little girl no longer. This was delightful to Violet,
who, though she was nearly sixteen, was small of her age, and had always
been one of the children like all the rest. It was old Mrs Kerr, from
the Gore Corner, who spoke to her about it first.

"A great help you must be to your mother with the house-keeping, and
with the children and all," said that nice old lady. "It's a fine thing
to have a grown-up daughter in the house. Only the chances are you'll
just go and leave her, as mine have done."

Violet smiled, and blushed, and was conscience-stricken, not at the
thought of going away to leave her mother one day, as Mrs Kerr's
daughters had done, but because she knew she had never really been much
help to her mother either at the sewing or the house-keeping--not half
so much as Davie had been since Debby went away. For Letty was very
fond of her books, and, indeed, her duty as well as her inclination had
encouraged her devotion to them, at least until lately; but she was
inclined to confess her faults to the old lady, lest she should think of
her what was not true.

"Never mind. It will come in good time. And there's small blame to you
for liking the books best, since you're your father's child, as well as
your mother's," said Mrs Kerr, kindly. "And, indeed, they say folk can
make hard work at the books, as well as at other things, and there's no
fear of you, with your mother to teach you the other things, and you
growing so womanly and big withal."

It was a very successful visit in every way. There never had been so
many people present on such an occasion before; there never had been so
many nice things brought and eaten. The coffee was good, and so was the
tea, and the singing. The young people had a good time together, and so
had the old people. The donations were of greater value than usual, and
when he presented the money part of it to Mr Inglis, Mr Spry made a
speech, which would have been very good "if he had known when he had
done, and stopped," Debby said, and the rest thought it was not bad as
it was. And the minister certainly made a good speech when he received
it.

He did not use many words in thanking the people for their gifts, but
they were just the right words, and "touched the spot," Debby said to
Miss Bethia, who agreed. And then he went on to say what proved to
these two, and to them all, that there was something for which he cared
more than he cared for what they had to give.