ws cleared away, as they usually
did, and she set herself to the doing of what this holiday at home gave
her to do. There was mending, making up accounts, a drawing to finish
for a model; after that, if she could get it all done in time, there
might be a bit of blessed reading in a new book that her old friend
Miss Fairbairn had lent her. Esther set her face bravely to her day's
work.

The morning was not far advanced, and the mending was not finished,
when the unwonted door-knocker sounded again. This time the door was
opened by some one whom Pitt did not know, and who did not know him;
for Mrs. Bounder had come into town, and, as Barker's hands were just
in her bread, had volunteered to go to the door for her. Pitt was
ushered into the little parlour, in which, as nobody was there, he had
leisure to make several observations. Yesterday he had had no leisure
for them. Now he looked about him. That the fortunes of the family must
have come down very much it was evident. Such a street, in the first
place; then this little bit of a house; and then, there was more than
that; he could see tokens unmistakeable of scantness of means. The
drugget was well worn, had been darned in two places--very neatly, but
darned it was, and the rest of it threatened breaches. The carpet
beyond the drugget was old and faded, and the furniture?--Pitt wondered
if it could be the same furniture, it looked so different here. There
was the colonel's couch, however; he recognised that, although in its
chintz cover, which was no longer new, but faded like the carpet. Books
on the table were certainly the colonel's books; but no pictures were
on the walls, no pretty trifles lying about; nothing was there that
could testify of the least margin of means for anything that was not
strictly necessary. Yet it was neat and comfortable; but Pitt felt that
expenditures were very closely measured, and no latitude allowed to
ease or to fancy. He stood a few minutes, looking and taking all this
in; and then the inner door opened, and he forgot it instantly. At one
stroke, as it were, the mean little room was transformed into a sacred
temple, and here was the priestess. The two young people stood a second
or two silent, facing each other.

But Esther knew him at once; and more, as she met the frank, steadfast
eyes that she had known and trusted so long ago, she trusted them at
once again and perfectly. There was no mistaking either their truth or
their kindnes