never said anything about it; he just
went around as though he was in a dream. He was perfectly happy if he
could only look at Helen!"

"Well, that's right," said the rector; "that's proper. What else would
you have? The fact is, Lois, you don't like Ward. Now, he is a good
fellow; yes, good is just the word for him. Bless my soul, there's a
pitch of virtue about him that is exhausting. But that's our fault," he
added candidly.

"Oh, I'll like him," Lois said quickly, "if he will just make Helen
happy."

The rector shook his head. "I know how you feel," he said, "and I
acknowledge he is odd; that talk of his last night about slavery being
a righteous institution"--

"Oh, he didn't say that, father," Lois interrupted.

--"was preposterous," continued Dr. Howe, not noticing her; "but
he's earnest, he's sincere, and I have a great deal of respect for
earnestness. And look here, Lois, you must not let anybody see you are
not in sympathy with Helen's choice; be careful of that tongue of yours,
child. It's bad taste to make one's private disappointments public. I
wouldn't speak of it even to your aunt Deely, if I were you."

He stooped down to pull some matted grass from about the roots of a
laburnum-tree, whose dark leaves were lighted by golden loops of
blossoms, "Thirty-eight years ago," he said, "your mother and I planted
this; we had just come home from our wedding journey, and she had brought
this slip from her mother's garden in Virginia. But dear me, I suppose
I've told you that a dozen times. What? How to-day brings back that trip
of ours! We came through Lockhaven, but it was by stage-coach. I remember
we thought we were so fortunate because the other two passengers got out
there, and we had the coach to ourselves. Your mother had a striped
ribbon, or gauze,--I don't know what you call it,--on her bonnet, and it
kept blowing out of the window of the coach, like a little flag. You
young people can go further in less time, when you travel, but you will
never know the charm of staging it through the mountains. I declare, I
haven't thought of it for years, but to-day brings it all back to me!"

They had reached the rectory porch, and Dr. Howe settled himself in his
wicker chair and lighted his cigar, while Lois sat down on the steps, and
began to dig small holes in the gravel with the stick her father had
resigned to her.

The flood of soft lamplight from the open hall door threw the portly
figure of the rect