that bhe was married before she was seven- 
 teen;" and he smiled archly. "We do not contemplate 
 anything like that, for I have another year in college, and 
 my law studies besides. So Madge can take plenty of 
 time to consider whether she likes me or not." 
 
 "But you may change," Jessie said, suddenly. 
 
 And just then it seemed quite impossible that one so 
 young and inexperienced, exposed to the temptations and 
 fascinations of society, could remain true of heart and 
 purpose. 
 
 " You do not know me at all if you think that, Jessie. 
 If we had all gone on the same as before, I might not 
 have spoken yet a while ; indeed, I never felt how near 
 Madge was to me until the misfortunes came. And then 
 I resolved that I would find you during vacation and tell 
 my story. There are long years of waiting before ua 
 both, Jessie ; but will you not let me be a brother to you 
 in the meanwhile, and prove myself worthy of a place in 
 your dear household ? "
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 99 
 
 No one could distrust that noble and ingenuous face ; 
 and somehow his simple devotion almost brought the tears 
 to Jessie's eyes. 
 
 " It is not for me to decide altogether ; " and she smiled 
 faintly. "Papa, mamma, and your own mother." 
 
 " I met Madge so entirely by accident yesterday that I 
 ipoke in an unguarded moment. I have explained to her 
 that I shall see Mr. and Mrs. Ashburton as soon as possi- 
 ble, and plead my case. I think they will not prove severe 
 in their decision." 
 
 " I fancy that your mother will not like it." 
 
 Jessie spoke with painful hesitation. She remembered 
 too well the cool recognitions which Mrs. Westlake had 
 bestowed upon her. 
 
 Madge started forward. Until this moment she had 
 never considered Mrs. Westlake. 
 
 " I think mother will consent to whatever is important 
 for my happiness as this will be. Of course, the fortune 
 being in my mother's right, I really have no claim upon it, 
 you know ; so I mean to work day and night until I am in 
 a position to care for a wife," he said, proudly. "Do not 
 anticipate trouble so far off;" and he tried to laugh lightly. 
 
 He knew still better than Jessie that there would be 
 long and bitter opposition from this source. He had come 
 home to find the Ashburtons dropped completely from his 
 mother's list. The kind little messages which he had sent 
 so often had never been delivered, and while he had been 
 pleasing himself with various fond fancies, his mother 
 believed that she had made herself understood with the 
 Ashburtons. They had too much pride and delicacy to 
 welcome him with the olden warmth when she had put 
 such a distance between them. 
 
 The subject had not been a happy one between mother 
 and son, yet she trusted to time to eradicate the boyish 
 penchant. And here was his cousin May, an heiress, ready 
 to be won in a year or two. It would be folly to throw 
 one's self away in so foolish a fashion.
 
 100 HOME NOOK, OR 
 
 After the first warm talk about the Ashburtons, she 
 had preserved a discreet silence, but been none the less 
 watchful. That danger should come to him in such an 
 unexpected moment she could hardly foresee. 
 
 And when he found in a five minutes' talk with Madge 
 that the spirit of her family had been entirely misrepre- 
 sented, his indignation brought about the climax that hia 
 mother had striven to avoid, well knowing her son's frank 
 nd chivalrous disposition. And so it had all been done 
 whether for weal or woe the future alone could tell. 
 
 Madge felt very proud of her young lover as he thus 
 stated his determination. Being rather given to hasty 
 romance, she looked forward to a little opposition at first ; 
 but they by their courage and devotion would soon over- 
 come this. She believed in her heart that Mrs. Westlake 
 really loved her; for what else had all the past petting and 
 fondness meant ? And then, because they were poor, the 
 fact did not imply that they were to sink into common- 
 place and vulgarity. 
 
 Jessie was less hopeful. It seemed to her almost like 
 a new trouble coming, before the past was well settled. 
 Would mamma approve ? " 
 
 " Come, thoughtful Jessie," Charlie said, gayly, "I am 
 not going to have you look so sober over it. If Mr. and 
 Mrs. Ashburton decide that Madge and I must be friends 
 merely for the next three years, I shall not demur. I love 
 her and hers too well to add any burden of care or per- 
 plexity to them." 
 
 Somehow she could not help liking and trusting him aa 
 always before. 
 
 The entrance of Philip at this juncture was a relief 
 to all. 
 
 "My dear friend," he exclaimed, grasping Charlie'g 
 hand, " I am delighted to see you. So you have not for 
 gotten old companions ? " 
 
 "Not I. There are too many pleasant memories be 
 tween us, Phil ;" and Charlie colored in spite of himseltl
 
 THE CKOWN OF DUTY. 101 
 
 " The girls have had you so long that I mean to take 
 possession now. I want to hear how you came through 
 though I suppose it was with flying colors." 
 
 " About old Harvard ! It was a fine Commencement. 
 I couldn't help almost envying some of the fellows ; but I 
 shall climb to their height before another year ends. 
 Dear Phil, it is too bad to have you out of the ranks" 
 
 " Only for a while, I hope. I think it will all come 
 round right by and by. Perhaps I shall learn some good 
 lesson by the waiting." 
 
 Leaving the two friends to talk over college times, 
 Madge and Jessie went to prepare a simple supper. 
 Madge's silence and restraint had ended. She could talk 
 quite freely now, and yet her new-found happiness was so 
 strange and sweet a thing that she stood almost in awe 
 of it. 
 
 Jessie had no heart to chide or express the dim fore- 
 bodings that would shadow her soul, even though tem- 
 pered by hope. And then the meal was like a gala 
 episode. 
 
 One thing gave her a great deal of comfort Philip's 
 first announcement had been about papa. 
 
 "He stood the journey splendidly, and really had quite 
 an appetite for his supper. In spite of being tired, there 
 was a bright look about his eyes this morning, and mamma 
 is very much encouraged. The place will be delightful 
 for them. I feel as if we could never be grateful enough 
 to Dr. Conway for interesting himself so much." 
 
 " If he only could get well ! " 
 
 "I think he will now. He may never be so strong 
 again, but we will hope for the best." 
 
 That left the girls quite light-hearted. The meal was 
 the gayest one they had known in a long while. 
 
 And some way Charlie managed to whisper that he 
 should see Mr. and Mrs. Ashburton before long, and ex- 
 plain the whole matter to them, which pleased Jessie very 
 much.
 
 102 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 Philip was more than amazed when the secret was con 
 fided to him, and very incredulous. 
 
 "Fancy my falling in love !" he said, with a laugh. 
 
 " But Charlie only lacks a week or two of being twenty." 
 
 "Madge," began Phil, with a touch of earnestness, 
 M there is a great deal of this work going in the world. 
 Voung men often look upon it as harmless flirting, and 
 trhen they are ready to marry, break their word easily 
 enough. Then, if the girl is made of finer and truer 
 material, she has to suffer long and keenly." 
 
 " I wish you or Jessie would have some faith in Charlie ; " 
 and the tears stood in Madge's eyes. 
 
 u My dear little sister, I am thinking of your welfare. 
 Life is likely to be hard enough with us, and we do not 
 need to take up useless burdens. I am sorry it has hap- 
 pened, but I think mamma's clear and tender eyes will see 
 the path that is likely to have the fewest thorns in it." 
 
 Madge cried herself to sleep that night. Her faith in 
 Charlie Westlake was perfect, aud it made her miserable 
 to have the others misjudge him. 
 
 They had a very quiet household, Philip being away all 
 day. By tacit consent, Madge's affairs were dropped for 
 the present. The two girls were busy, dt first, putting the 
 house in order, and then came a rather lonesome time. 
 Jessie decided that the days would be nice and long for 
 sewing, and began to furbish up some dresses for the 
 coming autumn, amusing Madge by repeating old Mrs. 
 Deane's advice. 
 
 " You certainly have a genius for dress-making, Je&sie, 
 and it may prove a fortunate thing for us all. I wish I 
 knew what my heritage was. I've been thinking over 
 what Nelly said about music. Teaching it is genteel, 
 though I don't like the word. One could do that, and still 
 spend a good deal of time at home. I believe I shall take 
 mine up again in good earnest, though I am afraid that I 
 shall never prove a brilliant success."
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 103 
 
 The fear was not unfounded. While Madge possessed 
 a clear, bird-like voice and a passionate regard for music, 
 she had very little patience with the troublesome details. 
 She was always adding a grace-note in the place of some- 
 thing she could not remember upon the instant, or her 
 time was not quite correct. Perhaps she never tried in 
 good earnest to overcome her waywardness in this respect. 
 
 Now she resolved to practise regularly, and it must be 
 confessed kept strictly to her word, though she found it 
 an immense hardship. Jessie smiled to herself over the 
 persistency. 
 
 "Though I believe I would rather wash dishes and 
 sweep the house," said Madge, laughingly. " A depraved 
 taste, I am ready to admit." 
 
 The letters from mamma were full of encouragement. 
 Mr. Ashburton improved daily, began to take short walks, 
 and could drive without being dependent on others. Mrs. 
 Ashburton hailed all these promises of amendment with 
 the most devout gratitude. 
 
 One day a thick packet came for Madge. She had re- 
 ceived one or two brief notes from Charlie Westlake, 
 detailing his movements, as his mother had decided upon 
 a somewhat extended summer tour. He would have 
 given much for a few lines in return, but he had said that 
 he would not ask the slightest favor until he had found an 
 opportunity to explain all to her mother. 
 
 The warm blood mantled Madge's face as she read. 
 Charlie Westlake had paid them a visit, taking them very 
 much by surprise. Of course they were delighted to see 
 him, and to hear from him a glowing description of the 
 small tea-party which he appeared to have enjoyed so much, 
 although Madge had furnished them with an account also. 
 
 And then came the important confession that he was to 
 make for both. He had stated the case very frankly, 
 admitting that in the beginning he might expect some 
 opposition from his mother. He had pleaded his cause so
 
 104 HOME NOOK, OE 
 
 eloquently that Mr. Ashburton, with whom he was a 
 great favorite, felt inclined to listen, though he could not 
 promise much for the present. Finally, it was decided 
 that if in the course of the next year his feelings should 
 not have changed, they would take the engagement into 
 consideration. 
 
 And then followed the tender counsel and loving care 
 such as a mother only can give. She could not help but 
 regret that this knowledge had come so early to Madge ; 
 yet there might be some hidden grace in it that their eyes 
 were slow to perceive. Her darling must not be hasty or 
 imprudent, and try daily to fit herself for any sphere of 
 life in which her duty seemed to be most apparent. 
 
 ** Dear mamma ! " Madge said with tearful eyes. " Was 
 ever anybody so sweet, and wise, and good? Why, I 
 don't feel a bit disappointed, and it's nothing to bear, since 
 she has faith in Charlie. Why, I could wait seven years, 
 I know, and be happy all the while, with her to comfort 
 me." 
 
 Philip looked a little grave over the decision, but made 
 no comment. 
 
 Eleanor wrote regularly to mamma, but less frequently 
 to the girls. She seemed to be enjoying herself very well, 
 and announced that aunt Waltham had accepted an invi- 
 tation for a fortnight in Boston ; so she would not be 
 home before the middle of September. 
 
 Jessie made up her household accounts in great triumph 
 the last of August. For two months there had been a 
 noticeable decrease in expenses. But then the little hoard 
 had been drawn upon pretty severely already. Philip had 
 insisted on Eleanor being provided with enough to render 
 herself tolerably independent in case of an emergency, 
 and with all the demand, there were but four hundred dol- 
 lars left. 
 
 " Our coal is in," said Jessie, hopefully, " and some pro- 
 visions for winter. Then there are no debts, and we have
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. 105 
 
 enough for our little trip." For Philip had a week's holi- 
 day, and proposed to take the girls up to the Catskills 
 when he went after their parents. 
 
 Two months had been a long separation. Only the 
 urgency of the case, or rather, as Jessie felt, their poverty, 
 could have so prolonged the absence. She was learning 
 many grave lessons that were to stand her in good stead 
 during some dark days yet to come. 
 
 The tour was delightful beyond description, for the two 
 girls had never travelled very far from Home Nook. And 
 then to be pressed to mamma's heart, to see papa looking 
 much improved, if not quite like his olden self, and to 
 feel that the fond family circle was united once more, 
 though two dear faces were missed ! 
 
 " God has been very good to us," Mrs. Ash burton said, 
 as she stood in the twilight with the children. "Do we 
 indeed realize what a friend we have in him ? " 
 
 Jessie met her mother's eyes with a sweet smile. 
 
 Madge was thoughtful a moment, then said, with a 
 bright flush, " I begin to think poverty quite endurable, 
 mamma. I wonder if brave and noble deeds are not made 
 more plain by it."
 
 106 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 ELEANOB. 
 
 were very glad to be at home once more, but life 
 was to be taken up in earnest. The sweet holiday of 
 youth had ended for them all. 
 
 " I feel as if I ought to be learning to do something 
 useful," Madge said, impatiently. 
 
 "You must go to school regularly for the next year," 
 her mother answered. "If it should be necessary for you 
 to help by and by, you might become a teacher." 
 
 "Mamma, I never did and never can like that. I be- 
 lieve I should go crazy. I love children in a certain way, 
 but I would rather dress and amuse, and perhaps take care 
 of them, than to teach them. That will always be my 
 abomination." 
 
 " But it is necessary to know a little more for yourself, if 
 you are never called upon to impart it. You are hardly 
 sixteen, and not as far advanced as Jessie. She proposes 
 to study at home, and I think she will keep pace with 
 you." 
 
 So Madge made her entree at school quite different from 
 the select classes at the Riverside Seminary. But Madge 
 was democratic and social, and soon became a great favor- 
 ite with the girls. 
 
 The grief of the absent Clement at the loss of Home 
 Nook had been deep indeed. He could not understand 
 why this sorrow should come upon them at a time wheu 
 they appeared so peculiarly helpless. 
 
 U I would propose an immediate return," he wrote, "if 
 [ could pee that it would be for the best. If I should
 
 THE CEOWN OF DUTY. 107 
 
 have my health, prosperity is quite certain. In eight or 
 ten years I may make a fortune, at least, enough to buy 
 back Home Nook, and render the remainder of life com' 
 fortable to you and my dear father. At home I should 
 have to run the risk of getting established to my liking, 
 and it would be at considerable present loss. In the 
 mean while, remember that I shall always be ready to as- 
 aist ; and do not therefore keep me in ignorance of any 
 want. But I shall never rest until Home Nook is ours 
 once more." 
 
 " Dear Clement ! " Philip said, in a voice touched with 
 emotion. " He will do so much, while I seem quite help- 
 less." 
 
 "No," returned Jessie; "if you take care of us now, it 
 lifts that much of the burden from him." 
 
 Philip sighed. The reality was so different from one's 
 dreams ! and though it was possible for ant-hills and coral 
 islands to be built grain by grain, a fortune was much 
 more difficult to achieve. 
 
 September had nearly waned when Eleanor returned. 
 She took them somewhat by surprise one pleasant after- 
 noon. Jessie started back in amaze as she answered the 
 door-bell. There stood Nelly and aunt Waltham. 
 
 "O, Nelly!" 
 
 The stately girl bent down and kissed her fair sister. 
 
 " My dear Jessie," exclaimed aunt Waltham graciously. 
 " Are you all well ? Why, you look as fresh and bright 
 as a daisy." 
 
 Jessie ushered them into the simple parlor, and Mr. Ash- 
 burton clasped his long-absent daughter to his heart. 
 
 " Why, how much you have improved ! " said Mrs. 
 Waltham, glancing at her brother, while she clasped her 
 sister-in-law's hand with great cordiality. 
 
 " I am glad to hear you say so ; " and a flush of pleasure 
 crossed his delicate face. 
 
 "I suppose you were hardly expecting us in this uncere
 
 108 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 monious manner. We reached New York this morning, 
 but I had some business on hand which required my im- 
 mediate attention, and then I thought you would hardly 
 need word to prepare yourselves. Nelly is looking won- 
 derfully well is she not?" 
 
 Aunt Waltham uttered this in a rapid breath, and sank 
 down on the sofa in a flutter of lace and ribbons. 
 
 Eleanor colored under the scrutiny. One fond heart 
 noted the change with a pang. She did look well, and 
 there was not only a peculiar brightness about her, but 
 something else as well. The simple, noble Eleanor had 
 merged into a fashionable woman. There was a style and 
 grace in every motion, a peculiar turn of the head, a soft 
 accent of voice, and a power in the eyes, a kind of fire 
 hardly veiled under the languor. What had worked this 
 change contact with the world alone, or had it some 
 subtle, underlying chord ? 
 
 "Of course you will stay," said Jessie, with a half- 
 nervous laugh. "Mamma, how negligent we are! The 
 thought of our visitors has quite overwhelmed us ! Come 
 up stairs and take off your bonnet, aunt Waltham 
 Nelly." 
 
 " If you take mine, Jessie, I shall be obliged. We shall 
 favor you with our company at supper, but you must know 
 that Nelly and I have set up housekeeping on our own ac- 
 count. We went to see a house this morning, and liked 
 it so well that we have decided upon keeping it for the 
 present." 
 
 Eleanor and Jessie went up to the chamber they had 
 once said should be hers. Jessie stood a little in awe of 
 ter elegant sister. 
 
 "It seems as if you had grown taller," she said, merely 
 to break the awkward pause. "And did you have a 
 nice time ? " 
 
 " O, delightful ! Aunt Waltham has been most kind and 
 generous."
 
 THE CROWN OF DITTY. 109 
 
 "But about the house " 
 
 " Aunt Waltham insisted upon it. A furnished house 
 on Fifth Avenue, belonging to some friends of hers who 
 have gone to Europe to-day, and they were anxious that 
 she should take it." 
 
 " How very grand you will be 1 " 
 
 "Aunt Waltham thinks it better under the circum- 
 stances " 
 
 Eleanor paused and flushed. 
 
 "I shall be glad for you to have any happiness v 
 pleasure," said the sweet, tremulous voice. 
 
 Eleanor took off her stylish hat, with its long scarlet 
 plume, and pulled out the glossy waves of her dark huir. 
 There had been a time when she would have frowned on a 
 proposal to call in the hair-dresser's art. But she had 
 resigned herself to the hands of Pauline, her aunt's 
 French maid. 
 
 " So you think papa quite recovered?" she said, rather 
 absently. And Philip " 
 
 " He will be delighted to see you. Yes, the air at Cats- 
 kill seemed to work wonders with papa. We can never 
 be sufficiently thankful." 
 
 " Still, I do not suppose he will ever be well enough to 
 go into business again. And it will be so hard to make 
 another start. What does Clement say ?" 
 
 Clement's letter was in mamma's " box of treasures." 
 Jessie brought it for Eleanor's perusal. 
 
 " O, if he can be successful ! If we ever should hav 
 Home Nook back again 1 " 
 
 "I hope so for papa's sake ;" and Jessie's lip quivered. 
 
 " I hope so for all our sakes. You can hardly realize 
 the difference it would make. When you and Madge 
 grow into womanhood " 
 
 "I do not think of that," returned Jessie, slowly. 
 
 ** The world will force you to, then. It makes a wider 
 difference than you are aware of, Jessie. And unless one
 
 110 HOME NOOK, OR 
 
 is quite willing to relinquish all, there must be many 
 trials." 
 
 " We shall see so little of the world !" 
 
 Eleanor sighed. Jessie's fancies were ever a little 
 wild. She had come to such plain, practical views, she 
 thought. 
 
 Down stairs the conversation progressed rapidly. 
 
 "A house ! " Mr. Ashburton had said. " What fancy it 
 this?" 
 
 " I have taken a furnished house for a few months," Mrs. 
 Waltham answered. " The exigencies of the case seemed 
 to demand it." 
 
 " If you mean that Eleanor ought to have a better home 
 than this," began Mr. Ashburton, much excited, when his 
 sister interrupted him with, 
 
 "My dear brother, pray be calm. I have some explana- 
 tions to make that will place the matter in a proper light. 
 I should have written to you, but one can never do justice 
 to such a subject in a brief letter. In short, Eleanor ia 
 engaged, and I have resolved to do handsomely by the 
 dear girl. I knew you would hardly want the excitement 
 of a marriage here, and I have determined to take upon 
 myself the attendant expenses. Indeed, you shall not say 
 a word it will be a pleasure to me, I assure you." 
 
 Mrs. Waltham uttered this in a rapid breath. 
 
 "Engaged!" echoed Mrs. Ashburton, in consternation. 
 
 "Why, is there anything so remarkable in that? El- 
 eanor is a handsome and attractive girl, and quite old 
 enough to marry." 
 
 "I must see the man who thus lays claim to my 
 daughter's hand," said Mr. Ashburton, almost sharply. 
 
 "O, you will see him, of course. He is quite anxious 
 to ask consent, and all that. I told Eleanor that I would 
 smooth the way for them both. Why, you must remem- 
 ber the Copelands ? An uncle of this Gerald Copeland 
 njed to be in some importing house. His parents are
 
 THE CEOWN OF DUTY. Ill 
 
 dead, but he inherited quite a large fortune from them. 
 It is a very nice match, I am sure, though Eleanor might 
 easily have married a richer man." 
 
 "I must see him before I can decide. I, for one, am not 
 ready to barter away my children." 
 
 "My dear brother, what a foolish fancy! When two 
 young people have fallen in love with each other, and 
 there is nothing, absolutely nothing, to be said against th 
 gentleman, it will not take long to decide. Use your bot 
 ter judgment, I beg of you. Here you are, still a long 
 way from perfect health, with two more girls on your 
 hands, and Philip barely able to keep the house going 1 
 Girls do get married sooner or later, and you ought to be 
 thankful to have her so well settled. I call it a very 
 fortunate opportunity." 
 
 "I must have a talk with Eleanor." 
 
 " She is quite anxious, dear girl. She has been very 
 charming this summer. But I always did say that 
 Eleanor was the flower of the family ; and I am delighted 
 that it is in my power to do so well for her. The Win- 
 throps fairly besieged me to take their house, for they dis- 
 like leaving it alone. Everything seemed to happen so 
 nicely !" 
 
 Mrs. Waltham appeared to be in a glow of delight. 
 Her very amiability roused Mrs. Ashburton to something 
 like distrust. Rising, she excused herself for a few mo- 
 ments. 
 
 Could it be true ? She went slowly up stairs, her heart 
 in a strange tumult. How fast these events came upon 
 uer ! 
 
 "Jessie," she said, quietly, " since you are housekeeper 
 will you see if anything is needed, and send Madge for it 
 when she conies home?" 
 
 Jessie obeyed the behest. 
 
 "My darling child!" and Mrs. Ashburton clasped hel 
 daughter to her heart. " Is it true your aunt's story ?"
 
 112 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 " About my my engagement ? " 
 
 Although Eleanor hesitated, her voice was clear and un 
 trembling, too steady for a girl in her first love-dream. 
 
 "My child, I ought not to have trusted you this whole 
 summer with aunt Waltham. Her powers of persuasion 
 are strong ; her habits of looking at the world with most 
 worldly eyes, and her sophistries are very dangerous to * 
 young and inexperienced mind. As you know well, shb 
 places the fact of what is called a good marriage far above 
 esteem and confidence, and that noble truth, as well as 
 trust, which should be the basis of all such agreements." 
 
 " Mamma," Eleanor said, almost haughtily, " if I had not 
 admired Gerald Copeland, I should not have allowed him 
 the opportunity of speaking. I cannot see that the fact 
 of his having some wealth should go against him. If we 
 were back in the old place, we would hardly suspect an 
 honorable young man of marrying me simply for a possi- 
 ble fortune ; and have you not equal confidence in your 
 own child ? " 
 
 " I should have all confidence in you, Nelly, if I were 
 convinced that you were following the dictates of your 
 heart." 
 
 Mrs. Ashburton tried to read her daughter's eyes, but 
 they were studiously averted. 
 
 " I never was an eager, romantic girl, as you well know. 
 I am nearly twenty-one, and have not yet fallen in love, as 
 the phrase goes. I have never met any man in whom I 
 have become as deeply interested as Gerald Copeland. 
 He is tender, chivalrous, delicate, and loves me truly. I 
 told him the truth, that we had lost our fortune and 
 were poor, and if I had cared little for him before, hii 
 devotion then must have won me. When ycu see him, 
 you will be able to judge better." 
 
 While uttering the latter part of the sentence, Eleanor's 
 voice had deepened to a certain enthusiasm, and a flush 
 warmed her cheek.
 
 THE CBOWN OF DUTY. 113 
 
 "My child, do you love him? Answer me that one 
 question. For to marry without the highest and truest 
 regard is a deep and deadly sin against one's soul. For- 
 tunes may fail, sickness and trouble may come and think 
 how bitter the burden must be without love, which makes 
 the grace of patience and sacrifice." 
 
 " I think it would be my nature to care much more foi 
 my husband than my lover," said Eleanor, steadily. 
 
 " And then are your tastes and beliefs, your thoughts 
 and habits, likely to correspond ? How can you judge in 
 this brief while ? " 
 
 "We have seen a good deal of each other; and then 
 Gerald seemed to take aunt Waltham into his confidence 
 immediately." 
 
 Or, had she attracted him ? Mrs. Ashburton had 
 always held her sister-in-law's manoeuvring in extreme 
 distrust. 
 
 " When did you first meet him ? " 
 
 In July." 
 
 Eleanor was a little ashamed to say the very last of 
 the month. 
 
 "Hardly three months. What can you know of his 
 principles, whether he is to be trusted with so sacred a 
 thing as a woman's life ? " 
 
 "He came well recommended. O mamma!" she went 
 on with sudden earnestness, clasping her slender hands, 
 " our old, quiet life gave us small knowledge of the world. 
 Why, there were girls who envied me every look, every 
 attention, who used their arts and fascinations and you 
 can hardly believe how current, and almost necessary 
 these are in society to win him from my side. Can you 
 not be sure that I held myself above so degrading a strife ? 
 He came to me in the face of all this, sought me out, loved 
 mo, and why should I not make some return ? Is it so 
 poor a thing to have a man's heart laid at your feet ? " 
 
 She looked so beautiful, so purely proud, that hei 
 8
 
 114 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 mother could not help admitting the force of her attrao 
 tions. 
 
 " If, when you see him, you still doubt his affection, 01 
 are unwilling to trust him, and I should feel convinced 
 that my marriage would make you unhappy, I will relin- 
 quish it; though Heaven knows that our future looki 
 bleak enough ! " 
 
 Eleanor shivered, as if a wintry blast had passed over 
 her, in anticipation. 
 
 "My darling, your happiness is all that any of us can 
 desire." 
 
 Mrs. Ashburton turned away to hide her tears. She 
 began to realize how far her child had been estranged 
 from her. Only a year ago, their thoughts and tastes had 
 been in unison, though Eleanor's was not a demonstrative 
 nature. Yet how many hours of sweet and unalloyed 
 happiness they had shared during their pleasant tour of 
 the summer before ! Now there was an impassable barrier, 
 something more subtile than mere coldness. 
 
 "Aunt Waltham will wonder what has become of us," 
 said Eleanor. " And papa will fancy that we are hatching 
 a conspiracy." 
 
 " And I must see to my little housekeeper." 
 
 There was no lingering word of tenderness between 
 them, no clasp of the hand or fond glance of the eye. 
 Eleanor turned in her stately fashion, and Mrs. Ashburton 
 felt positively awed by this queenly daughter. 
 
 Mrs. Waltham meanwhile had taken the opportunity of 
 having a good plain talk, as she termed it, with her broth- 
 er. She had made him feel his helplessness, the injury he 
 had worked his family, and his utter inability to make any 
 restoration. Not that she had been sharp or cross : there 
 is a far more effective manner of carrying weight, of bruis- 
 ing the wounded heart into silence. Then she portrayed 
 the advantage of this connection for Eleanor. 
 
 " The child is too shrinking and sensitive to brave the
 
 THE CKOWN OP DUTY. 115 
 
 ills of poverty. They would wear upon her health and 
 spirits until she sank into a decline; and then you 'would 
 have another helpless, nervous invalid on your hands. I 
 love her too well to see her wasting her young life in vain ; 
 and since this fortunate chance has come to her, it would 
 be folly to allow it to go by unimproved." 
 
 There are many times in life when one yields without 
 being convinced. Mr. Ashburton felt that he could make 
 no headway against his sister's rapid arguments. They 
 spoke to each other in unknown tongues, as it were. He 
 had not the strength to combat her worldly beliefs and 
 prejudices, and so she imagined that she had conquered 
 him, and was glowing and gracious. 
 
 The little supper might have been pronounced a success 
 in truth. Jessie and her mother had made the best of 
 their small means, and Madge cut the last of her darling 
 flowers for bouquets. 
 
 I am not sure but that aunt Waltham's good humor 
 inspired them alL She praised Jessie, and listened with 
 flattering attention to the details of housekeeping, and 
 even had no fault to find with Madge, which was a 
 wonder. 
 
 Philip came in just before their departure. Aunt Wal- 
 tham laughingly told him that she had laid claim to 
 Eleanor, and that he must come and spend his first leisure 
 evening with them. 
 
 " After we are settled, and rested up a little, you will 
 see us frequently," she said. 
 
 They kissed Eleanor a fond good night, and saw he* 
 atep into the waiting carriage. 
 
 ** What is the meaning of it all ? " asked Philip, in sur- 
 prise. "And how Nelly has changed !" 
 
 " Pm sure she is handsomer than ever," declared impul- 
 sive Madge. 
 
 " Yes but I don't know whether you noticed only 
 it seems to me that the old home look has gone out of hef
 
 116 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 face. She is proud and elegant, and has the air of a 
 queen. Perhaps it is the polish of society. But what aie 
 they doing? Has aunt Waltham set up an establish- 
 ment on her own account ? " 
 
 "Come out and have some supper," said his mother, 
 "and I will tell you. We had ours early on their ao 
 count." 
 
 She paused a moment by the side of the lounge on 
 which Mr. Ashburton was lying, and smoothed the thin 
 hair from his pule forehead. 
 
 "I can spare you while I rest," he whispered. "We 
 will have our talk afterwards." 
 
 The three younger ones listened in astonishment. Mrs. 
 Ashburton hardly knew whether it was wise to confide in 
 them thus early, and yet they must soon know the whole 
 story. 
 
 " And so aunt Waltham means to marry Nelly in her 
 own fashion, after the manner of society ! Our Nelly, 
 who used to be so sternly upright and honest ! I used to 
 think her like the pictures of some of the old saints, as 
 pure and unswerving. Must it be, mother ?" 
 
 "My dear Philip, there may be another side to the 
 story. It is hardly fair to prejudge this Mr. Copeland, and 
 it is possible that Eleanor may be strongly attracted 
 towards him. I hardly believe she could resolve, upon a 
 three months' acquaintance, to marry a man whom she did 
 not like." 
 
 " Mother, there are some very bitter "temptations to pov- 
 erty, after all," said Philip, gravely, remembering Eleanor's 
 shrinking distaste to their present surroundings. 
 
 " I cannot think any child of mine would barter the 
 birthright of truth and honor for a mess of pottage," she 
 replied. 
 
 "O, she must, she does love him," said Madge, warmly, 
 for she experienced a strange, sudden thrill of sympathy 
 with her elder sister. " Only, she is so so differentl " and
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 117 
 
 Madge flushed. " She never did talk much about herself, 
 you know." 
 
 " But she has changed," persisted Philip. " She has the 
 air of a haughty, fashionable woman ; and what if her heart 
 has already grown cold ! For it seems to me that failing 
 in any high and noble purpose, Eleanor will be very 
 worldly indeed." 
 
 u We can only trust her to God," Mrs. Ashburton said, 
 tremulously. 
 
 " And I wonder if we trust God enough," Jessie began, 
 slowly. " I was thinking, while I was up at Hetty Bright's, 
 that perhaps we were straying away. Nothing seems as it 
 did at dear old Home Nook." 
 
 Philip sighed, and pushed back his chair. 
 
 " Of all bitter things in this world, the sin of marrying 
 for money is the worst." 
 
 "But as mamma says, we must not judge Nelly too 
 soon," spoke up fond Madge. 
 
 The two girls washed their dishes afterwards, and dis- 
 cussed the supper. 
 
 "I believe I really do like aunt Waltham," confessed 
 Madge ; " and somehow I cannot see how Nelly ever would 
 get along with poverty. She doesn't seem at all adapted 
 to it." 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Ashburton had a long confidential talk in 
 the quiet of their chamber. Yet could they stem the tide 
 if Eleanor was resolved ? 
 
 "If I could only read her heart," moaned the mother 
 " If I could fathom her motives, and know that they were 
 pure. Ah Heaven, why is it a sealed book to me ? " 
 
 And thus we sometimes question God.
 
 118 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 DBHTING WITH THE TIDE. 
 
 MBS. WALTHAM had resol'/ed that nothing should in 
 terfere with her plans. It appeared to her so much more 
 desirable that Eleanor should marry well before she was 
 at all faded, or had lowered herself to any of the employ- 
 ments suitable for women. 
 
 She was a most skilful manager. At first she made 
 Eleanor's sojourn at Newport simply delightful and free 
 from embarrassment. That the young girl understood why 
 she had been brought thither, and why she was treated 
 with such consideration, was most true, though no word on 
 the subject had passed mint Waltham's lips. 
 
 For a month Eleanor's soul was in the wildest chaos, 
 though no one would have suspected it. The beautiful face 
 kept itself calm amid contending emotions, and the steady 
 eyes never wavered, though the tides surged high within. 
 Other women, as delicate and refined, looked upon matri- 
 mony as the great resource of their otherwise fruitless 
 lives. Here were brilliant and apparently contented women 
 who had not idealized marriage, but taken the best that 
 opportunity brought them, or that they could wrest from 
 the hands of fate. And though Eleanor's soul revolted at 
 the thought of a mere mercenary bargain, it also shrank from 
 the other distasteful life poverty. Mrs. Waltham lost 
 no chance of setting its ills before her. 
 
 In this state she met Gerald Copeland, a young man of 
 six and twenty, rather fine looking, well educated, agreeable, 
 and possessing a certain winsomeness that made him ex- 
 tremely entertaining to ladies. He liked Eleanor, and
 
 THE CKOWN OF DUTY. 119 
 
 drifted into something that he called a flirtation. He 
 could not exactly remember how he had come to "make 
 love to her," but it was after a peculiar talk with Mrs, 
 Waltham, in which she declared that Eleanor was like a 
 3 slighter to her; and after a brief mention of the family 
 jiisfortunes as she was quite confident that he had heard 
 of them she incidentally let slip the fact that all she pos- 
 sessed would eventually go to Eleanor. 
 
 Gerald Copeland considered seriously, and decided that 
 he could not do better. So he glided on and on, Eleanor's 
 reserve being very charming to him, until he had spoken. 
 
 Eleanor Ashburton gave a great, frightened gasp at this. 
 There was nothing about him that positively displeased 
 her, and much that attracted. Perhaps she would never 
 be desperately in love. 
 
 " But I want you to know one thing," she said, hurriedly. 
 " Our fortune has been swept away, and I am poor. If " 
 
 Gerald Copeland would have been the last man to 
 admit the faintest suspicion of fortune-hunting, though I 
 doubt if he would have spoken but for Mrs. Waltham's 
 assurance. 
 
 He answered in a most tender and chivalrous speech. 
 Eleanor took her duty upon her sacredly. She meant to 
 love this man, to study his comfort and pleasure, to be 
 worthy of his devotion. 
 
 If she made a little sacrifice of herself, it was for the 
 others, she said. She would have a pleasant home to 
 which she could invite them ; she could restore Jessie 
 and Madge to somewhat of their olden position, and pro- 
 vide her father with many luxuries that he must necessarily 
 miss in his narrow life. It would relieve Philip and 
 Clement of a great burden in thus providing even partially 
 for the rest. And so she exalted her deed to an act of 
 heroism, thereby looking upon it with a peculiar compla- 
 cency. 
 
 There was a tendency to the strict letter of the law in
 
 120 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 Eleanor's nature, .1 rigid adherence to any mode of conduct 
 that she determined in her own mind was right. And 
 during the month of her engagement she fulfilled every 
 duty so perfectly, that she convinced herself of a certain 
 degree of affection. 
 
 I do not think she could have brought herself to the 
 point of marrying a man whom she did not esteem, and 
 who was not agreeable to her. Feeling that Gerald's 
 heart was warmly enlisted in his suit, she would have con- 
 sidered it most dishonorable to draw back. And though 
 she had dreaded the meeting with her parents, she felt, 
 with aunt Waltham, that it could not take place too soon. 
 
 She leaned back in the carriage languidly after she had 
 uttered her farewell. 
 
 " So that trouble is ended," exclaimed Mrs. Waltham. 
 " You were over-sensitive about it, my dear Nelly. It is 
 natural, to be sure, that parents should experience some 
 hesitation at giving their children into the keeping of 
 others ; but your father takes a very reasonable view of the 
 matter. They will be quite charmed with Mr. Copeland, 
 I know." 
 
 Eleanor was not in a talkative mood. It rather jarred 
 on her feelings to think that her lover must be apologized 
 for by a third person. 
 
 She found a lovely bouquet and a brief note awaiting 
 her, and retired to her room quite convinced that she did 
 love Gerald Copeland. 
 
 Two days later, the carriage was sent for Mr. and Mrs. 
 Ashburton. Mrs. Waltham and her niece had become 
 quite domesticated in their new abode. Indeed, Eleanor 
 felt much more at home amid this elegance than in the 
 humble abode of her father. She was cheerful and at ease, 
 and to Mr. Ashburton appeared really happy. 
 
 Before supper, Mr. Copeland made his appearance and 
 was duly presented a bright, genial fellow, who soon 
 rendered himself agreeable to Mrs. Ashburton, and BUG-
 
 THE CEOWN OP DUTY. 121 
 
 seeded in disarming her prejudices, for it must be admitted 
 that she had some. 
 
 However, Mrs. Waltham carried her away presently. 
 "You like him," she began with a little exultation. "I 
 knew you could not help it. His gayety is just what 
 Eleanor needs, for she has a tendency to over-seriousness, 
 lie spoke to me to-day about the marriage." 
 
 "Not so soon ! Why, I understood Eleanor that they 
 Lad been engaged barely a month," exclaimed Mrs. Ash- 
 burton, in dismay. 
 
 " He has all an ardent lover's impatience. It is better, 
 of course, that she should be married here, as there is an 
 abundance of room, and it is more convenient on many 
 accounts. I think they will go to Europe." 
 
 Was she to be shut out of her child's confidence in this 
 matter of arrangements, to hear only at the last, when 
 everything had been decided upon? 
 
 " I shall give Eleanor her bridal outfit. I am sure that 
 I would make any sacrifice, cheerfully, for the dear girl's 
 sake." 
 
 "I am not persuaded but that it would be better to have 
 everything plainer and more in keeping with our station," 
 suggested Mrs. Ashburton. 
 
 " It would be folly, since she is going to marry quite 
 out of your station;" with the least emphasis in the world. 
 "You know so little of these things, Margaret ! Mr. Cope- 
 land's friends move among the first circles, and I certainly 
 should not want to mortify him at such a time." 
 
 Mrs. Ashburton was silenced. She felt really broken in 
 spirit, and there was still a slight misgiving concerning 
 Eleanor, who accepted all the facts so calmly. 
 
 " I suppose it will be about the last of November. That 
 will give them time to get to Paris by the New Year. 
 Nelly will be sure to create a sensation. I should like to 
 witness her triumphs." 
 And so Mrs. Waltham went on with her worldly com
 
 122 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 monplaces, until Mrs. Ashburton began to show signs of 
 weariness. Not a moment could she find alone with her 
 child, for when they returned to the drawing-room, the 
 conference between the gentlemen was at an end, and the 
 conversation took a general turn. 
 
 "You will come to-morrow ? " Mrs. Ashburton said, with 
 her good by. " Remember that we have hardly seen you." 
 
 " I feel that we ought to know more about this young 
 Copeland before Eleanor's destiny is forever decided," Mr. 
 Ashburton said to his wife when they were alone. " He 
 was brought up by an uncle, it seems, from whom he has 
 inherited a fortune; and so far his life has been a mere 
 pleasure existence. He appears amiable and honorable, 
 and I believe that ho really loves Nelly; but still I am 
 not content. I cannot imagine her making a merely fash- 
 ionable woman. I used to fancy that she had such a 
 strong, clear soul, and would need a higher, finer mind to 
 mate with." 
 
 " I have a strange fear myself that I cannot shake off 
 Are we growing unjustly suspicious?" 
 
 "It is a hard trial, added to our losses. If she should 
 be sacrificed ! " 
 
 Mrs. Ashburton clasped her husband's hands in silence. 
 Could they hinder? 
 
 They would soon have found fate too strong for them if 
 they had tried. Aunt Waltham had everything her own 
 way. Nelly came home, to be sure, and was tenderly 
 gracious, but not even her mother could surmount the 
 barrier between them. The younger members of the 
 family espoused Mr. Copeland, and he wns quite brotherly 
 to Madge and Jessie. And so the wedding preparations 
 went on, with the delightful tour in prospective. Many a 
 girl envied Eleanor Ashburton. Indeed, the world ap- 
 peared rather brilliant, seen through this glamour. 
 
 She had come to understand that her parents did look 
 upon matters in a different light, in a less practical way.
 
 THE CBOWN OF DUTY. 123 
 
 For she had no trust in God's overruling providence. She 
 would have been shocked had any one told her this, for 
 she still kept to the outward semblance of her childhood's 
 faith. But when she saw her father deprived of health 
 and prosperity at one blow, and could find no mistake 
 or omission in his life that seemed to call for so severe a 
 punishment, she did consider the judgment unjust. As aunt 
 Waltham said, they might sit and wait forever for good 
 fortune ; the only way to attain it would be by using the 
 best materials at her command. And this marriage was 
 one opening, she thought. It would seem to pave a way 
 for the rest, or, if the worst came, if her father never 
 should recover, she would have a home, a place of refuge 
 for them all. 
 
 The question of marriage was not a purely selfish one 
 with her. If it had been simply for personal ease and 
 comfort, she might have seen the thin disguise, and been 
 warned in time. 
 
 November drew nigh, ushered in by a fresh access of 
 business and interest. The Copeland relatives and there 
 were some very stylish cousins took up Eleanor with 
 great warmth and fervor. The bridal outfit was purchased, 
 some elegant presents sent in, and the affair promised to 
 be very brilliant. Aunt Waltham was in her glory. 
 
 At last the important day arrived. Jessie and a hand- 
 some Miss Copeland were bridesmaids. The bride was 
 stately and magnificent in her rich white silk and gossamer 
 laces ; there was a crowd to witness the ceremony, a throng 
 of fashionable calls for the next two hours, hurried fare- 
 wells, interspersed with tender kisses, and Eleanor Cope- 
 land bade adieu to the old life. 
 
 Philip, Jessie, Madge, and aunt Waltham went down to 
 the wharf with the party, and watched until the steamer 
 slipped out of her moorings. There was Nelly, pale anl 
 calm, with a strange, questioning wisttulness in her eyes. 
 She would be back by another midsummer, of coursa 
 But, O, would they all be the same ?
 
 124 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 " It seems so hard ! " sobbed tender-hearted Madge 
 " And if Nelly should not be happy " 
 
 "Don't talk so senselessly," said aunt Waltham, sharply. 
 "Nelly has more wisdom than all the rest of you together." 
 
 Philip was silent. He could not help remembering the 
 misgivings with which they hud assented to this marriage. 
 And yet Mr. Copeland was an attractive young man. A 
 trifle gay, one and another had said ; but young men of 
 leisure and fashion rarely escape this reputation. What 
 was it that had given them this slight, intangible fear? 
 
 Perhaps they all felt that he was not Nelly's equal in 
 the higher intellectual qualities, and that she would soon 
 weary of a purely fashionable and material life. And when 
 the awakening came what then ? 
 
 Quite a number of guests accepted Mrs. Waltham's in- 
 vitation to remain and dine with her, but Mr. Ashburton 
 was too weary ; so he and his wife returned home. Mrs. 
 Waltham determined to make the most of her festivities, 
 and entertain her friends handsomely, as a continuation of 
 the bridal feast. Now and then a word of praise was 
 dropped in her cup. " So generous to her brother's family! 
 What would Miss Ashburton have done without such a 
 friend ? " 
 
 ** I have always loved the dear girl," she made answer, 
 complacently. " If my brother's mind had not been so 
 shattered at the time of his misfortune, it would have been 
 quite different with them all;" and she sighed amiably. 
 
 She fancied that she had performed a very noble action. 
 It did impoverish her somewhat ; and yet Eleanor would 
 have been deeply humiliated had she known the many 
 stratagems that had been used in her behalf. Mrs. Wal- 
 tbam had such a charming, winsome manner, that she not 
 only persuaded people to her way of thinking, but actually 
 made them believe certain plans their own, so that it ren- 
 dered a non-fulfilment of them almost impossible. 
 
 After the guests had gone and the lights were out, she 
 retired to her own room with a satisfied conscience.
 
 THE CBOWN OP DUTY. 125 
 
 "I have done the best I could for them," she said, "and 
 now they must look out for themselves. Poverty will 
 not make so much difference to Jessie and Madge." 
 
 The "children " had returned quite early. They found 
 their father on the sofa, and their mother reading aloud to 
 him. 
 
 "O, dear!" ejaculated Madge; "what a solemn feeling 
 seems to haunt us all ! as if it had been a funeral, rathe\ 
 than a happy wedding. Do you think, Nelly " 
 
 There was a glitter of tears in the bright eyes, and thf 
 voice paused in a quiver. 
 
 "Nelly always looks the same," said Jessie, gravely. 
 " She is quiet and composed, and I am sure she did not 
 appear unhappy." 
 
 " Only there was something in her eyes just at the last 
 as if she longed to come back to us." 
 
 And then Madge fell into a reverie. What if it were 
 she, instead ? Ah ! could any one be quite glad to go out 
 of the old home-nest ? 
 
 "We will never forget to pray for her welfare," said Mr. 
 Ashburton; and certainly the petitions ascending that 
 night from fond hearts were deeply imbued with love and 
 fervor. 
 
 The tide swept them all back to common life again. 
 The old, uneventful round. Philip at his store, Madge 
 going to school, Jessie with her housewifely tasks, and Mr. 
 Ashburton sometimes quite strong again, then feeble and 
 depressed. Letters from ambitious Clement, full of hope 
 and vigor; from Eleanor, who was seeing the old world 
 with keenest pleasure and satisfaction. Always something 
 about Gerald, his generosity and indulgence, his kind care 
 and desire to make her happy. 
 
 Aunt Waltham had gone to New Orleans to spend the 
 winter. One or two old friends came from Riverside to 
 make them a visit, and now and then a good long letter 
 from Mrs. Rachel Dormer to Jessie.
 
 126 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 When the spring business began to open, Mr. Ashbnrtoi 
 succeeded in obtaining a situation. His health was very 
 much broken, and his faculties appeared to have suffered 
 somewhat, especially memory, and the readiness that had 
 once characterized him. But they were all thankful for 
 this amendment. 
 
 Nelly did not come home at midsummer. They had 
 epent most of the winter in Paris, and there were so many 
 places yet to visit ! So long as she appeared content, they 
 did not feel inclined to perplex themselves or her with 
 vain questions. 
 
 Charlie Westlake graduated with honors. He sent a 
 newspaper account for Madge's perusal, which delighted 
 her exceedingly. A few days after, a letter came to Mrs. 
 Ashburton in the familiar hand. It was a delicate expla- 
 nation of his absence, with all his boyish eagerness and 
 quick sense of disappointment. His mother and cousin 
 had attended the Commencement, and were wonderfully 
 well pleased with his success. But they had also come 
 prepared for their summer tour, which was to be through 
 the Lakes, and as far west as Minnesota. He hoped to 
 return by September, however. 
 
 They all went up to Catskill for a week, enjoying the 
 change of air, and the wild, beautiful mountains. Jessie 
 and Mrs. Ashburton spent a few days with Mrs. Downer 
 and one or two other friends. It seemed as if nothing 
 changed at Riverside, save the growing out of memory 
 that one always experiences to some extent. 
 
 Madge waited and hoped. Her nature was so buoyant 
 and her trust so perfect, that the few weeks' delay was as 
 nothing to her, since she had her bright dreams for solace. 
 
 He dropped in one day when they were least expecting 
 him, but he was welcomed warmly, nevertheless. It had 
 become a rare pleasure to meet cordial old friends. 
 
 Madge glanced up at him, and remarked an inexplicable 
 change. The year had done a great deal for him.
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 12" 
 
 And yet this change was not merely the outgrowth of 
 boyhood, though that had been marked. He was tall 
 now, rather above the average height, and the old frank 
 gayety was fast blossoming into steadfastness. The eyes 
 had taken a deeper and more direct tone, the lines about 
 the mouth grown into firmness. A face full of promise, 
 one would have said, indicating a soul that would work its 
 way up to grander heights. It seemed now as if a noble 
 and honorable manhood stretched before him, bright with 
 the sunshine of promise. 
 
 Something of this she understood in her girlish, wonder- 
 ing way, but there was a deeper mystery behind it all. 
 
 He pleaded very urgently for an engagement. 
 
 "I am sure you might trust me now, Mrs. Ashburton," 
 he said, with his frank, impulsive daring. " Not once has 
 Madge been out of my mind the whole year. And if I 
 served seven years for her, it would be just the same." 
 
 " You are still so young ! " 
 
 " But Madge is seventeen." 
 
 " I shall never change my mind, mamma, if you mean 
 that," responded Madge, with a bright flush. 
 
 " It is not altogether that," was the grave answer. " If 
 you are both true in soul, the fact of being simply friends 
 a little longer will not injure your confidence in each other. 
 Then Charlie still has much to do, and perhaps had better 
 not take upon himself quite so engrossing a claim. But 
 my greatest reason for all is, that I think Mrs. Westlake 
 will not be pleased." 
 
 Madge and Charlie glanced at each other. 
 
 ** But Madge used to be a great favorite with mother." 
 
 "Circumstances have changed," Mrs. Ashburton said, 
 gravely. 
 
 " I know what you mean, dear Mrs. Ashburton ; " and 
 Charlie flushed warmly. " There is a great deal of honor 
 paid to wealth in this world, even among the best of us. 
 I do not mean to despise it, for it is the source of many
 
 128 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 pleasures, much refinement, culture, and advantages that 
 one cannot otherwise have. But a man, if he have any 
 spirh or ambition, can make his way in the world, which I 
 mean to do." 
 
 Madge rewarded this resolve with a bright smile. 
 
 "Mother cannot quite understand how one is able to 
 letain the graces and refinements of a higher life, in con- 
 tact with toil and the practice of economy. She has never 
 known anything of it. And it would frighten her if she 
 thought I meant to take up a poor man's life " 
 
 "And marry a poor woman ! " Mrs. Ashburton appended, 
 in her sweetest tone. " Yet it seems to me the case rests 
 just here. If I allowed you and Madge to enter into a 
 secret engagement, your mother might say, with some 
 show of reason, that we had unduly influenced you at the 
 most susceptible period of your life. And unless you are 
 willing to confess it, I think you had better wait. I have 
 a mother's tender pride in not desiring to have Madge 
 unjustly blamed." 
 
 Charlie was silent for several moments, but the wish and 
 perplexity settled at last into a brave, resolute expression. 
 
 "You are right, Mrs. Ashburton," he returned, slowly. 
 "I mean to study law, and I hope to distinguish myself; 
 but it would not be just to mother to keep my other pur- 
 pose from her. I shall dare all.''' 
 
 " Consider first. Suppose your mother should insist upon 
 choosing between Madge and all further assistance from 
 her?" 
 
 " O, it couldn't come to that. And I have a little money 
 of my own ; enough to help me through. But in every- 
 thing I should keep to Madge, my darling." 
 
 The young girl met the eloquent eyes with a glance a* 
 fervent. 
 
 " I sincerely hope that your love will make no lasting 
 breach between you and your mother. I should be sorry 
 for Madge to go to any home where she was not warmly 
 welcomed."
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 129 
 
 "The best way is to confess it at once. I think ray 
 mother will say that I am too immature to form so impor- 
 tant an engagement, and beg me to wait. In that case, 
 may I come occasionally as a friend ? " 
 
 It was very hard to refuse the eager pleader, with Madge 
 beseeching eyes upon her. 
 
 " I can hardly deny you that," she answered, yet with a 
 certain hesitation. 
 
 u Since nothing can take away from Madge the conscious- 
 ness of my love, I will be content. I hope, in a brief 
 while, to be able to settle the perplexities." 
 
 And thus the young lovers parted, in a manner not 
 altogether satisfactory to either. 
 
 "But I think the tangle will be resolved by patient 
 hearts and fingers," said Madge. "It may be the one 
 lesson that I need." 
 
 Mrs. Ashburton sighed a little in secret. While under 
 some circumstances she might have felt pleased at this 
 preference for they all liked Charlie Westlake it 
 seemed fraught with many perplexities at present. Was 
 it quite fair and honorable to hold him even by this tacit 
 bond, slight as it was ? For Mrs. Westlake was a haughty 
 woman, and would hardly welcome a daughter-in-law 
 dowered by poverty. 
 
 But she took this case to the throne of grace, whither 
 she bore all her burdens. God in his wisdom had allowed 
 it to come to pass, and he would open some path to the sure 
 and right termination. 
 
 Early in the autumn they were shocked by the tiding*! 
 of aunt Waltham's sudden death. She had been com- 
 plaining of some trifling ailments for a month or two, 
 which had at last taken a serious turn, though no one had 
 considered her so near her end. The body was brought 
 home to be interred in Greenwood. 
 
 "The providences of God are strange indeed," said Mr. 
 Ashburton. " That I should have lived through BO much 
 9
 
 130 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 and though a wreck, still be spared, and sister Waltham 
 taken in the midst of health and energy!" 
 
 But Jessie crept closer to her father, and slipped het 
 soft hand in his. 
 
 "We are all glad to have you," she murmured. 
 
 After aunt Waltham's burial, her will was read. Shortly 
 after her brother's losses, she had invested her fortune in an 
 annuity, which brought her in a handsome allowance, but, 
 of course, ended with her. Besides this, she had about a 
 thousand dollars, which, with an elegant set of diamonds 
 and some beautiful laces, went to Eleanor, while her clothes 
 were left to Madge and Jessie. But in this respect she 
 had been very economical. As soon as a garment be- 
 came passee, she disposed of it to some convenient second- 
 hand dealer, and was rarely encumbered with a great 
 stock. 
 
 The busy, scheming brain was now at rest. So earnest 
 and untiring in her care for the enjoyment and opinion of 
 this world what had she done for the next? For what 
 had she been fitting herself these long years ? Jessie trem- 
 bled a little at the solemn thoughts that would find their 
 way into her soul. 
 
 Eleanor and Gerald had decided to spend the winter 
 at Florence, and thither her small fortune was despatched, 
 at her request. And towards spring they heard that a lit- 
 tle daughter had been born to Eleanor. 
 
 They might have heard something else if they had 
 mingled much in the fashionable world. That Gerald 
 Copeland was rapidly dissipating his inheritance, and had 
 become an habitual frequenter of gambling saloons, with 
 all their continental excitements and allurements. Mam- 
 mas who had courted him for their daughters openly 
 pitied that poor Miss Ashburton, while they could not 
 quite forgive her triumph. 
 
 But the Ashburtons guessed nothing of this in their quiet 
 live*. Eleanor's letters had become a great treat to them
 
 THE CEOWN OF DUTY. 131 
 
 Her description of places, people, and the treasures of art 
 were wonderfully vivid and entertaining. 
 
 "It is almost like seeing it ourselves," said Madge. 
 "After all, I fancy the right thing did happen to Nelly. 
 She must enjoy that kind of elegant life so much, and W 
 must admit that it is nice to be rich." 
 
 But Nelly's heart was never on veiled-
 
 132 HOME NOOK, On 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 AMONG THOEW9. 
 
 Tine Ashburtons began to consider themselves quit* 
 prosperous. Philip's salary had been raised, and this, with 
 Mr. Ashburton's assistance, rendered them for the present 
 independent of Clement. Madge proved a bright, quick 
 scholar, and would graduate in another year. Jessie and 
 her mother attended to the household, and found many 
 pleasures and comforts in the homely every-day living. 
 
 " If Madge," or " if Charlie," they sometimes said to one 
 another, pausing with a fluttering underbreath. For he 
 had not found courage to confess, or circumstances had 
 been against him. There was a journey to Charleston to 
 see a relative, and some discussion as to where he should 
 begin his law studies. Mrs. Westlake knew her strongest 
 ally was temporizing. She would not let her son come to 
 a full explanation. 
 
 From thence they went to Florida on his cousin's ac- 
 count. It was all very pleasant, and he with his youth 
 could not help enjoying it. He wrote occasionally to Mrs. 
 Ashburton, knowing that she could not refuse Madge a 
 sight of the precious epistles, but he never asked for 
 answers. 
 
 The rent of their house, which had been low in the be- 
 ginning, was raised fifty dollars. 
 
 " It seems to me that we are paying all that we can 
 afford," said Jessie. 
 
 " Well, you might look around a little," remarked Philip. 
 "But small houses are fast, becoming a rarity in the city 
 and it is best not to give up this until we have one in 
 view.**
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 133 
 
 Very prudent advice they found it. After hunting 
 houses pretty steadily for a fortnight, they relinquished the 
 distasteful business. 
 
 " There is nothing like this to be had for four hundred 
 even," said Jessie. "And to go in a house with a 
 family " 
 
 "No," interrupted Mrs. Ashburton. "I could not do 
 that unless the necessity was urgent." 
 
 "And then the expense of moving! " 
 
 "Yes. It would cost us fifty dollars before we could 
 get settled again." 
 
 So the house was taken for another year. 
 
 Then the firm in whose employ Philip had hoped to go 
 on steadily, met with several heavy losses in quick succes- 
 sion, and was at last forced to succumb. Business was very 
 dull. It was early in our national troubles, when men be- 
 gan to question each other with apprehensive eyes, not 
 daring to put all their thoughts into words. 
 
 Poor Philip! The search was most disheartening. 
 Days, weeks two months at last. 
 
 " I am sorely tempted to go to the war," he said to 
 Jessie, one evening. " The country has a claim first upon 
 the young and strong." 
 
 " But to leave us ! " faltered Jessie. 
 
 "Would it not be better than idling away my time? 
 There are a dozen men for every place, and the country 
 calls for help. My heart smites me every day, Jessie." 
 
 " But papa clings to you so, and it seems to me that he 
 is hardly as strong as a year ago." 
 
 " Yet what am I to do ? " and Philip sighed. 
 
 A double answer came : first a situation, with a salary 
 somewhat higher than he had received before ; and then a 
 letter from Clement enclosing a draft. 
 
 A long, kind, brotherly epistle. Clement was not un- 
 mindful of the grand struggle going on in his beloved 
 country.
 
 134 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 M Since I cannot serve my native land, and you appeal 
 to be the prop of our once happy home, whose member* 
 will be left top defenceless and helpless by your absence, I 
 send you a sum wherewith to purchase substitutes for us 
 both. This appears only right and just, I think. Others 
 are laying their lives upon the altar, and we whom circum 
 stances prevent, should not be backward in doing our duty 
 through some other channel. I feel as if I wanted to be 
 represented, and you who are so precious to them all at 
 home must remain, and send another to become your 
 champion." 
 
 There was much more that touched Philip to the heart 
 as he read. 
 
 " What a dear, noble fellow ! " exclaimed Madge. " I am 
 glad to have him think of that. And it does seem right." 
 
 "What are you thinking of, mamma?" asked Jessie, 
 watching the fluttering lights in the fair face. 
 
 " I was rejoicing inwardly with Madge. At times I have 
 felt a little afraid that Clement, in his earnest and almost 
 impatient desire to recover our lost home, would lose sight 
 of some of the higher duties of life. But to see him thus 
 thoughtful of needs besides his own, is a great comfort to 
 me." 
 
 " O, mamma ! As if Clement could ever be anything but 
 noble ! " exclaimed Madge. 
 
