illness that had
altered her; yet still Amy had not Laura's harassed look.

Mary had not much talk with Amy, for it was a large party, with a good
many young ladies and children, and Amy had a great deal of work in the
way of amusing them. She had a wearied look, and was evidently exerting
herself to the utmost.

'You look tired,' said Mary, kindly.

'No, it is only stupidity,' said Amy, smiling rather sadly. 'We can't be
entertaining without Charlie.'

'It has been a melancholy winter,' began Mary, but she was surprised,
for Amy's face and neck coloured in a moment; then, recovering herself,
with some hesitation, she said,--

'Oh! but Charlie is much better, and that is a great comfort. I am glad
you are come home, Mary.'

'We are going to have some magic music,' was said at the other end of
the room. 'Who will play?'

'Little Amy!' said Mr. Edmonstone. 'Where is she? She always does it to
admiration. Amy, come and be a performer.'

Amy rose, and came forward, but the colour had flushed into her cheeks
again, and the recollection occurred to Mary, that her fame as a
performer, in that way, arose from the very amusing manner in which she
and Sir Guy had conducted the game last year. At the same moment her
mother met her, and whispered,--

'Had you rather not, my dear?'

'I can do it, mamma, thank you--never mind.'

'I should like to send you up to Charlie--he has been so long alone.'

'Oh! thank you, dear mamma,' with a look of relief.

'Here is Charlotte wild to be a musician,' said Mrs. Edmonstone.
'Perhaps you will see how she can manage; for I think Charles must want
a visit from his little nurse.'

Amy moved quietly away, and entered Charles's room, full of warm
gratitude for the kindness which was always seeking how to spare her.

Charles was asleep, and throwing a shawl round her, she sat down in the
dim light of the lamp, relieved by the stillness, only broken by now and
then a louder note of the music down-stairs. It was very comfortable,
after all that buzz of talk, and the jokes that seemed so nonsensical
and tiresome. There were but two people who could manage to make a party
entertaining, and that was the reason it was so different last year.
Then Amy wondered if she was the only person who felt sick at heart and
dreary; but she only wondered for a moment--she murmured half aloud to
herself, 'I said I never would think of him except at my prayers! Here I
am doing it again, and on Christma