Year: 1875

often used that privilege of fast friends,
silence; and it was after an unbroken pause
full O quarter Of an hour that Martha lookSG
up from her sewing and said:


Why did you never notice that have nos
resumed my school.work this year


81 have noticed it; but supposed you had
some good reason, which you would tell mo
when you were ready"


81 am ready now. have given up teaching
for the present, and perhaps for ever" The
doctor made no reply, only showing by his at
tentive face that he was listening.


Margaret has offered me o home, and have
accepted it,"


~ imagined you were too proud to accept
assistance from any body"


"From any body else except her. In the
first place, she is rich and can afford it; sec-
ondly, it makes her happy to help people;
thirdly, love her and she loves me, and that
is the best reason of ALL"


"You are right; and what decided you to
take this stepi"


ut seems she has had it in her mind ever
since last spring; however, she only said to me,
just before she left here, that she hoped 1
would make no arrangements for the winter,
without first telling her my plans. Two weeks
ago, 1 received q letter from her, saying that
she had decided not to live any longer with
Mrs. Edgar; but, after passing the month o
September at Newport, to take o house for her
self in New York. She said she could not live
alone, and that she must have some one for
company and for the sake of appearances. She
begged me to be that somebody, because there
was one else with whom che could feel in
dependent, and free to do what she chose. I
considered the subject week, and then wrote
her my consent to do az she wished, for next
winter at least. 1t will be great advantage
to me, of course, as well pleasure. Still /
should not think of it on that account for O
moment, if did not believe that such an ar
rangement would be good thing for her as
well as for me. 1 do believe so, and therefore
am going to try the OK pertinent"


"You will not repeptit, L am sure. And
when do you go :"


Next week."


"Has she bought her housei'


"She has not decided yet, and wants my
help about furnishing, etc so the sooner 60
the better"


"Is she in New York nowi 7"


eyes, at a private boarding house, where
am to stay with her till the house is readyr


DR.. James had made up bis mind that moth
ing would astonish him again, yet this did take
him by surprise; after he thought about it,
however, he only wondered such an arrange
| ment had not occurred to him before. Miss
Burney was a great. loss to him for there was
no other woman whose society was any
pleasure to him, and Father Barry was now
the only person with whom he had any SYM
patty, and of him he saw more and more.


He begged Martha Burney to write to him
but she was a miserable correspondent her
letters were few and far between, and never
told him what he wanted to know. He was
obliged to 60 to Miss Spelman for all his in
formation regarding these two people in whom
he was so deeply interested. He heard from
her that Margaret had bought very protty
little house, furnished it, and was comfortably
established with Martha She said Margaret
always wrote in excellent spirits and seemed
to her to be enjoying her winter very much.


The DOCTORS young man Richards, thanks
to tho careful instructions and preparation he
had received, was now become of great assist
anoe, and, being left in charge, had very sue
cessfully treated several cases, and even per-
formed very we'll one or two surgical opera
tions, so that people began to feel considerable
confidence in him. DR.. James encouraged this
as much rs possible; for the idea of giving up
bia practice at Shellbeach and vicinity had
taken strong hold on him. Finding that he
left his patients in competent hands, he often
went away on business for week at time,
and felt his own work considerably Hghtened-


At Christmas time, Miss Spelmau went to
New York, and staid a month, and returned
eloquent about the delights of her niece's es-
tablishment, and the charming people she
had met. The doctor, by careful questions,
learned from her that Margaret was occupied
with countless good works and charities,
though Miss Selma seemed to have only