nefit of his few additional years' experience,
and relieving him of some of his tasks. He was indeed like one of
themselves, and a most valuable help and comforter. Mr. Wilmot gave them
all the time he could, and on this day saw the doctor, who seemed to
find some solace in his visit, though saying very little.

On this day the baby was to be baptized. The usual Stoneborough fashion
was to collect all the christenings for the month into one Sunday,
except those for such persons as thought themselves too refined to see
their children christened before the congregation, and who preferred
an empty church and a week-day. The little one had waited till she was
nearly six weeks old for "a Christening Sunday," and since that had been
missed, she could not be kept unbaptized for another month; so, late in
the day, she was carried to church.

Richard had extremely gratified old nurse, by asking her to represent
poor Margaret; Mrs. Hoxton stood for the other godmother, and Alan
Ernescliffe was desired to consider himself absolutely her sponsor, not
merely a proxy. The younger children alone were to go with them: it
was too far off, and the way lay too much through the town for it to
be thought proper for the others to go. Ethel wished it very much, and
thought it nonsense to care whether people looked at her; and in spite
of Miss Winter's seeming shocked at her proposing it, had a great mind
to persist. She would even have appealed to her papa, if Flora had
not stopped her, exclaiming, "Really, Ethel, I think there never was a
person so entirely without consideration as you are."

Much abashed, Ethel humbly promised that if she might go into papa's
room, she would not say one word about the christening, unless he should
begin, and, to her great satisfaction, he presently asked her to read
the service to him. Flora came to the doorway of Margaret's room, and
listened; when she had finished, all were silent.

"How shall we, how can we virtuously bring up our motherless little
sister?" was the thought with each of the girls. The answers were, in
one mind, "I trust we shall do well by her, dear little thing. I see, on
an emergency, that I know how to act. I never thought I was capable of
being of so much use, thanks to dear, dear mamma's training. I shall
manage, I am sure, and so they will all depend on me, and look up to me.
How nice it was to hear dear papa say what he did about the comfort of
my being able to look after Margar