iled her.

"What ails me?" repeated Shenac Dhu, reddening a little. "What in the
world should all me? I am busier than I used to be, that is all."

"You were always busy; it is not that. I think you might tell _me_,
Shenac."

"Well," began her cousin mysteriously, "I will tell you if you will
promise not to mention it. I am growing wise."

Shenac Bhan laughed.

"Well, I don't see what there is to laugh at. It's time for me to grow
wise, when you are growing foolish."

Shenac Bhan looked at her cousin a little wistfully.

"Am I growing foolish, Shenac? Is it about the house and all the
things? Perhaps I am thinking too much about them. But it is not for
myself, Shenac; at least, it's not all for myself."

But Shenac Dhu stopped her.

"You really _are_ foolish now. No; of course the house has nothing to
do with it. I called you foolish for saying that something ails me,
which is nonsense, you know. What could ail me? I put it to yourself."

"But that is what I am asking you. How can I tell? Many a thing might
go wrong with you," said Shenac Bhan.

"Yes; I might take the small-pox, or the bank might break and I might
lose my money, or many a thing might happen, as you say; and when
anything does happen, I'll tell you, you may be sure. Now tell me, is
the wide stripe in the new carpet to be red or green?"

"You are laughing at me, Cousin Shenac," said our Shenac, gravely. "I
daresay it is foolish in me, and may be wrong, to be thinking so much
about these things and teasing you about them; but, Shenac, our Allister
is a man now, and folk think much of him, and I want his house to be
nice, and I do take pleasure in thinking about it. And you know we have
been so poor and so hard pressed for the last few years, with no time to
think of anything but just what must be done to live; and it will be so
nice when we are fairly settled. And, Shenac, our Allister is so good.
There never was such a brother as Allister--never. I would not speak so
to every one, Shenac; but _you_ know."

Shenac Dhu nodded. "Yes, I know."

"If my mother were only well!" continued Shenac Bhan, and the tears that
had risen to her eyes fell on her cheeks now. "We would be too happy
then, I suppose. But it seems sad enough that she should not be able to
enjoy it all, and take her own place in the new house, after all she has
gone through."

"Yes," said Shenac Dhu, "it is very sad."

"And yet I cannot but take pleasur