The morning call., 1893-09-17
JOYCE MELHUISHS MISDOINGS
Young Woman With Exceptional Traits of
Character.


motherless baby had grown up into the
equally sweet and wilful young woman
simply and solely by the light of nature,
and without any of those salutary re-
straints and disciplines which are consid--
cred indispensable to the training Of the
weaker and fairer sex.
There had, in fact, been no one to under
take this training-no one TO correct her
defects and de=elop her qualities; that Is
to say, no one except her father. and what
was Colonel Stuart Melhuish likely to do
for pretty daughter Beyond spelling her
when he was disposed to make a play
thing of her, and neglecting her utterly
when other less innocent pastimes en-
crossed him? So it goes without saying
that poor Joyce was full Of faults-faults
of which. so far from being ashamed, she
was not even aware. until she came to live
with her maternal grandfather. DR.. Hep
burn. in the quiet old Lowlandshire town
Of Fenborough.
Fenborough is apt to look suspiciously
st anything which Oversteps the narrow
boundary of its everyday experience.
Joyce MelhuIsh was decidedly an innova-
ton, besides which she embodied an un-
pleasant complication OF circumstances
and Fenborough felt justified 10 expressing
SuTprlS6 t0aE lU6 depDuTuS SHOulQ SO lar
forget what was due TO themselves, to the
family at FenborOugh Towers, and TO So
ciety in general as to offer home TO the
orphan child of their disowned daughter.
Perhaps no one felt more surprise in the
matter than the good old doctor himself.
nor was any one more fully alive to the
dalicacy of the position in which he was
placing himself with Lady FenborOugh,
but his part in the prelude TO JoYce's COM
ing had not been quite spontaneously
had been thrust upon him rather against
his own judgment by his junior partner,
Gabriel Lang.
Lang is such fellow" the old man
was wont to say, The gets hold of such
queer notions, and though he doesn't ex-
actly persuade you, still you find yourself
doing what he wants you to, And yet l
always ask his advice"
DR.. Lang's advice on this particular
point bad been asked one morning when
the partners met in DR.. Hepburn's sane
tum for their usual discussion of the days
programme.
waiting for quarter of an hOur. the elder
man appeared with an open letter in his
hand and look of worry on his face.
Lang" he said, as he shut the door
carefully, what do you think? I've had
q letter from my granddaughter, Joyce
Melhuish."
DR.. Lang looked at the letter; he saw it
was written on paper deeply edged with
black.
And there is bad news in it9" he said,
interrogatively.
she writes to say that her father is dead"
"Dead?" cried Lang. Dead! Stuart
Melhuish dead?"
YES" replied the other. irritably. 81
don't know why he shouldn't die He was
an old man and he'd lived a rackety lie.
He died Oh Monday at some place on the
fuio Ia
gambling hell"
"And what is to become of the child ?"
asked Lang.
''She isn't a child" retorted the old man
still more iTrltably. shes 49, Well,
she's absolutely penniless What he has
left will barely pay his debts. Here, you
can read her letter and see for yourself"
DR.. Lang took the letter and read il
slowly veral times. while DR.. Hepburn
watched him anXl0usly.
t'Bad case, isn't ?" he said at last.
ut is," said Lang, "and L suppose you
will offer her home?
"a home. my good fellowP 1 offer
home to Stuart Melhuish's child-here-at
- Fen borough ,?
My dear Hepburn" replied the other
quietly, you must remember, she is
Sybl's child, too"
81 do remember it. but that makes it
none the easier. Think Of her ladyship's
feelings.
81 don't see" said Lang graveIy, "that
her ladyship's feelings can count here OF
course, she is the great parsonage of Fen
borough, and We all like to show her
proper respect. But Joyce Melnush is
destitute. She turns to you as her natural
protector"
But, Lang" the old man began again.
remember the scandal there WAS, and the
time it took to blow over; and now when
people have forgotten it.
II see" interrupted Lang ''yOu haven't
got over the old grudge. You can't bring
yourself to say: 1 will forgive all that |
can't forget OF course, it Isn't the first
time that the fathers have eaten sour
grapes, and that the childrsn's teeth have
been set on edge thereby. If Sybil did
wrong. she paid for it. and really the
wrong was In part excusable. She was
blinded by the romance. The romance
was soon over, and now all that remains of
it is one more weak woman 10 fight her
way, friendless, in hard-hearted world"
DR.. Hepburn's face had softened a lit
tie.
You're trying to probe my weak spot
Lang" he said. "Well. I'll think il over
But, remember. Pm like a city set on
hill. and [ shall have to take the conse-
Quences.
There will be no consequences of which
you need be ashamed" said the younger
man. confidently" Then be opened the
deferred consultation on the days busi-
ness.
DR.. Hepburn was perfectly right when
he said that he was as a city set Oh a hill,
and that his doings would be freely COM
mented on by his neighbors. He liYed-as
bef1tted his social wright. in one of the
square, brownstone houses which stand on
either side of the road leading from the
lower part of the town to the gates OF Fen
borough Park, the seat of the Earl of
Fenhorough. All the Fen burians who were
anybody lived in this quarter. and were
invited on rare and solemn occasions to
partake of the hospitality OF Fen thorough
Towers. They were nearly all old resi-
dents, who knew one another's family his
tory and private circumstances with an
accuracy which demonstrated clearly how
little business Of their own they had TO
occupy their minds; and when The news
spread abroad that Joyce Melhuish was
coming TO take up her abode in her grand
fathers house, the half-forgotten scandal
10 which he had alluded was raked up and
discussed with fresh zest, and with the
compound interest due to 1t after twenty
years of comparative oblivion.
i've no patience with DIR. HEPBURN"
said the elder Miss Stow-who was his
opposite neighbor in Park road. 81 told