MILLIE'S VICTORY.

 only Mrs. La Serre's brother; but she had always
 called him uncle, and they were good friends.
 They went home another way, through a wood that
 was all alive with bees and butterflies, and where
 Millie gathered a bunch of delicate anemones. Then
 over a bridge, where they could see, just see, a bit of
 blue, that was not sky, but real, real ocean.
 Millie was very nearly breaking down again at
 that. I think there would have been some tears, but
 for three saucy little trout, which splashed out of the
 water in the funniest way possible, making her laugh
 merrily.
 So the bridge was crossed, and they very soon
 reached home and the tarts.
 Then a little more play, an anxious look at the
 lilac-trees over the gate, as if, like the magic bean-
 stalk, they had blossomed so soon, and Millie's first
 terrible day was over; and she fell asleep in her little
 room over the porch, rather vexed that she wasn't
 more miserable, but very anxiously debating the ques-
 tion whether the brown hen Mrs. La Serre had given
 her would lay enough eggs to buy a silk dress for her
 mother before the lilacs bloomed again, and she came
 home.

 Millie had made up her mind that she must be
miserable without her mother, but day by day, the
kindly influence of Mrs. La Serre brought back the
old happy look to her face, and her merry ways and
words made sunshine in the home.
 She was dearly fond of the garden; one spot above
all she loved-the grass-plat by the gate, where the
lilac-trees grew. Every leaf was linked with the
thought of her mother and her parting words, "When
these lilac-trees bloom again, I trust we shall be home,''