In spite of her acidity, and her disputes with Providence and things in general, Mrs. Macdonald still retained some of her mother’s instinct. She drew the girl’s head to her breast, and held her there tightly, with a tragic at-least-we-will-all-die-together air that was utterly pathetic. She had no words of consolation for what she believed was some new and terrible trouble come upon them. Then, as Nancy still sobbed on, she drew the letter from her unresisting fingers, mastered its contents, and sat like a woman turned to stone. "I am afraid," she said, after a long silence, "that I have been very cruel to you, Nancy. I have called your scribbling, rubbish; I have scolded you; I have been very hard on you; and instead of my being punished for my blindness, it is _your_ work which has come to save me from the end which I so dreaded. But I shall never forgive myself." But Nancy, the storm over, brushed the tears away from her eyes, and sat back, resting her elbow upon her mother’s knee. "Oh, it is very silly of me to go on like this," half laughing, and half inclined to weep yet more. "I have been so worried you know, Mother. It’s really stupid of me; but you mustn’t blame yourself now that good luck has come to us, must you? You did what you thought was right, and you had a right to speak; and, after all, I _did_ leave everything to you--everything, and I might have wasted all my time. You were quite right, Mother." "What was that line Willie was writing in his copybook last week?" said Mrs. Macdonald, holding the girl’s hand fast, and looking, oh, so unlike her usual self--"Torches were made to burn; jewels to wear." Butler & Turner. The Selwood Printing Works. Frome, and London. * * * * * * * * New Reward Series. _Demy 8vo, Handsomely Bound, Cloth Gilt, 3/6_ A Set of Favourite Books of large size, well printed an& beautifully illustrated. 1 HANS ANDERSEN’S FAIRY TALES. With life of the Author, and 100 Engravings in the Text. 560 pages. 2 THE SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON. With full-page Plates and 200 Engravings in the Text. 564 pages. 3 DON QUIXOTE DE LA MANCHA. By CERVANTES. With full-page Plates and 700 Engravings in the Text, by TONY JOHANNOT. 800 pages. 4 THE OLD FAVOURITE FAIRY TALES. With full-page Plates and 300 other Illustrations in the text. 430 pages. 6 ROBINSON CRUSOE. With Memoir by H. W. DULCKEN, Ph.D., full-page Plates and many Woodcuts. 416 pages. 7 GULLIVER’S TRAVELS. With about 300 Woodcut Illustrations. 400 pages. 9 GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES. The only Complete Edition. Carefully translated from the original by BEATRICE MARSHALL. Illustrated by GUSTAVE DORÉ and HENRY AUSTIN. 640 pages. The Round Table Library. _DEMY 8vo., CLOTH GILT, 3/6._ A series of popular books by well-known writers, well printed and profusely Illustrated.