shes in the
shortest words at his command.

They were all kind--all honestly anxious to do their duty in aiding the
atonement of old Jonathan. Their faces, their voices, their gestures,
revealed an almost painful effort to make her appear at ease. Yet in
spite of their irreproachable intentions, each one of them was perfectly
aware that the visit was very far from being a success. They admired her
sincerely, but with the exception of Gay, who was bothered by few moral
prejudices, they were one and all nervously constrained in manner. To
Mr. Chamberlayne she represented merely an attractive object of charity;
to Kesiah she appeared as an encroaching member of the inferior order;
to Mrs. Gay she embodied the tragic disillusionment of her life. In time
they would either forget these first impressions or grow accustomed to
them; but while she stood there, awkward and blushing, in the middle of
the library, where old Jonathan had worked out his repentance, even the
lawyer found his legal eloquence tripping confusedly on his tongue, and
turned at last in sheer desperation to stare with a sensation of relief
at the frowning countenance of Kesiah. When, after a hesitating word of
thanks, the girl held out her hand to Reuben, and they went away arm in
arm, as they had come, a helpless glance passed from Jonathan to Mrs.
Gay and from Mrs. Gay into vacancy.

"Like most eccentric bequests made in moments of great moral purpose,
it was, of course, a mistake," said the lawyer. "Had Jonathan known the
character of the miller, he would certainly have had no objection to
Molly's choice--if she has, indeed, a serious fancy for the young man,
which I doubt. But in his day, we must remember, the Revercombs had
given little promise of either intelligence or industry except in the
mother. Granting this," he added thoughtfully, "it might be possible
to have the conditions set aside, but not without laying bare a scandal
which would cause great pain to sensitive natures---"

He glanced sympathetically at Mrs. Gay, who responded almost
unconsciously to the emotional suggestion of his ideal of her.

"Oh, never that! I could not bear that!" she exclaimed.

"The whole trouble comes of the insane way people arrange the future,"
remarked Jonathan with irritation. "He actually believed, I dare say,
that he was assuring the girl's happiness by that ridiculous document.
But for mother I'd fight the thing in the courts and then give Molly her
share