The herald., 1896-03-22

Ipidce VI COnVdleScence. IL is COncelVaplt
he had been more than usually anx
Gus, for that journey always remained
in Archie's memory as thing apart, his
father having related to him from beginning
to end, and with much detail. three authen-
tic murder cases. Archie went the usual
round of other Edinburgh boys. the high
school and the college; and Hermiston look
ed on. or rather looked away. with scarce
an affectation of interest in his progress.
Daily, indeed, upon a signal after dinner,
he was brought in. given nuts and glass
of port. regarded sardonically, sarcastically
questioned. well, sir, and what have you
DOM with your book today" my lord
might begin, and set him posers in law
Latin. To child just stumbling into Cor
derius, Papinian and Paul proved quite
| invincible. But papa had memory of no
other. He was not harsh to the little
| scholar, having a vast fund of patience
| learned upon the bench, and was at no
| pains whether to conceal or to express his
| disappointment. "Well, We have long
jaunt before We yeti" he might observe,
yawning. and fall back on his own
thoughts (as like as noD until the time
came for separation. and my lord would
take the decanter and the glass; and be off
to the back chamber looking on the Mead
ows, where he toiled on his cases till the
hours were small. There was no fuller
man" on the bench; his memory was mar
vellous, though wholly legal if he had to
advise" eXtempore, mono did it better;
yet there was none who more earnestly
prepared AS he thus watched in the night,
or sat at table and forgot the presence of
his son, no doubt but he tasted deeply of
recondite pleasures. To be wholly devoted
to some intellectual exercise is to have sue
ceeded in life; and perhaps only in law and
the higher mathematics may this devotion
be maintained, suffice to itself without re-
action, and find continual rewards without
excitement. This atmosphere of his faith
ers sterling industry was the best of Arch
les education. Assuredly it did not attract
him; assuredly it rather rebutted and de-
pressed. Yet it was still present, unob-
served like the ticking of a clock, an arid
ideal, tasteless stimulant in the boys life.
But Hermiston was not all of one piece.
He was besides, a mighty topper; he could
sit at Wine until day dawned. and pass
directly from the table to the Bench with
steady hand and a clear head. Beyond the
third bottle, he showed the. plebian in a
larger print; the low, gross accent, the
low, foul mirth, grew broader and COM
moner; he became less formidable, and in
fnitely more disgusting. Now the boy had
inherited from Jean Rutherford a shivering
deicacy, unequally mated with potential
violence. In the play-felds. and amongst
his own companions, he repaid coarse eX-
preston with blow; at his fathers table
{,,1,o h, tot,
revels) he turned pale and sickened in 81
lence. OF all the guests whom he there
encountered, he had federation for only
one: David Keith Carnegie Lord Glenal-
mond. Lord Glenalmond was tall
and emaciated, with long features and long
delicate hands. He was often compared
with the statue OF Forbes of Culloden in
the Parliament House; and his blue eye
at more than sixty, preserved some of the
fire of youth. His exquisite disparity with
any of his fellow guests. his appearance as
of an artist and an aristocrat stranded in
rude company, riveted the boys attention.
and, as curiosity and interests are the
things in the world that are the most i'm
and certainly rewarded, Lord
Glenamond was attracted by the boy.
"And so, this is your son, Hermiston?"
he asked, laying his hand on Archie's
Hes getting a big lad"
"Hout!" said the gracious father, "just
his mother over again-daurna say boo to
to him, drew him out, rounu III nrn ii ras,o
for letters, and fine, ardent, modest,
SOUL and encouraged him to be
visitor on Sunday evenings in his bare,
cold. lonely dining-room, where he
,f boo ohr1nr
grown old in refinement. The beautiful
gentleness and grace of the old judge, and
the delcacy of his person. thoughts, and
language, spoke to Archie's heart in its
own tongue. He conceived the ambition
to be such another; and, when the day
came for him to choose profession, 1t
was in emulation of Lord Glenalmond, not
of Lord Hermiston, that he chose the bar.
Hermiston looked on at this friendship
with some secret pride, but openly with
the intolerance of scorn. He scarce lost
an opportunity to put them down with
rough jape; and, to say truth, it was not
difficult, for they were neither OF them
quick. He had a word of contempt for the
whole crowd of poets painters, hddlers,
and their admirers. the bastard race OF
amateurs, which was continually on MS
lips. "Signor Feedle-eerie!' he would say.
"Oh, for Goad's sake, no more of the Sig
nor.'
"You and my father are great friends,
are you not" asked Archie once.
"There is no man that l more respect,
Archie" replied Lord Glenalmond. He is
two things of price. He Is great lawyer
and he is upright as the day."
'You and he are so different said the
boy his eyes dwelling on those OF his old
friend, like a lovers on his mistress's
"Indeed so," replied the Judge; very diff
ferent. And so l fear are you and he. Yet
I would like it i'll if my young friend were
to misiudge his father. He has all the Ro-
man virtues: Cato and Brutus were such; l
think sons heart might we'll be proud OF
such an ancestry of one.'
"And l would sooner he was plaided
herd,'' cried Archie, with sudden bitter
ness.
"And that is neither very wise, nor l be-
lieve entirely true" returned Glenalmond.
Before you are done you will find some
of these expressions rise on you like re-
morse. They are merely literary and dec
orative: they do not aptly express your
thought, nor is your thought clearly appre-
hended, and no doubt your father df he
were here would say 'Signor Feeble
eere!"
With the infinitely delicate sense OF
youth, Archie avoided the subject from
that hour. 1t was perhaps pity. Had he
but talked-talked freely-let himself gush
out the words the way youth loves to do