 "My dear, there are temptations everywhere. Are we 
 not all commanded to watch and pray ? " 
 
 Philip's soul and conscience were at rest after he had 
 obeyed Clement's bidding. And then he began to watch 
 his father more narrowly than before. How the face and 
 figure had changed ! The shoulders were bent a little, 
 the cheeks thin and rather sunken, the hair and beard fast 
 turning silvery white. But there was something that he 
 had not remarked before. A kind of hesitancy, coupled 
 with an almost painful watchfulness, as if he were listening 
 for a sound that he might not readily understand, or the
 
 THE CBOWN OF DUTY. 185 
 
 coming of a dreaded visitant. Had there leen an uncon- 
 fessed symptom of paralysis ? 
 
 In this anxiety, Philip had recourse to Dr. Oonway 
 once more. 
 
 " He is considerably worn and shattered, but I see no 
 cause for apprehension," was the doctor's verdict. " Truth 
 to tell, he is not able to endure the fatigues of business. 
 He needs a holiday." 
 
 " And he shall have it," said Philip, with a swelling 
 heart. 
 
 He took Madge and Jessie into council. If, when the 
 warm weather came, they could persuade both parents to 
 take a pleasant trip somewhere among country scenes, 
 where peace and rest forever brooded in the air, and every 
 breath brought new life ! 
 
 "It is too hard to have him work at all!" said Philip. 
 " If he would be content to give up entirely ! " 
 
 They pressed each other's hands in silence. Poverty 
 was no romance with them, but a bitter, actual fact. They 
 felt it most keenly for their father's sake. They were 
 young, and could face it sturdily, bear all the deprivations, 
 for they had not taken such firm root among the graces 
 and appliances of wealth. 
 
 Philip considered a long while how best to broach the 
 subject to his father. The idea of a two months' vacation 
 might startle him ; and then again, if the situation had to 
 be filled would he be willing to go? 
 
 These perplexities soon came to an end. The holiday 
 was proffered without any asking, only it was final. 
 
 He came home early one March afternoon, his face more 
 wan than ever, and the soft eyes full of despair. Jessie 
 was alone. Madge had persuaded her mother into taking 
 a ramble around the Park. 
 
 "O, papal Are you ill?" and Jessie's tender anni 
 were about him, her warm cheek against his. 
 
 " No, my darling."
 
 136 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 There was a curious calmness in his tone, though ht 
 Was trembling in every limb. 
 
 "But you are home sooner than usual ! n 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 There was a faint sinking of the lines about the mouth, 
 a half-fearful expression as if some blow had been struck, 
 and he apprehended another. 
 
 She stood looking at him, mutely questioning him with 
 her fond eyes. 
 
 " I have been discharged, Jessie; " with a little cry, as if 
 the pain went deep. 
 
 " O, papa ! That is not so very hard to bear." 
 
 The comforting voice was low and untrembling, the 
 scarlet lips parting to a half smile. 
 
 "That is not all, Jessie. There was a mistake I don't 
 know how I could have made it I go over things so 
 many times ; " in a weary tone. " But Mr. Evans was 
 angry. You can hardly understand, my darling, how it 
 seems to have a man much younger, and your inferior in 
 every way, a kind of coarse, grudging nature, glad to find 
 fault on the slightest pretext, placed over you as master, 
 and to bear petty sneers and pompous commands. And 
 though I answered mildly, it was nothing against the 
 torrent." 
 
 " Forget all about it, papa. Philip has been planning 
 something a pleasure, and this just conies in right." 
 
 "But you don't know" clasping his thin fingers to- 
 gether "you don't know all. That was this morning; 
 and I have been trying ever since to find some em- 
 ployment. They think me old and incapable ; I see it in 
 every one's face." 
 
 His pale lips twitched convulsively, and a tear dropped 
 on the carpet. 
 
 "You need a little rest; Philip said so. And then 1 
 think it will all come right. Dear papa, let us trust " 
 
 " It is so hard when one is unfortunate."
 
 THE CEOWN OP DUTY. 137 
 
 " And that is just the time." 
 
 "If there was no one if I could be spared but it 
 seems as if the time had not quite come yet. I wanted 
 Clement to be tolerably free of burdens for a few years, 
 since he has taken the one high task upon himself." 
 
 Something strange and awesome seemed to find entrance 
 in Jessie's brain. This Home Nook, so dear and precious, 
 was a kind of promised land to them here in the wilder- 
 ness. They were all striving, and hoping, and praying 
 but what if God meant they should never possess it again ? 
 She grew cold with a painful apprehension. It was the 
 first time she had ever thought of the improbability. 
 
 " Papa," she said, in a low tone, " all we can do is to 
 trust God. He never will forsake us." 
 
 "True, my darling." 
 
 And then Mr. Ashburton was silent. It was more diffi 
 cult to trust in adversity. One could not help asking why 
 one must be stricken so sorely, rendered so helpless! 
 
 He made several efforts after this, but with no success. 
 Business was very dull at least, anything that he 
 could do. 
 
 Philip gained consent to his plan. Some one recom- 
 mended a quiet little sea-side place on Long Island, where 
 board could be obtained at moderate terms. Thither Mr. 
 and Mrs. Ashburton went, and were well pleased with 
 their surroundings. 
 
 " But it seems as if I ought not to be a burden on my 
 children," he said to his wife. " I always meant to do so 
 much for them." 
 
 " And shall we refuse to let them do for us?" 
 
 "It does not appear right," in his slow, sad manner. 
 
 " We must thank God for these two noble boys, and 
 leave the rest in his hands." 
 
 Madge and Jessie missed the two familiar faces sorely ; 
 but both were brave ; and they began to consider what 
 manner of life lay before them.
 
 138 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 " I believe I ought to make application for a situation, 
 said Madge. "I never could endure the thought of teach- 
 ing school ; but Nelly used to consider it genteel, and I 
 hardly know what else I could do. We are not both 
 needed at home." 
 
 It was very true. 
 
 "And since my destiny appears to be decided, and if 
 one in which there bids fair to be a good deal of waiting, ' 
 with a kind of half-sad smile, " perhaps it would be as well 
 to make myself useful." 
 
 " I am sorry to have you undertake anything you do 
 not like." 
 
 " It may be a good discipline, perhaps. I find that I 
 am quite prone to consult my own likes and dislikes. And 
 if I knew just what would suit me! I run over the list of 
 female employments, and find that some of the higher ones 
 are altogether out of my reach. O, dear ! Life is full of 
 perplexities." 
 
 Poor Madge. The realities were rapidly crowding upon 
 her. 
 
 But that afternoon, as she sat alone, puzzling her brains 
 with many unanswerable questions, Jessie having gone out 
 to do some errands, she was startled from her reverie by 
 a ring at the door. 
 
 " O ! " with a glad cry ; and the next instant she was 
 sobbing in her young lover's arms. 
 
 " My darling ! " he cried, in alarm. 
 
 She raised her wet, blushing face with a touch of Elea- 
 nor's dignity, for Charlie Westlake was manlier than ever. 
 How dared she give way to such weakness and folly ! 
 
 " My dear girl, are you not going to ask me in ? " with 
 a little of the old gayety in his voice. " I thought I should 
 surprise you, but I had not dreamed of so sad a greeting. 
 The others ?" 
 
 a Are well," Madge hastened to say, shyly preceding hef 
 Lover into the parlor.
 
 THE GROWN OF DUTY. 139 
 
 u Did I startle you ? I ought to have known." 
 
 "I should have cried in another moment anyhow. Your 
 coming is only a lame excuse," and she tried to smile. 
 
 "I do not want to lose my bright little gypsy Madge, 
 for we have a way before us that will require a good deal 
 of patience and hope." 
 
 " Mine was foolishness," said Madge, resolutely. 
 
 " Was it ? And are you all alone ? O, what lovely 
 roses ! They are from Miss Jessie's estate, I know." 
 
 A choice bouquet stood on the centre-table, in the cool, 
 pleasant-looking parlor. Jessie was a marvellous gardener. 
 Everything she tended came straight to perfection. 
 
 "I am glad to find you alone, Madge, for various 
 reasons," and the young lover's face grew a trifle graver. 
 " I have a great deal to tell you, but first I must hear about 
 your sorrow." 
 
 " I do not know as it ought to be dignified with such a 
 high-sounding title," and the girl smiled again. 
 
 "But there was some pain in it, or there would have 
 been no tears. Am I not your nearest friend? nay, 
 more than a friend ? " 
 
 She turned partly away. The sympathy was too dan- 
 gerously sweet. 
 
 " What was the trouble ? " in a low, persuasive voice. 
 
 " Not worth the telling." 
 
 " Only that I have a right to know." 
 
 There was a little authority in his voice. Insensibly 
 they were coming to that second estate where soul speaks 
 to soul the power on a man's side, the obedience on a 
 woman's. 
 
 Was it about your father? " 
 
 Partly." 
 
 And presently it all came out. The hundred little fears 
 shadowing their path, the question that had become so im- 
 portant with her, what she should do, and how she 
 should do it
 
 140 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 " School teaching does appear to be about the only re 
 source of an educated woman, unless she has a special 
 genius. And it does keep one fresh, up to a certain mark, 
 in acquirements. But, my darling, I am so sorry to see 
 you compelled to enter the arena of toil and strife. If I 
 could take you now " 
 
 " Don't," she said, as if a little pained. " You know we 
 promised to abide by mamma's decision." 
 
 tt And I have hardly kept my promise. Nay, Madge," 
 with a grave smile, "wait until you hear; "for she was 
 just ready to speak. " I have confessed all to my mother." 
 
 " O ! " in a relieved tone. 
 
 " Yes, at last. I think truly that we have been trying 
 to wear out each other's patience. As if she suspected, she 
 would not let me talk. But coming home, I had to make 
 some decision." 
 
 " And she disapproves ? " Madge cried, with the quick un- 
 reason of youth. 
 
 "I will not deceive you, my dear brave girl. She affects 
 to consider it merely a boyish fancy. I think the loss of 
 fortune does make some difference with her, Madge, but I 
 do believe that when she comes to understand this as the 
 great faith of my life, the one crown of my manhood, she 
 will be won into consenting. And since we should have 
 to wait in any event n 
 
 " I don't mind the waiting," Madge said, hurriedly. 
 
 "I told mother that hitherto we had been friends only, 
 but henceforward it would be an engagement. She was 
 qiite anxious for me to wait until my return, but finally 
 she assented. O, Madge ! why do you look so grave f 
 Surely this is not bad news." 
 
 "Are you quite sure you will never repent? I feel aa 
 if I ought to give it up. We shall never be rich again, 
 as we once were, and I should be most sorry to enter any 
 family where I was not welcome. I see all these things 
 in a so much clearer light now.''
 
 THE CBOWN OF DUTY. 141 
 
 "There is another course. I thought if mother and 
 I came to any open controversy, I should take it that is, 
 to give up my plans, accept a situation somewhere, and 
 marry. Nay, you need not turn so pale ; I was very reso- 
 lute." 
 
 " You shall not give up your hopes for me," she an- 
 swered decisively. 
 
 " This is my mother's plan. I think it does deserve 
 some consideration. It was her pet project to go abroad 
 as soon as I had graduated. Now the doctor has reo- 
 ommended it for my cousin, who is in delicate health. 
 They both want me, and perhaps need me for a pro- 
 tector ! " 
 
 "And you are going?" 
 
 Madge gave a gasp. To be left alone as it were, in thi 
 time of all 1 
 
 "My darling, it is as you decide. I could go at my law 
 studies immediately, and be near you ; or, as I said before, 
 I can take some position that will enable me to marry 
 presently. If I go, it is with the undertanding that I am 
 engaged to you." 
 
 " O ! " said Madge, " everything has a dark and troubled 
 side. I wonder if it was for the best? I was so happy 
 that day, so thoughtless ; but what seemed simple and 
 natural then, has grown complicated, until one hardly dares 
 move in the matter." 
 
 She shrank back a little as she uttered this. Life had 
 become so much wider and more sacred in these years. 
 
 " I do believe it is for the best. It does not seem as if 
 God could allow two persons to love one another so dearly, 
 and not have it come to its highest joy some time. We 
 are young and strong, and I feel as if there was a long life 
 before us. Yet, my darling, I shall do nothing without 
 your consent." 
 
 Madge was trying to bridge over the commonplace and 
 the heroic. It was BO much easier to think of sacnfioei
 
 14ii HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 than to make them. If mamma were only here to find the 
 right way out of the tangle !" 
 
 "I think you ought to go," she said, at length, choking 
 down a little cry in her throat. 
 
 " I will tell you how it appears to me. It is a long- 
 cherished plan of mother's ; she has talked of it ever since 
 I can remember ; and as she consents to our engagement on 
 that condition, it seems ungrateful to refuse." 
 
 M O1" and Madge brightened. "Then she does con- 
 Bent?" 
 
 " If I keep my mind ; " and he smiled so assured of his 
 own love. " It will only be a year or two, and we can 
 correspond." 
 
 " It is not so bad after all ; " and a rift of sunshine illu- 
 mined the sweet face. 
 
 " We are to go in June, so there can be some blessed 
 weeks, my darling. We will keep them for remembrances, 
 and look forward to the precious re-union. O, Madge, 
 you never will doubt me ! " 
 
 "Doubt you? Why, you do not understand this 
 love is my very life ! Perhaps being poor, and having 
 fewer resources, renders it a more sacred thing to me, but 
 I never could love any one again ; " and her lip quiv- 
 ered. 
 
 He caught her in his arms and kissed the sweet, flushed 
 face in a transport of profound affection. 
 
 " I am going to see Mr. and Mrs. Ashburton to-morrow. 
 I want our affairs placed on a firm basis, with the privilege 
 of considering you mine, and corresponding with you. 
 We are old enough now to know our own minds." 
 
 Jessie returned at this juncture, and by degrees Madge 
 came out of the spell that seemed to have overwhelmed 
 her. Yet whether she was most sorry or most glad, it 
 would have been hard to tell. 
 
 True to his word, Charlie Westlake saw Mr. and Mrs. 
 Ashburton the next day. His straightforward, earnest
 
 THE CKOWN OP DUTY. 143 
 
 manner pleased them both. That he was simere and reso- 
 lute, they coull not for a moment doubt, and to refuse to 
 sanction the engagement now seemed cruel. 
 
 "And yet our daughters are not marrying under happy 
 auspices," said Mr. Ashburton, sadly. 
 
 "This may prove brighter in the end. I am sorry that 
 it happened, but since neither he nor Madge change their 
 minds, there is no excuse for breaking the claim. Mrs. 
 Westlake may feel less bitter and disappointed as the years 
 go on ; and since we have to walk blindfold at every step, 
 we will endeavor to bear the burdens sent upon us, trust- 
 ing to see light at last." 
 
 "O, for your blessed faith, my wife ! For somehow the 
 way is dark, and I seem to wander." 
 
 Some quiet tears came to Mrs. Ashburton's eyes. Of 
 late her husband had grown very much depressed, more 
 so than during their first sharp losses. 
 
 Charlie Westlake had softened the truth in some par- 
 ticulars, and withheld one fact, that might, perhaps, have 
 thrown a little light upon later events. Yet he did it 
 from a tender and honest humility. How could he con- 
 fess that his mother had declared his cousin May's life 
 was centred in her love for him? He fancied if May's 
 penchant were worn out by mere cousinly kindness, or if 
 she should be attracted elsewhere during their tour, Mrs. 
 Westlake would consent the more readily to receive 
 Madge as a daughter. Then his mother's almost kind 
 compliance to his wishes softened in his mind her first 
 bitter opposition, and he was too loyal a son to say aught 
 more than the circumstances required. 
 
 To Madge, after the first excitement was over, there 
 came a bright holiday indeed. Because the period was 
 so brief, Charlie felt disposed to make the most of it. He 
 brought the girls flowers, he persuaded Philip to " beg ofljt 
 and take two or three delightful drives with them, and then 
 there were dainty little suppers that were like fessie'a 
 own self.
 
 144 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 For this young lover seemed to add one to the family, 
 His coming never made any break. Jessie sat and sewed 
 while they discoursed of future plans, for nothing concern- 
 ing Madge was a secret. 
 
 u I shall hunt up your sister," he said, " and maybe bring 
 her home with me. You never would believe," with a 
 gay smile> " that I was always half afraid of Miss Ash- 
 burton." 
 
 " Poor Nelly," rejoined Madge. " How glad we should 
 be to see her ! " 
 
 They always spoke of her in this fashion now. Her 
 letters had grown gradually grave there was less trav- 
 elling about, fewer pleasures, it seemed, but always baby 
 Margaret. Had the coming of the little one rendered El- 
 eanor so serious, or was the glamour of life slowly fading 
 away ? She said nothing of a return, but still she uttered 
 no complaint of loneliness, lack of tender care, or any 
 sorrow. Yet sometimes they feared that she was not 
 happy. 
 
 " O, if you will find her 1 " Jessie replied. " And if she 
 would come back ! " 
 
 So they freighted him with dozens of loving messages. 
 Every day the year of separation appeared to grow 
 shorter. There would be all the letters, with no restric- 
 tion upon them, the joy of a return, and then the work- 
 ing present stretching smooth and level, so much to be 
 done, so much to be gained, and home and love at the 
 end ! 
 
 Ah! how many bright dreams have blossomed on tins 
 wise and faded 1 When the sheaves are gathered at lust, 
 out of more than one will drop a withered flower, and 
 God knowing the many tears that fell over it, may set 
 to bloom in fairer fields. 
 
 At last came the good by, spoken amid quivering sobs. 
 How hard it was ! And in this pang the year stretched 
 out again. All that had gone before was child's play ; but
 
 THE CROWN OV DUTY. 146 
 
 now Madge Ashburton felt that she loved with a woman's 
 love, and to her deeper nature any pang would be doubly 
 bitter. 
 
 Jessie took her in her arms and kissed her, for Jessie 
 could always comfort 
 10
 
 116 HOM NOOK, OB 
 
 CHAPTER XIL 
 
 IN THB SHADOW. 
 
 IT was a cool day, late in August, with a wind blowing 
 up from the sea. The very air had a. salt, suggestive 
 smell as it went moaning through the streets, n whisper of 
 storm, and danger, and wreck. Overhead, the sky was 
 gray and lowering; a cheerless prospect indeed. 
 
 Madge had made a handful of fire in the grate. Again 
 they were watching for the travellers to return home. 
 
 It looked bright enough within, and the pungent fra- 
 grance of heliotrope gave a summer flavor to the air. 
 Madge had brought out some gay wools, and was crochet- 
 ing ; Jessie had a trifle of simple sewing in her hands, and 
 both were watching. They had grown strangely silent in 
 these few weeks. 
 
 Presently they started at the sound of carriage wheels. 
 There they were, mamma, papa, and Philip. 
 
 The first greeting was in the hall. Mr. Ashburton came 
 in, leaning on his son's arm. In some respects he had im- 
 proved. He was not so thin, and the deathly pallor had 
 given place to a more healthy color. Yet Jessie remarked 
 that strange listening, as if to catch the faintest sound, 
 and the unusual habit of putting his hand before him, as if 
 he was not quite certain of the next step. What was this 
 wavering and hesitation ? weakness ? 
 
 She ran out to the little kitchen, and made the tea. 
 The table was in neatest array. She meant it should be a 
 kind of welcome feast, and had indulged in a few luxuries. 
 Then, smiling to herself she summoned the household. 
 
 There was some pleasant talk of the summer's enjoy-
 
 THE CKOWN OF DUTY. 147 
 
 ment, and yet a strange awe seemed to have fallen over 
 them, betrayed in the low tones and frequent pauses. 
 Jessie glanced at them all with startled eyes. 
 
 Madge was passing something to her father and answer- 
 ing Philip at the same time. Mr. Ashburton stretched out 
 his thin fingers uncertainly, and his eyes appeared to wan- 
 der, Jessie caught them just in range of the lamp. The 
 pnpils seemed to move slowly in a dim sea. 
 
 "Yes," he said, with an air of relief, helping himself. 
 " Thank you, my dear." 
 
 Jessie glanced at her mother in a dumb, white terror. 
 Her very throat was constricted by a spasm of anguish. 
 O, could her terrible suspicion be true ? 
 
 Mrs. Ashburton answered her with a pathetic, entreating 
 look. For an instant, Jessie felt tempted to cry out in 
 despair. Was there no end to the burdens, but must all 
 the waves and storms sweep over them ? 
 
 They rose presently, and went back to the cheerful par- 
 lor. Madge roused into a flash of olden gayety. Jessie 
 caught her mother's hand, and smothered a little cry. 
 
 " He does not know ; " in a breathless whisper. 
 
 " I think he is fighting against it. He has not been so 
 bad ; at least everything here is quite new, and it shows 
 more." 
 
 " O, mamma ! " 
 
 Mr. Ashburton had stumbled over a chair. 
 
 " How awkward ! Jessie, my dear, I like a good deal 
 of light, and the fire alone will not suffice for old eyes." 
 
 "Why, here is the lamp!" said Madge, turning to the 
 low burner that stood on the centre-table. 
 
 He seemed to listen. Standing there, he looked such a 
 pale, shattered wreck, the color gone out of his cheek, 
 and his lip quivering. And then he turned wrongly. The 
 child clasped him with her outstretched arms. 
 
 ' O, papa ! " with a half-strangled and pathetic wail, 
 each rapid pulse throbbing with a new pang.
 
 148 HOME NOOK, OE 
 
 " God help me ! I believe I am going blind ! " 
 
 Madge led him to a seat, as if he had been a child 
 Jessie tried vainly to choke her sob before it rose to her 
 lips. 
 
 " My dear ones," Mrs. Ashburton said, like an angel it 
 seemed to them in the midst of their passionate grief, 
 God still careth for us." 
 
 "O, does he, mamma?" was Madge's vehement ques- 
 tion. " Then why did he send this ? Did not poor papa 
 have enough to endure in his losses and his ill health ? It 
 is so very, very hard ! " 
 
 " He will help us bear it. He has promised." 
 
 " But if He is so strong and all-powerful, and cares for 
 us when we suffer, why could He not have helped it ? I 
 don't understand " 
 
 "My darling," in a tremulous voice, that came over 
 waves of grief, " none of us do. We should be all-wise if 
 we did sufficient for ourselves." 
 
 " Papa ! " Jessie found her father's face half hidden on 
 the pillow, and kissed it amid tears. The soft, true arms 
 encircled him, but ah ! they could not shut out that terri- 
 ble knowledge. 
 
 He raised his head at length, and the frail figure seemed 
 to sway to and fro in its strong passion, its bitter sense of 
 loss. 
 
 " My children," he exclaimed, " the hand of God is laid 
 heavily upon me. I meant, years ago, to make your young 
 lives bright with choicest blessings; but instead I have 
 added griefs and burdens. I am a poor, helpless, blind 
 old man. All I ask now is, that Heaven will pity me a 
 little, and take me to my final rest. It cannot come too 
 soon." 
 
 No, fearful as this was, death and separation would 
 bring still keener anguish. They clustered about him ; he 
 felt the hands so gentle, the hands so strong, and let the 
 silence pass unquestioned, knowing well what was in ach 
 heart.
 
 THE CKOWN OP DUTY. 149 
 
 The business of life must go on in spite of sorrow. 
 Perhaps it is as well. Brooding over loss and pain can 
 but deepen the intensity, and it is God's will that wo 
 should see a golden edge to the cloud that overshadows us. 
 For, behind it, is his infinite glory. 
 
 The Ashburtons took up their duties the next morning 
 with brave, sad hearts. Jessie. Madge, and Philip break- 
 fasted together. 
 
 "Perhaps something can be done," said Philip, hope- 
 fully. " There are many successful operations." 
 
 " I think it has been coming on a long while," remarked 
 Jessie. "But mamma says he has been so sensitive all 
 summer to the least allusion concerning his sight, that she 
 never dared breathe a suspicion." 
 
 " I mean to send up Dr. Con way." 
 
 " Not yet," answered Jessie. " Let him recover a little 
 from the shock." 
 
 " Everything in the shape of misfortune happens to us," 
 said Madge. "I wonder what will go next." 
 
 They thought of Clement, their tower of earthly 
 strength. 
 
 " It will be sad news for him," said Philip. " Ah, how 
 happy we were when Clement went away ! " 
 
 A few days afterward Dr. Conway called. Mr. Ash- 
 burton was extremely dispirited, but yielded to the 
 examination without a word. After all, what did it mat- 
 ter ? Life must soon be over with him, he thought. A 
 little longer carrying about this heavy burden, and then 
 he would lay it down thankfully. The end could not 
 come too soon. 
 
 " It is a sad affair," the doctor exclaimed, with unwonted 
 tenderness. "It would have been better if you had not 
 used your eyes so rigorously last year. You were too 
 weak in brain and nerve. And this is cataract." 
 
 " I did not like the way he took it," Dr. Conway said 
 to Philip afterwards. "You must all cheer him up,
 
 150 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 and not let him lose his strength. The film is going verj 
 rapidly over one eye, and the other is a good deal affected ; 
 but perhaps in a year or two he will be ready for an opera, 
 tion." 
 
 " Thank you," Philip answered with a gasp. 
 
 " Your brother is prospering is he not, Ashburton ?" 
 
 " Yes," was the quiet reply. 
 
 "Intends to make a fortune, and then return, I suppose." 
 
 " He hopes to ; " and Philip gave a faint smile. 
 
 "You must all keep heart. When matters touch the 
 worst point, they begin to mend. You are young and 
 brave." 
 
 " I shall do my best." 
 
 It seemed to them at times as if all comfort was weari- 
 some. Profound griefs and passions seek solitude natural- 
 ly, and they had fallen out of the old circle, drifted so far, 
 indeed, that the world had begun to forget them, and new 
 voices, even in sympathy, sounded strange. 
 
 Madge started with much energy to take her place in 
 the ranks. It was not as pleasant as the romance concern- 
 ing work. For though she preferred her application, and 
 entered the normal school as a pupil, nothing seemed to 
 come of it. Then she answered two or three advertise- 
 ments for a daily governess, but in every case she was too 
 young. 
 
 " It is hard not to find anything to do when one is will- 
 ing to work," she said, tearfully. " If I could meet with 
 something else indeed, I have half a mind to take in 
 dress-making." 
 
 Jessie smiled. " I am afraid you have not much genius 
 for that." 
 
 "No. And then, I do not like sewing. Besides " 
 
 Madge did not finish her sentence. There was a fine 
 chord of sensitiveness in it that she could not quite ex- 
 plain, even to Jessie. It was not only herself that she 
 must think of, but, Mrs. Westlake's future daughter-in-law.
 
 THE CBOWN OF DUTY. 151 
 
 To be lowered in the social scale would be worse than tha 
 burden of poverty. 
 
 "Though I do not see why all employments are not 
 equally honorable," she continued, after a long pause. 
 
 " Why ? are they not ? " and Jessie glanced up in sur- 
 prise. 
 
 "Did I utter a heresy? Well, I have been studying 
 the subject of late. If I could write a book or paint a 
 picture, it would not be considered derogatory to any 
 position. If we should attain to any prosperity in the 
 future, that would be so much of a triumph to me ; but 
 many other employments might be mentioned to my dis- 
 favor. Yet, in both cases, my motive would be to earn 
 money." 
 
 " It does not seem right to me to condemn any person 
 who has labored honorably and faithfully," Jessie returned, 
 with a thoughtful air "Only, I think, some employments 
 presuppose education and refinement, and others do not. 
 Is not that the true dividing-line?" 
 
 "But why not make the refinement centre in the person, 
 instead of the business ? " 
 
 There was a puzzled look in the young face. It was a 
 grave question that she could not seem to simplify nor 
 answer. 
 
 " I think it does," Jessie said, slowly. 
 
 "But the reputation of it surely does not. You remem- 
 ber how Nelly once scouted my going in a store. And if 
 I did that, or sewed, or took up any of the minor occupa- 
 tions, somebody would remember it with a little sneer. I 
 suppose, when we lived at dear old Home Nook we did 
 not think of being intimate friends with our dress-maker, 
 or any of the people who worked for us." 
 
 " Yet we could always be kind and polite." 
 
 "We were. It never was mamma's nature to be 
 haughty to any one. But Nelly, you know, always held 
 herself regally above such associations. She used to bo 
 troubled about the attention yon paid to poor people."
 
 152 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 Jessie smiled gravely. 
 
 "Poverty and pride never did agree," Madge went on 
 with something of the old brightness. " Yet I do not feel 
 proud for myself. It seems to me that it would be won- 
 derfully entertaining to find a place as saleswoman in a 
 millinery store. I should like it a hundred times better 
 than teaching school. But I am afraid that even Charlie 
 would not approve, and Mrs. Westlake would consider me 
 irremediably disgraced. Yet I should be just as good, just 
 as pure-minded, just as refined, and, it seems to me, equally 
 worthy of every one's regard." 
 
 "And all right-minded persons would think so," re- 
 sponded Jessie warmly. 
 
 "May be I am looking at matters with over critical 
 eyes ; but the world seems hard and unjust to me, and you 
 always have to be keeping up small shams when the truth 
 would be so much more comfortable. Only all these out- 
 side events and little slights prick and pain you, until it 
 appears as if there was not one invulnerable spot." 
 
 Jessie remembered the day Mrs. Westlake and her 
 niece passed her, they in their elegant carriage, and she in 
 the dawn of family misfortunes. And it seemed a rather 
 sad and uncomfortable thing that Charlie had spoken, 
 sweet as it was for Madge to have the love. 
 
 " It is a tangled and knotty problem," she made answer, 
 softly. "I do not know that I blame rich people for 
 desiring to shut out the uncultured and commonplace, with 
 which they can have so little sympathy and no enjoyment, 
 even if it does exclude the poor who could be their com- 
 panions in point of intellect and education." 
 
 " So, it is wealth, after all." 
 
 "But there are some noble exceptions." 
 
 "Jessie," said Madge, after a long pause, during which 
 ber eyes slowly filled with tears, "it must always be a 
 great comfort to you and mamma to think that while you 
 were prosperous you tried to make others happy, and
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 153 
 
 shared your good fortune with them. And if we had 
 some kind friend now " 
 
 "We are going through dark days, my darling; and yet 
 it seems as if there was something to hope for in the 
 end." 
 
 " I believe I am a coward ! I sometimes feel like crying 
 out with the Psalmist, 'Hide me until these storms are 
 overpast,' instead of fighting my way through. It is well 
 that men are seldom perplexed with the thought of what 
 is respectable or genteel ! " 
 
 Poor Madge ! The way did indeed seem full of thorns. 
 And yet she had fancied that her regret for the lost wealth 
 would be less than that of the others. She had been 
 anxious to come to the time when she might assist in not 
 only bearing the burden of cares, but in making them 
 lighter. And now why should she shrink away weakly ? 
 
 Philip and Mrs. Ashburton gave their verdict in favor 
 of the school. 
 
 " It will keep you in a kind of intellectual discipline," 
 her mother said. "You will not only remember your 
 present acquirements, but make some further improve- 
 ment, I hope. And there ought to be a pleasure in 
 performing any duty well." 
 
 "But I feel as if I had no taste for it," still complained 
 the child, for child she was. 
 
 Philip was quite urgent. It did wound his pride a little 
 that ultra-sensitiveness of a refined young man, in re- 
 gard to his sisters that Madge should be compelled to 
 take her place among the workers. But Jessie was more 
 efficient at home, and her sweet thoughtfulness was just 
 what Mr. Ashburton needed in his hours of despondency. 
 Madge could best be spared indeed, her assistance was 
 not required in the management of household affairs. 
 
 After waiting until she became almost discouraged, 
 Madge at length received an appointment. To be sure 
 the salary was not very large, three hundred and fifty
 
 154 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 the first year, yet it looked like quite a little fortune to 
 her, and she went at her work with a really thankful 
 heart. 
 
 And yet, as she had said, it was not much to her taste. 
 She had an extravagant fondness for pretty, bright, well- 
 kept children, who needed only to be entertained with 
 games, stories, or music ; but to be held responsible for 
 their intellectual well-being, to be patient with stupidity, 
 disobedience, deceit, and the many wayward moods of the 
 little ones, taxed every nerve to the farthest verge of 
 endurance. 
 
 Yet there were some pleasures to her life. The happi- 
 ness it gave her to be able to contribute her mite to the 
 household was deep and fervent. Some luxury for papa, 
 a tiny cluster of flowers for Jessie, or any simple gift, was 
 an exquisite joy to her, as springing from the toil to which 
 she bent her restless soul; and then Charlie Westlake's 
 letters cheered her immeasurably. True, Eleanor had 
 gone over the same route, but everything was new seen 
 through his eyes. There was gay Paris with its throngs 
 of people, among whom Mrs. Weetlake found many 
 friends, and May Rossiter hosts of admirers ; indeed, her 
 pure blonde beauty made her quite the sensation of the 
 winter. There were palaces, libraries, pictures, and rare 
 old historical haunts to examine ; and for diversion, drives, 
 dinner-parties, skating, in which Charlie distinguished him- 
 self, and the many varieties of Parisian life. He possessed 
 very vivid and accurate powers of description, and the fre- 
 quent letters were a real treat to them all in their quiet 
 life. 
 
 The summer was to be spent in Switzerland. And there 
 were the capitals of Germany, Vienna, Rome, and all the 
 British dominions unexplored. 
 
 "Though I want to save something to visit for the first 
 time with you," he wrote, " and if it is possible I shall not 
 exceed my year. Yet I find a little time to study, ir. the
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 
 
 hope of not having quite so much to make up when I 
 return." 
 
 And then the spring came. In spite of hard times and 
 general depression, rents, it seemed, were continually on 
 the advance. This season another fifty dollars was added 
 Madge and Jessie went through with the same routine of 
 house-hunting, with the success of the year before. There 
 was nothing cheaper for a small family, unless one took 
 some inconvenient rooms in a house with several othei 
 families ; and now this appeared quite impossible. 
 
 Mr. Ashburton's blindness increased slowly but surely ; 
 yet his general health appeared to improve. He became 
 more cheerful, as one does occasionally under an inevitable 
 burden. He could find his way around alone, though Mrs. 
 Ashburton or Jessie generally accompanied him in his 
 walks. And as the pleasant weather came on, he used to 
 sit in the old arbor, where the soft sunshine seemed sift- 
 ing grains of gold on his fast whitening hair. Looking 
 at him thus, it appeared to Jessie that he was already 
 crowned. 
 
 They were all glad when Madge's vacation came. The 
 poor child had lost the glow and brightness of her child- 
 hood, and the careless, impulsive manner was softening 
 into a gravity so tender that it was almost sad. Now she 
 had a thin, worn look. 
 
 "But then, you see, I am growing quite slender," she 
 said, with a touch of the old gayety that rarely flashed 
 out. " Aunt Waltham always insisted that I would be 
 st out, and have no figure at all. How she would be sur- 
 prised ! " 
 
 For Madge had expanded into tall and graceful woman- 
 hood quite outgrown Jessie, who would always be a 
 wayside violet, with her shady eyes and hair. 
 
 She was rather jubilant now, having been promoted and 
 her salary raised to five hundred for the corning year. 
 
 "It seems to me that Madge ought to take a little
 
 156 HOME NOOK, OR 
 
 journey somewhere," Philip said, rather anxiously. " Sh 
 betrays the hard work of the year." 
 
 "I only need a little rest and quiet, and I can have it 
 here with mamma and Jessie. If I went away, I should 
 want to take them all along." 
 
 " You can hardly realize the bliss of this perfect repose," 
 she remarked to Jessie afterwards; "not to have your 
 eyes everywhere in a moment, not to be thinking endlessly 
 what you must do with this child and that, how you can 
 infuse ambition into the dullest brain, memory into the 
 careless, govern your little world, and at the same time 
 govern yourself." 
 
 " I am so thankful to have you come to the rest. Now 
 you must be indulged to the utmost." 
 
 "But not enough to make me weak for the years to 
 come." 
 
 " I think you grow stronger, mentally." 
 
 "Do you? I am glad if any one finds any improve- 
 ment in me, for sometimes I begin to fancy myself desti- 
 tute of any grace or virtue. Jessie, how hard it is to bear 
 the petty trials of life ! A great sorrow or a great sacri- 
 fice seems to bring with it the necessary courage and en- 
 durance, but for these little things there is nothing ! " 
 
 "Yes, God's grace," replied the soft voice. 
 
 "I sometimes wonder if I have any of it. I don't sup- 
 pose I should ever cheat or deceive, or commit any great 
 crime, because all those things are distasteful to me, and 
 fill my soul with abhorrence. So that quality is merely a 
 negative virtue. But the little things I rebel against 
 continually." 
 
 " Yet you have grown so much less demonstrative ! " 
 said Jessie, wonderingly. 
 
 "Yes. I have given up the old breezy manner in which 
 I used to fight dragons ; still, I think that is owing to 
 circumstances. A peculiar awe has fallen over us with the 
 misfortunes, and therefore noise of any kind appears ii*
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 157 
 
 congruous ; besides, I have come to love quiet. Bat there 
 are so many things that I don't understand ray own 
 soul least of all." 
 
 Jessie wondered if the recent news had anything to do 
 with this. For Charlie "Westlake had decided to remain 
 abroad another year. May was really worse after her win- 
 ter of dissipation, and they had determined to spend the 
 ensuing winter at Naples. Mrs. Westlake would not be 
 left alone, and Charlie felt it his duty to stay. 
 
 So that added another year to the waiting. Then the 
 accounts from Clement had not been so bright. The firm 
 had met with some serious losses in shipping, owing to 
 the unfortunate state into which the war had plunged all 
 commercial affairs. 
 
 " I hoped to return in five years," he wrote, " but I find 
 the period had better be extended to seven, as when I 
 once reach home, I shall never want to leave it, I fancy. 
 I often picture the household again at Home Nook, little 
 changed, except the inevitable change of growing older ; 
 yet I can hardly realize that Madge and Jessie have 
 reached woman's estate. Ah, if Heaven will only spare 
 us to see each other's faces and clasp each other's hands, I 
 shall be content." 
 
 Mr. Ashburton had insisted that the fact of his blind- 
 ness should be withheld from Clement. 
 
 "He grieved sorely enough for all other misfortunes, 
 and it can do no good to add this care to those which 
 already oppress him," the father said. 
 
 Madge was resolute, and would take no journey, though 
 she did seem to improve at home. Jessie could not even 
 persuade her to spend a few days at Riverside ; so she paid 
 her promised visit alone. 
 
 A sweet, sad pleasure. There had been some changes 
 at Riverside as well. Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth had gone 
 away, and another clergyman had come in his place. 
 New houses had started up here and there, bringing ia
 
 158 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 strange residents; the handsome Westlake mansion wag 
 closed, though the grounds were still kept in perfect order 
 by the gardener left in charge. And there was dear old 
 Home Nook ! It was a comfort to see no alterations 
 made here. And yet Jessie sighed. The thought of 
 coming back began to grow dream-like indeed. 
 
 Hetty Bright welcomed her warmly. It was quite evi- 
 dent that Mrs. Rachel was failing slowly, but her faith and 
 resignation were still delightful to witness. 
 
 Hetty told her all the gossip of the place who were 
 gone away, who were married, how the church was filled 
 with new faces, and the strange clergyman, who, good as 
 he was, could never be Mr. Kenneth. Old Mrs. Deane 
 was still alive, tormenting her daughter-in-law. 
 
 "I've been thinking that if I were a rich woman, I 
 should open a sort of home for these queer people, who 
 make every one so miserable about them, and for poor 
 people who have no homes," said Hetty. "It would be a 
 deed of Christian charity." 
 
 "Indeed it would," returned Jessie, warmly. 
 
 "There is poor Bessie Deane worn to a shadow, and she 
 will be badgered into her grave by that unreasonable old 
 woman ! It doesn't seem to me that parents have a right 
 to torment their children, even if they did take care of 
 them when they were young and helpless ! " 
 
 Jessie thought of her father enduring his trials with 
 silent grace, and inwardly gave thanks. Yes, their lot 
 might be much worse. 
 
 And in talking over the old neighbors, Hetty presently 
 came to the Westlakes. 
 
 "They're having a gay time, I heard. Miss Dixon, 
 their dress-maker, you remember, was in here a few daya 
 ago, and said that Miss Rossiter had lovers by the dozens. 
 and might have been a countess, or duchess, or something, 
 but that she was in love with her cousin, and Madam does 
 not want the fortune to go out of the family. They think
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 159 
 
 Miss Rossiter is rather consumptive ; but it is .my opinion 
 that it comes of racing and racketing around, aud going 
 to balls every night. It would wear out any woman, un- 
 less she was made of iron." 
 
 "May always appeared to be rather delicate," said 
 Jessie, simply. 
 
 "It doesn't seem to me very sensible to go away for 
 one's health, and endure twice the hardships one would at 
 home ! But that's rich people's pleasure, I suppose. 
 They are going to be married before they come home." 
 
 They 1 Who ? " gasped Jessie. 
 
 "Why, young Mr. Westlake and Miss May. At least 
 so Miss Dixon said, and she hears from Mrs. Westlake. 
 It seems so strange ! Only the other day you were all 
 children, and now he has grown into a fine young fellow. 
 He used to drop in here and talk over old times, when you 
 were all living at Home Nook. He thinks a deal of you 
 and Madge. I should be sorry to see him thrown away 
 upon that Rossiter girl, if she has a mint of money." 
 
 "Hetty," exclaimed her sister, gently, "it is no business 
 of ours, you know." 
 
 "To be sure not; and yet, now that I suppose it never 
 will be, I may as well confess that I had a half hope he 
 would take a fancy to Jessie here, for I know he did like 
 her wonderfully ! There, the murder is out ! " 
 
 Miss Hetty dropped her duster, and Mrs. Rachel gave 
 Jessie a tender, comforting glance. 
 
 "O, Hetty! How could you be so thoughtless?" she 
 said, in a voice of soft reproof. 
 
 fc I'm sure Jessie is deserving of the best fortune in the 
 world." 
 
 " He nfcvei thought of me in that manner," said Jessie, 
 calmly ; thankful that it was she, and not Madge, who was 
 suspected. 
 
 "Well, then he may marry whomsoever he likes," re- 
 turned Miss Hetty, stiffly.
 
 1(30 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 Jessie tried to banish the strange heat and color from 
 her face, and bring her nerves back to their former calm- 
 ness. After all, this was the merest gossip, and Misa 
 Dixon might have surmised it. Charlie was noble and 
 true, loyal to the heart's core, and Madge should not first 
 learn distrust through her. So it was best not to men- 
 tion it. 
 
 Indeed, Charlie Westlake's letters had become a great 
 solace to Madge, not merely for the pleasant break they 
 made in the monotony of her life, but the clinging, 
 dependent part of her nature sent out its tiny tendrils 
 towards him in search of support, her one delightful 
 oasis in the life that bordered closely on the desert, if it 
 was not actually there ; for it appeared as if at every step 
 she sank in the harsh, gray sand, while sharp, cutting 
 winds blew about on every side. And yet it seemed only 
 yesterday that she was a happy child.
 
 THE CBOWN OF DUTY. 161 
 
 CHAPTER XTTT. 
 
 PHILIP. 
 
 ONE chilly December afternoon, Philip surprised them 
 all by returning home earlier than usual. His face was 
 flushed, his eyes feverish and haggard, and the lines about 
 his mouth tensely drawn, as if he were fighting hard with 
 an unseen enemy. 
 
 Jessie sprang up in alarm. 
 
 " Hush," Philip said, softly. " I am not well, to be sure, 
 and could not see with this splitting headache ; so I thought 
 I would come home. I have been working pretty hard 
 for the last fortnight, and taken some cold ; but a little rest 
 will set me all straight again." 
 
 He spoke cheerfully, but there was a tremuloueness in 
 his voice, and Jessie remarked the shiver that ran through 
 bis frame. 
 
 " Is there anything I can get for you ? " she asked. 
 
 " No, my dear child. I want to lie down here on the 
 sofa and be covered nice and warm. Don't look so 
 frightened, mother. Am I not as likely to have a cold aa 
 any one else ? Or did you all think me invulnerable ? " 
 
 " You never have been ill," she answered, with some 
 anxiety. 
 
 " And I am not going to be ill now. But I feel so tired 
 and sleepy ! " 
 
 Jessie spread a thick shawl over him, bathed his fore- 
 head, remarking how the pulses in the temples throbbed. 
 A sudden, sharp pain came to her heart. What if But 
 no, every day was sufficient for itself, and she would not 
 borrow trouble. 
 
 11
 
 162 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 The mother watched in a peculiarly apprehensive mood, 
 Philip was their main stay, their comfort. His sturdy 
 courage, his cheerful temperament, his unvarying good 
 health, had rendered him a kind of tower of strength in 
 their eyes. 
 
 He breathed fast and hard, though he was soon asleep. 
 Tho flush assumed a purplish hue on his cheek and brow, 
 but left a line of deathly white on the outer edges. There 
 was something peculiar in the face, not merely the symp- 
 toms of an ordinary cold. 
 
 u O, mamma, what do you think?" and Jessie's lip quivered 
 
 tt My darling, we can tell nothing at present. I wish Dr. 
 Conway was in the city." 
 
 The physician had been in that morning, as he had taken 
 up the habit of calling in a friendly fashion now and then, 
 and happened to remark that he should be out of the city 
 for a day or two. 
 
 " We might have some one else." 
 
 " Yes ; " rather doubtfully. 
 
 When Madge came home, she was quite startled, and 
 would have gone at once, but Philip roused while they 
 were talking. 
 
 "You are all needlessly alarmed," he exclaimed. " I shall 
 be quite well by morning. Jessie, bathe my head again 
 will you not? It felt so nice and cool. And please do 
 not worry." 
 
 They obeyed his behest. Night dropped her mantle of 
 gray gloom over them all, a silent household indeed. Of 
 late, Mr. Ashburton had taken a wonderful fancy for music, 
 having been quite an excellent pianist in his younger Jays, 
 and now that reading and other sou-ces of interest failed, 
 he had returned to this olden love. He would often sit at 
 the piano for hours together, improv Vng sad, sweet strains, 
 and sometimes singing to them fragments of hymns. But 
 to-night there was no sound of meio^y, no tender talking, 
 Each heart was heavy with a dim foreboding.
 
 THE CBOWN OF DUTY. 163 
 
 Philip declared that he felt better at bed-time, and went 
 to his room with some of his usual cheerfulness. At mid- 
 night the threatened storm came on, wild gusts of wind 
 and furious dashes of rain, and the morning dawned 
 gloomily. 
 
 " It will not do for Philip to go out," declared Madge; 
 peremptorily, " even if he should be better." 
 
 He thought he was. His head did not ache, only fel% 
 dull and heavy; but if they would not let him go dowu 
 town, he might as well lie there. But his smile had a wao 
 and languid expression, and his voice was husky. 
 
 "Dr. Con way will not be at home until to-morrow, 1 * 
 Madge remarked, lingering in the doorway before she 
 went to school. " Do you consider it necessary to call in 
 a stranger, mamma ? " 
 
 " Perhaps we had better wait." 
 
 Madge went to school not altogether satisfied. A long, 
 wearisome day it proved, for it seemed as if the children 
 were unusually tiresome and annoying. But at noon the 
 storm ceased, and, although the sky was still dense and 
 lowering, it was some relief not to have it rain. 
 
 Mrs. Ashburton met her at the door with an anxious face. 
 
 " My child," she exclaimed, " you must go for a physician 
 immediately. Leave word for Dr. Conway to come as 
 soon as he returns." 
 
 " And Philip is worse ? " 
 
 " His fever is much higher, and he has been slightly de- 
 lirious for the last hour." 
 
 Madge started at once. It was almost dusk of the short 
 winter day when she returned, and she flew to Philip's 
 apartment. Jessie stood beside the bed, silent and tearful. 
 
 O, Philip!" 
 
 "He doesn't seem to know any one now, and grows 
 worse every moment. When will the doctor come?" 
 
 " Not before seven. He was out too, Dr. Hurst, I mean, 
 and he seems next best to our own kind friend. O, 
 Jessie ! "
 
 164 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 They clasped hands in silence. What bitter trial wai 
 before them? 
 
 " Everything does happen to us," Madge sobbed. 
 
 " We can only pray for the best." 
 
 Philip tossed restlessly, and muttered at intervals. Hii 
 eyes were wild and glassy, without a gleam of recognition. 
 
 ** It makes my heart ache to see him. Our own dear, 
 bright Philip, our great rock ! O, Jessie 1 could God take 
 him from us ! " 
 
 "O, my darling, don't think of that." 
 
 They counted the moments with aching hearts. The 
 supper was scarcely tasted, and after a weary while the 
 doctor made his appearance. 
 
 Dr. Hurst saw that they were full of apprehension, and 
 since the case would be in Dr. Conway's hands, it was 
 hardly necessary to add to their alarm. 
 
 "A fever, of course," he said; "and fevers are apt to 
 make a rather tedious illness." 
 
 " Will it be very severe ? " Madge asked, tremblingly. 
 
 " It is almost too early to decide ; " rather evasively. 
 
 Then he gave some directions, and promised to call in 
 the morning. 
 
 "You must go to bed," Jessie said to Madge, as the 
 evening waned. " You are taxed all day, while I can rest, 
 and i* *vill not do to have you worn out." 
 
 ifladge went, unwillingly. It was long past midnight 
 when she fell into a broken and troubled slumber, starting 
 up at the earliest dawn. 
 
 " He was rather quiet through the night," Jessie said, 
 4 but the fever is rising again. If you can sit and watch 
 fcim a little while, Madge, I will run down and help 
 mamma with the breakfast." 
 
 Madge took the seat near the head of the bed. The 
 sky was cold and comfortless. Down low in the east, a 
 faint yellow streak heralded the sunrise, but it was still 
 gloomy. She shivered with sad apprehensions.
 
 THE CBOWN OF DUTY. 165 
 
 Philip opened his eyes, and fixed them steadily upon 
 her face, looking so long that she began to grow frightened. 
 
 " Madge," in a hoarse, peculiar whisper. 
 
 " Dear Philip ; " and she brushed away the tumbled hair. 
 
 " Are you alone ? " 
 
 " Yes ; shall I call any one ? " 
 
 " No. It is a secret. I want to tell you if I can re- 
 member " 
 
 He raised himself partially, resting on his elbow, and 
 glanced furtively around. 
 
 " There is no one here," she said, reassuringly. 
 
 " I want to tell you I suspect mind, only that 
 what was I saying ? I want you to go to Mr. Graham 
 be sure to see him, and tell him that I am afraid to keep 
 my books until I come back. Howard told me in confi- 
 dence. I was so sorry for him, poor fellow, and I offered 
 to explain the matter. You'll do it, Madge ? " 
 
 His eyes were full of feverish wistfulness, and his fingers 
 grasped the counterpane tightly. 
 
 " See Mr. Graham, and tell him " she said, slowly, 
 striving to steady Philip's wandering brain. 
 
 " Yes. That I can explain it all when I come back 
 to-morrow, perhaps and not to be hard upon Howard, 
 If I could only think " 
 
 " Is it anything about money ? " 
 
 "Not to let them touch my books until I come. He 
 said he was going to Europe. Poor Nelly is there. I 
 wonder if we shallever see her again ?" 
 
 "Is that all I must tell Mr. Graham ? " 
 
 " And you'll keep it a secret ! I'm so tired, so tired 1 " 
 
 With that he dropped back on his pillow and began to 
 mutter incoherently. In vain Madge questioned she 
 could learn nothing more. 
 
 Mi's. Ashburton came up to take her place. At th 
 breakfast table she asked Jessie what Philip had talked of 
 principally.
 
 166 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 " He has been troubled a little about money, but has said 
 nothing coherent. I suppose he does feel very anxious, 
 I begin to realize how hard it is to be poor. I believe I 
 shall never say again that poor people are most free from 
 care. We have Clement, to be sure * 
 
 Madge sighed. "If we should ever be rich again, I 
 think we would have a different feeling for those fighting 
 for very life, as it were. But Philip has not said anything 
 about his business ? " 
 
 " No." Jessie glanced up in a little wonder. 
 
 Madge made no further remark. Had Philip really con- 
 rfded a trust to her ? 
 
 She tried to question him again, but the subject had 
 gone from him altogether. All day in school she thought 
 about it, and could hardly decide whether it was of any 
 importance or not. But he had been so urgent ! 
 
 " Yes, I do believe that I had better go," she said to 
 herself, decisively. " It can do no harm." 
 
 For a wonder, there were no children to be kept in by 
 way of punishment. She walked to the avenue and took 
 a car, but her heart went back to Philip. 
 
 It seemed so odd to go trudging about in these business 
 streets full of hurrying men. She had to look a little for 
 the place. Here it was "Graham, Osborne, & Co." 
 
 She entered hesitatingly. Bales, boxes, and packages of 
 merchandise clerks anxious to finish their day's work, 
 and too busy or too gruff to pay much attention. 
 
 " Can I see Mr. Graham ? " she ventured, timidly. 
 
 Perhaps no one expected so sweet a voice behind the 
 trown veil that muffled her. 
 
 "Mr. Graham went home an hour ago." 
 
 * Mr. Ward Graham is here in the office," said anothei 
 voice. 
 
 Philip had not specified which one must be intrusted 
 the confidence. What should she do? 
 
 "I think I will see him j" after some hesitation.
 
 THE CBOWN OP DUTY. 167 
 
 ** This way, if you please." 
 
 Madge was led through the long building, so dark part 
 of the way that the gas was burning. 
 
 " He is in here engaged," and her guide looked rather 
 disconcerted. " Mr. Graham, a lady wishes to see you." 
 
 Mr. Graham gave a glance to the passage-way without. 
 
 " In a moment," be responded, briefly. 
 
 It was five, rather than one. To Madge it appeared 
 almost interminable. She began to wonder whether the 
 message was of so much importance, after all. 
 
 Then Mr. Graham stepped out with his visitor, still 
 talking. 
 
 " Perhaps you had better drop in to-morrow morning 
 and have a talk with father, before the business is really 
 taken in hand. I start at noon, you know, and shall be 
 gone six months." 
 
 "Very well." 
 
 The man made a slight inclination of the head, and gave 
 Madge a sharp look, that startled her, bringing the color to 
 her face. 
 
 " You wished to see me ? " 
 
 The voice had a peculiar gentlemanliness in it, that re- 
 stored Madge to self-possession. Obeying the gesture of 
 his hand, she followed him into the small but cheerful- 
 looking office. There was a fire burning in the grate, and 
 the gas was lighted. The glow and warmth were so pleasant 
 that Madge involuntarily threw aside her veil. 
 
 " I come to bring a message from my brother, Mr. Philip 
 Ashburton," she said. 
 
 A change passed over Mr. Graham's face. Indeed, it 
 seemed to Madge that he was hardly pleased ; so she hur- 
 riedly continued, 
 
 " He is very ill." 
 
 " 111 ! He was not well when he left on Tuesday, I be- 
 lieve. Is it anything serious ? " 
 
 tt A fever. We are afraid " and her lip quivered.
 
 168 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 She sat in range of the double light, her eyes downcast, 
 and their long bronze lashes drooping over her cheeks, 
 that flushed and paled alternately. Not handsome, per- 
 haps, to a man accustomed to seeing queens of beauty, 
 but there was a delicacy and nobility about the fair young 
 face which attracted his attention. 
 
 " And the message was " 
 
 If Madge had only glanced up to the questioning face, 
 whose eyes were studying every line of hers, the result 
 might have been different. But she was pre-occupied with 
 her own anxieties, and doubtful of the actual necessity of 
 this Htep. 
 
 " A little trouble about some accounts, I think ; " and her 
 look wandered towards the fire. " He was slightly delirious 
 at least not quite coherent, and he begged me to come 
 to say, that as soon as he was able, he would attend to the 
 books he fancied that it might be soon. And he spoke 
 of a person by the name of Howard." 
 
 " What did he say ? " in an eager tone. 
 
 " That he was sorry for him, and had offered to explain 
 some matter. There isn't anything wrong?" and she 
 glanced at him apprehensively. 
 
 " When will your brother be able to come down, do you 
 think ? " he asked. 
 
 " Perhaps not for weeks. We are afraid he will be very, 
 very ill. O, there is nothing wrong, I know ! Philip would 
 cut off his right hand sooner than do anything dishonor- 
 able. What is it ? " 
 
 She came and stood by Mr. Graham, her eyes full of tears, 
 and her whole frame trembling with excitement. 
 
 " A little difficulty yes, I suppose he could explain it, 
 or, if he had staid nay, do not distress yourself; it will 
 all come right, I know." 
 
 Her agitation moved him curiously. 
 
 " What wrong is there about it ? For Philip is strictly, 
 sternly honest."
 
 THE CEOWN Or DUTY. 169 
 
 "You would hardly understand all the business details ; 
 indeed, I do not know myself. Howard has left his place, 
 and the two being away together causes some confusion. 
 I think that is all." 
 
 "O, you do not understand him at all, if you suspect 
 him of the slightest wrong. He is goodness and nobleness, 
 and truth itself." 
 
 Ward Graham believed it. And yet there was an ugly 
 fact to be explained, disguise it as he might, or even hide 
 it from this young girl. 
 
 " Have you any brothers besides ? " he asked. 
 
 " Only one. He is away. And papa is nearly blind." 
 
 Her soft lip quivered with paiu. The wistful young face 
 was full of entreaty and anxious love. 
 
 " My dear child," he returned, gravely, " do not distress 
 yourself about this matter. When your brother recovera, 
 it will all be right." 
 
 " But you do understand ? " 
 
 " Sufficiently for the present. No harm will come of the 
 delay ; that I can assure you. I am glad to have heard 
 the cause of his absence." 
 
 It seemed to Madge that neither of them knew very 
 clearly what they were talking about. It would be ungra- 
 cious in her to persist in questioning when Mr. Graham 
 had nothing to tell, or did not care to use his knowledge. 
 That it was of any vital importance she could not believe. 
 And since there was no more to say, she turned towards 
 the door. 
 
 u I am obliged to you, and I hope your brother will soon 
 recover." 
 
 " Thank you," in a tremulous voice. 
 
 Ward Graham leaned his head upon his hand, and fell 
 into deep thought. A very simple occurrence indeed, and 
 nothing that threw any light upon the matter. There was 
 a deficit in Philip Ashburton's books of two thousand 
 dollars. Howard had discovered it late yesterday, and
 
 170 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 announced his own resignation at the same time, stating 
 that a more lucrative position had been offered him. To- 
 day, the head book-keeper had gone over the account, and 
 referred the matter to the elder Mr. Graham, who, in a 
 moment of haste, had turned it over to his son. 
 
 But Ward Graham, it must be confessed, had a tender 
 chord in his heart, and Miss Ashburton had appealed to it 
 more by her manner and her evident distress than by what 
 she had said. Of the two, he would have suspected 
 Howard sooner, though he knew little of either of them. 
 
 That evening he made some inquiries concerning the 
 Ashburtons, as chance happened to throw Dr. Conway in 
 his path. So he hurried to the store the next morning, 
 and undertook a critical revision of the books before his 
 father arrived. It was just as the book-keeper had said. 
 Yet he felt a strong disposition to save this young man, 
 who was helpless to act for himself. 
 
 " Warren is to be in again this morning," he said to his 
 father, after the first salutations had passed ; " but I want a 
 little talk with you about this young Ashburton." 
 
 " I gave orders for a warrant " and the elder paused, 
 startled by the grave face of his son. 
 
 "I accidentally met Dr. Conway last night, who,it appears, 
 has known the family a long while. Philip is at present 
 very ill with typhoid fever, and the only thing that gives 
 the doctor any hope is his youth and good habits. He 
 speaks of him in the highest terms, and though I uttered 
 no suspicion, I know he would scout such a thing at once. 
 The father is nearly blind, and the family have been pecu- 
 liarly unfortunate. 
 
 " Which you think excuses him for dishonesty ? " 
 
 "No ; but just at this crisis it would be cruel to proceed 
 to extremities. I want you to give him a chance." 
 
