opportunities.

Miss Barry was truly satisfied. She would cling to her little dream of
"orders" and "kinds" to the last, but she always did it in an
unobtrusive way. She had felt all her life long, rather all _their_
lives, that they were made for one another. Less practically clear-eyed
than her young niece,--brought up in the active reasoning and doing of
to-day, rather than the doctrine of passive suffering that had been in
the old creed for women,--she would have assented when Sylvie refused.
To be sure, if Jack Darcy had won her he would have had a delicate and
sincere welcome; but I think her eye would never have lighted with the
true mother-love at his coming, as it did at Fred's. The worth of his
years of refinement and polish came out now. He never seemed at loss or
awkward in the sickroom. If he was reading, he warily noted the first
droop of the eyes; he could tell by the lines in her face when talking
wearied her, or when she preferred being alone. Every thing between them
was harmonious.

She amazed even Dr. Maverick by her improvement, though she held her
life even yet on the same frail tenure. She really hoped to live until
spring, when she should plan for Sylvie's marriage. Fred had made a very
profitable engagement with the widow he had spoken of, and was to
furnish designs for the interior of her house and furniture. There was
to be one purely Grecian room, one on the old Roman model, a sunset room
where every thing was to be in accord, and a "sea" room fit for Naiads
or Undines. Sylvie was intensely interested. This Mrs. Spottiswoode was
young and handsome, the widow of a man nearly three times her age, and
childless.

Fred Lawrence was proud to have something of his very own to offer
Sylvie, and she took it as the highest of all compliments. She did like
the profession, if that it could be called; for it brought them nearer
together, it was something they could both share. She copied designs
and art essays, she drew patterns, she painted now and then, days when
Miss Barry was at her best. She would make of herself something that
should enhance Fred's pride in her,--as if he was not proud enough
already!

The one least contented with all this was Philip Maverick.

"I never was so thunderstruck in all my life! That's just the word to
express it, for it left me dazed as the blackness does after the
lightning. I would have sworn, Jack, that she loved you, and you loved
her. Good heavens! if I had n