ling again
impressed her with its vast distance from the floor. In the centre of
this one, like the others, was a circular ornamental device of plaster;
flowers and fruit and birds, and great bunches of hard white grapes
that looked ready to fall heavily upon one's head. One end of the room
was almost filled with a black marble mantel and over it hung a picture
of Queen Victoria with her family, in the early days of her married
life. There was a big low bed of heavy walnut, four high windows with
stiff lace curtains, a circular marble-topped table and a tiny writing
desk. Miss Armstrong assisted her to remove her hat, expressing the
hope that she had had a pleasant trip from Barbay. Helen did not say
that her heart had been aching all the way. She merely assured her
that the trip had been very comfortable indeed, and that Captain
McTavish had done everything to make it enjoyable.

"Jimmie McTavish is a kind creature," said Miss Armstrong. "Very
ignorant, and too familiar entirely; but he is well-meaning, for all
that. Now, I hope you will feel perfectly at home with us here, Miss
Murray. Your father's daughter could not but be welcome at Rosemount.
Indeed, I am afraid, had you not been a clergyman's daughter, I should
never have consented to taking you. Having any one to board was so
foreign to our minds. But Mr. Brians begged us to take you. You see
he is chairman of the school board, and always sees to it that the
young persons who teach have suitable homes."

"I am so sorry if my coming has inconvenienced you," stammered Helen,
for Miss Armstrong's manner was very impressive.

"Oh, not at all, I assure you. When we heard who you were, we
consented with pleasure. We have so much more room in this big house
than we need. There is a very large family of us, Miss Murray, as you
will discover, but now there are only my mother and my sister and I
left at Rosemount." Her face grew sad. "But indeed I sometimes have
thought recently," she added, growing stately again, "that my dear
father would turn in his grave if he knew we were filling Rosemount
with boarders."

She paused a moment, and the strange girl was wondering miserably if
she should take her bag and move out to some other place, rather than
risk disturbing her father's old friend in his last long sleep, when
Miss Armstrong went on. "I hope you won't mind, Miss Murray, you are
to be as one of the family, you know, and if you would be so good--"