 "There is too much of this thing already in the world, 
 Ward. Young fellows taking what does not belong to 
 them, and being tenderly excused, from a spasm of fals 
 sympathy on some one's part. Ii is all wrong."
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. 171 
 
 " You do not suspect Howard at all ? " 
 
 a Howard ? " in astonishment. " Why, his accounts were 
 clear enough. The deficit was in Ashburton's." 
 
 ** And he had Ashburton's books made the discovery, 
 and resigned in a manner that would have excited my 
 suspicion." 
 
 " But Ashburton's course does not." 
 
 " I cannot, somehow, believe ill of him. His father 
 ruined himself to pay business debts about which there 
 might have been a question." 
 
 " There never ought to be a question in such cases. Any 
 debt is sacred, and to be paid if it takes one's last penny. 
 I believe I did hear some talk about it, however ; but Ash- 
 burton had a good deal of property in his hands." 
 
 "It left him penniless. They have struggled hard to 
 get along, living in the most simple manner possible. 
 Philip is the main stay of the family. If he has been led 
 into wrong-doing by any want " 
 
 " It is not that. He had a good salary." 
 
 " I believe he can and will explain the matter. I want 
 you to give him an opporunity. To this end I shall refund 
 the two thousand dollars out of my own private purse, and 
 depend upon you to see that the utmost discretion is pre- 
 served on the subject. Withdraw the charge, and tell 
 Warren we have concluded to let the matter drop." 
 
 " Are you crazy ? " 
 
 " I ask it as a personal favor of you. When Philip 
 Ashburton recovers, if he ever should, he will have the 
 manliness, I feel assured, to make some reparation, if he 
 has been led into error." 
 
 "And if he does not, the loss will be yours I Well, yon 
 are generous ! " 
 
 Ward Graham wondered whether he had not better tell 
 his father of the interview with Miss Ashburton. The eldei 
 would laugh at him a little, and declare that he had been 
 caught by a pretty face. No, that was his secret.
 
 172 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 However, before Warren, the private detective, dropped 
 in, he had won a reluctant assent from Ids father, paid over 
 the amount, which he insisted upon rigorously, and the 
 case was relinquished. But the elder considered it fool- 
 ishly wrong. If Ashburton was not at fault it gave 
 Howard a chance to escape also. 
 
 He quieted his conscience by another step a fortnight 
 later. Enclosing Ashburton's salary for the month in an 
 envelope, for he heard that the young man was lying at 
 the point of death, he merely stated that it had been 
 found necessary to fill his place. 
 
 " I dare say that he will be glad enough to get off in 
 that fashion, if he should live ; and if not, I shall be thank- 
 ful that I kept quiet about it," Mr. Graham said to himself. 
 u But Ward always had a soft spot in his heart." 
 
 It was true that Philip lay at the point of death. He 
 had grown rapidly worse each day, and Madge, wild with 
 anxiety, procured a substitute, that she might remain at 
 home and assist in the nursing. What terrible days and 
 nights those were 1 In what anguish of spirit they prayed 
 to have this cup pass from them ! 
 
 Mr. Ashburton paced the floor with slow steps, vainly 
 questioning why this young life should be taken instead 
 of his. All the homely details of the household went on, 
 bringing that sense of incongruity so hard to bear. The 
 clear, crisp winter sunshine seemed a mockery. The days 
 with their strange terror, the nights with their awesome 
 silence, broken only by whispers, or the voice that sounded 
 unnatural to their ears by stress of huskiness and suffering, 
 babbling of old days, boyhood's sports and friends, and 
 dreams never to be realized, perhaps. The cares and bur- 
 dens of the present were forgotten. The spirit, freed from 
 the clanking chain of toil, revelled again in the bright land 
 of youth, sunning itself on the heights of hope, and being 
 bathed in the golden glow. 
 
 At last, the moments when they counted heart-beats,
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. 173 
 
 when the pale flame of humanity fluttered like a drooping 
 shadow, hardly knowing whether it was summoned across 
 the waveless stream or not; a time when earthly aid 
 seemed powerless, and they could only pray. 
 
 Only pray! As if God were less than human skill 
 But besides the prayers, there was the slow anguish of 
 resignation, that only has its perfect work when all hcpe 
 is gone. 
 
 There was a faint enkindling of the nearly spent forces, 
 and the physician, looking on, breathed the word of com- 
 fort so precious to them all. 
 
 Jessie buried her face in her mother's lap, still doubting. 
 
 " O," exclaimed Madge, with a cry of joy, " is it true ? 
 Do you think he can recover ? " 
 
 " It is possible, with the care you will give him. But it 
 has been a hard struggle." 
 
 Then the doctor went ou* ooftly. Tremulous hands 
 were folded over them, and in a broken, tearful voice, Mr. 
 Ashburton gave thanks for this mercy, for the son restored 
 to the-n, for the great shadow lifted from their pathway. 
 Never were hearts more devoutly grateful.
 
 174 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE WOULD AGAIN. 
 
 DiraiNG the excitement and anxiety of Philip's illness, 
 Madge had quite forgotten her errand to his place of busi- 
 ness. Indeed, the importance she had at first attached to 
 it died out gradually, and only an indistinct remembrance 
 floated through her brain. It was not until after the crisia 
 that Mrs. Ashburton opened the note to her son. 
 
 "How very kind in them to send the salary for the 
 whole month 1 " Jessie exclaimed. 
 
 Madge fell into a reverie. 
 
 " He will lose his situation, of course." 
 
 u I suppose it ia necessary to have it filled ; " and Jessie 
 sighed a little. 
 
 "But we will not worry about that when we have him," 
 said Mrs. Ashburton. "I think God will open some 
 path." 
 
 Madge glanced over at the cold sunset sky. Somehow 
 their lives seemed like that. A weary waste of neutral 
 tints, a little yellow gleam to show where the sun of pros- 
 perity had gone down. 
 
 She had returned to school ; but after the strain on 
 her nerves she was feeling weary and dispirited. And 
 now another long stretch of misfortune. Were they in- 
 deed fated ? 
 
 Philip was very weak, but cheerful, and improved rapid- 
 ly, the doctor thought. Yet even that appeared tedious 
 at times. And here were the most trying months still to 
 come. 
 
 u lt is almost four years since we left Home Nook,"
 
 THE CKOWN OF DUTY. 175 
 
 Madge said one evening. "It seems more like a century. 
 I wonder if we ever shall go back I " 
 
 " Are you tired of waiting, little sister ? You were very 
 bright and brave at first." 
 
 " And you think I have lost some of my courage ? " 
 
 She glanced at Philip, who had been promoted to the 
 'ignity of dressing-gown and easy-chair. 
 
 "I do not know that it is courage altogether ; but hope, 
 perhaps." 
 
 " I should like to go back to the old life should you 
 not, Jessie ? Just for a smell of the flowers, and a glimpse 
 of the sunshine, and a little rest in the dear old corners 
 that were so cosy. Instead, we drift farther and farther 
 off." 
 
 " I remember a sunny face that rested in my lap one 
 evening," said Mrs. Ashburton, " and wondered if we ever 
 could feel thankful for trials." 
 
 " No, mamma, I think we cannot. That was the last 
 bright evening, the very night the troubles first came ; " 
 and Madge drooped her head to hide a tear or two. 
 
 " But one can learn patience and resignation." 
 
 " Yet it is so hard, mamma, dearest. One can endure, 
 and that doesn't seem to me the highest kind of courage. 
 There is something still wanting." 
 
 " Which God gives to all who ask Mm." 
 
 Did she ask him truly? She prayed, of course, but 
 nothing seemed to come of it. Grace to help her bear the 
 trials ; but they were as sharp and bitter every day, and 
 appeared to rasp some new sensitive nerve that they had 
 missed hitherto. 
 
 Why was it ? Would Jessie be so calm and sweet if 
 she was jostled about by the great, rough world ? 
 
 And Jessie shrank a little, it must be confessed. Every 
 year they grew poorer. Their little hoard had all been 
 spent, and now they would be compelled to make a drain 
 upon Clement; for Madge, single-handed, could not fill
 
 176 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 the void. And so Home Nook appeared more of an im 
 possibility than ever before. 
 
 Once only Madge touched upon her errand for Philip, 
 but she saw that it had completely passed from his mind. 
 He had with his earliest convalescence questioned his 
 mother whether any message had ever been sent to him, 
 and the matter of the salary being so entirely business- 
 like, he had dismissed the subject with a little sigh. When 
 he recovered, there would be the olden search for some- 
 thing to do. 
 
 February ended with unusual mildness. Philip began 
 to walk out a little, and then rapidly regained his strength. 
 It made them all happier to have him able to go about. 
 As soon as he felt strong enough he took a journey down 
 to the old house of Graham & Co. 
 
 The book-keeper mentioned it to Mr. Graham, who was 
 not in at the time. 
 
 " Did he ask for me ? " was the rather sharp query. 
 
 " No. We talked a little about business. There's no 
 chance for him here again?" 
 
 " Not the slightest," in a cold, decisive tone. 
 
 So I told him." 
 
 Mr. Graham gnawed his mustache a little. 
 
 " Ward was a fool ! " he said to himself. Still, let the 
 poor fellow go. He has had bad luck enough ! " 
 
 So Philip Ashburton little guessed at the cloud that 
 overshadowed him, even when several applications, to 
 whom Graham & Osborne had been given as a reference, 
 were Jeclined. Still, something must be done. 
 
 He obtained a situation at last in a broker's office, with 
 a man whose face and manner he disliked at the first inter- 
 view. Yet he could hardly afford to be particular. 
 
 Horace Bradley was well known as a sharp and shrewd 
 financial operator. He took the measure of Philip Ash- 
 burton at once, covertly laughed at the honesty in every 
 line of his face, and the frankness so strongly characteristic
 
 THE CBOWN OF DUTY. 177 
 
 of it. The young fellow would be useful to him in various 
 ways, and he meant to turn the connection to good ac 
 count while it was fresh and taking. 
 
 Philip was quite ready for business, and went at it with 
 an energy that gratified his employer. New to these 
 ways, unsuspicious, and most anxious to give satisfaction, 
 he was quite deep in the mysteries of that most fascinat- 
 ing species of gambling speculation before he scarce- 
 \y realized where he stood. 
 
 It was in the time of the great excitements, when men 
 ran wild over victory or defeat, coined the life-blood of 
 friend or enemy into gold what did it matter ? The 
 fever entered many a noble soul and poisoned it, and the 
 haste to be rich bade fair to sap the strong and true foun- 
 dations whereon all nobility of character rests. 
 
 Before he was hardly aware he was drifting with the 
 tide. What if he joined this mad rush, and won the 
 golden fortune that seemed to stand aloof from honest 
 exertion ? They all needed it so much ! And there was 
 Home Nook. If he could help Clement in restoring this 
 heritage ! 
 
 The struggle and decision were forced upon him sooner 
 than he expected. He came home, one evening, looking 
 more worn arid tired than usual. 
 
 " What is the matter ? " asked Jessie. " You are over- 
 working." 
 
 " No, it is not that," with a faint smile. 
 
 " Then something troubles you." 
 
 He made no answer for several minutes. 
 
 " You have not lost your situation again ? " 
 
 That was in Madge's quick, tremulous voice. 
 
 " I have given it up," calmly. 
 
 But I thought you liked it." 
 
 " I did at first. There was something exhilarating in it, 
 but I understood only one side. And though there may be 
 pleasures and profits, there are dangers and evils as well." 
 12
 
 178 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 "But I should think that part belonged to Mr. Bradley 
 rather than you." 
 
 " Let me explain what occurred to-day. Mr. Bradlej 
 has sent me out on more than one occasion to purchase 
 some particular stocks at a rather high rate, while, un- 
 known to me, an agent would follow in my footsteps to 
 sell. This would cause a rush to his office ; but he would 
 purchase only a small amount, to give the proceeding 
 color, blandly declaring to all late comers that his order 
 was filled. To-day it was land- warrants, I saw more 
 than the number he wanted lying in the desk, and told 
 him so, as I had resolved that he should never set me 
 about such work again. To me it seems nothing less than 
 downright swindling." 
 
 w And then ? " continued Jessie. 
 
 " I did refuse. We had some high words ;" and Philip 
 colored. " Of course it ended in a discharge. I wonder 
 sometimes, with Madge, if we are fated to be unlucky 
 only I know, after all, there is no such thing as luck." 
 
 Mr. Bradley had stung Philip with a little sentence that 
 he did not care to repeat. He had said, 
 
 u Your past record is not so entirely faultless, Mr. Ash- 
 burton, that you need set up these high ideas of honesty." 
 
 When Philip had pressed him for an explanation, he 
 either would not or could not give it. Still it left the 
 young man feeling hurt and sore. 
 
 " But all commercial life is not full of tricks and dis- 
 honesty," said Madge. 
 
 "No, there are many honorable exceptions. Yet it 
 seems now as if a new and fatal spirit had seized upon the 
 souls of too many, alas! No matter how wild the ven- 
 ture, there are hundreds standing ready to plunge into the 
 whirlpool. Every one appears possessed with an eager 
 thirst for riches, and fabulous fortunes are made in a few 
 months. But I have seen the other side. Widows and 
 orphans, or poor men induced to invest their small savings
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. ITS 
 
 the labor of years, perhaps in some of these schemes, 
 and have it swept away. It is in most cases the rich and 
 unscrupulous who gain, while the poor grow poorer, 
 crowded on every side. Yet I have sometimes felt 
 tempted to join the successful throng." 
 
 " Not at the price of honor, my son," interposed Mr. 
 Ashburton, who had glided into the room with his slow, 
 soft step, as he had insensibly fallen into the peculiar 
 quietude belonging to the blind. 
 
 " It would be that." Philip half turned and slipped his 
 hand into his father's, which was white and slender as a 
 woman's. " I have been debating this thing in my mind 
 for the past month. I have met with opportunities for 
 success, if one could only forget that for the few who suc- 
 ceed, hundreds are plunged into ruin and misery. Per- 
 haps this civil war is to be the great test of our national 
 character, and that bloodless battles are to be fought, which 
 shall determine the growth and purity of our souls." 
 
 " Yes, the grand issues are not merely with the victory 
 of to-day the defeat of contending armies is not our only 
 failure. It is whether we shall come out of it braver and 
 nobler, having strength given us to buffet through, or drift 
 down the tide with the countless throngs who have proved 
 too weak for destiny." 
 
 a It seems to me Uiose heroic souls who have laid theii 
 lives on their country's altar are to be envied," Philip said, 
 a little regretfully. " They have given the best, and all 
 they had. And now the country, in her deathly strait, 
 calls for more." 
 
 They all knew then what was in Philip's calm, resolute 
 face. Throughout the struggle the fires of youth and 
 patriotism had burned brightly in his soul, but his duty 
 had been here. 
 
 " I am glad we have come to this subject," he began in 
 a slow, peculiar tone. "It has haunted me for weeks. 
 Two paths seem open before me. In legitimate business
 
 t80 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 there is no chance. Everything is in the deptts of depres- 
 sion and there are only speculation and the battle-field. 1 
 have been tempted to enter the first arena. I cannot tell 
 you how the prospect of winning back Home Nook has 
 lured me on to make a gambler's desperate throw. There 
 is honor in many transactions, and principle and right also, 
 but it does harden men's hearts in the end. Could I keep 
 my hands clean if I dipped them in this foul, seething 
 tide?" 
 
 " I relinquished it in all honor," answered Mr. Ashbur- 
 ton, "and I would not have it redeemed in dishonor. 
 That it has been a sore trial to me I will confess ; that I 
 have stumbled over thorns and gone astray, trying to find 
 some easier path than that marked out by God, I humbly 
 acknowledge. But better poverty and loss of all than to 
 have one's soul dragged down to perdition in this unholy 
 strife for wealth. Philip, my son, I honor your scruples. 
 Whether God prosper us or not, we will do his will." 
 
 "Thank you," Philip said in a voice of deep emotion. 
 " I have sometimes wondered if this subject had not taken 
 a morbid tinge in rny brain. But to look upon wrecks of 
 truth, and manliness, and self-respect, and to see the dan- 
 gers that beset the slippery path, must needs warn like a 
 beacon-light. And when ft man has once been face to 
 face with death " 
 
 " Yes," Mr. Ashburton returned, slowly, " there is a 
 life beyond this ; and * what will it profit a man if he gain 
 the whole world and lose his own soul ? ' We too often 
 forget this." 
 
 " Then the other path " 
 
 Philip's voice trembled perceptibly. 
 
 " 1 " and Madge knelt beside him with a passionate 
 cry. " Not that, Philip ! Not absence, and danger, and 
 death itself! The country has no claim upon you." 
 
 " She has a claim upon every man in her pangs of mor- 
 tal anguish. I want to say now, that if we had been
 
 THE CKOWN OF DUTY. 181 
 
 happy and prosperous, I should have gone at first. Ah, 
 I can never tell you how my pulses used to throb and 
 thrill at the thought ! But God made a path of duty for 
 me here, and I was fortunate enough to have my place 
 filled. Now everything has changed, and while it would 
 wrench my heart with keenest agony to leave you, if I 
 stay I too may become a burden. There is so little doing 
 that it is almost impossible to find employment on remu- 
 nerative terms. Bounties, on the other hand, are high." 
 
 " But to go for money ! " 
 
 There was a flash of scorn in Madge's eyes, a touch of it 
 in her tone. 
 
 u My darling, it seems as if God in this wise opened the 
 way for me. I should not leave you utterly dependent 
 upon Clement or yourself." 
 
 " As if the money would not be the price of blood ! " 
 and Madge sprang to her feet, her face flushing, and her 
 sensitive nostrils quivering with subtile pain. 
 
 " That is the youthful and enthusiastic view ; " and Philip 
 smiled gravely. " It once seemed to me that patriotism 
 could not be bought, that I should spurn anything but the 
 purest and most heroic sacrifice ; yet I have come to look 
 upon matters in a different light. Are not wives and 
 little ones dear to these men who know not what hour 
 they may be called upon to lay down their lives ? Will 
 it make them fight better, think you, to know that these 
 precious ones may be starving ? " 
 
 Madge was silent. 
 
 "There is always some divine justice in the law cf com- 
 pensation. We do not often penetrate its intricacies in 
 the heats of youth, and it seems to me but right that the 
 men who stay at home should help to make it easier 
 for those who go. You know that was what Clement 
 thought." 
 
 " But since you have a substitute " 
 
 This was Jessie's soft, pleading, regretful voice.
 
 182 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 "One comes to see things in a different light, my dar- 
 ling. I am young and strong, and have my country's best 
 interest at heart. If I enlist in her cause, I shall do it 
 with my whole soul, keeping nothing back. And if she 
 bridges over the path whereon I might falter, if she pro- 
 vides me with the means of caring for you, so that my 
 burdens are lightened, shall I march with less willing feet, 
 do you think ? " 
 
 M You place the subject of bounties in a romantic light," 
 Madge answered, still unconvinced. 
 
 " And in a practical light also. I shall take no hasty 
 step, but I want you to help me to decide wisely." 
 
 They all glanced at him silently for a moment, under- 
 standing in a dim fashion how much of uncomprehended 
 heroism went into every-day living when it was true, and 
 not bound hand and foot by shams. With God between 
 the human soul and its own thought, the meretricious 
 glitter of high-sounding terms fell away it was the real 
 thing the bread to strengthen fainting bodies the red 
 wine of another Agony infusing into the soul its own mys- 
 terious rapture of pain, of struggle, and ultimate victory. 
 
 Jessie wiped away a few tears. " If we could only see 
 the end ! " she said. " And yet God must be in it all, 
 bridging over the floods that rage and swell. We cannot 
 go outside of his plans when we take the work he gives us 
 to do." 
 
 " That is it," returned Philip, gravely. " And it seems 
 now as if all other avenues were closed to me, as if this 
 one path was left for me to walk in honorably. And if we 
 Lave faith in him " 
 
 " I am afraid I have not," sobbed Madge. * The hurt 
 and pain, the stumbling over stones and thorns " 
 
 " But we are to build with the stones that takes them 
 out of our way, you see. And when the vines are trained 
 the thorns are beyond their power to wound." 
 
 He came and clasped her tenderly in his arms, kissing
 
 THE OKOWN OF DUTY. 188 
 
 away the fast-falling tears. O, how could they do wnh- 
 out him ? Yet she felt the brave resolve in every limb, 
 saw it in every feature, and most of all in the clear, un- 
 shrinking eyes. Another thought wafted a breath of 
 comfort to her. 
 
 " If you could go out as an officer ! " 
 
 " No, Madge ; if I go at all, it will be as a private, to 
 serve my country in her desperate need. And if I accept 
 the bounty, it will only be like receiving back what we 
 once paid away. Think of it as Clement's money. One 
 thing is certain. I cannot stay here in idleness. That 
 would shame my manhood too much." 
 
 Mr. Ashburton folded his hands over his son's head. 
 
 "God be with thee," he said, "wherever thou mayest 
 go ! I give thee into his hands." 
 
 They knew then that their father would make no ob- 
 jection. Mrs. Ashburton's heart was filled with tremulous 
 emotion, and Jessie wiped away some sad tears. 
 
 Now that the ice was broken, the subject was discussed 
 almost hourly. Madge opposed it with the unreason of 
 youthful passion and pain, but Jessie came to view it with 
 Philip's broader vision. 
 
 " After all," she said, " it is the spirit of self-sacrifice 
 that hallows it, and renders it really nobler than if Philip 
 had gone at first." 
 
 A new fire lay hidden in the depths of Philip's grave 
 eyes, indicating a soul that could grasp its purposes keen- 
 ly, and yet look at itself as well as the things without, 
 growing into the dim and silent spaces where God had a 
 work for it to do, no matter how small, how far removed 
 from human vision. For he had learned to look beyond 
 this perplexing life for rewards. The work was to be 
 done here, the fruit garnered hereafter. 
 
 Yet, in spite of the heat and love, the tender shrinking 
 from new pangs, the courage that seemed to wax and 
 wane, tlj.ey were all slowly drifting to one conclusion 
 the saddest of all, it appeared to them.
 
 184 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 A MISSING LINK. 
 
 MADGE, returning home from school one June day, tired 
 and languid, stopped the street car and entered. There 
 were not many passengers, and being in no curious or 
 speculative mood, she scarcely observed them ; for all day 
 she had been under the influence of a strange, terrible 
 spell, battling with doubts and desires, questioning even 
 God's goodness and mercy. 
 
 A gentleman from the opposite side changed his seat to 
 one near her. She was too utterly crushed to consider 
 whether it were an impertinence, and turned her face 
 away. 
 
 " Miss Ashburton," a voice said presently. 
 
 She started then, and a wave of dim memory swept 
 over her. Somewhere she had heard the voice, seen the 
 face where had it been ? Yet she was in no frame of 
 mind to be gracious to one so nearly a stranger. 
 
 " Then you have forgotten me ?" 
 
 There was a slight touch of reproach in the tone. 
 
 She gave another quick glance, and seemed to study a 
 moment. 
 
 " Mr. Graham, I believe ; " rather hesitatingly. 
 
 " Yes ; " with a pleasant smile. " I am glad to meet 
 you, although I had so nearly passed out of your mind." 
 
 She made no answer, and was fain to return to her own 
 sad thoughts. 
 
 " Not very courteous," he mused ; and then he fancied 
 the face held in its graver lines a deep trouble. 
 
 " Your brother is well I hope " he ventured again
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 185 
 
 " Yes ; " briefly, and with a rather cold intonation. 
 
 The car halted for a passenger. In the momentary 
 pause he ask^d, even at the risk of appearing rude, 
 
 " Is he in ,ne city ? " 
 
 The quick tears sprang to her eyes, and her lip quivered 
 with pain. 
 
 " Pardon me." 
 
 He uttered the two words in such a kind, gentlemanly 
 tone, that they went to her heart. Still she made no re- 
 ply ; she could not have trusted her voice. 
 
 He studied the face partially turned away. Pale and 
 rather thin, with a small, firm mouth, and beautifully 
 rounded chin, the long bronze lashes that he remembered 
 so well, and the eyes in a lustre of tears. What great sor- 
 row burdened her thus in the outset of life ? Aught con- 
 nected with her brother? 
 
 She made a signal at the well-known corner. Mr. Gra- 
 ham assisted her out and led her to the pavement. There 
 both paused involuntarily. 
 
 " Even at the risk of being considered intrusive," he 
 said, "I must ask you another question. You are in some 
 trouble is it about your brother ? " 
 
 Madge gave a great gasp, swallowing something more 
 bitter than tears. 
 
 " O, Mr. Graham ! he was to enlist to-day ! " 
 
 She looked so white and wan that it seemed as if she 
 would faint. He drew her arm through his for support. 
 
 " There is nothing else to do," she almost sobbed. 
 
 Mr. Graham watched her in great perplexity. They 
 took several steps in silence, he thinking whether it would 
 be possible to continue the conversation so inauspiciously 
 bsgun. If her brother had been at fault, and there was 
 no other resource? He sympathized profoundly with 
 her agitation. Dare he venture another question, this time 
 to the point ?
 
 186 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 When the first strangeness of the rencounter subsided, 
 a host of old recollections rushed over her. She paused 
 abruptly. 
 
 "Mr. Graham," she began, " what happened last winter? 
 Was it any mistake ? Philip could have set that right 
 It was the commencement of fresh misfortunes for us." 
 
 " I wish he had set it right, as you say. I hoped he 
 would make some explanation " 
 
 Madge looked at him with a face full of terror. Faint 
 blue lines settled about the mouth, and she trembled as if 
 in an ague. 
 
 "Was there anything? But you said it was all 
 right " in a wandering manner, for it seemed as if she 
 could hardly remember what she wanted to utter. 
 
 " Because you were in distress, and I hoped he would 
 explain some unfinished business." 
 
 With all his courage and strict sense of right, Ward 
 Graham hesitated to accuse another unfairly. 
 
 " He went down to the store once after his recovery. 
 He was politely discharged, you know ;" and there was a 
 touch of bitterness in her voice. 
 
 "Did he imagine there might be a reason ? How 
 much are you all in his confidence? If there was any 
 trouble or wrong," hesitating at the word, "would he 
 be likely to admit it at home ? " 
 
 Madge was bewildered. Her quick eyes questioned the 
 grave face bent upon her ; then her straightforward nature 
 cut the gordian knot at once. 
 
 " Mr. Graham, if there is anything wrong, it is a fatal 
 mistake. For Philip would not, could not, do one act that 
 might be questioned. He is as true and honest as as 
 the best and highest soul you will meet with in this world. 
 Corne and see him. For there has been some terrible mis- 
 understanding, I begin to believe." 
 
 They walked on in silence until they reached the cot> 
 tage, that looked oddly enough set in among the rows of
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. 187 
 
 more pretentious houses. She let herself in with the 
 'atch key, and opening the parlor door, invited him to 
 snter. 
 
 The shutters were partly closed, making a pleasant 
 twilight within, and there was a fragrance of rose and 
 geranium. She left him there to wonder how he had 
 stumbled upon this half-explanation, and whether he could 
 go on without wounding them irremediably. For some- 
 how he had not felt quite satisfied with the termination of 
 this affair. He had expected better things from Philip 
 Ashburton. Surely this young face was honor and no- 
 bility itself. But then women never knew the temptations 
 that encompassed their sons and brothers on every hand, 
 the plausible schemes that were like a swift undertow in 
 the tide. 
 
 Philip had been home half an hour. Madge knew with- 
 out asking a question that his name was enrolled. 
 
 " Mr. Graham is here," she said. " Philip, I wonder if 
 you remember, when you were first ill, of begging me to 
 go to Mr. Graham with a message. Indeed, I think you 
 do not, for I referred to it once afterwards, and you took 
 no notice, though I fancied it might be because you did 
 not wish to talk of it. There has been some mistake, I 
 am sure, and he wishes it explained." 
 
 Madge had uttered this in a rapid breath. Philip hard- 
 ly comprehended at first. 
 
 " I sent you to Mr. Graham ? " 
 
 "Yes; on the second morning of your illness. Some- 
 thing about your books that you did not want overlooked, 
 and a secret connected with a person by the name of 
 Howard I scarcely remember myself, except that Mr. 
 Graham did appear to understand it yet I am afraid it 
 was all a terrible mistake " 
 
 Philip looked at her in the utmost astonishment. 
 
 When I was ill ?" 
 
 " Come and see Mr. Graham," she said, breathless with 
 excitement and perplexity. k ' Only Philip " her
 
 188 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 voice sinking to a whisper and her face deathly pale, "you 
 never did a wrong or dishonorable action, you never " 
 
 He kissed the throbbing lips for answer, and twining hi 
 arm around her, led her through the room. 
 
 u There is a mistake ; " in a husky tone. " I think I can 
 guess " 
 
 They both returned to the parlor. Mr. Graham rose 
 from his seat, and extended his hand, grasping Philip's cor- 
 dially ; but surprise kept the young man silent. 
 
 **I ought to apologize for this intrusion," he began in 
 his low, finely-modulated voice, "but circumstances seem 
 to have hurried me into it, and a belief that we might 
 have something of importance to say to one another " 
 
 " Mr. Graham, " filling the pause the other made, 
 "when my books were examined, were they found 
 correct?" 
 
 Philip stood there bravely conscious of his own inno- 
 cence, every feature in his face proud and calm. Not any 
 guilt or deceit, not any subterfuge or underhand dealing 
 would be found there. 
 
 Mr. Graham colored and hesitated, half wishing that 
 Madge were not present. 
 
 tt I desire to know just the truth." 
 
 " There was a deficit," Mr. Graham replied almost under 
 his breath. 
 
 How much ? " 
 
 " Two thousand dollars." 
 
 Philip started as if he had been stung ; Madge uttered 
 a sharp cry of anguish. 
 
 "I will tell my story first," Mr. Graham resumed. 
 ** You went home ill one afternoon I believe I was not 
 there. But the next day, Howard, who took charge of 
 your books, discovered some false entries and this defi- 
 ciency. Mr. Bromley went over it again, and attested the 
 truth. Howard, it appears, had given in his resignation 
 that morning, though he had told Bromley nearly a week 
 before that he had been offered a better situation. My
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. 189 
 
 father asked him to come the next day, but he failed to 
 make his appearance. I was on the eve of a business 
 tour to Europe, as you will remember, and very much 
 engrossed ; so we did nothing all that day except to send 
 for a private detective, who came too late for an interview 
 with my father. I had just placed the matter in his 
 hands, subject to some instructions the next morning, 
 when your sister called. I believe I suspected Howard 
 somewhat " 
 
 " And you thought that I meant to plead for Philip ! "* 
 Madge exclaimed, almost angrily, as he paused. 
 
 " I felt that if he were sick, we ought to defer any harsh 
 measures. Pardon me if I was tempted to comfort you. 
 Your youth, your agitation, your unbounded faith in your 
 brother, moved me strongly; and that evening I met Dr. 
 Conway, with whom I was slightly acquainted. He men- 
 tioned your family, and I heard some of your misfortunes, 
 becoming convinced in my own mind that you were not 
 the criminal. Before I left the next morning I made 
 good the missing amount, and begged my father to keep 
 the whole affair a secret. I felt certain that some expla- 
 nation would be made upon your recovery." 
 
 Philip's countenance had gone through scarlet flushes of 
 indignation and white heats of keenest pain, every feature 
 being roused to play its part. 
 
 " The whole thing was false ! " Madge said, haughtily. 
 " Worse than that cruel, unjust " 
 
 "Hush, my darling. It is bitter enough, God knows, 
 I have only to say, Mr. Graham, that I am no thiefj 
 though I cannot prove it now by anything beyond my 
 simple word." 
 
 But Philip's clear, untrembling tone was suflicient guar- 
 antee to Mr. Graham. 
 
 "Had you any cause for distrusting Howard ?" 
 
 "He had been dabbling a little in gold, through a 
 friend, and was rather fortunate than otherwise, I fancied ;
 
 190 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 but on the morning of my last day at the store, Le came 
 to me in great distress, admitting that he had been un- 
 lucky, and had used some funds of the firm, but he was 
 quite sure they were invested in a manner that would pay 
 handsomely. But as his account was to be examined the 
 next day, he begged me to let him have a thousand for a 
 few hours, that it might look right at the time, and he 
 would be sure to hand it back to me. I know that I had 
 been struggling for several days against the approach of 
 illness, and had hard work to decide between the strict 
 right and the fear of being unjustly rigorous. I urged 
 him to tell Mr. Graham, senior, offering to take that much 
 upon myself if he desired it ; but he had a hope of fight- 
 ing it out, or if that failed, he spoke of an opportunity of 
 going to Europe, which he should accept at once." 
 
 "And you let him have the money I see now; but it 
 was a false step on your part." 
 
 " No, I did not then," answered Philip. " It was hard 
 to refuse, and I might not have made a firm stand. I 
 went home early that day, thinking that I would consider 
 the subject. I have no distinct recollection after that." 
 
 " And Howard is the real criminal 1 I cannot tell how 
 it was, but I dare say he offered to take charge of your 
 books it would be very natural, in his place. He had 
 all the next day " 
 
 Philip buried his face in his hands. To have one's good 
 name tarnished in a moment, and by one whom he would 
 have befriended, appeared unspeakably bitter ! It is 
 harder, perhaps, to suffer for well-doing, for in the first 
 keen pang the consciousness of innocence is overwhelmed 
 by anguish. It is afterwards, when resignation steps in, 
 that one bares his head to the storm. 
 
 a My dear young friend, no one can regret this more 
 than I. Yet we shall come out to the truth, and it is not 
 too late for reparation. You must have had some sus- 
 picion, however?"
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 191 
 
 "As I said, I remember coming home that day with a 
 blinding headache, and nothing seems clear for weeks 
 afterwards. I can hardly imagine my sending Madge on 
 such an errand 1 In my senses I should have requested a 
 visit from some one in authority." 
 
 " If I had not gone ! " Madge exclaimed, with vehement 
 sorrow. 
 
 "Perhaps it was best," Mr. Graham answered. "But 
 for that the law might have taken its course, and there 
 would have been more or less publicity, even if we had 
 come to the truth sooner." 
 
 "My illness would have shielded Howard in any 
 event," Philip said, gravely. " And since it was only my 
 word against the books " 
 
 He shuddered, for he seemed even yet on the brink of a 
 frightful gulf. 
 
 " Bromley would hear nothing against Howard, and his 
 opinion had some influence with my father, I think. I 
 wonder if he could have meant to shield him?" 
 
 " How could he ! O, Philip ! how cruel and unjust the 
 world really is ! And that God should let us go astray 
 with all these misunderstandings, that were no fault of 
 ours, and the explanation come too late, too late ! " 
 
 She was sobbing piteously in her brother's arms, hei 
 bright hair a tumbled mass of curls about her shoulders. 
 
 " It is not too late, I trust ; " and rising, Mr. Graham 
 placed his hand within Philip's. " I, for one, am convinced 
 of your innocence, and shall labor hard to establish it. I 
 have been home but a fortnight." 
 
 ** Thank you," the young man answered, brokenly. 
 
 " I did not feel satisfied about the termination. I had 
 laid to myself, ' If Mr. Ashburton is the man I take him 
 to be, he will come to my father and express some grati- 
 tude for his forbearance, or else his air of innocence will 
 make itself felt Or, if he dies, I shall always be glad that 
 nothing was said.' *
 
 192 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 " Perhaps you are aware, Mr. Graham, that my month's 
 salary was sent for December, and a discharge at least 
 I was informed that it would be necessary to fill my place, 
 which I could hardly dispute in a business point of view. 
 I was down one day last March, and saw Mr. Bromley. 
 Trade was very dull, as I well knew, and receiving not the 
 slightest encouragement from him, I did not go again. I 
 knew of no reason why I was expected to see your father. 
 I questioned one of the clerks about Howard, and found 
 that he had left with a fair reputation. I could only sup- 
 pose that he had been fortunate enough in his venture to 
 cover all deficiencies." 
 
 "It is a sad affair, that might have been explained with 
 a few words, if any one had suspected the true state of 
 the case. I do not wonder that you feel warmly, Miss 
 Ashburton, and I can hardly blame your indignation. But 
 in a large business like ours, the routine seldom stops for 
 sentiment. Knowing what I did that evening, I was truly 
 desirous of not adding to your pain. I saw that you 
 placed implicit faith in your brother." 
 
 " And he was worthy of it," she answered, proudly. 
 
 ** Will you not pardon my mistake ? I shall do all in 
 my power to make amends." 
 
 He held out his hand. Madge took it reluctantly. She 
 had to crush down the bitterness of her soul. If this had 
 come yesterday, before the fatal step ! It was so hard to 
 have faith, to believe in a possible good being evolved 
 from this injustice. 
 
 tt I cannot tell you how truly I regret the sorrow and 
 trouble that have unwittingly been brought upon you by 
 my clumsy endeavor. I must beg that some allowance 
 be made for my father. When you come to have thirty or 
 forty years of experience in business, you will naturally 
 grow suspicious, and chary of believing the first story you 
 hear. Young men are led astray in so many different 
 ways, and the hope of replacing a little money looks so
 
 THE CKOWN OP DUTY. 193 
 
 fair to one in necessity! Some years ago we had quite a 
 serious affiiir, and my father said then that he never would 
 forgive the slightest dereliction from honesty. Since then 
 I have interfered in two cases. The first one I shall never 
 regret." 
 
 " But I do not see how Philip came to be suspected of 
 all, and this Howard to be believed so implicitly," ex- 
 claimed Madge, still indignant. 
 
 " Because the error was in your brother's account, and 
 not in his. Howard had charge of his books that day, 
 and must have altered figures to suit himself. He took it 
 at once to Mr. Bromley, and we three were all who knew of 
 the fact. Ami although utterly surprised, I own that I did 
 not suspect Howard in the slightest until after he had left. 
 There was not a shadow of proof against him." 
 
 " I have still nothing but my word," said Philip, proudly. 
 
 " And if I tell you that I trust it implicitly, and ask you 
 to come down to-morrow morning for further conference 
 with my father, will you refuse me ? " 
 
 Ward Graham's voice was full of earnest and manly 
 pleading. He held out his hand to Philip. 
 
 "How sorry I am I can never tell you !" 
 
 Philip could not resist the cordial manner. 
 
 " I will be there at ten," he said. " At twelve I must 
 report." 
 
 A strong shiver passed over Madge. 
 
 " You have enlisted, then ? " Mr. Graham asked. 
 
 "Business was so dull. There seemed so little chance 
 of anything else. Yet I believe I have had a fancy for it 
 all along." 
 
 Philip's voice trembled a little in spite of his strong 
 effort to be calm. 
 
 "And he had a substitute," exclaimed Madge. 
 
 " Then it is doubly heroic in him," returned Mr. Graham. 
 "I do not believe any brave or honorable impulse is ever 
 quite barren of fruit, though it may be delayed." 
 13
 
 194 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 It seemed to Madge that she took a survey of him then 
 for the first time. A rather grave but not unhandsome 
 face, indicating refinement and culture, with a subtile, un 
 deriving strength. The eyes were a deep, soft gray, but 
 the hair and beard nearly black. There was something 
 honorable and tender in the expression, and she trusted in 
 spite of her wounded pride and sore heart. 
 
 " To-morrow, then," he said, lingering in the doorway, 
 taking a careless glance at the parlor, that looked so pretty 
 and cosy. 
 
 Madge and Philip ran up stairs again to Mrs. Ashbnr- 
 ton's room, and there the story was told over in such a 
 tumultuous fashion that it was some time before the listen- 
 ers could make beginning or end of it. 
 
 " It is a mystery to me yet," declared Philip, " that I 
 should have sent Madge upon such an errand, and then 
 forgotten it completely. I do not remember even being 
 troubled about Howard during the first of my illness. It 
 is all a blank to me, after my return earlier than usual one 
 day with an excruciating headache." 
 
 " And yet we thought you better the next morning, and 
 you were rational," said Jessie, much perplexed. 
 
 "I wonder how Madge came to keep the secret." 
 
 " I believe it is the only one I ever did keep," replied 
 Madge, tearfully. " The thought and terror of your dying 
 took possession of us all, to the exclusion of everything 
 else ; and if it recurred at all, it was only as a wandering 
 fancy of your brain, especially when Dr. Con way said the 
 disease had been lurking in your system for weeks. 
 
 " But I wonder that you did not speak of it afterwards." 
 
 u I did just refer to it once, but I saw that you had no 
 recollection of it, and I was afraid that you would be sorry 
 you had sent me on a foolish and useless errand. We had 
 BO much to bear that I did not want to add a straw's 
 weight. But if I never had gone " 
 
 * No," returned Jessie ; " I think the going was very
 
 THE CBOWN OF DUTY. 195 
 
 fortunate. Suppose, in addition to the illness, this terrible 
 suspicion had fallen upon us! Weeks must have elapsed 
 before Philip could have disproved it." 
 
 "If ever. And a good name is not so easily regained." 
 
 "But it doesn't take the pain out of the hardest and 
 bitterest," sobbed Madge afresh. "O, Philip ! if you only 
 had waited ! if you had not enlisted to-day 1 Why does 
 God let all these things happen ? " 
 
 " My darling, hush," said her mother, softly. 
 
 " But it is so hard to believe these events are for the best 
 when one suffers from them ! " 
 
 Very true ; and perhaps the eyes of nineteen are not so 
 clear and comprehensive. 
 
 Yet there was very substantial cause for gratitude, and 
 no one felt it more keenly than Mr. Ashburton. That 
 Philip should have rested for months under this suspicion 
 was bitter indeed, but it might have gone on for a life- 
 time, cropping out now and then to his disadvantage, like 
 the stab of an unseen enemy. ' 
 
 And the father had a hope in his heart that he hardly 
 dared express, or breathe in anything but prayer. Perhaps 
 they all unconsciously shared it. 
 
 " I shall have to wait all day before I hear a word of 
 good news," said Madge, disconsolately, the next morning 
 
 " But it is a comfort to think of it even. It seems to 
 me like a glimpse of sunshine over our shady path ! " 
 
 "Trust you for finding the brightness, Jessie;" and 
 Madge almost smiled. 
 
 But Philip came for her in the afternoon, and his face 
 was as radiant as this summer day. 
 
 " O," she exclaimed, with a glad cry. " I believe I can 
 guess it all. You will not leave us!" 
 
 " No, I am not to leave you at least, I think the matter 
 be arranged." 
 
 " O, it must, it must ! And Mr. Graham ? " 
 
 " We have had a very thorough explanation. Mr. Ward
 
 196 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 Graham is the noblest man I have ever met, and his pa- 
 tience is not only tender, but grand. Still, there icas a ials< 
 entry in my books, and the money appeared to have been 
 taken on the day that I went home ill. No one can re 
 member whether Howard came back or not. Just at that 
 juncture we were crowded with business, and getting orders 
 ready for young Mr. Graham. It is one of the things which 
 seemed to have happened by accident, and might not occur 
 once in a thousand times." 
 
 " So it had to fall upon you ! " 
 
 " And it may be the means of greater good fortune. We 
 cannot always see the end from the beginning." 
 
 "But I cannot excuse Howard's treacherous and dis- 
 honest act," Madge replied, vehemently. 
 
 "No. Sin must always be sin, and its consequences 
 bitter. Still, God can turn the results into useful lessons. 
 And, Madge, the virtue lies not in bearing the evils which 
 our own sins have brought upon us, but in taking patiently 
 the buffeting we receive for the faults of others." 
 
 "But we cannot, in every case," she said, decisively. 
 
 " That is one of the lessons we are to learn, little sister." 
 
 Madge gave him a quick, questioning look. 
 
 " Are you thankful that it happened ? " 
 
 "No, my darling; but I am glad the evil has been no 
 worse. We had a long talk this morning. Madge, you 
 do not know how great the temptation is to most young 
 men to make a little money. They see others doing it so 
 easily it is one of the misfortunes of our present state 
 of finance. I never was what you might call intimate 
 with Howard, yet now and then he would mention the 
 fact of having made a hundred or two dollars, and some- 
 times, when we were sorely pressed for money, I used to 
 wonder how it would do for me to try. But after dear 
 father's noble example, I could never have touched a penny 
 which did not belong to me." 
 
 "O, I hope notl" with a quick grasp of his arm.
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. 197 
 
 " Then I was tempted many a time while with Mr. Br;td 
 ley not to use his money, but to do some things which 
 were not strictly honorable. And if I had been fortunate 
 *here, this explanation never could have happened, and the 
 Grahams would always have considered me a dishonest 
 man, suffered to prosper through their generosity. Now I 
 have made two of the best friends a young man can have." 
 
 " But Howard goes scot free, and is successful, I suppose." 
 
 Philip smiled a little. " You cannot seem to give him 
 up, Madge ? " 
 
 "No;" and she laughed too. "Like the story books, I 
 want virtue rewarded and vice punished." 
 
 " That is one of the things that we must leave with God." 
 
 "Philip," with a sudden impulse, "how good you are! 
 I believe you are always thinking about it now." 
 
 " When a man has gone down to the brink of the dark 
 liver, he comes to view matters with different eyes," Philip 
 answered, gravely. " I find myself full of evil, but I am 
 trying to cling to the sure guide and support." 
 
 They walked a little way in silence ; then Madge said, 
 in a rather subdued tone, 
 
 "You have not told me what the prospect really is." 
 
 " O, we forgot our text didn't we ? I do believe the 
 elder Mr. Graham is convinced of my honesty, and they 
 have offered me one of the best positions, with a salary of 
 sixteen hundred dollars this year; and Mr. Ward will see 
 about getting me another substitute. There is the seven 
 hundred dollars bounty money, you know, and he thinks 
 for three hundred dollars more, we might obtain one. 
 They believe the war will be ended before another year." 
 
 " O, I hope it will. And I am very, very glad " 
 
 Her voice trembled over tears. 
 
 " It seems as if the dawn might be breaking over us at 
 last." 
 
 She did not reply. It had been a long and dreary night, 
 with even the watchmen's voices hushed.
 
 198 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 CHAPTER XVL 
 
 A NBW FKIEND. 
 
 release was obtained without any special diffi- 
 culty, and he took his place in the old establishment once 
 more. Mr. Bromley had left some months previous, 
 having accepted, in connection with a friend, a large gov- 
 ernment contract. Consequently there was no embarrass- 
 ment for Philip. 
 
 " I should like to ask Mr. Graham up here to tea," he 
 said one evening to Jessie. " He has expressed a desire 
 to see father, and become acquainted with the rest of you." 
 
 " Why not ? We should be glad to have him come, I 
 am sure. I have not seen him at all, remember." 
 
 "Sure enough," exclaimed Madge. "And since he has 
 become a kind of hero in our estimation, we ought to 
 know more of him. He is rich isn't he, Philip ? " 
 
 " I should think so. They have been one of the fortu- 
 nate houses during the war." 
 
 Mrs. Ashburton glanced at her daughter. What if 
 ihere had been something besides Mr. Graham's interest 
 in Philip ? 
 
 And yet it seemed as if Madge was hardly bright enough 
 or pretty enough to attract any person's attention at a 
 glance. Not that she had faded, but the toil and care had 
 dimmed the 
 
 " something sweet 
 That follows youth with flying feet." 
 
 The spirit, and brilliancy, and vivacity flashed but rarely 
 now.
 
 THE CEOWN OF DTJ1Y. 199 
 
 * 
 
 Had she grown old before her time? Had the love 
 that once appeared the sun of her life proved a burden ? 
 For now Charlie Westlake said nothing about a return. 
 And Mrs. Ashburton sighed. 
 
 " How old is Mr. Graham ?" asked Jessie. 
 
 " About forty," replied Madge, musingly. 
 
 M Forty ! " and Philip laughed. 
 
 Madge glanced up in amazement. 
 
 " Why, Mr. Graham, senior, is not much beyond fifty." 
 
 "Well, I never thought of him as being young." 
 
 "He may be past thirty, and looks neither young noi 
 old, but has a grave, sweet face. Why, I believe his eyes 
 are wonderfully like Jessie's, but his hair is much darker." 
 
 Mr. Graham set all criticisms and doubts at rest by 
 accepting the invitation. It was during the first week of 
 Madge's vacation, when she felt very lazy and listless. 
 There had not been any little festival suppers since the 
 time of Charlie Westlake, and it seemed quite a new un- 
 dertaking. 
 
 Mr. Ashburton had become so blind that he could bare- 
 ly distinguish between light and darkness. Yet as this 
 avenue of the senses closed slowly, a clearer spiritual 
 vision appeared to become his. The doubts and despair 
 that threatened to overwhelm him at one time had van- 
 ished, and the twilight through which he walked became 
 illuminated with that all-glorious Sun of Righteousness. 
 Consenting, like a little child, to be led by the Father's 
 hand, he no longer stumbled over thorns. Faith resumed 
 her crown and sceptre. 
 
 And with this repose of soul had come a decided im- 
 provement in his physical health. Sweet, patient, uncom- 
 plaining, he seemed to make the central point in the 
 Household. For now they rarely spoke of Home Nook. 
 The old hopes had been laid away with reverent hands, 
 perhaps never to be called to a resurrection morning. 
 
 They heard from Eleanor at intervals. She had gone
 
 200 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 to a German town to reside, and appeared to be living 
 very quietly. Gerald did not intend to return until the 
 war had ended. 
 
 Madge roused herself a little, and assisted Jessie in her 
 preparations. It was to be very simple. 
 
 u We cannot give him grandeur and luxury ; so it is not 
 worth while to go beyond our usual fashion," she said. "I 
 used to feel that one ought to do her best for a person of 
 higher station, and you know how we did try for aunt 
 Waltham ! But now I am quite content to be considered 
 poor." 
 
 Jessie smiled in her thoughtful way. 
 
 Their table was nearly all arranged before Philip came 
 home. Both girls were in white Madge with some 
 deep velvety crimson roses at her throat, but Jessie with 
 a knot or two of blue ribbon. She was not so tall as 
 Madge, and there still hung about her the soft shadows of 
 a hardly outgrown childhood. 
 
 She came in to be introduced rather shyly it must be 
 confessed, for she was brought in contact with so few 
 strangers. But the cordial smile, like a rift of sunshine, 
 dispelled her slight awe at once. 
 
 There was something about Mr. Graham that went to 
 each heart. The refinement of a gentleman, the ease and 
 culture of society, and a reverent tenderness that could 
 have its birth only in a pure and noble soul. Jessie was 
 won by the deference he paid her father a fine respect, 
 that graced him as well as Mr. Ashburton. 
 
 And before the supper was half through, they began to 
 consider him quite in the light of an old friend. 
 
 Afterwards they adjourned to the small garden, for the 
 summer day was not yet ended. 
 
 "You are a wonderful florist," he said to Jessie, "only 
 you have not sufficient scope for your talents. Flowera 
 are a passion with me as well, but in the winter we have 
 quite a conservatory."
 
 THE CKOWN OF DUTY. 201 
 
 "And Jessie has a few in the window," said Madge; 
 " roses which she manages to coax into bloom, and latei 
 sweet violets, with three or four callas." 
 
 He told them of flowers he had seen abroad, and some 
 curious South American plants. He understood their 
 habits and needs wonderfully for a business man. 
 
 And somehow, there, in the tender falling twilight, they 
 touched upon Home Nook. Not in any sense of loss or 
 regret ; they were too well bred for that ; but in his deli- 
 cate way he learned the story from shy Jessie and out- 
 spoken Madge, and gathered from the depths the sorrow 
 and the brave patience with which they had borne it all. 
 
 After they came in, another discoveiy was made. Mr. 
 Graham had known Gerald Copeland. That seemed to 
 give him a stronger claim upon their friendship. 
 
 The evening ended with music. Mr. Graham possessed 
 a rich, mellow tenor voice, and sang with Jessie while 
 Madge played. 
 
 Just at the last, while they were lingering over some 
 music quite apart from the others, he said to Jessie in a 
 low tone, 
 
 " I have to thank you for a very pleasant evening. I 
 am glad to have met you all, and I can understand now 
 the influences which have given your brother his peculiar 
 nobleness and strength. Perhaps, too, I am gratified not 
 to be mistaken in my first impression of him." 
 
 "O," she answered with a quick, fluttering underbreath, 
 " we owe you so much ! " 
 
 " Would you like to pay the debt ? " 
 
 She flushed deeply, though the kind eyes were not 
 intrusive. 
 
 " We cannot, Mr. Graham." 
 
 "In jart by allowing me the place of a friend. It 
 seems as if I owed you and yours something, as well, but 
 there are favors which are never burdensome." 
 
 Jessie understood. It was as if a strong oak Lad grown
 
 202 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 up in a single night in the midst of swaying, clinging 
 vines. No such friend had ever come to them before. 
 Was it a steady star dawning in the sky of better days ? 
 
 They all talked him over afterwards in their pleasant, 
 home-like fashion. 
 
 " I like him better than I fancied I should," confessed 
 Madge. " I cannot exactly tell how it came, but I believe 
 I held a little grudge against him. And, mamma, I really 
 could not help thinking, if Nelly had married such a man, 
 how much better contented we should all be." 
 
 Unwittingly, Madge had touched a tender chord. As 
 the years went on, they felt less satisfied with Elea- 
 nor's marriage. Indeed, the summer with aunt Waltham 
 seemed to have drifted her beyond the old home moor- 
 ings. Was she happy ? Alas, they could not tell ! 
 
 There came to the Ashburtons, after this, a feeling of 
 hope, as if the worst of adversity had been overpast 
 Clement was prospering again, and Philip in a situation to 
 take care of them all. He even proposed that Madge 
 should give up the school. 
 
 " No," she said, decisively. " I am not needed at home, 
 and five hundred dollars will do a good deal for us." 
 
 "But you do require rest." 
 
 "Which my vacation will give me just enough, and 
 no more. Philip, I sometimes think I am troubled with a 
 restless spirit. I could not sit down and be quiet, alter 
 over my old dresses, tend flowers, and fill my hands with 
 the small duties of household life. And though I did 
 rebel at first, and do not like teaching yet, still it gives 
 employment to brain and energy, and keeps down the 
 secret dissatisfaction." 
 
 " My darling, I wish you could find peace and rest." 
 
 " I am not miserable don't fancy that ; " but the tone 
 was rather sharp. " It is only the crudeness and efierves 
 cence of youth. Did not Mr. Graham say, a few even 
 \ngs since, that we grew broader, and deeper, and richer 
 in soul as the years passed over UP-?"
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 203 
 
 He kissed the throbbing lips. If it had not been for 
 Charlie Westlake, he fancied she could drift into a peace- 
 ful and quiet haven. 
 
 She was rather glad to get back to school agan the 
 old groove to which she had become accustomed, even if 
 she did not fit. 
 
 Mr. Graham dropped in now and then. It brightened 
 their lives wonderfully, this fresh contact with vigor that 
 was not crude, and refinement that was not weak. There 
 were reading aloud, pleasant conversation, and music. Mr. 
 Ashburton enjoyed it all so much ! 
 
 And then the calm tide was broken when they were 
 least looking for it. An unexpected wave drifted in the 
 wreck that had gone out a pleasure-boat under shining 
 skies. There had been a crunch of keel on jagged rocks, 
 but the pilot, clinging to the fragments, had steered 
 straight on through storm and darkness, knowing one 
 friendly port that would never be closed to the worn 
 wayfarer. 
 
 This was what they all felt one chill and drizzling Oc- 
 tober night, when their door opened to Eleanor. The 
 mourning robe and long black veil told the story, and the 
 baby in her arms appealed to them with a peculiar sense 
 of desolation and pity. 
 
 Madge uttered a cry of surprise and dismay, but the 
 mother's tender arms received her, clasping her to a heart 
 tf hich had never wavered never could. 
 
 " O, mother ! mother ! " 
 
 Such a sad, yearning cry, coming from depths long re- 
 pressed ! a history of wordless pain and anguish, of glad 
 return, even in the sorest humiliation. 
 
 They crowded round her. Familiar faces and voices 
 long, loving kisses clasps that would hold forever, in 
 true and unfaltering affection. 
 
 "My child! Thank God !" 
 
 It was all the mother could utter.
 
 204 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 ** I felt that I must come. If I have brought you son 
 row and trouble, forgive me. I had no place of refuge." 
 
 " God knows how welcome you are, Nelly." 
 
 It was Philip's clear, strong voice, good to hear. To 
 her, famishing for familiar sounds, the welcome was full 
 of indescribable joy. 
 
 "O, papa!" 
 
 She kissed the trembling lips, the sightless eyes from 
 whose gaze she was shut out. Home with them all once 
 more. 
 
 The baby's cry, strange and sweet, broke on the sad rap- 
 ture of meeting. 
 
 "I came so suddenly," Eleanor said, in broken, quiver- 
 ing tones, like a sound wildly shaken about by the wind, 
 " I could not wait to send a message." 
 
 Jessie took the little one in her arms. A sweet face, 
 framed in with straggling golden curls, and large eyes that 
 shrank away from the light in infantile terror. 
 
 Madge unfastened Eleanor's bonnet and shawl. A still 
 handsome woman, looking young for her five and twenty 
 years changed, and yet the same. 
 
 " O, baby ! don't cry. We are safe home at last." 
 
 And even with the words, Eleanor Copeland buried 
 her face on her mother's bosom, and sobbed with an almost 
 hysterical passion. 
 
 " My darling, you, too, are home with those who love 
 you, who have mourned your absence. Be comforted, my 
 child." 
 
 They soothed her back to comparative tranquillity, but 
 she was exhausted with the journey and the excitement. 
 Mrs. Ashburton laid her on the sofa. 
 
 " It is so good to be home once more, and to find you 
 unchanged ! Four years ! " 
 
 The pale lips quivered. They had not all been happy 
 years to her. 
 
 "There is so much to tell! I missed the last mail.
 
 THE CBOWN OF DUTY. 205 
 
 though I did not think of coming then. Poor baby ! we 
 have had a weary time; but we are safe, thank God! 
 Have I surprised you all beyond belief? n 
 
 For the girls and Philip were still watching her with 
 wondering glances. 
 
 " It is strange to think of your being here," returned 
 Madge, "and I am wondering if we shall find it a dream 
 to-morrow morning ! But, O, what a lovely baby, Nelly ! " 
 
 " She is tired, poor little thing. She was quite sick at 
 first. And you like her ? " 
 
 Eleanor uttei'ed the words timidly. 
 
 Like her ! " 
 
 There was something in the tone that went to the 
 depths of Eleanor's heart ; for during the passage she had 
 continually questioned the wisdom of this step. What 
 right had she to add to their burdens, when, in her youth 
 and strength, she had refused to bear any for them ? 
 
 " O, Madge, Jessie, mamma ! I felt as if I must come, 
 even if I died at your feet. And yet it is my bitterest 
 punishment that I must add to your cares. For baby and 
 I are alone in the world, with nothing save poverty for 
 our inheritance." 
 
 "My darling, where should you come but to your 
 mother's heart?" 
 
 " I cannot talk to-night, and it is a long story. But, O, 
 to be home once more 1 " 
 
 Jessie hushed the little one in her arms ; but though they 
 tried to talk on indifferent subjects, each heart was too full 
 of surprise and newly-awakened tenderness to render the 
 effort very successful. 
 
 " You called her Margaret," Jessie said, referring to the 
 baby. 
 
 " Yes, after mamma. It seemed like a glimpse of home. 
 But with her German nurse she was always Greta." 
 
 " An odd, pretty, and very German-like diminutive. O 
 Nelly, there is nothing but poverty, and yet I often think 
 it is not so hard when shared with one another."
 
 206 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 tt There are many severer trials," she answered, quietly. 
 
 At last they took Eleanor up to her own room. The 
 two girls had shared it latterly, as they rarely had anj 
 guests to entertain. 
 
 " My baggage will come to-morrow," she said. " I could 
 not wait for it. Jessie, you will find a few necessary 
 articles in my satchel." 
 
 Little Greta made no resistance to her aunt Jessie's 
 loving offices, being too sleepy to demur, and quite accus- 
 tomed to strangers. 
 
