he
moment. "What are you quarrelling about? What ails Rosie?"

"Oh! Mrs Grove has been giving her some good advice, which she don't
receive so meekly as she might," said Arthur.

"That is very ungrateful of you, Rosie," said her sister. Mrs Grove's
interference didn't seem a sufficient matter to frown about.

"How is she now, my dear?" inquired Mrs Snow, by way of changing the
subject.

_She_ was Mrs Tilman, who had of late become subject to sudden attacks
of illness, "not dangerous, but severe," as she herself declared. They
had become rather frequent, but as they generally came on at night, and
were over before morning, so that they did not specially interfere with
her work, they were not alarming to the rest of the household. Indeed,
they seldom heard of them till they were over; for the considerate Mrs
Tilman was wont to insist to Sarah, that the ladies should not be
disturbed on her account. But Sarah had become a little uncomfortable,
and had confessed as much to Graeme, and Graeme desired to be told the
next time she was ill, and so it happened that she was not present when
a subject so interesting to herself was discussed.

"Is Mrs Tilman ill again?" asked Fanny. "How annoying! She is not
very ill, I hope."

"No," said Graeme, quietly; "she will be better to-morrow."

That night, in the retirement of their chamber, Mr and Mrs Snow were
in no haste to begin, as was their custom, the comparing of notes over
the events of the day. This was usually the way when anything not very
pleasant had occurred, or when anything had had been said that it was
not agreeable to recall. It was Mr Snow who began the conversation.

"Well, what do you think of all that talk?" asked he, when his wife sat
down, after a rather protracted putting away of various articles in
boxes and drawers.

"Oh! I think little of it--just what I have ay thought--that yon is a
meddlesome, short-sighted woman. It is a pity her daughter hasna the
sense to see it."

"Oh! I don't think the little thing meant any harm. But Rosie flared
right up, didn't she?"

"I shouldna wonder but her conscience told her there was some truth in
the accusation--about her love of admiration, I mean. But Mrs Arthur
is not the one that should throw stones at her for that, I'm thinking."

"But about Graeme! She will never marry that man, will she?"

"He'll never ask her," said Mrs Snow, shortly. "At least I think he
never will."

"Well, I don