to rise."

They had nearly completed their toilet when a tap at the door was
followed by the entrance of Violet's mother, looking grave and sad, and
with traces of tears about her eyes.

"Mamma, what is it?" Violet asked anxiously.

"Our dear old mammy is gone, daughter," Elsie answered, the tears
beginning to fall again; "gone home to glory. I do not weep for her, but
for myself. You know what she was to me."

"Yes, mamma, dearest, I am very sorry for you; but for her it should be
all joy, should it not? Life can have been little but a burden, to her
for some years past, and now she is at God's right hand where there are
pleasures forever more."

Elsie assented; and sitting down, gave a full account of what had passed
between Aunt Chloe and herself the previous night, and of the death-scene
this morning.

"What a long, long journey hers has been!" remarked Violet; "but she has
reached home at last. And here, mamma," drawing Grace forward, "is a
little pilgrim who has but just passed through the wicket-gate, and begun
to travel the strait and narrow way."

"Is it so, Gracie? It makes my heart glad to hear it," Elsie said, taking
the child in her arms in a tender, motherly fashion. "You are none too
young to begin to love and serve the Lord Jesus; and it's a blessed
service. I found it such when I was a child like you, and such I have
found it all the way that I have traveled since."

CHAPTER XII.

LULU REBELS.

Several weeks had passed since the events recorded in the last chapter,
during which life had moved on in its accustomed way at Fairview and Ion.

Evelyn was as happy in her new home as she could have been anywhere
without her father and mother--perhaps happier than she would have been
anywhere _with_ the latter--and enjoyed her studies under Mr. Dinsmore's
tuition; for, being very steady, respectful, studious, and in every way a
well-behaved child, and also an interested pupil, she found favor with
him, was never subjected to reproof or punishment, but smiled upon and
constantly commended, and in consequence her opinion of him differed
widely from that of Lulu, whose quick, wilful temper was continually
getting her into trouble with him.

She was the only one of his scholars who caused him any serious
annoyance, but he had grown very weary of contending with her, and one
day when she had failed in her recitation and answered impertinently his
well-merited reproof, he said to her, "Lucilla,