. All
that kind hearts and experienced hands could do to aid these young
people in the care of their suffering mother was done; but all was only
a little. It was the strong arm of Allister which lifted and laid down,
and moved unceasingly, the never-resting form of the mother. It was
Shenac who smoothed her pillow and moistened her lips, and performed all
the numberless offices so necessary to the sick, yet too often so
useless to soothe pain. It was the voice of Hamish that sometimes had
the power to soothe to quietness, if not to repose, the ever-moaning
sufferer. Friends came with counsel and encouragement, but her children
never left her through all. It was a terrible time to them. Their
mother's failure had been so gradual that the thought of her death had
not been forced upon them; and, quite unaccustomed to the sight of so
great suffering, as the days and nights wore on, bringing no change, no
respite, but ever the same moaning and agony, they looked into one
another's faces appalled. It was terrible; but it came to an end at
last. They could not sorrow for her when the close came. They rejoiced
rather that she had found rest. But they were motherless and desolate.

It was a very hushed and sorrowful home that night, when all the friends
who had returned with them from the grave were gone, and the children
were alone together; and for many days after that. If this trouble had
come upon them a year ago, there would have been some danger that the
silence and sadness that rested upon them might have changed to gloom
and despondency on Shenac's part; for she felt that her mother's death
had "unsettled old foundations," and when she looked forward to what her
life might be now, it was not always that she could do so hopefully.
But she was quiet and not impatient--willing to wait and see what time
might bring to them all.

By-and-by the affairs of the house and of the farm fell back into the
old routine, and life flowed quietly on. The new house made progress.
It was so nearly completed that they had intended to remove to it about
the time their mother became worse. The work went on through all their
time of trouble, and one after another the workmen went away; but
nothing was said of any change to be made, till the year was drawing to
a close. It was Hamish who spoke of it then, first to Shenac and then
to Allister; and before Christmas they were quite settled in their new
home.

Christmas passed, an