Sisters

spick-and-span, with shining cheeks and a damp and glossy top-knot, and his blue eyes stared at the stran

h raised brows, pretending that he

rattle that was one of its Christmas gifts-"look at me, baby! It is Mr Carey's b

ne glance at him, and yelled louder than before. "I shouldn't have let him come," the sailor growled. He had got up from the wrong side of the bed that morning, a

he garden, where she tossed him, still writhing and wailing, up and down, and dipped his face into flowers, and played other pranks calculated to enchant the average baby. This baby turned on her f

little arm from a second blow. "A great big ma

e is not to do things of that sort." Guthrie glared at her sacred locks, dishe

ave the care of him. He shall stay here, where he will be treated as

ck," quoth Dalzel

bing burden to Mary. "Here, take him, Moll,

ad been punished for his assault on them. She could have seen that she was wringing the culprit's heart. Perhaps she did

me," said C

rom the group and sauntered away, out of the garden, out of their sight, un

ke life worth living, save only the baby son that he had ill-used. Apart from the sting of Deb's comment on it, he repented him of that blow. A great big man like him, to strike a tender mite like this-a motherless babe, his precious Lily's bequest to him-aye, indeed! It was t

her persons-the sailor knew not, cared not whom. He looked up at the radiant figure in

h?" she called to him. "Not-not today, I t

invitingly. "You don't alway

imself time to think. Soldiers and sailors, with their habit of unquestioning obedience to authority, are almost always "good" churchmen, and, as she had pointed out, thi

ing spite, "I daresay it IS mor

he hot verandah, nursing his griefs in solitude. He seemed the only person left behind, or else he seemed forgotten, as a guest of no account. "What a Christmas Day!" was again his thought, while he dragged before his mind's

rom its plainness by the tender motherliness and the no less tender friendliness of its

held out his arms. The baby, bearing no malice, tumbled into them, and was at once occupied with his father's watch

e because of him!" the

its positive delight; and she earnestly talked him out of his cruel resolve to return it to bad air and all sorts of domestic risks. "How can he be any burden on us?" she pleaded. "We need never see

rs Kelsey-a proper business agreemen

s is our answering for Mrs Kelsey. She was once our nurse, and we know her

le time, and really I don't know where

h. She says ten shillings a week would cover everything. The drainage is all right. Kelsey will see that he has one cow's milk. They'll feed him well, but they won't give him rich thi

t of Miss Deborah's way,

d a bit-of course not. She says she likes boys to be boys. He is a

caress with a thumping

!" warned the

me. "I daresay she will be busy, but she'd give us a few minutes. It would be a satisfaction to

Mary retied the baby's flapping

im," she begge

too heavy

f striking back, Guthrie answered the baby assaults with wild-beast roars and gestures that sent the little man into fits of delight. Mary laughed in chorus, keepin

held her orderly and cheerful house, looked into her kind eyes, and heard her sincere speech, than the young father was satisfied that he had found a good place for his little son. The child seemed to know it too, for when the strange woman drew him to her broad lap-ca

these young ladies spoil him if I can help it,"

rranged, and eve

ep him from being any bother t

on was to visit the child daily. "We

y would not hear of parting the boy from his father while they could be together. So he was c

preside at the great dinner, but was not vis

hed her. She made him play billiards with her after tea, while Claud was resting after his labours; she chaffed him deliciously on his errors in the game. She forgot to ask after his baby; but she asked whether

" she flattered him, in her sweet way. "Howev

every leaf was put into the dining-table, it was so long that Mary at one end was beyond speaking distance of her father at the other, and those at the sides could scarce use their elbows as they ate. The banquet was prodigious, with speeches to wind up with (Mr Goldsworthy, in his oration, disgusted Deb by referring to the host as "princely", and to

hey proceeded in a body to the overseer's house, where the load was halved. Mary, the baby, and one box were left with Mrs Kelsey (reinforced by the

e parlour door. "He will be well off with

wrung her hand, and looked at her kind, red face with feelings unspeakable.

n him that was so touched and overcome. None the less, she accepted the tri

he sun and dust. She stared long at the vacant point of disappearance, like one ent

crooned passion

hing her from him. He was feeding the puppy wit

id Mrs Kelsey, mindful of her

s face; and she dropped on her knees before him and kissed a dangling foot, wi

roved her. "I promised Mr Carey

he man used to take the child, with a toy whip in his little hand, on the saddle before him, and let him think he was guiding the steady horse and doing all the business of the station as well. The overseer confessed, in bad weather, when he had to ride alone, that he was lost without his little mate. "Hardly weaned," he used to brag, "and knows every beast on the place as well as I do myself." This was gross exaggeration, yet was the infant Harry a conspicuously forward child, with

rey never saw

it, the robust little body, unused to any ailment, was wrecked at once, where a frail child might easily have weathered the storm. No little prince of blood royal could h

orm the sad duties of the occasion; they were hers by right. She took him to the family cemetery on the only evening of his stay, and, herself speechless and weeping, showed him the whole place renovated and made beautiful for the sake of the latest comer. No

lting into moonlight; they could not see each other's faces. When his big frame heaved with heavy sobs, she laid a timid hand-her beautiful hand-on

m when, next morning, the

im, in a trembling whisper. "You will

for new interests to occupy his lonely life. With Lily and the baby dead, and Deborah Pennycuick given to another man, Australia had no more hold on him. H

e went back to his old line, at the invitation of the Comp