be anything but praise
of them."

"Your sweet goddaughter. I almost feel as if I had spoken in
disparagement of her, but I meant no such thing, dear girl. It would be
hard to find a fault in her, since the childish love of admiration was
subdued. She is so solid and steady, as to be very valuable with the
younger ones, and is fast growing so lovely, that I wish you could
behold her. I do not see any vanity, but there lies my dread, not
of beauty--vanity, but that she will find temptation in the being
everywhere liked and sought after. As to Margaret, my precious companion
and friend, you have heard enough of her to know her, and, as to telling
you what she is like, I could as soon set about describing her papa.
When I thought of not being spared to them this time, it was happiness
indeed to think of her at their head, fit to be his companion, with so
much of his own talent as to be more up to conversation with him, than
he could ever have found his stupid old Maggie. It was rather a trial
of her discretion to have Mr. Ernescliffe here while I was upstairs,
and very well she seems to have come out of it. Poor Richard's last
disappointment is still our chief trouble. He has been working hard with
a tutor all through the vacation, and has not even come home to see his
new sister, on his way to Oxford. He had made a resolution that he would
not come to us till he had passed, and his father thought it best that
it should be kept. I hope he will succeed next time, but his nervousness
renders it still more doubtful. With him it is the very reverse of
Norman. He suffers too much for want of commendation, and I cannot
wonder at it, when I see how much each failure vexes his father, and
Richard little knows how precious is our perfect confidence in him, how
much more valuable than any honours he could earn. You would be amused
to see how little he is altered from the pretty little fair fellow,
that you used to say was so like my old portrait, even the wavy rings of
light glossy hair sit on his forehead, just as you liked to twist them;
and his small trim figure is a fine contrast to Norman's long legs and
arms, which--"

There the letter broke off, the playful affection of the last words
making it almost more painful to think that the fond hand would never
finish the sentence.

CHAPTER VI.

A drooping daisy changed into a cup,
In which her bright-eyed beauty is shut up.