 " Everything looks so natural," said Eleanor, " I might 
 have gone yesterday for any change there is here ; and yet 
 it seems an age ago, judging by myself. Only poor 
 papa " 
 
 They kissed her many times, and left her to herself at 
 last to cry softly over her fatherless child, and thankfu, 
 that there had been a place of refuge for her in her des- 
 perate need. 
 
 Poor Nelly ! Their unspoken presentiment had not 
 misnamed her. 
 
 Madge was full of excitement, and could hardly sleep 
 and the worst was, to go away the next morning with just 
 the merest glimpse, enough to satisfy her that the vision 
 of the previous evening had been true. 
 
 Eleanor Copeland felt weary and languid after her 
 fatiguing journey. It was such a luxury to enjoy this rest 
 and quiet, to be ministered unto by loving hands, to hear 
 her child's fond little laugh and soft voice answering tha 
 caresses showered upon her, and to have the familiar faces 
 around her. 
 
 By degrees she went over the story of her brief life, 
 that had been crowded with anxiety, and pain, and shame, 
 and at the last bordering so closely upon poverty that she 
 had been compelled to toil for herself and her child. In 
 all their thoughts of her, there had been no fear like this 
 the bitter fruit of aunt Waltham's worldly faith and doc- 
 trines made manifest.
 
 THE CEOWN OF DUTY. 207 
 
 "I ought never to have married Gerald Copeland," she 
 confessed to her mother. "Even then I felt that there 
 was a secret want, that I debased the teaching of my pre- 
 vious life. But I was a coward. I shrank from poverty 
 and hardships. I thought this step would smooth the 
 way for us all ; but I should not have taken it had I 
 known the truth. And Mr. Copeland would not have 
 asked me to marry him but for one assurance of aunt 
 Waltham that I was to be her heir." 
 
 Eleanor's face flushed deeply in her bitter humiliation. 
 
 " O, my child ! to be bartered in this most sacred under- 
 taking of a woman's life ! I should not have so weakly 
 yielded my right " 
 
 " No, mamma, you shall not blame yourself. It was my 
 punishment for wilfully blinding my own eyes. Yet I 
 fancied that I could and did love him. If we had re- 
 mained at home, it might have been better. His fatal 
 weakness was gaming, though I think he played little 
 when we were first at Paris. I was very happy then in 
 the excitement of pleasure and new scenes. But after 
 Greta was born, I could not go with him continually, and 
 he sought other friends, returned to his old passion, and 
 played heavily, nearly always losing. What fatal fascina- 
 tion impels a man to continue such a course ? Then came 
 the news of aunt Waltham's death. I saw that he was 
 dreadfully disappointed, but I did not know the truth until 
 months afterwards. One night, maddened to frenzy by 
 his losses, and having drank deeply to drown the con- 
 sciousness, he taunted me with marrying him under the 
 false pretence of being heir to a fortune. O, you cannot 
 realize my shame and dismay, because I seemed to gather 
 from certain past evidences that it was true. And yet she 
 had told no falsehood. Everything she had left did come 
 to me as her heir, only she had led him to believe that it 
 was a large amount. I was indignant, and perhaps re- 
 torted too warmly. But I felt so outraged I That she, in
 
 208 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 the guise of best and dearest friend, had bargained me aa 
 an article of merchandise ! and that he, pretending to love, 
 had looked further, with mercenary eyes 1 And then I 
 asked myself how much better and purer my motives had 
 been. Not absolutely base and selfish, perhaps, but still 
 lacking all nobler impulses. I saw myself as I was, a 
 hideous mockery, and bowed in the dust, accepting the 
 destiny I had chosen. The pang and the humiliation were 
 terrible indeed. 
 
 " Gerald felt ashamed of his violence, though he did not 
 express any contrition in words. For the first time in my 
 life, I believe, I prayed earnestly for strength to do my 
 whole duty. I resolved not to forget for an instant that I 
 was his wife ; that if I was disappointed and mistaken, he 
 felt himself wronged as well. Indeed, we might have 
 reached a better and truer understanding but for his mad 
 passion. He made a few weak efforts to overcome it, but 
 they were as straws in the fierce current. And having 
 reached the end of his fortune, he seemed helpless for any 
 other course. For months we drifted along on that most 
 uncertain sea, at times tolerably prosperous, then on the 
 verge of want. He was too proud to return to America, 
 or to make an appeal to his friends. And then I realized 
 the necessity for a higher source of action than a creed of 
 harmless and pleasant morality. I was so utterly adrift 
 that at first I almost feared to turn to God in the depths 
 of ray anguish. 
 
 " Yet I knew that I must rescue myself and my child 
 from the degradation that was rapidly surrounding us. I 
 succeeded in obtaining a situation in a school at Brussels, 
 but the life was too monotonous for him. He went away 
 in a fit of restlessness, and for more than three months 1 
 had not seen him." 
 
 tt You were not with him when he died ? " Mrs. Ashbur- 
 ton asked. 
 
 M O, mamma ! There is the bitterest shame and the an-
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 209 
 
 guish. He was at Frankfort. And the cause was a quarrel 
 at play he having accused his opponent of cheating." 
 
 Eleanor covered her face with her hands. Well might 
 she say shame. 
 
 " He was severely wounded, and taken to a hospital. 
 Three days after, as he lay dying, a letter was sent to 
 me, and delayed nearly a week on its route. I answered 
 immediately, but mine was returned unopened, with one 
 word written across the envelope ' Dead.' My term 
 had just closed. I found that by selling a few trinkets I 
 still possessed, I could return home or go to Frankfort. 
 Gerald was buried, and I should be there friendless and 
 penniless. So I resolved to start immediately for New 
 York. If it was not wise, it appeared the best step to me 
 then." 
 
 Eleanor glanced at her mother as if she almost feared 
 that she should not meet with approval. 
 
 " We shall have to leave it in God's hands, my child. 
 It has been a thorny path indeed." 
 
 Yet perhaps not without good fruit. For in those 
 hours of tempest-tossed bitterness, with blackest skies 
 above, and storms on every side, she had let go her own 
 pride and strength, and cried unto One mighty to save. 
 Like a spirit moving on the face of the turbulent waters, 
 a hand had been stretched out to her, and, feeble, helpless, 
 she had clung to it with the soul of a child, with the faitt 
 that here indeed was her only refuge. 
 
 Henceforward there would be no weak shrinkings from 
 duty. Once within the ark, she could leave the struggle 
 and questioning with God. He knew best what burden 
 she was able to bear, and he had promised his grace as 
 sufficient. She would hew out no more broken cisterns of 
 her own, content to trust to the wiser guidance. 
 
 It was wonderful how soon they all settled themselves 
 to the fact of Eleanor's return. By degrees they came to 
 know the particulars of the unfortunate marriage ; but the 
 14
 
 210 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 world hoard nothing beyond the mention of Gerald Cope- 
 land's death at Frankfort, after having dissipated the most 
 of his fortune, and that his widow had come back to her 
 family and friends. A few of the Copeland relatives made 
 a call of condolence.
 
 THE CBOWN OP DUTY. 211 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 THORNS AND BO8B8. 
 
 THEY all felt the change in Eleanor. It was as if she 
 no longer held a life apart from theirs. Her delicacy and 
 fine sensitiveness were not, as hitherto, aids to pride, but 
 had in them the ring of a true and noble refinement. 
 
 Jessie was pleased with the cordial manner in which she 
 and Mr. Graham accepted each other. For he had come 
 to be a regular visitor, a pleasant friend, with whom they 
 could exchange thoughts and beliefs, who brought into 
 their circle glimpses of the true beauty and pleasure of 
 the outer world. Now and then, he took the girls to a 
 musical entertainment, or some fine lecture. If anything, 
 he appeared most familiar with Madge ; but Mrs. Ashbur- 
 ton could not feel easy in her conscience until she knew 
 that he fully understood Madge's peculiar position. 
 
 Baby Margaret supplied the one lack in the house. 
 From the first, she took a strange and tender fancy to her 
 grandfather, as if in some dim way she understood the loss 
 and loneliness. Not a brilliant or remarkable child, but 
 quaint, affectionate, and overflowing with sweet, childish 
 prattle. 
 
 Eleanor Copeland took up the battle of life with no false 
 pride, no shrinking or fear. She had outlived all that. 
 With her fine musical talent and a voice that had always 
 been remarkable for depth and sweetness, she was not long 
 in finding a place. 
 
 She had youth and health still unimpaired, and a courage 
 which seemed to inspire them all; a nature late in blossom- 
 ing, but one to bear golden fruit through many a year to 
 oome.
 
 212 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 They talked sometimes of the old days and the old 
 home, the dreams yet unfulfilled. In two years more, 
 Clement expected to return; but before a twelvemonth had 
 ended, Dr. Conway considered it quite possible that Mr. 
 Ashburton could be restored to sight. 
 
 " Mother," exclaimed Philip one evening, as they were 
 alone, " when has Madge heard from Charlie Westlake ? " 
 
 " Not in some time, I believe. Indeed, he has not been 
 a very regular correspondent the past winter." 
 
 "Do you think she cares much for him now ?" 
 
 There was a peculiar anxiety in Philip's thoughtful eyes. 
 
 " Have you heard anything ? " 
 
 " His name is in to-day's passenger list." 
 
 "Well," said Mrs. Ashburton, with a rapid breath. 
 
 " He is married, mother. It was Mr. and Mrs. Charles 
 Westlake, Mrs. Catherine Westlake." 
 
 " O ! " and the mother uttered a cry of pain. 
 
 " Somehow, I have half suspected this all along. I do 
 believe he loved Madge sincerely at the time, and meant 
 to be true, but there was not sufficient depth nor strength 
 in the regard. And now, after these years of waiting, 
 after taking the sweetest and most hopeful part of her 
 life " 
 
 "My poor, poor darling! Was I unwise or lacking in 
 prudence? I hesitated to consent, but he appeared so 
 much in earnest, and certainly did act nobly then." 
 
 " O, mother ! how much suffering the wrong-doing of one 
 person entails upon the many innocent ! It hardly seems 
 right to me. We shall have to pay in pain for his heed- 
 lessness in speaking at first, and his selfishness in seeking 
 something that looked more promising." 
 
 " It is his cousin." 
 
 " Yes, I am quite sure. Her name was not among the 
 passengers." 
 
 " There was a rumor to this effect some time ago. Jessie 
 thought best not to mention it."
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 213 
 
 "Poor Madge ! Mother, our girls seem to be unfortunate," 
 said Philip, sadly. " Do you think she will feel it very 
 keenly ? I wish she, too, had become interested iu some 
 other person." 
 
 " I fancy that Madge's affections are not easily trans- 
 ferred. She has grown more reticent than her childhood 
 promised, but her feelings are strong and deep. This will. 
 be a severe blow, even though she has said little about 
 him latterly." 
 
 " How shall we tell her ? " 
 
 Ah ! how confess this treachery and unfaithfulness ? 
 How stab one so dear to them all ? 
 
 " I do not know," Mrs. Ashburton returned, tremulously- 
 " Perhaps we had better wait and be quite certain." 
 
 " I am sure of it now. Then she has not heard regularly 
 from him for six months or more. And, after all, mother, 
 this is such a common event. Hundreds of young men do 
 it. I sometimes wonder if there is any truth or tenderness 
 in human nature! Yet one would hardly have suspected 
 him of such villany ! " 
 
 "I do not suppose that it was a deliberate breaking of 
 faith. By degrees he has outgrown the old regard, and 
 allowed his soul to centre around a new fancy. And we 
 hardly know what persuasions have been brought to bear 
 upon him. Mrs. Westlake, you know, did not cordially 
 approve, and May had a large fortune." 
 
 "Yes, that was the under-current. But O, how base 
 and unmanly it seems to sell one's soul for gold ! " 
 
 " It may not have been that, altogether. Miss Rossiter 
 was a pretty girl, and what the world calls sweet, winsome, 
 and not un amiable." 
 
 " Mother, you find too many excuses for him ! It is an 
 act of cowardly treachery ! If he had told her six months 
 ago, it would have appeared much more manly." 
 
 "I only desire to extend a Christian forbearance towards 
 his fault or sin, that will cause us much pain and anxiety,
 
 214 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 and perhaps cast a shadow over our darling's life. Mj 
 feeling against him is, perhaps, too bitter, Philip." 
 
 The son had only to glance in his mother's face to see 
 the struggle going on within natural sympathy and in- 
 dignation, against the wish not to judge too harshly. 
 
 ** I believe I shall take some pains to see him. This is 
 too cruel a blow to let pass in silence." 
 
 " Philip, my dear, there are some wrongs best left un- 
 avenged. Rather let us try to comfort her, to help her 
 bear her burdens." 
 
 " How can we ? " 
 
 u Recrimination will hardly lighten the pain, and one 
 sometimes utters hasty words in such an interview that 
 had better be forever left unsaid. Let that part remain in 
 God's hands, to be dealt with as he sees fit. If we can 
 bring any brightness into her life " 
 
 "O, if she never had loved him ! Mother, what is the use 
 of all this pain and suffering? I cannot see why God 
 should send it." 
 
 " Perhaps to render us more careful in our dealings with 
 others. As we go along, these mysteries are unveiled, and 
 though we may not understand at the moment, the years 
 will bring a solution to our darkest problems." 
 
 " That is a lesson we hardly needed. Both Clement and 
 I possess too much manliness, I hope, to trifle with any 
 woman's regard." 
 
 God grant that you may." 
 
 " But what are we to do ? " he asked, after a pause. 
 
 M Nothing at present. I may take Eleanor and Jessie 
 into counsel before anything is said. I feel lost and un- 
 certain myself. It may have been imprudent to consent 
 BO readily " 
 
 " I am sure you did try him to some extent. When I 
 think it all over, it does not seem as if Charlie Westlake 
 ever could be so base ! O, if it never had been at all 1 " 
 
 Mrs. Ashburton sighed as she called up Charlie West*
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 215 
 
 lake's bright, young face. Still, admitting that it was more 
 weakness than deliberate sin, would not lighten the pain in 
 store for poor Madge. 
 
 Philip returned to the parlor. Mr. Graham was there, 
 and they were chatting, merrily, even to Eleanor, who was 
 really much more of a companion to the girls than she had 
 been before her marriage. He studied them as he had 
 scarcely dared hitherto. How bright and winsome Madge 
 gre-w with every word, and how Mr. Graham watched 
 the quick flashes of color, and seemed to listen with an 
 inward smile to the soft, rich voice ! Ah ! if that dream 
 could come true! Mr. Graham was a man quite capable 
 of going beyond his own immediate circle for a wife, if 
 any fancy strong enough should draw him. 
 
 Eleanor had obtained a number of music pupils already. 
 She hardly knew how much of this she owed to Mr. 
 Graham, for he never made himself conspicuous in kindly 
 deeds. She found her few years of foreign life and cor- 
 rect pronunciation of both French and Italian very much 
 in her favor. 
 
 The next morning, Mrs. Ashburton confided to her the 
 sorrow overshadowing Madge. They had scarcely men- 
 tioned the Westlakes' name since her return, as there had 
 been so many more apparently important subjects of con- 
 versation. 
 
 " How very, very unfortunate ! " Eleanor replied. " But 
 you might have known that a poor daughter-in-law would 
 be most distasteful to Mrs. Westlake. And yet I hardly 
 B ee how you could have acted or decided differently," she 
 added, in a quick tone, lest her mother might think she 
 blamed her. " It was a most unwise step on Madge's part." 
 
 " The poor child realized nothing besides the pleasure 
 and the love. I made them wait until the regard appeared 
 true and enduring on both sides ; but our human eyes 
 cannot see the end from the beginning." 
 
 "Dear mamma, how much pain we have caused you,
 
 216 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 even from the best of motives ! I used to think, when mj 
 marriage was in contemplation, that I should be able to 
 do something for the others which might lighten the 
 general burden ; but how miserably I failed 1 And that 
 Madge should come to sorrow so early in life ! " 
 
 " T may have been at fault " 
 
 " No, mamma, you shall not blame yourself. Madge was 
 wilful and headlong in those days." 
 
 " But she gave up so sweetly in this matter! Whatever 
 we thought best she agreed with immediately. It was 
 partly because of this that I did not break it off wholly ; 
 and then I never could determine how much right I had 
 to decree separation to two fond young hearts." 
 
 " It is a sad thing," returned Eleanor, " and we can only 
 help her bear it. Going over the path to look for mistakes 
 will not take the keen edge from the pain." 
 
 They were most tender and considerate. It really 
 seemed to Madge that they were all trying to spoil her 
 with care and tenderness. And because she did not wish 
 to appear ungrateful, she allowed herself to be happier 
 than her wont. 
 
 But the secret could not be kept forever. A letter from 
 Hetty Bright detailed the home-coming at length, the ele- 
 gance and beauty of the bride, the great state of Mrs. 
 Westlake, and the grandeur of the receptions. All River- 
 side was discussing the event. 
 
 "I should hardly have known Mr. Westlake," she wrote. 
 M It will not do to call him Charlie now, for he has out- 
 grown all the boyishness. He is thinner and paler than 
 when he went away, and there is a grave, grand look 
 about him that seems so strong and manly ; yet one misses 
 the past brightness. I have a queer, old woman's fancy 
 that this fashionable wife is not quite the companion for 
 him. You know he never set any great store by all the 
 Madam's show and parade, and he looks now as if he 
 was tired of it all, and worthy of better things. Ah, my
 
 THE CBOWN OP DUTY. 217 
 
 deai", how many lives seem to go awry from some hidden 
 knot or gnarl in the centre, that no one is able to see ! " 
 
 The letter was lying in Jessie's basket when Madge 
 came home, rather earlier than usual. 
 
 "O," she exclaimed, "another long gossiping volume 
 from that good old soul, Hetty Bright ! I can always tell 
 the queer, crabbed handwriting. May I read it, Jessie ?" 
 
 Jessie placed her hand over it, playfully. 
 " O, if it contains secrets But you might tell me part, 
 at least." 
 
 Jessie repeated the most unimportant tidings, with a 
 trifle of embarrassment, it must be confessed. 
 
 " Why do you watch me so, Nelly ? " queried Madge, 
 rather nervously, bestowing a quick glance upon them all. 
 " What is the matter ? " 
 
 No one answered, though each made a slight effort. 
 Some time Madge must know, but who could tell her ? 
 
 " O," she exclaimed, " you have heard something that 
 concerns me ! " 
 
 " Mrs. Westlake's family have returned ;" Mrs. Ashbur- 
 ton made answer, slowly. 
 
 A flash of rare bright joy shone up in Madge's face like 
 a sudden burst of sunshine. It had no answering gleam 
 in those around, and it seemed for an instant as if her 
 heart stood still, while she read the tidings as if written in 
 a tracery of flame everywhere. 
 
 " And Charlie O, you need not tell me the rest." 
 
 With a cry of anguish she buried her face in her hands. 
 Something had been wrenched from her soul, and her 
 whole being rose up in resistance. She had waited pa- 
 tiently, she had hoped steadfastly, she had believed with 
 all her soul that whatever else God took out of her life, 
 he would leave this. 
 
 " My darling," said her mother, softly. 
 
 " O, mamma ! " was the reply, in a quivering voice, that 
 showed how deep the wound had gone, " don't say any-
 
 218 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 thing to me just now. I feel as if I could not bear evei 
 the tenderest word." 
 
 With that she went out of the room, in a weak, unsteady 
 fashion. Each heart longed to comfort, but silence waa 
 best. 
 
 "It is a hard lesson for one so young," Eleanor remarked, 
 with a sigh. " It seems strange that such a burden should 
 fall to the lot of Madge. We used to think her so change- 
 able and volatile in the old days, that I can hardly under- 
 stand her loyalty through a long engagement ; and it 
 would seem as if she had just the nature to call in pride 
 to aid her in any extremity, or, at least, to pretend in- 
 difference." 
 
 " No," replied Jessie ; *' Madge is too honest. Her feel- 
 ings are very strong. Each day, I think, less comes to the 
 surface. I often wish she was the bright, careless Madge 
 of old." 
 
 " I am not sure but that sorrow and trouble bring out 
 the strongest elements in our natures," said Eleanor. 
 "Prosperity may develop certain fine and noble phases, 
 but the positive currents of the soul answer oftenest to 
 some severe shock." 
 
 " And yet how pleasant it is to be happy 1 I sometimes 
 wonder if those who are mercifully shielded from sorrows 
 give thanks every day." 
 
 " There are very few lives without some touch of bitter- 
 ness," said Eleanor, sadly. 
 
 Mrs. Ashburton felt the truth of the trite remark keenly. 
 How many peaceful, happy years there had been to her 
 life, when she really had been the envy of her friends ! 
 And yet were there any of them who would take her sor- 
 rows now ? 
 
 Madge came down to supper as usual. She had a hard, 
 strained look about the eyes, but there were no traces of 
 tears. And afterwards she went to the parlor and forced 
 herself to take up the social duties of the evening. She
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. 219 
 
 felt that all of life must be gone through with, even if the 
 vanished light no longer lent a glory to her path ; so she 
 would not even allow herself an hour of weakness. 
 
 For the blow had not been altogether unexpected. Lat- 
 terly she had believed against hope, against her better 
 judgment, simply because desire was so strong. She 
 could not endure to hear her recreant lover blamed ; so she 
 chose rather to forego the pleasure of love and sympathy. 
 
 Only her mother ventured upon any words of comfort, 
 tacitly blaming herself for having allowed the fancy to 
 ripen into love, when there seemed so little prospect of 
 fruition. 
 
 " No, mamma, I do not see where you could have helped 
 or hindered," Madge made answer. " It looked so fair and 
 sweet then, and I was so ready to believe! I did not fully 
 understand the wide gulf between wealth and poverty, or 
 the possibility of change. But it is all done past recall, 
 and there is nothing now but to gather up the fragments 
 and go on, making the best of what is left. But never 
 think it was your fault." 
 
 It was well, perhaps, that something came to engross their 
 attention and turn the channel of their thoughts an 
 event so utterly unexpected that Mrs. Ashburton was be- 
 wildered by the first tidings that came from her husband. 
 Ward Graham had asked his permission to endeavor to 
 win Jessie. 
 
 " I had a fancy that it was Madge," said Philip, in the 
 utmost surprise ; "and from the very first I regretted that 
 miserable Charlie Westlake business so bitterly, for I knew 
 that it would always stand in the way. But, O, we never 
 could give Jessie into better hands." 
 
 " So your father feels." 
 
 " And I am more than thankful that one of the girls is 
 to be happy. Why, it is really magnificent ! " warming 
 into a bright smile. " Mr. Graham has considerable fortune 
 of his own, besides the business interest, and I am de- 
 lighted to see one man above the Westlake scruples."
 
 220 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 " You must forget your bitterness." 
 
 "I cannot, when I look at poor Madge, with her pale, 
 grave face. She will not breathe a complaint, but the 
 wound rankles in her soul. I wish she had sufficient pride 
 to shake it off. He is not worthy of all that devotion." 
 
 " We can seldom measure our pain by the event which 
 caused it," was the sad reply. 
 
 Madge, in turn, expressed her amazement. 
 
 "I never thought of Jessie at all," she said, "but kept 
 wishing that Eleanor was beginning her life, instead of 
 bowing at the end of the octave. I am so glad 1 for Jessie 
 deserves it all, and more." 
 
 As for Jessie, it seemed the most improbable thing in 
 the world to her, and Mr. Graham really had to make an 
 effort to convince her of the truth. She pleaded her sur- 
 prise, her unfitness for the station his wife must occupy, 
 her duties to those around her, and the lack of graces and 
 accomplishments. 
 
 He listened to the soft, pleading voice, and watched the 
 downcast, tremulous eyelids. 
 
 "My little girl, suppose I were to tell you that I was the 
 best judge of what I most needed," he said, with a grave, 
 amused smile. "I have been studying you since the even- 
 ing I first came to supper, and I think I have found what 
 I most desire a woman who will help me live aright, 
 whose aims and wishes are not all of earth, earthy. I 
 want a companion for my soul in its more serious duties, 
 as well as for moments of pleasure and enjoyment; for 
 the grand and earnest truths, as well as for the glimpses 
 of passing fancy. And, in turn, I wish to share all your 
 cares and burdens. I want to have only one heart and 
 mind between us." 
 
 Jessie raised her eyes shyly. To be the chosen com- 
 panion of such a man were they both dreaming? 
 
 "Your father has promised me a son's place in the 
 household that I have come to esteem and admire, and
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 221 
 
 you must not shut me out. Although there have been few 
 real sorrows in my life, I think I am not incapable of com- 
 prehending them. Can you not trust me until you know 
 me better ? " 
 
 What could she do but acquiesce ? She had appreciated 
 his kindness to Philip, and the straightforward manner in 
 which he had repaired the so nearly fatal mistake. Learn- 
 ing to love him looked like no hard task in her eyes if 
 she only were worthy. 
 
 "It is I who ought to hesitate," he said, "and shrink 
 from asking so much. My first youth is past, though I 
 hope never to grow old in soul ; but the disparity between 
 our ages is something to be considered " 
 
 "I did not think of that," was her quick reply. "It 
 soerns as if I outgrew girlhood long ago." 
 
 "Only to yourself;" and he smiled again. "One of my 
 dearest pleasures will be in bringing it back to you." 
 
 " Can it come back ? " she said, not doubtfully, but in a 
 kind of wonder. For there had been so much walking 
 through shady paths since then. 
 
 "Yes, sweet and joyful. It is all in your soul. You 
 have only to take the love, not fearing to try it, or to use 
 it to the uttermost. I want you to think of it like the 
 other love in one way all-sufficient. And I want you to 
 give me all in return, that is, the first and best. It will 
 Beem strange for a while, I know, but you will come to un- 
 derstand the need and the comfort, the hidden meanings 
 of life which unfold only to those who search for the 
 sweetest of human treasures." 
 
 She was still a little dazzled at the completeness of it. 
 In their lives they had become so used to looking for the 
 " next ; " the sorrow to follow the brief joy, the care to come 
 after the restful breath. 
 
 He held the key to her hesitancy. The deeper experi- 
 ences had been his, the steadfast truth, the tender patience, 
 the wide outlook into things beyond to-day. It would all
 
 222 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 come in time. He must not hurry her over the simplo 
 spelling, the short words of grace, and faith, and trust. 
 Her soul was so clear and clean that it must not be blurred 
 by any impatience. 
 
 He took her in his arms and kissed the forehead that 
 was all one rosy flush, and the drooping eyelids that some 
 day would not care to shut off the glory of a love given 
 and confessed. Truly, it was worth waiting for ! 
 
 He left her early, guessing rightly enough that the 
 household would want a little tender confidence with her 
 before he took his place at her side and preferred a claim 
 which must, after all, become highest and best. 
 
 So she stole softly up stairs, where they were all gathered 
 in Mrs. Ashburton's room, but paused on the threshold, 
 her face crimsoned to its utmost, as a sense of the new 
 life rushed over her. A strange new life indeed, different 
 from Eleanor and Gerald's, from Madge and Charlie's. 
 
 Philip caught her and drew her forward. 
 
 u We are all waiting to congratulate you," he said, with 
 a peculiar touch of tenderness. 
 
 O, mamma ! " 
 
 Mrs. Ashburton enfolded her within the shelter of her 
 motherly arms. 
 
 And then Jessie felt a hand laid softly upon her head. 
 She reached out hers to clasp the other. 
 
 " My darling," her father began, in a tone of deep emo- 
 tion, "may God bless you in this new relation. Though 
 I cannot see the face, I can trust the manly voice and 
 honorable conduct. I am more than thankful to find life 
 opening so fair before you, and I pray Heaven that no 
 shadow may come to mar the promised joy." 
 
 He stooped and kissed the flushed face, and Jessie felt a 
 tear drop on her cheek. 
 
 There was much seriousness in the rejoicing partly 
 out of a delicate regard for sad-hearted Madge, and partly 
 from Jessie's natural gravity. They all felt, indeed, as if
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 223 
 
 gayety was something that went with the old life, and could 
 have no place here. 
 
 "I wonder what aunt Waltham would say to this," in 
 terposed Eleanor. " She used to think society one of the 
 indispensable adjuncts to a good marriage; and here is 
 little Jessie, who has scarcely stirred from her Cinderella 
 chimney-corner, engaged to a man whom the world courts 
 daily, and would be proud to attract. And though I am 
 too sadly wise now to believe wealth the great good of 
 life, still I am glad, for Jessie's sake, that she will be raised 
 above the trials of poverty. She has done her duty so 
 nobly thus far, that her destiny seems doubly precious and 
 satisfying to me." 
 
 " I stand in awe of it as if it were too grand for me," 
 Jessie said, simply. " I wonder how I can ever fill the 
 station." 
 
 "As you have filled this one," replied Madge; "by al- 
 ways doing the duty nearest. I cannot tell you how glad 
 I am. And it is odd that I never thought of it, but Mr. 
 Graham seemed so much older than we " 
 
 " You are determined to make him out quite ancient," 
 interrupted Philip, smiling. " He is just thirty-two 
 twelve years older than Jessie." 
 
 " And twelve years is too much, under ordinary circum- 
 stances ; but I think we can trust him not to grow old too 
 rapidly," said Mrs. Ashburton. " I should not wish to bias 
 Jessie's inclination on the subject ; indeed, I desire her to 
 consider well before she decides " 
 
 " The time for consideration is past, I am afraid," re- 
 marked Madge, with a touch of the old quaintness. "Jessie 
 looks as if she had made her election." 
 
 " I did not think so much of that as of " 
 
 " Well, Miss Tender Conscience ?" 
 
 " O, Philip ! do not laugh at me," she entreated, blushing 
 painfully. " I did wish that we were rich again. I ana 
 almost sorry to take so much and give so little 1 "
 
 224 HOME NOOK, OE 
 
 "As if the love of a tender and noble woman wag 
 nothing ! " 
 
 "I honor him for his choice," said Eleanor. "And, 
 Jessie, you will find, in your contact with the world, that 
 refinement and virtue are not always the prerogatives of 
 wealth. There is much meanness, and baseness, and indi- 
 gence of soul under a golden exterior. To my fancy, Mr. 
 Graham has but few peers, and it is a high compliment 
 for any woman to have won such a heart. But never think 
 of your poverty in connection with him." 
 
 " No, Jessie, you need not experience any fear. I do 
 believe Ward Graham one of the noblest of men. How 
 oddly it has all come about ! If Madge had not obeyed 
 my crazy behest, we might never have had such a friend." 
 
 Madge smiled faintly, remembering that time of trial. 
 
 " To have made it a perfect romance, he ought to have 
 fallen in love with her," said Jessie. 
 
 "But there are few perfect romances in this world, and 
 it is all best as it is," returned the sweet, low voice, with 
 its underlying strand of pain.
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 225 
 
 CHAPTER XVin. 
 
 A VEXED QUESTION. 
 
 THE Ashburtons settled themselves very qui jtly to the 
 fact of Jessie's engagement. The spirit was one of tender 
 thankfulness, rather thaii any intense delight. Circum- 
 stances gave it a kind of solemn sacredness. Eleanor's 
 worldly betrothal, with its display and gratulations, and 
 Madge's childish, eager promises, were so different from 
 this ! 
 
 But each day Jessie felt more secure and satisfied. 
 When the first strangeness had worn off, and she gained 
 courage for some shy confessions, they learned how much 
 their souls and aims were alike a something that did 
 r.ot lift them above the petty duties of life, but ennobled 
 every common claim. For it is in these small things that 
 we have our daily existence. Now and then there comes 
 a great sorrow, or trial, or temptation ; but it seems as if 
 with the emergency new strength was provided. And the 
 trivial incidents are perhaps the true test of character, the 
 hourly patience and grace, the content with distasteful 
 duties, the round that does become tiresome at times, when 
 the soul longs to fly beyond its narrow orbit. 
 
 It appeared to Jessie, at first, as if leaving home woald 
 be quite an impossibility. How could they do without 
 her ? And then she found Eleanor taking her place, be- 
 coming an invaluable companion to their father. The 
 wonders of the old world that she had often lingered over 
 in a spirit of ennui or carelessness were as exhumed 
 treasures to her, now that Mr. Ashburton loved to listen. 
 She did endeavor to attach him to herself when she knew 
 15
 
 226 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 that ere long he would be called upon to pait with 
 Jessie. 
 
 Madge kept to the calm tenor of her way. Even her 
 mother was shut out of her great sorrow ; indeed, she 
 said steadily to herself that she would burden no one with 
 it. Since she could not forget, she would lock it in her 
 own soul, and have no long procession of pitying eyes. 
 
 And thus the spring came to them once again. Mr. 
 Ashburton's operation would take place in the early 
 autumn, as then a friend of Dr. Conway, an eminent 
 oculist, would be home from Paris. This would necessi- 
 tate change of abode for a month or two at least, and it 
 was judged wisest that Mrs. Ashburton should be his at- 
 tendant. Mr. Graham was deeply interested in this mat- 
 ter, and desired to have a son's right in deed and name 
 before this occurrence. 
 
 There seemed no good reason why Jessie should refuse. 
 Philip insisted that Madge should give up school the com- 
 ing year, for she was growing vaguely shadow-like. Al- 
 ways well, she said ; but there was a weariness sad to see, 
 a shadow in the eyes that had once been so bright, a 
 dreaminess and hesitation unlike the old promptness and 
 energy. 
 
 One pleasant May afternoon they were gathered in the 
 sitting-room, Eleanor reading aloud while Jessie and her 
 mother sewed. Madge had just come home, and was 
 lying listlessly on the sofa. Being the only unoccupied 
 one, she answered the ring at the door bell. A small, 
 slight figure, dressed in deep mourning, the tiny gloved 
 hand looking like a child's as she raised her veil. 
 
 M Is Mr. Ashburton at home ?" 
 
 Madge started. A face that, if not strictly beautiful, 
 was still a marvel, with its pearly complexion, delicate 
 features, and waves of fine, pale-golden hair. 
 
 "Mr. Ashburton 1" she exclaimed in amaze. 
 
 It was so seldom that a stranger came for any ont
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 227 
 
 besides Eleanor, that Madge unconsciously stared at hei 
 visitor. 
 
 " Does he not reside here ? " 
 
 The voice had a peculiar sweetness of modulation. 
 Indeed, the whole air of this strange little creature be- 
 Bpoke the extreme of refinement and cultivation. 
 
 a Yes ; will you walk in ? " replied Madge, collecting 
 her scattered senses. 
 
 The folding-doors between the two rooms were wide open. 
 Madge seated her visitor, and walked straight through. 
 
 " Papa," brushing the straggling locks from his forehead, 
 " a lady wishes to see you." 
 
 He held out his hand, and Madge led him forward. 
 The visitor rose, extended her slender fingers, and then 
 questioned them both with her eyes. 
 
 " He is blind," Ma<lge said, briefly. Somehow she had 
 taken an unreasonable dislike to this stranger. 
 
 "Blind! O, Mr. Ashburton! Then you cannot recog- 
 nize, even if you remembered me. I am Rose Stanhope." 
 
 Mr. Ashburton took a seat with quiet dignity. 
 
 " Tour father " 
 
 "Papa died at Genoa in February last." 
 
 There was a peculiar atmosphere of awkwardness. 
 Miss Stanhope's fingers worked nervously. 
 
 "Perhaps you prefer seeing papa alone?" Madge 
 queried, presently. 
 
 " If you please." 
 
 A scarlet flush overspread the fair face as she uttered 
 these words. 
 
 Madge rose and closed the doors between. 
 
 "Mr. Stanhope is dead," she began, in a low tone. "I 
 wonder what can have happened ? " 
 
 Eleanor glanced up thoughtfully, studying her mother's 
 face. 
 
 " You know there was some " 
 
 Hush 1" said Mrs. Ashburton softly. " We shall know 
 in time."
 
 228 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 They heard the murmur of the low talking, now and 
 ihen rising to the verge of earnestness. 
 
 Jessie folded her sewing presently, and went to look 
 after some housekeeping details. Little Greta woke from 
 her nap, and climbed upon her mamma's knee. The spring 
 sunshine began to quiver in the west, mingling with the 
 rosy clouds of nightfall. 
 
 After a while they heard a faint stir nnd step. The 
 hall door closed, and Madge flew to her father, who was 
 standing at the back of his arm-chair, leaning his chin 
 upon the palm of his hand. 
 
 " Wasn't it strange, papa ? " 
 
 "Very strange, indeed. What does Miss Stanhope 
 look like ? She was a small, fair child " 
 
 " And she is a small, fair woman. Papa, I believe I do 
 not like her, and I can give no good reason, either." 
 
 " It is most peculiar and perplexing ; " and a troubled 
 expression crossed his face. " I suppose Philip remembers 
 the circumstances of the the failure. I was ill for so 
 long, and I feel as if my ideas had never been quite clear 
 upon the point." 
 
 Madge's pale brow was scarlet with a pained flush. 
 
 "There was nothing to be ashamed of," she replied, 
 warmly. "Every day of my life I have been thankful 
 that there was enough to pay all the debts." 
 
 " Let me lie on the sofa and rest until Philip comes in, 
 w hen I will tell you all Miss Stanhope's story." 
 
 They saw that he had been unusually excited, for every 
 liuib trembled visibly. 
 
 Supper was on the table when Philip's cheery voice was 
 heard in the hall ; so they all went out, and no reference 
 was made to the occurrence until the meal was nearly 
 nded. 
 
 " Mr. Stanhope is dead, and his daughter has been here 
 to-day," Mr. Ashburton said to his son. 
 
 "For what ?" asked Philip, in amaze.
 
 THE CKOWN OF DUTY. 229 
 
 "Philip, was there ever any suspicion concerning Mr 
 Stanhope ? You looked into affairs while I was so ill." 
 
 "No except " and the young man flushed. 
 
 "Well?" 
 
 " I think now that some one had been unpardonably 
 careless. There had been a good deal of money taken 
 out of the firm, and the private accounts were at loose 
 ends. Mr. Weir was quite dissatisfied, because three 
 months before, he had considered the house in a very fair 
 condition." 
 
 "I surely had taken out no unusual sums that year, yet 
 I was much surprised when I learned our critical state. 
 There had been some heavy losses " 
 
 They all glanced at each other, remembering aunt Wal- 
 tham's censures, thankful that their father could not see 
 their questioning eyes. 
 
 " Does she accuse any one of wrong dealing ? " asked 
 Philip, indignantly. 
 
 " O, no, no ! Yet her half-confessed suspicion and desire 
 of restitution surprised and almost shocked me. She fancies 
 that her father wronged me, though she did not say it in 
 BO many words, and she wishes to share her fortune with 
 us. It is very large, I believe." 
 
 "Was it Mr. Stanhope's desire?" 
 
 "Not that I could learn." 
 
 " Did he leave any writing or message for yon ? " 
 
 "No. I asked her about this particularly. She said 
 that he was a good deal troubled in his last days, and 
 spoke of me frequently ; so she fancied there might have 
 been some mistakes in settling the business." 
 
 "Well, that is most peculiar," exclaimed Philip. "It 
 seems to jie that she must know more than she con- 
 fesses." 
 
 " Papa," said Eleanor, slowly, " would you accept any. 
 thing ? " 
 
 Mr. Ashburton's pale face flushed, and an expression of 
 something akin to disdain passed across his lips.
 
 230 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 "My children," he returned in a tremulous voice, "I do 
 not know that I have the sole right to decide. Through 
 ray carelessness or imprudence I brought misfortune upon 
 you all, and no feeling of mine ought to stand in the way 
 of your future prosperity." 
 
 "But this seems like charity," remarked Madge. "If 
 Mr. Stanhope really had done any wrong, and wished to 
 make restitution, he ought to have left word to that 
 effect." 
 
 " So I think," said her father. 
 
 "And she wants us to accept part of her fortune?" 
 Philip asked. 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "As a gift from her?" 
 
 " A kind of peace-offering, or from pity because we have 
 prospered so poorly." 
 
 " Father, I do not know just how you feel about it, but 
 I can almost guess, and shall say my say first, being the 
 only son at home. I do believe Mr. Stanhope wronged 
 you. When his wife died, she left the sum of five thou- 
 sand dollars in trust for her daughter. That was just 
 eight years before the failure. He mentioned this sum, to 
 be sure, but the creditors had no right to touch it. He 
 had very little in his hands at that time, while you had 
 considerable. But since then, we have all labored faith- 
 fully to keep poverty from our door, while Mr. Stanhope 
 and his daughter have lived in elegance and luxury 
 abroad. Could her fortune have supplied them with the 
 means, and still be so large that she does not know what 
 to do with it?" 
 
 It was a rather mysterious case, to be sure. 
 
 "Perhaps he might have been troubled in his last 
 moments ; but if he repented he should not have been 
 ashamed to confess his sin. It is either a wrong on his 
 part or a charity on hers." 
 
 " Papa," Baid Madge, " we have had many troubles and
 
 THE CEOWN OF DUTY. 231 
 
 misfortunes, but it seems as if the worst might be past. I 
 may be hai'd in my judgment, but I do not want to accept 
 one penny from her. I feel like Philip if it came to us 
 as a just due, I should receive it thankfully, but otherwise 
 I would rather teach school all the days of my life than 
 rest under an obligation." 
 
 " Eleanor," said her father, " what do you think of the 
 matter?" 
 
 Eleanor flushed warmly. 
 
 " I am not so ashamed of poverty," she replied, in a 
 clear, proud voice, "that I would willingly accept such a 
 favor. It would be only a partial restitution, after all 
 the money without any cause or explanation." 
 
 " Did you promise anything, papa ? " asked Jessie. 
 
 ' No. Indeed, she wished me to consult some of you, 
 though she was very urgent that it should be accepted in 
 the end." 
 
 " It is such an odd, quixotic idea ; and I do not like it, 
 altogether." 
 
 " She gave me a week in which to consider the matter." 
 
 " Then we shall have plenty of time to resolve," said 
 Madge, with a half smile. 
 
 " What is she like ?" was Jessie's next question. " Did 
 you ever meet her, mamma ? " 
 
 "I used to see her occasionally, though Clement was 
 better acquainted with her than any of the rest." 
 
 "Mr. Stanhope never appeared particularly fond of her," 
 said Mr. Ashburton, " but I think she must have been 
 devoted to him." 
 
 It was a subject which occupied them all the evening, 
 both in thought and word. After Mr. and Mrs. Ashbur- 
 ton had retired, the younger ones still kept engrossed. 
 Various motives swayed them, it is true, and perhaps they 
 all fought harder against the proposal because it was some- 
 thing of a secret temptation. They could see what a 
 tomfort even ten thousand dollars would be to them just 
 now.
 
 232 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 ' Yet we have to come back to the old idea," said Philip. 
 "Mr. Stanhope is the only one who knows whether he 
 wronged father or not. I must confess that I incline to 
 the belief that he did ; but if he never admitted this, the 
 money is simply a gift from Miss Stnnhope, and we are 
 not poor enough to take that." 
 
 "No," they all answered, with quivering breath. For 
 to Madge it seemed to come too late. A year or two ago 
 it might have given her happiness ; now it would be mere 
 physical comfort ; and indolence or cessation from work 
 was what she felt she could hardly endure, until after she 
 had fought her way out to peace. 
 
 Eleanor shrank from it as a snare. This time her eyes 
 should not be blinded nor her judgment warped by the 
 glitter of gold. No word of hers should sway the others 
 against their will, or humble her father into any con- 
 cession. 
 
 To Philip it was a matter of pride. They had gone 
 through the worst of their misfortunes, he fully believed, 
 and he would not accept this aid from a stranger unless it 
 could be made to appear that it was their right. 
 
 Before the week ended they received a note from Misa 
 Stanhope asking them to appoint an interview whenever 
 it would be most convenient to see them all together. 
 This could only be in the evening. 
 
 She came in a carriage, and unattended. The Ashbur- 
 tons had discussed the subject until they were all of one 
 mind, and perhaps, in their desire to be perfectly just, their 
 "judgment leaned towards severity rather than mercy. 
 
 Mrs. Ashburton met the young girl, who faltered a little 
 on the threshold, and held out her hand in token of amity. 
 But they could never guess the pang that went to the 
 heart of this stranger as she gave a quick glance at the 
 unsympathetic faces. 
 
 She took the proffered seat, and threw aside her heavy 
 veil. Young and lovely, with no trace of care nothing
 
 THE CKOWN OF DUTY. 233 
 
 but refinement, cultivation, and ease. She might have 
 " lain in the roses and lilies of life," for any mark her 
 anguish had left upon her. 
 
 There was an awkward silence. Rose Stanhope wished 
 that she had trusted herself, first of all, to Mrs. Ashbur- 
 ton's motherly kindness. 
 
 " When I called before, I left a proposal with you, Mr. 
 Ashburton," she began, slowly. " I wished you to consider 
 it with your family " and the soft voice came to an 
 embarrassed pause. 
 
 " I shall depute my son Philip to answer for me. He 
 represents the opinion of all, I believe." 
 
 She turned with a quick, deprecating glance, while 
 Philip Ashburton responded with a bow. 
 
 " We have discussed it with all necessary deliberation 
 and patience," he answered in a rather hesitating tone ; 
 not because he wavered in his decision, but talking among 
 themselves was quite different from talking with her. 
 
 " I hope you have that you do agree with me," she 
 responded in tremulous earnestness. 
 
 "Miss Stanhope," and Philip's tone fell to its softest 
 key, " your generous offer surprised us greatly. I think 
 you have hardly given the matter due consideration." 
 
 "Yes, I have," she interrupted. "It is no sudden whim, 
 but rather a settled purpose." 
 
 " With us the question resolves itself into two points : 
 it is either a gift or a fancied restitution. We are not 
 sufficiently needy to be willing to accept such a costly gift 
 from a stranger. The story of our poverty and misfor- 
 tune may have awakened your romantic interest ; but if it 
 is charity merely, there are hundreds of others more neces- 
 sitated. We have youth, health, and employment, and 
 pardon me if I add too much true pride to become the 
 pensioners of any person." 
 
 "It is not that;" and she gave an appealing glance 
 around.
 
 234 HOME NOOK, OR 
 
 " It can only be a point of duty if it was left in yoai 
 charge as some sacred behest." 
 
 She flushed deeply, and began to remove her glove with 
 nervous fingers. 
 
 " Papa spoke of you all in his last days. If he had 
 known that he was so near to death, I think he would 
 have left some charges. But it was quite sudden at the 
 last." 
 
 They all felt that the subject was a very delicate one. 
 Only Philip's straightforward honesty could have carried 
 him through. 
 
 " If there had been any mistake," he shrank from 
 using a harsher word, " he was the one to make repara- 
 tion." 
 
 She caught at the word eagerly. " Mistake," she said, 
 the scarlet deepening in her face. " In the hurry of set- 
 tling the business something might have been over- 
 looked " 
 
 "Nothing was overlooked. Mr. Weir proved very 
 trusty, and I went through with the accounts myself. 
 The debts were all paid, which was a source of great 
 thankfulness to us. The record of both men stands fair to 
 the world. Even if it had not, I do not see that your pri- 
 vate fortune should have been thrown into the general 
 fund." 
 
 " But it took all that that Mr. Ashburton had ; " and 
 she raised her face to the sightless eyes. 
 
 "That is no reason why we should call upon you to 
 make our losses good." 
 
 " No, you do not. It is my wish." 
 
 " Because it is that simply, and no expressed desire of 
 your father's, we must hesitate." 
 
 "But you will consent at length?" sho said, implor- 
 ingly. "I am only one, with so much more than I 
 need " 
 
 M Miss Stanhope, I do not wish to pain you, but I utter
 
 THE CEOWN OP DUTY. 235 
 
 the sentiment of our whole family when I say that we 
 cannot accept this gift from you, since it does not belong 
 to us by right. For the kindly disposition, you have our 
 warmest thanks." 
 
 "But you don't know;" in a voice of strong emotion, 
 as if some past recollection rent her soul. " It is so much ! 
 It will lie useless upon my hands." 
 
 " It need not do that, surely, in this world of want and 
 suffering." 
 
 She clasped her slender fingers hard, as if in pain. 
 Somehow she had fancied that she could confess her dim 
 suspicion without any injury to the dead that they 
 would understand it in a spirit of tender sympathy, and 
 help lift the burden that lay so heavy on her young shoul- 
 ders. But their strict sense of justice made them cold 
 and cruel, it seemed to her. Could she accuse her father 
 of wrong, when he had never hinted at the fact ? True, 
 she had guessed at the secret of an accusing conscience ; 
 but would not they deem it most unfilial haste if she were 
 so ready to proclaim painful suspicions ? O, what could 
 she do to make them look upon this matter in the light 
 that appeared so clear to her to let the dead rest in his 
 grave without blame or censure, and assist her in repairing 
 the wrong by receiving back what rightfully belonged to 
 them? 
 
 Perhaps they had believed it from the first. She knew 
 so little about the business then. She was glad, with a 
 kind of innocent, girlish pride, to have her fortune saved 
 from the wreck, and be able to share it with her father. 
 She had not dreamed of any splendor or luxury abroad, 
 but a kind of quiet life, where, away from all excitements, 
 they might learn to know and love each other. 
 
 Instead, she had held court like a little queen. No want, 
 DO lack of anything that might conduce to enjoyment. So 
 dhe had summered in the gay, glad, girlish existence, fairly 
 revelling in the beauty that met her senses on every side.
 
 236 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 From this she had been awakened, rudely, and yet not 
 with rude hands. From Mrs. Westlake she had heard the 
 story of the Ashburtons' misfortunes told in a hard, un- 
 pitying way. She had gone to her father for explana- 
 tions, and found him strangely stern and reserved. 
 
 " Ashburton was a fool," he said "no kind of a busi- 
 ness man, or he would have looked out better for himself 
 
 u But if there was just enough to pay the debts, what 
 else could he do ? " she had asked, simply. 
 
 "What can girls understand of such business matters t" 
 was his sharp response. " We have nothing to do with 
 them. It was Ashburton's look out if he chose to beggar 
 his children." 
 
 And then Rose Stanhope began to think. Hitherto her 
 days had been like the flight of a bird over sunny mead- 
 ows. When the strange and horrible suspicion first tame 
 to her, she tried to banish it as the basest ingratitude. 
 But now and then some sentence of her father's setmed 
 to stamp it with a sense of shameful truth. As if he was 
 afraid she might suspect, he took every opportunity to 
 justify his course. 
 
 There was nearly a year of failing health, when she 
 vexed him sorely by relinquishing her gayeties and devot- 
 ing her time to him. He wanted to see her the wife of a 
 count or a duke, and reigning in titled splendor. It might 
 have been compassed but for her good sense and deter- 
 mination. She would not give her hand without her 
 heart, and each day the consciousness grew upon her 
 that she was enjoying that which by right belonged to 
 others. 
 
 Perhaps he felt it too. Growing more and more into 
 the ways of a querulous invalid, now and then his con- 
 science smote him sharply. She longed to ask him for 
 the truth, but the courage never came until it was too 
 late. 
 
 The still lips in the coffin must hold their secret forever,
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 237 
 
 Like a flash all this passed over Rose Stanhope as she 
 gat there with those clear eyes upon her. They could 
 glory in a proud consciousness of right, while she was 
 haunted with a horrible certainty of wrong. 
 
 " O, Mrs. Ashburton ! " she exclaimed, in accents of 
 pain, "will you not plead for me ? I have no loving kin 
 to share my wealth, and it is quite beyond my needs. If 
 you or yours would but accept a part " 
 
 " Philip is right," said Mr. Ashburton, roused by a re- 
 membrance of Mr. Stanhope's neglect through his long 
 illness. " We can receive nothing from a latent sense of 
 pity. If your father felt that there had been any undue 
 advantage taken, I think he would have desired to make 
 amends. Let the matter rest where it is. We shall 
 always be obliged for the kindly thought prompting you, 
 but since God has kept us from want in the past, we can 
 trust him for the future." 
 
 He could not have uttered this if he harl seen the im- 
 ploring face. Jessie's tender heart was strangely moved. 
 
 Rose Stanhope could not trust her voice to argue 
 further. She had hardly dreamed of being so coldly and 
 positively repulsed. The scheme was a wild one, she ad- 
 mitted to herself, and perhaps they were right. Who 
 would be willing to receive munificence from a stranger? 
 How foolish she had been to fancy they would be ready to 
 invite her into their household as a friend ! 
 
 She rose in awkward bewilderment. "There is noth- 
 ing I can do ? " she said, slowly. 
 
 " Nothing," in Philip's deep, manly tone. " Since God 
 prospers me, it is my duty and pleasure to care for the 
 rebt." 
 
 Miss Stanhope moved towards the door. 
 
 " I must bid you good night then," she said, in a low, 
 loustrained manner. 
 
 No friendly hand clasped hers; yet they did not stand 
 aloof from any ill will. It was more the strangeness
 
 238 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 and confusion of the moment, and the opportunity that 
 might have united them in tender bonds passed unim- 
 proved ; but their adieus were breathed in a subdued 
 tone. 
 
 Philip handed her into the carriage. When she stum- 
 bled a little, he did not think it was because her eyes were 
 blinded by tears.
 
 THB CROWN OF DUTY. 239 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 TOUCHING THE GOLDEN SHOIE. 
 
 " WHAT a strange occurrence ! " exclaimed Philip, re- 
 turning to the parlor where the rest sat in surprised silence. 
 
 " It is not every day that one has a fortune, or part of a 
 fortune offered, for his or her acceptance. Were we wise 
 to refuse ? " 
 
 "Philip!" 
 
 " Father, for myself I could not have touched a dollar 
 of it. There is nothing to regret in the decision. But it 
 seems to me now that part of our misfortune was Mr. 
 Stanhope's fault." 
 
 " I do not wish to judge or condemn unfairly," returned 
 Mr. Ashburton, " but I could not help thinking of some 
 past events that might have aroused suspicion. Mr. Stan- 
 hope appeared to dread an interview with me after my 
 illness, and never even took the trouble to call upon me 
 here in the city. And then the style he has managed to 
 maintain abroad has something rather questionable in it. 
 He gave out at first that he had received a lucrative offer; 
 but it seems that he did no business while absent, and he 
 certainly would not have spent his daughter's fortune so 
 lavishly, unless he believed that he had some right to it." 
 
 " Then you do feel assured that he wronged you ! I 
 must confess that I can hardly help believing it also." 
 
 " Yet you refused to receive back anything," said Madge, 
 in surprise. 
 
 "My dear child, it would be impossible to tell what amount 
 did rightfully belong to me. I would much rather suffer 
 wrong than do wrong, and I certainly would not wish tc
 
 240 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 defraud Miss Stanhope of a penny. It is one of those pe 
 culiar affairs which never can be settled in accordance with 
 any law, and had best remain where it is. We could not 
 take a gift from her, neither could we accuse her dead 
 father of dishonest dealing." 
 
 "And yet I felt sorry for her," said Jessie, slowly, "she 
 looked so troubled and anxious." 
 
 "A trifle pale and embarrassed," responded Madge; 
 " but there was an air of elegance and society about her 
 that somehow hardened my heart against her. I could 
 not help contrasting her years of ease and delight with 
 ours of toil and perplexity." 
 
 "You must not let your hardships render you unjust and 
 narrow," said her mother. 
 
 "No, mamma, I shall try to strive against it. But did 
 she think a few thousand dollars would make amends for 
 such a wrong, if there was one ? " 
 
 " Nothing in her power can make amends," said Philip, 
 decisively. " If the losses had not been quite so heavy, 
 papa could have retrieved them by mortgaging Home 
 Nook. I could have gone into business, and in a few 
 years we should have been at ease again. I know that 
 Mr. Weir thought there had been rather blind dealing 
 somewhere. Her money cannot give us back the old hap- 
 piness intact, and, as father says, we never should know 
 just how much to take; so it was best not to accept 
 any." 
 
 They were all satisfied, though the pale, sweet face 
 haunted Jessie long afterwards. None of them dreamed 
 for a moment of renewing the acquaintance. It could not 
 be taken upon any basis of friendship ; so it was really not 
 worth cultivating. 
 
 And yet, if they, so rich in love, in tender family ties, 
 could have understood her sorrow and desolation, and the 
 hopts that had been so ruthlessly dashed to the ground ! 
 No kindred, as she had said, save one uncle, her father's
 
 THE CEOWN OF DUTY. 241 
 
 brother, and a cousin, his son, whom she never had ad- 
 mired. She had almost fancied they might receive her in 
 their midst, and give her a sister's place. 
 
 So they took up their separate ways, all for lack of 
 
 " one unsounded word 
 To open up the sympathetic heart." 
 
 For the Ashburtons had other sources of interest. Mr. 
 Graham had petitioned for a nearer and dearer right to 
 Jessie, who, in her first surprise, demurred a little. 
 
 "My dear Jessie," he said, with a quaint, sweet smile, 
 "it must be thought of some time, since I do not expect t~ 
 wait forever, I must confess. And it seems to me th 
 coming winter will bring a few changes, in any event ; s** 
 we may as well prepare for them." 
 
 She colored daintily at thus being linked with his life 
 Perhaps, indeed, she had thought too little of it. 
 
 " I want a right to take my share in household pleasures 
 and cares, since they are seldom overpast to any human 
 soul this side of heaven, and the delight of sharing your 
 sweet duties, as they can hardly be given up as yet." 
 
 " You are so kind ! " and the quick tears sprang to Jessie's 
 eyes. 
 
 " Some time I shall urge a more selfish claim. At pres- 
 ent, you would hardly enjoy even the most exquisite hap- 
 piness away from them ; so we will take our long, bright 
 holiday when you are to study no one's whims but mine> 
 in some of the years to come. I have planned a little tour 
 late in the summer, when Madge is at liberty, for I think 
 the poor child needs rest and recreation ! " 
 
 " O, how can I thank you ! You are always looking for 
 the things and the people outside. I am so glad ! " 
 
 In her eager joy she bowed her fair head to the arm 
 that encircled her, and pressed her lips to the hand. 
 
 " My little darling ! " He raised her face, and as their 
 eyes met, a great confusion overwhelmed her. 
 16
 
 242 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 " O," she exclaimed, with sudden penitence. " Forgive 
 me ! I have been BO used to thinking of them first n 
 
 Her shame and distress were so genuine that he smiled, 
 although he pitied her. 
 
 "My little girl, I try to make allowance," he said, with 
 a rather amusing gravity, as a peculiar light twinkled in his 
 eyes. " So that I am not crowded out " 
 
 She placed both small hands in his, and turned the lovely, 
 pleading eyes to his, lustrous as they were with the tears 
 she resolutely crowded back. She had lived so much in 
 the lives of others, grown so blessedly content with giving, 
 that she hardly knew what it was to have something to 
 keep a joy of her very own. Her voice faltered, and 
 quivering red and white shadowed her countenance like 
 summer drifts blowing about the sky. 
 
 "I want you to believe that I love you; that if I had 
 learned such a thing was not possible to the very utmost 
 thought and feeling, I would have said so. But I have 
 been a little wrong keeping back part, perhaps " 
 
 " My darling, that is enough ; " and he stopped the sweet 
 lips with kisses. " I do believe in you, and trust you, and 
 I think, too, that I understand the peculiarities of the 
 position. I liked you all so much at first, for the tender 
 household affection subsisting between parents and brothers 
 and sisters. I shall always love Madge for her warm es- 
 pousal of Philip's wrongs. And at present I should be 
 cruel to take you entirely away from them; yet I am man 
 enough to want you to be glad to come to me." 
 
 " I am glad to come whenever you like," she said, 
 bravely, hiding her crimson face on his shoulder. 
 
 a We will have it quiet and home-like ; no fuss, but 
 just a sweet old-fashioned marriage, where I, Ward, take 
 thee, Jessie. And then, for a little while, events may 
 shape our lives and our surroundings ; only, some time, it 
 must be my home, and my wife. It is so precious to me to 
 have the right to care for you, to make your way blossom 
 again with roses."
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. 243 
 
 She waa crying softly, then, with a great joy, and some 
 misgivings of conscience. She had not loved him with 
 the entireness that he had a right to demand, but God 
 would help her to do that in the future. 
 
