to fill
Linda's empty place?'

Mrs. Wynn had long before this been trusted with the story of Robert's
affection. Her gentleness won every secret of her son's heart.

What could she say now but bless him through her tears?

And so he went next day. He found the mean house in the obscure street
where Edith had for years toiled, and not unhappily. Duty never brings
unmixed pain in its performance.

The schoolroom was full of the subdued hum of children's voices; the
mistress stood at her desk, deep mourning on her figure and in her face.
It was only the twelfth day since her bereavement; but she was glad of
the return of regular work, though the white features and frail hands
hardly seemed equal to much as yet. Presently the German girl who was
her servant opened the door, and Miss Armytage went to hear her message.

'Von gentleman's in parlour;' which suggested to Edith a careful father
of fresh pupils. She gave her deputy, Jay, a few charges, and went to
the visitor, who had thought her an interminable time in coming. He,
blooming, strong, fresh from his healthy farm life in the backwoods, saw
with compassion how wan and worn she looked. Nursing at night during her
father's illness, and school-keeping in the day, might be blamed for
this. Would she come to Cedar Creek and be restored?

'Yes,' she answered, with perfect frankness, but not until the current
six months of schooling had elapsed. At the end of June she would be
free; and then, if Mrs. Wynn asked her and Jay--

The other, the old question, was on Robert's lips at the instant. And to
this also she said 'Yes.'

* * * * *

Now for the prospects of the settlement which we have traced from
its first shanty to its first street. Its magnates looked forward
confidently to its development as a town--nay, perchance as a city of
ten thousand inhabitants, when it purposes to assume a new name, as
risen from nonage. Future maps may exhibit it as Wynnsboro', in honour
of the founder. A station on the line of rail to connect the Ottawa with
Lake Huron is to stand beside that concession line (now a level plank
road) where Robert Wynn halted eleven years ago, axe in hand, and gazed
in dismay on the impenetrable bush.

THE END.

MORRISON AND GIBB, EDINBURGH,
PRINTERS TO HER MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE.

Transcriber's Note

The following changes were made to the text:

In Chapter III, "fell" was changed to "felt" in the se