asked Elsie to come to her at half-past seven, and punctually at
the hour the little girl's gentle rap was heard at her door.

"Come in," said Rose, and Elsie entered, looking as bright and
fresh and rosy as the morning. She had her little Bible under her
arm, and a bouquet of fresh flowers in her hand. "Good-morning,
dear Miss Allison," she said, dropping a graceful courtesy as she
presented it. "I have come to read, and I have just been out to
gather these for you, because I know you love flowers."

"Thank you, darling, they are very lovely," said Rose, accepting
the gift and bestowing a caress upon the giver. "You are quite
punctual," she added, "and now we can have our half-hour together
before breakfast."

The time was spent profitably and pleasantly, and passed so
quickly that both were surprised when the breakfast bell rang.

Miss Allison spent the whole fall and winter at Roselands; and it
was very seldom during all that time that she and Elsie failed to
have their morning and evening reading and prayer together. Rose
was often made to wonder at the depth of the little girl's piety
and the knowledge of divine things she possessed. But Elsie had
had the best of teaching. Chloe, though entirely uneducated, was a
simple-minded, earnest Christian, and with a heart full of love to
Jesus, had, as we have seen, early endeavored to lead the little
one to Him, and Mrs. Murray--the housekeeper whom Adelaide had
mentioned, and who had assisted Chloe in the care of the child
from the time of her birth until a few months before Rose's
coming, when she had suddenly been summoned home to Scotland--had