 Mrs. Ashburton was consulted. It seemed quite impos- 
 sible to her that Jessie could be made ready by the first of 
 August. 
 
 "Indeed, mamma," responded Eleanor, "I think she 
 might. Mr. Graham wishes it very much, and he has 
 been by far too kind for us to disregard his desires. For 
 years Jessie has been devoted to the family, shrinking 
 from no task or duty. Madge and I can take her place, 
 and will do it with the utmost pleasure. She deserves 
 some reward." 
 
 Mrs. Ashburton gave thanks in her heart that Eleanor 
 did see the matter in this light. She was redeeming the 
 past nobly, drawing the household around her by a charm 
 they had never experienced in her before. She made light 
 of their troubles and perplexities, or attacked them with 
 so resolute a courage that they soon vanished. 
 
 The preparations could not be very extensive. Besides 
 the lack of time, they were still too poor to indulge in 
 much elegance. But one day they were overwhelmed 
 with surprise. 
 
 First came a sewing machine, and then sundry mys- 
 terious packages of dry goods. 
 
 " I cannot understand it at all," exclaimed Jessie, in ex- 
 treme bewilderment. " Surely Philip has not undertaken 
 this without a word ! " 
 
 "No, it is not Philip;" and a warm glow came in Eleanor's 
 face. " Dear Jessie, I want you to accept this from me." 
 
 " But how can you " 
 
 a I am not imprudent or extravagant, I assure you. I 
 still had in my possession some of aunt Waltham's dia- 
 monds the ear-rings which were valuable. I did 
 mean at first to give them to you ; but you can be
 
 244 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 without diamonds, and the money in other things would 
 prove so much more judicious. The brooch I sold long ago, 
 when I was in a sore strait." 
 
 " It is too generous, Nelly ; " and Jessie clasped her arms 
 around her sister's neck. " For you have little Greta to 
 think of " 
 
 " Philip and Clement will assist me if my health should 
 fail, or any misfortune overtake me. And it seems as if 
 we needed this just now. It was not a very fortunate 
 legacy for me, you know, in some respects at least, though 
 it did me good service in time of trouble." 
 
 Jessie was deeply touched. 
 
 " Mr. Graham knows that we are poor," she said, softly. 
 u And better than all, he understands how impossible it is 
 to be grand on a little money. I never thought to feel 
 quite so free indeed, the idea of marrying a rich man 
 rather troubled me at first." 
 
 " As it well might if he had nothing besides his money.* 1 
 
 "And I cannot help wondering now how it will seem to 
 have servants ; though he said once he had resolved 
 never to marry a woman who did not know how to order 
 her own household. But this has been so different " 
 
 " Still, it will not unfit you for greater things. It is for- 
 tunate that you have kept up with your music and some 
 other branches of education." 
 
 " I don't suppose I should have," said Jessie, thought- 
 fully, " if it had not been for papa's blindness. And so," 
 with her quaint, cheerful smile, " some good has been 
 mixed with this bitter." 
 
 " Yes. For it is true that in the busy, weary life which 
 poverty entails, one does not find a great deal of time for 
 the finer and higher graces. Nay, do not look as if I had 
 uttered heresy : one can find happiness in any station if one 
 makes it, but to some natures poverty would always be a 
 trial, even after pride was thrust aside, simply in its lack of 
 refining elements. We had ours before the losses ; so there
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. 246 
 
 was little danger of becoming narrow or commonplace 
 And I shall always honor Mr. Graham in that, when he 
 (stepped out of his sphere to marry, he chose some one 
 who could grace his position as well as her own." 
 
 Jessie colored warmly. It was so good to have this 
 dtrong and tender sister now when Madge's brightness and 
 strength came only in fitful moods ! 
 
 " Nelly is just royal," said Philip, when he heard the 
 story. "All the fine gold in her nature is coming out. I 
 begin to see the use of her trials ; though, when she first 
 came back to us with her baby in her arms, I could only 
 think of her as the wreck of a splendid possibility." 
 
 " Stranded on the treacherous shore, but not wrecked," 
 said their mother, tenderly. 
 
 So the girls went to work in heartsome earnest. Jessie's 
 attire was to be simply pretty. The marriage would be a 
 quiet one, in church, with a brief journey to Niagara after- 
 wards. 
 
 When Madge found that she had been included in the 
 small party, she roused herself and made a vigorous protest. 
 
 " I will be your bridesmaid, Jessie dear, and have the 
 new silk you covet for me, but I cannot go with you. In 
 the first place, I should not, out of pure sisterly regard for 
 Mr. Graham. We have all fallen so into the habit of ap- 
 propriating him and you, that I know it will be a positive 
 luxury for him to have an undisturbed right to his wife for 
 a few weeks." 
 
 " But he wishes it," pleaded Jessie, rather startled at the 
 defection. 
 
 " Out of the generosity of his unselfish heart ; but to 
 show him that he does not possess all the goodness in the 
 world, I shall be equally generous, and stay at home." 
 
 It was true. Madge had struck the key-note, and Jessie 
 felt the force of her affectionate reasoning. She could say 
 DO more. 
 
 Sooner or later they told him everything. From little
 
 246 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 half confidences he guessed Madge's secret, and the pecu- 
 liar interviews with Miss Stanhope had also been discussed. 
 He looked at the matter in the same light they did, but it 
 gave him an idea which he meant to put into execution 
 ere long, as a surprise for his betrothed, and this had 
 hastened his arrangements a little. 
 
 Jessie reported Madge's refusal ; but Mr. Graham had 
 been most unselfishly earnest. 
 
 " Send her to me," he said, laughingly. " I cannot have 
 my authority braved in this fashion." 
 
 She came, very blight and defiant, quite prepared to do 
 battle for her idea. Yet it was not so much this that he 
 wished to talk about. He listened to her straightforward 
 reasoning, and gave his quiet smile in return, admitting that 
 she had gained her point. 
 
 She was a little ashamed of her vehemence, and said, in 
 a low, earnest tone, 
 
 "Do not imagine that I did not appreciate the great 
 kindness. It was giving of your very best." 
 
 " Will you take something from me in its stead, as if I 
 were a brother ? I sometimes feel as if you had not cor- 
 dially forgiven that old time of pain and suffering." 
 
 " O, don't," she cried. " You shame me. I was angry 
 and unreasonable. I am not sweet and meek by nature, as 
 Jessie is. But I do understand how little any of you were 
 at fault. And you have been generous indeed." 
 
 " Will you give me something in return ? " 
 
 " What can I have that is of value to you ?" she asked 
 wonderingly. 
 
 "Your confidence, my dear child." 
 
 " You have all that is worth the taking. I never could 
 be the heroine of a sensational romance. I dislike mys- 
 teries and morbidness." 
 
 Her tone was light, yet her lips unconsciously compressed 
 themselves at the ending of her sentence. 
 
 "No," he replied, in a tone of quiet assurance. "There
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 247 
 
 Is something that you keep back, even from God, who is 
 so ready to listen, to comfort." 
 
 She turned deadly pale for a moment, then raised her 
 head in its lofty, wounded pride. 
 
 " No one can help " 
 
 " You are wrong, I think. While I despise the weak- 
 ness of a man or a woman who continually thrusts the 
 cross upon others which was given to them to bear, I do 
 feel that there is aid promised. Are we all to stand apart, 
 and reach and grope in secret, never clasping hands out- 
 wardly? Are we to hunger and thirst with the wells of 
 living water at hand, and the bread which came down 
 from heaven ? " 
 
 You don't know." 
 
 "I do know that a brave soul never shows a gaping 
 wound. A high, heroic woman could no more gossip of 
 her keenest griefs than she could count over her lover's 
 kisses to her friends. Both would be alike sacred. But 
 are you not shutting out God ? Are you not standing in 
 your own strength, saying that must be sufficient ? And 
 right beside you is the tenderness, the other long-suffering, 
 the voice which entreats, ' Come unto me, ye weary.' In 
 the pure and patient over-living of a great sorrow, our 
 souls are restored by His love. From the darkness and 
 chaos, the hopeless confusion of our own seeking, His finger 
 points out the way of peace." 
 
 " If I could believe !" was the outburst of vehement emo- 
 tion. " But you can never understand ! It was the hope 
 of my life. It helped me to bear losses, and privations, and 
 distasteful things, to be glad and happy in the darkest 
 times. And now it all seems such a dreary waste. To 
 think of living years and years " 
 
 The voice broke there with its pathetic strain, and Madge 
 covered her face with her hands. She had resolutely shut 
 out the others ; they were growing happier, and why should 
 she burden them with her griei"
 
 248 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 " My dear girl, is not the mistake just here ? The far-ofl 
 years will take care of themselves. You are trying to bear 
 adjust now. I have remarked, sometimes, that when God 
 takes away a great hope or a great delight, it is to fit us 
 for the event to come afterwards. All we have to do is to 
 learn the present lesson. He shapes the rest, adapting His 
 love to our weakness, coming down to our lowly condition. 
 Shall we refuse the comforts He places in our way ? " 
 
 " You think I have?" she said, in a low tone. 
 
 "I feel afraid that you intend to. You are strong, 
 Madge, and you could stand by yourself; but that is not 
 well for any human creature. The extreme of self-reliance 
 begets coldness and hardness, though it is often so gradual 
 that one hardly realizes the danger. So I want you to 
 still share our love and sympathy, to make it a part of your 
 life. Is there not some grace in taking as well as in giving?" 
 
 She had said to herself that no one had anything to give 
 her in this life. Was she quite right ? Was one love all? 
 Perhaps her intense passion and grief were rendering her 
 unconsciously selfish, not in refusing to give or to do for 
 others, but in accepting for herself. 
 
 "You are most kind and thoughtful," she made answer, 
 putting out her hand with her face still averted. 
 
 " I want you to take a brother's love from me, to feel 
 that any plan of mine is made with the highest regard and 
 sympathy. Open your soul and let in a little gladness, re- 
 membering that, 
 
 ' Through passionate duty love flames higher, 
 As grass grows taller around a stone.' " 
 
 * I will try," she said, softly. " But I am afraid some* 
 times that we take too much of what should be yours." 
 
 "Your family relations are so delightful to me! It is 
 because I have found a home in the highest sense of the 
 word that I am suspicious of the first break. You can 
 hardly tell what such an example is worth to the world."
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. 249 
 
 " But our world is so very small ! " 
 
 " It has been a light set on a hill to me, and you know 
 not what it may prove to others." 
 
 Mrs. Ashburton approved of Madge's decision. Mr 
 Graham comforted Jessie by the promise of some later 
 pleasure shared together. They were very busy planning 
 and working, though now and then they gave a thought to 
 the future without Jessie. How much they would miss 
 her! 
 
 Then an unexpected summons came for her. Another 
 soul longed to sun itself, briefly, in the abundant tender- 
 ness. 
 
 This was through their old friend, Hetty Bright. Rachel 
 Dormer had gone on failing gradually, and now lay at the 
 point of death. She desired most of all that Jessie should 
 come and spend a week with her, if God so willed that she 
 should linger thus long. 
 
 "You might go for a day or two," said Eleanor, "but a 
 week and just now! It is out of the question." 
 
 "She was very feeble the last time I saw her. Mamma " 
 
 Jessie raised her eyes entreatingly for some help in her 
 decision. 
 
 " I think you ought to go, and yet every day seems 
 precious." 
 
 " We might wait a little longer. There has been no day 
 appointed," said Jessie, with a delicate flush. 
 
 " Jessie, you almost provoke me sometimes. Like Madge, 
 I shall begin to espouse Mr. Graham's cause as that of a 
 rather ill-used person." 
 
 But to Eleanor's astonishment, Mr. Graham consented 
 for the whole week. She did not hear the tremulous little 
 pathos in Jessie's voice with which she had uttered, " It 
 will be so much to her, and we shall have all our long lives 
 afterwards." 
 
 He could not have refused her such a request. So one 
 afternoon he took her and Eleanor up to Riverside, and
 
 250 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 Jessie was left with her friend. Every day they heard from 
 her, and Mr. Graham made several pilgrimages. The week 
 lengthened itself into ten days, and when they met for the 
 funeral a fortnight had elapsed. Mrs. Ashburton and El- 
 eanor went up, and in spite of Miss Hetty's remonstrances, 
 brought Jessie, who was looking rather worn, home with 
 them. 
 
 " But I shall always be glad that I went," Jessie said, as 
 she lay on the sofa that evening, for once resigning herself 
 to all manner of tender petting. " She was so thankful to 
 have me, and there were many comforting hours that I 
 shall never forget. It was, indeed, the death of a saint. 
 Mr. Graham liked her so much, too, and she was pleased at 
 meeting him. O, mamma ! what indescribable comfort 
 there is in a pure, well-spent life, and the trustful belief of 
 going home at last to rest in the strength of Him who is 
 all love, who has a tender welcome for each of His chil- 
 dren 1 " 
 
 u And now you will turn gloomy, Jessie," said Madge, 
 half regretfully. " We were none too brilliant before." 
 
 u No, not gloomy. I think sometimes even a joy may 
 be rendered sweeter by the sanctifying influences of sor- 
 row. I feel more than ever the sacredness of the new 
 life I am about to enter upon. Somehow Mrs. Rachel al- 
 ways had a way of smoothing the tangles out of one's 
 path." 
 
 " Were there any in yours ? " asked her mother, softly, 
 taking the little hand. 
 
 "Not exactly;" with a faint smile. " Only sometimes I 
 have wondered if it was quite right to go to such great 
 happiness and ease, while you would all be left here " 
 
 "Jessie to the farthest verge," interrupted Madge. 
 ** Little sister, there is something besides the command of 
 bearing one another's burdens." 
 
 " I know it; " and a bright smile made the fair face radiant. 
 u Some day I may go too far to the other side in happy 
 selfishness."
 
 THE CBOWN OP DUTY. 251 
 
 " No, indeed," returned Philip, warmly. " It seems to 
 me that if any one ever deserved happiness, you do, Jessie* 
 and I am glad the best and purest of all has come to you.' 
 
 Eleanor brushed away a stray tear. How different this 
 engagement had been from hers! She hai persuaded 
 herself in those days that she was marrying as much for 
 her family's good as her own. But would she have given 
 np the bright prospect to share poverty and toil with them ? 
 Yet Jessie would scarcely have hesitated, had there been 
 a plain question of duty. 
 
 Not from any lack of pure affection, either. Understand- 
 ing love in its highest sense now, she felt that both Jessie 
 and Mr. Graham had found the golden mean a regard 
 tempered by the grace swaying their natures so thoroughly 
 that it would make the flame burn brighter as the years 
 went on with their chances and changes. 
 
 " O ! " Jessie said, presently, " did I mention that Miss 
 Hetty is likely to be quite an heiress ? You remember the 
 copper speculation that she used to bewail ? It seems a 
 new company has taken it in charge, and they are paying 
 dividends already. She told me one day, regretting that it 
 had not happened long before, for Mrs. Rachel's sake ; but 
 she said so sweetly, "All the money in the world could 
 have given me no better care than you have taken of me." 
 
 " Why, everybody seems to be coming into a fortune," 
 said Madge, gayly. 
 
 Two or three days later they received a note from Miss 
 Hetty, summoning Mrs. Ashburton, Jessie, and Mr. Graham 
 on Borne particular business. 
 
 u What can it be ?" marvelled Madge, all curiosity. 
 
 School had ended, and though she used to bustle briskly 
 about the house, now and then, for a brief while, she soon 
 dropped into the old languor. Every day she seemed to 
 grow more phantom-like, though she insisted her state of 
 indolence was chronic with school teachers. 
 
 There was no solving the puzzle until the trio returned
 
 252 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 Mr. Grahams face was unusually bright and foil of 
 amusement. 
 
 " O, it was some quirk of Miss Hetty's," declared Madge 
 " Actually you are all smiling over it." 
 
 ** What will you give for the news ? " asked Mr. Graham. 
 
 " Half of my fortune." 
 
 u lt is not to be compared with Jessie's." 
 
 " I suppose not," coloring warmly. 
 
 "You would hardly suspect Jessie of being an heiress, 
 I fancy ; but it is even so." 
 
 " How mysterious you are ! Mamma, what is it ? " 
 
 Mr. Graham laughed, gayly. 
 
 " * A true fact,' as we used to say when we were little," 
 began Jessie. " I have had a legacy left to me." 
 
 " Silver spoons or bed -quilts ?" 
 
 " It is Mrs. Dormer's share of the copper mine," explained 
 Mrs. Ashburton. 
 
 u O, you said it had improved in value, Jessie ! " 
 
 Madge was all eager excitement. 
 
 "It seems they were offered twelve thousand apiece for 
 their shares, some three months ago," said Mr. Graham. 
 " Probably they are worth nearer fifteen." 
 
 " O Jessie, Jessie ! " 
 
 Madge cried and laughed in a breath. 
 
 Mr. Graham staid to supper, and they had a really de- 
 lightful time over Jessie's fortune. It was too good to be 
 true, they all thought. 
 
 " I shall make some inquiries to-morrow," said Mr. 
 Graham. "But the matter that concerns me most is 
 whether Jessie will not feel tempted to set up for an inde- 
 pendent woman ! " 
 
 Jessie looked very meek and sweet, and not much like 
 rebelling at any decree. But, O, the depth of gladness 
 in her heart ! 
 
 Mr. Graham teased her a little when they were alone, 
 but a sudden gravity overspread her countenance.
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 253 
 
 "My little darling," he said, "did my jesting sadden 
 yo-i?" 
 
 " O, it was not that. I have had a strange, sweet thought 
 in my heart all the evening. While I was at Riverside, I 
 heard that Mr. Browning's father and insane sister were 
 both dead. It is possible that they might be induced to 
 part with Home Nook." 
 
 " Well ? " though he knew what brought the radiance to 
 the soft eyes. 
 
 " If this fortune could help to buy it back ! " 
 
 " I will endeavor to learn the particulars of the case," he 
 returned, gravely. 
 
 She studied his face for several moments. 
 
 M You would not object ? " she questioned, timidly. 
 
 "Object! when the fortune is yours, too? My little 
 girl, you hardly understand me yet, if you think that. One 
 of my happiest dreams has been to give you everything 
 out of my abundance, to make your shady life blossom as 
 in the happy days of which I sometimes hear you talk. 
 You see I never expected to marry an heiress." 
 
 Jessie smiled tenderly. He would never censure any 
 use she might make of the legacy. 
 
 Eleanor and Madge still sat in solemn consultation over 
 the matter when she ran up stairs. The tired look had 
 vanished from her sweet face. 
 
 " Is it really true? " asked Madge. " Will not some one 
 contest the will, or the copper mine fail again? And who 
 would think of Mrs. Dormer leaving a fortune to any one ? " 
 
 "I shall always be so thankful that I went! The will 
 was made nearly three months before, and with the full 
 consent of Miss Hetty. If I had refused, it would have 
 appeared most ungrateful." 
 
 "Your sins will always be on the duty side," said Madge, 
 laughingly. 
 
 'Jessie has learned the hardest and grandest definition 
 of true charity," responded Eleanor '"seeketh not hei
 
 254 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 own.' My darling, we can never tell you how much we 
 rejoice in your good fortune." 
 
 And then she recurred to her past, aunt Waltham pro- 
 fessing so much love for her, and yet ready to bargain her 
 off at the first convenient opportunity. How she would 
 have sneered had any one predicted so brilliant a future 
 for Jessie ! Yet one of the " old women " she always rid- 
 iculed had been nobly generous to Jessie, and even in her 
 poverty she had attracted a prince among men. No, aunt 
 Waltham's creed and philosophy never could attain to any 
 such heights. It was narrow, selfish of the earth, earthy. 
 Well for her that she had been saved " as by fire." 
 
 There was a household of thankful hearts that night 
 For, after all, poverty and care are not such unmixed bless- 
 ings that one need desire their continuance. True, wealth 
 baa its evila and temptations ; but is poverty exempt ?
 
 THB CBOWN OP DUTY. 256 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 THROUGH PLEASANT WATS. 
 
 JESSIE ASHBUKTON offered her project for discussion 
 the next day. If the shares she held could be sold at an 
 advantage, and Home Nook repurchased, her wildest dream 
 would be more than realized. 
 
 Mr. Ashburton listened in silence, too. deeply touched 
 for any word. 
 
 "Only on this condition," said Philip, "that when 
 Clement returns you shall be quite willing to receive back 
 principal and interest. It must be a loan merely." 
 
 "I am not particular about conditions;" and Jessie 
 smiled. "My greatest desire is to have our exile at an 
 end." 
 
 They knew then how near to her heart it bad been, 
 though few words of longing had passed her lips. She 
 had made this small abode a place of happiness, with her 
 cheeiiul faith, her steady, sunny endurance ; been braver 
 than any of them knew. Ah, how Eleanor had misjudged 
 her in the beginning ! 
 
 Mr. Graham found that he could realize about fifteen 
 thousand dollars on Jessie's stock. She was in earnest to 
 have it sold at once. For the next week he failed to see 
 Mr. Browning, ci\ account of that gentleman's absence 
 from the city. 
 
 He came in one evening graver than usual. No one 
 appeared to remark it save Jessie, and at the first oppor- 
 tunity she inquired the cause. 
 
 " My little darling," he said, " you have borne so much 
 heroically that it seems wrong to add another shadow,
 
 256 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 when we hoped for brightness. But it is something that 
 you will have to know ere long." 
 
 " No misfortune has befallen you ? " and her heart beat 
 with quick apprehension. 
 
 "No, and yes. It is a greater trial to me than you 
 might imagine at first. Think of the keenest disappoint- 
 ment next to any pain of mine, for I fancy that I am 
 dearer to you than houses or lands." 
 
 " O, Home Nook ! Mr. Browning does not wish to 
 leave it," Jessie said, quickly. 
 
 "On the contrary, he is going abroad. His wife has 
 been very much worn by the burdens of these later years. 
 But Home Nook has been sold already." 
 
 " Sold ! And he promised to give us the first oppor- 
 tunity of repurchasing it. O, how could he ! " and her 
 soft eyes filled with tears. 
 
 "There is some mystery about it which I do not quite 
 understand. It is possible that he had offered it to 
 some other person, thinking you would not be able to buy 
 it back. He merely left this message for me ; but after a 
 perplexing search, I found him, and he was most uncom- 
 municative. All he said might be summed up in thi^ 
 that he thought he had acted for the best." 
 
 "But who bought it?" 
 
 "That was what I could not learn." 
 
 "It is some one who wishes to keep it. O, if they only 
 knew ! It is so hard to reach the summit of one's desires 
 a moment too late ! No one can ever love it as we did." 
 
 " And now, my darling, I will tell you that I sounded 
 Mr. Browning on this matter almost a month ago. I 
 meant that Home Nook should be your bridal gift from 
 me. He said nothing of another purchaser then, but he 
 seems to have purposely avoided me since. So my disap- 
 pointment is exceedingly bitter, as well." 
 
 She was sobbing softly, touched and melted by hu 
 tender thought, as well as her own sorrow.
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 25? 
 
 u Yes, I wanted it to be yours. Since it would be neces- 
 sary for us to have a new home, under the peculiar circum- 
 stances of the coming year, I thought it might still be 
 pleasant for you all to keep together; and as your heart 
 was there " 
 
 "How good you were! O, if it could have been !" 
 
 " And your sorrow is mine, though I did not dream of 
 having my marriage shadowed in this fashion." 
 
 " It shall not be;" and she looked up bravely, the tears 
 still shining in her eyes. " I will not forget that my first 
 duty must always be to you." 
 
 " And your pleasure ? " 
 
 " And my pleasure." 
 
 He bent over and kissed her tenderly. 
 
 There was much regret in the household, and a disposi- 
 tion to blame Mr. Browning for his rather unfriendly deal- 
 ing. The sense of loss came home to each one keenly 
 the more so because they had so nearly attained their 
 fondest desire. 
 
 " It was too good and delightful to be true," said 
 Madge. " We must be exiles for the rest of our lives. 
 And do you know that ' about the first of August ' ia 
 nearly here ? " 
 
 Jessie blushed. 
 
 " I really believe, mamma, that she doesn't care a bit 
 about being married, and Mr. Graham as splendid as a 
 prince royal." 
 
 But the wonder and the mystery reached a speedy solu- 
 tion. A few days after, while they were still in a chaos 
 of regret, a large official-looking document came for Mr. 
 Ashburton. 
 
 " Another fortune," laughingly declared Madge. 
 
 Mrs. Ashburton opened it, and ran her eyes over both 
 print and writing without taking in the slightest meaning. 
 
 " Why, it is a deed," exclaimed Eleanor, " a deed for 
 Home Nook; a gift to papa from Rose Stanhope." 
 17
 
 258 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 They all glanced at each other in amazement. A deed 
 of conveyance, sure enough ; but if it had come from an 
 enemy it could hardly have been less welcome. If possi- 
 ble, matters were more complicated than before. 
 
 And now there were endless discussions again. Mr. 
 Graham's first effort was to find Miss Stanhope, but she 
 had left the city on the very day of signing the deed. 
 That she had gone abroad again her lawyer admitted ; but 
 he had received strict injunctions to preserve her address 
 a secret. Mr. Browning could throw no further light upon 
 the matter. 
 
 Miss Stanhope had, indeed, made a slight explanation to 
 him, representing it as an actual acknowledgment due the 
 Ashburtons. When he found that it was to come into 
 their possession, he felt that Mr. Graham's wishes would 
 be complied with. 
 
 ** And I really could not resist her entreaty," he con- 
 fessed, in apology. " She declared that it was the one 
 great pleasure and duty of her life. Are you quite sure 
 that you understand all her reasons ? " 
 
 " Yes," replied Philip. " It is a morbid fancy that has 
 seized her brain. If she could have seen the result ! " 
 
 " What a perplexing affair ! " Madge exclaimed. " If 
 she can never be found, what are we to do ? " 
 
 It was a serious question. Mr. Browning had made his 
 arrangements to leave on the tenth of the month. Most 
 of the furniture had been repurchased with the house, 
 and to shut it up tenantless appeared an absolute sin. 
 
 "I wonder if we may not be carrying our pride too 
 far," said Eleanor, thoughtfully. "I do believe Miss 
 Stanhope ife firmly convinced of some wrong, and desirea 
 to make reparation." 
 
 " But I never could have been wronged to that amount," 
 replied Mr. Ashburton. "At the utmost limit it could 
 not have exceeded ten or twelve thousand dollars." 
 
 a And Home Nook has cost twenty thousand."
 
 THE CEOWN OP DUTY. 25S 
 
 " It was a foolish, girlish act, and I am afraid that she 
 h:.s impoverished herself. It leaves us under a heavy 
 obligation to her." 
 
 " Which we cannot accept," said Madge, decisively. 
 
 It was most true. To go to Home Nook on such 
 terms was like living under false pretences. They had no 
 claim upon Miss Stanhope's generosity, and this was much 
 too extravagant to be justice. 
 
 Mr. Graham's clear head solved the problem at length. 
 
 " Mr. Thurston, Miss Stanhope's lawyer, will have noth- 
 ing to do with it," he said ; " but this sum might be held 
 in trust for Miss Stanhope or her heirs. That will clear 
 our consciences." 
 
 After much discussion this was decided upon. Philip 
 wrote to Clement at once. Mr. Graham insisted upon 
 making up the sum for the present. Jessie was brim full 
 of happiness again. 
 
 Then they began to look the future in the face. The 
 incidents had come with such rapidity during the past 
 year that before they had grown familiar with one, an- 
 other claimed their attention. And this would bring 
 about a decided change. 
 
 That they were to go back to Home Nook seemed the 
 dearest joy of all. And yet there was a secret pang in 
 two hearts; at least, Madge and Eleanor dreaded old 
 associations a little, but neither would have marred Jessie's 
 perfect content by breathing the faintest word. 
 
 For Eleanor had a remnant of her olden pride. In her 
 girlhood days she had rather plumed herself upon her 
 refinement and exclusiveness. Her acquaintance had 
 been considered an honor by people in her own social 
 standing, Now an adverse fate compelled her in some 
 degree to be dependent upon her own exertions. In this 
 matter she was succeeding beyond her expectations. It 
 would be much pleasanter to keep the tender household 
 shelter for herself and little Greta than to seek a home
 
 260 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 among strangers ; but she knew too well the distinction 
 the world made between the luxury of indolence and 
 compulsory toil. 
 
 " But it is unworthy of any true woman to shrink back 
 weakly now," she said to herself. " Since they took me 
 in destitute and friendless, shall I not do all in my power 
 to repay them, without thinking of the world's foolish 
 blame or approval?" 
 
 Madge had quite another cause for dread. Not that 
 she was hardly likely to meet the Endicotts in any other 
 than a casual way ; but, O, there lay betwesn such bitter 
 pangs ! Could she glance at that bright, faithless counte- 
 nance whose smiles had once been so much to her, and 
 keep the shrinking nerves still tense and untrembling? 
 
 Mr. Ashburton would be under the doctor's care for two 
 months, at least. He and Mrs. Ashburton were to board 
 at Dr. Conway's for the time. Mr. Graham proposed that 
 Madge and Eleanor should take charge of the house, as 
 by that means Jessie would have the more freedom. 
 
 "It seems so strange not to think of going back to 
 school ! " said Madge. " I do believe I shall feel lost with- 
 out those perplexing children. I dare say I shall take 
 Greta in hand, and make her wise beyond her years." 
 
 Eleanor smiled. 
 
 They went up to Home Nook one afternoon, Philip 
 and Mr. Graham accompanying them. If it had changed, 
 it was only to grow more beautiful. The evergreens 
 made miniature forests, the old honeysuckles were thickets 
 of foliage, and the shrubbery had hardly been altered. 
 Beds of flowers in their late summer bloom, shady walks, 
 clustering vines, haunts endeared to them by a thousand 
 fond recollections. Could it be possible that they were to 
 return ? 
 
 There were all the old familiar nooks ; but they had 
 been despoiled of pictures and the small, graceful article! 
 that add a home-like charm.
 
 THE tJKOWN OF DUTY. 261 
 
 Madge ran from room to room, from window to window 
 with the gladness of a child. The years of toil and priva- 
 tion, and that still keener pang, were forgotten for the 
 moment, as she realized the exquisite pleasure of home- 
 feeling once more. 
 
 " It is a very lovely nest," said Mr. Graham. " I do not 
 wonder at your fondness for it. But can you ever be 
 content to call another place home ? " 
 
 Jessie answered by slipping her hand within his. And 
 yet how strange it would be to have a new interest to 
 go away from them all, perhaps ! 
 
 Their arrangements were perfected after several days' 
 consideration. Jessie was not to be married until the 
 first of September. Mr. arid Mrs. Ashburton Were to go 
 away at the same time, and the three others were to 
 superintend the removal. 
 
 The wedding was a very quiet one, in church. Miss 
 Hetty was the only invited guest on Jessie's side, and Mr. 
 Graham had asked merely his immediate family. They 
 all felt more grave than joyful, but there was no tender 
 regard lacking. 
 
 Mr. Graham was the only child by an earlier marriage of 
 his father, though he had always fraternized very cordially 
 with the second family, a host of younger brothers and 
 sisters. Mrs. Graham gave Jessie a warm and motherly 
 welcome. 
 
 "I was much pleased with her," she said afterwards to a 
 friend. " Ward has such peculiar notions about women 
 that I should not have been astonished to see him marry 
 the most eccentric one he could find. But his wife is a 
 very sweet, pretty girl, and quite an heiress." 
 
 Mr. Ashburton kissed his darling fondly. Would he 
 ever be able to see the dear face again ? He was becom- 
 ing strangely impatient to know his fate, although Dr. 
 Otis had assured him that there could be scarcely a doubt 
 
 They bade Jessie farewell at the railroad depot. Sh
 
 262 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 did look lovely in her soft silk as nun-like as she desired 
 and all her small belongings chosen with the most ex- 
 quisite taste. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Ash burton went at once to Dr. Conway's, 
 who had decided to take them in for old friendship's sake. 
 Philip came home with Madge and Eleanor, Miss Hetty 
 accompanying them, as she had insisted upon " lending a 
 hand." 
 
 " We may as well begin at once," declared Madge, "or 
 we shall sit down and cry over our household ruins. If it 
 was any one but Jessie, I should have some misgiving 
 about her happiness." 
 
 "There's nothing like work when one is a bit down- 
 hearted," said Miss Hetty. " And the quicker you get up 
 to Home Nook the better. I shall not have a moment of 
 satisfaction until you are there. It was a great comfort 
 to my poor sister, thinking you would come back." 
 
 " Which I am glad to do for her dear sake as well as 
 cur own," returned Madge. " You would hardly believe 
 that I had lost all hope of its ever being accomplished." 
 
 " I knew it must come to pass some way. There's 
 never been a night but I've prayed for it ; and when the 
 good news came, poor Rachel sat and thought it over in 
 amazement, and, finally, says she, ' I shall never want the 
 money, Hetty, and if you're willing, I shall leave it to Miss 
 Jessie. Maybe it will help her to buy back Home Nook.' 
 But she never dreamed then that Miss Jessie's wedding- 
 day was so nigh at hand." 
 
 They laid aside their festive attire and went to work at 
 once. The woman who usually did their washing had 
 been called in for several days, and was there to assist. 
 By night most of the furniture and books were packed, 
 ready for a start the next morning. 
 
 Miss Hetty kept them in good spirits by her brisk ways 
 and homely bits of philosophy. It was well to have her 
 there. Eleanor was not tempted to smile at her shrewd
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 263 
 
 wisdom and old-fashioned ways, for she was able now to 
 understand the true worth of such a hearty, generous soul. 
 
 Madge shed a few tears as the familiar objects were 
 gathered from nooks and corners. After all, they had 
 been happy here. Jessie's roses were still in bloom, and 
 there was her father's rustic chair in the grape arbor. 
 Philip and Jessie had made it. Poor Philip ! out of his 
 trials had come joy and good fortune ; out of Jessie's 
 patient work and waiting, happiness. But what was the 
 lesson for her? Life was never without its duties, of 
 course, but what special grace was to be evolved from her 
 trial ? Would it be easier to bear in the old home ? 
 
 She seldom looked it in the face. It seemed braver to 
 her to thrust it out of sight. A little girlish shame at 
 having been so easily won, and a woman's sensitive pride 
 at being as easily forgotten. But to her it had been more 
 than a childish regard. 
 
 By noon the little cottage was dismantled, and shortly 
 after they were on their way to Riverside. 
 
 "But it doesn't seem quite right to have so few of us," 
 said Madge. "Who would fancy we should miss quiet 
 Jessie so much ? " 
 
 And crossing the threshold of dear old Home Nook 
 once more as possessors indeed, they remembered the sad 
 procession of more than five years ago. With what varied 
 feelings they had walked down the shaded avenue that 
 spring morning ! Was their exile really at an end ? 
 
 One of Mrs. Browning's servants had remained in charge 
 a quiet, tidy woman, who soon rendered herself useful 
 to the new comers. Baby Margaret was full of childish 
 prattle and wonderment, running from window to window, 
 in the vain hope of seeing grandpa. 
 
 It took them some time to settle matters to their liking. 
 The carpets and furniture were pretty well worn ; indeed, 
 many things needed replacing. 
 
 u If we could just bundle these old articles out and have
 
 264 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 new ones," said Philip. " Everything ought to be bright 
 and fresh." 
 
 " But we cannot. We are still poor, and must make the 
 best of our poverty," replied Eleanor. 
 
 " It would be so delightful for Jessie's sake," said 
 Madge, with a sigh. " But Mr. Graham is noble enough 
 to understand it ; so there is no use of being ashamed. We 
 will do our very best." 
 
 Miss Hetty came over the next day, and Madge re- 
 counted the perplexities. 
 
 "Let us take a fair and square look," said the little 
 woman, in her brisk, energetic fashion ; and they started 
 through the house. 
 
 "If this carpet was ripped apart and turned round 
 there, you see how bright it would be in the middle I 
 And why don't you turn this great parlor into a general 
 sitting-room ? You'll like it as well again ; and then no 
 one will expect the shine of new satin and velvet. The 
 furniture might be oiled and rubbed, and the dust beaten 
 out of the covers. And when the pretty articles from the 
 other house come to be unpacked, why, you will hardly 
 know the place ! " 
 
 When they started, Madge found that matters settled 
 themselves, with a little overlooking. They turned, and 
 altered, and freshened up, taking heart with each article, 
 that seemed to slip into the position best suited for it. 
 
 "Jessie must have the two spare rooms," said Eleanor. 
 " We shall hardly need them for guests." 
 
 "And we will take our old ones back again. I am 
 glad mine opens into yours, Nelly, for now I shall bo 
 alone." 
 
 Philip came home every evening, and commented on 
 what they had done through the day. Miss Hetty ran 
 over to see them frequently. 
 
 Tidings came from their parents, and from Jessie, who 
 was well and happy.
 
 TEDS CKOWN OF DUTY. 265 
 
 The news was not long in being circulated about River- 
 side. Mrs. Dormer's will had soon become public prop- 
 erty, then Jessie's marriage surprised everybody, and now 
 the return completed the astonishment. Bygone friends 
 dropped in some from curiosity, perhaps, but many 
 with words of sincerest welcome. 
 
 It was stormy on Sunday, and Greta not being very 
 well, neither of the girls went out. But Philip brought a 
 report at noon. 
 
 " You notice the changes most of all in church," he said. 
 u Yet Mr. Kenneth's place seems to be well supplied, and 
 there is no lack among the audience. But, O, the strange 
 faces ! I can hardly imagine myself at Riverside." 
 
 "But you are not sorry?" Madge asked, just under her 
 breath. 
 
 "Sorry! What put such an idea into your head, little 
 sister? I enjoyed it all so much, kneeling in the old 
 place, and remembering our childish wishes and vague 
 aspirations, until I could not help thinking of Jacob at 
 Bethel. If we ever made any vows, how scrupulously 
 they ought to be fulfilled ! for God has brought us back 
 in safety." 
 
 Mr. Maurice, the clergyman, called the ensuing week, 
 and they found him a Christian gentleman. He had met 
 Jessie at Miss Hetty's, and heard part of their story; so he 
 hardly appeared like a stranger. 
 
 When they came to regular living, Madge was installed 
 as housekeeper, as Eleanor's duties called her away three 
 or four days in the week. But they could hardly consider 
 themselves really settled until they had all the household 
 back again. 
 
 It was a month before Jessie returned, taking them 
 quite by surprise one evening. How pretty she had 
 grown, and how happy she looked ! It seemed as if Mr. 
 Graham's smile was less grave, and the tender inflections 
 of his voice touched Madge with a peculiar nearness to 
 tears.
 
 266 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 " O," exclaimed Jessie, " how lovely it all it ! It gives 
 one such a sense of home to walk np the avenue under the 
 familiar trees, and have the doors open to you vistas of 
 remembered pleasure ! You and Nelly have made a bower 
 of this library." 
 
 " It was Nelly's taste " 
 
 " And Madge's labor," said Eleanor. 
 
 Madge had worked indeed. The two large bronze lawn 
 vases had been brought in, still rich with summer bloom 
 and beauty, and stood at either side of the large bay- 
 window, the English and German ivy trailing overhead in 
 its shadowy greenness. Some rustic baskets, filled with 
 mosses and clusters of scarlet berries amid the ferns, de- 
 pended here and there. A little fire was burning in the 
 grate, lending a ruddy glow, and through all there was a 
 sense of warmth and home-tenderness, the sweet and fra- 
 grant scents of woody growths, a quiver of leaves and 
 depths of cool greenery, as if the recess opened into the 
 hush of a forest at summer noon. 
 
 Jessie could scarcely bear to leave it, but Madge had 
 a hospitable desire to display the rest of the house. 
 
 " We thought, Nelly and I, that you might like the 
 rooms on this side, and we have kept ours as they were. 
 Here is the dear old sitting-room. O, Jessie, you remem- 
 ber that night, the last dear time we were all so happy 
 together! Somehow I had not the heart to put it in 
 order. For we shall never be quite the same again, and 
 Nelly fancied that you might like it for some purpose. 
 For, after all, the whole house is yours." 
 
 u I do not look at it in that light. I believe Mrs. Rachel 
 meant that I should do all the good and give all the pleas- 
 ure that I could with her legacy. While papa and mamma 
 live, it is to be their home, no matter what changes may 
 come to the rest of us. I saw mamma to-day." 
 
 " And she was delighted, I know. You heard the good 
 news ? "
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 267 
 
 " That papa's operation was satisfactory, so far ? Yes. 
 O, Madge, my darling, it seems as if my life was one con- 
 tinual thanksgiving! I wonder how so much happiness 
 has come to me ! " 
 
 The lustrous eyes and pure, sweet face were radiant with 
 content. 
 
 " One of us ought to be happy," said Madge, gravely. 
 
 Jessie studied her sister's serious mood. Was there the 
 shadow of some old pain making a pensive gloom in her 
 heart ? 
 
 " Are you satisfied to be here ? " she asked, timidly. 
 
 " Quite. Don't think of that for a moment. Jessie, I 
 saw them one Sunday. We came face to face, and they 
 all recognized me politely. Since then he has been as one 
 utterly lost to me not that there was any hope before, 
 you know, only it was like a seal being placed on a coffin 
 lid. I seem to understand how he has changed. But let 
 it all go." 
 
 Jessie read the underlying depth of pain that Madge 
 had hidden. Her own life for the past month told her 
 what her more demonstrative sister's hopes had been. 
 
 They returned to the library, where the others were 
 waiting, Philip and Mr. Graham in the midst of an ani- 
 mated conversation. 
 
 " O, and one thing I came near forgetting, Jessie. Old 
 Mrs. Deane is dead. She sent last week for some of us 
 to come, and I, being the only available person, went. She 
 groaned a great deal over the deceitfulness of riches, and 
 thought Mrs. Dormer ought to have given her money to 
 a hospital. Then she was very much afraid your husband 
 and your fortune would be a snare to lead you astray, and 
 supposed that papa had completely lost his faculties by 
 this time, and was desperately lugubrious over our affairs, 
 What a miserable, unhappy being ! " 
 
 Jessie sighed softly for the poor souls that went astray 
 and wondered if they found heaven at the last.
 
 268 HOME NOOK, OR 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 DAYS BUNNY AND SHADY. 
 
 MADGE ASHBTJRTON, bright, restless, and excited, Jis 
 gered by the window again, watching. The fire burned 
 brightly, the tremulous leaves swung in the vine-covered 
 window, shaking out a faint, summer-like perfume. El- 
 eanor sat at the library table copying music, Greta was 
 playing with her picture-book and talking to herself, and 
 Jessie sewing. Madge, alone, could do nothing but 
 watch. 
 
 A carriage turned up the drive, and she flashed through 
 the hall, down the steps, and stood in breathless expecta- 
 tion, her cheeks flushed, her soft hair blown about by the 
 wind. 
 
 Philip sprang out, then Mr. Graham, who assisted Mrs. 
 Ashburton; and, last of all, a slender figure, stooping 
 slightly now, but still with patriarchal grace and dignity, 
 brightened by the flowing beard and hair of silvery tint. 
 
 " Papa ! " 
 
 " Madge, darling ! " 
 
 It was the voice that he knew so well, for the eyes were 
 still bandaged. 
 
 But he paused in the hall when Philip had closed the 
 door. Mr. Graham removed the band, and with a glad 
 cry they were folded to his heart. To see them here again 
 in this dear, familiar place I 
 
 "O," he said, brokenly, "how can we thank God for hia 
 mercies, which never fail ! " 
 
 They led him to the room, no one making answer. 
 Gratitude was too deep for any immediate demonstration
 
 THE CEOWN OP DUTY. 269 
 
 and the sense of relief, after the long strain on hope, and 
 faith, and patience, naturally rendered them silent. Step 
 by step they could remember each incident of fresh pain 
 as it had fallen upon them ; but the joy was like a glowing 
 sunrise, sudden and overwhelming. 
 
 There they were, and yet not quite the same household. 
 Ward Graham in the place of Clement ; stately Eleanor, 
 less proud and self-contained than in the days of yore ; 
 sweet Jessie, whose face always suggested a shady lake iv 
 summer ; and Madge, changed more than the others, the 
 indescribable something lost out of the face of the child , 
 little Greta climbing his knee with wondering eyes, a link 
 of the past that still appeared strange to him. 
 
 To this deep joy was shortly after added a letter from 
 Clement, enclosing an order on a New York banker for 
 the sum of ten thousand dollars towards the payment of 
 Home Nook. The peculiar and unusual proposal of Miss 
 Stanhope could not for a moment be entertained. What- 
 ever wrong Mr. Stanhope had done them must be for- 
 given, although it was noble in his child to offer atone- 
 ment. But since they could never tell how much was 
 theirs by right, they would take nothing, save their very 
 own. He quite approved of placing the purchase-money 
 in trust for Miss Stanhope, and on his return he expected 
 to be able to liquidate the whole debt. He congratulated 
 Jessie on her good fortune and happy bridal, and hoped to 
 join their number while the household was yet unbroken. 
 TTW years more of exile, for it had been that. 
 
 "Among our many other mercies we must place Clem- 
 ent's loyal and unselfish regard," said their mother. " All 
 sons might not have proved so faithful through long 
 absence." 
 
 Philip had been advanced to a higher position, with a 
 corresponding increase of salary. He had given excellent 
 satisfaction, and entirely regained the elder Mr. Graham' 
 regard.
 
 270 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 And now they settled themselves into a regular routine 
 once more. Mrs. Ashburton, being relieved from the care 
 and the nursing of the last few years, again took charge 
 of the household. Mr. Ashburton felt at first that he 
 could not accept the life of indolent dependence. 
 
 But they all understood how much he had failed, not 
 only in health, but in the readiness and strength of his facul- 
 ties. The long illness had impaired memory and vigor, 
 the weary months when he had been shut out of the busy 
 world, and compelled to live in inner solitude of being, 
 were not easily overcome at his time of life. It would be 
 quite impossible to fill any of the higher positions, and 
 those to which much manual labor was attached were still 
 beyond his strength. 
 
 "So you must be content," said Philip, in his hearty, 
 generous voice. "I know that of old our brightest 
 dreams used to cluster around the time when you should 
 retire from business, and spend the days in calm content, 
 happy to enjoy and study nature, with no perplexing cares 
 to intervene." 
 
 "But it was under different circumstances," he made 
 answer, with a faint smile. "It is the parents who are 
 commanded to lay up for the children." 
 
 "God has seen fit to order it otherwise in this case. 
 Dear father, can you not depend upon your children's 
 tender love and devotion ? " 
 
 Mr. Ashburton was moved to tears. 
 
 " You have been most noble and unselfish, but I feel as 
 if your young life and that of Clement should not be too 
 heavily burdened." 
 
 " We have youth, and health, and many years before us, 
 in all probability." 
 
 Ward Graham cast his influence on Philip's side. After 
 all, when it came to the point, some one was needed to 
 supervise a place like this. Mr. Graham had sent up hii 
 horses, and would be domesticated with them until Clem
 
 TELE CROWN OF DUTY. 271 
 
 cut's return, as he proposed to fill a son's place, not only 
 in bond, but in reality. 
 
 For between him and the family there had grown a near 
 and tender sympathy. In his father's house there was 
 nothing cold or positively ungracious; but with a gay, 
 worldly woman, like his step-mother, and a family of 
 bright, showy girls, educated to think a brilliant marriage 
 the greatest good, there had been but little of the fine 
 interchange of feeling and affection characterizing the 
 Ashburtons. With them poverty had never degenerated 
 into coarseness, trials had not rendered them cold or self- 
 ishly indifferent towards one another. Not but that there 
 had been mistakes, few human lives are perfect, young 
 lives least of all, but they had learned some of the nobler 
 uses of adversity. 
 
 Eleanor's path had been fraught with the most pain and 
 deepest repentance. Pride was a battle-ground that had 
 to be contested inch by inch, to-day a little gained, to- 
 morrow lost. It was harder to climb from one degree of 
 grace to another than to float on the dead level of mere 
 outward acquiescence. But her child had won her to the 
 strongest effort that a woman can make, and while she 
 had health and talent, she could not be dependent upon 
 those who had borne so much of the heat and burden. 
 
 She found, too, a very pleasant position at Riverside. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Maurice proved most cordial friends, and 
 Eleanor's beautiful voice was deemed a great acquisition 
 to the church services. 
 
 Another family had interested them all very much 
 a Mr. Wyverne, the organist, and his sister, who resided 
 in a quaint little cottage not far from the parsonage. Miss 
 Wyverne was thirty-six, perhaps, and her brother a year 
 or two younger. To look in her sweet, noble face, one 
 read that she had reached a calm haven through tempestu- 
 ous seas ; that, with her strength and vigor, the battle had 
 not been an easy one, but that a higher than human grace
 
 272 HOME NOOK, OE 
 
 had helped her to conquer at last. From their first intro- 
 duction she had been strongly drawn to Eleanor of all the 
 Ashburton household, and little Greta became a great fa 
 vorite with both brother and sister. 
 
 Perhaps they all had their duties and spheres mapped 
 out more clearly than Madge. To her, after the excite- 
 ment had in some degree subsided, and the management of 
 the household had been taken into other hands, there came a 
 great dearth, a void, a craving for something that she 
 could not find in her simple daily duties. For months she 
 had been battling against weariness and lassitude, over- 
 strained nerves, and the shrinking of a sore and pained 
 soul. 
 
 In the hurrying rush of events, she had managed to for- 
 get herself, and have others forget the cruel wound that 
 had been given to faith and hope. But now she glanced 
 at the far future in dismay a long, dreary, purposeless 
 woman's life, without any aims or ambitions. A spark of 
 genius might have aroused her, but that she fancied she 
 did not possess. Any urgent duty would have excited her 
 to action, but her mother and Philip insisted that her sea- 
 son of rest had come. The heavy eyes and pale cheeks 
 needed something besides labor to restore roses and 
 brightness. 
 
 The vague rest had in it a deeper unrest. Perhaps it is 
 life's dreariest pain to come to a time when circumstances 
 invest us again with a halo that rendered us fair in the 
 eyes of the world, and yet to feel keenly what the few 
 years of exile have taken from us never to be replaced. 
 And to young souls, whose vision is still narrow, there will 
 come moments when some touch of the cold fingers of 
 sorrow strikes upon life's harp and produces discord, when 
 no fine sympathy can attune what might have been and 
 is not. 
 
 Not that Madge was a love-lorn girl, still brooding over 
 her disappointment. She had thrust it out of sight at the
 
 THE CKOWN OF DUTY. 273 
 
 beginning, and bowed to the inevitable. But in the men- 
 tal vacuity that fell upon her now, all things lost their 
 vital charm. She was exact in her religious duties, but 
 the fervor that had once made them so comforting seemed 
 no more. She accompanied Jessie on her visits of kind- 
 ness and charity, but the too often tiresome stories from 
 vapid and narrow souls wearied her exceedingly. 
 
 " I don't see how you can endure it," she said to Jessie, 
 " I rather like Bessie Deane, and Hetty Bright has a crisp- 
 ness of her own that is quite refreshing. But these old 
 women who take your gifts and grumble at you, who 
 think their pains and aches so much more severe than 
 those of the rest of the world, are an intolerable nuisance. 
 How can you listen so patiently ? " 
 
 " Their sorrows and petty trials are very real to them. 
 And it is their misfortune that their sphere is so narrow." 
 
 " But they look continually at the four bare walls, in- 
 stead of out of the window, where they might catch a 
 glimpse of the blue sky." 
 
 "Do we never commit the same fault ourselves? Do 
 we never forget that heaven is the bit of blue sky, when 
 we refuse to lift our eyes ? " 
 
 Madge colored. Had she been looking steadily at the four 
 walls, dark and narrow, with no ray of sympathetic love ? 
 
 " Jessie," after a long pause, " how can you always keep 
 so calm and tranquil ? " 
 
 u Do I ? " with a soft little smile. 
 
 " It seems so to me as if nothing ever troubled you." 
 
 " And yet a great many things have troubled and pained 
 me. Only since God has asked us to cast our burdens 
 upon Him " 
 
 "I am afraid that is what I don't understand," Madge 
 answered, thoughtfully. "For when we look about and 
 see the many trials that are brought upon us by the self- 
 ishness of others, we sometimes question whether God 
 has anything to do with it." 
 18
 
 274 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 " O Madge ! God doesn't mean that we shall question 
 the acts of others. It is just the effect upon ourselvea 
 that concerns us. It seems to me that all this weary 
 wondering with which we perplex ourselves is the part of 
 the burden that He is so willing to bear." 
 
 Madge sighed. 
 
 "My darling, do you mean to go treading on thorns 
 when there are pleasanter paths ? " said the sweet, plead- 
 ing voice. 
 
 "O, Jessie, there is so much, after all, that is wearisome 
 in life ! Sometimes I almost wish I was back at the old 
 work, when I had no time for thought." 
 
 "But we cannot get away from ourselves; so we must 
 divide the burden." 
 
 "How can one do it?" 
 
 "By taking part of some other person's." 
 
 "But it seems to me that you are all so happy now, 
 there is nothing left for me to do. I begin to feel that a 
 woman's sphere is essentially narrow, unless there is some 
 special demand made upon her. And I have a horror of 
 falling into the inanities and foolish weakness of some 
 people." 
 
 They had been rambling slowly along through this talk. 
 It was a mild March day, with a breath of spring in the 
 air ; and now they paused, as they saw Mr. Wyverne com- 
 ing in the opposite direction, with his hands full of 
 trailing arbutus. 
 
 "The first trophies of spring," he said, with a smile. 
 "Come in, and share them with me." 
 
 He opened the gate as he spoke, and the two girk 
 entered almost involuntarily. 
 
 There, in the cozy sitting-room, they found Miss Wy- 
 verne and Miss Hetty. 
 
 tt We were having an old maid's gossip," explained Miss 
 Wyverne, laughingly, "and were just thinking of starting 
 out for Home Nook to hold another solemn conclave. So
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 275 
 
 we are most glad to welcome you. O, Robert, what a de- 
 licious armful of wild flowers ! You have made a pilgrim- 
 age to the woods without me." 
 
 "I strayed into it without the slightest intention, I 
 assure you. Go on with your talk while I make a bouquet 
 for Mrs. Graham. I see that Miss Hetty's face is brimful 
 of something." 
 
 The same odd little body, with her head still full of 
 silvery curls, and a complexion as fresh as a child's. It 
 seemed to Jessie as if she would never grow old. 
 
 "I wanted to see you, my dear," to Jessie. "I had an 
 idea in my head, and you know that such a thing can 
 never stay there long without causing me a deal of 
 trouble." 
 
 " The results of your ideas are so excellent that they 
 deserve to be brought forward as soon as possible," said 
 Mr. Wyverne, making a mound with his flowers on the 
 green leathern-covered library table. 
 
 "And what wag this ?" asked Jessie. 
 
 Miss Hetty colored a little, and for a moment seemed 
 hardly ready with a reply. 
 
 "It is a really grand idea," declared Miss Wyverne. 
 " A hospital for sick and disabled old ladies." 
 
 Miss Hetty laughed merrily. 
 
 "I suppose you think I shall have it all ready to go into, 
 myself, but I mean to keep brisk for many a year yet." 
 
 "What gave you the idea, Miss Hetty?" asked Mr. 
 Wyverne. 
 
 * Well, I've had a hospital, as you may say, nearly all 
 my life, and I've grown rather fond of nursing. Poor deal 
 sister used often to say, for she was always thinking of 
 others, *I wish every one who was sick could have as 
 good care as I do.' And there's that poor Jenny Yates 
 lying helpless in her sister's house, with a crowd of noisy 
 children around her, and suffering everything for the wanv 
 of a little quiet ar^ care. It makes my heart ache every
 
 276 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 time I look at her. And here I am with oceans of money 
 that I don't know what to do with " 
 
 Miss Hetty paused for breath, her little round face 
 quite flushed and excited. 
 
 "What a misfortune !" said Mr. Wyverne, with a touch 
 of quiet amusement. 
 
 ** Well, there's quite a large income, beyond what I can 
 use ; and I never did approve of burying any talent that 
 might come to me. And I've been casting about as to 
 what I could do. You see, there's no kith or kin for me 
 to adopt, and it seems now as if I had nothing to busy 
 myself with. So if I take in a few of the poor and dis- 
 abled" 
 
 u A cup of cold water," said Jessie, softly, slipping her 
 hand within Miss Hetty's. 
 
 "But the house is such a little pigeon's nest, and it 
 would have to be made larger. I was coming to see Miss 
 Jessie about it." 
 
 " O, you must let Madge plan that ! She has a gift for 
 such things." 
 
 " The extent of my genius for drawing," said Madge, 
 with a laugh. 
 
 " And you really think of undertaking this ? " asked Mr. 
 Wyverne, seriously. 
 
 U I ought to improve the time I have left, remembering 
 whose it is. And the money, you know, came so like a 
 gift we never expected to see a penny of it." 
 
 Miss Hetty still held it in a peculiar awe, as if it was 
 hardly her own. 
 
 "It will be a most noble work," said Mr. Wyverne, 
 * and many of our great enterprises have been started on 
 u smaller scale. But you must be prepared for ingrati- 
 tude and misrepresentation. I cannot understand why, 
 but nearly all good objects have to make a hard fight in 
 the beginning." 
 
 "I am sure if I don't ask any odds of anybody there
 
 i'HE CKOWN OF DUTY. 277 
 
 need be little trouble. And if I offer them food, and 
 shelter, and care " 
 
 "You will be making the best and highest use of your 
 means, and God can but smile upon your undertaking." 
 
 Jessie was delighted with the idea, and insisted that 
 Miss Hetty should come and take tea with them, when 
 they would discuss it more at length. Mr. Wyverne 
 walked over also, sure of a welcome. Madge fell a little 
 behind, and accepted him for a companion, and when 
 Jessie saw the bright eyes and soft cheeks warm with a 
 delicate flush, she smiled inwardly. 
 
 They found that Miss Hetty had digested her ideas 
 more thoroughly than appeared on the surface. She was 
 in truest earnest; and, with her usual energy, but little 
 time was to be lost in considering the feasibility of the 
 scheme, as it affected those at a distance. It was good, 
 heartsome work, and she was willing to undertake it ; so 
 why should she delay ? 
 
 " Only, I couldn't take in more than two or three, as the 
 place stands. I have a fancy that I should always like to 
 keep Rachel's room as it is, to be a kind of sanctuary to 
 me when I am a little tired or discouraged, if such a 
 thing ever happens to me. But right at the side we 
 might build an addition, and I could have the flower- 
 garden left as it is." 
 
 "The plan is very sensible," said Mr. Graham. "You 
 will feel more comfortable to have part of your house 
 reserved strictly for your own use. But you surely could 
 not take care of many invalids. " 
 
 "I could find nurses as I wanted them. One and 
 another poor homeless creature would be glad to come ; 
 and now, if any one will learn for me what kind of a place 
 I could put up, say, for six or seven thousand dollars that 
 is as much as I should feel free to spend." 
 
 "Miss Madge," said Mr. Wyv erne, " what was it you! 
 sister said about your gift for pla/ming houses?"
 
 278 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 Madge laughed a little. 
 
 "O, it was nothing. Instead of drawing landscapes and 
 foliage, I used to fill my paper with cottages, and all man- 
 ner of odd rooms, and nooks, and corners. I suppose it 
 was because I loved this old house so well." 
 
 "Will you not show them to me ?" 
 
 " They are hardly worth the going over." 
 
 " Still, I desire it." 
 
 Madge brought her portfolio, and the two sat down to 
 a little quartet table, and began to inspect the sketches 
 that were done with the neatness and fidelity of a steel 
 engraving. 
 
 "So you think you have no genius," he said, laugh- 
 ingly. 
 
 "Not enough for my ambition. I could never paint a 
 picture ; and these are nearly all hints and suggestions 
 from things I have seen." 
 
 "What is this?" 
 
 Madge colored warmly. 
 
