y. "You must get well
for all our sakes. Anna cares, and I care very much. We all care, more
than we thought we did till we knew you were ill."

"Anna," whispered the invalid, "is she--all--right?"

"Yes, Tony has soothed her to sleep, and is sitting by her, and I am
going to sit by you while you go to sleep. Dr. Yearsley says you
mustn't talk any more now," and Kitty, seated in a chair by her aunt's
bedside, held her helpless hand lovingly until she had fallen into the
easiest sleep she had had yet. By-and-by the nurse came back, and Kitty
was free to move.

"I think I must go and talk to Fanny now," she thought, and she made her
way to the kitchen, thinking very soberly the while.

"Fanny," she said, "you and I have to steer this ship between us, and
for the honour of the ship we must do it as well as ever we can.
I--I am afraid I am not very much good, but I am going to try hard; and
I think we shall be able to manage it between us, don't you?" wistfully.
"Of course having strangers in the house makes it more difficult; but we
will do our best, won't we?"

"That we will, Miss Kitty," said Fanny heartily, "and between us all we
ought to be able to do things fitty."

The strangers, Dr. Yearsley and Mrs. Pike's nurse, made housekeeping a
more serious matter certainly, and illness complicated things; but Aunt
Pike's reign, though unpleasant in many ways, had made others easier for
Kitty. The house was in good order, rules had been made and enforced.
Fanny and Grace had learned much, and profited a good deal by the
training, and, best of all, all worked together with a will to make
things go smoothly.

There was hope and good news to cheer them too. Aunt Pike grew daily
better; by very, very slow degrees, it is true, but still there were
degrees. Good news came from their traveller too--news of restored
health, good spirits, and, presently, a longing to be at home and at
work again.

And then, so quickly did the busy days fly, they had only a very few
left to count to the return of the two absent ones, for Dr. Trenire and
Dan were to meet and travel home together. Then the last day came, and
the last hour, and then--Kitty found herself once more with her father's
arms about her.

"Why, father," she cried, standing back and studying carefully his
cheerful, sunburnt face, and his look of health and strength, "you are
more like the old father than you have been for ever so long."

Dr. Trenire burst into