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+ and turned over the leaves. APTER XXXVI, \ "For a time Frithiof was rather lent and quiet; bub Sigrid and Swanhild were in high spirits as they went. down to Rowan Tree uge, arriving just in time for supper. The atmosphere of hap- _ piness; however, is always infecti- ous, and he soon threw off his taci- + Surnd ; and dragging himself away from his own engrossing thoughts, . forgot Bs shadows of life 'in 'the Juke brightness of this home which ad been so much to him ever since he first set foot in it. With Bwanhild "for = an excuse . they pldyed all sorts of games; but when: at last she had been sent off to bed, the fun and laughter quiet- ed 'down. * Mr. and Me, Boniface played their nightly game of back- j atmo ; Roy and Sigrid had 'a ong? tete-a-tefe the * little drawing-room; Cecil sat down at the piano and began. to play Men- delssohn's Christmas™ pieces; and . Frithiof threw himself back in the : great, arm-chair close by. her, list- ening halt dreamily @nd with a rest- ful sense of pause in his life that he Lad 'never Belore known; He'"de- sired: nothing, he reveled in the sense of freedom from the love which for eo long had beén a mis- ery to him; the very calm was bliss. ""That is beautiful,'"' he said; when the music ceased. "After all there is no one like Mendelssohn, he is so human." "You look like one of the lotus- Satera, " said Cecil, - glancing at 'It is precisely what I feel like,' he said, with a smile. 'Perhaps it is because you have been giving me # 'Music that gentlier on the epirit lies Than tired eyelids upon tired eyes.' I remember so well how you read . that to me after I had been ill"! 7 *. 8he took a little thin red volume | "from the book-shelves beside Berd bent forward to look over her, a_i together they read the first part of the poem. "'It-is Norway," he said. oould better describe it? "You will not be a true lotus- eater till you are there once more,"' said Cecil, glancing at him. For! his dreamy 'content was gone, and | a vyistfulness which she quite un- derstood had taken its "place, v "Don't you think, now that all is so different, you might perhaps go there next summer?' she added. "No," he replied, "you must not tempt me. I will not go back till I am a free man and can look every one in the face. The prospect: of being free so much sooner than 1 "What had expected ought to be enough | Fj this, robbed of position' and him. to satisfy me. Buppose we build castles in the ajr; that is surely the right thing to do on Christmas- eve. When at last these debts are cleared, let us all go to Norway to- gether. I 'knaw Mr. Boniface would be enchanted with it, and you, you did not see nearly all that you should have geen. You must | see the Romsdal and the Geiran- ger, and we must show you Oldo- ren, where we 0 often spent the, summer ay.' '"'"How delightful it would be!" said Cecil. "Don't say 'would," say 'will,' "' he replied. "I shall not, Ahorough- ly enjoy it unless we all go to- a huge Be we ok Ag be rather in "You would the way," she said. 'have so many old friends out there, would want to get rid of us. n't you remember she da Judy was 80 outspoken m oh we tried to' he' friendly and not aoe So let her feel lonely and out i ihiol angie at the recollec- tion. J "own fault. ruck," And how we > laughed at her opinion of us.' "Well, of course you wouldn't exactly put it in that way, but all the same, I think you would want to be alone when you go back." He shook his head. "No; you are quite mistaken. Now, promise that if Mr, astaken | agrees, you will all come t00."' 'Very well,' she said, smiling, "I promise," "Where are they going to?' he exclaimed, glancing into the aner foom where Roy was wrap a thick sofa blanket about arid's shoulders, "Out into the garden to hear the bells, T dare say,'" she' replied: 'We generally go out if it is fine.' " "Let us come t00," he said ; an they 'left the bright room and we out into the dusky veranda, p. silently to and fro absorbed. ia their own ughts, while the Christmas bells rang good-will, ' good-will and peace, Peace and good-will 'to 'all man- kind.» » But the other two, down in a sheltered path at the end of the ganden were not silent, nor did they listen very much to the bella. "Bigrid,"" said Roy, "have you forgotten that you made me a pro- mise last June?' "No," she said, her voice tremb- ling a little, "I have not forgot- ten." "You promised: that when Frith- iof was cleared I might ask you for your answer,' She raised her face to his in 'the dim starlight. "Yes, 1 did promise." '"'And the answer ig--?' "I love you." The soft Norse words were spoken hardly above "her breath; yet. Roy knew that they would ring in his heart all his life long. "My darling!" he said, taking her in his arms. "Oh; if you kne what the waiting' has been to oy But it was my own fault=--all my I ought to have trust- ed your instinct before my own rea- son." "No, no,"' she said, clinging to him ; "I think I was hard and bit- ter that day ; you must forgive me, ifor I was so very unhappy. Don't let us speak of it any more. -I hate to think of it even." 'And pothing can ever come be- tween us again," he said, still | keeping his arm round her as' they walked on. "No; never again," she repeat- ed; "never again. I know I am too proud and independent, and I suppose it is to crush down my pride that I have to come to you money, a 'How can you speak of such things," . he ' said, reproachfully. 