"It will be a great change for you all, if he settles in England."
"I think he will, Aunt Ruth. Christina does not like India very much; and then, again, Walter wants to be near papa. It seems hard that papa should lose his eldest son altogether."
"And Christina is happy to wait so long?"
"Oh, yes! In fact, she much prefers it. She says she could not have thought of it sooner, partly because of the little children."
"What will be done with them, Nellie, when she is married? Has anything been arranged? You know, dear, letters do not tell me all I want to know."
"I do not think it is quite decided. She has only four little children, and I believe she intends, if Walter agrees, to maintain them and educate them just the same. She says if any very nice home were offered for one of them, she might accept; but she loves them so much that I do not know how she could part with them."
"She is a sweet girl, is she not?"
"Very sweet; and so beautiful! She is most accomplished; and to watch her playing with the little children, and condescending to their pranks and fun, is quite amusing to me."
"I wish I could see her," said Aunt Ruth.
"She is one of the reliable people," said Nellie, "without being an atom stuck-up or stiff. The tenderest heart, but yet so firm and pure."