our brother with extra
respect, Phineas."

"And your sister too.

'For she sall walk in silk attire,
And siller hae to spare.'

She's quite young and handsome still--isn't she? How magnificent
she'll look in that grey silk gown!"

"John, you ought to be ashamed of yourself! you--the father of a
family! you--that are to be the largest mill-owner at Enderley--"

He looked at her fondly, half deprecatingly. "Not till I have made you
and the children all safe--as I said."

"We are safe--quite safe--when we have you. Oh, Phineas! make him see
it as I do. Make him understand that it will be the happiest day in
his wife's life when she knows him happy in his heart's desire."

We sat a little while longer, talking over the strange change in our
fortunes--for they wished to make me feel that now, as ever, what was
theirs was mine; then Ursula took her candle to depart.

"Love!" John cried, calling her back as she shut the door, and watching
her stand there patient--watching with something of the old mischievous
twinkle in his eyes. "Mrs. Halifax, when shall I have the honour of
ordering your long-tailed grey ponies?"

CHAPTER XXIII

Not many weeks afterwards we went to live at Longfield, which
henceforth became the family home for many years.

Longfield! happy Longfield! little nest of love, and joy, and
peace--where the children grew up, and we grew old--where season after
season brought some new change ripening in us and around us--where
summer and winter, day and night, the hand of God's providence was over
our roof, blessing our goings out and our comings in, our basket and
our store; crowning us with the richest blessing of all, that we were
made a household where "brethren dwelt together in unity." Beloved
Longfield! my heart, slow pulsing as befits one near the grave, thrills
warm and young as I remember thee!

Yet how shall I describe it--the familiar spot; so familiar that it
seems to need no description at all.

It was but a small place when we first came there. It led out of the
high-road by a field-gate--the White Gate; from which a narrow path
wound down to a stream, thence up a green slope to the house; a mere
farm-house, nothing more. It had one parlour, three decent bedrooms,
kitchen and out-houses; we built extempore chambers out of the barn and
cheese-room. In one of these the boys, Guy and Edwin, slept, against
the low roof of which the father generally knocked his head