 " O, this is part of my chapel. I did not know that it 
 was here." 
 
 "Miss Ashburton, you ought to study architecture. I 
 wonder that this field is not entered by women." 
 
 " Because we go everywhere ? " and she smiled. 
 
 "No, but because women understand so much more 
 thoroughly the uses of a house than a man. And thia 
 is " 
 
 " My east window. You see, I meant to be very grand. 
 I did that not long ago." 
 
 He studied it attentively. The brilliant colors were 
 most artistically arranged, and the design perfect. 
 
 Then they were called upon to share some discussion as 
 to the plan under consideration, and Madge forgot about 
 her chapel until the party broke up, when Mr. Wyverne 
 said, 
 
 "I wish to take this window with me may I? It 
 interests me very much.'*
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 279 
 
 Madge nodded acquiescently. 
 
 Miss Hetty begged for a little music, " for it is next t 
 hearing it in church," said she. 
 
 Mr. Wyverne sat down to the piano, then asked 
 Eleanor to select something. 
 
 Two verses seemed peculiarly touching to both Miss 
 Hetty and Madge : 
 
 " In the wilderness astray, 
 
 In the lonely waste they roam, 
 Hungry, fainting by the way, 
 Far from refuge, shelter, home. 
 
 " To the Lord their God they cry ; 
 
 He inclines a gracious ear, 
 Sends deliverance from on high, 
 Rescues them from all their fear." 
 
 And if Miss Hetty could find a duty that would be 
 both labor and love, would Madge fail if she sought ear- 
 nestly ? Looking down the dim future, she seemed to see 
 a tall and slender Miss Ashburton, with some silvery 
 threads in her bright hair, but the face subdued to the 
 womanly sweetness of one who has found rest for her 
 soul
 
 280 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 CHAPTER XXTL 
 
 WORK IN EABNEST. 
 
 Miss HETTY encountered some of the difficulties in the 
 path the very next day. She called on Jenny Yates, who 
 listened to her proposal with the utmost gratitude ; but 
 Mrs Brown, her sister, a loud, slatternly kind of woman, 
 was roused to indignation. 
 
 "Do you think I'm so poor that I can't take care of 
 her myself and rny own sister, too? If she's com- 
 plained to you, she's a miserable, ungrateful hussy ! I'm 
 sure she has the best of everything, and me a slaving off 
 my very finger ends ! " 
 
 "No, I never fancied you unwilling ; but for a woman with 
 five small children and a husband, you have work enough 
 without the care of an invalid. And Jenny is so helpless 
 that she needs much attention, while it seems to me that a 
 nice, quiet place would be so much more comfortable for 
 her." 
 
 And Miss Hetty could not help glancing round the small, 
 untidy room, where the air was close, no clean, wholesome 
 smells of spring being admitted. 
 
 " Well, I've never found fault, though she is a sight of 
 trouble, hardly being able to stir hand or foot. But if you 
 folks get a little money, you come lording it over us ; and 
 we're as good flesh and blood as you are. We ain't paupers 
 yet, I want you to know." 
 
 " O, don't, Mary, when Miss Hetty is so kind," interposed 
 the helpless girl. 
 
 ** You hold your tongue ! You're so stuck up now, along 
 o' folks comin' in to see you, that you don't think anything
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 281 
 
 is good enough. But while I have a home, no one shall 
 say that I threw you on the town." 
 
 In vain Miss Hetty tried to explain the case ; Mrs. 
 Brown grew more unreasonable with every breath ; so the 
 former thought it wisdom to depart. 
 
 She went directly over to the Ashburtons, and detailed 
 her unfortunate attempt. 
 
 " I am sure I have heard Mrs. Brown complain bitterly 
 of having Jenny ill and helpless, until my heart aches for 
 the poor child. And those unruly children are enough to 
 set one crazy. But Jenny does not look as if she would 
 stand it very long." 
 
 " It will be a happy release," said Mrs. Ashburton, " and 
 I think Jennie quite prepared for the change." 
 
 " But it is a pity she cannot have a little quiet comfort 
 until she finds it in the grave," Miss Hetty rejoined, 
 warmly. " And maybe I have made a mistake. Perhaps 
 people won't like the idea of charity." 
 
 "I could easily find you one inmate," announced Jessie, 
 almost smiling over the great disappointment visible in 
 every line of the face. 
 
 "Could you? Who? For now that I have set my 
 heart on the idea, I cannot bear to give it up. And I 
 know that if Rachel had been hearty and strong, there is 
 nothing she would like half so well. God's poor children 
 she used to call them." 
 
 a I was in to see old Mrs. Bristow last week, and she 
 was full of sorrow. Her son's second wife has never 
 treated her kindly, and now he drinks a great deal, and 
 seems to have lost all tender regard for his mother. They 
 were talking of sending her to the almshouse." 
 
 " What a shame ! and such a good mother as she was to 
 him! Why, that will be excellent, Miss Jessie the old 
 name comes so handy, you see ; " and Miss Hetty smiled, 
 oddly. " But I will be wiser this time. I will ask her to 
 come and visit me, and if she likes it, she can stay."
 
 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 Madge laughed at this stroke of policy. 
 
 " And if everything else fails, I can go out into the high 
 ways and hedges and compel them to come in." 
 
 " She will hardly be able to walk that far," said Jessie, 
 thoughtfully. "So, if you would like the carriage " 
 
 " If you think we should not frighten Mrs. Bristow with 
 our grand state ; " and Miss Hetty shook her silvery curia 
 with a questioning nod. 
 
 They went that very afternoon Miss Hetty was sc 
 impatient to begin. The younger Mrs,. Bristow seemed a 
 good deal flattered by the call, and entertained her visitois 
 with an almost fulsome civility. The poor old lady, in her 
 soiled cap and ragged gown, was a rather pitiable object. 
 Past seventy, and almost blind, she had come to be con- 
 sidered a great encumbrance. 
 
 Miss Hetty gave her invitation in the mildest manner 
 possible, fearful of some under-current of objection. 
 
 "To be sure she'll go, and the change '11 do her 
 good," said Mrs. Bristow, eagerly. " I should think you 
 would be lonesome in that place where your sister died, 
 and not a livin' soul to speak to ! Granny, you run up 
 stairs and get ready right away. Here, Sarah Jane, you 
 go and help her. She mopes about dreadfully, bein' so 
 near blind. If I haven't had a hard row, then no woman 
 ever had ; and Tom drunk half the time ! " 
 
 It was Mrs. Bristow's habit to detail her troubles to 
 every one who came in. The children, and Tom, and 
 Granny were her prolific subjects, and the two guests were 
 rather glad when they were able to bring the call to an end. 
 
 After her mother-in-law had been helped into the car- 
 riage, Mrs. Bristow came with a great bundle. 
 
 U I thought I'd bring her a change of clothes," she 
 said. " Old people are queer about such things. And now 
 Granny, don't you go to getting homesick ! " 
 
 Miss Hetty smiled again as they drove away. 
 
 u A gladder creature you never saw," she said, a fe\
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 283 
 
 days after, to Mrs. Ashburton. " Why, when I told her all 
 the plan, she cried like a baby, and kissed my hand over 
 and over again. She is so happy and thankful, that it is a 
 real pleasure ! And I guess her daughter-in-law hoped 
 she would stay, for she sent every old rag belonging to 
 her, and half of them are not fit to put on. But if I 
 only had poor Jenny Yates ! " 
 
 Mrs. Brown gave the hospital project a good airing. 
 
 Miss Hetty could hardly have had a better prospectus. 
 AM. Riverside knew before long that Miss Hetty Bright 
 meant to open her house to the lame, and the halt, and the 
 blind, and sow her small fortune broadcast. 
 
 Mr. Maurice and Mr. Wy verne gave it a hearty indorse- 
 ment. In the course of a month, Miss Hetty found that 
 the highways and byways were quite ready to accept her 
 invitation, and that the house enlargement would be 
 needed. So they were all busy enough planning, and 
 Madge took a warm interest in the work. 
 
 One afternoon Mr. Wy verne walked up to Home Nook 
 with Eleanor, whom he had met on the cars. They found 
 Madge on the lawn, entertaining baby Greta with a mar- 
 vellous picture-book. 
 
 Something of the old brightness had returned. All the 
 gay girlishness would never be there again, not even with 
 the most perfect health ; for after we have once sipped the 
 chalice of a profound and costly experience to the very 
 dregs, there may be summer ripeness, with a soul deeper, 
 stronger, and richer, but hardly the abundant bloom of the 
 earlier spring. 
 
 "Do you remember your design for a stained-glass 
 window?" Mr. Wyverne asked presently. 
 
 " Yes. You have it, I believe." 
 
 "Would you object to part with it?" 
 
 " No ; " and she glanced wonderingly at him. 
 
 "I showed it to a friend of mine, who thought it very
 
 284 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 " O ! " and Madge flushed with pleasure. 
 
 " He has offered two hundred dollars for it. It is worth 
 more, he admits, but he cannot afford to make any better 
 proposal, and would really like to have it. It might be a 
 good thing for you if you cared to try the work." 
 
 " Two hundred dollars ! Why it is splendid ; is it not, 
 Nelly ? O, Mr. Wyverne ! how can I ever thank you ? " 
 
 She brushed back the bright hair in her eagerness, still 
 incredulous. 
 
 " Will you empower me, then, to conclude the bargain?" 
 
 " I shall be more than obliged to you for the trouble." 
 
 " It will be a pleasure to me " 
 
 The scarlet lip quivered a little. With a great tremble 
 in her voice, she said, 
 
 " Are you quite sure that it is really mine ? For I can- 
 not believe " 
 
 "That you have blossomed into a genius? My friend 
 thinks that you should cultivate your talent to the utmost." 
 
 Madge ran off to her mother with the joyful news. By 
 degrees she had drifted back to the old place in that dear 
 heart, to the tender twilight confidences that cleared up so 
 many difficulties. She was learning that no one could 
 spring at once to the top of the Rock that is so much 
 higher than ourselves. In her blindness, she had missed 
 for a while the sure steps provided by a wiser hand, and 
 going back, sought them with careful patience. A cheer- 
 ful, steady endurance first, instead of the dull resistance 
 that she had once called resignation; and then, waiting 
 God's appointed time, leaning on Him when the waves rose 
 high. She began to understand the grand secret of 
 Jessie's life. 
 
 They were all wonderfully pleased with her good for 
 tune. Philip and Mr. Graham congratulated her. 
 
 "I believe I was meant for some kind of a business 
 woman," she said, laughingly. " And though this may not 
 be very profitable, it will afford me a new interest."
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. 285 
 
 "Was life so devoid of it?" asked her mother, with a 
 half sad, half sweet smile. 
 
 " O, no, mamma ; don't think that. There al frays was a 
 restless spirit within me, and it will take years to bring me 
 to any kind of harmonious development. Why do you 
 look so grave ? " 
 
 " My darling, I do not want you to make a rebound to 
 the other extreme. Home must always be a woman's 
 most sacred sphere, and instead of making it conform to 
 other duties, she should make other duties subservient to 
 it, unless there is an urgent necessity for her to enter the 
 world's arena." 
 
 "O, mamma! I do not believe there is any danger of 
 my becoming a noisy reformer, though I do not think I 
 have Jessie's or Nelly's special gift for the small, sweet 
 graces of the fireside. But they may come by cultivation. 
 You know how I once rebelled against teaching school ; 
 but I find now that, in return, it taught me some of my 
 grandest lessons. I seem to understand Greta the better 
 for having studied other children, and my impulses are not 
 so impatient. And I begin to see what the apostle meant 
 when he said, 'Tribulation worketh patience, and patience 
 experience, and experience hope.' " 
 
 " And I pray the last may bear fruit abundantly with 
 you, my dear child," the mother said, kissing the sweet 
 young face. 
 
 It was a happy summer. Without demanding anything 
 the Ashburtons had been reinstated in their old position. 
 Their refinement and culture had in it the ring of true 
 gold, and Riverside soon found them one of its chief at- 
 tractions. 
 
 Miss Hetty's new house progressed rapidly. Madge and 
 Jessie had planned the interior. On the ground floor there 
 were three rooms, and above, the same number, with the 
 addition of a bath-room. Plain, neat, and convenient, 
 quite distinct from the other part, if one chose to shut it
 
 286 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 off. Already Miss Hetty had three inmates, and had found 
 it necessary to call in the services of a good strong 
 woman. Mrs. Brown had changed her opinion somewhat, 
 aided considerably by Mr. Maurice. 
 
 "And I do believe now that she would be willing to 
 have me go," said poor Jenny, tremulously. " O, if I only 
 could ! " 
 
 "The poor child!" ejaculated Miss Hetty. "She eha), 
 come and have a little rest and peace. If you could onlj? 
 manage it, Miss Jessie!" 
 
 Jessie did " manage " it very nicely. Mrs. Brown con- 
 sidered it a great favor to accede, and confessed that she 
 never had any wonderful opinion of such places, as the heads 
 of them usually wanted a great deal of glorifying, and she 
 nor hers ever had come to charity yet. 
 
 "But if you chose, you might do many things for 
 Jenny, there, sending her clothes and food." 
 
 " No, indeed. If she goes, I shall wash my hands of 
 the matter," was the tart reply. " If Miss Hetty wants her 
 so much, let her take care of her, then." 
 
 So Jenny Yates was removed to pure air, quiet, and 
 Cleanliness. For nearly five years she had been disabled, 
 first with inflammatory rheumatism, and then partial 
 paralysis. Now she was quite helpless, sometimes not 
 even having the use of her hands. 
 
 " That crowds me pretty well," said Miss Hetty, " but 
 we shall soon be in the new part. But I am glad to take 
 her in, for she seems to me like one of the Saviour's ' little 
 ones.' And now, my dear, I have something else to tell 
 you, which is very odd. Read this letter." 
 
 It was an early summer evening, and they were sitting 
 on the wide porch at Home Nook. Miss Hetty drew the 
 epistle from her capacious pocket, in which she managed 
 to stow away a little of everything, and handed it to 
 Jessie. 
 
 The writing was in a delicate, lady-like hand, and the
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 287 
 
 person told her story very simply ; a widow, past forty, 
 with no children or near relatives, and but a era all incom?, 
 an incurable invalid. "I listened oue day to a description 
 of yourself and the work you were proposing to do," she 
 wrote, "and the idea has haunted my mind until it has 
 given me courage to speak. I am not a proper subject for 
 a hospital, because there is no remedy for my lingering 
 diseases nothing but waiting God's time patiently. But 
 my income is not large enough to board and keep a nurse, 
 and I have often thought that if I could find some home 
 for helpless invalids, where T could have care in common 
 with others, I might be able to ofier partial remuneration. 
 If such an arrangement could be made that, by paying five 
 dollars a week, I could secure a quiet home and a little 
 religious society, I should be most grateful. In the summer, 
 I am able to walk out short distances but in the winter I am 
 confined to my room, much of the time to my bed. Think 
 over my case, and if it is possible to ofier me any refuge, 
 may G-od kindly dispose your heart towards such a work 
 of charity." 
 
 " She is a lady, evidently," said Jessie, " and a patient 
 Christian woman. But where could she have heard ? " - 
 
 " You know I meant to take in only poor people," was 
 Miss Hetty's rather hesitating rejoinder. "A kind of Old 
 Ladies' Home, but for the sick as well." 
 
 " Will you allow me to express an opinion ? " asked Mr. 
 Graham, with a smile. 
 
 " O, certainly." 
 
 "Mr. Maurice, Mr. Wyverne, and I have been discuss* 
 rag your project with the judgment and wider experience 
 of men. At present, it is your charity, supported by your 
 money ; but we think you are laying the foundation of a 
 work too noble to be allowed to perish with your life ; yet: 
 in order to outlast you, it must have a permanent organiza- 
 tion, and some source of income. I will tell you now that 
 Jessie and I mean to endow one room that is, set aside,
 
 288 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 say three hundred dollars, to be paid every year for the 
 care of this particular inmate. In the course of time, you 
 may have similar donations. And if this person under 
 consideration is every way worthy, it certainly would be a 
 charity to receive her. Few private families are so situated 
 that they could take proper care of an invalid for that 
 compensation, while in a place like this it would probably 
 pay all the cost. A few such inmates would help in the 
 expenses, and in no wise detract from the benevolence of 
 your idea." 
 
 Miss Hetty rubbed her eyes in a sort of dazed way, as 
 if she had but half understood. 
 
 " My heart went out to the poor thing at once," she ex- 
 claimed, " when I read that line where she said she heard 
 that I had lost my only relative, an invalid sister." 
 
 " If you like, Jessie and I might visit her." 
 
 " O, that would be so kind ! You see, after all, I have 
 not much head for business, except the plainest of figures. 
 My house will cost five thousand, and the fitting up perhaps 
 a thousand more. After that, I shall have the income of 
 about twelve thousand dollars ; so I shall have to manage 
 economically. And you are so good to think of " 
 
 " We want an interest in it, you see," with a grave smile. 
 " But I believe, when you have your plans all made, that 
 some organization will be necessary." 
 
 " You will make me out too grand, I am afraid. After 
 all, it is just a home for a few poor, sick people who are 
 queer, and a trouble to every one else." 
 
 "A hiding-place in the storm," said Mrs. Ashburton, 
 softly. " Dear Miss Hetty, your noble work will shame us 
 all." 
 
 " I am sure I could never have put my ideas ,in such 
 good order but for you here at Home Nook. It seems to 
 me, after all, that the fortune did come just in the right 
 time. Poor cousin Bright ! Maybe he knows now how 
 good an investment he made for us ; " and Miss Hetty gave 
 a sigh to his memory.
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 289 
 
 Jessie and Mr. Graham went to call upon the new appli- 
 cant, Mrs. Farrand, and were much pleased with her. They 
 detailed at length the plan of the Home, and that it would 
 be most simple in its operations. 
 
 "Everything I hear impresses me more favorably with 
 it," she answered. " Let me try it for six months, at least. 
 A woman with so large a heart as your Miss Bright could 
 not fail to be kind to those under her care ; and that ia 
 what we invalids need most of all. A friend of Mr. 
 Maurice was explaining the plan to me, and already I 
 have taken a great fancy to your clergyman." 
 
 So they promised to let her know the decision by the time 
 the building was completed. 
 
 Miss Hetty received several donations towards the fur- 
 nishing. Madge had gone into the project with her whole 
 soul, and they found Miss Wyverne invaluable. By the 
 middle of August it was ready to be put in order, and a 
 number of ladies volunteered to assist. 
 
 There were five chambers on the second floor, counting 
 the two in the old part. Jenny Yates and Granny Bristow 
 shared the room where Madge had once dreamed her 
 happy dream and slept in all the unconsciousness of girlish 
 love and trust. She never went there without thinking oi 
 it, and the fervent gratitude of both women seemed to 
 hallow the brief bloom. So she begged that they should 
 not be removed. 
 
 Then there was another poor, palsied thing, deserted by 
 friends and left to the mercy of strangers. Ah ! how little 
 is human love of the immortal, save in favorable circum- 
 stances ! Does that, too, bear the bane of the first <??n ? 
 
 Besides these three, a younger woman, in consumption, 
 and strong-armed Catharine Day, who could be gertle and 
 tender in spite of the gaunt figure and hard-featured face. 
 Miss Hetty could hardly have found a better assistant than 
 this one who had come of her own accord, and who had 
 been a playmate in younger days. 
 19
 
 290 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 Mrs. Farrand was summoned presently. The second 
 floor was devoted to the inmates, for Miss Hetty still clung 
 to the room she and Rachel had shared so long. 
 
 They found Jessie's description of Mrs. Farrand not 
 overdrawn. A gentle, yet high-minded Christian woman, 
 bearing her trials with patience, and grateful as only an 
 appreciative soul can be, with no morbid pride concerning 
 a home that might be construed to have in it some sense 
 of obligation. 
 
 Mr. Maurice opened the house with a simple and touch- 
 ing service. Quite a congregation were gathered, many of 
 whom appreciated the good work, and wished its founder 
 God-speed. But there were not wanting some to prejudice 
 or utter dismal forebodings. A few did not hesitate to 
 pronounce Miss Hetty a great fool, and predict that she 
 would need the money herself that she was squandering 
 so lavishly. 
 
 "It's an old maid's whim, and that's all you can say 
 about it," declared Mrs. Brown, with a sneer. " She al- 
 ways was a flighty little thing, and she'll get sick enough 
 of it. Jenny thinks it's heaven. To hear that girl talk, 
 you'd suppose she never had had anything done for her in 
 her life ; and I a slaving for years to take care of her the 
 ungrateful girl ! " 
 
 It was so neat and delightful, with its clean, handsomely- 
 laid floors and simple furniture. Jessie and Madge had 
 contributed some pictures, and Eleanor some illuminated 
 texts, framed in different rustic styles. Nothing cold, or 
 prim, or unlike a pleasant, cheerful home. 
 
 Miss Hetty discussed the organization with Mr. Ashbnr- 
 ton and his son in-law, Mr. Maurice, and Mr. Wyverne, 
 and finally left it in their hands to be concluded. When 
 all expenses were paid, she found that she had thirteen 
 thousand instead of twelve, and Mr. Graham had promised 
 to invest it in the best manner possible. Besides this, 
 there would be an income of five hundred and sixty dol- 
 lars, and probably some gifts.
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. 291 
 
 "And now that we have seen Miss Hetty safely through, 
 we may venture upon a little pleasure oui'selves," said Mr 
 Graham. " Jessie and Madge both look as if they needed 
 a holiday." 
 
 Madge found all her objections overruled this time, and 
 she really could do nothing but consent. Eleanor had hei 
 wardrobe in nicest order, Mrs. Ashburton promised to be 
 devoted to Miss Hetty's establishment, and Philip insisted 
 So one morning the trio started amid a shower of fond 
 and cordial farewells. 
 
 Over lakes and rivers, prairies like a boundless sea, vast 
 desert solitudes, wild, grand mountain tracts, reaches of 
 forest where the sound of their own voices startled them. 
 Glowing, brilliant beauty on every side, touched with 
 fathomless mystery for who can translate all the secrets 
 God's finger has written on mountain-tops, or in the cool, 
 fragrant depths of clustering valleys ? Something to stir 
 their souls with reverent emotions, to quicken life in their 
 pulses, and kindle worship in their hearts to re create, aa 
 it were.
 
 292 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 FLOATING OUT. 
 
 MAJ>OB returned almost as brilliant as the glow of the 
 autumnal sun that had ripened her cheek with its mellow 
 tint stronger in soul and body, fuller, deeper, and richer 
 in all the genial elements that form a true woman. The 
 crudeness of girlhood had parted like the outside huski 
 and disclosed the rare soul, purified by the vigils of pain, 
 its suffering, its trials. These had lifted her out of herself. 
 The vital pith of true earnest endeavor, had proved a 
 strong tower in the day of weakness, when the soul, in the 
 anguish of solitude, had prayed to have the cup pass from 
 her lips. She had come to that better dawn when she 
 could say, " Not my will, but thine." 
 
 Clement was on his return, or at least had left hia 
 post, after seven years of assiduous labor. He was not 
 a rich man, but he had realized sufficient to repurchase 
 Home Nook and to afford him a fair start in life. He in- 
 tended to take an overland trip through Europe, reaching 
 home some time during the next summer. Now that it 
 was past, the years seemed like a dream. God had merci- 
 fully kept them in the hollow of his hand, and although 
 the storms had gone by, they were not overwhelmed. 
 
 A busy, delightful winter it had been at Home Nook. 
 Eleanor had made some advancement in her profession 
 with both profit and honor. Greta was fast outgrowing 
 babyhood a rather grave little girl, still extravagantly 
 fond of her grandfather. Shy beyond the precincts of her 
 own family, yet Mr. Wyverne and "aunty Clara" were 
 especial favorites with her. She sometimes bpent whole
 
 THE CEOWN OF DUTY. 293 
 
 days at the cottage. Miss Wyverne had a tender little 
 corner in her heart for all children, but this one appeared 
 strangely near. 
 
 But she was no longer the baby of the household. 
 Jessie's little boy had usurped that place. A large, fair, 
 grand specimen of babyhood, after the most approved 
 fashion laughing and crowing if he caught sight of a 
 smile, or heard the sound of a well-known voice. 
 
 Madge had taken Jessie's place in Miss Hetty's Homo, 
 and in some of her other good works an active, ener- 
 getic girl, the sharp corners toned to softness, the eager 
 impatience mellowed into ripe sweetness, and occasional 
 flashes of the old brightness cropping out. 
 
 There had been some changes in the Home already. 
 The poor palsied creature drifted peacefully out on the 
 wide ocean of Eternity, one night, and had her stammer- 
 ing tongue loosened by angels. Two others had been 
 admitted, and all was going prosperously. A few gener- 
 ous, unknown gifts had been sent to Miss Hetty, who was 
 brisk and eager, and nowise disheartened in her good 
 work. 
 
 She found a strong ally, indeed, in Catharine Day, a 
 faithful and efficient worker, whose nerves were steel, and 
 whose limbs seemed to be iron. Now and then she took 
 up Jenny Yates as if she had been a baby, and carried her 
 to Mrs. Farrand's room, for the sake of the change. Mr. 
 Maurice came in every week to hold a religious service, 
 and often of an evening Mr. Wyverne would go with a 
 few choice spirits to comfort the weary souls with grand 
 and tender old hymns a song in the night, indeed. 
 
 " I never thought there could be anything quite 30 near 
 to heaven on earth," said Jenny Yates. " Sometimes I lie 
 here and cry out of pure thankfulness, my heart seems to 
 be so full. Not that I'm ungrateful to sister, who did the 
 best she could with all her children, but more grateful to 
 God, who put this in Miss Hetty's heart. I used to pray
 
 294 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 daily to be taken out of the world, but now I'm quite 
 content to wait God's time. The pain doesn't seem half 
 so hard to bear." 
 
 Madge, looking at the wan, white face, fancied there 
 would be another " call " before many months. 
 
 Granny Bristow was the happiest of the happy. She 
 went groping and stumbling about, with a cheerful chirrup 
 for every mishap, and nothing delighted her so much as to 
 be allowed to do a little work. 
 
 Madge stood by the window of her mother's room, one 
 afternoon, watching the two figures who came slowly up 
 the broad walk, talking earnestly. When they reached 
 the steps, she ran down ; but on the stairs she met Master 
 Ward, in the arms of his nurse ; so she had to stop and 
 hear him laugh. 
 
 The hall door opened, and Eleanor entered alone. 
 
 " O I " in a disappointed tone. " Why didn't Mr. Wy- 
 verne come in ? " 
 
 There was another " window " under consideration, and 
 Madge was impatient to hear ever so small a fragment of 
 news. 
 
 Eleanor said something just under her breath. Her 
 face was flushed and her eyes full of tears. She passed 
 Madge swiftly and ran up stairs. 
 
 The young girl went into the library to pet her flowers 
 a moment, picked up a pair of gloves which she had left 
 lying upon the table, and studied the aspects of the weath- 
 er in a dreamy fashion. 
 
 Ten minutes perhaps elapsed before she returned. Elea- 
 nor sat on her mother's footstool, her face half hidden on 
 the friendly shoulder bowed for her support. 
 
 " O, Nelly," exclaimed Madge, " what has happened ? 
 Or if I interrupt " 
 
 Eleanor stretched out her hand, and Madge drew near. 
 
 " O, Madge, my darling, if it had only been you 1" sh 
 Ittered, tremulously, with a sob in her voice.
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 
 
 "If what had been ?" asked Madge, in surprise. 
 
 For a moment or two there was silence. Mrs. Ashbur 
 ton looked exceedingly distressed. 
 
 "1 think I can guess," began Madge, slowly. "It is 
 about Mr. Wyverne." 
 
 Still there was no answer. 
 
 "He loves you;" with a quiver of joy in her voice. 
 
 "If it had not been!" 
 
 "Why, Nelly?" Madge knelt beside her and twined 
 ner arm around the drooping form. " He is a noble, gen- 
 erous, and refined gentleman, with a high, tender, and 
 chivalrous soul. I suspected it when Jessie and I returned 
 from the West." 
 
 " How blind I have been 1 But then mamma has shared 
 the same hope." 
 
 " That he cared for me ? " 
 
 Madge's face was scarlet. 
 
 " Why not? You like and approve him." 
 
 " But Mamma, Nelly, I think this is just right. It 
 has given me a little secret joy all the time. Why should 
 not Nelly be happy with a man so eminently fitted for 
 her ? Their tastes, feelings, and acquirements harmonize 
 BO perfectly! for Mr. Wyverne has none of the narrow 
 jealousy one often finds in musical people. He is not 
 rich, to be sure ; but he is a fine musician, and is gaining 
 fame as a composer. But we have learned that happiness 
 does not depend upon wealth." 
 
 " He always appeared fond of you, I thought." 
 
 " Nonsense ! " and Madge laughed. " He is interested 
 in what he calls my genius; but endless discussion on 
 stained-glass windows, and all their belongings, is not 
 love. He likes us all, especially little Greta. O, Nelly, it 
 is just right, unless you have some scruples about second 
 marriages." 
 
 Eleanor's face flushed a painful crimson. 
 
 "Mamma, persuade her. Miss Wyverne loves her like a 
 sister already. Greta could never have a tenderer father.'
 
 296 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 Eleanor rose. "It has surprised and bewildered me so 
 much !" she said, slowly. "I had never even thought of 
 it. I feel as if I was hardly worthy of such boundless 
 trust, such loyal regard." 
 
 Greta ran through the hall calling "Mamma!" and 
 Eleanor went out to meet her child, taking her off to her 
 own room. Madge studied her mother with an amused 
 smile, asking presently, 
 
 "Are you disappointed because Mr. Wyverne has 
 chosen the one who suited him best?" 
 
 " My dear, not that exactly," said her mother, in some 
 perplexity. 
 
 Madge took the vacated seat and leaned upon her 
 mother's knee. 
 
 " Have you any scruples as to my remaining a spin- 
 ster?" she asked, almost gayly. 
 
 " Madge," in a half sad, uncertain tone, " your happi- 
 ness must always be my first desire." 
 
 "Do you think me unhappy?" 
 
 There was a sweet seriousness in her voice. 
 
 " We have never spoken of this since that fatal day. 
 Madge, you have kept your secret locked in your own 
 soul, and one could only suspect your pangs. That they 
 have been deep, I know ; that you will forget, I trust." 
 
 "It was a very, very hard fight, mamma;" and Madge 
 hid her face, while her voice faltered a little. "I had 
 come to depend upon him for so much happiness and 
 comfort 1 I endured my toil and privations with a proud, 
 courageous spirit, dreaming how they would be crowned 
 at last. I did love him. All that part of my heart seems 
 like something laid away in the grave, sacredly, never to 
 be disturbed." 
 
 " My darling " 
 
 " Let me go on," pursued the soft, clear voice. " I am 
 no weak, love-sick girl. There was a long while when it 
 teemed to me that the glory had faded out of heaven
 
 THE CEOWN OF DUTY. 297 
 
 and earth, when I almost lost sight of God ; but in hia 
 great mercy he brought me back, and showed me that ' no 
 man liveth unto himself, and no man dieth unto himself.' 
 I found my work again, and my worship. When I dropped 
 all vain striving and self-delusion, all clinging to idols of 
 men's hands, God reached out his, and drew me to the 
 light. Since then I have been content, happy." 
 
 " And you have forgotten " 
 
 Mrs. Ashburton raised her child's face, and studied it 
 tenderly. 
 
 "There are some things that never can be forgotten, 
 mamma ;" with the voice still soft and clear. " But I feel 
 now that the wrong was very deep. He sinned against 
 me bitterly; let me go on loving and trusting when he 
 was growing into another affection ; for I will not think 
 so meanly of him as to suppose he was won by wealth. I 
 put him out of my life because he is no longer worthy 
 to remain in it, and have learned to pass him by as a 
 stranger. But you, dear, and papa must accept the offer- 
 ing that I shall strive to render purer and better each 
 day. I will not say now that I never shall marry, but it 
 will be a long while before I can dream any new dreams. 
 So I am glad it was Nelly, and not I, whom Mr. Wy- 
 verne fancied. You will need a home-daughter in the 
 years to come, and I shall be here to fill the place. Miss 
 Wyverne lives a good, sweet, wholesome life, and I am 
 sure that dear Hetty Bright is worthy to be ranked the 
 foremost among women. So I hope I shall not be quite 
 wasted 1 " 
 
 She raised her fearless eyes, shining with a few stray 
 tears. There were strength, and tenderness, and honor, 
 and the deeper loyalty to God, who was to be first and 
 best in all the years to come. 
 
 Mrs. Ashburton kissed the warm, bright lips. No pale 
 hadows lurked about the face now. 
 
 " So we shall be very happy, mamma."
 
 98 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 Eleanor revolved her question in sore perplexity 
 especially as the knowledge grew upon her that her in- 
 most heart was not wholly indifferent to the man who had 
 thus hastily bespoken her warmest regard. The thought 
 of a second marriage had never crossed her mind. It 
 aeemed so much more probable that she would be the 
 stay and solace of her parents' declining years, and these 
 words had disturbed the tranquil sources of quiet life. 
 
 But if Mr. Wyverne could not be a lover, he insisted 
 upon a friend's place in the household. With fine tact 
 he managed to render Eleanor at ease with him once 
 more, and a casual observer would hardly suspect that a 
 word had been uttered. 
 
 Yet Eleanor felt that the current was against her. 
 Every one appeared to acknowledge his right in a tacit 
 manner. She could hardly hope to find a person whose 
 tastes and requirements harmonized more perfectly with 
 hers. She had come to the deeper knowledge of her 
 needs, her sources of strength and weakness. The one 
 found a sure support in his clear, steady soul ; the other 
 seemed to clasp tendrils with what was most noble and 
 manly in him. One of the blessed and satisfactory lives 
 opened before her, whose glory would blot out that imper- 
 fect, mistaken past. But still she would wait. 
 
 So another spring began to dawn over them. Clement 
 would be home in the summer, and in the ensuing autumn 
 Mr. Graham purposed to set up a household altar of his 
 own in the city, since their number had swelled from two 
 to four, and he begged that they would all consider it a 
 second home. 
 
 Madge was busy enough with her duties and the two 
 babies, though Greta was oftener a companion. She man- 
 aged to visit Miss Hetty nearly every day, and poor Jenny 
 Yates used to watch with a strange longing for the light, 
 familiar step and breezy voice, like a waft of air fresh from 
 the upland.
 
 THE CBOWN OP DUTY. 299 
 
 Paler, thinner, a little weaker every day, a shortness of 
 breath, a feebler clasp of the fingers, and a touch of some- 
 thing strangely sweet, yet awesome, in the smile, a flutter 
 hovering in the faint, wandering tones. 
 
 Madge kept flowers in her room, and brought her many 
 delicacies. She did not think it tiresome to listen or to 
 talk, though the subject might be simple and the ideas 
 vague or unformed. 
 
 " What is it ? " she asked, one evening, as the wistful eyes 
 followed her about, an unexpressed longing in their depth. 
 
 " I hate to have you go, Miss Ashburton. You never 
 staid here all night did you ? " 
 
 " Not since it has been altered." 
 
 "Did you before?" 
 
 " O, yes once. I made a visit here when I was hard- 
 ly grown, a year after we left Home Nook. And I slept 
 in this room my sister Jessie and I." 
 
 " Did you ? " with a faint, pleased smile. " How lovely 
 it must have been to come back, Miss Ashburton ! " 
 
 There had been mingled pleasure and pain in the return 
 at first, and one of the old pangs, rarely felt now, crossed 
 Madge's heart. 
 
 " For it is so beautiful even here ! No one but God 
 could have led Miss Hetty to open her house and take in 
 the poor and miserable. I have had such peaceful days 
 here ! Miss Ashburton do you think that the end 
 may be near?" 
 
 O, Jenny!" 
 
 " I wonder a little about it on days like this when I have 
 no pain especially since the spring has come in. Every 
 night I seem a little weaker, and heaven closes around me 
 as the twilight drops down. I've never done anything for 
 God " 
 
 "Except to bear this long, wearisome sickness pa- 
 tiently." 
 
 "I am afraid I have not always. It does not seem
 
 800 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 much virtue to be patient in a place like this, where everj 
 one has a smile and a kind word for you. I used to give 
 poor Mary a good deal of trouble, longing for things that 
 I could not have. She didn't want Mr. Maurice to come, 
 you know, and the singing and praying fretted her. May- 
 be it does seem foolish, when one is strong and well, and 
 has so much work to do ; but I always loved it. You'll 
 tell her some time that I was sorry for every quick word, 
 and for all that looked like ingratitude." 
 
 "My dear girl, yes. I am glad that you feel so 
 tranquil." 
 
 " Why shouldn't I ? God has been so good to me at 
 the last ! If Miss Hetty never did anything else, her care 
 of me would be enough. O, Miss Ashburton, since I have 
 enjoyed this comfort, I've thanked God daily that he has 
 put it in the hearts of some to care for the sick and the 
 needy. They cannot have much rest in their own forlorn 
 homes." 
 
 " Yes, Miss Hetty's idea was worthy of her generous 
 heart. No one could have made a wiser or better use of a 
 fortune." 
 
 a O, Miss Ashburton, if you only wouldn't go I " 
 
 The eyes were full of pleading light. 
 
 Madge smiled. " Do you want me to stay so much ?" 
 
 "I feel as if I didn't want you to go away to-night. 
 You seem like a bit of sunshine after the day is done, you 
 are so bright and sweet. And somehow " 
 
 Madge glanced at the worn face. Four and twenty 
 only a trifle older than herself. What had her griefs, and 
 sorrows, and wounds been, compared with these weary 
 years? Should she grudge one night to this poor girl ? 
 
 " I will stay if you desire it, Jenny." 
 
 a O, thank you ! thank you ! " 
 
 By and by, Catharine brought up some supper. Jenny 
 fancied that she did not want any, but Madge fed her a 
 little jelly. Then she went down herself and took tea 
 with Miss Hetty.
 
 THE CBOWN OF DUTY. 801 
 
 " Catharine thinks Jenny will not last much longer." 
 
 Madge started. Death was a vague idea to her of 
 Bomething that might happen days hence. 
 
 "But the poor child is ready any moment. I never 
 saw any one so grateful, and I am so glad she was brought 
 here. Sick people cannot have many comforts in such 
 poor homes, even when those around them do their bestj 
 and Mrs. Brown is an untidy termagant. She was so 
 afraid to have Jenny dependent on charity, and yet she 
 has never sent her a sixpence worth since she has been 
 here. "Not that I care, though ; " with an odd smile. 
 
 Yet for all this kindness, Mrs. Brown was continually 
 saying ungracious things about the " old maid's ruin," as 
 she termed it. " Miss Hetty looked fine, sticking herself 
 up for a public benefactor. It was a great thing to have 
 so much money that you didn't know what to do with it." 
 
 Miss Hetty did not mind that, nor sundry other un- 
 friendly criticisms. Here were work, duty, and the reward 
 of a good conscience. Better far than be setting up for 
 fine ladyhood and ease, when that would be quite foreign 
 to her nature. 
 
 Madge went up to Jenny presently. Through the soft 
 May twilight they talked of the other country, of the love 
 that purifies and exalts, giving courage to the trembling 
 soul as it nears the solemn shore. Mrs. Farrand came in, 
 and the two sang afterwards dear old hymns that make 
 melody at the very gate of heaven. 
 
 " I am going to sleep in the next room, Miss Ashbur- 
 ton," said Catharine. " Miss Hetty says that by and by 
 you had better come down with her." 
 
 " When I am tired," returned Madge. 
 
 Jenny slipped the wasted fingers within those so firm 
 and warm. Darker grew the night for a while, and then 
 the moon began to thread her path among the stars 
 There was no continuous talking now, but fragments of 
 sentences and precious promises.
 
 302 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 And through the pauses some old remembrance! 
 thronged to Madge's busy brain. How long ago it seemed 
 since she was the happy girl who had slumbered here so 
 unconsciously ! What had God meant by giving her a brief 
 taste of the cup of joy? That she should learn how many 
 things some souls miss forever how that, in some lives, 
 there is no spring and no summer? Perhaps. To turn 
 the wild, untrained blossoms into tender graces, to take 
 away the support to which she might cling, BO that, liko 
 the palm, she could grow into steady self-reliance. 
 
 Jenny dozed quietly. Madge at length leaned her head 
 over on the pillow in a vague, dreamy mood. Once she 
 had fancied her work almost done, and would have been 
 content to die now she was glad to live. The world 
 was bright and busy again. 
 
 She started suddenly. Jenny clasped her hand tighter. 
 
 "O," she murmured, "don't leave me! I want you to 
 go clear to heaven's gate. ' Him that cometh to me I will 
 in no wise cast out.' " 
 
 " It is the invitation of the King of Glory." 
 
 Yes." 
 
 There was a little shudder, a strange clinging to the 
 brave, steady hand. Madge bent over and pressed her 
 lips to the forenead. After that, a kind of awesome, mid 
 night silence. 
 
 Catharine, hearing the stir, came in presently. 
 
 " Had you not better go down to Miss Hetty ? " she 
 whispered, softly. 
 
 " No, I promised to stay. She is quiet, and has not ap- 
 peared to suffer any." 
 
 " She will never suffer again." 
 
 As Madge raised her hand in surprise, the nerveless 
 fingers slipped away. And she knew then that Jenny had 
 passed over the river. All the sting of pain and sin had 
 been taken out of this last moment. 
 
 "Unto God we commend her," said Catharine, gentlj
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 303 
 
 raising Madge. " Go down to Miss Hetty, but do not 
 disturb any one else." 
 
 The moonlight was streaming in all the windows. How 
 wide and lonesome the world seemed for the sake of the 
 one soul which had gone out of it! 
 
 Miss Hetty took her in and soothed the throbbing 
 pulses, gathering her to her fond, capacious heart. For the 
 whole world was of kin to her now, and children would 
 praise her who had never called her mother. Is the love 
 of such women wasted ? Is their household a failure ? 
 
 They missed Jenny Yates sadly. Her exceeding pa- 
 tience and thankfulness had seemed to make a sunny spot 
 in the house. Granny Bristow mourned her like a child 
 perhaps more deeply than her own sister. 
 
 " One gets so attached to them," said Miss Hetty, be- 
 tween a sob and a smile, " that one hates to let them go. 
 But with all our eflforts, we can never quite make a 
 heaven." 
 
 If we could, we should hardly need the other country. 
 And therefore our works and affections here must needs 
 be imperfect.
 
 304 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 BETWEEN TWO. 
 
 IT was a lovely June morning. Madge Ashburton had 
 brought the roses to her cheeks by her work among the 
 flowers, though they were seldom missing now. Her 
 father enjoyed this companionship so much the sights 
 and sounds, the fragrance and beauty, and the bright face 
 of his darling ! It was such a blessed thing to have the 
 world opening before him! Now and then he would 
 pause in some labor of love and bow his head reverently, 
 remembering the old apostolic injunction, " In everything 
 give thanks." 
 
 A strange man came up the walk, looking about a little 
 uncertainly. 
 
 " Can I see Miss Madge Ashburton ? " he asked. 
 
 " I am Miss Ashburton," was the answer. 
 
 "I was told to deliver this note into your hands." 
 
 She pulled off her garden-glove, and took the dainty 
 missive with its creamy envelope and antique monogram. 
 
 " Do you wish an answer ? " 
 
 u No, I think not. I was just to give it to you ; " and 
 the man bowed. 
 
 Very well." 
 
 She watched him as he wound round in the line of the 
 green, overhanging shrubbery. 
 
 "A stylish invitation, papa," she said, laughingly. "We 
 are quite grand again." 
 
 But she ran up stairs to wash her hands and study tn 
 lotters a little while. It is so pleasant to wonder a momeut 
 what the secret is that you hold in your hand I
 
 THE CEOWN OF DUTY. 305 
 
 A very brief note, with a signature that turned Madge's 
 bright face ashen pale " May Westlake." The words 
 blurred together before her eyes. 
 
 " Will Madge Ashburton, who has pity upon all poor, 
 sick, and unfortunate souls, come to one who needs her 
 sorely, who cries unto her out of the depths of anguish ? 
 
 "MAT WESTLAKE." 
 
 For many minutes the request seemed to signify nothing 
 to her as it floated to her brain. Was it real ? Why did 
 May Westlake, in the midst of her luxury and happiness, 
 need her f She had taken the love while Madge sat in 
 the shadow. 
 
 Then she rose and went to her mother. 
 
 " I do not seem to understand it," she said, huskily. 
 " Why should she want me ? " 
 
 Mrs. Ashburton's first feeling was deep regret that the 
 current of her daughter's life, growing so serene, should 
 be broken up again by any tumultuous waves. Then her 
 natural kindliness and pity conquered. 
 
 " She does want you, it seems, and I suppose you can 
 hardly refuse," said the mother, with a sigh. 
 
 " You think I must go then ? " as if half hoping for sorae 
 reprieve. 
 
 Mrs. Ashburton studied the note. The hand that penned 
 it was tremulous with mental distress or physical weak 
 ness. Yet why should she ask this hard thing ? 
 
 " O, mamma, I cannot ! " and Madge buried her face on 
 her mother's bosom. " It is too much ! " 
 
 Mrs. Ashburton was in a sore strait. It was a cruel re- 
 quest. Yet what if it were sickness unto death ? 
 
 " Tell me to stay. She has so much all ! What <sa* 
 she want of my peace ? " 
 
 " My darling ! God give you strength to decide," the 
 mother faltered. 
 
 IN it a duty?" 
 
 20
 
 806 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 " I dare not say that it is not. If she should be ill * 
 
 " O, what could I say ? Does God see all ? Is h His 
 work ? For if it is, I dare not refuse." 
 
 Madge raised her head, but her whole frame trembled 
 violently. She gave her mother one look of wordless 
 pathos. Through all the dreary time of trial no pang had 
 been quite so bitter. 
 
 " Perhaps it would be best." 
 
 The words were wrung from Mrs. Ashburton reluctantly 
 
 " I cannot realize it. May Westlake, with everything at 
 her feet, praying to me, asking this pitiful favor ! And I 
 going in bonds as it were, knowing not what may befall 
 me." 
 
 They parted quivering fingers, and Madge went to her 
 room. Some impulse stronger than her pain urged her 
 forward. But, after she had made herself ready, she re- 
 turned to her mother with an undecided expression still 
 upon her face, and a strange thinking in her eyes. 
 
 "My darling," Mrs. Ashburton said, " I cannot let you 
 go without a word of warning. It may be that this young 
 wife has failed to fill the heart of a husband, who, perhaps, 
 is swayed by variable moods. Women are often unwit- 
 tingly cruel to each other in these cases, keeping to the 
 strict letter of the law, but losing sight of the spirit. Be 
 merciful to her. In any event, it is too late even for 
 friendship." 
 
 " I shall not see him at all," Madge returned, with a 
 quivering voice. 
 
 " That is right. God bless you on your mission." 
 
 Jessie and the baby had been out for an airing; so, as the 
 carriage was waiting, Madge sprang in and gave her orders 
 in a low tone. 
 
 It seemed only a moment before they reached their des 
 tination, and the young girl summoned all her presence of 
 mind and self-reliance. 
 
 The Westlakes had been home very little since th
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 807 
 
 Ashburtons' return to Riverside. Young Mrs. Westlake 
 had always been delicate, and the birth of a child had 
 not seemed to improve her health. Most of the previous 
 winter had been spent in Cuba. They still had the repu- 
 tation of being very gay, although society at Riverside 
 saw but little of them. 
 
 Madge was ushered through the spacious hall and up the 
 wide staircase, more elegant in their appointments than in 
 the old days when she had first known them. 
 
 The servant opened the door without a word, and Madge, 
 with a little awkward feeling, walked in unheralded. Pil- 
 lowed in a reclining chair was a face and figure that 
 startled her painfully attenuated to the last degree, the 
 cheeks blazing with an unwholesome scarlet, the eyes 
 sunken and feverish, and the thin fingers shaking as in an 
 ague fit. 
 
 " O, Miss Ashburton 1 " 
 
 There could hardly have been a greater contrast 
 Madge in the bloom of perfect health, the sweet, gracious 
 nobleness in her face more captivating than any beauty ; 
 her full, erect figure, and the poise of the head instinct with 
 dignity; the other wasted, anxious, trembling on the very 
 verge of the grave, and still gasping frantically at the un- 
 fulfilled promise of life. 
 
 " I am so glad you have come ! I could not die with- 
 out " 
 
 She was quivering in every pulse with excitement. 
 Madge was deeply distressed. 
 
 " Will you sit down here beside me ? First take off 
 your hat. Ah ! how well and brilliant ! " 
 
 a I am sorry to find you " and then Madge paused 
 from delicacy. 
 
 " So near the grave ! I have been fighting it off foi 
 years. O, it is cruel to die when one has everything 
 Does not God ever answer prayer ? " 
 
 "Not always in our way," replied Madge, in a low
 
 308 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 sad tone. She, too, could have prayed with her whole 
 soul that this cup might pass. 
 
 " I suppose I must die ; but it is so hard ! so hard ! I 
 heard about your staying with that poor Jenny Yates on 
 the last night. Was it terrible ? " 
 
 "Not her death," returned Madge, in a clear, tender 
 voice. 
 
 tt I have never cared about heaven. Somehow it seetis 
 BO far off and cold. I try to pray, yet the one cry more 
 earnest than all is, Life, life ! But it cannot be." 
 
 She turned her face wearily on the pillow, and Madge 
 saw the glitter of tears. 
 
 " I suppose I ought to have been more careful, and kept 
 my strength. There never was much of it. O, how do 
 people become resigned to death ? " 
 
 Madge could not trust her voice to answer the pitiful 
 cry, but she took May's little hot hand in hers. 
 
 U O, Madge ! we used to be friends, you know. I believe 
 I always loved Jessie best, because another cared for you, 
 and I was miserably jealous. But you are so good to 
 to everybody, that I fancied you might pity me a little." 
 
 "Do you need my pity?" was the almost involuntary 
 question. 
 
 " Something else as well forgiveness." 
 
 " Let the past be forgotten, if anything in it troubles 
 you," said Madge, in a tremulous, but sweet tone. 
 
 " I want to talk about it. I have been vain, and frivo- 
 lous, and weak, and perhaps I should have committed the 
 same sin if I had thought of it as possible. I was never 
 very good, or noble, or unselfish, and when I think of you 
 all at Home Nook, and how you have stood by each other 
 through all the bitter trials, I despise my own useless, 
 barren life. Not one noble deed ! " 
 
 " It is our comfort that God does not judge us as we 
 judge ourselves in moments of despair." 
 
 "Ah, but his eyes are clearer, and he sees all the fault*
 
 THE CBOWN OF DUTY. 309 
 
 and littlenesses that we try to gloss over. So you must let 
 me make what amends I can." 
 
 Madge could dimly imagine the confession. Would 
 it be right to listen ? But before she could resolve the 
 tangled doubts, May had begun. 
 
 "You and Charlie were engaged I knew that, and his 
 mother only induced him to go abroad by promising to 
 consent to the marriage on their return. I know he was 
 honest enough to tell you that it displeased her, but he was 
 also brave and chivalrous, and he loved you. When he 
 would have returned, he was over-persuaded to stay ; in- 
 deed, we could not have remained comfortably without 
 him. So he kept true in the face of everything, even 
 when he did not receive letters for months. One night 
 while we were at Florence, we attended an American 
 party, and some people who had known Mrs. Copeland 
 were discussing your approaching marriage, said to be very 
 brilliant for a poor girl. One hears an abundance of home 
 gossip in this way. He scouted the idea; but a week 
 afterwards he received a letter from you, briefly explaining 
 that you had changed your mind, and asking him to burn 
 your letters and forget you." 
 
 " I never wrote it 1 " interrupted Madge, indignantly. 
 
 "I believe that now. I know he does, too, though he 
 has never spoken of it. In the heat of pain and wounded 
 love, he came to me for comfort, and I I rejoiced se- 
 cretly. You know now how vile I must have been ; but I 
 never doubted the truth of that then. Our engagement 
 was brought about by other influences than those of love, 
 and I was glad to be his wife." 
 
 " O, hush ! " cried Madge. " It can do no good now." 
 
 "I want you to know the truth. He was blameless. 
 Out of the tenderness of his sore and wounded heart, he 
 took me in. I meant to make him forget. I have nothing 
 Jo complain of; he has been devoted to every whim, but I 
 know he must have learned the truth. And when youi
 
 310 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 life is compared to mine, it is gold against worthless dross. 
 I might have made it better it is my shame and nt.isery 
 now. But I filled it full of eager, feverish amusements. 
 I was afraid, if I kept quiet a day, some one would think 
 me ill ; us if the fact would not be apparent at last." 
 
 Madgs listened in a strange whirl of thought. Was it 
 any pleasure to know this now ? Was it any joy to have 
 her peace turned into tumult again, the peace for which 
 he had striven so long and earnestly ? 
 
 "You are silent. It is a difficult thing for any woman to 
 forgive. And yet I cannot die without some token " 
 
 "O, do not think me that hard and -cruel," exclaimed 
 Madge, vehemently. "And then you were not to blame." 
 
 " Except that, if he had been free on his return, the 
 truth would have helped you both. I see all ray selfish 
 aims and desires." 
 
 " God knows that I forgave everything long ago." 
 
 " Forgive me now not in this vague, general way, but 
 from the depths of your soul. And pray for me that I 
 may find some path out of this terrible darkness. For 
 death is certain. There can be no reprieve." 
 
 Madge pressed the burning hand to her lips, and some 
 pitying tears fell upon it. From the depths of her soul she 
 did pardon. May had not committed the greater sin. 
 From the pangs of her own love she sympathized with her 
 profoundly. And bending over her, she kissed the throb- 
 ing brow. 
 
 "Thank you. When you were a child you would never 
 say anything that you did not feel or believe. And the 
 pure, white truth must be such a comfort in this world of 
 deception. O, if But it is too late." 
 
 "No. You have made all the reparation in your power," 
 returned Madge. " You have cleared him from stain ; so 
 let it be placed in the deep grave of forgetfulness." 
 
 " How noble you are ! And that he should have had a 
 rain, shallow, fretful woman thrust upon him ! "
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. 
 
 "You loved him, and that must have redeemed j >a i< 
 his eyes." 
 
 "Will you look at my baby?" Mrs. "JVestlake <wLH., 
 timidly, after a long pause. 
 
 A little girl, peacefully asleep. Pretty, waxen baby fea 
 tares, and a fringe of golden hair framing the fair, broa/ 
 brow. The picture touched Madge with exceeding te 
 derness. 
 
 As she turned away silently, May held out her hand. 
 
 " I have something else to ask ; " and the sad voice stru< 
 gled with sobs. " O, Madge ! when you are her mother, 
 have a little pity upon us both. When he is happy wrth 
 a happier wife, and other children cluster about his knae, 
 do not let her be quite crowded out. She never sinned 
 against you." 
 
 " O, hush !" pleaded Madge, her face scarlet with sur- 
 prise and tender shame. "For he " 
 
 " I shall fade out of his future like a troubled dream. 3 
 never was his strongest and most enduring love, though ) 
 might not have guessed it from any act of his, if my con 
 science had not kept the fact alive. He has been patlens 
 with all my caprices and frivolities. Why should I de 
 mand the sacrifice of his whole life ? Only you will be ' 
 little tender to her? It is so hard to think of leaving her! *" 
 
 The voice sank away to a dreary whisper. Madgo 
 Ashburton's heart throbbed with the deepest emotion. To 
 be silent appeared cold and cruel ; but what could she say ? 
 
 " Promise ! " entreated the beseeching voice. 
 
 It was such a solemn moment that the young girl's 
 heart stood still with awe. 
 
 " You are so good to every one .else this was why I 
 dared to hope. Have I sinned beyond the pale of pity ? " 
 
 " O, it is not that ; " and Madge tried to steady her 
 voice to think if she dared if it were right. 
 
 " For her sake, poor sweet baby, who will never know 
 how her mother loved her."
 
 312 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 Madge knelt beside the sorrowful pleader. Had not the 
 experience of her whole life been preparing her for some 
 such moment as this ? 
 
 "If it should ever be in my power to do anything for 
 her, you may trust me," she answered, in a slow, solemn 
 voice. " As for the past, it would be false and useless to 
 say that I had not suffered ; but I have overlived it. God 
 gave me the trial for some wise purpose, and now I have 
 grown tranquil and happy in my home duties and affec- 
 tions. I have accepted the life there fully and freely.*' 
 
 " You are so much better and nobler than I ! " 
 
 "You look at me with indulgent eyes;" and Madge 
 smiled, a little sadly. " I have had some hard lessons to 
 learn, taken up many duties for which it seemed that I was 
 scarcely fitted in the beginning. I have had to conform to 
 these things by slow and often painful endeavor." 
 
 Mrs. Westlake studied the flushed face for many mo- 
 ments. 
 
 " I wonder if it comes natural for people to be good ; and 
 if not, how can they make themselves love and aspire to 
 it?" 
 
 " I think the greatest difference is, that some try more 
 earnestly than others. It is not easy at first. There are 
 so many mistakes and failures." 
 
 "And you had these?" 
 
 "I had many of them. It seemed to me that when we 
 went away from Home Nook, I possessed courage, hope, 
 trust in God, and the faith that inspires a Christian life. 
 But as I learned to know myself better, as the waves and 
 storms passed over me, sweeping away all false props, I 
 understood how much had been the sanguine temperament 
 of childhood, and a feeling that I was strong enough for 
 myself. But God asks us to lean upon Him, to trust His 
 strength, and not our own." 
 
 "But how to find Him?" 
 
 It seemed to Madge that she was still an ignorant ohild
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. 313 
 
 .n the way. How could she direct this poor, trembling, 
 questioning soul ? she who had gone so many times astray I 
 
 " He is nearer than we think," she answered, slowly 
 " He listens to our faintest cry if we will but come to Him. 
 When all other supports fail, His strong arm is stretched 
 out if we will but trust." 
 
 * I have nothing to give. A brief life, spent in thought- 
 less pleasure, wasting both body and soul. It seems 
 cowardly to cry to Him now in my despair, when I can 
 offer him no service." 
 
 " Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." 
 
 That promise seemed so much better to Madge than any 
 words of her own ! For it was such an awesome and 
 sacred thing to direct a human soul drifting on the broad 
 sea of no belief, no faith. 
 
 "But would He take the very last, a fragment?" 
 
 The eager, feverish light in the eyes showed a depth and 
 intensity, a desire to cling to something stronger than her 
 own weak nature, that almost surprised Madge. 
 
 " He has promised to save to the uttermost. But you 
 have been thinking of this before ? " 
 
 "Yes. For a month I have not been out except as I 
 was taken in a carriage. Auntie is kind, but it makes hei 
 nervous to stay in the sick room; and as I did not want to 
 talk to nurse, I used to lie here and go over the events of 
 my useless life, and the only step I could see clearly wa* 
 confessing this wrong and desiring to make all the amends 
 I could. I sinned at first unwittingly " 
 
 " We will let that go," said Madge, in her grand, tender 
 tone. " I know now that the fault was not all yours, nor 
 his, and I am quite content. Do not ever give another 
 anxious moment to the subject." 
 
 " How generous you are ! I wish we had been better 
 friends in the old days. And now, will you tell me what 
 I must do next? I do pray, but it does not seem as if 
 God heard. And when I look at my poor, foolish life, I 
 feel as if I had nothing "
 
 314 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 " He will take us just as we are," Madge returned, softly. 
 
 The dying girl sighed. " If I could believe," she said. 
 
 "And that seems the most vital point of all. Will you 
 not take God's promises, trust them ? " 
 
 " If I knew how. O, you cannot understand the terri- 
 ble darkness and fear. I think of it until I could welcome 
 the silence of the grave, if so be I might escape it all. 
 Tell me about poor Jenny Yates. The nurse heard it 
 nom Catharine." 
 
