lix Graham was a very great person indeed.

Graham had received his letter on a Wednesday, and on the following
Monday Mary, as usual, received one from him. These letters always
came to her in the evening, as she was sitting over her tea with Mrs.
Thomas, the three children having been duly put to bed. Graham's
letters were very short, as a man with a broken right arm and two
broken ribs is not fluent with his pen. But still a word or two did
come to her. "Dearest Mary, I am doing better and better, and I hope
I shall see you in about a fortnight. Quite right in giving the
money. Stick to the French. Your own F. G." But as he signed himself
her own, his mind misgave him that he was lying.

"It is very good of him to write to you while he is in such a state,"
said Mrs. Thomas.

"Indeed it is," said Mary--"very good indeed." And then she went
on with the history of "Rasselas" in his happy valley, by which
study Mrs. Thomas intended to initiate her into that course of
novel-reading which has become necessary for a British lady. But Mrs.
Thomas had a mind to improve the present occasion. It was her duty to
inculcate in her pupil love and gratitude towards the beneficent man
who was doing so much for her. Gratitude for favours past and love
for favours to come; and now, while that scrap of a letter was lying
on the table, the occasion for doing so was opportune.

"Mary, I do hope you love Mr. Graham with all your heart and all your
strength." She would have thought it wicked to say more; but so far
she thought she might go, considering the sacred tie which was to
exist between her pupil and the gentleman in question.

"Oh, yes, indeed I do;" and then Mary's eyes fell wishfully on the
cover of the book which lay in her lap while her finger kept the
place. Rasselas is not very exciting, but it was more so than Mrs.
Thomas.

"You would be very wicked if you did not. And I hope you think
sometimes of the very responsible duties which a wife owes to her
husband. And this will be more especially so with you than with any
other woman--almost that I ever heard of."

There was something in this that was almost depressing to poor Mary's
spirit, but nevertheless she endeavoured to bear up against it and
do her duty. "I shall do all I can to please him, Mrs. Thomas;--and
indeed I do try about the French. And he says I was right to give
papa that money."

"But there will be many more things than that when you've stood at
the