s chair, and Darrell sat
silent, his eyes closed, his whole soul given up to the spell of the
music. Unconscious of the pleasure she was giving, Kate played till the
room was veiled in darkness; then going to the fireplace she lighted the
fire already laid--for the nights were still somewhat chilly--and sat
down on a low seat before the fire, while Duke came and lay at her feet.
It was a pretty picture; the young girl in white, her eyes fixed
dreamily on the glowing embers, the firelight dancing over her form and
face and lighting up her hair with gleams of gold; the dog at her feet,
his head thrown proudly back, and his eyes fastened on her face with a
look of loyal devotion seldom seen even in human eyes.

Happening to glance in Mr. Underwood's direction Darrell saw pride,
pleasure, and pain struggling for the mastery in the father's face as he
watched the picture in the firelight. Pain won, and with a sudden
gesture of impatience he covered his eyes with his hand, as though to
shut out the scene. It was but a little thing, but taken in connection
with the incident before dinner, it appealed to Darrell, showing, as it
did, the silent, stoical manner in which these people bore their grief.

Mrs. Dean's quiet voice interrupted his musings and broke the spell
which the music seemed to have thrown around them.

"You will have some one now, Katherine, to accompany you on the violin,
as you have always wanted; Mr. Darrell is a fine violinist."

Kate was instantly all animation. "Oh, that will be delightful, Mr.
Darrell!" she exclaimed, eagerly; "there is nothing I enjoy so much as a
violin accompaniment; it adds so much expression to the music. I think a
piano alone is so unsympathetic; you can't get any feeling out of it!"

"I'm afraid, Miss Underwood, I will prove a disappointment to you,"
Darrell replied; "I have never yet attempted any new music, or even to
play by note, and don't know what success I would have, if any. So far I
have only played what drifts to me--some way, I don't know how--from out
of the past."

The unconscious sadness in his voice stirred the depths of Kate's tender
heart. "Oh, that is too bad!" she exclaimed, quickly, thinking, not of
her own disappointment, but of his trouble of which she had unwittingly
reminded him; then she added, gently, almost timidly,--

"But you will, at any rate, let me hear you play, won't you?"

"Certainly, if it will give you any pleasure," he replied, with a sli