him with
a smile, and the Reverend Paul went home feeling not a little comforted
and encouraged.

The Rector stood with his back to the fire, his portly person expressing
intense satisfaction.

"You will remind me about that young woman in the morning, Anice," he
said. "I should like to attend to the matter myself. Singular that Grace
should not have mentioned her before. It really seems to me, you know,
that now and then Grace is a little deficient in interest, or energy."

"Surely not interest, my dear," suggested Mrs. Barholm, gently.

"Well, well," conceded the Rector, "perhaps not interest, but energy
or--or appreciation. I should have seen such a fine creature's
superiority, and mentioned it at once. She must be a fine creature. A
young woman of that kind should be encouraged. I will go and see her in
the morning--if it were not so late I would go now. Really, she ought to
be told that she has exhibited a very excellent spirit, and that people
approve of it. I wonder what sort of a household servant she would make
if she were properly trained?"

"That would not do at all," put in Anice, decisively. "From the pit's
mouth to the kitchen would not be a natural transition."

"Well, well, as usual, perhaps you are right. There is plenty of time to
think of it, however. We can judge better when we have seen her."

He did not need reminding in the morning. He was as full of vague plans
for Joan Lowrie when he arose as he had been when he went to bed. He
came down to the charming breakfast-room in the most sanguine of moods.
But then his moods usually were sanguine. It was scarcely to be wondered
at. Fortune had treated him with great suavity from his earliest years.
Wellborn, comfortably trained, healthy and easy-natured, the world had
always turned its pleasant side to him. As a young man, he had been
a strong, handsome fellow, whose convenient patrimony had placed him
beyond the possibility of entire dependence upon his profession. When
a curate he had been well enough paid and without private
responsibilities; when he married he was lucky enough to win a woman who
added to his comfort; in fact, life had gone smoothly with him for so
long that he had no reason to suspect Fate of any intention to treat him
ill-naturedly. It was far more likely that she would reserve her scurvy
tricks for some one else.

Even Riggan had not perplexed him at all. Its difficulties were not
such as would be likely to disturb him gr