rence in favor of Kate's marriage
on the part of Plausaby, and a general success in precipitating what he
desired to prevent.

And so for the first time this opinionated young man, who had always
taken responsibility, and fought his battles alone and by the most direct
methods, began to look round for a possible ally or an indirect approach.
He went over the ground several times without finding any one on whom he
could depend, or any device that offered the remotest chance of success,
until he happened to think of Isabel Marlay--Cousin Isa, as Katy called
her. He remembered how much surprised he had been a few days before, when
the quiet girl, whom he had thought a sort of animated sewing-machine,
suddenly developed so much force of thought in her defense of the clergy.
Why not get her strong sense on his side?

CHAPTER VII.

CATCHING AND GETTING CAUGHT.

Did you never notice how many reasons, never thought of before, against
having an aching tooth drawn, occur to you when once you stand on the
dentist's door-stone ready to ring the bell? Albert Charlton was full of
doubts of what Miss Isabel Marlay's opinion of his sister might be, and
of what Miss Isabel Marlay might think of him after his intemperate
denunciation of ministers and all other men of the learned professions.
It was quite a difficult thing for him to speak to her on the subject of
his sister's love-affair, and so, whenever an opportunity presented
itself, he found reason to apprehend interruption. On one plea or another
he deferred the matter until afternoon, and when afternoon came, Isa had
gone out. So that what had seemed to him in the watchfulness of the night
an affair for prompt action, was now deferred till evening. But in his
indecision and impatience Charlton found it impossible to remain quiet.
He must do something, and so he betook himself to his old recreation of
catching insects. He would have scorned to amuse himself with so cruel a
sport as fishing; he would not eat a fish when it was caught. But though
he did not think it right for man to be a beast of prey, slaughtering
other animals to gratify his appetites, he did not hesitate to sacrifice
the lives of creeping things to satisfy the intellectual needs of
humanity. Even this he did with characteristic tenderness, never leaving
a grasshopper to writhe on a pin for two days, but kindly giving him a
drop of chloroform to pass him into the Buddhist's heaven of eternal
repose. In