Year: 1879

more characteristic Of the highest or
der of creative intellect; how he was
no, not beautiful striking, yes,
Dick would go so far, decidedly strik-
ing in appearance; how his boots were
made to lace and his coat was black,
not cut-away, a frock; and so on, and
so on by the yard. 1t was astonishing
how few lies were necessary. After
al, people exaggerated the difficulty
of life. A little steering, just touch
of the rudder now and then, and with
a willing listener there is no limit to
the domain of equivocal speech.
Sometimes Miss M'Glashan made
freezing sojourn in the parlor; and
then the task seemed unaccountably
more difficult; but to Esther, who was
all eyes and ears, her face alight with
interest, his stream Of language flowed
without break or stumble, and his
mind was ever fertile in ingenious
evasions and -


What an afternoon it was for Es-
ther!


"Ahy,, she said at last, it's good to
hear all this! My aunt, you should
know, is narrow and too religious; she
cannot understand an artists life. 1t
does not frighten me-" she added
grandly; Il am an artists daughter"


With that speech, Dick cOnsoled
himself for his imposture; she was not
deceived so grossly after all; and then
if a fraud, was not the fraud piety it.
elf?-and what could be more obliga-
tory than to keep alive in the heart of
daughter that filial trust and honor
which, even although misplaced, be-
came her like a jewel Of the mind?
There might be another thought, a
shade Of cowardice, a selfish desire to
please; poor Dick was merely human;
and what would you have had him do?


CHAPTER ".
ESTHER ON THE FILIAL RELATION


A month later Dick and Esther met
at the stile beside the cross roads; had
there been any one to see them but
the birds and summer insects, it would
have been remarked that they met
after different fashion from the day
before. Dick took her in his arms,
and their lips were set together for a
long while Then he held her at
arms length, and they looked straight
into each others eyes.


''Esther!" he said; you should have
heard his voice!


''Dick!" said she.


my darling!'


1t was some time before they start
ed for their walk; he kept an arm
about her, and their sides were close
together as they walked; the sun, the
birds, the west wind running among
the trees, pressure, a look, the grasp
Tightening round a single finger,
these things stood them in lieu of
thought and filled their hearts with
Joy. The path they were following
led them through wood of pine
trees carpeted with heather and blue
berry, and upon this pleasant carpet,
Dick, not without some seriousness,
made her sit down.


''Esther" he began, "there is some
thing you ought to know. You know
my father is rich man, and you
would think, now that we love each
other, we might marry when we
pleased. But [ fear, darling, we may
have long to wait, and shall want all
our courage"


II have courage for anything" she
said, II have all | want; with you and
my father, | am so well off and wait
ing is made so happy, that I could
wait a lifetime and not weary"


He had sharp pang at the men
ton of the Admiral. "Hear me out, u
he continued. Il ought to have told
you this before; but it is a thought |
shrink from; if it were possible, |
should not tell you even now. My
po " father and | are scarce on speak
ing terms"


''your father" she repeated, turning
pale.


''It must sound strange to you; but
yet | cannot think I am to blame"
he said. Il will tell you how it hap
pened."


"Oh, Dickr' she said, when she had
heard him to an end, chow brave you
are, and how proud! Yet | would not
be proud with father. would tell
him all.


WHAT cried Dick, "go in months
after, and brag that I had meant to
thrash the man, and then didn't. And
why? Because my father had made
a bigger ass Of himself than | suppos-
ed. My dear, that's nonsense"


She WINGED at his words and drew
away. But when that is all he asks,
she pleaded. IF he only knew that
you had felt that impulse, it would
make him so proud and so happy. He
would see you were his own son after
all, and had the same thoughts and
the same chivalry of spirit. And
then you did yourself injustice when
you spoke Just now. 1t was because
the editor was weak and poor and ex-
cused himself, that you repented your
first determination. Had he been a
big red man, with whiskers, you would
have beaten him-you know you
would-if Mr.. Naseby had been ten
times more committed. Do you think,
if you can tell it to me, and | under
stand at once, that it would be more
difficult to tell it to your own father,
or that he would not be more ready to
sympathize with you than [ am? And
I love you, Dick; but then he is your
father"


my dear" said Dick, desperately, |
"you do not understand; you do not |
know what it is to be treated with |
daily want of comprehension and daily |
small iniustices, through childhood I
and boyhood and manhood, until you
despair of hearing, until the thing
rides you like nightmare, until you
almost hate the sight of the man you
love, and who's your father after all.
In short, Esther, you don't know
what it is to have father, and that's
what blinds you"