ave it a few sharp
cuts with the chisel of her keen wit and clear intellect, handing it
back for me to color as I chose. Miss Merton, lovely as she was, shone
with a lesser light that evening in Miss Darry's presence; yet Mr. Lang,
tempted away for a moment, always rejoined her with an admiring smile,
well pleased at fascinations less indiscriminately exercised.

A little later, as I again approached Mr. Leopold's picture, not
venturing to return to the parlors, now that Miss Darry was engrossed by
other gentlemen, I became an unwilling listener to a few words of
conversation between Miss Merton and Mr. Lang, who stood just outside
the door.

"What a girl Frank Darry is for accomplishing everything she
undertakes!" said Miss Merton, admiringly; "how she has improved her
_protege_! he can talk on subjects where I have to be silent, though I
have had what dear mamma used to call a 'finished education.'"

"Yes, darling. She has made his mental growth very rapid; but, in the
process of cultivation, he is gaining a little false pride, which I hope
is not of her planting. He blushes, whenever his trade is alluded to:
foolish fellow! not to see that the very fact of being a blacksmith is
his claim to superiority. A thoroughly trained youth might have done far
more than he without any special ability."

"But, Hamilton, you may misconstrue blushes which are so frequent; he is
in a new world, too; do give him a chance to make himself at home,
before you criticize him. You must admit I was right about his not
annoying one by any decided awkwardness of behavior."

"Oh, yes, dear. A certain sense of fitness goes with the artistic
temperament. I suppose old Dr. Johnson, devouring his food and drinking
innumerable cups of tea, might be a far more shocking social companion
than this blacksmith's apprentice. You are always drawing out the
lovable traits of people, dear Alice," he added, in a lower tone; "and
that is a thousand times better than Frank Darry's intellectual
developments."

They turned away then; and I, angry at being forced to listen at all to
what was not meant for my ear, and the more so that Mr. Lang had spoken
of me so depreciatingly, stood burning with shame and indignation. Annie
Bray's undoubting faith and love would have comforted me without a word
of spoken confidence; but she was not here to give it; and, longing for
the reassurance of Miss Darry's presence, I entered the
drawing-room,--but would gladly ha