Eight cousins : or, The aunt-hill

UNCLES. 29all to myself, and no one is to give a word of adviceunless I ask it. There is no other way to keep orderaboard, and I am captain of this little craft, for a timeat least. What comes next " ?But Rose stuck there, and grew so red, her uncleguessed what that trouble was." I don't think I can tell this one. It would n't bepolite, and I feel pretty sure that it isn't going to be atrouble any more."As she blushed and stammered over these words. Dr.Alec turned his eyes away to the distant sea, and saidso seriously, so tenderly, that she felt every word andlong remembered them, —" My child, I don't expect you to love and trust meall at once, but I do want you to believe that I shallgive my whole heart to this new duty ; and if I makemistakes, as I probably shall, no one will grieve overthem more bitterly than I. It is my fault that I am abe your best friend.stranger to you, when I want toThat is one of my mistakes, and I never repented itmore deeply than I do noAV. Your father and I hada trouble once, and I thought I never could forgivehim ; so I kept away for years. Thank God, we madeit all up the last time I saw him, and he told me then,that ifhe was forced to leave her he should bequeathhis little girl to me as a token of his love. I can't fillhis place, but I shall try to be a father to her ;and ifshe learns to love me half as well as she did the goodone she has lost, I shall be a proud and happy man.Will she believe this and try?"Something in Uncle Alec's face touched Rose to theheart, and when he held out his hand with that anx-