such a man as that?"

"But you may get better preferment."

"Ah, no; and if he did, we are hardly fit for it now. If I could
think that I could educate my children; if I could only do something
for my poor Grace--" In answer to this Mrs. Robarts said a word or
two, but not much. She resolved, however, that if she could get her
husband's leave, something should be done for Grace. Would it not be
a good work? and was it not incumbent on her to make some kindly use
of all the goods with which Providence had blessed herself? And then
they went back to the sitting-room, each again with a young child in
her arms, Mrs. Crawley having stowed away in the kitchen the chicken
broth and the leg of pork and the supply of eggs. Lucy had been
engaged the while with the children, and when the two married ladies
entered, they found that a shop had been opened at which all manner
of luxuries were being readily sold and purchased at marvellously
easy prices; the guava jelly was there, and the oranges, and the
sugar-plums, red and yellow and striped; and, moreover, the
gingerbread had been taken down in the audacity of their commercial
speculations, and the nuts were spread out upon a board, behind which
Lucy stood as shop-girl, disposing of them for kisses. "Mamma,
mamma," said Bobby, running up to his mother, "you must buy something
of her," and he pointed with his fingers at the shop-girl. "You must
give her two kisses for that heap of barley-sugar." Looking at
Bobby's mouth at the time, one would have said that his kisses might
be dispensed with.

When they were again in the pony carriage behind the impatient Puck,
and were well away from the door, Fanny was the first to speak. "How
very different those two are," she said; "different in their minds
and in their spirit!"

"But how much higher toned is her mind than his! How weak he is in
many things, and how strong she is in everything! How false is his
pride, and how false his shame!"

"But we must remember what he has to bear. It is not every one that
can endure such a life as his without false pride and false shame."

"But she has neither," said Lucy.

"Because you have one hero in a family, does that give you a right to
expect another?" said Mrs. Robarts. "Of all my own acquaintance, Mrs.
Crawley, I think, comes nearest to heroism." And then they passed by
the Hogglestock school, and Mr. Crawley, when he heard the noise of
the wheels, came out. "You have been very kind," s