 Madge repeated the story very simply, and in telling 
 that, found a greater freedom for herself. She forgot the 
 wrong and the trial, and her purest sympathies were en- 
 listed in behalf of this poor soul, drifting so helplessly out 
 to eternity. She put by all minor and purely personal con- 
 siderations, and strove to do her duty faithfully. But 
 presently she said, 
 
 "I think we have talked enough for one morning. Yon 
 must be weary." 
 
 " It can make little difference," returned May Westlake, 
 sadly. " Yesterday, the doctor said I could have what- 
 ever I wanted, and must not be crossed in anything. You 
 know what that means." 
 
 Madge gazed pitifully at the wasted face. It meant that 
 life would be brief, at the best. 
 
 Mrs. Westlake could hardly bear to have her go, and 
 clung to the firm fingers, that seemed so strong and restful. 
 
 " You will come again ? " she murmured, beseechingly. 
 
 "If you need me yes." 
 
 For there was still a gulf between them. Madge's deli- 
 cacy forbade her accepting the position of a friend under 
 these peculiar circumstances. But she had persuaded her 
 to see Mr. Maurice, who, she felt assured, would lead her 
 in the right path with all Christian tenderness. 
 
 After her return home, Madge sought her mother at 
 once, and confided to her the particulars of the interview 
 for she felt that she needed some guidance as well.
 
 THE CBOWN OF DUTY. 815 
 
 u Yet I am glad to know the truth," she said. " They 
 nave both been sufferers as well as I. If any prayer of 
 mine could restore May to health, how thankfully it 
 would be uttered!" 
 
 Madge Ashburton spoke but the simple truth. Her 
 pity was honest and profound. The past had been over- 
 lived, as she told Mrs. Westlake. She had accepted the 
 duties of this quiet life cheerfully a life in which there 
 would be no extreme changes of mood, no fitful flashes ot 
 hope or despair. And now she strove to put by the ex- 
 citement of the moment, and return to her wonted seren- 
 ity. It was enough to know that honor and manliness 
 had been betrayed, not thrust out of sight in mere selfish 
 aggrandizement. 
 
 It appeared almost as if the prayer might be answered. 
 Mrs. Westlake rallied again, and was able to drive out. 
 From Mr. Maurice, Madge heard most encouraging ac- 
 counts. 
 
 " She is learning to trust, to believe," he said, in one of 
 their frequent conversations. " And yet what a case of 
 spiritual destitution it was ! Nothing but pleasure and 
 gayety while she was able to endure it, and the darkness 
 of despair when that light was shut out. Ah, it is well 
 that God's mercies are infinite." 
 
 But when the light came at length, after long watching 
 and many prayers, when through the real and personal 
 acceptance of God's truth, May Westlake was made free, 
 and tasted with great trembling and awe the bliss of be- 
 lieving herself God's child, she wrote to Madge the many 
 things she could not have uttered, and thanked her with 
 touching gratitude for all that she had done. "And 
 though I should like to live," she said, " it is no longer 
 terrible to die." 
 
 Madge gave thanks from the depths of her full heart. 
 And when the next summons came for a visit, she went 
 with little fear.
 
 816 HOME NOOK. OB 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 CLEMENT. 
 
 " A LETTEB from Clement ; " and Philip held it up in 
 triumph. " It is to mother, or I should have broken tne 
 seal. I am all impatience to know if it announces hia 
 return." 
 
 They were gathered on the wide porch in the summer 
 afternoon. The lawn spreading out before them was a 
 mass of greenness and bloom, and wafts of honeysuckle 
 and jasmine were blown about by the soft south wind. 
 
 Philip tossed the letter into his mother's lap, and fold- 
 ing his arms, leaned against the vine-bound column. 
 
 " He is coming will follow the letter speedily, he says, 
 but not alone. He was married on the morning this letter 
 was written." 
 
 Half a dozen wondering, eager faces turned towards her 
 in surprise. 
 
 " I shall bring no stranger into the home circle, but one 
 whom you have seen, and whom you must love for her 
 own sake as well as mine ; for her pure, noble soul, and 
 unswerving truth. I know you will be surprised, yet I 
 believe the love is only a more comprehensive outgrowth 
 of my boyish fancy." 
 
 Mrs. Ashburton read that sentence aloud, pausing amid 
 the various ejaculations. 
 
 tt Doesn't he mention any name ? " asked Philip. 
 
 "No. We may expect him in about ten days after the 
 receipt of this." 
 
 "How odd and mysterious for straightforward Clement 
 Nelly, you know the most about his friends can yon 
 venture a guess ? "
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. 317 
 
 "I should have to consider. It is very strange, I think." 
 
 "He admits that it is a sudden resolve, but circum- 
 stances rendered it necessary, and will justify him to us. 
 he believes," continued Mrs. Asbburton. 
 
 They were all silent, feeling that they would rather have 
 welcomed him alone after this seven years' absence. There 
 would be so much to say that no stranger could know of 
 appreciate. Consequently they were hardly as joyful as 
 they expected to be. 
 
 Madge was the first to recover. 
 
 " Clement has been very good and generous to us," she 
 said, "and after this seven years of toil and exile, he 
 deserves to be happy. We will not question, because he 
 has chosen it in his own way, neither should our welcome 
 be less warm." 
 
 The sweet and heartsome voice seemed to restore their 
 wonted interest. Clement was a noble and tender brother, 
 and they could trust him to choose wisely, or at least to 
 be loyal to-the old home ties. 
 
 But for the next ten days there was a great deal of 
 Hpeculation, and each tried hard to hope for the pleasant- 
 est of reunions. Eleanor, with her peculiar and painful 
 experience, felt most anxious. For now they had all 
 become so united that they dreaded any break. And she 
 knew' only too well the difference one inharmonious soul 
 might make. 
 
 But the days flew by rapidly. The house was put in 
 choicest order, and a pleasant apartment made ready for 
 the new comers. Yet Madge sighed a little. 
 
 "It can never be quite the same again," she said. 
 " Jessie will go away in the autumn, and when changes 
 begin, one never knows where they will end. We have 
 been so very happy the past year that I am almost afraid 
 of the future." 
 
 Could it bring anything better to them ? 
 
 Philip was to go down to the steamer and escort the
 
 31 1 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 tre rollers home. A peculiar awe seemed to fall upon the 
 household, that in all their discussions had never agreed 
 upon any one person. And as the hour of their arrival 
 dr'iw nigh, every sound was noted with a strained and 
 wrtchful anxiety. Madge laughed over her own ner- 
 vousnoss. 
 
 The carriage swept around the drive at length, and 
 halted at the steps. Philip sprang out first. 
 
 Was this really Clement? Taller and larger than 
 Philip in every respect, bronzed by the burning suns of 
 that far-distant land, blooming and bearded, and with the 
 easy, elegant air of an Eastern prince in the books of their 
 childhood. The familiar boyishness had long since dis- 
 appeared. Not one trait that they remembered, hardly a 
 feature that they could recall, and, perhaps, the first mo- 
 ment was one of disappointment as well as surprise. 
 
 Only a moment, however; for with the next he had 
 clasped his mother fondly in his strong young arms, and 
 wrung his father's hand, while his voice was lost in 
 emotion. 
 
 " Dear mother ! to find you all here again alive and 
 well " 
 
 " Thank God for your return, my son, my son ! " and the 
 father's voice was tremulous. 
 
 " And for the rest I believe I shall have to be intro- 
 duced. This is Eleanor, I know " 
 
 " And Madge and Jessie." 
 
 " I think I can faintly remember Jessie ; but Madge fai 
 exceeds my expectations, having outgrown her twinship 
 O, brother, and sisters, and parents, this is a happy day 
 for me ! And here is my gift to your household." 
 
 They had all watched the slight, girlish figure hanging 
 on Philip's arm, and mounting the steps slowly, delicately 
 giving them time for their first greeting. Now, as Clem- 
 ent took her hand, no larger than a child's, she raised hei 
 veil, and disclosed a face they had seen before indeed
 
 THE CKOWN OP DUTY. 319 
 
 Only the most genuine refinement of feeling kept the sur- 
 prise silent on their lips, for it was Rose Stanhope. 
 
 "My wife," Clement said, in his rich, deep tone. 
 
 Her eyes were downcast, and a painful flush of embar 
 rassment fluttered over her face. 
 
 Mrs. Asbburton broke the fast-growing awkwardness 
 by a cordial embrace. 
 
 " My child ! " she exclaimed, with motherly tenderness, 
 "you are most welcome, even though you come as a 
 stranger." 
 
 Rose raised her eyes timidly. They all remembered the 
 last painful interview, she, perhaps, more keenly than the 
 rest. Little did she dream then that there was ever to be 
 a place for her in their circle. 
 
 Eleanor's movement roused both Madge and Jessie. 
 It was no time to be cold and formal. And they felt in 
 their secret hearts that Clement must have been convinced 
 of the wisdom of this step before he had ventured to take 
 it. So there were sisterly tones and pleasant words which 
 bore the impress of sincerity. 
 
 Yet Jessie's exceeding delicacy felt the awkwardness 
 of the position. Rose was blushing and trembling, and so 
 near to tears that they caught the sound in her voice ; so 
 Jessie encircled her with a sisterly arm, and led her up 
 stairs. 
 
 " O, if you will not dislike me " she faltered, hei 
 lip quivering like a child's in its intense emotion. 
 
 "We shall love you. It was only the suddenness. 
 Nay, there is no need of excuses. Sit here and rest. 
 You are tired and agitated." 
 
 Jessie unfastened the dainty hat and laid aside the 
 mantle. Then she seated herself on a low ottoman, and 
 began to take off the remaining glove. 
 
 " How kind you are 1 I have never had a sister, you 
 know, and 1 scarcely remember my mother. You cannot 
 nderstand how dreary it is to feel of kin to no one in the
 
 820 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 world, and to realize that you are capable of loving and 
 appreciating, and yet to be shut out " 
 
 " Which you never will be again," said Jessie, warmly. 
 
 u I wanted him Mr. Ashburton " correcting herself 
 "to wait and tell you, but he would not leave me in 
 Rome alone." 
 
 " It is just right," returned Jessie. " After you come to 
 know us well, I think you will feel quite satisfied. We 
 were not altogether right in the past, I am afraid, but it 
 was so hard to judge." 
 
 The baby woke at this juncture, and stretched out hie 
 hands. They made friends rapidly over him, after the 
 fashion of women. He laughed and crowed, and went to 
 Rose at once, burying both dimpled hands in her sunny 
 hair, and studying her out of wondering eyes. 
 
 Jessie explained a few of the changes briefly, but in her 
 chatty, confidential manner, which made Rose feel that 
 she was no longer a stranger. 
 
 Down stairs they were coming to a better understand- 
 ing as well. 
 
 "I owe you some explanation," Clement said to the 
 others after she had gone. " It was not possible to bring 
 Rose back except as my wife, or the marriage would have 
 been less hasty. She was staying at Rome with some 
 friends, and we met quite by accident one morning. That 
 evening she sent for me to talk over this odd business 
 about Home Nook, and when I explained that your act 
 had my fullest sanction and approval, I found that our 
 continued refusal had been the source of deepest pain to 
 her. Father, I think we all believe in our hearts that the 
 man lying in a far-off grave wronged you and us. She 
 feels it, too, though he was her father, and she loved him. 
 With this explanation, let the fact be buried forever. It 
 will matter little now. For the rest a week in her 
 society deepened an old, boyish impression, and solved 
 the difficulty amicably. I need not ask you to love her
 
 THE CBOWN OF DUTY. 321 
 
 for my sake when you come to know her, for she is worthy 
 of the dearest affection." 
 
 " Which she will receive from us," returned Mrs. Ash 
 burton, warmly. " The sad, wistful face that turned away 
 so despairingly at that last interview has haunted me 
 many a time since." 
 
 " She envied you your love and poverty," said Clement, 
 with a rare smile. 
 
 "Perhaps we were colder than the circumstances re- 
 quired. It was so strange, you know " 
 
 " Mamma," exclaimed Madge, " I think we were a little 
 unjust. I am quite willing to make acknowledgments. 
 I suppose we remembered our pain, and hardships, and 
 suffering, and felt them embittered by the fact of her ease 
 and luxury, and our wrongs rendered us proud and bitter. 
 But we have learned so much since then ! " and the tears 
 rushed to her eyes. 
 
 " My darling sister, is not life all one long, grand les- 
 son?" and Clement drew her gently towards him. "I 
 understand this so well 1 We felt proud of dear father's 
 honor, and to-day I am most thankful that no man has 
 been wronged through us. When we had given up every- 
 thing, perhaps we felt a little tempted to glory in our 
 sacrifice. But she, too, had made a point of honor with 
 her conscience. You can never guess how the story of 
 our misfortunes pained her. And through her I first 
 learned " and Clement paused, glancing at his father 
 u part of the story you kept from me ; " and there was a 
 sudden tremble in his voice. " She informed me that she 
 found him blind. How has he been restored to sight? 
 And why did you not tell me ? " 
 
 " O, Clement, there was so much for you to do ! " and 
 Madge drew a long, quivering breath, akin to a sob. 
 " From the first, the doctor held out a hope of a successful 
 operation, and papa would not hear of this being added to 
 your burden." 
 
 21
 
 822 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 Clement laid his hand on his father's shoulder. 
 
 " God has been very good to us all," he said, with deep 
 emotion. " I want you to feel that she had even then a 
 sister's love and sympathy for you. It was very hard for 
 her to be refused shut out, as it were." 
 
 " And we were cruel in our coldness," returned Madge, 
 with some of the old vehemence. " But you need never 
 fear for the future, Clement." 
 
 "Our hearts have clustered closely around this dear old 
 spot, for which we have made so many efforts. And I 
 want you all to feel that our coming can make no differ- 
 ence. It must ever be Home Nook to all of us, the place 
 where each one is most welcome, the centre of our family 
 circle amid all the chances and changes. It is to belong 
 to father while he lives, the gift of his children. For we 
 have all toiled to this end, and God has mercifully crowned 
 our labors." 
 
 It was true. Each one had borne a part cheerfully. 
 Labor and sacrifice had gone hand in hand, and now they 
 were all together once more, a happy household. 
 
 By the time Mr. Graham returned, they were all the 
 warmest of friends. Clement was delighted to have them 
 lay aside their prejudices so readily. Rose took her place 
 in the circle with a tender and touching winsomeness, and 
 Madge declared laughingly that she felt better acquainted 
 with her than with Clement. 
 
 Indeed, it was hard to realize that this tall, handsome, 
 foreign-looking man belonged to them. Nothing about 
 him was familiar. The rich, mellow laugh was like a waft 
 of music blowing up from a strange shore, and the easy, 
 indescribable grace and indolence amused Madge won- 
 derfully. 
 
 She and Philip sat alone on the porch a long while that 
 evening. 
 
 " It is just like a dream," she said, with a happy ring in 
 her voice. " I think now that there couldn't be a mori
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. 828 
 
 delightful solution of the problem. And I honor Clement 
 for making the place really and truly papa's." 
 
 " Clement is a noble fellow. Somehow I cannot help 
 feelbig glad that a little good fortune has come to him 
 You know he will put nearly all his money in the house. 
 Rose, he said, would have no marriage settlements at all, 
 and insists that she will never touch the sum placed in 
 trust. It will be enough to give Clement a fine business 
 position somewhere. I like this old-fashioned notion of 
 perfect confidence in one another." 
 
 " Since Clement has been most loyal and unselfish with 
 us, we can trust him in all things else. I think she will 
 never need to question his devotion or integrity." 
 
 No, indeed." 
 
 And then both were silent, going over in their own 
 hearts the paths by which they had been led. How they 
 had all changed since the old days shaken off the 
 crudeness, the hasty, unreasoning beliefs and prejudices, 
 grown broader, more generous, more truly loyal to God, 
 more tenderly considerate of each other! The path had 
 been marked by many tears, many failures, many despair- 
 ing moments ; but here and there a Bethel had been reared, 
 on which the angels had descended, and it would never be 
 so dark again, for God had become the light thereof! 
 
 For a while there was quite a gala time. Every old 
 haunt had to be revisited by Clement, old friends looked 
 up, old stories told. By degrees he learned the many 
 struggles they had not thought worth while to trouble him 
 with, since it would hardly be in his power to relieve all. 
 
 He had insisted now that Philip should resign his posi- 
 tion as head of the family, and be free to follow out his 
 first plans. At the same time Philip received a most 
 excellent offer from the firm. Mr. Osborne was about to 
 retire, and since the firm was in a sound and prosperous 
 financial condition, Ward had persuaded his father to 
 make this generous proposition.
 
 824 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 "It is more than kind in Mr. Graharr.," Philip saU. 
 u A sure road to competency in the course of the next 
 ten years, and an offer that is seldom made to a young 
 man with no capital." 
 
 "And you will hardly let it slip," returned Eleanor. 
 "For I think we have all learned that a wise and judi- 
 cious uso of money benefits our fellow-creatures as well as 
 ourselves. Industry and prudence are commended as 
 highly as mere selfish aims and grasping covetousness are 
 held up to abhorrence." 
 
 "But Philip's old dream was to be a physician, you 
 know," said Madge. 
 
 " I believe it is my dream no longer." 
 
 " O, Philip ! Surely your seven years' toil and waiting 
 should have some reward." 
 
 He smiled gravely, and was silent for several minutes, 
 while the others watched him. 
 
 "I believe I never realized so thoroughly our depen- 
 dence upon God as during my illness and the discouraging 
 months that followed. Not that I could do this all at 
 once. I had many dark and despairing hours, many hard 
 struggles with doubt and unbelief; but I felt that if I lost 
 Him I lost everything, and when I could do nothing but 
 cling blindly, I never quite gave up my hope. I placed my 
 life and my future in His hands, and I found consolation in 
 the hour of trial, strength against temptation, tender well- 
 springs of gratitude, and fervent trust. With my firm 
 belief and my wider knowledge of the world, my soul 
 began to yearn over all those thoughtless ones rushing 
 swiftly down the path to destruction. When we believe 
 firmly and truly that those who do evil shall enter into 
 condemnation, no heart can be so cold or cruel as not to 
 desire to snatch them from the rapid and dangerous cur- 
 rent. I felt then how high and holy a work it was " 
 
 Philip's voice faltered a little. Mrs. Ashburton crossed 
 the room, and laid her hand upon his shoulder.
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 325 
 
 " I understand it, my son," she said, in her soft, sweet 
 tone. " God has called you to a higher and holier work 
 And it seems, since we have been prospered, dispersed 
 and gathered together again, kept through many dangers, 
 and allowed to meet once more in the full possession of 
 life and health, we owe Him some thank-offering. What 
 better than that one of our number should be consecrated 
 to His service ? " 
 
 "If He will accept my humble and earnest endeavor, 
 and allow me to labor in so glorious a cause. He seems 
 to make the way plain for me now. I have discussed the 
 matter with Clement, who heartily approves. Ton will 
 not stand in need of my services at home, and I can read- 
 ily give up the prospect of personal advancement and 
 fortune." 
 
 " God speed you," said his father, solemnly. 
 
 There could be no objection, Philip had performed 
 every duty faithfully, and they all felt that he ought to be 
 free to follow his own wishes. 
 
 "It is nobler," said Madge, long afterwards, as they 
 stood quite alone uttering their good nights. "Not but 
 that any sphere in life can be made worthy; but this, 
 with its high duties, seems to bring one nearer to God, 
 and has in it fewer selfish aims. And that you should 
 have thought of it so long ago 1 But if you had enlisted, 
 Philip, or at least gone away ?" 
 
 "That was my sorest trial; I will confess it now. A 
 clergyman's hands, of all others, should be clean ar.d pure, 
 not stained with a brother's blood though God forbid 
 tb.at I should misjudge those who have given their lives 
 for the cause. But I saw no other resource at the time, 
 and made the sacrifice, trusting to God. He opened a 
 door of escape." 
 
 They both smiled, though tears shone in their eyes as 
 well. 
 
 " Clement is so good I This will be a pleasant home foi
 
 326 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 all of you, though in a short time dear Jessie will hav 
 her own pretty nest, and perhaps Nellie another. So you 
 will be the only home daughter." 
 
 Mr. Graham's house in the city was approaching com- 
 pletion. It would appear odd to do without Jessie, but it 
 was best. When Philip's resolve was finally settled 
 and the elder Mr. Graham considered it a very foolish 
 one the business offer was transferred to Clement Ash- 
 burton and accepted. 
 
 "The name of Ashburton will have an opportunity to 
 redeem itself, after all," said Philip, in delight. 
 
 Madge, in the mean while, was making occasional suc- 
 cesses in her undertaking, enough to give her a feeling of 
 independence so far as her personal wants were concerned. 
 Miss Hetty's Home occupied a large place in her heart. 
 
 Madge Ashburton would not be one to delight in pros- 
 perity for selfish uses. She had learned her lesson too 
 well, and the knowledge that comes through suffering is 
 generally purified. Her heart would never be narrow nor 
 cold, neither would her eyes turn carelessly away from 
 suffering. Whatever her station in life might be, Christian 
 virtues would ennoble it. 
 
 Eleanor's friendship with Mr. Wyverne had at length 
 merged into an engagement not without much earnest 
 consideration and humble, fervent prayer. She went to 
 her mother for tender counsel ; now, indeed, none of them 
 were shut out of her confidence. 
 
 There appeared no good reason why she should refuse 
 BO true and noble a man as Mr. Wyverne when he had 
 won her esteem and affection. Miss Wyverne gave her a 
 sister's love already, and both were exceedingly fond of 
 little Greta. Why should she shrink from accepting love 
 and tenderness for the ashes of a dead hope ? 
 
 But Eleanor's soul had grown clearer since those old 
 days. How bitterly she despised herself for aims and 
 feelings perverted, the fear and selfishness to which she
 
 THE CKOWN OF DUTY. 327 
 
 had yielded! Was she worthy of a good man's trust? 
 Did she dare accept happiness after having once reck- 
 lessly crushed the best hopes that can light a woman's 
 soul? 
 
 Tremblingly did she accept, and that not until Mr. 
 Wyverne had heard the past with its mistakes and 
 failures. 
 
 "I think you blame yourself too severely," he said. 
 'At that time you hardly understood your own soul and 
 its needs, and you did try earnestly to do your duty. 
 Under more favorable circumstances, you might have 
 been happy, and made another so, even if it was not of the 
 highest type. But I hold that you have amply redeemed 
 your errors." 
 
 M Thank you," she murmured from her full heart. 
 
 " But the marriage will not be at all hurried," she said 
 afterwards to her mother. " I want to be quite sure that 
 I am right this time. I cannot plead youth and inex- 
 perience for any mistake that I may be led into now." 
 
 They had all taken very cordially to Clement's wife, 
 and, as he predicted, they soon loved her for her own 
 sake, giving her something of the regard that had always 
 been Jessie's ; for, indeed, they appeared nearer alike. 
 Nought of the past that might have proved painful was 
 ever referred to, and they came to understand presently 
 how her high and unswerving conscience had led her to 
 desire to make all the amends in her power for an uncon- 
 fessed wrong. 
 
 A happy household indeed, grown stronger, tenderer, 
 and still more brave by the many trials, finding in daily 
 duties a daily recompense, the peaceful tranquillity like a 
 presious balm poured into wounds, soothing, healing all 
 that was painful.
 
 828 HOME NOOK. OB 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 LILIES AND BUB. 
 
 MADGE ASHBUBTON, lingering in a shady corner of the 
 balcony one bright afternoon early in September, listened 
 to the slow tolling of the bell that counted out the brief 
 human years of a young soul. She knew that a month 
 ago Mrs. Westlake had insisted upon another change of 
 air for May, who had rallied beyond expectation. But it 
 was the last effort of physical forces. This morning she 
 had been brought back shrouded and coffined, and now 
 they were performing the last sad rites over her. 
 
 The few interviews had been peculiar from the nature 
 of the situation, and in some respects exquisitely painful, 
 the one going regretfully out of a place that her inmost soul 
 told her she never should have filled, the other understand- 
 ing the deeper joy and blessedness which she might have 
 entered into with the keen and high spirit-appreciation be- 
 longing to her nature, all the tender and satisfying expe- 
 riences May had missed. Yet she had to shut her eyes 
 upon them, to put them out of her reach and out of her 
 thoughts before any passionate grief or longing made it a 
 a sin. 
 
 She had thrust it out bravely. In all the after life, what- 
 ever came, there would be no stain, no shame, in remember- 
 ing this summer. She had learned to have faith and pa- 
 tience in God's way, instead of her own impulsive desires. 
 She would not even be tempted to dream over the future. 
 
 In her hand she held the last note the trembling fingers 
 had written. " At peace 1 " it said, " waiting for the final 
 summons, a little happier if she could have seen her deal
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 329 
 
 friend's face once more, but content to go. That all thorns 
 should be taken out of the past was her constant prayer, 
 and that some day Madge would come to think of her 
 as a sister, forgiven, but not forgotten." 
 
 There was some mention of the generous love which 
 had so blessed her'life, although she had not come in at the 
 door, but climbed up some other way. Neither would 
 grudge her the memory of this in the years to come. Her 
 life must have been brief in any event. 
 
 Did Mrs. Westlake's conscience rise up in judgment a& 
 she took her last glance at the sweet, cold face ? Had her 
 falsehood and treachery worked any blessing or benefit ? 
 The fortune on which she had cast such longing eyes fallen 
 to a helpless, motherless child, for Charles had steadily re- 
 fused to share it. Her son, grave and sad beyond his years, 
 restless in spirit, ready to leave the shadowed home, and 
 plunge into any business that promised distraction of 
 thought; her money and offers refused, herself lonely, 
 wearied with the frivolities of life, and with no peaceful 
 refuge, no children rising up to call her blessed. Had she 
 wrought wisely? 
 
 Madge dropped some sorrowful tears. It was sad to 
 have lives wrenched from their first foundation, to grow 
 over gnarled places which had once been keenest wounds, 
 and put forth green leaves and blossoms for the world. Is 
 it for the world alone ? Does there not come a blessed 
 consciousness of something higher? Do not pains and 
 sufferings, and even temptations, bring us nearer to the 
 One who bore them with His own heavenly patience? 
 Has He not promised to watch and to remember in the day 
 when He makes up his jewels ? Is it waiting his time for 
 recognition that is so difficult for us ? 
 
 The bell ceased its mournful sound. A moment later it 
 would be " dust to dust, ashes to ashes." In the redun- 
 dance of physical health and strength, the thought sent a 
 ihher over Madge. She put on her hat, and wandered
 
 330 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 slowly down the road. Unconsciously the Home had come 
 to be a place of rest and refreshing for her, and thither sh 
 wended her steps. 
 
 Miss Hetty was sitting in the wide hall, swaying gently 
 to and fro in her low rocker. At Mrs. Rachel's request, 
 ehe had not worn mourning, and through the summer she 
 kept to the old-fashioned lawns and fine ginghams that 
 had done duty in past days. She felt best in them, just 
 as she always loved best to walk among the beds of sweet- 
 william, lavender, rosemary, and marjoram, the garden 
 ornaments of a past generation. 
 
 She looked cool and quaint, a bit of in-doore lying against 
 the brilliant sunshine, and making a fine contrast. 
 
 She was singing, too, in her cheery voice, that had an 
 underlying sweetness in spite of the quavers that broke 
 it now and then. Madge listened. 
 
 "The Lord into his garden comes, 
 The spices yield their rich perfume, 
 
 The lilies grow and thrive. 
 Refreshing showers of grace divine 
 From Jesus flow to every vine, 
 
 And make the dead revive." 
 
 She saw the flutter of a dress, and paused in her sing- 
 ing, leaning out a little, her face breaking into a glad 
 smile. 
 
 " O, Madge, my dear child, I was thinking of you a few 
 moments ago. Come in." 
 
 " I'll sit here a little while, Miss Hetty, in the doorway, 
 after the fashion of children. How are all the invalids ? " 
 
 "Very comfortable indeed. It has been quite an idle 
 day. And you are all well ? " 
 
 Yes." 
 
 Madge leaned her face on her hand and fell into a little 
 reverie. They were both very beautiful to Miss Hetty, 
 the slender, shapely hand in its whiteness, the soft, peachy
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. 331 
 
 cheek, the waves of bronze-brown hair, and the eyes with 
 their lustrous tenderness. Sometimes, in her elder-woman's 
 way, she wondered a little about the young girl. But what 
 never had been, would be in the days to come. It was not 
 likely that one so sweet, and bright, and winsome would 
 miss the centre that she was born to grace. 
 
 "My dear," she said again, softly, " does anything trouble 
 you? But there, I might have known ! It's Miss Jessie 
 and the baby going away, and your brother. But then 
 it isn't like a long separation." 
 
 Madge roused herself, thankful there was some excuse 
 for her gravity. 
 
 " The break will come hard at first, I suppose," she re- 
 plied, while a faint smile drifted about her face. " But 
 then we have Rose and Clement." 
 
 " I never saw just such a family. Mr. Graham is like 
 an own brother, and you have taken in Clement's wife 
 with the same kind of love. Some folks can hardly agree 
 with their blood relations." 
 
 "But they are both so lovely in themselves. It is an 
 easy matter to be pleasant when every one is good to 
 you." 
 
 " Most people see the faults so much sooner than the 
 virtues! If there was love enough in the world to keep 
 the wheels running smoothly ! Or if they would try half 
 as hard to be generous and out-giving, as they do to be 
 sharp, and queer, and selfish ! As if the Lord did not make 
 the whole world for each one just the same sunshine, and 
 sweet smells, and pictures, green fields and running waters ! 
 And when He sets children in a family, they have only to 
 reach out their arms like the trees, to make a pleasant 
 shade about, or sift the sunshine through. There are the 
 spring and the buds, the summer and the growth, the 
 ripening autumn and the fruit. God minds all that; so 
 why should we be afraid to give out the sweetness ? There 
 will be more to-morrow. It is like the manna. Just
 
 882 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 for to-day, and no lack. We need not be afraid of wear 
 ing out love." 
 
 w No." Madge smiled at the quaintness. " But I think, 
 Miss Hetty, that real and great sorrows often bring people 
 nearer together, and make them less captious and critical. 
 When they try to help each other they find out the under 
 current of tenderness and affection. When all the world 
 seems a desert, they cling the more closely together. 
 I sometimes feel that we should never have knowu how 
 grand and lovely Eleanor was but for the bitter trouble." 
 
 "And she is coming to a better happiness. I often 
 think a young girl's first love is not always the true test of 
 her nature. It looks reasonable that a woman whose 
 judgment has matured, who is stronger, wiser, and nobler 
 for her experience, could love in a more worthy fashion, 
 if it come while life is still sweet to her. And if two people 
 ever were made for each other, it is Eleanor and Mr. Wy- 
 verne. And Miss Clara hasn't a bit of grudging jealousy. 
 She is too grand for that. They'll bring many a happy 
 moment in her life. And so, my dear, you will be very 
 glad to have Mrs. Clement." 
 
 " We have always been glad since we understood hei a 
 little better. Indeed, she is just like a younger sister. I 
 wonder now how we did without her so long." 
 
 " It has all come about like a story. I often wish 
 sister could have lived to see it. But I suppose it is best. 
 I could not have thought so much of these poor souls if I'd 
 had her to love. When the Lord takes one thing away> 
 he restores tenfold. And that reminds me why, I've 
 the strangest thing to tell you it has hardly been out of 
 my mind till just now. I couldn't have dreamed of such a 
 surprise if I had tried." 
 
 " Another donation, or another patient ? " 
 
 " A donation ; but you never would guess ! I was that 
 much astonished that I could not believe it at first. It la 
 the Lord's hand, my dear; I see that as plain as the day 
 Til go and get it."
 
 THE CBOWN OF DUTY. 333 
 
 In the familiar room which opened on tht hall, the room 
 with its old furnishings and antique Indian secretary that 
 Madge always remembered so well, Miss Bright has laid 
 her treasure. 
 
 A plain white envelope, with her name in a bold, clear 
 hand, that sent a tremor through Madge's whole frame. It 
 was well that Miss Hetty was so engrossed that her agi- 
 tation passed unremarked. 
 
 "You would hardly believe it, but I knew it for God's 
 own work Mr. Westlake came last night, just in the 
 edge of the evening. I scarcely recognized him at first. 
 I should as soon have expected the king." 
 
 By this time Miss Hetty had the envelope open. There 
 was a check, with a paper folded around it on which was 
 written " For Miss Bright's Home. To be devoted to 
 the sick and the needy as she thinks best. The gift of a 
 dying woman May Westlake." 
 
 "O!" and the tears filled Madge's eyes. She under- 
 stood it even better than the recipient. 
 
 "It is for a thousand dollars! I never had such a sur- 
 prise in my life. I should as soon have looked for the 
 moon to fall right into my lap. He talked a long while 
 about her, and said she had been so much interested in 
 Jenny Yates's death, though at that time she could hardly 
 resign herself to a thought of the great change coming to 
 her. I used to think her a foolish, flighty little thing, but 
 I take it all back now. She changed a good deal in the 
 last two months, he said, and at last saw her way quite 
 clearly. Mr. Maurice had visited her, and I am sure an 
 angel from heaven couldn't make things plainer than he 
 does. A few days before she died, she wrote this out, and 
 asked him to bring it to me as soon as he could, and tell 
 me that she began to understand the worth of useful lives. 
 He wanted it done before she was buried." 
 
 " It was thoughtful and generous of her," Madge re 
 turned, softly, trying to still the great throbbing at her 
 heart.
 
 334 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 " He asked me so many questions about the house, and 
 how I came to think of having a hospital. He wanted to 
 hear about Miss Jessie's fortune too, and how you all came 
 back to Home Nook. It may be an old woman's fancy, 
 but I do believe he cared a great deal for Miss Jessie, and 
 it just flashed into my mind if the fortune had been 
 hers sooner " 
 
 " It couldn't have helped or hindered," said Madge, with 
 a gasp. "And Jessie never " 
 
 "No, that comforted me again. And she loves Mr. 
 Graham so very dearly ! You can see it in her eyes when- 
 ever she speaks of him. But somehow I do believe the 
 young man's life has had a gnarl or a tangle in it I 
 can't quite make out. The madam, you know, was very 
 proud and haughty, but he is noble and good to the very 
 core. He sat here and called me Miss Hetty just like the 
 old times. It is plain to see that his heart is not in the 
 money or the grandeur, for he thinks of going away some- 
 where and trying business. And there's his poor little 
 motherless girl! I declare it made the tears come into my 
 foolish old eyes. After all, youth seems the time to be 
 happy, and I can't help fancying that he has missed some 
 of the sweetest. Maybe the Lord will make it up to him 
 in the end." 
 
 Mrs. Farrand was coming down the stairs just then, and 
 Madge was thankful for the interruption. Her heart waa 
 too full to take up indifferent topics ; so, as soon as she could 
 politely, she bade the ladies adieu, in spite of their entrea- 
 ties that she would remain to supper. 
 
 Once out of sight of questioning eyes, she gave way to 
 her long-repressed feelings. It was seldom that she allowed 
 herself the luxury of tears, but now they flowed forth un- 
 restrained, and were a relief. She understood and appre- 
 ciated the delicacy that had led Charles Westlake to keep 
 her name in the background. It was strange, indeed, that 
 Miss Hetty's clear sight had been so led astray in the
 
 THE CEOWN OP DUTY. 835 
 
 earlier days. Madge was doubly grateful now, for com- 
 ment on this point would be the one thing she could not 
 endu?e. 
 
 If they thought of it at home, no one made any sign, un- 
 less it was to be tenderer to Madge. And at this juncture 
 there was so much to divide attention ! Philip was pre- 
 paring for his college terra, and Jessie made daily journeys 
 to the city, often taking Madge for a companion. The 
 new house was being furnished, and Madge declared that 
 she luxuriated in extravagance, enjoying every dollar that 
 Jessie spent. Her fortune had been re-invested very prof- 
 itably, but she felt there was no necessity for her to be 
 adding to it, and it seemed, with all the abundance, that it 
 was no more than right to share some of her blessings 
 with the household. And in her home they were to be no 
 strangers. Clement and Rose were to be chief house- 
 holders at Home Nook. Nellie would be married and 
 gone by another spring, in all probability, and dear mamma 
 would be in demand at every home. 
 
 "For I cannot imagine our forgetting and falling apart, 
 as some households do," Jessie said, as she sat in her 
 mother's room the evening before Philip's departure. " If 
 it is our troubles, and sorrows, and struggles that have 
 bound us so closely together, I am almost ready to welcome 
 them, now that we have come to sunshine once more." 
 
 " I am thankful that we have had these pleasant weeks 
 with each other," Philip replied, " for I suppose it will 
 never be quite the same again. But, mother dear, where 
 you are will be the rally ing-point for us all. I am glad 
 that Clement and Rose have so planned that it will alwaya 
 be here." 
 
 " Dear Clement," said the mother, fondly. " And yet 
 3ach one of you has borne the burden and heat of the day. 
 I cannot tell you, my dear children, how doubly sweet 
 your sympathy and assistance have been. Amid the losses 
 and perplexities, each one has won something for this 
 %nd I trust for the life to come."
 
 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 " Sorrow may endure for a night, but joy does come in 
 the morning, some morning when we are not looking 
 for it," said Jessie. " And it has come blessedly to us." 
 
 "Yes," returned Philip. "Our gains have not been 
 small. God has given us beauty for ashes, and the oil of 
 joy for mourning. I sometimes look over the path by which 
 we have been led, and its lessons sink deeply into my soul, 
 We have learned that no wrong or thoughtless act stops 
 between God and our own conscience, but bears its fatal 
 fruit wide spread." 
 
 "And causes misery to many innocent souls," said Madge. 
 " It is not true that he who sins always bears the heaviest 
 punishment." 
 
 " It seems to me that God desires to teach us by this 
 one indisputable fact, that humanity is linked together 
 from this brief life to the far-reaching one that is to come 
 after, and that while we make any compromise with wrong, 
 we are rendered just that far incapable of decisions which 
 are pure and honest." 
 
 u And yet it does seem hard to suffer from the faults of 
 others. I cannot make out how far any one has a right;" 
 and Madge paused, one of the old troubled looks crossing 
 her face. 
 
 " My dear," said her mother, " we are not asked to make 
 it out. We puzzle our heads over judgments and punish- 
 ments as if we could find out all of God's ways, when He 
 simply asks us to bear something for His sake, to prove 
 our love and devotion. He, being innocent, suffered for the 
 many, and I think, besides the grand doctrine of the atone- 
 ment, it was to teach us that lesson, also. Wherein we 
 Lave suffered innocently, we have followed a little in His 
 footsteps." 
 
 u I had not thought of that." 
 
 " And we become the more careful of our own actions. 
 Every relation of life has its own responsibility. We may 
 hurt and hinder others through some selfish aggrandize- 
 ment of our purposes that may look fair enough to our-
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 337 
 
 selves from the outside. But we are to go deeper than 
 that. We are to sift our motives. For He reads those." 
 
 " And to learn that charity comes to mean, in daily life, 
 a wise, tender, and generous forbearance, a helpful heart 
 and ready hand; that holiness is no mystic, far-fetched 
 quality, but an ever-living power, penetrating both soul 
 and body, bringing humility, righteousness, and faith in 
 its train. For close to us all is this living presence of God. 
 We have only to reach out and take." 
 
 " But you have so much faith, Philip. You see things 
 so clearly !" 
 
 " I have left the darkness behind ! I remember the day 
 I enlisted. I said, I am here to do whatever God wills. If 
 He open no other door, I will walk in this path, fulfilling its 
 duties to the uttermost. And when He set my feet on 
 high, how could I help but believe and trust?" 
 
 " And my happiness came through that," said Jessie 
 with a sound of tremulous joy in her voice. 
 
 They thought of another cloud that had brought ik, 
 silver lining to the day. No one remembered it now with 
 :my sense of wrong. Rose's tenderness would have shamed 
 them all if they had. 
 
 "And we have learned that duties and blessings abound 
 in the lowly paths of life as well as the loftiest," said Mrs. 
 Ashburton ; " that brothers and sisters, parents and chil- 
 dren, can bring forth good fruit in the simplest of daily 
 work. And you, my children, have done this. It is not 
 only high heroic deeds that bring a sweet reward. And 
 when we comprehend how really grand a thing it is to 
 live, we desire to give back to God the fruit of our prog- 
 ress, our growth in the graces of spiritual life. And now, 
 my darlings, good night." 
 
 "I shall often miss the dear old home," said Philip, lin- 
 gering at the door. " But I know that I shall keep my place 
 in your hearts, and one of my happiest thoughts will be the 
 reunions to come."
 
 988 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 On the morrow they said farewell to him. What a 
 manly soul his was ! Truth and honor were ineffaceably 
 stamped on his countenance. There would be no weak 
 shipwrecks for him. He had been tried already " as by 
 fire." 
 
 Then Jessie began her preparations. A few trunks and 
 boxes to be packed, for the furniture was to remain, 
 part for Madge, and the rest for her mother. After she 
 was fairly settled, Mr. and Mrs. Ashburton were to pay her 
 a long visit. 
 
 They missed the baby wonderfully, for Greta had been 
 nearly taken possession of by Miss Wyverne. Hardly a day 
 passed that either Madge or Eleanor did not make a flying 
 call at the new house to have a glimpse of Jessie in all the 
 glory of her pretty matronly ways. Mr. Graham insisted 
 that presently they meant to take possession of Madge, 
 adopt her and her genius legally. 
 
 Mr. Wyverne would fain have had his marriage before 
 the holidays, and pleaded earnestly that it might be so. 
 Why Eleanor desired to wait until spring, was not very 
 clear to herself. 
 
 " There have been so many changes and leave takings ! " 
 she said. " We must become a little used to these first, 
 and not have too many vacant places at once.'* 
 
 "But you will be so near! It is only such a very little 
 change," he pleaded. " And you are quite sure of your 
 own heart this time ? " 
 
 " So sure that if aught came between us, my love would 
 Btill be yours. It seems as if it must have begun with 
 my very life. Do you know I sometimes feel afraid of 
 its power and strength ? Have I been growing in vehe- 
 mence ? " 
 
 He glanced into the eloquent, dark eyes. She was a 
 very beautiful woman in this full maturity, and appealed 
 atrongly to his aesthetic sense. He watched her as one 
 would a rare flower.
 
 THE CBOTVT* OF DUTY. 839 
 
 "You seem to be unfolding into a fuller, freer life, my 
 darling; aiid I am glad to think that it is through me, 
 and for me. Because our sympathies are BO in unison, our 
 tastes and feelings so much alike, I long to begin the new 
 life with you. I am not afraid to dare it with my com- 
 parative poverty." 
 
 "As if you did not know how little these things move 
 me now ; " and she smiled radiantly. " I am no romantic 
 girl, as you are well aware, and yet the life with you would 
 still be a pleasure to me if it were toil and sacrifice. If you 
 were sick or unfortunate, I would gladly take your place : 
 if any sorrow came, Heaven only knows how ready I should 
 be to share it." 
 
 " Why do you think of such things ? You have had 
 enough of them in your life. It will be my whole study 
 to shut them out. While I cannot give you luxury, I can 
 bestow upon you comfort and the tenderest love." 
 
 " Perhaps it is because I want to make myself sure of 
 my affection that I try it by such tests." 
 
 "I think sometimes that you are morbidly conscien- 
 tious. When you have had years of happiness, you will 
 smile over this." 
 
 Eleanor repeated part of the conversation to Madge 
 afterwards. 
 
 " I think you have a curious feeling about it also. But, 
 Nelly, there can be no mistake this time ; " and she studied 
 her questioningly. 
 
 " If you mean about the love, no, I would go to him 
 to-morrow, any time he might ask. I never dreamed of 
 loving any one in this manner. Is it making idols ? " 
 
 " No, Nelly, not while we feel that the loved one is 
 worthy, and that God holds all in the hollow of His hand. 
 It must be right to give of our best, when we have 
 the highest in return, as well. God doesn't weigh and 
 measure to us. And though I came to sad and sorrowful 
 times, it used to comfort me to think the love was so sweel
 
 40 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 I had it. I am glad that you can be happy, my 
 dear sister." 
 
 " Perhaps it is because I feel that I deserve so little of 
 it," returned Eleanor, wiping away a few tears. 
 
 " Nelly," began Madge, after a pause, " we can both take 
 a lesson from Jessie. She didn't worry about what had 
 been and what was to be. She took the joy that came to 
 her, and was exceedingly thankful, and she bore the trials 
 with a sweet patience. I think the secret was, that she 
 lived in to-day, and found it broad enough and high 
 enough for her. And God means that we shall enjoy what 
 He sends us, even if it is taken away presently. Doubt 
 is sometimes as bad as positive ingratitude." 
 
 The girls kissed each other fondly. Madge felt a secret 
 sympathy with Eleanor's past suffering, that was deeper 
 than Jessie's joy. They two were growing into peculiar 
 kinship, although they had appeared most antagonistic in 
 the beginning. 
 
 Had Eleanor Copland some vague presentiment that 
 held her back fi Dm entering fully into the promised en- 
 joyment? "In the spring," she said; and there she re- 
 mained impregnable. If God meant that this great happi- 
 ness shoul 1 be hwfB, he would take it then thankfully.
 
 THE CROWS OF DUTY. 341 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 CBOWNBD WITH THORNS. 
 
 "A LETTEE for Eleanor," said Clement, on his return 
 from the city one afternoon. 
 
 " She and Greta are in the garden with Miss Wyverne ; " 
 and Rose ran eagerly to carry the message. 
 
 Eleanor opened it with careless haste, as her correspon- 
 dence was generally mere business notes. 
 
 A long, closely-written letter in a hand whose familiar- 
 ity made her shiver. She cast one quick, frightened glance 
 at the signature. 
 
 " O, Eleanor ! " 
 
 For it seemed at the first moment as if she would fall 
 to the ground. Miss Wyverne clasped her arms around 
 the swaying figure. 
 
 " Let me go in," she entreated, faintly. 
 
 Her face was deadly pale, and swift, shivering spasma 
 ran through every nerve. Clara Wyverne supported her 
 to the steps. 
 
 " Not bad news, Nelly ? " queried Clement, in astonish- 
 ment. 
 
 "Strange news, at least," she replied, shudderingly. 
 " Excuse me." 
 
 How she found her way up stairs she never knew. The 
 blackness of darkness seemed around her in thick clouds. 
 She threw herself upon the bed with a cry of anguish. 
 
 Mrs. Ashburton, hearing the sound, went to her. 
 
 " You are ill, my child," she exclaimed, in alarm. 
 
 " 111 ! O, mother, mother ! have I not borne enough ? 
 Is there no end to pain and trial ? "
 
 342 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 My darling ! " 
 
 "You do not know;" in a weak, wandering voice, 
 " He has corae back is in New York." 
 
 "He! Who?" 
 
 For it appeared as if Eleanor's senses were deserting 
 her. The lips were quivering and bloodless, the eyes 
 wild and appealing, as if vainly searching for help, refuge. 
 
 M Gerald Copeland ! O, mother, mother ! " 
 
 Mrs. Ashbnrton was speechless from surprise. Eleanor 
 crushed the still unread letter in her hand. 
 
 "O," she moaned, "how could he let me think him 
 dead all these years, and then return ! It is cruel." 
 
 Eleanor's strong, impatient sense of justice burst out 
 there. Perhaps, too, the terrible consciousness that she 
 no longer loved him, and was still his wife. 
 
 " My child, it cannot be ! " 
 
 " It is too true. I have not read the letter, but it begins, 
 * My dear wife,' and is signed with his name. O, Heaven, 
 how bitter ! " 
 
 Mrs. Ashburton bent over her child. What could she 
 gay in this hour of anguish, when all human comfort 
 seemed unavailing? For she realized with a mother's 
 keen pain and sorrow that this was no ordinary trial, no 
 even tolerable surprise. 
 
 She roused herself from her impotent moaning at length. 
 " I am so weak, after all ! " she murmured, brokenly ; "but 
 it is terrible ! To begin a new life, and then find myself 
 chained to the old. Let me read my letter." 
 
 She smoothed out the crumpled sheet, and her stony 
 eyes wandered over it without taking in the sense. Only 
 the one fact found lodgment in her brain Gerald Cope- 
 land was alive ! 
 
 Alive 1 He had been in America but a fortnight, and 
 with the curious kind of fortune that often befalls these 
 thriftless souls, had again come in possession of considera- 
 ble property. He had made inquiries, and now desired to
 
 THE CBOWN OP DUTY. 848 
 
 see both Eleanor arid their child, and begged her to forget 
 the past. There had been a strange misunderstanding l 
 but he believed that he could explain everything. His 
 regard for her had not changed through years of separa- 
 tion, and now he desired to share his good fortune with 
 her. 
 
 "Read it;" and she placed it in her mother's hands, 
 burying her face in the pillow, but not to weep. She 
 seemed stunned, quite incapable of any feeling beyond a 
 sense of bitter wrong and pain. 
 
 Mrs. Ashburton bent over and kissed the cold cheek, 
 which seemed to have turned to ice on this glowing 
 autumn day. Why should this have fallen upon her 
 child? Surely they had all borne enough. 
 
 Eleanor stirred presently, and grasped at the arm en- 
 circling her. 
 
 "Is it not some horrible dream, dear mother? He 
 surely cannot be alive ! How could my letter have been 
 returned with that announcement ? " 
 
 " It is too true. My darling, I thought we had come to 
 brighter times. I rejoiced so in your happiness. God 
 only knows the bitterness of this cup. But he will give 
 us strength to bear it as he has in the former trials." 
 
 " I tried to endure the other bravely. It was the result 
 of my own weak cowardice, and the evil of being too 
 easily persuaded. But this O, is there any help ? " 
 
 Her despairing look and pathetic tones almost unnerved 
 Mrs. Ashburton. She kissed the trembling lips again and 
 again, while her tears fell softly on Eleanor's cheek. 
 
 "My darling," she said, "you are not utterly wrecked, 
 though many glad hopes go down with this. You will 
 have much love, and sympathy, and assistance." 
 
 " Yes, the brightest hope ! I don't know why, but it 
 never appeared quite right to accept Mr. Wyverne's love. 
 Did I have some presentiment ? And though it is hard 
 to give up a dream so exquisitely sweet, still that is not 
 the bitterest part."
 
 844 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 She shuddered violently, and lying there with her closed 
 eyes, looked as if she might indeed go out of life without 
 any difficult struggle. 
 
 " For he must have known that I considered him dead 
 Why did he allow me to believe anything so false ? And 
 if I had taken any step ! " 
 
 " A higher power has saved you from that** 
 
 "Thank God!" 
 
 Eleanor Copeland uttered this from her full heart, most 
 grateful that she had not complicated her destiny by any 
 hasty act. 
 
 a Mamma," she said, presently, " you must go down to 
 the others, for the dinner will soon be brought in. Tell 
 them all afterwards, but do not let me be disturbed. It is 
 best that I should be alone to think." 
 
 Her brain was in a state of mental chaos. She could 
 only hear the throb of her temples, and feel the dull ache 
 of every nerve. Even the sense of outraged trust, of be- 
 trayed hope and love and all tender emotions, scarcely 
 moved her. She bowed her head to the storm, and let 
 the waves sweep over her, half wishing they might drift 
 her to some kinder shore. 
 
 Clement made some inquiry as they took their places at 
 the table, but Mrs. Ashburton's grave reply hushed present 
 inquiry. They were not prepared for the story she had 
 to tell them, it appeared so utterly incredible at first. 
 
 " Then she was not with him at the time ? " Clement 
 remarked. 
 
 " No. She heard of his injury and illness, but it was 
 difficult to leave her school, and the letter she sent was 
 returned to her with the announcement of his death." 
 
 " Then he must have known of it. I am not sure that 
 the law can hold her as his wife if she wishes for freedom. 
 At all events he has forfeited his claim upon her." 
 
 Madge was in the wildest consternation, and espoused 
 Clement's views warmly. That Eleanor should be made 
 o Buffer anew appeared unpardonably cruel.
 
 THE CEOWN OF DUTE 345 
 
 "We must hear more about it befoie we can judge 
 clearly," said Mr. Ashburton. " These questions are too 
 momentous for a hasty decision." 
 
 Mr. Wyverne called that evening. Madge ran up to 
 Eleanor for counsel. 
 
 " I cannot see him," was the sad answer. u Ask him to 
 send Clara to me to-morrow. O, Madge ! " 
 
 " It is too hard, Nelly ; " and the aching temples were 
 pressed against the warm, fond heart. " Must it be ? Is it 
 necessary to give him up, and he so good, so noble, so 
 capable of making a happy home ? " 
 
 Child, don't tempt me ! " 
 
 Eleanor's voice was husky, and the feverish hands shook 
 in the fond clasp. 
 
 " Go. Don't tell him to-night. Clara may think of a 
 better way." 
 
 Then she was left alone again until her mother crept 
 softly in through the darkness to comfort her, as only a 
 heart so faithful and tender can comfort. 
 
 Madge went slowly down to Mr. Wyverne. She had 
 told him a few moments before that Eleanor was ill with a 
 headache. Now she said, 
 
 w She must be excused this evening. And she begs you 
 to ask Clara to come over as early as she can to-morrow 
 morning." 
 
 " Madge," he exclaimed, with the quick alarm of love, 
 " you do not apprehend a serious illness. I surely have a 
 right to know." 
 
 He was watching her so closely that she colored under 
 the scrutiny in spite of her effort to appear calm. 
 
 " It is not illuess," she returned, hurriedly ; " that 
 is she will be well again in a day or two, and can 
 explain all." 
 
 " What is there for her to explain ? " and he smiled, 
 with a touch of humor. " Do you suppose I am going to 
 be such a tyrant that she will have to account for a simple 
 beadache?"
 
 346 HOME NOOK, OR 
 
 Madge laughed at the absurdity, though the tears in 
 her throat almost choked her. How cruel that Mr. Wy- 
 verne's hopes should be dashed to the ground in an 
 instant ! She had taken so much pride and enjoyment in 
 thinking of Eleanor's future, and her affection for Mr. 
 Wyverne was full of sisterly strength. 
 
 He remarked presently that she seemed absent and 
 strangely excited, and after leaving many kind messages 
 for Eleanor, bade Madge a kind good night. 
 
 " O," she exclaimed to Rose, in tones of anguish, " how 
 can he ever be told ! And it is no fault of his" 
 
 " This Copeland has been a villain all the way through ! " 
 declared Clement, indignantly. " He will find there are 
 some deeds that cannot be easily forgiven. And she is by 
 no means friendless." 
 
 When Eleanor arose the next morning, it seemed as if 
 phe had undergone a long fit of illness. Her limbs still 
 tottered at every step, and her head was dizzy with the 
 confusion of thought. But, ah, how kind and generous 
 they all were ! If she had been so fond of them years ago, 
 this might never have happened. 
 
 "Circumstances must guide me," she said, feebly, in an- 
 swer to the arguments of the others. "Of only one thing 
 do I feel certain. I am Gerald Copeland's wife, and while 
 he lives I can be the lawful wife of no other." 
 
 All through her sleepless night she had been making 
 this resolve, and now she uttered it with a certain haste, 
 lest she might be tempted to weakness. 
 
 O, Nelly 1" 
 
 " But he has forfeited all right " 
 
 "I married him of ray own free will I can never for- 
 get that;" and Eleanor's quivering voice touched each 
 heart. "He is Greta's father, and I have no power to set 
 aside her claim from any selfish consideration. If I had 
 been braver and truer in those girlish days, this might not 
 have conie upon me. But now I desire to do only that 
 which is right."
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 847 
 
 " The law might give you liberty " 
 
 Clement's sense of the cowardly injustice Eleanor's hus- 
 band had dealt to her roused his warm impulses. 
 
 " I feel that there is a higher right than mere human 
 law." 
 
 Her voice was very faint, and the pale lips quivered. 
 
 "You surely do not mean to go back to him after thii 
 unpardonable neglect ? " 
 
 "I do not know. I cannot think." 
 
 " We will look at the question in all its bearings before 
 we decide," said Mr. Ashburton, gravely. 
 
 "I must see him. He has asked for an interview, and 
 I can judge better then what his claim really is." 
 
 If they could have saved her any pang, how gladly they 
 would have done it ! All the best hopes of her life dashed 
 down at a single blow ! for they felt that her attachment 
 to Mr. Wyverne had been true and strong, and understood 
 that Gerald Copeland could not win back her heart, since 
 he had lost even his light hold upon it. But a fiery trial 
 lay before her, from which they would fain have shield- 
 ed her. 
 
 Clara Wyverne was more deeply shocked and surprised 
 than the rest had been. She had prepared herself for 
 some trouble, but such a blow was quite beyond the wild- 
 est dream. 
 
 " I want you to tell your brother," Eleanor said, amid 
 her tears. "How deeply I regret bringing this sorrow 
 upon him and destroying his bright hopes, I can never 
 express in words." 
 
 "And you think your decision final in any event?" 
 questioned Clara. 
 
 "I desire most of all to do right. God will bear me 
 witness that I never had the most remote idea that Mr, 
 Copeland was still alive. But whether I go back to him 
 or not, I feel that I have no claim to any other true and 
 honorable love."
 
 S48 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 Clara understood that this was just, even if painful. 
 
 "I cannot distort any law or reasoning to my own 
 purely selfish wishes. God has permitted this revelation 
 just in time to save me, to save us both, and I must heed 
 him. I want to keep in the shadow of his guidance and 
 protectior, knowing then that I cannot wander far astray. 
 Of my own pain, and shame, and suffering, I cannot 
 apeak." 
 
 Miss Wyverne felt that she was right. Hard as it was 
 to go against the best hopes of a lifetime, there was some- 
 thing higher than mere personal desires. To be able to 
 put away the longing, aching self, was a victory more 
 noble than the enjoyment of happiness. 
 
 " Will you see him ? " Clara's tone was very low. 
 
 "Not at present;" and the pale lips quivered. "I 
 think he, too, will feel that we shall be stronger to do 
 right if we make no compromise with wrong. To see his 
 pain would be more than I could bear." 
 
 " I believe it is best." 
 
 " And I can trust you to explain all. You have been 
 too kind a sister to me to desert me in this hour of need, 
 or make my trial harder to bear. I will not say, counsel 
 him to forget me, but let him look upon me as some friend 
 forever lost out of his orbit." 
 
 Miss Wyverne kissed her sadly, tenderly. 
 
 " You are too noble to have your life blighted in this 
 manner," she said, with deep emotion. 
 
 " We sometimes suffer for old sins." 
 
 It was this that gave Eleanor much of her courage. A 
 little through pride, and ambition, and weakness, she had 
 suffered herself to be misled, and now the wrong-doing 
 had brought its own downfall of tender, yet blind hope. 
 Since she had been satisfied to marry Gerald Copeland 
 without the purest and highest love, she would accept the 
 bitter sacrifice, take up her burden, without casting about 
 for loopholes of escape.
 
 THE CBOWN OP DUTY. 349 
 
 ** I want to say one thing," Miss Wy verne began, after a 
 long pause. "You have had my brother's entire lo\e. 
 No woman ever came very near his heart before, though 
 he admires and reverences the sex. I think from the first 
 you both suited, harmonized. It is quite possible for peo- 
 ple to love who cannot render each other happy, who 
 cannot go to the depth or breadth of the other soul, and 
 this rare appreciation was my great pleasure in you both. 
 It would have been such a happy marriage ! and Heaven 
 knows they are sadly needed in this world." 
 
 "O, don't!" pleaded Eleanor, in anguish. 
 
 " Forgive the pain, dearest friend. But I must say & 
 little more. I understand him so well ! It may be a com 
 fort in some hard moment to know that through the year* 
 to come his steadfast soul will never waver. He will see, 
 as you do, that the bar between is of higher making than 
 man's; but no other will ever fill your place. It will 
 always be sacred." 
 
 Eleanor pressed the hand, but dared not speak. And 
 yet she was inexpressibly comforted. Both her lover and 
 Clara recognized the higher right ; they would not tempt 
 her by weak human persuasions. 
 
