she tried to fort herself with the idea, that what he imagined her tobe, did not alter the fact of what she was. but it was a truism, aphantom, and broke down under the weight of her regret. she hadtwenty questions on the tip of her tongue to ask mr. bell, but not one ofthem did she utter. mr. bell thought thatshe was tired, and sent her earlyto her room, where she sate long hours by the open window, gazing outon the purple dome above, where the stars arose, and twinkled anddisappeared behind the great umbrageous trees before she went to bed.

all night long too, there burnt a little light on earth; a candle in her oldbedroom, which was the nursery with the present inhabitants of theparsonage, until the new one was built. a sense of change, of individualnothingness, of perplexity and disappointment, over-powered margaret.

nothing had been the same; and this slight, all-pervading instability,had given her greater pain than if all had been too entirely changed forher to recognise it.

\"i begin to understand now what heāven must be--and, oh! the grandeurand repose of the words--\"the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever.\"everlasting! \"from everlasting to everlasting, thou art god.\" that skyabove me looks as though it could not change, and yet it will. i am sotired--so tired of being whirled on through all these phases of my life, inwhich nothing abides by me, no creature, no place; it is like the circle inwhich the victims of earthly passion eddy continually. i am in the moodin which women of another religion take the veil. i seek heāvenlysteadfastness in earthly monotony. if i were a roman catholic andcould deaden my heart, stun it with some great blow, i might bee anun. but i should pine after my kind; no, not my kind, for love for myspecies could never fill my heart to the utter exclusion of love forindividuals. perhaps it ought to be so, perhaps not; i cannot decide tonight.\"

wearily she went to bed, wearily she arose in four or five hours\" time.

but with the morning came hope, and a brighter view of things.

\"after all it is right,\" said she, hearing the voices of children at playwhile she was dressing. \"if the world stood still, it would retrograde andbee corrupt, if that is not irish. looking out of myself, and my own

painful sense of change, the progress all around me is right andnecessary. i must not think so much of how circumstances affect memyself, but how they affect others, if i wish to hāve a right judgment, ora hopeful trustful heart.\" and with a smile ready in her eyes to quiverdown to her lips, she went into the parlour and greeted mr. bell.

\"ah, missy! you were up late last night, and so you\"re late this morning.

now i\"ve got a little piece of news for you. what do you think of aninvitation to dinner? a morning call, literally in the dewy morning.

why, i\"ve had the vicar here already, on his way to the school. howmuch the desire of giving our hostess a teetotal lecture for the benefit ofthe haymakers, had to do with his earliness, i don\"t know; but here hewas, when i came down just before nine; and we are asked to dine thereto-day.\"

\"but edith expects me back--i cannot go,\" said margaret, thankful tohāve so good an excuse.