isliked poor little Willem, haven't you?" demanded
Kathrien.

"N--no----" answered Frederik. "But----"

His nervousness was very evident as he still moved fussily about the
desk.

"_Yes, you have_," continued Kathrien calmly. "I remember how angry you
were when you came back from Leyden University and found him living
here. How could you help being drawn to a little blue-eyed,
golden-haired baby such as he was then?--Only five years old, and such a
darling! He won us all at once, except you. And in all the three years
he has been here, we've only grown more and more fond of him each day.
You love children--you go out of your way to pick up a child and pet it.
Why do you dislike Anne Marie's little boy?"

"Oh!" cried Frederik impatiently, "he has a way of staring at people as
though he had a perpetual question on his lips----"

He was interrupted by a vivid flash of lightning and a long roll of
thunder.

"Oh, a little child!" said Kathrien reproachfully. "He has only kindness
from everybody. Why shouldn't he look at one?"

"And then his mother!" went on Frederik, gazing into the fire, while
the rain, steadily increasing with the nearer approach of thunder and
lightning, blotted away the pleasant landscape outside the windows.

"Uncle and I loved Anne Marie, and we had forgiven her. Why should _you_
blame her so bitterly? Surely she has suffered enough to expiate----"

"I don't want to be hard upon any woman. I've never seen her since she
left the house, but--Hear that rain! It's pouring again! The third day.
You're wise to have a fire in here. This old house would be damp
otherwise in a long storm like this. By the way, Hartmann is back for a
few hours to straighten things out--I'm going to see what he's doing."

Frederik went up to Kathrien, and putting his arms about her, led her up
to the piano, saying:

"Kitty, have you seen all the wedding presents? Wait for me a while here
and look at them till I come back. I'll be with you again in a few
minutes."

Smiling, and giving her cheek a tender pat, he left her alone.

As she stood there, surrounded by all her gay presents, she looked
anything but the picture of a happy bride. Giving no thoughts to the
gifts, she stood, motionless, her eyes slowly filling with tears.

Suddenly the outer door slammed, and a moment afterward Dr. McPherson
entered. His tweed shawl and cap proclaimed the recent violence of the
storm as he hurriedly took them off and hung them