me a prayer, if ye was willing. I suppose Mr. Wood winna be, eynow.'

Isie knelt down by him and said the evening prayers, in a quiet steady voice-saying the collects by heart. Before she had stopped, he was asleep wearied out by his long talk, and his previous agitation.

And Sister Isobel knelt on motionless and silent.

"So long as ye're happy, it disna signifee!" that was what he had said, how he had disposed of her life's cross. Happy! yes, she had spoken the truth then, for the time being. She had long ago accepted her lot, bowed her will to the irrevocable decree, and found peace in submission. But in the past three weeks a new happiness had been given to her. And she was happy-with that strange, painful sort of happiness, now, every day, every hour, every moment that she devoted to him, as she ministered to him and marked the gradual improvement under her care. But how when she should come to wish him good-bye?

CHAPTER X.

FERNYTOFTS' INVITATION.

H, laddie, that's grand! Fat d'ye think o' yersel' noo, come ?"

"EF

The speaker was Fernytofts, who had just landed his brother safely in the large arm-chair sent down by Mr. Wood from the parsonage, and amply blanketed and cushioned by Sister Isobel for the occasion. It was a week since the last recorded conversation had taken place; and in that week Mr. Allardyce had been making the most of his time, and mending, the doctor said, "to a wish."

It had been a week of great happiness and thankfulness to Isie; although the shadow before her seemed to spread and deepen every day. She could not help it. It wrapped itself round her heart, whether she would or no. It was an outward feeling, exterior to herself, yet a part of her being.

Fighting against it only seemed to make it worse; so she had given that up and made up her mind to accept it. There was no help for it. Those few weeks during which Edmund Allardyce had been her lawful charge, during which he had depended on her for his very existence, though without knowing it, had made him ten times more the real object of her heart's devotion than he had ever been in the old fanciful days. Isie had a natural turn for the sick and suffering she could not nurse the poorest, roughest old man or woman, in the poorest street garret, without getting attached to her charge for the time being; and she always made her patients love her. How then when the object of her care had been also the one single human being to whom all unconsciously her young heart's pure affection had been given; whom, though she had relinquished all hope of a return to her affection, she had never been able quite to forget, who had been her one ideal, her humble hero of romance? And he did not lose by a nearer view. She saw him in all his unconscious suffering, patient, gentle, pure and innocent in his wandering words, unmurmuring, easy to manage. She heard the physician's unhesitating testimony to his temperate life and habits hitherto, without which, they said, he would not have had the shadow of a chance of recovery. And when his consciousness returned, she had witnessed his sincere repentance and deep humble anxiety for forgiveness for his past sins of omission, and later—and this, perhaps, awakened her sympathies as much as anything she saw that his own heart's grief had never been healed, and that that true heart had never swerved from its first though faithless love. She saw and felt all this, and that he was worthy to be loved; and she could not "think shame" of having loved him and loving him still, come what might.

On this particular day he had been allowed to make his first essay at sitting up in the chair. Fernytofts had come early, and was anxious to assist in the undertaking. Of course Sister Isobel had her important share: she had dressed him, as far as the dressing went, having looked out his warmest and largest great-coat to serve as a dressinggown. When all was ready, Fernies placed his broad sturdy shoulders under his brother's right arm, encircling him with

his own left, and gently, with sundry sotto voce exclamations of "Canny noo-tak' time, tak' time!" deposited him easily in the large chair, and stood regarding him with a glow of satisfaction on his expansive countenance.

"Awat he does ye reel credit, mem," he said, looking gratefully at Isie. "I never thocht to a' seen him sittin' up yon wye again-I sanna say."

And then Fernies sat down beside his brother, and Sister Isobel retired into the background. She busied herself for a short time in making the bed, and quietly tidying up the room then, seeing that Edmund was quite comfortable and wanted for nothing, she resolved to leave the room, divining that the brothers would like to have a talk together by themselves.

"Ye dinna want anything eynow, Mr. Allardyce? I'm just goin' doon the stair to Mrs. Ross's a wee whilie. Gin ye want me, ye'll lat me know, please, sir," she added, looking at Fernytofts. "I dinna think he would need to sit up ower long."

"No, ye're quite right," said Fernies. "But I'll keep a right look-out ower him for ye, mem-never fear."

He looked at her, as she gave one anxious, wistful, parting glance at the pallid but untroubled face in the big chair; and, being a keen reader of faces, he was struck by her expression-so lovingly, tenderly anxious, like a wife or a mother not the ordinary professional fussiness. And he noticed too that her face was very pale; and as she turned to go away there was a sort of twitch about her lips, as of a sudden catch of bodily pain.

