hended. It was fine and
true, like her sweet unspoiled youth; in its presence he felt a sudden
sense of age and loneliness. He asked himself, had he lived beyond his
own period of generous enthusiasm?

"It would be a poor kind of friendship, a poorer kind of love, if we did
not let him know at once that this has not changed our--our, regard for
him!" she said softly.

"It is not your ready sympathy; you are quite certain it is not that,
Elizabeth?"

"I am sure, father--sure of myself as I am of him! You say he has been
arrested, does that mean--" and she hesitated.

"It means, my dear, that he is in jail," answered the general as he came
slowly to his feet.

She gave a little cry, and running to him hid her face against his arm.

"In jail!" she moaned, and her imagination and her ignorance clothed the
thought with indescribable horrors.

"Understand, dear, he isn't even indicted yet and he may not be! It's
bad enough, of course, but it might be a great deal worse. Now what am I
to tell him for you?"

"Wait," she said, slipping from his side. "I will write him--"

"Write your letter then," said her father. "I'll order the horses at
once," he added, as he quitted the room.

Ten minutes later when he drove up from the stables, Elizabeth met him
at the door.

"After you have seen him, father, come home at once, won't you?" she
said as she handed him her letter.

"Yes, I am only going for this," he replied.

It was plain that his errand had not grown less distasteful to him.
Perhaps Elizabeth was aware of this, for she reached up and passed an
arm about his neck.

"I don't believe any girl ever had such a father!" she whispered softly.

"I suppose I should not be susceptible to such manifest flattery," said
the general, kissing her, "but I find I am! There, you keep up your
courage! This old father of yours is a person of such excellent sense
that he is going to aid and abet you in this most outrageous folly; I
expect, even, that in time, my interest in this very foolish young man
will be only second to your own, my dear!"

As he drove away he turned in his seat to glance back at the graceful
girlish figure standing in the shelter of Idle Hour's stone arched
vestibule, and as he did so there was a flutter of something white,
which assured him that her keen eyes were following him and would follow
him until the distance and the closing darkness intervened, and hid him
from her sight.

"I hope it will co