h an eye has always strength to
back it. Weakness could never be so steadfast; poverty could not be so
rich. And Faith's eye shewed both its qualities now.

Mr. Linden merely repeated, "I will arrange it for you--and you can
take the books in what order you like. Perhaps I can send you another
journey when they are exhausted," he added, turning the letter softly
about, as if the touch were pleasant to him. She stood looking at it.

"I don't know how to thank you for letting me read that," she said. "It
would be foolish in me to tell you how beautiful I thought it."

"_She_ is--" her brother said, with a tender, half smiling half grave
expression. And for a minute or two he was silent--then spoke abruptly.

"Miss Faith, what have you done with your 'Philosophe'? You know,
though the rooms in the great Temple of Knowledge be so many that no
one can possibly explore them all, yet the more keys we have in hand
the better. For some locks yield best to an English key, some to a
French; and it is often pleasant to take a look where one cannot go in
and dwell."

She flushed a good deal, with eyes downcast as she stood before him;
then answered, with that odd little change of her voice which told of
some mental check.

"I haven't done anything with it, Mr. Linden."

"That requires explanation."

"It isn't so hard as one of your puzzles," she said smiling. "I mean to
do something with it, Mr. Linden, if I can; and I thought I would try
the other day; but I found I didn't know enough to begin--to learn that
yet."

"What other key are you forging?"

"What _other_ key?" said Faith.

"I mean," he answered with a tone that shewed a little fear of going
too far, "what do you want to learn before that?"

"I don't know," said Faith humbly.--"I suppose, English. It was a
grammar of yours, Mr. Linden, a French grammar, that I was looking at;
and I found I couldn't understand what it was about, anywhere. So I
thought I must learn something else first."

"Never was philosopher so put in a corner!" said Mr. Linden. "Suppose
you take up him and the dictionary and let me be the grammar--do you
think you could understand what I was about?"

The blood leapt to her cheek; part of her answer Faith had no need to
put in words, even if he had not seen her eyes, which he did. The words
were not in any hurry to come.

"When you have been teaching all day already"--she said in a tone
between regretful and self-reproving. "It wouldn't