te unreasonably happy.

Mary had been writing all Winter urging her to come for a little visit,
and see Hughie Junior, who was a marvellous baby, with wonderful feats
to his credit that no human baby had ever yet performed. But Christina
put the tempting invitations aside, feeling she must not leave her
mother in her deep anxiety.

And then there came letters from overseas that brought a wonderful
relief from her mother's worry, and lightened greatly the burdens of
the night.

For many and many a night her mother sat sleepless by her window,
looking up at the stars that hung above her home and that also watched
above her soldier sons. She had no fears for Neil, a thousand might
fall at his side and ten thousand at his right hand, but it would not
come nigh him. And Sandy,--Sandy was honest, and true, and as fine a
lad as marched in the Canadian Army, but he was young and careless and
gay, and how did she know what temptations might assail him? And there
was Jimmie! Night after night she lay awake, thinking of Jimmie,
praying and agonising for him. He was so young, such a big overgrown
baby, how could he come through unscathed?

And then there came from France this great relief from her dread.
Jimmie's draft had reached England and Neil had managed to get himself
transferred to Jimmie's Battalion. It was going to France immediately,
and France was safer than England, Neil wrote, from certain kinds of
dangers. And his mother was not to worry, for he had Jimmie right
beside him and he would look after the boy and see that no harm could
come to him. And Sandy wrote that Neil had refused a chance to take
the officer's course and a Commission, because he would not leave
Jimmie.

Full of joy and gratitude, Christina watched her mother's eyes grow
bright again, and so she left Mitty in charge of her many affairs and
took the train for a week's visit to Port Stewart.

Mary's house was as pretty as ever, but had lost much of its immaculate
tidiness. For Hughie Lindsay MacGillivray's wardrobe and appointments
overflowed into every room. But Hughie himself was all he had been
reported and more, and Christina fell down and worshipped his apple
blossom face and his dimples at the first sight.

"And tell me all about Wallace Sutherland," demanded Mary, between
raptures. "Isn't it grand that he's doing such fine things with the
Ford place. Why, Christine, you'll be a wealthy woman some day!"

"Oh, hush!" cried Ch