in the heart of a brother and keep it warm for that other and sacred
love that must come by-and-by; not that the wife need drive the
sister into outer darkness, but that there must be a humbler abiding
in the outer court, perchance a little guest-chamber on the wall; the
nearer and more royal abode must be for the elected woman among women.

There is too little giving up and coming down in this world, too
much jealous assertion of right, too little yielding of the scepter
in love. It may be hard--God knows it is hard, to our poor human
nature, for some cherished sister to stand a little aside while
another takes possession of the goodly mansion, yet if she be wise
and bend gently to the new influence, there will be a "come up
higher," long before the dregs of the feast are reached. Old bonds
are not easily broken, early days have a sweetness of their own;
by-and-by the sister will find her place ready for her, and welcoming
hands stretched out without grudging.

The next morning I rose early to see Allan off Just at the last
moment Carrie came down in her pretty white wrapper to bid him
good-by. Allan was strapping up his portmanteau in the hall, and
shook his head at her in comic disapproval. "Fie, what pale cheeks,
Miss Carrie! One would think you had been burning the midnight oil."
I wonder if Allan's jesting words approached the truth, for Carrie's
face flushed suddenly, and she did not answer.

Allan did not seem to notice her confusion. He bade us both good-by
very affectionately, and told us to be good girls and take care of
ourselves, and then in a moment he was gone.

Breakfast was rather a miserable business after that; I was glad