so little conviction of the fact in
what divines, from the Bible, call 'the inner man of the spirit;' but
when we conquer our wills, and obey one of His everlasting decrees, then
we do feel that we must belong to Him, and we have an assurance of His
presence, which is a great enough reward without the gratification of
earthly afflictions. Ah! I have had dear old Annie's voice ringing in my
ears all the morning; and I have heard George Jardine bidding me take
care of Harry, as he always did before he went from home, except the
last day when he dared not face me."

The Crawfurds came to Whitethorn. Mr. Crawfurd sent them at once; he
would not listen to a single objection or obstacle, though Lilias and
Conny were with Polly Musgrave, and it was inconvenient to spare the
others on a moment's warning. Susan could not understand it--why they
should be bidden to Whitethorn now, when it had been so long debarred to
them; but Susan liked company, even company under a cloud; and she had a
curiosity to inspect Whitethorn, into which not one of them had put a
foot, except papa and mamma, long ago. Joanna made no demur, though, a
month before, nothing would have induced her to believe that she would
be staying with Susie this March at Whitethorn. Mr. Crawfurd walked with
his daughters to the great gate, and Joanna, looking back, saw him, on
his return, switching the thistle-heads in the hedge, as she had never
witnessed him attempt in her experience; she could almost fancy he was
whistling, as Harry Jardine went piping along before he fell in love
with her.

It was a trial when Harry Jardine was introduced into the Crawfurds'
company; but Mrs. Jardine was very hospitable and kind, and Harry
rapidly recovered or assumed his usual ease and animation, and Susan
soon lost all peculiar consciousness, and Joanna fell back on the
woman's armour, dinted, but not broken, of her self-control. In a few
hours they did wonderfully well together. Susan was delighted with the
novelties of the old-fashioned country-house, and Harry was not
particularly downcast in his misfortunes; he was almost as amusing as
ever, and invented fun for her as if he had never heard the name of
bank, and, finally, he did not complain of the arrangement, of which
Susan highly approved, that she should be Harry's companion, and Joanna
should belong to Mrs. Jardine. Joanna was so sedate, and, although she
was not a business-woman like Lilias (how Susan would boast of th