re--here, with the worn face, and the grey head. And I am NOT
blind, father, any longer!"

Dot's whole attention had been concentrated, during this discourse, upon
the father and daughter; but looking, now, towards the little Hay-maker
in the Moorish meadow, she saw that the clock was within a few minutes
of striking, and fell, immediately, into a nervous and excited state.

"Father!" said Bertha, hesitating. "Mary!"

"Yes, my dear," returned Caleb. "Here she is."

"There is no change in _her_. You never told me anything of _her_ that
was not true?"

"I should have done it, my dear, I'm afraid," returned Caleb, "if I
could have made her better than she was. But I must have changed her for
the worse, if I had changed her at all. Nothing could improve her,
Bertha."

Confident as the Blind Girl had been when she asked the question, her
delight and pride in the reply, and her renewed embrace of Dot, were
charming to behold.

"More changes than you think for may happen, though, my dear," said Dot.
"Changes for the better, I mean; changes for great joy to some of us.
You mustn't let them startle you too much, if any such should ever
happen, and affect you. Are those wheels upon the road? You've a quick
ear, Bertha. Are they wheels?"

"Yes. Coming very fast."

"I--I--I know you have a quick ear," said Dot, placing her hand upon her
heart, and evidently talking on as fast as she could, to hide its
palpitating state, "because I have noticed it often, and because you
were so quick to find out that strange step last night. Though why you
should have said, as I very well recollect you did say, Bertha, 'Whose
step is that?' and why you should have taken any greater observation of
it than of any other step, I don't know. Though, as I said just now,
there are great changes in the world: great changes: and we can't do
better than prepare ourselves to be surprised at hardly anything."

Caleb wondered what this meant; perceiving that she spoke to him, no
less than to his daughter. He saw her, with astonishment, so fluttered
and distressed that she could scarcely breathe; and holding to a chair,
to save herself from falling.

"They are wheels indeed!" she panted. "Coming nearer! Nearer! Very
close! And now you hear them stopping at the garden-gate! And now you
hear a step outside the door--the same step, Bertha, is it not?--and
now----!"

She uttered a wild cry of uncontrollable delight; and running up to
Caleb, put her ha