her to suffer, whether he recovers or not.'

'He will recover' said Charles, with the decided manner in which people
prophesy the restoration of those they dislike, probably from a feeling
that they must not die, till there is more charity in their opinion of
them.

'Your father will be so grieved.'

'Well, I suppose we must begin to make the best of it,' said Charles.
'She has been as good as married to him these four years, for any use
she has been to us; it has been only the name of the thing, so he had
better--'

'My dear Charlie, what are you talking of? You don't imagine they can
marry?'

'They will some time or other, for assuredly neither will marry any
one else. You will see if Guy does not take up the cause, and return
Philip's meddling--which, by the bye, is now shown to have been more
preposterous still--by setting their affairs in order for them.'

'Dear Guy, it is a comfort not to have been deceived in him!'

'Except when you believed Philip,' said Charles.

'Could anything have been more different?' proceeded Mrs. Edmonstone;
'yet the two girls had the same training.'

'With an important exception,' said Charles; 'Laura is Philip's pupil,
Amy mine; and I think her little ladyship is the best turned out of
hand.'

'How shocked Amy will be! If she was but here, it would be much better,
for she always had more of Laura's confidence than I. Oh, Charlie, there
has been the error!' and Mrs. Edmonstone's eyes were full of tears.
'What fearful mistake have I made to miss my daughter's confidence!'

'You must not ask me, mother,' said Charles, face and voice full of
affectionate emotion. 'I know too well that I have been exacting and
selfish, taking too much advantage of your anxieties for me, and that if
you were not enough with my sisters when they were young girls, it was
my fault as much as my misfortune. But, after all, it has not hurt Amy
in the least; nor do I think it will hurt Charlotte.'

Charlotte did not venture to give way to her desire to kiss her mother,
and thank Charles, lest she should be exiled as an intruder.

'And,' proceeded Charles, serious, though somewhat roguish, 'I suspect
that no attention would have made much difference. You were always too
young, and Laura too much addicted to the physical sciences to get on
together.'

'A weak, silly mother, sighed Mrs. Edmonstone.

This was too much for Charlotte, who sprang forward, and flung her arms
round her neck, sobbing out