ll come again to-night."

Mr. Wilkins liked to feel his child dependent on him for all her
pleasures. He was even a little jealous of anyone who devised a treat or
conferred a present, the first news of which did not come from or through
him.

At last it was necessary that Ellinor should have some more instruction
than her good old nurse could give. Her father did not care to take upon
himself the office of teacher, which he thought he foresaw would
necessitate occasional blame, an occasional exercise of authority, which
might possibly render him less idolized by his little girl; so he
commissioned Lady Holster to choose out one among her many _protegees_
for a governess to his daughter. Now, Lady Holster, who kept a sort of
amateur county register-office, was only too glad to be made of use in
this way; but when she inquired a little further as to the sort of person
required, all she could extract from Mr. Wilkins was:

"You know the kind of education a lady should have, and will, I am sure,
choose a governess for Ellinor better than I could direct you. Only,
please, choose some one who will not marry me, and who will let Ellinor
go on making my tea, and doing pretty much what she likes, for she is so
good they need not try to make her better, only to teach her what a lady
should know."

Miss Monro was selected--a plain, intelligent, quiet woman of forty--and
it was difficult to decide whether she or Mr. Wilkins took the most pains
to avoid each other, acting with regard to Ellinor, pretty much like the
famous Adam and Eve in the weather-glass: when the one came out the other
went in. Miss Monro had been tossed about and overworked quite enough in
her life not to value the privilege and indulgence of her evenings to
herself, her comfortable schoolroom, her quiet cozy teas, her book, or
her letter-writing afterwards. By mutual agreement she did not interfere
with Ellinor and her ways and occupations on the evenings when the girl
had not her father for companion; and these occasions became more and
more frequent as years passed on, and the deep shadow was lightened which
the sudden death that had visited his household had cast over him. As I
have said before, he was always a popular man at dinner-parties. His
amount of intelligence and accomplishment was rare in ---shire, and if it
required more wine than formerly to bring his conversation up to the
desired point of range and brilliancy, wine was not an articl