supposed by his fellow-servants to belong to
Miss Julia's brute of a husband.

Dinner had been over rather more than an hour, when Walter, who had been
absent for a short time from the drawing-room, returned, beckoned to
Amos, and then, gently laying hold of his sister's hand, drew her
towards the door. "Come here, just for one minute," he said, with a
merry smile twinkling in his eyes. "Father will spare you just for a
minute;" and he conducted her out of the room. Oh, what a flood of joy
came into her heart with that smile of Walter's. Years had passed since
she had rejoiced in its light. What would she have given could the
frightful interval between this smile and the last she had seen before
it have been wiped clean out! To her that interval had been one
prolonged and gloomy frown. But now the three, Amos, Walter, and their
sister, made their way downstairs. Oh, it was so like a bit of childish
fun in days gone by! And now they arrived at the butler's pantry, the
door of which was fast closed. Walter knocked. "Come in," said the old
man. They entered; and all exclaimed at the sight which presented
itself. On every available projection there was placed a portion of a
candle, making in all some thirty or forty lights, which made the little
room one brilliant blaze. On the wall opposite the door were the words,
"Welcome home again," in large red and blue letters; and on another wall
the words, "Hip, hip, hooray!" in golden characters.

"O dear Harry!" cried his young mistress, her face glowing with such a
smile as no one had seen on it yet since her return, "how good and kind
of you--just like your dear old self! how came you to think of it?"

"Well, Miss Julia," was his reply, "it's this way,--Master Walter and me
talked about having a bonfire on the hill; but when we came to think it
over, we decided as it wouldn't p'r'aps be altogether the right thing,
for reasons as needn't be named on this here occasion. So I've been and
got up a little bit of an illumination all of my own self. But don't
you go for to suppose as these candles belongs to master. I'm not the
man to use his goods this way without leave. It's a pound of the best
composite as I bought out of my own wages, and you're heartily welcome
to every one on 'em."

"Thank you, dear Harry," she said, holding out her hand to him; "it is
the sweetest of welcomes. I feel that it has done me good already;
there is true love in every light."