bout my niece; they said at home, 'Do not invite my
cousin, she is too fine, too gay to come to a country wedding; she
would not like it;' but I think, surrounded as she is by luxuries,
that the fresh air of Repton, the fresh flowers, fresh fields, and
fresh smiles of her cousins would do my niece good, great good, and
we shall be quite gay in our own homely way--the gaiety that upsprings
from hearts grateful to the Almighty for his goodness. The fact is,
that in about three weeks _my_ Mary is to be married to our rector's
eldest son! In three weeks. As he is only his father's curate, they
could not have afforded to marry for five or six years, if I had not
been able to tell down a handsome sum for Mary's fortune; it was a
proud thing to be able to make a good child happy by care in time.
'Care in time,' that's my stronghold! How glad we were to look back
and think, that while we educated them properly, we denied ourselves
to perform our duty to the children God had given to our care. We have
not been as _gay_ as our neighbours, whose means were less than ours;
we could not be so, seeing we had to provide for five children; but
our pleasure has been to elevate and render those children happy and
prosperous. Mary will be so happy, dear child--so happy! Only think,
John, she will be six years the sooner happy from our _care in time_!"
This was more than his niece could bear. The good father was so
full of his daughter's happiness, and the doctor so overwhelmed with
self-reproach--never felt so bitterly as at that moment--that neither
perceived the death-like paleness that overspread the less fortunate
Mary's face. She got up to leave the room, staggered, and fell at her
father's feet.

"We have murdered her between us," muttered Dr. Adams, while he raised
her up; "murdered her; but _I_ struck the first blow. God forgive me!
God forgive me!"

That night the brothers spent in deep and earnest converse. The
certainty of his own prosperity, the self-gratulation that follows
a just and careful discharge of duties imposed alike by reason and
religion, had not raised Charles above his brother in his own esteem.
Pained beyond description at the suffering he had so unconsciously
inflicted on his niece--horror-struck at the fact, that thousands
upon thousands had been lavished, yet nothing done for hereafter, the
hereafter that _must_ come, he urged upon John the danger of delay,
the uncertainty of life. Circumstances increased h