e help never
fails. In my loneliness I have learned to know Christ, and the peace
which is His gift to those who trust Him!"

He shut his eyes and remained silent for a long time, while Nan studied
the emaciated face with anxious gaze; but when he looked up again he was
calm and collected, almost smiling.

"My little friend, I have shown you my Holy of Holies, but we will never
speak of it again. You know my sorrow, and we will understand each
other without words. I have learned to be thankful for the unexpected
blessings which come into my life, of which your companionship is one.
You will always be welcome when you can spare an hour to sit with a
lonely old man; and I am glad to have made the acquaintance of some
young people for another reason. My nephew, my heir,"--he drew his
brows together with a frown of pain,--"is coming next month to pay me a
visit. He will be with me for some time, and if you will be kind enough
to extend your friendship to him I shall be grateful!"

"We will! We will! But oh, I wish he were a girl! Are you sure you
have no girl nieces that you want to invite as well?"

"More girls?" Mr Vanburgh smiled faintly. "I should have thought you
had enough, with five sisters of your own. A boy would surely be more
change, though, as far as that, Gervase is more than a boy now. It is
three years since he left Oxford, and he is quite a man of the world by
this time."

Nan groaned deeply.

"I know them! I know them well, and I detest them! Really old men are
quite sensible and humble, but the young ones put on as many airs as if
they owned the world, and didn't think much of it at that. I like
schoolboys immensely--mischievous, grubby little schoolboys, who keep
white mice in their bedrooms, and are full of pranks and jokes; but no
young men for me, thank you! Jim, our brother, is the only really nice
one I know, and even he thinks that the world was made for his
convenience. No one dares to contradict him; and it is the most
maddening thing in the world to argue with him, for he never even takes
the trouble to answer, but simply chuckles in condescending fashion, and
chucks you under the chin. We know another very nice man, too--Ned
Talbot; but for a clever man who has taken degrees and scholarships and
appointments above everybody else, you wouldn't believe how stupid and
blundering he is. As blind as a bat. He--but never mind! I didn't
mean to speak about him, only to say t