"That will be nice," said Phebe, with a choke in her voice, brought there by a sudden hope. "Wouldn't you like to travel?" "I should rather think I would." "Well then, don't you think the time has come when we might sell this business and start somewhere else? I should dearly like to go to Australia. Will you consent?" "If you will only wait till father is taken home, I will willingly go wherever you choose." "But why should we wait till then? The Bible says 'a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife.'" "Yes," said Phebe, trying to laugh, "but it does not say a woman shall leave her father and cleave unto her husband." Then, more seriously, "Do you think it is right for marriage to break every family tie? Don't you think a child has duties to its parents, however old it may become? Think how lovingly Jesus thought of His mother, providing as far as possible against her feeling lonely." "If you are going to preach, I'm done." "I am not preaching, but I do always like to see if there is anything in the life of Jesus that fits in with my life, so that it will guide me." "Well, I cannot 'fit in' with this humdrum life much longer, so I tell you that plainly, and I don't mean to, either. If God calls you to stay here, God calls me to go elsewhere; so how can you reconcile those two things?" "But why do you think God calls you elsewhere?" "I am not going to be cross-examined like a prisoner," he replied, almost fiercely, and walked away. So the conference came to an end. About two months afterwards Phebe received a note one dinner-time purporting to come from her sister, saying she wanted to see her at once. As the note was not in her sister's handwriting, and was so strangely worded, she was rather puzzled. "Who has brought the note?" she inquired of the shopman. "Some boy, but he has gone now." "It is strange," thought Phebe; "father must be worse, and she had not time to write herself; yet that is not at all like her." As quickly as possible Phebe hurried away, to find on her arrival her sister had not sent for her. "It must have been a trick of your neighbour, Bessie, to get you out for a change." And Phebe, thinking that idea was quite likely to be correct, made herself comfortable for the afternoon, knowing that Janie would be sure to keep faithful guard over the children.