The midland journal., 1910-01-28

| talk little to the country gentlemen
and the smaller fry about, who were
sufficiently important to belong to the
ally to sit with his wife in her draw
| ing room, to read to her, to tempt her
to talk, even to give Janet a little lee
! ture upon literature, which she cared
nothing about. He was on those oc-
casions delightful companion, so
easy in his superip-n knowledge, so
| unpretending. In their rich and easy
Slife, without cares, without any en-
| barrassment about ways and smeans,
| or any need to think of tomorrow,
| he was indeed an admirable husband,
| most charming stepfather, pleasant
ell round What would any woman
have wished for more?
| There was one period in this easy
and delightful life which brought the
change home to Beaufort with curious
force for moment and no more. 1t
was tbs period just after the publica-
tion of book which went over his
ground-the ground which it had al
ways been supposed he was going to
take. 1t forestalled him on many
points, but; in some went quite against
him, contradicting his views. He
brought in the volume with some ex-
j element to his wife, and read to her
those portions with which he dis
agreed. II must do something about
this" he said; '.you see the fellow
takes half my argument, and works
out from it quite a different conclu-
sion. have been too supine. I
must really get to work at once, and
not suffer myself to be forestalled
and contradicted like this"
Eyes, Edward" said Carry gently.
She smiled very sweetly upon. him.
with curious tender smile, but she
did not say any more.
'sYou speak as If you did not think
it worth my WHILE" he said, little
annoyed by her composure.
"Oh, no; think it quite worth
your WHILE she said. He went of
little disturbed, vexed, half angry,
half sad, but certainly stimulated by
her. Was it indifference? What was
it? Had she responded as of old,
they would have talked the matter
over between them and taken away
all its interest; but as she did not
respond Beaufort felt the fire burn.
He went off to his room, and got out
all his preparatory notes and the be-
ginning of the long interrupted man
uscript, and worked with vigor all
night, throwing his opposite views
| hastily NO Aorr II
nounced to his wife that he meant
to ruin that fellows book"-as the
! quickest and surest way of express
ing his dissent. Yes she said
once more, but with little rising
color, when, Edward?"
"Oh, I'll send it to 'Bowles,'" I" he
said. meaning "The Nineteenth Gen.
tury' of that day. OF course, sThe
Nineteenth Century itself had not
yet begun its dignified career. And
he did an hours work that morning,
but with softened zeal; and in the
afternoon, he repeated to himself that
1t was scarcely worth his while. The
people who had read that fellows
book would not care to read review;
they would be people on the other
side, quite unlikely to pay any atten-
tion to the opposite argument. And.
as for the general public, the general
public did not care straw for all the
social philosophy or political economy
in the world. So after another hours
dcliberation he put all the papers
back again-what was the user
and went into the county club, and
brought back a very amusing story
OF the complicated metaphors and
confused reasoning of some of the
gentlemen there. 1t did not strike
him that Carry never asked whether
ne had finished the review. or how
ne was going to treat the subject.
But he remarked her smile with q
curious sensation which he could not
explain. 1t seemed to him something
new-very sweet cher smile had al
ways been sweet, very patient, in
dulgent, with a look of forgiving in
1T, though he did not know very well
what there was to forgive. He for
got in short time about the answer
he had intended to write to that
book. and about the review into
WINCH nls INTENDED answer had so
soon slid-in intention-but he was
haunted for very long time by
Carry's smile. What did it mean?
Tom and Janet were just as little
aware how it was that their mother
was so much more with them than
or old, but this had come on gradual
ly, and it did not strike them except
by moments. why you're always
with mother now" Tom said, when
he came home for his holidays. He
was now at Elton, and. though he had
been in several scrapes had managed
to keep his place and was in high
hope of getting into the boats, which
was the only distinction he had any
chance OF.
Yes" said Janet. sedately. "for
| I'm growing mn. now ond xoo+y,<,. ~,.,..