One bitter drop always marred the pleasure of that hour; for when she had asked for Mrs. Sterling, and sent her love, she forced herself to say kindly: 

“And Kitty, is she doing well?”

“Capitally; come and see how she has improved; we are quite proud of her.”

“I will if I can find time.  It’s a hard winter and we have so much to do,” she would answer smiling, and then go home to struggle back into the patient mood she tried to make habitual.

But she seldom made time to go and see Kitty’s improvement; and, when she did run out for an hour she failed to discover any thing, except that the girl was prettier and more coquettish than ever, and assumed airs of superiority that tried Christie very much.

“I am ready for any thing,” she always said with a resolute air after one of these visits; but, when the time seemed to have come she was not so ready as she fancied.

Passing out of a store one day, she saw Kitty all in her best, buying white gloves with a most important air.  “That looks suspicious,” she thought, and could not resist speaking.

“All well at home?” she asked.

“Grandma and I have been alone for nearly a week; David went off on business; but he’s back now and—­oh, my goodness!  I forgot:  I’m not to tell a soul yet;” and Kitty pursed up her lips, looking quite oppressed with some great secret.

“Bless me, how mysterious!  Well, I won’t ask any dangerous questions, only tell me if the dear old lady is well,” said Christie, desperately curious, but too proud to show it.

“She’s well, but dreadfully upset by what’s happened; well she may be.”  And Kitty shook her head with a look of mingled mystery and malicious merriment.

“Mr. Sterling is all right I hope?” Christie never called him David to Kitty; so that impertinent little person took especial pains to speak familiarly, sometimes even fondly of him to Christie.

“Dear fellow! he’s so happy he don’t know what to do with himself.  I just wish you could see him go round smiling, and singing, and looking as if he’d like to dance.”

“That looks as if he was going to get a chance to do it,” said Christie, with a glance at the gloves, as Kitty turned from the counter.

“So he is!” laughed Kitty, patting the little parcel with a joyful face.

“I do believe you are going to be married:”  exclaimed Christie, half distracted with curiosity.

“I am, but not to Miles.  Now don’t you say another word, for I’m dying to tell, and I promised I wouldn’t.  David wants to do it himself.  By-by.”  And Kitty hurried away, leaving Christie as pale as if she had seen a ghost at noonday.

She had; for the thought of David’s marrying Kitty had haunted her all those months, and now she was quite sure the blow had come.

“If she was only a nobler woman I could bear it better; but I am sure he will regret it when the first illusion is past.  I fancy she reminds him of his lost Letty, and so he thinks he loves her.  I pray he may be happy, and I hope it will be over soon,” thought Christie, with a groan, as she trudged away to carry comfort to those whose woes could be relieved by tea and sugar, flannel petticoats, and orders for a ton of coal.