me, and Hester's little table was well served every day.
With what zeal did Margaret apply herself, under Morris's teaching, to
cook Hester's choice little dinners! Yes, to cook them. Margaret was
learning all Morris's arts from her; for, of two troubles which somewhat
disturbed this season of comfort, one was that it appeared too certain
that Morris must go, as Susan and Charles had gone before her. No one
had expressly declared this: it was left undiscussed, apparently by
common consent, till it should be ascertained that baby was healthy and
Hester getting strong; but the thought was in the minds of them all, and
their plans involved preparation for this.

The other trouble was, that with peace and comfort, some slight, very
slight symptoms recurred of Hester's propensity to self-torment. It
could not be otherwise. The wonder was, that for weeks and months she
had been relieved from her old enemy to the extent she had been. The
reverence with which her husband and sister regarded the temper, in
which she had borne unbounded provocation, and most unmerited adversity,
sometimes beguiled them into a hope that her troubles from within were
over for ever; but a little reflection, and some slight experience,
taught them that this was unreasonable. They remembered that the
infirmity of a lifetime was not to be wholly cured in half-a-year; and
that they must expect some recurrence of her old malady at times when
there was no immediate appeal to her magnanimity, and no present cause
for anxiety for those in whom she forgot herself.

The first time that Hester was in the drawing-room for the whole day,
Morris was laying the cloth for dinner, and Margaret was walking up and
down the room with the baby on her arm, when Hope came in. Hester
forgot everybody and everything else when her husband appeared--a fact
which Morris's benevolence was never weary of noting and commenting upon
to herself. She often wondered if ever lady loved her husband as her
young mistress did; and she smiled to herself to see the welcome that
beamed upon Hester's whole face when Hope came to take his seat beside
her on the sofa. This was in her mind to-day, when her master presently
said:

"Where is my boy? I have not seen him for hours. Why do you put him
out of his father's way? Oh, Margaret has him! Come, Margaret, yield
him up. You can have him all the hours that I am away. You do not
grudge him to me, do you?"

"My master won't h