willingly for all that.

"Obedience is the first duty of a soldier, Ned, boy," said Jem.

"If we could only know that we were soldiers," said David, gravely; and
then he added to himself, "The very first thing is to enrol one's name."

"I wonder all the girls don't like Aunt Bethia more," said Jessie, when
Violet came up to take her candle in a little. "I'm sure she's nice--
sometimes."

"Yes, she is always very good, and to-night she is pleasant," said
Violet. "And I'm not at all sorry that she came, though mamma is away.
Good-night, dear, and pleasant dreams."

Upon the whole, Miss Bethia's visit was a success. Mr and Mrs Inglis
came home next day to find her and little Mary in possession of the
house. David was waiting to receive them at the gate, and all the
others had gone to school. Violet had proposed to stay at home to
entertain their guest, but this Miss Bethia would not hear of. The baby
and she were quite equal to the entertainment of one another, to say
nothing of David, upon whom Miss Bethia was evidently beginning to look
with eyes of favour. They had not got tired of one another when mamma
came to the rescue, and nothing mattered much either to David or his
little sister when mamma was at hand.

Mr Inglis was almost ill with a cold; too ill to care to go to his
study and his books that day, but not too ill to lie on the sofa and
talk with--or rather listen to, Miss Bethia. This was a great pleasure
to her, for she had a deep respect for the minister, and indeed, the
respect was mutual. So they discussed parish matters a little; and all
the wonderful things that were happening in the world, they discussed a
good deal. There was a new book, too, which Miss Bethia had got--a very
interesting book to read, but of whose orthodoxy she could not be quite
sure till she had discussed it with the minister. There were new
thoughts in it, and old thoughts clothed in unfamiliar language, and she
wanted his help in Comparing it with the only standard of truth in the
opinion of both.

So the first day was successful, and so were all the other days of her
visit, though in a different way. There were no signs of Debby's
return, but Mrs Inglis had, in the course of her married life, been too
often left to her own resources to make this a matter of much
consequence for a few days. The house was as orderly, and the meals
were as regular; and though some things in the usual routine were left
undone becaus