were coming home," said Fanny, hanging
about her as she had a fashion of doing now and then.

"Yes, indeed. But we must not tell him so. It would make him vain if
he knew how much we missed him. Go and change your dress, dear, and
we'll have a fire, and an early tea, and a nice little gossip in the
firelight, and then we won't miss him so much."

"Fire!" repeated Rose, looking disconsolately at the pretty ornaments of
the grate with which she had taken so much pains. "Who ever heard of a
fire in a grate at this time of the year?"

But Rose was overruled. They had a fire and an early tea, and then,
sitting in the firelight, they had a gossip, too; about many different
things. Janet told them more than she had ever told them before, of how
she had "wearied for them" when they first left Merleville, and by and
by Rose said,--

"But that was all over when Sandy came."

"It was over before that, for his coming was long delayed, as you'll
mind yourselves. I was quite content before that time, but of course it
was a great thing to me, the coming of my Sandy."

"Oh! how glad you must have been!" said Rose. "I wish I had been there
to see. Tell us what you said to him, and what he said to you."

"I dinna mind what I said to him, or if I said anything at all. And he
just said, `Well, mother!' with his heartsome smile, and the shine of
tears in his bonny blue e'en," said Janet, with a laugh that might very
easily have changed to a sob; "and oh! bairns, if ever I carried a
thankful heart to a throne of grace, I did that night."

"And would you have known him?" asked Rose, gently.

"Oh! ay, would I. No' but what he was much changed. I wouldna have
_minded_ him, but I would have kenned him anywhere."

Janet sat silent with a moved face for a little, and then she went on.

"I had had many a thought about his coming, and I grew afraid as the
time drew near. Either, I thought, he winna like my husband, or they
winna agree, or he will have forgotten me altogether, and winna find it
easy to call me his mother, or he'll disappoint me in some way, I
thought. You see I had so set my heart on seeing him, that I was afraid
of myself, and it seemed to be more than I could hope that he should be
to me all that I desired. But when he came, my fears were set at rest.
He is an honest, God fearing lad, my Sandy, and I need say nae mair
about him."

"And so clever, and handsome! And what did Mr Snow say?"

"Oh! his hea