whenever I
wanted to as he could get along better without me. He said that he did
not want a traitor in his house. Oh, it is terrible! I cannot
understand what has come over him. He was always hard and
unsympathetic, but never like this."

"And will you go?" Jasper enquired.

"At first I thought I would. But after thinking it all over very
carefully I have decided to remain with him. He needs me now more than
ever. You have no idea what a helpless man he is. I shudder to think
what would become of him should I leave him at the present time."

"But it might teach him a lesson if you should leave him for a while,"
Jasper urged. "It is not right that your life should be made so
miserable."

He was looking into her downcast face as he said this. Her hands were
clasped before her, and how he longed to seize them in his, and tell
her all that was in his heart; how he would look after her and bestow
upon her that love which her father denied her.

"I must not forsake him," was her low reply. "He is my father, and I
must remain by his side. I promised my mother that I would. We shall
leave for the city next week, and I dread the thought of going."

"But you will be able to forget much of your trouble there, will you
not? Your social life will be so different, and----"

"Don't speak of such a thing," she interrupted. "You little realise
how I despise so many of the social gatherings held there. What do
they amount to? What good do they do? I enjoy amusements, but I think
people should not make them the sole object in life. But that seems to
me to be just what so many do. I want to be of some use in the world,
and I believe the best way to be happy is to help others."

They were walking slowly along as Lois uttered these words. She spoke
deliberately as if she had considered them carefully, and was not
speaking under the influence of the moment.

"You are right, Miss Sinclair," Jasper replied. "I, too, have come to
realise that he who thinks only of self finds unhappiness, while he who
forgets self in seeking to help and uplift others will find the
greatest joy."

The tone of certainty in his voice caused Lois to glance up into his
face. She liked his words, especially as she felt they were real.

"And you were not always like that?" Lois asked.

"Oh, no. Only recently have I come to view things in a different
light."

"What caused the change?"

"It was old David."

"Old David! I am s