Year: 1872

E brush to the Uttered carpet, while she
J told her about the dinner-table arrange
ments in few clear, simple words.
Fanny had an irritable way of talking
/ to her servants, constantly finding fault,
Il and giving confused orders which made
a stupid, well-meaning person like


Bridget unable to do anything right,
while Jenny's sweet manner was so re-


assuring and quieting that people were


always able to do their very best for


her.


The weary afternoon wore away at


last, and precisely at 6 O'Clock, as Jen-


ny was tanning her patient, she heard


the latch-key in the front door and


James and Georges well-known voices.
George was a tall, handsome man


with great strength and splendid cour-


age, which had been well proved in the


battles before Richmond, but so shy that


Fanny used to say she believedhe would


rather face rebel battery than room
full of strangers. He was such do


nestle, home-loving fellow that James


and Fanny, finding that lie spent all his


evenings at their house and seemed to


be very homeless and forlorn at a hotel,


had proposed his coming to live with


them, much to his comfort and satisfac-


ton. He was uncommonly fond of chill


dren, and Fanny's little ones. adored


"Uncle George" who had the sweetest


temper i'm the world, and had never been


known to be cross He had plenty of


intellect and could say something worth


hearing, provided he was with people


he knew well and liked, but his shyness


made him do himself injustice in So


ciety. He thought Jenny the sweetest


girl in the world and his favorite castle


in the air was pretty house of his own


presided over by bright, sunny-tem-


pered little wife with rosy cheeks, brown


eyes and a saucy little turn up nose. But


whether he would ever have the courage


to tell her so was really matter of
doubt; for the more he thought it over,


the more impossible it seemed to him
that Jenny could ever like him well
enough to say eyes )" and really think
he would have been thankful if like the
Parees with their prayers, he could
have deputed some one else to do it for
him.


Fanny has guessed his secret but wise
ly kept her own counsel, only determin-
ing that, should matters ever go so far
as to need one little friendly push to set
them all right, hers should be the hand |
to give it. Little did she think what
was to be her part in Georges love-
making.


Poor Fanny! The long list of her
noble qualities did not include either
patience or self-control, and as the
weary days went by and the novelty of
Jenny's presence wore of, she began to
find fault even with her favorite sister
in-law, and although, if she had been
asked, she would have said that there
never was such dear good nurse, she
yet scolded at everything she did in
way that was very hard to bear.


Fortunately for her, Jenny's patience
was inexhaustible, and she was a gen.
erous soul who would have scorned the
meanness of losing temper with a sick
person or child. But if patience nev-
er tagged, strength sometimes did, and
a week of days of ineessant activity
and nights of broken rest had made
her look much paler and thinner.


1t was sultry morning, and she had
just finished getting Fanny ready for
the Doctors visit, and was putting away
some things, when, in some unaccount-
able way, she let fall goblet on the
hearth with loud crash.


"Jenny, can't think how you can
be so awkward!" burst out Fanny star
tied by the noise. 81 declare, you are
just as bad as Bridget. 1 do wish you
would go away and let me have some
quiet"


1t was the feather that broke the
camel's back, and poor Jenny, who had
been up two nights, burst into tears.


None of the Westons had been
brought up on System of weeps, "and
mortified and ashamed, Jenny hurried
out of the room, muttering something
about "back in minute" and rushing
past her own room, which was in the
chaos of sweeping day." she flew down
stairs into the cool, darkened parlor,
and throwing herself into a corner of
the sofa, sobbing as if her heart would
break. Her violent efforts to stop cry {
ing seemed all of no avail, and she was
Mortified at the thought of the doctors i;
coming and finding Fanny excited by
her absurd behavior. /;


"a pretty nurse, indeed" said she to
herself. "What would mother say to
this? But at any rate George and I
James were out of the way"


There she lay, poor little thing, with
her hands over her face and her head
hidden in great soft sofa-pillow, only
one crimson ear and the shining brown
braids visible, and the pretty shoulders
heaving with sobs.


What was that little ear about that it ,
gave its owner no warning of a foot :
step, and she thought herself all alone
until, oh horror! Georges voice sounded
close at hand, saying, with the deepest
concern, "Why, Jennie, what has hap
pened? Is any thing dreadful the mat ,
ter? No bad news from the travellers,
l hope. Can't do any thing for you?"


Can any body explain why Jenny I
cared as much for what George thought ;
of her that, of all the people in the
world he was the last whom she wished
to see ut that particular moment? Hys- ,
terical, fanciful, nervous, she knew he
would think her just what she hated
most. And there was no escape, for
ever so little on the pillow, she
saw with one eye, the tall figure close
beside her, the fine face full of the ten
derest anxiety.


"Oh George" she faltered, "you will
despise me, you will think me aperfect
fool. No, nothing dreadful is the mat
ter, only Fanny was little cross and
I-I-was so tired"


And the sobs came on again worse
than ever, mingled with II disparing,
"Oh do go away-I am so ashamed-I
thought you had gone out"