'You know , they are nothing -to me ; you know that I can-never feel worthy of you," "Buch things do seem very little when one really loves,'"' she said, gently. "I thought it over, and it seems to me. like this--the proof of your love to me is that you take me poor, an exile, more or Jess burdened with the past; the of my love to you is that I Rot pride--and yield. It wonld have seemed impossible to me once; but now-- Oh, Roy! how I love you-- how I love you I" - * * * * "And about Frithiof I'! said Roy, presently. "You will e lain: te him and make him unders that I would not for the world break up his home?' "Yes,"' she replied, "1 will tell him ; but I think not to-night. Just til to-morrow let it be only for o selves, Hark! the clocks are ik ling Yuslvel. Let us go in and wish the others a happy Ohrist . x 1 io Jesus. Chis 'was ae bo He hath oped the heavenly And man is bléssed evermore. = wag born for this!" Goeil; glancing 3 "at her hort the carol was ended, read her sec- ret in her happy, glowing. face. Bhe rose from the piano. | "A happy Ohristmas to you" she. said, kissing her on both cheeks. "We have been out in the garden, right down in the lower path, and |' bee you can't think how lovely the bells 2 sound," said Bigrid, Then, with a fresh stab of pain | at her heart she thought of Frith- iof's spoiled life; she looked wist- fully across at him, conscious: that her love for Roy had only deepened her love for those belonging to her, Was he never to know anything more satisfying than the peace of being freed from the Josd ot suspicion { Was he only to 'know the' pain of love? All her first de- sire to keep her secret to herself died away 'as she - looked af him, and in another minute her hand was on his arm. : "Dear old boy," she said to him in Norse, "won't you come into the garden with me for " few minutes 1' 80 they went out Sogether foto the starlight, and wandered down to the sheltered path where she and Roy had paced to and fro so long. 'What a happy Christmas it' has pons. for us allt' she said, thought- u. "Very; and how little we expect- ed it!" said Frithiof. "Do you think," she began, fal- fovingly, 'do you think, Frithiof, it: would make you less 'happy it 1] told you of -a new happiness that|: has come to me?' Her tone as much as the actual words suddenly enlightened him. 'Whatever makes for your hap- piness makes' for mine,' he said,' trying to read her face, "Are you sure of that?" she said, the tears rushing to her eyes. "'Oh, if I could quite believe you, Frith. iof, how happy I should be!" "Why 'should you doubt me?' he asked. "Come, 1 have . guessed your secret, you are going to tell me that--"' 'That Roy will some day be your brother as well as your friend," she. said, g his sentence for He caught her hand in his and held it fast. i 'I wish you joy, Sigrid, with all my heart. This puts the finishing oh to our Christmas hapiness.'" "And Roy has been making such| lans,"' said Sigrid, brushing away r tears; "'he says that he wall there is & charming little house back to back, you know, with this one, and it will just hold us all; for of course he will never allow us to be separated. He told me that | € long ago, when he first asked me.' 'Long ago!' said Frithiof; 'why what do you mean, Sigrid? I thought it was 'only to-night, »» ~ "It was only to-night that I gave him his anewer,"' said Sigrid. 'It was when we were, at the 'sen last June that he first spoke: to me then--afterward--perhaps I 'w wrong, but I would not hear any-| thing more about it ill your clo! just over| Duchess of Marlborough. ean able, for a lew days ago a valuable] animal wi was being 00! to her from Ireland got suffocated | on the journey, peel 5 the con-|.® the % she Duchess hopes to) the society women | been fora een of] 4 ears an active and conspicuous Ladies" Kennel |. nt was at owner's slsk the loss will mean so or of $5,000 ext year join the Sanks of who . have element in Club." { ; re Is A WOMAN AS SHIP SURGEON. is Beitish Board of Trade Law Does Not Forbid It. Heretofore the position of t ship's surgeon has been monopolized men, but all doubt as to the eli bility of women for the position has A been set at rest by a Soottish | steamship company. 2 The. company had a steamer on the Clyde ready to sail for Aus- || tralia with a large number of pas | sengers, including emigrants, on board. ~All that re ing was the lack of a surgeon. A qualified woman doctor, the | diEher of a heard her services. officer who had to certify the ship. looked up all precedents, and, al-| no woman || bad ever before been signed on as] Surgeon of a ship, he: could find} ing against it, and the woman | though he found that dootor went out with the steame: Nomar msi # Winter Care of Dratiers. of their horses th failure to provide work for them durin, : fhe g the 3 'winter Rego the ing nfanure on the snowy. folds, Altogether they are kept le 4 50 many days -.that number of hours wor! for a year is even less dpe, those days in the: rule for man = it from. leav-1 | marine. engineer, | of the difficulty and offered. J bodrd 'of trade | Most farmers do not get full use I re eRe rn ws FERS 4 HE I= oR Mm MANUFACTURING ©0 'Be Wellington 8t., Montreal. Rha "write at once for sm of us "Pin Ganon Senin wrany, LTD