ignity to her slight figure, contrasting with the summer
muslins of her two cousins; as did her hot-house plant fairness, with
their firm, healthy glow of complexion; her tender shrinking grace,
with their upright vigour. The gentleman of the party leant hack in a
languid, easy posture, as though only half awake, and the whole was
so quiet that Grace, missing the usual tumult of children, asked after
them.

"The boys have gone to their favourite cove under the plantation. They
have a fort there, and Hubert told me he was to be a hero, and Miss
Williams a she-ro."

"I would not encourage that description of sport," said Rachel, willing
to fight a battle in order to avert maternal anecdotes of boyish
sayings.

"They like it so much," said Fanny, "and they learn so much now that
they act all the battles they read about."

"That is what I object to," said Rachel; "it is accustoming them to
confound heroism with pugnacity."

"No, but Rachel dear, they do quarrel and fight among themselves much
less now that this is all in play and good humour," pleaded Fanny.

"Yes, that may be, but you are cultivating the dangerous instinct,
although for a moment giving it a better direction."

"Dangerous? Oh, Alick! do you think it can be?" said Fanny, less easily
borne down with a supporter beside her.

"According to the Peace Society," he answered, with a quiet air of
courteous deference; "perhaps you belong to it?"

"No, indeed," answered Rachel, rather indignantly, "I think war the
great purifier and ennobler of nations, when it is for a good and great
cause; but I think education ought to protest against confounding mere
love of combat with heroism."

"Query, the true meaning of the word?" he said, leaning back.

"Heros, yes from the same root as the German herr," readily responded
Rachel, "meaning no more than lord and master; but there can be no
doubt that the progress of ideas has linked with it a much nobler
association."

"Progress! What, since the heroes were half divine!"

"Half divine in the esteem of a people who thought brute courage
godlike. To us the word maintains its semi-divinity, and it should
be our effort to associate it only with that which veritably has the
god-like stamp."

"And that is--?"

"Doing more than one's duty," exclaimed Rachel, with a glistening eye.

"Very uncomfortable and superfluous, and not at all easy," he said, half
shutting his already heavy eyes.

"Easy, no, that's the be