one, and as usual not knowing how. "Always going about among
the poor. I don't suppose," she continued with enthusiasm--"I don't
suppose there's a single thing they can do in their houses that she
doesn't interfere with." Then observing his amusement, "Ye don't know
what's good for ye," she added, half laughing, but a little afraid she
was going too far.

"If ever I am so driven wild by the governesses that I put my neck, as a
heart-broken father, under the yoke, in order to get somebody into the
house who can govern as you have done," said John, "it will be entirely
your doing, your fault for leaving me."

"Well, well," said Miss Christie, laughing, "I must abide ye're present
reproaches, but I feel that I need dread no future ones, for if ye
should go and do it, ye'll be too much a gentleman to say anything to me
afterwards."

"You are quite mistaken," exclaimed John, laughing, "that one
consolation I propose to reserve to myself, or if I should not think it
right to speak, mark my words, the more cheerful I look the more sure
you may be that I am a miserable man."

Some days after this the stately Miss Crampton departed for her
Christmas holidays, a letter following her, containing a dismissal
(worded with studied politeness) and a cheque for such an amount of
money as went far to console her.

"Mr. Mortimer was about to send the little boys to school, and meant
also to make other changes in his household. Mr. Mortimer need hardly
add, that should Miss Crampton think of taking another situation, he
should do himself the pleasure to speak as highly of her qualifications
as she could desire."

Aunt Christie gone, Miss Crampton gone also! What a happy state of
things for the young Mortimers! If Crayshaw had been with them, there is
no saying what they might have done; but Johnnie, by his father's
orders, had brought a youth of seventeen to spend three weeks with him,
and the young fellow turned out to be such a dandy, and so much better
pleased to be with the girls than with Johnnie scouring the country and
skating, that John for the first time began to perceive the coming on
of a fresh source of trouble in his house. Gladys and Barbara were
nearly fourteen years old, but looked older; they were tall, slender
girls, black-haired and grey-eyed, as their mother had been, very
simple, full of energy, and in mind and disposition their father's own
daughters. Johnnie groaned over his unpromising companion, Edward
Con