TEA AT HUNTERS' BRAE.

"They looked upon me from the pictured wall;
They--the great dead--
Stood still upon the canvas while I told
The glorious memories to their ashes wed."

E. B. BROWNING.

The day passed very slowly for Marjory until four o'clock, which was the
time appointed for the arrival of her visitor. She wondered whether
Uncle George would have tea with them, and, it must be confessed, she
secretly hoped that he would not, telling herself that it would be much
nicer without him, because Blanche and she would then feel free to talk
to each other. It must not be supposed that a better understanding of
her uncle could be reached by leaps and bounds. The change from the
confidence of the baby child to the constraint and awkwardness of the
older girl had been gradual, and the return to that fearless confidence
must be gradual too; but Marjory had taken a step in the right direction
that morning, and she really meant to try hard.

The girl had never had a friend of her own age to tea in her life, and
she felt how delightful it would be if they could be alone together.

There were occasional tea-parties at Hunters' Brae, but they were
dreaded rather than looked forward to by Marjory. The company usually
consisted of the minister and his wife and the doctor and his wife, and
it seemed to Marjory that these parties had been exactly the same in
every detail for years. The guests made the same flattering remarks
about Lisbeth's scones, cookies, and shortbread; they told the same
tales, and they put Marjory through the same catechism. How old was she
now? How was she getting on with her lessons? Could she sew her seam
nicely? Could she turn the heel of a sock? When these questions were
asked and answered, there would be long silences, broken only by the
crunching of shortbread and the swallowing of tea. To Marjory these
silences caused the most acute pain. She felt helpless and inclined to
run away, or scream, or do something to create a diversion. She would
watch the hands of the clock, hoping that each minute might bring a
remark from somebody. But the other people did not seem to mind the lack
of conversation; and once she counted ten whole minutes during which no
one said anything except what was necessary in passing and handing
eatables! How different her tea-party might be, she thought, if
only--But then she stopped, thinking of her new resolves. Still, it was
a great relief when the doctor sa