steps. There was something in her movements
like a hurt fawn running for cover. Her uncle sat in his accustomed
corner by the window, where the sunlight came through a little green
hedge of geraniums. His stockinged feet were on the stove damper, his
weekly newspaper in his hand.

"Ech! hech! Elsie, lass!" he cried. "Look ye here, now! Here's the
finest receep for trouble ye ever heard. Jist listen!" She paused by
his chair and smiled wanly. "There's a long bit in the newspaper here
that would be telling that wherever a poisonous weed grows, jist right
beside it, mind ye, you will be finding the herb that cures the poison.
Eh! eh! wouldn't that be jist beautiful, whatefer?" His golden-brown
eyes were radiant. "Och! hoch! but it takes the Almighty to be
managing things, indeed! Now, last night I would be rastlin' away when
the rheumatics wouldn't let me sleep--the rheumatics would be a fine
thing to make a body think--I would be rastlin' away about the poison
o' sin an' trouble that would be in the world; and here, jist to-day, I
would be reading this piece--and hoots! there it is, ye see! Yes, yes,
it takes the Almighty to manage things, indeed! And ye mind He would
be coming and living among us, ye see. There it is again: He would
jist be the cure planted right among the poison! Oh! hoch! Yes! yes!"

The girl laid her hand for a minute on his rough shirt-sleeve. "And
the rheumatism is bad again, is it, Uncle Hughie?"

"Hoots! not much, not much. It will jist be the April wind--and the
doctor would be giving me a fine liniment last time. Oh, it is the
fine young man he will be, indeed. And you would be out for a drive
with him?" he added, in kindly interest.

"Yes, uncle." Her face flushed, and she moved toward the door leading
to the stairs. "Yes, I was out for a little drive with Dr. Allen."
She passed out, and closing the door behind her, added softly to
herself, "For the last time."

CHAPTER XV

THE ELOPEMENT

For Law immutable hath one decree,
"No deed of good, no deed of ill can die;
All must ascend unto my loom and be
Woven for man in lasting tapestry."
--ISABELLA VALANCY CRAWFORD.

In the middle of May Miss Arabella's wedding gown was completed, and
presented a blue cascade of frills and flounces that delighted the
owner's beauty-loving soul. Just once had she tried it on, and then
only in sections, for Mrs. Munn said it was dreadful bad luck to w