The Press., 1892-09-01
(Continued from last weekly JOHN SMITH, JUNIOR.

0 OEllN oH } otNiN A day or two afterward, Mrs. Lisle took her two eldest daughters to the Royal academy She was feeling very tired herself, so made no attempt to go the round of the galleries, but sat for the most part on one of the center seats while the girls looked at the pictures.
 They had not gone far before they came suddenly face to face with the two inseparables, Jack Smith and Jack Jos selyn, as they were commonly called. and then, as so large party cannot very well keep together in the academy on crowded afternoon, very soon the friends paired off-Frances with one of the gen tlemen, Mrs. Lisle and Edith with the other.
 Then followed delightful hour for Frances. There is no more completely unfettered tete-a-tete than can be ob- tained in crowded ballroom or assem- bly,; the presence of the unheeding crowd only helps to remove all feeling of constraint And so the two young people drew closer and closer to each other Matter of fact words conveyed much more than their actual meaning, through the tones in which they were uttered and the looks that accompanied them. Frances began to wonder, half with hope and half with fear, what would be the next thing he might speak of. It came as a surprise to her.
 "As this is your first visit here, you have not been in the later rooms yet; Come with me; there is something l should like to show you in one of them | After some dextrous edging through the crowd, Frances found herself in front of two large portraits Good heavensl MT. and Mrs. Smithl' "Well, what do you think of themT' said her companion. They were life like, indeed, but there was a subtle something" which was wanting. Fran ces hesitated; then she gave laugh and said, 's1 don't know whether may ven- ture to say what really think?N
 Certainly" he replied, looking slight ly surprised, Tor should not have in- vited criticism. think they are splen- did"
 "Yes, they are wonderful-Mr. and Mrs. Smith to the Efe"-and here she dropped her voice to a confidential whisper-''minus their vulgarity.'
 He made no reply, so she added quick ly, "I hope you don't mind my calling them vulgar; remember you drew it upon yourself, and of course l don't know how far you consider yourself bound to them
 Don't you?" he interrupted. You must know that 1 am bound to them by the closest tie"-
 "Of friendship with their son." she put in eagerly, half vexed that he should take her words so seriously, when she had~quite expected him to join her in laughing-not i'll naturedly-at the worthy couples eccentricities. But what of that? Of course, you learned to know and like him at college, before you can have had any idea of what his parents were like Oh, it must be mere afectation on your part not to own that the old people are odiously vulgar!"
 "I know them to be unspeakably good, honest, hard working and unselfish. :" was the answer.
 "Oh, l daresay," she replied, with a little supercilious shrug of the shoulders "but they haven't an 1T between them. and don't believe he has an idea out side Smith and Trewson,' or she one be- yond her Johnny '"-
 "She is one of the best of mothers! Frances only replied by another ex- pressive movement, one of the affecta- tions her sister so much despised, which she had picked up at that foreign "Ladies | Eipichincr School "
 ''I am sorry that you judge so entirely by the outer man-and woman. con- fess am surprised too. 1 understood that there was a very kindly feeling ex- isting between your family and--and the Smiths"
 "Oh, yes," said Frances. T only speak for myself. l don't always share the views of my people. No, l admit shrink terribly from any want of refine ment in my associates. And perhaps, 7 she went on feeling rather nettled that he seemed to disagree with and indeed disapprove of her remarks, "as we are on the subject l may as we'll confess that can't see very much to admire in the son, although he is your dearest friend. Every one seems to find him