father following with almost equal haste. Behind him sped
Mrs. Kaye, far more anxious concerning her husband than the noise
outside.

"Slowly, Cuthbert. Please do take care. Thee must not hurry so, and I
hear Cleena. She'll look out for everything. For my sake, don't run."

Hallam upon his crutches came last of all, and for a moment the entire
family stood in silent wonder at the scene before them.

Two men were wrestling like angry schoolboys; and the light from a
lantern in Cleena's hand fell over them and showed the distorted face
of "Bony" in one of his wildest rages. His contestant was gray haired
and stout, and was evidently getting the worst of the struggle. The
library door was open, and it seemed as if the half-wit were trying to
force the other backward into the building.

One glance revealed something of the situation to Mrs. Kaye, and, as the
wrestlers paused for breath, she moved forward and laid her hand upon
the old man's arm.

"Archibald, what does this mean?"

The low voice acted like magic. Fayette slunk away, ashamed, and the
other paused to recover himself. But his anger soon returned and was now
directed against the astonished woman herself.

"Mean! mean? That's for you to say. Since when has a Kaye stooped to the
pettiness of locking up an unwelcome visitor like a rat in a trap? A
pretty greeting and meeting, Cuthbert, after all these years!" he cried,
turning next toward the artist, with indignant contempt.

But the object of his wrath scarcely heard what he said. His own eyes
were fixed upon the ruined panel of his beautiful library door, and he
caught up the lantern and peered anxiously to learn the extent of the
disaster.

The wife again answered, as if speaking for both:--

"Archibald, no. Whatever indignity thee has suffered, none of thy kin
know anything about it or could be parties to it. Thy own heart must
tell thee that; and now explain what it all means."

At the old familiar speech, the man's expression altered, and when he
replied it was in a far gentler tone.

"I came to see Cuthbert; for the thousandth time, isn't it? Failing him
again, though I didn't mean to fail, I had to talk with--thee," his
voice tripping slightly over the pronoun, "and that virago brought me
here to wait. Then she locked me up and set this idiot to watch. There
are no windows to get out of from above, nothing but that skylight, so I
finally forced the door at the foot of the stairs, and then agai