and of the gentle and
loving cousin who was the friend and counsellor of the poor people
around? And when he had suggested that some day or other Mr. White might
bring his daughter to these remote regions to see all the wonders and
the splendors of them, he told her how the beautiful mother would take
her to this place and to that place, and how that Janet Macleod would
pet and befriend her, and perhaps teach her a few words of the Gaelic,
that she might have a kindly phrase for the passer-by. But this picture
of Carry's!--a houseful of wrangling women!

If she had had her will just then, she would instantly have recalled
Macleod, and placed his courage and careless confidence between her and
this cruel criticism. She had never, in truth, thought of these things.
His pertinacity would not allow her. He had kept insisting that the only
point for her to consider was whether she had sufficient love for him to
enable her to answer his great love for her with the one word "Yes."
Thereafter, according to his showing, everything else was a mere trifle.
Obstacles, troubles, delays?--he would hear of nothing of the sort. And
although, while he was present, she had been inspired by something of
this confident feeling, now when she was attacked in his absence she
felt herself defenceless.

"You may be as disagreeable as you like, Carry," said she, almost
wearily. "I cannot help it. I never could understand your dislike to Sir
Keith Macleod."

"Cannot you understand," said the younger sister, with some show of
indignation, "that if you are to marry at all, I should like to see you
marry an Englishman, instead of a great Highland savage who thinks about
nothing but beasts' skins. And why should you marry at all, Gertrude
White? I suppose he will make you leave the theatre; and instead of
being a famous woman whom everybody admires and talks about, you will be
plain Mrs. Nobody, hidden away in some place, and no one will ever hear
of you again! Do you know what you are doing? Did you ever hear of any
woman making such a fool of herself before?"

So far from being annoyed by this strong language, the elder sister
seemed quite pleased.

"Do you know, Carry, I like to hear you talk like that," she said, with
a smile. "You almost persuade me that I am not asking him for too great
a sacrifice, after all--"

"A sacrifice! On his part!" exclaimed the younger sister; and then she
added, with decision: "but it shan't be, Gertrude Whit