ut it was as much as possible at the bidding of the mistress of
the house. It was not always very easy to do, often not by any means so
easy as it would have been to go on in the old way, but she was very
much in earnest about this thing. It was right that it should be so,
for many reasons. The responsibilities, as well as the honour, due to
the mistress of the house, were Fanny's. These could not, she being in
health and able to bear them, be assumed by her sister without mutual
injury. The honour and responsibility could not be separated without
danger and loss. All this Graeme tried to make Fanny see without using
many words, and she had a more docile pupil than she would have had
during the first year of her married-life. For Fanny had now entire
confidence in the wisdom and love of her sister, and did her best to
profit by her teaching:

It was the same where the child was concerned. While she watched over
both with loving care, she hesitated to interfere or to give advice,
even in small matters, lest she should lessen in the least degree the
young mother's sense of responsibility, knowing this to be the best and
surest guide to the wise and faithful performance of a mother's duties.
And every day she was growing happier in the assurance that all was
coming right with her sister, that she was learning the best of all
wisdom, the wisdom of gentleness and self-forgetfulness, and of devotion
to the welfare of others, and that all this was bearing fruit in the
greater happiness of the household. And besides this, or rather as a
result of this, she bade fair to be a notable little house-mother also;
a little over-anxious, perhaps, and not very patient with her own
failures, or with the failures of others, but still in earnest to attain
success, and to be in all things what in the old times, she had only
cared to seem.

Though Harry did not now form one of the household, he was with them
very often. Mr Millar did not quite fall into the place which Harry's
friend Charlie had occupied, but though he said less about his enjoyment
of the friendship of their circle, it was evident that it was not
because he enjoyed it less than in the old times. He had only changed
since then by growing quieter and graver, as they all had done. His
brother's determination not to return to Canada had been a great
disappointment to him at the time, and he still regretted it very much,
but he said little about it, less than was qui