indifference, but she would not let things take their course; her brother had accused her of neglecting Helen's education, and she was bent on showing him his injustice.

The general discomfiture occasioned by this conduct led to a debate between the sisters when, after one of these visits, they were sitting at work together-their brother and his family had left the Grange that morning. Maria began"Well, I suppose Edmund is satisfied with Helen's attainments now?"

"With her attainments, I suppose he may be, but almost the last thing he said to me was, how grieved he felt at the constant dissensions she very innocently caused."

"Why, what can he want? from the first it has been all Catherine's fault, and she brings up the girls to be just like herself; what a fuss he made because Helen was not taught enough."

"Are you sure you are not determined to misunderstand him? You cannot think her education a suitable one."

"Catherine is jealous because Helen is cleverer than her own children."

"You wander from the subject; you must see how much happier we should all have been for the last month if there had been no disturbance about Helen. Indeed, Maria, I think you are wrong to put her so forward; it must be very trying to Catherine, and you know it annoys my mother exceedingly."

"I should be sorry to annoy my mother, but she is very fond of Helen; it is a pity Edmund did not lay down rules for her education that I might have had some chance of pleasing him."

Maria was getting angry, and her sister turned the conversation, in the uncomfortable conviction that her interference had done more harm than good; it was clear that Maria would take her own way with her favourite. What she intended to do with her, as she grew up, and she was now in her sixteenth year, was a problem her sister could by no means solve to her own satisfaction.

Helen now never went to her father's house, except for a short half hour's visit, when her parents were gratified to see their child look so like a young lady; her brother and sister were not always quite pleased with her patronising manners to them, but it amused them to hear what was done at the Grange, and at her fine school, and as she was good-natured in her way, and sometimes brought them nice presents, they got on very well on the whole.

CHAPTER III.

"There is no action of man in this life," says Thomas of Malmsbury, (or event)" which is not the beginning of so long a chain of consequences as that no human providence is high enough to give us a prospect to the end."-The Doctor.

An illness, which seized Helen in the spring, interrupted the course of her studies; the first symptoms were noticed by Miss Lawrence one morning at breakfast.

"What is the matter with you, Nelly?" she asked, with some anxiety, "you hardly eat anything, and your eyes look heavy."

66

My head aches, and I do not feel hungry; I dare say it will all go off when I get into the air."

It was a fine morning early in April.

"Are you well enough to go to school, dear?" said Miss Lawrence, compassionately; "perhaps you had better keep quiet to day."

66

Oh, no! dear missy, I am sure it will not hurt me, and I must not lose a day now, because of the Easter prizes."

As usual, Miss Lawrence acquiesced, and Helen went to school. She certainly did not look better when she returned home in the afternoon, an hour earlier than usual.

"Miss Baker has sent me home," she said, as she came into the room where Miss Lawrence was sitting.

66

My dear, you look quite flushed; is your head worse?"

"It aches very much, and the sun is dreadfully hot, but Miss Baker would not let me stay till it was cooler, she said I looked so ill."

"You do look ill, dear; lie down on the sofa and rest-it has been a most oppressive day."

Helen was glad to lie down, but she was restless and uneasy, and Miss Lawrence petted her, and rested the aching head upon her shoulder, proposing a variety of remedies, the most agreeable of which she did not object to take; she was at last sent to bed early, in the confident hope that she would be much better in the morning, but instead of being better, poor Helen was worse, she had passed a wretched night; unused to sickness, she was as impatient as possible, and had much disturbed Miss Lawrence's

rest.

Mr. Broad, the surgeon, was sent for, but unfortunately he was visiting a patient some miles off in the country, and his assistant came in his stead; he had on the previous day been visiting

at a house where there was an infectious fever, and without examining all the symptoms, as carefully as a man of more experience would have done, he jumped at once to the conclusion that Helen's disorder was something of the same kind; very grave he looked when he saw her flushed face and felt her high pulse, it was plain he thought the disorder was something very serious, and in answer to Mrs. Lawrence's questions, would not say there was no fear of infection. Miss Lawrence was in consternation.

"I had her with me all yesterday evening,' exclaimed she, "and for a long time her head was resting upon my shoulder; how could I be so imprudent!"

"I cannot yet speak with certainty as to what the disorder may be," answered the man of medicine; it may not turn out so bad as I fear, you had better not alarm yourself."

66

"I am so far alarmed," said Mrs. Lawrence, "that I shall certainly go somewhere for change of air, and if it turns out to be anything infectious, I shall not return home in a hurry; I shall be obliged to you to send in a nurse to look after the child; I wish she could be sent home."

"You could not move her, madam, in her present state, and if she were fit to move, she could not safely be taken where there are other children."

"Poor dear child," said Miss Lawrence, "how