away from him, he sat down.

"Angela," he said presently, "go away now, dear, I am tired to-night;
I shall see you at church to-morrow to say good-by."

And so she went homewards, through the wind and storm, little knowing
that she left her master to struggle with a tempest far more
tremendous than that which raged around her.

As for him, as the door closed, he gave a sigh of relief.

"Pray God I have not put it off too long," he said to himself. "And
now for to-morrow's sermon. Sleep for the young! laughter for the
happy! work for old fools--work, work, work!"

And thus it was that Angela became a scholar.



CHAPTER XVII

The winter months passed away slowly for Angela, but not by any means
unhappily. Though she was quite alone and missed Mr. Fraser sadly, she
found considerable consolation in his present of books, and in the
thought that she was getting a good hold of her new subjects of study.
And then came the wonder of the spring with its rush of budding life,
and who, least of all Angela, could be sad in springtime? But
nevertheless that spring marked an important change in our heroine,
for it was during its sweet hours, when, having put her books aside,
she would roam alone, or in company with her ravens, through the