86 THE HOME OF A NATURALIST. 



just a little hard to look ahead, and see nothing for 

 herself but a perpetual carrying of the key-basket." 



The heartless being who shared Tribby's bed and 

 confidence not infrequently preferred lulling her senses 

 to sleep by castle-building of an unsubstantial descrip- 

 tion, to expressing sympathy with Tribby. When 

 such was the case, Lalya's wide-open eyes would 

 appear somewhere in the vicinity, and their owner 

 would hazard some remark of a far-fetched, well- 

 intentioned nature, which Tribby learned, in time, to 

 receive with a good grace. Then Tribby smothered 

 her cares and anxieties as best she could, and got 

 through her week of housekeeping with credit. 



On Sunday evening, just before saying good-night, 

 Tribby handed the key-basket to Wildie with an air 

 of self-satisfaction trying to that young lady. At the 

 moment she was lost in a vision of the beautiful young 

 Psalmist wandering among the hills of Judah, compos- 

 ing odes and sacred songs, and singing of bird and 

 flower. The key-basket didn't somehow fit into the 

 occasion as it ought to have done if its recipient had 

 prepared her mind for it properly. Its shadow lay 

 heavily upon her dreams that night. 



On Monday morning behold her ! a dreaming, 

 mischievous lassie, passionately fond of poetry and 

 ponies, looking back regretfully to her days of cricket 

 and ship-sailing, now walking with slow and most 

 reluctant feet along the passages until she reached the 

 store-room. There were cupboards and boxes scattered 

 over the house and devoted to special items, but the 



