rs
ago."

"It will be a hundred and fifty years old then," returned Marjorie,
seriously, "and I think," she added rebukingly, "that _you_ were building
castles then."

"I had you and the pitcher for the foundation," said Miss Prudence, in a
tone of mock humility.

"Don't you think--" Marjorie's face had a world of suggestion in
it--"that 'The Swan's Nest' is bad influence for girls? Little Ellie sits
alone and builds castles about her lover, even his horse is 'shod in
silver, housed in azure' and a thousand serfs do call him master, and he
says 'O, Love, I love but thee.'"

"But all she looks forward to is showing him the swan's nest among the
reeds! And when she goes home, around a mile, as she did daily, lo, the
wild swan had deserted and a rat had gnawed the reeds. That was the end
of her fine castle!"

"'If she found the lover, ever,
Sooth, I know not, but I know
She could never show him, never,
That swan's nest among the reeds,'"

quoted Marjorie. "So it did all come to nothing."

"As air-castles almost always do. But we'll hope she found something
better."

"Do people?" questioned Marjorie.

"Hasn't God things laid up for us better than we can ask or think or
build castles about?"

"I _hope_ so," said Marjorie; "but Hollis Rheid's mother told mother
yesterday that her life was one long disappointment."

"What did your mother say?"

"She said 'Oh, Mrs. Rheid, it won't be if you get to Heaven, at last.'"

"I think not."

"But she doesn't expect to go to Heaven, she says. Mother says she's
almost in 'despair' and she pities her so!"

"Poor woman! I don't see how she can live through despair. The old
proverb 'If it were not for hope, the heart would break,' is most
certainly true."

"Why didn't you come before?" asked Marjorie, caressing the hand that
still played with the fan.

"Perhaps you never lived on a farm and cannot understand. I could not
come in the ox-cart because the oxen were in the field, and every day
since I heard of your accident your uncle has had to drive your aunt to
Portland on some business. And I did not feel strong enough to walk until
this morning."

"How good you are to walk!"

"As good as you are to walk to see me."

"Oh, but I am young and strong, and I wanted to see you so, and ask you
questions so."

"I believe the latter," said Miss Prudence smiling.

"Well, I'm happy now," Marjorie sighed, with the burden of her trouble
still upon her. "Suppose I ha