:

"I've quite lost my hairt to yon little nursie of yours, Eydie," said Fernytofts, when they were alone. "And to be sure, fan I first sa' her, I thocht she'd be nae mair eese nor a child o' sax! What she's deen for ye can never be richtly told, lad."

"Ay, she's a fine creature," said Edmund in a calm tone of acquiescence, as if he was praising a prize cow.

"Awat is she-I dinna b'lieve Meary hersel' could ha' deen more to ye, though she'd ha' been real glad to ha' come. Hoo long's she stoppin' wi' ye-the little

"Well, I dinna rightly know. They've managed it a'

atween them-Mr. Wood and the Mother. I dinna think

I'll need her much longer, whatever."

"No, I would hope not.

oot a drive, vera soon.

fairm and set ye up."

Gin it keep good days ye'll get

And syne we'll get ye ower to the

"When all fear of infection's over," said Edmund.

"I dinna think there's ony great danger o' that. Ony wye, ye've plenty o' time. Ye winna be fit for work for a whilie yet."

And then they sat for some time silently, for Edmund was not strong enough to bear the double fatigue of sitting up and talking, and his brother was too considerate to encourage him to talk.

Fernytofts had come to remain a night, occupying the only available spare room of Mrs. Ross's lodging. But he did not intrude himself into Sister Isobel's province now. He was quite satisfied with her care; and accommodated himself cheerfully on the little narrow horsehair sofa in the sitting-room-the only other alternative being, as Edmund told him, to sleep upon the harmonium.

Next day when alone with his brother, Fernies, who appeared to be thinking of something, suddenly asked, "Far's yon little wifie ga'an fan she leaves this ?"

"She'll be to go back to the Home, of course."

66 Div ye think she'd like oot to stop wi' us a whilie? It wad mebbe be a cheenge, and rest till her. She looks vera deylicat."

"Ye might ask her. I dinna know if she'd be willin'. Ony wye it's very kind o' ye thinkin' o't, Jemmie."

"I dinna see that. I dinna think one could dee eneuch for a pairson to whom so muckle's owin'," said Fernies. "Why she's as gweed's saved yer life till ye-ye ken that, divna ye? And Meary'd be right prood to see her, I'se warran'. She bad me speer if there was onything we could do till her."

"I wish there were anything one could do," said Edmund heartily. "But she's a curious little body, too. Files when ye think ye're deein' yer best to please her, ye find she's nae pleased ava'. And that Sisters'll tak naething for themsels, ye ken, i' the wye o' remuneration. What's done's needin' to be a' for the Home or the chapel. I've

an ideea aboot that when I go into the toon-please GOD, I get my strength back again. But for Isie-Sister Isie, I beg her pardon, they all ca'd her Isie when she stoppit here, years ago—I dinna see

"She stoppit here? fan ?"

"Eh, ye hadna known, Jemmie. She's an ald acquentance o' mine. When I first came t' Inverranna, her father had a bit o' a tum'le-down kind o' a jeweller's shop, and she stopped wi' him neist door to this."

66

kent her syne?"

She played the harmonium in

And ye "Eh ay. Kent her fine. the chapel to us, mair nor a year.'

"She did? And fan did she tak' up with this work?" "It was after her father died. She was left her lone, without a friend in the world, as far's could be seen, and slavin' the flesh off her bones at the dressmakin'. Mr. Wood was ill about finding something better till her; and they were dreadfu' ill off for hands at S. Magnus' just then-and it was mentioned to her. She didn't decide at once: but she grew ill, and syne one o' the Sisters nursed her; and she went to the Convalescent Home syn', after, and some wye or anither she be to have made up her mind, and ta'en a fancy to the work, for there she's been ever since o' her ain free will-though there's one I ken o' did's best to hinner her. But she'd have naething to say till him, and there she is for life, I suppose," Edmund ended, "and never was a woman fitter for't, as far's I can see.”

"Well, well," said Fernies, reflectively. "She's a bonnie lass and a gweed one. Ye canna mairry wi' a Sister o' Maircy, I suppose?" he added in the gravest possible tone, but with a perceptible twinkle in the corner of his eye. "Tut, nonsense, Jemmie, of course not."

"They're some like the Romans-eh ?"

"Hoot! I dinna ken aboot the Romans. I ken they're nae Romans whatever."

"Aweel. It's been a sair hairt to the lad 'at was sweet upo' yon girl, I'se warran'."

"Nae doubt o' that. He's mairriet anither, though." "Deed! mairriet is he?" and Fernies mused for a minute or two, then said, "Tell ye fat wye, Eydie, I was thinkin' might be ye kent maist aboot him yersel'."