quite unlike the others he had
known. Her quiet, forceful demeanour appealed to him strongly, and
he lingered with her, chatting about his work, which had so many
interests in common with her own, until refreshments were served,
when the affair broke up. This first meeting had been followed by
a call at the Rossmore residence, and the acquaintance had kept up
until Jefferson, for the first time since he came to manhood, was
surprised and somewhat alarmed at finding himself strangely and
unduly interested in a person of the opposite sex.

The young artist's courteous manner, his serious outlook on life,
his high moral principles, so rarely met with nowadays in young
men of his age and class, could hardly fail to appeal to Shirley,
whose ideals of men had been somewhat rudely shattered by those
she had hitherto met. Above all, she demanded in a man the
refinement of the true gentleman, together with strength of
character and personal courage. That Jefferson Ryder came up to
this standard she was soon convinced. He was certainly a
gentleman: his views on a hundred topics of the hour expressed in
numerous conversations assured her as to his principles, while a
glance at his powerful physique left no doubt possible as to his
courage. She rightly guessed that this was no _poseur_ trying to
make an impression and gain her confidence. There was an
unmistakable ring of sincerity in all his words, and his struggle
at home with his father, and his subsequent brave and successful
fight for his own independence and self-respect, more than
substantiated all her theories. And the more Shirley let her mind
dwell on Jefferson Ryder and his blue eyes and serious manner, the
more conscious she became that the artist was encroaching more
upon her thoughts and time than was good either for her work or
for herself.

So their casual acquaintance grew into a real friendship and
comradeship. Further than that Shirley promised herself it should
never go. Not that Jefferson had given her the slightest hint that
he entertained the idea of making her his wife one day, only she
was sophisticated enough to know the direction in which run the
minds of men who are abnormally interested in one girl, and long
before this Shirley had made up her mind that she would never
marry. Firstly, she was devoted to her father and could not bear
the thought of ever leaving him; secondly, she was fascinated by
her literary work and she was practical enough to kno