was, that a fashionable education, under such a teacher as Mrs Grove
should have made her daughter other than she was, and so not realising
that her worst faults were those of education, which time, and
experience, and the circumstances of her life must correct, she had, at
times, little hope of Fanny's future worth or wisdom.

That is, she would have had little hope but for one thing--Graeme had
faith in Fanny, that was clear. Love might blind Arthur's eyes to her
faults, or enlighten them to see virtues invisible to other eyes, but it
would not do that for Graeme; and Graeme was tolerant of Fanny, even at
times when her little airs and exactions made her not quite agreeable to
her husband. She was patient and forbearing towards her faults, and
smiled at the little housekeeping airs and assumptions, which Rose
openly, and even in Arthur's presence, never failed to resent. Indeed,
Graeme refused to see Fanny's faults, or she refused to acknowledge that
she saw them, and treated her always with the respect due to her
brother's wife, and the mistress of the house, as, well as with the love
and forbearance due to a younger sister.

And that Fanny, with all her faults and follies, loved and trusted
Graeme was very evident. There was confidence between them, to a
certain extent at any rate, and seeing these things, Janet took courage
to hope that there was more in the "bonny vain creature" than it was
given her to see, and to hope also that Arthur might not one day find
himself disappointed in his wife. Her doubts and hopes on the matter
were all silent, or shared only with the worthy deacon, in the solitude
of their chamber. She was slow to commit herself to Graeme, and Graeme
was in no haste to ask her friend's opinion of her brother's wife.

They had plenty of other subjects to discuss. All their Merleville life
was gone over and over during these quiet summer days.

The talk was not always gay; sometimes it was grave enough, even sad,
but it was happy, too, in a way; at any rate they never grew weary of
it. And Mrs Snow had much to tell them about the present state of
their old home; how the old people were passing away, and the young
people were growing up; how well the minister was remembered there
still, and how glad all would be to see the minister's bairns among them
again; and then Sandy and Emily, and the approaching wedding made an
endless subject of talk. Rose and Fanny never wearied of that, and Mrs