if the girl had
been happier in the giving of it.

"But," said her hopeful mistress, "that will come in time."

CHAPTER FOUR.

"She crept a' day about the house
Slow fitted and heart-sair."

Truly there was enough to do in the house. Allison's day began long
before the dawn of the winter morning, and ended when there was nothing
more to do, and night had come by that time. All was done deftly and
thoroughly, as even the faithful Kirstin had not always done it, but
silently and mechanically. She took no satisfaction, that her mistress
could see, in a difficult or tiresome piece of work well ended--in a
great washing or ironing got through in good time, or in a kitchen made
perfect in neatness. When the lads came home from school to put it all
in disorder, with bats and balls, and sticks and stones, she made no
remonstrance, but set to work to put it in order again. It made no
difference, her downcast face seemed to say.

With the lads themselves--tiresome and vexatious often--she was, for the
most part, patient and forbearing, but it was not a loving patience, or
a considerate forbearance, as old Kirstin's had been. Kirstin had been
vexed often, and had sometimes complained of their thoughtlessness and
foolishness. But nothing seemed to make much difference to the silent
ruler of the kitchen. Everything but the work of the moment was allowed
to pass unheeded.

The lads, cautioned by their father, and kept in mind by their mother,
did not often go beyond the bounds of reasonable liberty in the use they
made of her domain. When they did so, a sharp word, like a sudden shot,
brought them to their proper place again and set matters right between
them. The lads bore no malice. They never complained to their mother
at such times, and if they had, she would have paid little attention to
such complaints. That "laddies must be kept in order," she very well
knew.

And thus the early weeks of winter passed, doing for Allison some of the
good which work well done is sure to do for the heavy-hearted. But the
good which the busy days wrought, the nights, for a time, seemed to
destroy.

In the long evenings, when Marjorie and the younger brothers were
asleep, and the elder lads were at their books, there came a time of
quiet to all the house, when Allison had the kitchen to herself and she
could sit in silence, undisturbed, but not at rest. Then her trouble
came back upon her, and night after night she