"I mean to assure you," said Marcia, "that I am your sister, and I have come back to _share_ your work and to help you, but not to take your duties from you." "Our duties!" cried Molly, with a laugh. "Why, of course we have heaps of duties--more than we can attend to. We make our own clothes, don't we, Nesta?" "And beautifully we do it," said Nesta. "And don't we trim our own hats?" "Yes, I'm not talking about those things. Those are pleasures." "Pleasures? But we must be clothed?" "Yes, dears; but you will understand me when I speak quite plainly. Part of your duty is to try to make your poor mother's life as happy as you can." "But you will do that, darling," said Nesta, coming close up to her sister and putting her arms round her neck. Nesta had a very pretty and confiding way, and at another time Marcia would have done what the little girl expected, clasped her to her heart and said that she would do all, and leave her dear little young sister to her gay pleasures. But Marcia on this occasion said nothing of the sort. "I wish to be absolutely candid," she said. "I will look after mother every second morning, and every second afternoon. There are four of us altogether, and I will have every day either my morning or my afternoon to myself. I will take her one day from after breakfast until after early dinner, and afterwards on the day that I do that, I shall be quite at liberty to pursue my own way until the following morning. On alternate days, I will go to her after early dinner, and stay with her until she is settled for the night. More I will not do; for I will go out--I will have time to write letters, and to study, and to pursue some of those things which mean the whole of life to me. If you don't approve of this arrangement, girls, I will go back to Frankfort." Marcia's determined speech, the firm stand she took, the resolute look on her face, absolutely frightened the girls. "You will go back to Frankfort?" said Nesta, tears trembling in her eyes. Just at that instant Mr Aldworth and Horace came into the room. "My dear girls, how nice to see you all four together," said the father. "Marcia, I trust you are rested," said Horace. "Oh, Horace," said Nesta, "she has been saying such cruel things." "Not at all," said Marcia. "I am very glad you have come in, father, and I am glad you have come in, Horace. You must listen to me, all of you. I am twenty, and I am my own mistress. My stepmother does not stand in quite the same relation to me as my own mother would have done. She is not as near to me as she is to Ethel, and Molly, and Nesta; but I love her, and am willing, abundantly willing, to take more than my share of nursing her." "That's right, Marcia," said her father.