a whole heap of domestic
reasons; but, if you can get Mark to come, do, it would be so good for
him.'

'How is Mark?'

'He is well, quite well,' said Annaple; 'and so good and patient. But
you see, it does take it out of a man when that doleful little noise
won't stop all night! We are both acquiring a form of somnambulism,
but when there's real out-of-door business to be done, it is not like
proper sleep.'

'Or when there's woman's indoor business, I am afraid,' said Nuttie,
much concerned at the extreme thinness of Annaple's face and hands, and
the weary look of her large eyes.

'Oh, one makes that up at odd times!' she answered brightly. 'One
thing is, this work suits Mark, he feels that he can do it, and he gets
on well with the men. They asked him to join in their club, and he was
so much pleased. He gets up subjects for them, and I am so glad he has
such a pleasure and interest to keep him from missing the society he
was used to.'

'It must be very good for them too. Mr. Dutton said he really thought
Mark had kept them from going in for a strike.'

'Besides the glory of the thing,' said Annaple drawing herself up, 'Mr.
Dobbs thought so too, and raised us ten pounds; which made us able to
import that little Bridgefield lassie to hold baby--when--when Miss
Jenny will let her. He has some law copying to do besides, but I don't
like that; it burns the candle at both ends, and he does get bad
headaches sometimes, and goes on all the same.'

'You must both come and see my Wyn.'

'Ah! I had never asked after him. I suppose he is as pretty as ever,'
said Annaple, who secretly thought his beauty too girlish compared with
her sturdy Billy.

'Prettier, I think, as he gets more expression. We can't persuade
ourselves to cut his hair, and it looks so lovely on his sailor suit.
And he is so good. I could not have believed a child could be so quiet
and considerate on a journey. You should have seen him standing by my
father's knee in the railway carriage, and amusing him with all that
was to be seen, and stopping at the least hint that he was chattering
too much.'

'Billy is wonderfully helpful. Ah--' and Annaple's eyes lighted up as
the step that had music in't came up the stair; and as Mark came in,
Nuttie thought him grown older, his hair thinner, his shoulders
rounded, and his office coat shabby, but she saw something in his
countenance there had never been before. Ever since she had known him
he