, if we
had had any idea it would come so soon."

No: Hester was quite positive there was no tooth to be seen or felt last
night.

"Well, we must write to Morris."

"You must leave me a corner," said Hope. "We must all try our skill in
describing a first tooth. I will consider my part as I walk. Bite my
finger once more before I go, my boy."

The sisters busied themselves in putting the parlour in order, for the
reception of any visitors who might chance to call, though the streets
were so deep in snow as to render the chance a remote one. Margaret
believed that, when the time should come, she might set the potatoes
over the parlour fire to boil, and thus, without detection, save the
lighting another fire. But before she had taken off her apron, while
she was in the act of sweeping up the hearth, there was a loud knock,
which she recognised as proceeding from the hand of a Grey. The family
resemblance extended to their knocks at the door.

As if no snow had fallen, Mrs Grey and Sophia entered.

"You are surprised to see us, my dears, I have no doubt. But I could
not be satisfied without knowing what Mr Hope thinks of this epidemic,
this terrible fever, which every one is speaking about so frightfully."

"Why, what can he think?"

"I mean, my dear, does he suppose that it will come here? Are we likely
to have it?"

"He tells us, what I suppose you hear from Mr Grey, that the fever
seems to be spreading everywhere, and is just now very destructive at
Buckley. Does not Mr Grey tell you so?"

"No, indeed; there is no learning anything from Mr Grey that he does
not like to tell. Sophia, I think we must take in a newspaper again,
that we may stand a chance of knowing something."

Sophia agreed.

"Sophia and I found that we really had no time to read the newspaper.
There it lay, and nobody touched it; for Mr Grey reads the news in the
office always. I told Mr Grey it was just paying so much a-week for no
good to anybody, and I begged he would countermand the paper. But we
must take it in again, really, to know how this fever goes on. Does Mr
Hope think, my dears, as many people are saying here this morning, that
it is a sort of plague?"

"Oh, mamma," exclaimed Sophia, "how can you say anything so dreadful?"

"I have not heard my husband speak of it so," said Hester. "He thinks
it a very serious affair, happening as it does in the midst of a
scarcity, when the poor are already depressed and sickl