eel that his kindness is a burden which I should not be
strong enough to bear solely on my own shoulders. And what should
keep me here, then?" Mrs Dale as she said this felt that the "here"
of which she spoke extended beyond the limits of the home which she
held through the charity of her brother-in-law. Might not all the
world, far as she was concerned in it, be contained in that "here"?
How was she to live if both her children should be taken away from
her? She had already realised the fact that Crosbie's house could
never be a home to her,--never even a temporary home. Her visits
there must be of that full-dressed nature to which Lily had alluded.
It was impossible that she could explain this to Lily. She would not
prophesy that the hero of her girl's heart would be inhospitable
to his wife's mother; but such had been her reading of Crosbie's
character. Alas, alas, as matters were to go, his hospitality or
inhospitality would be matter of small moment to them.

Again in the afternoon the two sisters were together, and Lily was
still more serious than her wont. It might almost have been gathered
from her manner that this marriage of hers was about to take place at
once, and that she was preparing to leave her home. "Bell," she said,
"I wonder why Dr Crofts never comes to see us now?"

"It isn't a month since he was here, at our party."

"A month! But there was a time when he made some pretext for being
here every other day."

"Yes, when mamma was ill."

"Ay, and since mamma was well, too. But I suppose I must not break
the promise you made me give you. He's not to be talked about even
yet, is he?"

"I didn't say he was not to be talked about. You know what I meant,
Lily; and what I meant then, I mean now."

"And how long will it be before you mean something else? I do hope it
will come some day,--I do indeed."

"It never will, Lily. I once fancied that I cared for Dr Crofts, but
it was only fancy. I know it, because--" She was going to explain
that her knowledge on that point was assured to her, because since
that day she had felt that she might have learned to love another
man. But that other man had been Mr Crosbie, and so she stopped
herself.

"I wish he would come and ask you himself."

"He will never do so. He would never ask such a question without
encouragement, and I shall give him none. Nor will he ever think of
marrying till he can do so without--without what he thinks to be
imprudence as regar