e alone, except me." And Allister made one stride
across the floor, and Shenac Dhu was held fast. She could not have
struggled from that gentle and firm clasp, and she did not try.

"I thought you were at The Sixteenth, Allister," said she. "I was
there, but I am here now. And our Shenac wants to speak to you."

He brought her to the fire-light, where our Shenac was waiting, a little
shyly--that is, Shenac waited shyly. Allister brought the other Shenac
forward, not at all shyly, quite triumphantly, indeed, and then our
Shenac said softly,--

"When are you coming home, sister Shenac?"

With that the startled little creature gave one look into our Shenac's
face, and breaking from Allister's gentle hold, she clasped her round
the neck, and wept and sobbed in a way that astonished them more than a
little. For indeed there was no cause for tears, said Shenac Bhan; and
indeed she was very foolish to cry, said Allister--though there were
tears in his own eyes; and as for Shenac Bhan, the tears did not stay in
her eyes, but ran down over her face and fell on the soft black braids
of the other Shenac's bowed head; for joy will make tears fall as well
as sorrow sometimes, and joy and sorrow mingled is the source of these.

But indeed, indeed, I never thought of telling all this. When I began
my story I never meant to put a word of love or marriage in it. I meant
to end it at the happy day when Allister came home. But all Shenac's
work at home was not done when her good and loving brother took the
place she had filled so well. So my story has gone on, and will go on a
little longer; though that night, when Shenac Dhu went away and Allister
went with her, leaving Shenac Bhan to her own thoughts, she said to
herself that very soon there would be nothing more for her to do.
Allister and Shenac Dhu would care for the little ones better than she
ever could have done; for the lads were wilful often, and sometimes her
patience failed, and Allister would make men of them--wise, and strong,
and gentle, like himself. And Shenac, sweet, kind, merry Shenac Dhu,
would never be hard with the lads or little Flora, for she loved them
dearly; and it would be better for the children just to have Allister
and Shenac Dhu, and no elder sister to appeal to from them. It would be
better that she should go away--at least for a little while, till other
authority than hers should be established.

Yes; her work for the children was done.