had always arranged his affairs with reference to
accidental removal. His business as manager necessitated his being on
the road a great deal, and he realized, as many railroad men do
realize, the liability of sudden death.

But such a thought had not had any influence on his actions to make him
less selfish. He had thought, as all men do, that he should probably
live right along after all; that death might take the engineer or
conductor or fireman, but would pass him by.

Suddenly Will spoke up: "Father, do you want George and me to leave
college?"

"Certainly not, my boy. What would be gained by that? I want you to
keep right on just as if I were going to live fifty years more."

George did not say anything. He looked at his father as if he doubted
his sanity.

His father noticed the look, and a terrible wave of anguish swept over
him as he recalled the part of his vision in which he had seen his
oldest son in the gambling room.

Again the prayer he had been silently praying all the morning went up
out of his heart: "Almighty God, show me how to use the seven days most
wisely."

"Father," said Bess suddenly, "what will you do about Jim and Clara?
Did you know they were engaged?"

"Bess!" said Clara passionately. Then she stopped suddenly, and,
seeing her father's brow grow dark, she cowered, afraid of what was
coming.

But Mr. Hardy looked at the world differently this morning.
Twenty-four hours before he would have treated Bessie's remark as he
usually treated her surprising revelations of the secrets of the
family. He would have laughed at it a little, and sternly commanded
Clara to break the engagement, if there was one, at once: for James
Caxton was not at all the sort of man Mr. Hardy wanted to have come
into the family. He was poor, to begin with. More than all, his
father had been the means of defeating Mr. Hardy in a municipal
election where a place of influence and honour was in dispute. Mr.
Hardy had never forgotten or forgiven it. When he began to see his
children intimate with the Caxtons, he forbade their going to the
house, with the result already described.

Mr. Hardy looked at Clara and said very tenderly: "Clara, we must have
a good talk about this. You know your father loves you and wants you
to be happy and----" Mr. Hardy stopped in his emotion, and Clara burst
into tears and left the table.

"Come," cried Mr. Hardy after a moment, during which no one seemed
inclined to