And
he had thought she would accept that motto from him.

"I am not the first fellow that has gone through this," he comforted
himself grimly. "I will not throw it overboard; she will listen next
time."

Next time? Ah, poor Morris, if you had known about next time, would you
have spoken to-night?

"Marjorie, I have something for you, but I would rather not give it to
you to-night," he said with some confusion.

"Well," she said, quietly, "I can wait."

"Do you _want_ to wait."

"Yes. I think I do," she answered deliberately.

Miss Prudence's step was at the front parlor door.

"You young folks are not observing the clock, I see. Marjorie must study
astronomy by starlight to-morrow morning, and I am going to send you
upstairs, Morris. But first, shall we have family worship, together? I
like to have a priest in my house when I can."

She laid Marjorie's Bible in his hand as she spoke. He read a short
Psalm, and then they knelt together. He had grown; Marjorie felt it in
every word of the simple heartfelt prayer. He prayed like one at home
with God. One petition she long remembered: "Lord, when thou takest
anything away from us, fill us the more with thyself."

XVIII.

ONE DAY.

"Education is the apprenticeship of life."--_Willmott._

Marjorie did not study astronomy by starlight, but she awoke very early
and tripped with bare feet over the carpet into Miss Prudence's chamber.
Deborah kindled the wood fire early in Miss Prudence's chamber that Prue
might have a warm room to dress in. It was rarely that Marjorie studied
in the morning, the morning hours were reserved for practicing and for
fun with Prue. She said if she had guessed how delightful it was to have
a little sister she should have been all her life mourning for one. She
almost envied Linnet because she had had Marjorie.

The fire was glowing in the airtight when she ran into the chamber, there
was a faint light in the east, but the room was so dark that she just
discerned Prue's curls close to the dark head on the pillow and the
little hand that was touching Miss Prudence's cheek.

"This is the law of compensation," she thought as she busied herself in
dressing; "one has found a mother and the other a little girl! It isn't
quite like the old lady who said that when she had nothing to eat she had
no appetite! I wonder if Miss Prudence has _all_ her compensations!"

She stepped noiselessly over the stairs, opened the back parlor door,