y was justly proud of her lover, and Christina had nobody to see her
home but Gavin Grant, and no hope of anything better was before her.
For how could she go to school and leave Sandy behind?

How could she? She was facing the question at last. And her heart
answered that no matter what wise folks might say about grasping
Opportunity, she simply could not let it stand in Sandy's way. There
was only one answer to her question.

She lay very still till she knew that her sisters were asleep. Then
she rose and softly closed the door between their rooms. She lit her
lamp, feeling quite like a thief, and took out her box of writing
paper. The pen and ink were downstairs, but she had a lead pencil, and
Allister would not mind.

She took the little stubby pencil and poured out her heart on to the
paper. She just could not go, that was all about it. And would he
send Sandy instead? Sandy might be a minister some day like Neil, Mr.
Sinclair said, and she would never, never be happy again if she thought
she had made him stay home and be a farmer, or perhaps just a
school-teacher because she had taken his chance away from him. And
would he mind if she stayed home? Perhaps she could go some other
time. Or she could teach for a while and put herself through. Sandy
was nearly two years older than she was and he would soon be thinking
he was too old to go to college. Of course Sandy did not know she was
doing this. He would not let her, she knew, so she had told no one.
She was up late at night when every one else was asleep, and she could
not rest until she told him what she wanted. And she was going to get
up early and give the letter to Mrs. Johnnie Dunn to post in Algonquin
so it would get to him sooner. And oh, would he please, please, write
right away, the very day he got it, and tell Sandy he could go in her
place. For she could never, never be happy----"

The letter went on and on reiterating incoherently all she feared and
suffered. It was very late indeed when she crept to bed. She thought
the right thing for a girl to do who had lost all her chances in life
was to lie down and cry all night. But she was surprised to find that
she felt strangely light hearted. All the dreadful weight of the past
week had been removed. She could not think about her own loss, so
joyous was she over the thought that Sandy was going after all.

So she slept soundly, and dreamed that she was going to college and
that G