said Hollis.

"And then I was thinking that his life was a success, as father's was.
They both did the will of the Lord."

"I've been trying all day to submit to that will," said Linnet, in a
thick voice.

"Is that all we have to do with it--submit to it?" asked Hollis with a
grave smile. "Why do we always groan over 'Thy will be done,' as though
there never was anything pleasant in it?"

"That's true," returned Linnet emphatically. "When Will came Saturday, I
didn't rejoice and say 'It is the Lord's will,' but Sunday morning I
thought it was, because it was so hard! All the lovely things that happen
to us _are_ his will of course."

"Suppose we study up every time where the Lord speaks of his father's
will, and learn what that will is. Shall we, Marjorie?" proposed Hollis.

"Oh, yes; it will be delightful!" she assented.

"And when I come back from my fishing excursion we will compare notes,
and give each other our thoughts. I must give that topic in our
prayer-meeting and take it in my Bible class."

"We know the will of God is our sanctification," said Marjorie slowly. "I
don't want to sigh, 'Thy will be done,' about that."

"Hollis, I mean to hold on to that--every happy thing is God's will as
well as the hard ones," said Linnet.

"And here come the mothers for some music," exclaimed Marjorie. "They
cannot go to sleep without it."

And Marjorie's mother did not go to sleep with it. Hollis had invited
himself to remain all night, saying that he was responsible for Linnet
and could not go home unless she went home.

XXVI.

MARJORIE'S MOTHER.

"Leave to Heaven the measure and the choice."--_Johnson_.

Marjorie fell asleep as happy as she wanted to be; but her mother did not
close her eyes in sleep all that night. She closed them in prayer,
however, and told Miss Prudence afterward that she "did not catch one
wink of sleep." All night long she was asking the Lord if she might
intermeddle between Marjorie and Hollis. As we look at them there was
nothing to intermeddle with. Marjorie herself did not know of anything.
Perhaps, more than anything, she laid before the Lord what she wanted him
to do. She told him how Marjorie looked, and how depressed she had been,
and her own fear that it was disappointment that was breaking her heart.
The prayer was characteristic.

"Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest the hearts of both, and what
is in thy will for both; but thou dost choose means, tho