came over her father. She had not heard
his last words; but had turned away, and
closing the door noiselessly behind her, had
wandered back into the bitter cold and darkness.
And still the snow fell thick and fast.

What were the thoughts that passed
through the old man's mind, as he sat there,
helpless and alone, struck by an invisible
hand? The clock ticked loudly in the corner;
the merry blaze leaped and sparkled up the
chimney; but he could neither stir nor speak.
Anon the great house dog, chained up in his
kennel close by, began to howl, with a long
wailing howl that curdled the blood of those
who heard it. And still the snow fell thick
and fast.

Down in Heatherslack, Grace, waiting for
the coach, was again doomed to disappointment.
Strangers every one, with no Letty
among them. She turned towards home,
sick at heart, and fearful of some impending
misfortune. She was too much accustomed
to snow-storms to care for such trifles; so
she tramped rapidly onward, feeling afraid
that her father would be out of temper at her
long absence. The loud howling of the dog,
as she neared home, startled her; and she
pushed forward still more quickly, until the
sight of the fire-light streaming through the
window, reassured her beating heart. Her
father was sitting just as she had left him,
some hours before; but, the moment she
entered the house, he turned his head, and
gazed at her with such a wild agonised look,
that she involuntarily exclaimed, " Father,
are you ill ?" He could only shake his head,
and moan sadly in reply.

"O, father, what is to do? Cannot you
speak to me ?" Again he shook his head.
Then, taking his stick with his one serviceable
hand, he drew it across the soot at the
back of the chimney; and wrote slowly on
the wall, with painful effort, letter by letter,
in characters uncouth but still legible, the
word Letty; and then, dropping his stick,
pointed towards the window, and looked at
her again. Grace comprehended it all in an
instant. Her sister had come while she was
out. Feeling ashamed of venturing into
Heatherslack, where she was so well known, Letty
had left the coach a mile or two from the
village, and had come across the country on
foot, thinking to find Grace at home. But
why had she not written?

Grace instantly lighted the large horn
lantern that hung in the corner and rushed
out of doors in search of Letty. The dog
was still howling loudly as she got outside;
and a thought suddenly struck her as
she heard it. Going into the outhouse, where
the animal was fastened up, she loosed his
chain, with a few words of encouragement:
determining to trust to his instinct to find
Letty. After snuffing wildly round Grace a
few times, he set off with a bark down the hill,
towards a barn which stood at some distance
from the house. There, he stopped; and
there, when Grace came up to him, she found
her sister lying, a shapeless heap, on the
ground: half drifted up with snow, and
apparently lifeless. Raising her, and propping
her, as well as she could, against the
wall, she unclasped her frigid arms, and took
from her the baby; which was warmly
wrapped up, and pressed close to her heart,
It gave a feeble cry when Grace lifted it,
which thrilled through her heart, and brought
the tears for the first time to her eyes. She
ran with it into the house; and wrapping
it in her thick grey cloak, laid it on the
hearth before the fire; and then went back
to Letty. Grace was strong and robust, but
how she managed to lift up that heavy inert
form, and carry it into the house, she never
afterwards knew. There it was at last; and
she sunk down almost fainting with the
exertion.

It was but for a moment, however, that
she thus lay. Something must be done, and
that at once. She could detect no signs of
life in her sister; still it would not do to
despair. She had no one to depend upon
save herself, for all the labourers lived at
some distance from the farm; and on such
a night, with the country deep in snow,
it would be best to go direct to Heatherslack
for assistance. But, time was precious, and
she would not lose a moment in seeking
assistance, till she had exhausted every effort
of her own. She was not ignorant of what it
was necessary to do on such occasions; and
for nearly an hour she tried, unavailingly,
to bring back animation to the torpid limbs;
but her sinking heart told her at last
that all her efforts were in vain. All this
time the child was crying feebly in the corner
near the fire; so she gave it a few spoonsfull
of warm milk and sugar; after which it
sank off to sleep, sucking its little hand.
She would not yet believe that her sister
was dead, but would run down into
Heatherslack for the doctor, who was, indeed,
required to attend to her father also. And so,
having quieted the child, she set off. And
still the snow fell thick and fast.

Now, it happened that on that very evening,
and at the same hour, I was making my way
through the storm towards Grayrigg. I had
returned a day or two before, from my
wanderings; still unsettled, still vaguely
dissatisfied with I knew not what; till at last,
homesick and weary, I found myself once
more among my native hills. After spending
a short time at home, I set off to visit my
friends at Grayrigg. I had got about half-
way between Heatherslack and the farm,
when I was encountered by a female figure,
looming swiftly through the darkness: whom
I should have passed without recognition,
but for a chance exclamation caused by our
sudden meeting. I could not be mistaken in
the voice.

"Grace Hurlstone!" I exclaimed.

"Thurston— Thurston, is that you? Thank