how Mr. Grey came to be so providentially the means of saving Helen from a watery grave. He had just left Stenham and Mr. Broad, and was, by way of employment, assisting a young man, a friend of his, who had lately established himself in the village of Stoke. Conjointly they were doctoring a rather large neighbourhood, it was to be hoped with better success than had attended Mr. Grey's efforts on behalf of poor Helen the year before, when his remedies had certainly done her more harm than good. On this eventful evening he was returning over the fields to his lodgings at the farm when Mary Bennet's screams attracted his attention, and breaking through the intervening hedge, he became a principal actor in the sad scene.

CHAPTER VI.

"Never give up! if adversity presses,
Providence wisely has mingled the cup,
And the best counsel in all your distresses,
Is the stout watchword of Never give up!"
MARTIN TUPPER.

Mrs. Lester, thinking that in this affliction the continuance of her daughter's visit at the farm might not be desired, proposed taking her home; but all her uncle's family were anxious for Helen's return, and her mother willingly yielded the point; she was, in truth, very glad to do so; there was that to be told to her which she knew would cause her deep mortification. A day or two before the accident she had received a letter from Mr. Greaves, informing her that his wife had had an intimation from Miss Baker to the effect that it was no longer possible for her to receive Helen as a pupil at Belvoir House; the fact that her sister was now in service at Mr. Birchley's, two of whose daughters were among Miss Baker's scholars, rendered her removal from the school a matter of necessity.

Mr. Greaves further informed Mrs. Lester, that his wife, feeling annoyed at the occurrence, he had taken upon himself to make the communication to her; he concluded by advising her to look out for a governess or teacher's situation, for which, after the education she had received, her daughter was, or ought to be, qualified.

What an end to all her husband's dreams of a provision for Helen! As to herself, she could only regret, as she had long done, that she had ever parted with her; but bitter were his complaints at having, as he said, been so deceived by the Lawrence family; he had surely thought that all care for this daughter was taken off his hands, and now she was returned to him, as he asserted, utterly unfit to assist herself or him in any useful way. His quiet-tempered wife had long accustomed herself to listen to him without contradiction; on this occasion, however, she departed from her usual rule; Helen, she said, was by no means so helpless as he chose to fancy, and as to the Lawrence family, though she could not deny that she was grievously hurt to think that Miss Lawrence should so entirely have discarded her, yet neither could she forget how much had been done for her, and she ended by entreating him to have patience with the poor child till some situation could be found for her, of the description recommended by Mr. Greaves.

Not a word did Mrs. Lester say to Helen on this painful subject; she let her go back in peace to Stoke, fully expecting to return to Belvoir House when the vacation was over; it was unwise, the real state of the case must soon be known, and Helen would have better endured to hear the contents of Mr. Greaves's hard letter from her mother than from any other person. It was fixed that Helen should go back to the farm the day after the little boy's funeral when Mrs. Lester was to return to Stenham. Much as Helen loved her mother she could not wish to accompany her, the discomfitures of her home were very fresh in her memory.

Mr. Grey had strongly recommended her keeping quiet for a few days, after the severe shock she had sustained. He attended her very kindly, and would take no payment for his trouble; in truth he was glad to be of service to her. Her story was well known in Stenham; and though he hardly liked to allow it to himself, he could not help feeling that his own mistaken idea, that she was attacked by an infectious fever, had been the cause of all her woe. Mr. Broad enlightened no one else on the subject, but to Mr. Grey himself he did not scruple to say, that but for his blunder, Miss Lawrence would have stayed at home, nursed Helen, and remained unmarried. Helen would still have been her darling, and he himself should not have

lost his old patient, Mrs. Lawrence and her family; a subject upon which he was the more testy, because the new resident at the Grange had placed himself and a large weakly family, under the care of Mr. Miles, the rival practioner of Mr. Broad.

Tom and Mary came to Barnsley to fetch Helen. Many tears were shed for poor Johnny during that walk home, and especially when the little brother and sister ran out to meet them. Helen's explanations were not much needed now. Mrs. Bennet acknowledged she had been unjust, and tried, though vainly, to efface the impression her words had made upon her daughter's mind. Mary was meek and patient, and showed no want of temper, but she told Helen she did not think she should ever be able again to take charge of the children beyond the garden.

A kind welcome from her aunt and uncle awaited Helen. The usual routine of business was now again going on, but it seemed as though a shadow were over everything, and the mother's red eyes and pale cheeks showed how much she was suffering. Her manner to Helen was unusually gentle, and even affectionate. No allusion was made to the fatal accident, that was still the prevailing subject of their thoughts, till, the business of the day being over, and the two children gone to rest, the remaining part of the family sat down together in the twilight.