how kindness to the guest of the house, and
to divert what seemed to her his sad thoughts, did not stop to make any
reply, but rose and hastily crossed over to one of the bookcases,
bringing back in her arms a large folio, full of colored illustrations
of field sports.

"Now, Cousin Cecil," said she, drawing up a chair close by the side of
his, and laying the folio open upon her lap, "this will please you I am
sure; this is not about rats, but thorough-bred horses and dogs,
stag-hounds and fox-hounds. Did you ever hear that our grandfather kept
a pack of fox-hounds here, that is a hundred dogs you know. I will take
you to the kennels and the huntman's lodge some day soon."

Cecil did not know that a hundred dogs made a pack, for he had passed
all his life in India, until a few months previous to his coming to the
manor house.

"Look at this picture of coursing, here is another of hawking, and now
see these otter hounds."

"The landscape is beautiful," said the boy. "I like the soft gray light
on those distant hills in the background, but I do not care about
pictures of horses and dogs; please take them away. I like to see the
animals moving in the fields, but I think all this kind of sport is very
cruel."

This was said in an extremely gentle way, and at the same time with an
inflection of the voice which made a deep impression upon his listener.
I wonder what I can do to amuse him, thought Anna; I don't suppose he
would care to look at my last piece of embroidery, or hear how many
sonatas I can play; I am afraid he is sorry he came here, perhaps he was
thinking of the Himalaya mountains, when he said he liked those hills
in the picture. Most boys like out-door amusements, she again thought to
herself, and acting upon the idea of the moment.

"Cecil," said she, "we have two capital ponies, we will go out in the
forenoon to-morrow if you like, for we are to have a holiday from our
studies all day, in honor of your coming here."

Again a gentle "thank you" from Cecil, his tired eyes still seeking air
castles among the red and gray embers of the fire. After some minutes
silence, he turned to look at the tall old clock in the corner, which,
in addition to the hours and minutes depicted upon its face, was adorned
with supposed likenesses of the sun and moon and other heavenly bodies,
beside the terrestrial globe which represented Jerusalem as being
situated in the very center of the earth's surface.

The same old c