A Red Wallflower

and well-dug corner in her little plot of garden ground. She planted it with all c

life that had passed away. The traces abode still. The chintz hangings and the carpet were of soft colours and in good harmony; chairs and lounges were comfortable; a great many books lined the walls, so many indeed that the room might have been styled the library. A portfolio with engravings was in one place; Mrs. Gainsb

the spiritless, weary, depressed air which had become his habit; there was a want of spring and life and hope in the features and in the manner also of the occupant of the sofa. He looked at Esther languid

sked with emphasis, bringing the vase

you got the

oodroot, and maple blossoms, papa; but Chr

gile blossoms,' th

ays, but they grow nicely out there in the wood. Papa

you were old e

t-sometimes. But wha

tell you, d

which; but I mean, why isn't a flower a weed?

question. It seems to me

s way, that somehow awakened by degrees almost as much pain as pleasure. Or else, it was simply that the glow and stir of her walk was fading away, and allowing the old wonted train of thought to come in again. The bright expression passed from her face; the features settled into a melanc

ess of inaction was becoming intolerable. She went to a corner of the room, where a large mahogany box was half-concealed bene

I look at

es

got the

ut and look at them, and then carefully pack them all away again between their layers of soft paper and cotton batting. In the nature of the case, this was an amusement that would pall if too often repeated; so it rarely happened that Esther got them out more

t it made her less work, and the colonel in his sorrowful abstraction hardly knowing and not at all caring where he took his dinner. The dinner was carefully served, however, and delicately prepared; for there Barker's

come accustomed yet to the empty place at the board. The colonel ate little and talked none at all; and only Esther's honest

e her, or at least to pass away the time, which went so slowly if unaided. She bethought her of trying another box, or series of boxes, over which she had seen her father and mother spend hours together; but the contents hitherto had not seemed to her interesting. The key was on the same

r days; smiling images of light and love, in scenes where her mother's figure filled all the foreground. Colonel Gainsborough did not see how the child sat there, nor what an expression of dull, hopeless sorrow lay upon her features. All the life and var

as well developed, with broad shoulders and slim hips, showing great muscular power and the symmetry of beauty as well. The face matched the figure; it was strong and fine, full of intelligence and life, and bearing no trace of boyish wilfulness. If wilfulness was th

'Ah, William,' said he, in a t

ou do, si

gth seems to be giving w

er for you soon again, si

bt it; I doubt it. Unless it could give

ve no a

s not exp

eyes that were looking down at him, the featu

. We shall have them very so

our New England piscatory dainty? I hav

s all. That is, not cooked properly. Ta

of cor

coals of such a fire

the supposed

he fire comes to be the spirit of the fish. It is difficult to put anyth

l. 'Possibly. Barker

well enough to

ng as one lives, one must try to do something. Bring your b

tural that the two families should have drawn near together in social and friendly relations; which relations, however, would have been closer if in church matters there had not been a diverging power, which kept them from any extravagance of neighbourliness. This young fellow, however, whom the colonel called 'William,' showed a carelessness as to church matters which gave him some of the advantages of a neutral ground;