At this moment Rachel came down from her own room and joined them in the parlour. She came in with that same look of sad composure on her face, as though she were determined to speak nothing of her thoughts to any one, and sat herself down near to her sister. In doing so, however, she caught a glimpse of her mother's face, and saw that she had been crying,--saw, indeed, that she was still crying at that moment. "Mamma," she said, "what is the matter;--has anything happened?" "No, dear, nothing;--nothing has happened." "But you would not cry for nothing. What is it, Dolly?" "We have been talking," said Dorothea. "Things in this world are not so pleasant in themselves that they can always be spoken of without tears,--either outward tears or inward. People are too apt to think that there is no true significance in their words when they say that this world is a vale of tears." "All the same. I don't like to see mamma crying like that." "Don't mind it, Rachel," said Mrs. Ray. "If you will not regard me I shall be better soon." "I was saying that I thought I would come back to the cottage," said Mrs. Prime; "that is, if mother likes it." "But that did not make mamma cry." "There were other things arose out of my saying so." Then Rachel asked no further questions, but sat silent, waiting till her sister should go. "Of course we shall be very glad to have you back again if it suits you to come," said Mrs. Ray. "I don't think it at all nice that a family should be divided,--that is, as long as they are the same family." Having received so much encouragement with reference to her proposed return, Mrs. Prime took her departure and walked back to Baslehurst.