m. She says papa says in his letter to her, that
they may do what they think best with me for the present: and they will
take me along. It's good in them, isn't it?"

To that Max gave a hearty assent. "They are the kindest people in the
world," he said.

CHAPTER XI.

"How terrible is passion!"

The summer passed quickly and pleasantly to our friends of Ion and
Fairview. The plans they had made for themselves before leaving home
were carried out, with, perhaps, some slight variations.

Lulu had her greatly desired visit to Cliff Cottage, and enjoyed it
nearly as much as she had hoped to; a good deal less than she would if
she could have quite forgotten her past misconduct, and its impending
consequences.

As matters stood, she could seldom entirely banish the thought that the
time was daily drawing nearer when her father's sentence would be
carried out, to her sad exclusion from the pleasant family circle of
which she had now been so long a member.

She experienced the truth of the saying, that blessings brighten as they
take their flight, and would have given much to undo the past, so that
she might prove herself worthy of a continuance of those she had rated
so far below their real value, that, in spite of her father's repeated
warnings, she had wantonly thrown them away.

She kept her promise to Violet, and strove earnestly to deserve a repeal
of her sentence, though her hope of gaining it was very faint. All
summer long she had exercised sufficient control over her temper to
avoid any outbursts of passion, and generally had behaved quite amiably.

By the 1st of October the two families were again at home at Ion and
Fairview, pursuing the even tenor of their way, Lulu with them, as of
old, no new home having yet been found for her. No one had cared to make
much effort in that direction. It was just as well, Mr. Dinsmore, Elsie
his daughter, and Violet thought, simply to let things take their course
till her father should return, and take matters into his own hands.

There was no certainty when that would be: his letters still alluded to
his coming that fall as merely a possibility.

But Lulu had been so amiable and docile for months past, that no one was
in haste to be rid of her presence. Even Rosie was quite friendly with
her, had ceased to tease and vex her; and mutual forbearance had given
each a better opinion of the other than she had formerly entertained.

But Lulu grew self-confident, and