at I don't mind that a bit."

Johnnie smiled and was comforted. Her thoughts turned to the coming
visitor.

"Perhaps she'll be like the rich ladies in story-books," she said to
herself.

Next day Miss Inches came. Katy was an experienced housekeeper now, and
did not worry over coming guests as once she did. The house was always
in pleasant, home-like order; and though Debby and Alexander had
fulfilled Aunt Izzie's prediction by marrying one another, both stayed
on at Dr. Carr's and were as good and faithful as ever, so Katy had no
anxieties as to the dinners and breakfasts. It was late in the afternoon
when the visitor arrived. Fresh flowers filled the vases, for it was
early June, and the garden-beds were sweet with roses and lilies of the
valley. The older girls wore new summer muslins, and Johnnie in white,
her short curls tied back with a blue ribbon, looked unusually pretty
and delicate.

Miss Inches, a wide-awake, handsome woman, seemed much pleased to see
them all.

"So this is my name-child," she said, putting her arm about Johnnie.
"This is my little Joanna? You're the only child I have any share in,
Joanna; I hope we shall love each other very deeply."

Miss Inches' hand was large and white, with beautiful rings on the
fingers. Johnnie was flattered at being patted by such a hand, and
cuddled affectionately to the side of her name-mamma.

"What eyes she has!" murmured Miss Inches to Dr. Carr. She lowered her
voice, but Johnnie caught every word. "Such a lambent blue, and so full
of soul. She is quite different from the rest of your daughters, Dr.
Carr; don't you think so?"

"She has been ill recently, and is looking thin," replied the prosaic
Papa.

"Oh, it isn't _that_! There is something else,--hard to put into words,
but I feel it! You don't see it? Well, that only confirms a theory of
mine, that people are often blind to the qualities of their nearest
relations. We cannot get our own families into proper perspective. It
isn't possible."

These fine words were lost on Johnnie, but she understood that she was
pronounced nicer than the rest of the family. This pleased her: she
began to think that she should like Miss Inches very much indeed.

Dr. Carr was not so much pleased. The note from Miss Inches, over which
he and Katy had laughed, but which was not shown to the rest, had
prepared him for a visitor of rather high-flown ideas, but he did not
like having Johnnie singled out as the subject o