he? you don't say so," and her lips quivered strangely as
she spoke; "how can he find time for that piece of folly, with all his
business? However, I suppose I should feel grateful to him, so you had
better save him farther trouble, and tell him that I cannot have the
honor--that I regret,--and so forth; and to comfort him, you can tell
him what a cross-grained treacherous race I come of, and what a
miserable mistake you made in marrying my sister. Only think how that
poor man would be to be pitied, if I were to play him such a terrible
trick, as poor Rose played you, and light the stove with all I am
worth, and only leave enough to bury me! Tell him that story, brother,
and I dare say he will be completely comforted."

She had turned white as she was speaking, and kept her eyes fixed upon
him, with a look of cool defiance he was not able to withstand; only
when she was about to leave the room, and put an end to farther
discussion, he recovered himself again. "I have not done yet;" he said
gloomily.

"Not yet?--but my patience will not last much longer."

"_Nor_ mine. I tell you plainly, I will not stand this nonsense with
the boy. In putting a stop to it I am only doing my duty by him."

"How long have you been so conscious of your duty to him?"

"Let by-gones be by-gones!" he said violently; "you will not stop my
mouth with them, as you suppose. I tell you I can't bear to see your
goings on with him; petting and patting that great grown fellow! I say,
it is bad for him, do you hear me?--and if you don't give over, I shall
find means to make you; you may take my word for it."

She opened her great grave eyes, and held her peace. Her
self-possession appeared to embarrass him, and he went on in a quieter
tone.

"I know what he owes you well enough; and what I have to thank you for;
there can be no question of that. If things had gone on as they did
when the boy first came, it would have been the ruin of him, body and
soul. It is bad for children to feel themselves hated, and I was not in
a position to save him from the feeling. You were a mother to him then,
and his affection for you is no more than natural--within proper
bounds. Wherever these are not, the devil steps in, and sows his tares.
I need not explain my meaning; enough--he is now nineteen, and you are
no more than nine-and-twenty. Don't let me see this sort of thing
again. He is _not_ to fall asleep over his reading as he did yesterday,
and the lamp _