that she was there still for them, that she would always
be present in their lives, a warm determining influence, was witnessed
by that absence of violence which empties too soon the cup of grief. The
loss of their mother had at least brought them no sense of leaving her
behind. They were going on with their life so soon because she was going
with them.

"That was why I wanted them all to go away," Ellen took up the thought
again. "I've been thinking all day about mother being with father and
how glad he'll be to see her, and yet it seems as if I can feel her
here. I thought if we kept still a while she'd make us understand what
she wanted us to do."

"About what, Ellen?"

"About my going up to the city with you to board--it seems such a
wasteful way to live somehow, just sitting around!"

"It isn't as expensive as keeping house," Peter told her, "and I want
you to sit around, Ellen; women in Bloombury don't get enough of that
I'm afraid."

"They don't. Did you see Ada Harvey to-day? Four children and two teeth
out, and her not thirty. I guess you'd take better care of me than that,
Peter,--only----"

"You think _she_ wouldn't like it for you?"

"She thought such a lot of keeping up a home, Peter. It was like--like
those Catholics burning candles. It seemed as if she thought you'd get
something out of it if it was just going on, even if you didn't visit it
more than two or three times a year. Lots of women feel that way, Peter,
and I guess there must be something in it."

"There _is_ something in it," Peter assured her.

"And if I go and board with you we'd have to break up everything----"
She looked about on all the familiar mould of daily habit that was her
world, and tears started afresh. "And we've got all this furniture." She
moved her head toward the door of the front room and the parlour set
that had been Peter's Christmas gift to them two years ago. "For all it
was such a comfort to her to have it, it's as good as new. It seemed as
if she thought you were the only one good enough to sit in it."

"Don't, Ellen."

"I know, Peter." They were silent a while until the deep wells of grief
had stilled in the sense of that sustaining presence. "I only wanted to
be sure I wouldn't be going against her, breaking up the home. It seems
like anything she set such store by oughtn't to stop just because she
isn't here to take care of it." They had to come back to that the next
day and the next.

"I only want t