to think Lesley selfish. Sophy says that she is more ignorant than
selfish."

"But what is ignorance save a form of selfishness?" cried Rosalind,
indignantly. "She might know if she chose! She does know the common
duties of humanity, the duty of every man or woman to labor for others,
to gain knowledge, to make broad the borders of light! Oh, I cannot bear
to hear ignorance alleged as an excuse for self-love! It is impossible
that any one with Lesley's faculties should not see her duty, even if
she is idle and indifferent enough to let it pass when she does see it."

Mr. Brooke sat down, regardless of the fact that Mrs. Romaine was
standing, and looked at the carpet again with a sigh.

"You may be right," he said, in a pained tone; "but if so, what am I to
do?"

"You must speak to her," said Rosalind, energetically. "You must tell
her not to be idle and obstinate and wayward: you must show her her
duty, so that she may have no excuse for neglecting it."

He shrugged his shoulders.

"That's not a man's duty, it seems to me. Woman to woman, man to man. I
wish you would do it, Rosalind!"

"Oh, no; I have not a _mother's_ right," said she, softly.

But the remark had an effect which she had not anticipated.

"That is true. It is a mother who should tell a girl her duty. Poor
Lesley's mother has not done all that she might do in that respect. Our
unhappy quarrel has caused her to represent me to the girl in very dark
colors, I believe. But I have lately been wondering whether that might
not be amended. Did you hear that man's taunt this afternoon--about the
wife that had left me? I can't endure that sort of thing. Think of the
harm it does. And then the child must needs go and sing 'Home, Sweet
Home.' To me, whose home was broken up by _her_ mother. I had the
greatest possible difficulty in sitting through that song, Rosalind. And
I said to myself that I was a great fool to put up with this state of
things."

His sentences were unusually short, his tones abrupt; both covered an
amount of agitation which Mrs. Romaine had not expected to see. She sat
down and remained silent and motionless: she even held her breath, not
well knowing what to expect. Presently he resumed, in a lower tone--

"I know that if I alter existing arrangements I shall give myself some
pain and discomfort, and inflict more, perhaps, upon others; but I think
this is inevitable. I am determined, if possible, to end my solitary
life, and the s