ll have to be made.' And she relapsed into cold silence;
but Vava saw that tears of mortification were in her eyes.

The girl made one or two attempts to speak to Stella, but without
success, and they walked home in silence from the station. Oh how glad
Vava was to have 'nursie' there, into whose ears she poured the whole
story.

'You should not have said it, Miss Vava; of course Miss Stella is vexed
at your suggesting such a thing,' said the old woman.

'But she does not know that I suggested it; she only knows half the
story, and I can't make her listen,' objected Vava.

'You must leave her alone till she comes round; her pride is hurt, and
no wonder. What I do wonder at is your talking about such things as
marriage to a strange gentleman; it's very unbecoming in a young lady of
your age,' said the housekeeper.

But 'nursie' could say what she liked to her 'bairn,' who took it quite
meekly, and did as she was told, and left Stella alone.

After dinner, at which they were all rather silent, Stella wrote a
letter, which she took out and posted, not at the pillar but at the
post-office.

'There now, she's written Mr. Jones a horrid letter, I'm quite sure!'
exclaimed Vava to the housekeeper.

'It's none of your business if she has,' replied the latter.

'I don't know so much about that. Mr. Jones will think I repeated the
conversation all wrong, and I'm certain she is sending back the extra
money,' retorted Vava.

'You can't help that; your elder sister must do what she thinks right,'
insisted the housekeeper.

'I can help it; I can write to Mr. Jones and tell him the truth,'
declared Vava.

But Mrs. Morrison would not hear of this. 'You wrote once, and it vexed
her; and now that she has forbidden you to go to see Mr. Jones any more
you have nothing to do but obey, even if it is hard.'

'But he will think horrid things of me,' protested Vava.

'I do not think he will; but even so, you must abide by it. Dearie me,
what bairns you all are! You are nothing but children, all of you, and
making trouble for yourselves, as if there were not enough in the world
without your adding to it,' said the good woman with a sigh, for she had
taken Amy and Eva to her warm heart, and their troubles as well, and
just now her keen eyes saw that there was trouble with them as well as
with her own two 'bairns.'

Stella's walk had done her good, for she seemed more cheerful at tea,
and spoke a few words to Vava, whose buoyant