Mrs. Day's Daughters

d And

al was to take place, a different creature seemed

e greasy, disguising locks of sand-coloured hair, and trimmed the wildly luxuriant beard which

papa," Franky said, who had shi

spensed with linen at throat and wrists lately, but now his heavy chin sank once more into the enclosure of a collar whose stiffly starched points reached to the middle of his cheeks. The pin which adorned his thickly padded necktie was large

our of happier days. He said nothing; was, indeed, in a state of black depression which he made no

d, when he beheld the renovation of his parent's app

d not make his request, nor why it should be refused. He fetched hi

autifully than me, papa. If you

s, and was showing him how to mix his colours, and admonishing him not to

with the sunset at which his parent excelled, and much scraping and mixing of carmine and yellow ochre and cobalt blues

ight!" he entreated, through his weeping. But Bessie, whose task it was to see him to

end. His presence was never desired by the family, but

though William Day held his pipe in his hand he did not smoke. With the other hand he shaded his eyes from the gas light, and he said nothing. One by one

the husband said when he be

f you wish me to

, and get s

pe from that sad presence, yet miserable to go: "Do the best you can for

ard a word of praise from him before. When at last it came it was t

t nod to the other's silent gesture of farewell as he turned to walk down the echoing pavement; when he had put out the gas in the sitting-room and hall, and dragged himself-

who had waited

he said when he stopped

e Deleah that I-

e said, and pointed an angry fin

stifled sobbing, till with the choke of his own sobbing

beside his wife he was choking and sobb

ng hand upon his shoulder. "Is there anythin

ed shook with his rending sobs;

you and the children," he said. "I thought, with luck, I could have pu

said. "You may be quite sure that neith

used his tears to her-"I should not have broken down like this

wn his tears, and then h

ways been-have

understanding him. "The deare

t-after to-mor

ve not such winning ways, perhaps, b

to say to me, William? There have been too few words between us of late. It has been my

ilence. Full well she knew that volumes, if he could have spoken them, could not hav

cked in the darkness, then she forced herself to say the only few w

thing I do wish to say to you-I do want you to remember. It is that you must be sure never to think I feel any anger against you.

nd he received what

new he spoke of the weeks he had spent, an alien in his own home,

er, and lay quite quiet; and presently