; but his mother watched
him anxiously. Lord Maythorne's irony was hard for her to bear
sometimes, and she never knew how Gilbert would take it.

"My dear boy, there is a wise proverb which in English sounds a little
harsh, scarcely courteous; in French it is less abrupt: _'Chargez de vos
affaires.'_ There are other renderings: 'Don't put your fingers into
other people's pies.'"

Poor Gilbert sprang forward and raising his voice said:

"I will not submit to your impertinence. What right have you to treat me
like this? I saw you, a man almost double my age--"

"Gently, gently my dear boy, not _double_; nay, nay--"

"I say, I saw you trying to ruin a poor, weak fellow, who, weak as he
was, trusted you, and I tried to save him. I wonder you are not ashamed
to speak thus; you are--"

The fierce torrent of angry words suddenly stopped. His mother laid her
hand upon his arm, and with a great effort he regained his composure.

"I beg your pardon, mother, for brawling here, in your presence, and in
yours, Gratian, also; it is very unseemly."

A mocking laugh from Lord Maythorne was his only response, and Gratian
left the room saying:

"Adieu! I hope to find you in a better temper at supper, Gilbert," which
was scarcely less irritating.

Gilbert followed her, and left his mother and her brother together.

Lord Maythorne was an utterly selfish man of the world; he was the son
of his father's second marriage, and therefore much younger than Mrs.
Arundel. He was of the type very common in those days, of an openly
avowed scoffer at all that was good. Handsome, and with gentleman-like
manners when it suited him, he was unscrupulous as to truth, and could
send the shafts of his satire, dipped in gall, with a smiling face of
indifference. He took a strange pleasure in entrapping the weak and the
foolish, and as we know, poor Melville Falconer had not escaped.
Gilbert had been roused to indignation against his uncle, and pity for
his victim, and he had done his best to open Melville's eyes, and had
not altogether failed.

The straightforward manliness of Gilbert had an attraction for many
besides Melville, and without any pretension or assumption of
superiority, or many words about religion, he showed the Power that was
in him was sufficient for him. His hot temper was governed, and a
torrent of angry words was often checked; while he did his best to
trample out the dislike it was impossible not to feel for his uncle.

W