 "You will not shut me out?" Clara said, softly. "Let 
 me keep the sister's place that I was to have. At present 
 my coming might be productive of pain, but when you 
 have resolved upon your course, let me come and share 
 some of the burdens. I never had a sister of my own, 
 and you are doubly dear to me." 
 
 Eleanor could only sob out her thanks for the tender- 
 ness and the delicacy. 
 
 The parting between the two was sad indeed, but 
 Clara's friendship was true and strong. Perhaps Eleanor, 
 in her depths of anguish, hardly realized what bridges of 
 tender trust a woman's affection might rear for trembling, 
 clinging souls to walk over. 
 
 M But it is so hard ! " Madge exclaimed afterwards. tt I 
 cannot make it right or just."
 
 850 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 " I think God teaches us, by slow degrees, that this is 
 just what he does not want us to do. He has made the 
 right and wrong already. When we go astray, he bids us 
 bear the punishment of it, and not question the wisdom, 
 We are not to form laws for ourselves." 
 
 Madge was silent, though her tears dropped quietly. 
 
 " I am thankful that Mr. Copeland came back in time to 
 prevent any complication." 
 
 " But if he had never come at all I " 
 
 Eleanor shivered. 
 
 And now that one painful duty was over, Eleanor 
 nerved herself for another. The whole household had 
 objected strongly to her again placing herself under Gerald 
 Copeland's protection. Clement had insisted that his 
 home should be hers, and Rose had joined him most cor- 
 dially. 
 
 Eleanor made several attempts to write to Mr. Cope- 
 land, but the words would not come at her desire. It did 
 seem best that she should grant the interview he asked, 
 allow him to tell his story, and listen to the justification he 
 might offer, if any were possible. For it appeared to her 
 that the letter could not have been returned without hia 
 knowledge. 
 
 She finally sent a brief note, stating that he could see 
 her at Home Nook, in her father's house, if he was still 
 desirous, on second thoughts, that the meeting should take 
 place. 
 
 Ward Graham and Jessie were not behind in tender 
 sympathy. They, too, had been fairly stunned with the 
 first tidings. Ward inclined to Clement's view of the 
 matter. Mr. Copeland had forfeited all right to her, and, 
 no doubt, sufficient proofs could be found to procure her an 
 honorable freedom. 
 
 He had interested himself in making minute inquiries, 
 and found that Mr. Copeland's record had not stood fair 
 from the beginning. The small fortune inherited from his
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. 351 
 
 parents had been squandered, and by the time his uncle's 
 handsome legacy reached him he was deeply in debt. 
 Shortly after this he had met Eleanor Ashburton. To do 
 Mrs. Waltham justice, she had not heard the darker side 
 of the story. He was well connected, and no worse than 
 the majority of idle young men. A wife would give him 
 jnst the tone and steadiness that he needed. 
 
 She reasoned that the marriage would be a good thing 
 for him as well as for Eleanor. But he would not have 
 taken a penniless girl. The false impression given by 
 Mrs. Waltham had decided the matter. 
 
 An elderly maiden aunt had endowed him a third time. 
 The will had been made before his supposed death, and 
 never altered. By the merest accident he had heard of it, 
 and presented his claim. 
 
 "He is a spendthrift," Mr Graham declared. "It will 
 not do for Eleanor to put faith in any of his promises. In 
 a few years she would find herself reduced to poverty 
 again." 
 
 Eleanor Copeland waited in a strange mood for the 
 coming of the man who had been her husband. The very 
 thought of him made her shiver. They had parted coldly 
 the last time. She, in a moment of indignation and 
 energy, had declared that she would a thousand times 
 sooner support herself and her child by her own labor 
 than share the uncertain and degrading pittance of a gam- 
 bler. But how would they meet now ? 
 
 A man with a subtler sense of refinement and delicacy 
 would have hesitated a long while before intruding upon 
 the woman he had wronged in so many respects. But in 
 Mr. Copeland's narrow and commonplace estimation, 
 money covered a multitude of sins. He judged Eleanor 
 by his own view of the world, not from anything that he 
 had ever learned of her character. In his mere material 
 opinion she would be glad to give up her life of toil, and, 
 perhaps, dependence upon her relations, for the compara- 
 tive comfort he was able to offer her again.
 
 852 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 That there were some black facts in the past he could 
 not deny to himself, but he meant to gloss them over. He 
 had no such special regard for the truth that he would be 
 likely to hesitate at any small infraction ; besides, he had 
 one of those natures in which strong desire outruns purer 
 motives. His wish to present a matter in a certain light 
 nearly always made it appear so to him in the end. 
 
 So it happened that he was much more cairn and assured 
 when he presented himself at Home Nook than she who 
 had been so sinned against, and was so earnestly striving 
 to do her duty. It is not always the most blameless con- 
 science that is entirely at ease. 
 
 She came down tremblingly. How much both had 
 changed in these few years! For Eleanor carried the 
 impress of a pure, high soul in her face, and her steadfast 
 eyes, that had wept so many bitter tears, were grave and 
 clear, so sure to detect insincerity that he winced under 
 their first slow moving glance. 
 
 He had grown old rapidly. The boyish beauty and 
 freshness had disappeared, and in the sallow complexion, 
 sunken eyes, and generally wasted appearance, one could 
 read marks of dissipation and neglect. Was she to blame 
 that she shrank from him, that no old chord of tenderness 
 was awakened ? 
 
 He reached out his hand. 
 
 "Eleanor," he said, with a strange fear and trembling, 
 quailing before the dignity and purity of the woman who 
 had gone so far beyond him when left to herself. 
 
 She took the hand coldly. Every instinct within her 
 seemed roused to aversion. He could not help remarking 
 the slight shudder. 
 
 "O," he exclaimed, with sudden vehemence, "you 
 will not be hard and cruel, Eleanor, when I need you so 
 much ! That I wronged you deeply, I confess ; but I 
 desire an opportunity to make amends. It is in my 
 power now.**
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. 353 
 
 She motioned him to a seat. Somehow she was hardly 
 prepared for this fervent pleading. 
 
 "That there are some explanations due me you must 
 admit," she answered, slowly. "Upon hearing of your 
 danger I sent a letter, which was returned to me unopened, 
 with the announcement of your death. Friendless and 
 almost penniless in a strange land, what could I do but 
 return to my patents, who, in the depths of misfortune 
 and distress, generously gave me a shelter? You provided 
 for me out of your abundance, they of their poverty and 
 self-denial. Judge to whom I owe the highest duty and 
 gratitude." 
 
 A dull flush suffused his pale face as he glanced at her 
 in amazement, every nerve quivering at the sound of her 
 clear, calm voice, more forcible than the bitterest up- 
 braiding. 
 
 "I was thought dead at the hospital," he began. "It 
 must have been during this time that your letter came." 
 
 "But how could they have known my address?" 
 
 There was no evading her with a clumsy excuse. His 
 justification was weak at the best, but he was quite ready 
 to patch it up with any convenient falsehood. 
 
 "The nurse knew. I asked her to write one day;" 
 which was true enough. " I am quite sure she directed 
 an envelope. But she was called away then, and I re- 
 member nothing for long afterwards. My recovery was 
 very tedious. I wrote to you as soon as I could, but 
 received no answer. When I was strong enough I went 
 to Brussels, for I was longing to see you and our child ; 
 but you had returned to America." 
 
 She would never be able to know how much of this was 
 true. Perhaps she had been too glad of her freedom ac- 
 cepted it with unwise haste. 
 
 "But here are the years between. Did you care so 
 little whether I were living or dead that you never made 
 an inquiry until now ? " 
 23
 
 864 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 "I knew you were with your relatives, happier, nc 
 doubt, than I could have made you then. I would not 
 drag you back to ray poverty. When I had gained a little 
 something I meant to seek you ; but I was unlucky in 
 everything I undertook. But when the news of this 
 fortune reached me, my first thought was of you. O, 
 Eleanor, I want you to believe that ! I ask you to share 
 comfort and ease with me. I am a changed man. I have 
 given up the fatal evil which brought us both so much 
 misery. You shall have nothing to complain of in the 
 future. Only come back to me. God knows that I never 
 grudged you anything when I had it, and you shall have 
 all now, to do just as you like." 
 
 He broke into a fit of weak crying not the deep sobs 
 that shake a man to the living centres, but a kind of dis- 
 appointed, impatient sorrow, as if she wronged him by her 
 greater dignity. 
 
 Were these protestations love ? Could he neglect her, 
 leave her to want, and suffering, and a danger like that she 
 had so narrowly escaped, and fancy that a few tears and a 
 little pathetic repentance could make amends? She saw 
 clearly the shallowness and selfish under-current of his 
 soul, and turned away sick at heart. 
 
 "I have a story to tell you also," she said when she 
 could command her voice. " If it excites your anger and 
 blame, remember that your silence and absence have led 
 to this fatal result." 
 
 Briefly, yet with a certain unconscious pathos, she con- 
 fessed the pleasant friendship that had so recently ripened 
 into an engagement. He suffered through his narrow 
 groundless jealousy and fear of loss only, for he was in- 
 capable of anything higher. The years that had gone on 
 ennobling her had done little for him, since his associates 
 and habits had verged towards the lowest. 
 
 "But my claim is the strongest, Eleanor; you must 
 admit that," he interrupted, impatiently.
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 355 
 
 u Whatever claim or right Mr. Wyverne had, ended on 
 the day I received your letter. I shall never see him 
 again willingly until we can meet as the commonest of 
 friends. You have nothing to fear from that unfortunate 
 episode." 
 
 Were the lesson and the contrast nothing ? 
 
 He went on with his entreaties. Her beauty and grace, 
 her sad dignity and quiet manner, that did not utterly 
 repel, woke the old, impulsive tenderness that she had 
 mistaken for love before. He might deceive himself, but 
 she had grown too surely wise to be blinded by this 
 specious fondness. She had learned by sad experience to 
 distinguish between the real and the counterfeit. 
 
 " But I am your true and lawful husband," he ex- 
 claimed. u You cannot deny that. Your friends may 
 seek to prejudice you against me, or you may " 
 
 She checked him there with her glance of conscious 
 rectitude. 
 
 " Whatever step I may take in the future, I want you 
 to understand that Mr. Wyveme will have nothing to do 
 with it. While you live, I shall not be the wife of any 
 other man, even if the law set me free to-morrow. I hope 
 you have still sufficient manliness to feel that I shall try 
 to do what is right, irrespective of any weak or selfish 
 desire." 
 
 He studied her with a startled look. Was there some 
 depth in her soul that he had never fathomed? Was 
 there a knowledge beyond his comprehension, even ? 
 
 He had counted on the new fortune being liis most 
 effectual ally, and that she should treat his offer to release 
 her from toil with indifference, amazed him. He had 
 judged her by his own narrow, selfish, indolent nature. 
 And now, although her truth and dignity held him, out- 
 wardly, in awe, he was, at heart, afraid of his rival. But 
 he did not clare threaten ; so he had recourse to pleading 
 again.
 
 356 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 "Give me time," she said at last, torn by conflicting 
 thoughts, and the fear of judging too severely. "I can 
 decide upon nothing immediately. Leave me to think it 
 over by myself. You will hear from me when I have 
 resolved upon anything definite. And now let as end 
 this painful interview." 
 
 Her pale face and strained, sorrowful eyes moved him. 
 He came forward and would have clasped her in his arms, 
 but she shrank back ; so he had to content himself with 
 kissing the cold lips. 
 
 " You will forgive," he said. " You will give me an- 
 other chance ! For now, Eleanor, I could make you so 
 much happier ! Can you refuse to try ? " 
 
 " If I only knew what was right, or what might be de- 
 manded of me,' she said, wearily, finding refuge at last on 
 her mother's faithful heart. " For while my forgiveness is 
 pardoning all past acts that have pained or injured me, he 
 makes it comprehend the future. How can I bring myself 
 to accept life with him ? n 
 
 " It is one of those matters that cannot be settled with 
 an hour's talk," said Mrs. Ashburton. " If you still loved 
 him!" 
 
 " Ah, mamma, that is one of the bitterest dregs in this 
 hopeless cup. I cannot shut my eyes to what I have 
 known. I cannot put the false for the true. I have had 
 a glimpse of blessedness such as I hardly dreamed of in 
 my girlhood. Jessie's happy marriage, and intimate con- 
 tact with two such men as Mr. Graham and Mr. Wyverne, 
 have opened my blind eyes. I should be ashamed now to 
 bring Gerald Copeland in our midst, to ask Clement or 
 Philip to receive him as a brother." 
 
 " With these feelings it is hardly right to attempt life 
 with him. There is a limit to human endurance." 
 
 " I have tried in vain to think that I could love him 
 once more. I cannot!" and Eleanor shuddered with 
 aversion.
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 357 
 
 After a few days she resumed her wonted duties. By 
 day and by night she seemed as if girt by fire. To see on 
 the one hand the sweet and ennobling life, the richness of 
 love and truth that she had but just touched, like the hem 
 of a garment, and been made whole ; yet to understand 
 that the healing in its most joyous and comprehensive 
 sense was not for her ; to be thrust back to the wilderness 
 of doubt and perplexity, her whole future irrevocably shad- 
 owed, appeared at times more than she could endure. 
 
 But she was not to be left in peace. Gerald's friends 
 and relatives, who had paid her no attention beyond their 
 first visit of condolence, became aware pf her existence. 
 One cousin, who had been very attentive during the mar- 
 riage, visited her now on Gerald's behalf, and insisted that 
 his conduct had been really noble. 
 
 "That he should have been content to live in silence 
 and obscurity while he could do nothing for you, and come 
 to you the instant he had anything to share, is to me a 
 proof of the utmost devotion. Perhaps his remaining 
 abroad was the best thing he could do after that fatal 
 misunderstanding." 
 
 " It might appear so to some women," Eleanor respond- 
 ed ; " but before that I had to support myself and my 
 child. He squandered his fortune recklessly, he spent 
 night after night at the gaming table " 
 
 " You must let by-gones be by-gones. Gerald was a little 
 imprudent, we all know, but he has reformed entirely. 
 Yet if you throw him off, who can answer for his future ? 
 Is it not sending him to ruin ?" 
 
 " He did not think of that when he left me to struggle 
 alone," Eleanor answered, with dignity. 
 
 "My dear, women have more resources and fewer 
 temptations, and a man is peculiarly dependent up an his 
 wife. For disguise it as you may, you are his wife. I 
 dare say you were very well satisfied to marry him. I 
 thought it a perfect love match on both sides, for you
 
 358 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 know in his position he might have married a much richer 
 woman." 
 
 Eleanor winced at all this. 
 
 "And you know separations, even on the best of 
 grounds, always create a wonderment and scandal. I 
 desire to see Gerald happy while he does live, for I doubt 
 if it is a great while ; " and the lady sighed. " We all want 
 you to come down for a visit at our house, where, I think, 
 the matter can be amicably arranged. Mr. Mountjoy ia 
 exceedingly desirous on Gerald's account, and to me he ia 
 a very dear cousin, as you can hardly doubt. My best 
 wishes are for your welfare." 
 
 " You are very kind," returned Eleanor. " I have been 
 BO racked and tossed about with conflicting emotions that 
 I feel myself utterly incapable of a decision at present." 
 
 Mrs. Mountjoy kissed her with much warmth, and reit- 
 erated her invitation. No wonder Eleanor shrank from 
 these hollow professions. Had she, indeed, held the great 
 world of society in such fear and esteem only a few years 
 agone ? Aunt Waltham's golden idol, whose feet of clay 
 crushed out all high and noble aspirations must it 
 choose for her again ? 
 
 Her own family strongly negatived every proposal of 
 Gerald Copeland's. 
 
 " We can never receive him as a brother," said Clem- 
 ent, decisively. " He has wronged and neglected you, and 
 allowed you to return home destitute and forsaken. More 
 than all, he must have known that a young and attractive 
 woman might have opportunities for a second marriage, 
 I call it the refinement of cruelty ! " 
 
 " I do not believe he ever thought of such a contin- 
 gency," said Mr. Ashburton, more temperately. 
 
 " Which shows his utter selfishness. He did not want 
 to be burdened with her and the child then. Father, I 
 cannot gloss over such unmanly cowardice. We must not 
 pervert truth. Honor, and right, and justice, are alwayi 
 the same."
 
 THE CEOWN OP DUTY. 859 
 
 *True, my son, and yet it is our duty to give him the 
 benefit of the widest charity. Still I should be most sorry 
 to deliver Eleanor a second time into his keeping. It is 
 my continual regret that he ever had a claim upon her." 
 
 Eleanor crossed the room, and clasped her arms around 
 her father's neck. 
 
 " Dear papa," she said, " no one shall be blamed for my 
 gad mistake. I believe in those early days I felt proud 
 of my own strength and judgment. I thought I could 
 weigh, decide, and understand clearly. I was quite suffi- 
 cient for myself. I am afraid my vanity led me into a 
 false and dangerous estimate of my own powers, so that 
 I was the more easily led astray by counsel that appealed 
 to my self-love. If I had been brave enough to face cir- 
 cumstances. But I was not, and had to learn much by 
 bitter experience. I loved no one else, and I did like 
 Gerald Copeland. His desiring to marry me in spite of the 
 reverse of fortune appeared particularly noble. He seemed 
 to care a great deal for me ; in short, worshipped me ; 
 but I feel now that it was not any individual quality in 
 my nature or soul. But if he had remained that tender, 
 I should have gone on, and been a comparatively happy 
 wife, not missing, because not realizing, the higher bliss, 
 On one point my conscience is clear. When I understood 
 how little love I had to help me, I was all the more ear- 
 nest to do my whole duty. God knows how many times 
 I thrust back the angry response, was patient, quiet, ready 
 to be entertaining and affectionate, and beguile him from 
 his evil ways. I felt that some other woman might have 
 loved him dearly, and I resolved that he should never 
 miss any tenderness on my part." 
 
 " My own dear girl ! You have indeed gone through 
 the refining process." 
 
 Eleanor brushed away the glittering tears. 
 
 "Perhips I needed it. God has taken thousands of 
 years in his processes to bring one thing to perfection.
 
 360 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 The 'cunning workmanship ' may stand for a higher type 
 than we know in human souls. I felt, first, that it was 
 exceedingly bitter to have been allowed to love Mr. Wy- 
 verne, since it was not of my very own seeking, yet I have 
 come to some blessed truth even through that;" and her 
 faltering voice betrayed her deep emotion. 
 
 " And loving him, it appears a positive wrong to your- 
 self to go back to Gerald Copeland," declared Clement. 
 
 "But I have no right. No, don't tempt me I am 
 weak enough of myself. Just to have seen this possibility 
 and be forced to put it by, to go on in blindness and dark- 
 ness, holding God's hand, and walking in the path He 
 opens. I could not feel free even if the law made me so." 
 
 Rose stole softly round and slipped her hand within 
 Eleanor's. 
 
 " Don't try to persuade her," she said. " The steadfast 
 truth will keep her soul pure and clean, and there is a 
 peace promised. God does make a way out for those who 
 trust in him." 
 
 Eleanor bent over and kissed her. 
 
 " But she cannot go back," persisted Clement. 
 
 " God will make it plain if we wait a little." 
 
 " Rose, you are an angel ! " Clement said. " We all 
 need your patience." 
 
 Mr. Wyverne had nobly stepped out of the complica- 
 tion. He had found a brother musician to supply his 
 place temporarily, and he and Clara had started on a long 
 contemplated tour, which of late had merged into his 
 dreams as that of a happy bridal. One letter to Eleanor 
 had explained his feelings, and kept both from the pain, 
 and, perhaps, unwisdom of an interview. But he had felt 
 in his first passionate sorrow that he could not look upon 
 the sweet face he had lost without seeking to bridge over 
 the way to her. 
 
 His absence, therefore, left her free to come and go, to 
 solve the sad problem, if it were possible, in the way that 
 her conscience could best approve.
 
 THE CKOWN OF DUTY. 361 
 
 - 1 feel that Eleanor is nobly right," Wr.rd Graham said. 
 " It is hard to obey a law when it goes directly against all 
 our desires. And yet there is too much rending apart 
 hastily of the most sacred ties. It is for worse as well as 
 better, and so long as life lasts. We can understand the 
 benefit of permanence when we look around upon the 
 world ; but every one thinks his or her case is excep- 
 tional." 
 
 "They might have been so happy!" returned Jessie, 
 longingly. 
 
 " Yes, that is where we hesitate. In our weak, short 
 sight, we consider happiness the greatest good; but it may 
 appear of more worth to God to let some life be spent in 
 living out a great and noble truth. The remembrance 
 of those who fought a good fight is like a beacon light 
 to the world. It cheers feeble souls who are trembling in 
 the balance, and may assist some other to persevere in the 
 way." 
 
 " It is hard to be the example ; " and Jessie smiled 
 through her tears. 
 
 "Yes, my darling; and when we are in the fullest enjoy- 
 ment of happiness it is doubly painful to shut another out. 
 I wish to-day that Eleanor were free, and my sense of 
 justice rebels against Copeland being rewarded for his 
 years of dissipation and neglect by the care of a pure and 
 noble woman, whose finest feelings would always be an un- 
 known language to him. On the other hand, has she a 
 perfect right to put it out of her power to see and minister 
 unto him, if occasion should require ? He has reformed. 
 He asks no outward sacrifice of her. He could render life 
 comparatively easy for her and Greta, and in his weak, 
 sentimental fashion he loves her." 
 
 " Then you think she ought to return." 
 
 "No, I don't say that at present. He is comfortable 
 with his cousin, and the idea is too new, too absolutejy 
 repulsive, for her to accept immediately. I should be
 
 362 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 sorry to see her thrust aside Mr. Wyverne's love so soou 
 God's times are not as ours, and a little waiting can work 
 no harm." 
 
 They all sympathized with Eleanor in the tenderest 
 manner. The great anguish they could not bear, for there 
 are sorrowful gardens of the soul in which one must for- 
 ever walk alone ; but the watching and the prayer may 
 be rendered more comforting by the sweet solace of friend- 
 ship. He who went before to be our glorious ensample 
 suffered it in darkness and desertion.
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. 368 
 
 CHAPTER XXVni. 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 THE vexed question was settled at length by an inter- 
 position of Providence. Eleanor seemed to have waited 
 breathlessly for this sure sign. 
 
 They had all spent a happy Christmas-tide at home, the 
 children gathered in the olden circle once more, even Philip 
 joining them for a brief visit. A quiet, heartfelt happiness 
 had pervaded each ; love, the outgrowth of years and ten- 
 der development ; faith, having had her patient work, now 
 bringing forth fruit. 
 
 Mr. Wyverne and his sister had returned, and Clara had 
 taken the first opportunity to visit her friend. Eleanor had 
 resigned her position in the church choir, and sat in the 
 old pew with her parents, desirous of shunning any pub- 
 licity that might lead to embarrassment. And, indeed, 
 much of her time, latterly, had been spent with Jessie, as 
 the greater portion of her pupils were in the city. Per- 
 haps, too, she liked the strong influence of a clear-eyed 
 man like Mr. Graham, the insight that took hold of things 
 beyond immediate grasp. 
 
 Just after the holiday festivities Eleanor received a mes- 
 sage from Mr. Copeland, and another from Mrs. Mountjoy, 
 begging her to come immediately, as Gerald was ill. This 
 she could not refuse. 
 
 She had in a dim manner been expecting it, and was 
 surprised to think how unconsciously she had held her- 
 self in readiness. How she had contested the old ground 
 inch by inch, no one but God would ever know. She had 
 thrust out temptations and longings that were not for her 
 She would not fall again, willingly.
 
 364 HOME NOOK, OE 
 
 The natural consequences of an irregular and somewhat 
 dissipated life began to show themselves, though a severe 
 cold was the primary cause of their present development 
 And once in the house with him, Eleanor was compelled 
 to listen to his never-failing arguments. 
 
 "I do not see how you can grudge me this little comfort, 
 Eleanor," he said, pleadingly. "It won't be long. You and 
 the baby will be left in very comfortable circumstances*. 
 Few women would refuse so persistently." 
 
 "I have told you my reasons before," she returned. 
 "Gerald, the fact of your being again independent does 
 not move me at all. I have taken care of myself and Greta 
 when I was homeless, and now I have friends who would 
 not allow me to suffer, who would gladly relieve me from 
 all toil, but that it is not pleasant for me to be a burden 
 on their kindness. You may measure your love by youi 
 readiness to provide for me now, but " 
 
 " What is the use of flinging that forever in a man's 
 teeth ? " he exclaimed, impatiently. " I meant to do the 
 best. You said you would not live on the money earned 
 in that way. It was my only resource." 
 
 " Yes, I had a horror of it always. It seems to me 
 like downright robbery, and it was the wages of sin." 
 
 " We'll let all that go. I've given it up. I shall never 
 play for any stake again. Though, for that matter, I had 
 a right to some of it. I lost enough, surely ; " with a grim 
 emile. 
 
 " I do not wish you to think that any money could buy 
 me back. I might be convinced that it was my duty. 
 When I hesitate, it is because I feel that the old love I 
 once had for you is dead beyond a peradventure. I have 
 tried, but I cannot even galvanize it into false life. I could 
 be your nurse, your friend ; I could be patient, and kind, 
 and attentive, but " and she shivered a little. 
 
 " Well, I am willing to take anything," he said, pettishly. 
 " I love you well enough to want you on any terms. And 
 I must have my child."
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 365 
 
 Love ! Did the man, in his blindness, think he under 
 stood the word in all its fullness, in its out giving, self 
 denying capacity ? Her deeper experience filled her with 
 something like scorn, almost for the impatience was 
 checked, and the tender sense returned. If the man was 
 not capable of anything higher and loftier 
 
 " Yes, you are full of the new ideas affinities, and 
 all that. I'd be satisfied with just the plain old love. 
 You did care for me once ! " 
 
 " I did mean to be a true and tender wife. O, Gerald, 
 can you not understand that you let it burn out that you 
 threw it from you as a thing of no value ? It is my mis. 
 fortune that I cannot love through so much, that I cannot 
 be thrust out and taken back; starved, and then restored 
 by repletion. That is my nature. I suppose I cannot 
 alter it any more than you can yours." 
 
 " But I am willing to forget it all." 
 
 Was he so much more generous than she ? A careless 
 observer might have thought so. And yet he would do 
 little, thoughtless deeds hourly to pain her, while she would 
 carefully abstain from even these petty crosses. They 
 were unlike in the beginning, and had drifted farther apart 
 with every tide. 
 
 Could she consent? Could she take up the life, and be 
 true to it in thought as well as deed, not hungering for the 
 greater happiness that might have been hers? 
 
 " O, God," she cried, " show me the right way ! If it be 
 over thorns I will still walk in it." 
 
 Then she decided, suddenly, one day, and her heart 
 seemed at rest. 
 
 "Gerald," she said, " I will come back to you. I will do 
 whatever I can to make your life happy. If I am less 
 bright than formerly, you must remember that my expe- 
 rience has not been of the kind to make or keep me 
 ioyful." 
 
 a I shall not bother about that," he made answer, grasp
 
 866 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 ing at her hands and kissing them in a hungry fashion. 
 " You will love me, I know, when we once get settled. 
 Why, it will be like beginning a new life I " 
 
 The wistful, half-incredulous pleasure lighting up hig 
 face sent a chill to her heart. Could she make him happy? 
 
 " You are in earnest ? " 
 
 " God helping me, I will do my best," she answered, 
 solemnly. 
 
 " It was made so clear to me that I could not refuse," 
 she said to her mother. "I prayed earnestly, and the 
 light came. I have only to follow it, trusting in God." 
 
 They were all a little disappointed for her that her des- 
 tiny should have been made so clearly manifest. Yet it 
 was too great a question to be covered over with specious 
 reasoning, or thrust out by careless hands. And she was 
 not one to pass by on the other side. 
 
 To Clara Wyverne she did open her heart. To be mis- 
 understood by the man who had once read her very soul, 
 who could have ministered to the finest impulse of her 
 nature, was too great a sacrifice even of her lofty self- 
 denial. She knew that the confidence would be appre- 
 ciated, and taken just as she gave it. Then she bent all 
 her energies to her new life. 
 
 Mrs. Mountjoy was one of those women who are de- 
 lighted to be deep in the affairs of other people ; planning, 
 managing, and sometimes stirring up strife, more through 
 ignorance than ill-will, however. Now she was delighted 
 with the success of her endeavor; but her counsel was in- 
 exhaustible. 
 
 " It is hardly worth while to go to housekeeping," she 
 said, with the utmost complacency. " You can be as com- 
 fortable, and have much less care, by taking a suite of 
 rooms, and the society will be pleasant for Gerald. You 
 would want to spend the summer out of the city in any 
 event." 
 I shall like it better," returned Gerald. " I don't want
 
 THE CfiOWN OP DUTY. 367 
 
 Eleanor to be bothered with the details of a louse and 
 servants, and in this way we shall be free to go wherevei 
 we like. I think I should try Florida, or Cuba, anothei 
 winter." 
 
 Eleanor made no objection. Under the circumstancei 
 she would much rather have had a home to occupy hei 
 attention, or, at least, distract it a little from the one chan 
 nel. But she had resolved not to thwart Gerald. If the 
 new fortune lasted through his life, it would be sufficient. 
 
 In the course of a few weeks they became quite delight- 
 fully settled. Gerald was all brightness and solicitude, 
 and much interested in winning his little daughter's affec- 
 tions. But the narrow jealousy of the man could not be 
 entirely hidden, if he had so willed, and he was not one 
 to make any earnest endeavor. When the matter was 
 finally decided, the Ashburtons, for Eleanor's sake, had 
 made some friendly overtures. There might have been 
 some latent feeling of shame aroused, but it was more 
 petty vanity, wounded by their actual superiority. He 
 could never be any kind of hero to them. His repentance 
 they might accept, but they could not hold it up and ad- 
 mire it as a noble deed. He shrank from their truth and 
 penetration, and he dreaded their influence over Eleanor. 
 
 She felt that the old pleasant home-life must be given 
 up in some degree. He was not at ease with them, neither 
 did he like for Eleanor to visit them alone. In truth, after 
 the first gratification and pleasure of having gained his 
 point, and her also, was over, the man came back to his 
 vapid, ill-managed self, with the added irritability of failing 
 health. He had been so used to excitements and stimu- 
 lants, and the constant change of society, that Eleanor's 
 reading and music seemed tame indeed. The boasted love 
 was not equal to solitude with her. 
 
 What could she do ? She used to ask herself the ques- 
 tion at times in a terrified, helpless way. It might stretch 
 on for years and years. Could she endure to the end T 
 Would the grace be sufficient ?
 
 868 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 The alternations of temper were very difficult foi littl 
 Greta to understand. Having been used hitherto to a 
 tender, equable home atmosphere, the being petted and 
 scolded almost in a breath terrified her. Her mother's 
 judicious management was quite set at nought. 
 
 When Eleanor Copeland accepted her destiny a second 
 time at Gerald's hands, she hardly looked for happiness, 
 but she had not expected such an utter dearth of moderate 
 enjoyment. The trifles that made up his life were well 
 nigh insufferable to her gossip of the day, extravagant, 
 highly- wrought stories, men of an exceedingly common- 
 place stamp, whose principal associations were second- 
 rate actresses, and who could tell the time and pedigree of 
 every well-known horse. She could see that these inter- 
 ested other things wearied. 
 
 Was it her duty to lower herself to this commonplace 
 round ? Certainly he had degenerated since the first years 
 of their marriage. Sometimes she turned away heart-sick. 
 But it was too late to go back. 
 
 No one knew the straits and perilous ways through 
 which she passed. She did not dare look at the future. 
 She clung to the grace that was promised as sufficient, and 
 tried to keep herself tranquil, garnering what store she 
 could from the pleasant days to keep her through those 
 that were more trying. 
 
 Jessie and Mr. Graham proved their love and relation- 
 ship in many ways. Their carriage was often at Eleanor's 
 disposal, and Greta's great joy was to go to aunt Jessie's 
 and play with little Ward, who was fascinated with his 
 cousin. 
 
 When the spring had fairly opened, and pleasant weather 
 eet in, Gerald grew more restless, and began to plan pleas- 
 ure-trips. Eleanor accepted the change thankfully. Greta 
 was sent to Home Nook for the summer. 
 
 " A child is always such a bother in travelling ! " Gerald 
 had said, and Eleanor was glad to have her in a better 
 ordered household.
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 369 
 
 They had been very happy at Home Nook. Rose and 
 Clement had within themselves stores of interest and ex- 
 perience, and to both the relations of home were rarely 
 delightful. Clement's long absence had but strengthened 
 his love, while Rose was thankful to have such a tender 
 mother as Mrs. Ashburton. Madge was bright and win- 
 some, and did her best to make amends for Eleanor's 
 absence. They understood that they could not cordially 
 fraternize with Mr. Copeland, and, with the refinement of 
 wisdom, refrained from adding to Nelly's burden. 
 
 They understood better from Greta's childish prattle 
 what it really was. Now and then the child would quote 
 " papa;" but in the main, she was reticent beyond her years. 
 
 That summer a new member was added to the house- 
 hold Clement's baby. Somehow they could hardly 
 realize that Rose was the mother of it, she looked so like 
 a child herself. Greta was wild with delight. 
 
 Philip spent much of the summer at home. He and 
 Mr. Wyverne were the most cordial of friends. Indeed, 
 Mr. Wyverne had fallen back into his old place with them, 
 with the one great difference that was never spoken of 
 between them. No one was more rejoiced than he at 
 Greta's advent. 
 
 "Isn't it strange how the child loves him?" exclaimed 
 Madge. "-Has she some dim presentiment? For I do 
 believe Mr. Wyverne will wait all his life." 
 
 Mrs. Ashburton sighed a little. Would Nelly's line* 
 ever fall in pleasant places again ? 
 
 Madge had a letter from her one day that she brought 
 to her mother to read. 
 
 They were en route for Minnesota. Gerald's cough was 
 much worse again, and the doctor had ordered them 
 thither. They would remain until the weather became too 
 cold, and then go to Cuba, without returning east. Gerald 
 wished Greta placed in some good school, but Eleanoi 
 though," her too young. 
 24
 
 870 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 " And so I ask the favor, dear Madge, that you will give 
 her a little motherly oversight. I know, in the depths of 
 your kind heart, you will do what is best, and that tho 
 others will not think her too much trouble. I am glad to 
 have this pleasant refuge for her. She is in much better 
 hands than she would be with me. And, my darling, pray 
 that I may have strength to endure to the end, that I may 
 not fail or fall away from the sure help." 
 
 u O, mamma," exclaimed Madge, " what a pity that any 
 person's life should be such that their death can scarcely 
 be regretted ! It would be useless for us to affect grie 
 We shall be relieved at Nelly's freedom. And yet I do 
 feel sorry for Mr. Copeland. Why do you suppose God 
 gave him so much ? Everything seems just to have come 
 to him. He was a handsome young man, and had all the 
 advantages of a liberal education. Then three fortunes 
 have kindly fallen into his hands, and a beautiful, noble 
 wife crowned his way. For, even in her girlhood, I think 
 Nelly would have made a grand wife for a man who could 
 appreciate her." 
 
 " It does seem a great mystery when God showers so 
 many blessings upon one who appears incapable of using 
 them to his own benefit or that of others. Yet it must 
 serve some wise purpose." 
 
 "Mamma, I do believe it puzzles you a little bit. Con 
 fess, now ! When there are so many people in the world 
 who could have used it more wisely, blessing their kind. 
 A wasted life, nay, worse, for he has made others miserable. 
 It does not seem to point any moral at all. And his re- 
 pentance was just as weak and surperficial as his character. 
 I dc believe if he had found Nelly looking old and mis- 
 erable, and none of us improved in prosperity, he would 
 hardly have insisted upon taking her. And although he 
 pretended to care so much for Greta, you see he would be 
 quite willing to have the shy, tender little thing go among 
 entire strangers, when he knows that we loved her so
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. 371 
 
 nearly. I cannot understand such an affection. He nevei 
 thinks of another person's happiness." 
 
 "There is a great deal of selfishness in the world ;" and 
 Mrs. Ashburton sighed. 
 
 " He never pauses to consider what Eleanor likes. No 
 matter how tired she may be, if any whim seizes him he 
 must have it gratified. I wonder, sometimes, how she car 
 be so sweet and patient." 
 
 " I used to have more fear for Eleanor than any of the 
 children," replied Mrs. Ashburton. " As a young girl, she 
 was quietly persistent ill her own way, as if that was much 
 better than any counsel. She had a fashion of almost 
 despising the common things of life, and the homely, 
 every-day virtues. Perhaps she needed just this expe- 
 rience." 
 
 " There has been a very perfect work in her, I am sure. 
 But, mamma, when Mr. Copeland improved so much in 
 the spring, I could not feel reconciled to the idea of his 
 recovery. It was wicked, I suppose." 
 
 " It was a snare for evil thoughts, at least." 
 
 " But how could one help seeing ? And yet his life is as 
 sweet to him as mine, no doubt. I have observed that 
 people whose lives are of very little account cling to them 
 the most tenaciously." 
 
 "The wheat and the tares are to grow together until 
 harvest, you knew. Our short-sighted faith might root 
 them out and destroy them ; but God, who is wiser, bids 
 them stand. All their lives have in them some thought of 
 His, though we can only see how they push, and hinder, 
 and vex better growth. And He gave the barren fig tree 
 another season." 
 
 " As he has to Gerald Copeland. Mamma, it is a very 
 olemn thing to live, after all. And what if our sheave* 
 should be all tares and wild flowers instead of wheat ? " 
 
 " It is our daily work to make ready for the grand har- 
 vesting. How God deals with others must not occuj y ao 
 much of our attention that we forget ourselves."
 
 572 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 "Yet we can hardly help it when their deeds affect m sc 
 much. Even He said, 'Offences must needs be, but woe tc 
 him through whom they come.' " 
 
 "That is the part to be left with Him, dear. His 
 thoughts are farther back, from the beginning. And every 
 day I am thankful that He gave Eleanor courage and 
 strength for this duty. It is clearer than ever to me, 
 though I could hardly trust when I consented." 
 
 "We believe more, the nearer we come to the end of a 
 thing. But, mamma, could we feel satisfied if we knew 
 it must go stretching on for years and years? " 
 
 The tears shone in Mrs. Ashburton's eyes. Madge, seeing 
 them, clasped her arms around her mother's neck, and 
 kissed her fondly. 
 
 " My dear darling," said Mrs. Ashburton, " let us leave 
 these things with God, and keep our own souls clean. It 
 is a great comfort that we can trust Eleanor to walk in 
 this perilous path." 
 
 Madge fell into a reverie. Life was an outgrowth, a 
 continual development. " Behold I show you a mystery," 
 said the apostle ; " we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be 
 changed." As well for this world as for that to come. 
 The dull forms of doubt and unbelief that we grow out of, 
 the shaping and the culture, the grace fresh from His hand 
 that never fails. We could not even by taking heed find 
 out God's ways until they come to pass. His wisdom was 
 to be sufficient. We were to do the work He placed be- 
 fore us, and not to stray into by-paths in search of pleas- 
 anter pastures. His change would come in the appointed 
 time. He had promised to make the righteousness of His 
 children as clear as the light, and their just dealing as the 
 noonday. It was waiting His time that He asked of us. 
 
 Quiet Riverside was presently startled by an incident 
 that possessed peculiar interest for the little community. 
 This was Mrs. Westlake's death, and the preparation for 
 another funeral. The house had been closed since tbi
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. 873 
 
 burial of her son's wife. Perhaps she felt that she could 
 never thoroughly enjoy its beauty and luxury again. She 
 had an innate shrinking from sickness and death, and all 
 their sombre reminders. 
 
 Charles Westlake had gone abroad again, this time on 
 business for a commercial house. His mother settled her- 
 self in a fashionable hotel, that she might not be deprived 
 of society, even if the requirements of custom did demand 
 some seclusion. The child and its nurse were under her 
 supervision ; but the one she desired most of all, for she 
 did love her son passionately, and had schemed for the 
 control of him and his affections, and he, she well under- 
 stood, distrusted her. Yet she did not wholly despair. 
 The very nobleness of his character would always lead 
 him to pay her an outward respect, at least. And she held 
 him at this advantage her letters were frequent and ten- 
 der. He should have no excuse for coldness. 
 
 Through the summer she had sunned herself at Saratoga 
 and Newport. A handsome, haughty woman, looking 
 young for her years, who had reigned as a queen in society 
 for many past seasons, her wealth and position gave her 
 a certain social prestige that she would never willingly re- 
 linquish. Attention and honor were as daily bread to her. 
 
 In the midst of her health, and strength, and pride, she 
 had met a conquering foe. While riding one morning she 
 had been thrown by a sudden and unmanageable fright in 
 the horses, and picked up an insensible mass, bruised and 
 injured beyond recovery, they thought at first. After a 
 fortnight she began to rally, and sent an imperative sum- 
 mons to her son to hasten home at once. 
 
 Two months of suffering and anguish had been hers, 
 and inexorable death had summoned her before she could 
 have her wild prayer answered, and behold, her son's face. 
 
 Through it all she would not believe that death was 
 possible, and utterly refused to think of business until she 
 could confer with Lira. She kept revolving some new
 
 8'<4 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 links in her mind wherewith to bind him ; but it wat not 
 to be. The day before his arrival she had expired, lud 
 denly. Perhaps it was best so. He could think then that 
 she had it in her heart to make reparation for the evil she 
 had wrought, and the wealth that had been her pride re- 
 niained unfettered by ar y restrictions. 
 
 Another funeral procession wended its mournful way 
 from the great house. There were throngs of stylish ac- 
 quaintances, but few old friends or neighbors. 
 
 Catharine Day heard the particulars from the house- 
 keeper. Miss Hetty repeated them to Madge. 
 
 ** They have not been very lucky, it seems to me ; " and 
 the brisk voice fell to a lower key. " I sometimes wonder 
 about these people, with their means and influence, and 
 many opportunities of doing good. God takes account of 
 it all, I suppose. Maybe there's some fruit that we don't 
 see. And yet they might do so much ! Perhaps I am a 
 little envious for the Lord's sake, when there is so much 
 to do." 
 
 Madge gave a tiny, quick smile of appreciation. The 
 things that might be and were not, puzzled her also. 
 
 " I often think of young Mrs. Westlake. It was the 
 eleventh hour, yet she did come in. She had the blessed- 
 ness of the penny, the wages promised. There was given 
 her a heart to do, even if the time was brief. But I am 
 afraid the Madam was not of that kind. Though I don't be- 
 lieve she would have cared to live in such a terrible plight." 
 
 "Was it very bad?" Madge asked, timidly. 
 
 w She would have been a cripple for life, and quite dis- 
 figured, the nurse said. Her jaw was broken, and some of 
 her beautiful teeth gone. She was very proud of them, 
 and they were fine for her years. And her hip was so 
 fractured that it never could have gone back in its place. 
 I don't believe she would have enjoyed living after that. 
 It takes a sight of grace to be happy when one is almost 
 nelpless. Mrs. Payson told Catharine she should not have 
 known her, the accident had changed her so much."
 
 THE CROWN OF DUTY. 375 
 
 "lam thankful, then, that Charlie did not see her!" 
 Madge exclaimed, involuntarily. " She was a handsome 
 woman, and he will like to keep the old remembrance of 
 her." 
 
 " Yes. I have a strange kind of pity for him, as though 
 he lad not been quite rightly used. He was so differen; 
 after his marriage, so grave and old-like, you know whtt 
 I mean, Madge, as if the brightness of youth had all 
 gone out of him. And it wasn't a bit natural. Maybe it 
 is the foreign air. I've noticed it in some other faces. To 
 my mind, there's nothing like a sweet, cheerful home to 
 keep people content. God set them in families, and He 
 meant it to be their first duty and joy." 
 
 " The place will be very lonely," said Madge, following 
 out her own thoughts. 
 
 " No doubt he will sell it and go away. He said last 
 autumn that it could never be home to him again. But 
 he is young and rich, with all the world before him. I 
 hope he will marry a good, sweet-natured woman, and be 
 happy. I can't bear to think of lives that might be noble, 
 flawed and spoiled by the wrong setting." 
 
 Madge felt the warm blood rush to her face. 
 
 " I wonder if he will drop in to see me. He was so 
 cordial the last time ! We sat over there in the old room 
 he would go there. 'Miss Hetty,' said he, 'there is 
 hardly a spot in the world that has such a cosy, inviting 
 look as this. I hope you will never change it. I do be- 
 lieve, if I was ever sick, I should come here to be taken 
 care of.' I never told you of that before, my dear;" and 
 she gave her little cheerful laugh. 
 
 The soft eyes were averted then, and the trembling lips 
 could make no comment. Was it the old charm that drew 
 him here, and would he come to Miss Hetty in his new 
 sorrow ? this tender, motherly woman, to whom God 
 had given the love and the gifts without the thing itself 
 Surely her rare insight was a diviner quality than many 
 another's actual experience.
 
 876 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 They sat and talked in the lingering twilight. The 
 wide hall became shadowy, and the pauses seemed to hold 
 a strange mystery in their silences. Madge felt her heart 
 beat with great, irregular bounds. Some inward prescience 
 told her that if her fate came not presently, it would never 
 come at all. 
 
 Ah ! had she hoped ? 
 
 She could not deny it to herself. Yet if it never reached 
 her? 
 
 Back in the past she might have been content. But to 
 come so near, to see what should have been hers bestowed 
 elsewhere ! 
 
 A coldness and a shivering seized her. Could it paaa 
 her by a second time ? 
 
 There was the home and the affection, the duties that 
 were pleasant and satisfying yesterday, and brought their 
 own sweet reward, would they not suffice for a life ? 
 Some souls, with the great longing of hers, had not even 
 these guests to fill the solitary spaces. 
 
 They heard the gate open and shut, as if some rather 
 awkward fingers were at it. 
 
 " For me, I dare say ; " and Madge sprang up. "Good 
 night, dear Miss Hetty." 
 
 "Let me get a light. Why, I wonder where Catharine 
 is all this time ! And I had no idea it was so dark ! " 
 
 " Never mind. Good night again ; " this time with a 
 kiss. 
 
 " My dear, wait ; it may be a visitor, instead." 
 
 That was a risk which Madge did not care to face. She 
 wanted nothing beyond her own thoughts. Any ordinary 
 conversation would be intolerable to her now. 
 
 M No, I must go. I come so often, you know." 
 
 Miss Hetty was fumbling for matches. She loved the 
 twilight so well that the hall was generally lighted the 
 last. Madge went down the steps and through the small, 
 old-fashioned door-yard in breathless haste. Just as she
 
 THE CEOWN OP DUTY. 377 
 
 reached the gate, a long ray of light flashed after her, illu 
 minating the narrow perspective of shrubbery, and falling 
 on the figure standing there, whose head was partially 
 bowed. She paused nbruptly. 
 
 u Madge ! " the voice said, in a kind of strained under- 
 breath. " Miss Ashburton ! " 
 
 A cry rose in her throat, but she did not utter it. The 
 profoundness of her emotion held her like a spell. Was 
 her question to be answered here and now? She shrank 
 sensitively from either alternative. 
 
 " I heard your voice. I was coming to see Miss Hetty 
 It was the thing nearest you. I said to myself, She may 
 have been here to-day. O, Madge ! " 
 
 He opened the gate for her, and, like one in a dream, 
 she passed through. He lingered to shut it, and was it 
 for some sign from her? She stood quite still. All the 
 life in her seemed to stop and crowd around her heart, 
 bringing an awful solemnity. One little word could turn 
 the current either way. In the bright, by-gone years she 
 could have spoken it; now she must listen; it was the 
 part left for her, the part that had followed her waiting. 
 
 " Madge, my darling ! " 
 
 He took her hand then and drew it through his arm, 
 and they fell into step mechanically. The warm blood 
 rushed back to her face, and she felt the exultant life 
 throbbing through every pulse. 
 
 " I could not have dreamed of this blessedness. That I 
 should meet you here, at this very gate, where we said, 
 years ago do you remember ? that whatever came, we 
 would keep our faith in each other ! And I failed miser- 
 ably. Madge, can you forgive? God knows that my 
 heart never wavered. I think you understand " 
 
 " Enough to absolve you from premeditated wrong," she 
 answered, eagerly, hastening to justify him in his own 
 eyes, since he had been cleared in hers long before. 
 
 tt I had not counted on so sudden an explanation, my
 
 878 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 dearest Madge, and it seems strange to have it in the 
 shadow of a new sorrow, like that which has befallen me 
 again. Yet in this freedom I think I have a right to the 
 whole truth. After it is once spoken we will shut it in the 
 graves with the dead." 
 
 "If it gives you pain Oh, I can, I do believe in you," 
 she answered, incoherently ; the very depths of her soul 
 stirred by the tumult of feeling that she could not wholly 
 grasp. 
 
 " God bless you, Madge, for the faith. It has been my 
 keenest misery, all through these years, to think of your 
 suffering. You had enough, surely, without my adding to 
 it. Yet I could make no sign. You had to believe the 
 worst" 
 
 " O, it is past now," she said, with a little cry, realizing 
 the strength of her own love, and the joy of its late fru- 
 ition. Why should she not rejoice that it had come? 
 Was bliss so ordinary a thing that one should take it with- 
 out thanks ? 
 
 "I want to tell you for my own satisfaction. I have 
 said this over to myself so many times during the last year, 
 planning how I would come after a while 1 For May saw 
 it clearly with her dying eyes. The sin was not all here." 
 
 " No, no," Madge answered, hurriedly. 
 
 " Perhaps I made the first mistake in not confessing the 
 exact truth ; yet I withheld it from the purest delicacy. I 
 knew she loved me, and that it was my mother's wish that 
 I should marry her. I fancied it possible to change her 
 regard by persistently showing her that I had only a 
 brother's love to give. I cannot tell you how I used to 
 long for my exile to come to an end. Letters missed now 
 and then, not wholly by accident, I fear. O, my darling, 
 many a time I grew heart-sick with the delay ; but I dared 
 not give my impatience words, even to you. And then 
 came that request for freedom, nay, a demand, leaving me 
 QO choice. We had heard a story before of your intended 
 uarriage. She told you, I think."
 
 THE CEOWN OF DUTY. 379 
 
 u Yes. O, let it all go," pleaded the tremulous voice. 
 
 "I have a man's desire to be justified in the eyes of the 
 woman I love. How could I dream of deception ? The 
 direction on the envelope and the post-mark were con- 
 vincing. They could not be counterfeited. That the 
 brief note might have been, never occurred to me. In my 
 anguish and despair I yielded to the love that longed to 
 comfort me. It was as tender and considerate as its nature 
 could produce. When I reached New York we heard many 
 things of which you had kept me in ignorance, and the 
 great truth that well nigh crushed me. O, Madge, you 
 can never know the powerful temptation that beset me to 
 come once and clear myself in your eyes ! I writhed 
 under that foul stain. All my own life appeared swept 
 away ; it was only crumbs and fragments of another. I 
 tried earnestly to do ray duty. In the sad, sweet days 
 towards the last, she absolved me. We spoke of you 
 often. O, Madge, I think she understood then the strength 
 of a man's love for the woman who can strike the key-note 
 of his soul. You will not grudge what I gave her then ? " 
 
 " O, do not believe me that selfish ! " cried Madge. "It 
 was all hers." 
 
 M My faith, and truth, and devotion were. She knew 
 when I married her that the sweetest had been given to 
 another. I did not deceive her. God knows that I tried 
 to render her happy in her way, which never could have 
 been mine, and she was happier than if I had not married 
 her. That is my only comfort in the dreary waste. And 
 she understood what must come afterwards it was her 
 wish." 
 
 Madge was trembling in the strong arm that held her, 
 and her tears dropped quietly. 
 
 " She felt that she could trust her little girl with you. 
 She told me that she had made you promise to love her, 
 Will you do it a little for my sake, Madge ? This is not 
 o glad a betrothal as that of our early youth, but, God
 
 380 HOME NOOK, OK 
 
 helping, it shall prove a happier one. Thank Him that th 
 season of bloom does not end in May ! " 
 
 He took her hand in his, with the stars above tl/em for 
 witnesses, then, bending over her, he kissed the throbbing 
 lips that had kept their troth-plight so sacredly. 
 
 "I was thankful to go away again. I could riot remain 
 and deny myself the sight of your dear face. Some time I 
 meant to return and ask honorably for your love. God 
 has settled it in his own way. There are only us two to 
 bury the ghosts of the past and begin a new life. My 
 darling ! " 
 
 It was said without any words. In the future they might 
 talk gladly and freely again, but to-night both hearts were 
 sore and sad, as they must needs be when stirred to the 
 depths of past pain. 
 
 They had reached Home Nook by this time. She paused 
 and asked him in. 
 
 "Not to-night, dearest. I want to be alone a little while 
 with my great happiness. To-morrow, when we have 
 become used to the joy, we will share it with the others. 
 There is so much for you to help me plan and decide 1" 
 
 One tender, clinging clasp, with uncounted kisses. All 
 the missing years seemed to crowd in and add intensity. 
 
 After she had parted with him she went swiftly up to 
 her own room. Was it true ? Had she come to this great 
 blessedness at last ? The one love for which she must 
 have always hungered in the secret depths of her woman's 
 heart, even though she suffered herself to be fed outwardly, 
 and smiled in apparent content. 
 
 O, God, Ithankthee!" 
 
 It was all her prayer. Other petitions and thanks- 
 givings might come presently, but this was sufficient now. 
 The keenest, sweetest joys cannot multiply themselves 
 with many words. Only those who live outside of their 
 emotions and feelings need a wide audience. 
 
 The Ashburtons were not much surprised when Charlie
 
 THE CBOWN OP DUTY. 381 
 
 Westlake presented himself. Had he been still more at 
 fault they would have forgiven him cordially for the sake 
 of Madge's brilliantly happy face. She seemed to have 
 blossomed royally in a single night, like some rare plant 
 They all rejoiced in her joy, knowing that perfect content 
 could have come in no other manner. 
 
 But Miss Hetty was more than surprised. She made 
 Madge tell the story again and again, and interrupted it 
 frequently with her quaint comments. 
 
 " To think that I shouldn't have suspected ! But you 
 were such a child then ! And he used to drop in to talk 
 about your mother, and Jessie, and Philip. Child, I believe 
 every one who has come within your reach has felt the 
 blessed influence of home. Your mother has been a light 
 to the world, though she has hardly gone outside of her 
 own house. But she put candles here and there to shine, 
 and they gave no uncertain light." 
 
 " Dear mamma ! " said Madge. " If we can do our duty 
 as nobly ! " 
 
 " It does come out right if we wait God's time. Our 
 foolish fussing and planning only hinder. We see just to- 
 day, and He can look at all the great to-morrows, and the 
 life beyond that. But I am so glad for you. It seems to 
 me that you are one of the women who understand the 
 pure joy of living and loving soul to soul. I used to won- 
 der about it, and pray a little, for I couldn't bear to think 
 of your going through life uncrowned. And I am thankful 
 for Mr. Westlake. You can't have all the joy to yourself. 
 He is worthy of you, if ever man was. You won't be 
 ashamed to set him beside Mr. Graham, or your brothers, 
 either." 
 
 He would not suffer in comparison with any of them. 
 The years had refined and ennobled him. Perhaps love 
 might have added the more generous warmth and bloom, 
 but the sorrow had sanctified. 
 
 There was, as he had said, much to think about. He cam*
 
 382 HOME NOOK, OB 
 
 in the Ashburtons' midst as he had in the old time, bright- 
 ening with every smile they gave him. What they were 
 to do was quite openly discussed, for by another spring he 
 wanted all in readiness for Madge. 
 
 Mrs. Westlake's elegant habits and luxurious living had 
 made some inroads in her fortune, but there wa still a 
 consi ierable sum left. The house would be sold, for both 
 Madge and Charlie desired to begin life anew, and have a 
 home free from unpleasant associations. 
 
 " And I shall settle myself in business," he said. " I have 
 lost the boyish ambition to distinguish myself, and I am 
 persuaded that I can live as noble and worthy a life in 
 some other calling. For a few years we will enjoy our 
 home and each other, and if we need changes afterwards, 
 we can have them." 
 
 Madge assented. Whatever contented him would satisfy 
 her. There was no fear of his degenerating by any con- 
 tact with the world. 
 
 Little Alice was brought up to Home Nook for a visit 
 a bright, winsome child, with a certain infantile prettiness 
 that was very engaging. She was sure to find a tender 
 mother in Madge, whose range of feeling and affection was 
 too broad and rich for any petty jealousy. 
 
 " She will always be a sacred trust to me," Madge said 
 to her mother. " I do feel that my experiences have been 
 fitting me for this duty in an especial manner. And I hope 
 God will give me sufficient grace never to desire to crowd 
 her out of her father's heart. He surely has love enough 
 for both, and I cannot question my part." 
 
 " So He brings them to the haven where they would be," 
 replied Mrs. Ashburton, with a tender cadence. 
 
 "Yes, mamma. Yet I sometimes wonder how I dare 1)6 
 so happy. My heart goes back to the lightness of six- 
 teen. I forget about the years in the wilderness." 
 
 "As it is right that you should. God gives us the past 
 for lessons, but he does not mean that we shall shadow
 
 THE CROWN OP DUTY. 383 
 
 the future nor the present with it. He bri.igs to each day 
 its work and its reward." 
 
 " And we only need Nelly to complete the picture. If 
 my life reaches such blessed fruition, is it wrong to hope 
 for her?" 
 
 " We will leave that with God." 
 
 " Mamma, I want the whole world to be happy." 
 
 "A very pleasant desire, truly;" and Mrs. Asbburton 
 smiled. 
 
 Their prayers went up daily for Eleanor. In her distant 
 home she was bearing loneliness, fatigue, and the daily 
 trials with uncomplaining bravery. The beginning of the 
 end had surely come. Yet even here, separated from those 
 so dear to her, shut out from the tenderest sympathy, she 
 still gave thanks that she had seen her duty so clearly, and 
 hastened to it with willing hands. 
 
 Gerald Copeland would die much as he had lived. His 
 was a narrow, selfish, exacting nature. Youth and affluence 
 had given it a semblance of generous feeling, but he only 
 parted with what he did not want, or gave to get a double 
 portion in return. He never considered any incident as it 
 might affect others, but always himself. If he lost interest 
 in a person or a pursuit, Eleanor must relinquish it with- 
 out a sigh. 
 
 Madge and Charlie were frequent visitors at the Grahams. 
 Jessie was more than delighted with the turn of events. 
 The new home was to be in the city for a few years, and 
 the two took an eager, almost childish delight in its adorn- 
 ment. The beautiful pictures, statuary, and some of the 
 furniture had been reserved, and were to adapt themselves 
 to new niches. 
 
 Indeed, the lovers seemed to bring youth and sunshine 
 to them all. It is one of the best and rarest gifts of human 
 souls to be able to go back to the blooming May of faith, 
 and belief, and anticipation ; to take up the broken warp, 
 and unite it with so cunning a hand that one shall scarcely 
 see the joining.
 
 384 HOME NOOK. 
 
 What more ? That they were happy you will imagine. 
 That there came some crosses, some burdens, and a few sacri- 
 fices, you know as well, for no life is exempt. To the brave, 
 earnest, active ones there, is always a changing current. 
 The mariner beats up the waves with his slender oar, and 
 guides the bark over billows, while the idle pleasure-seek- 
 ing passenger may lie in the stern asleep. But for the 
 watchful eye and firm hand he might drift to destruction. 
 
 And though our times and seasons, that stretch out to 
 some far point we call the limit of human existence, may 
 seem of immeasurable importance to us, in the great and 
 infinite cycles of God's thought we are like a little dream, 
 only we could not have been but for His thought of 
 us. And so He not only shapes our lives, but gives us a 
 work to do. Happy he who hears at the last the blessed 
 words, " Inasmuch as ye have done it to the least of 
 these, ye have done it unto me."
 
 Ill II " " 
 
 A 000 1 28 1 29 4