Page:Saxe Holm's Stories, Series Two.djvu/177

Rh money to spend on anything but needs; so most of our chambers are still unfurnished;" and a shade of what would have been mortification thirty-five years before, but was now only sweet resignation to a cross, passed over the beautiful old face.

The dreaded errand was over; the difficulties had all vanished, as Jim's prophetic sense had assured him they would; and we parted from Parson Allen and his wife, as we might have parted from our father and mother, eager to come back to our home at the earliest possible moment.

It was a mile from the parsonage to the hotel; Jim drove furiously, and hardly spoke during the whole distance.

"I 'll never forgive myself for staying so long, if Ally 's waked up and cried," he said. "We might have done it all in one half the time. Will, did you ever, in all your life, see such a heavenly old face? It 's enough to make a saint of a fellow just to look at her! I sha'n't ever call her 'Mrs. Allen!' I 've got to call her 'mother,' or 'aunt,' or something. Guardy was right, she 's an angel," he exclaimed, as he jumped out of the buggy, and throwing the reins to me, bounded into the house.

Ally was still asleep; Mrs. Bunker said she had roused once, and asked for "the kind gentleman," and on being told that he had left word that she must not stir from bed; had asked pitifully: "Does he keep little girls in bed all day, every day?" and had then fallen asleep again almost immediately.