the time, and why they had not come home Saturday;
especially what David had done with himself and why he had taken it
into his head to go at all. Matilda declined to enter into any
discussion of David's affairs, and left him to speak for himself. But
much she wondered how he would, and whether he would, and when he would.

It happened that evening that there was no company, and the family were
all gathered together in the little reception room; talking over the
children's reports and discussing plans for the coming summer.
Matilda's heart began to beat; for she saw that David was thoughtfully
still, and that Norton, in a corner, only talked by jerks, as it were,
and sat turning over and over one of his school-books, with an odd air
of expectancy. Yes, certainly he knew that David was going to speak,
and was waiting for it. Matilda could think of nothing else; her talk
all came to an end.

"Norton hasn't much to say to-night," Mrs. Bartholomew remarked. "No
more than if he were my boy."

"I haven't anything to talk about," said Norton, looking at nothing but
his book.

"Matilda has lost her tongue too," said Judy.

"She never had such a one as yours," replied her grandmother; "you must
remember that. It isn't such a loss in the house."

Judy seemed inclined to pout at this; but then her attention was turned
to her brother, who began rather suddenly.

"May I speak, grandmamma?"

"I shall be very happy to hear," said Mrs. Lloyd smiling.

"I am not so sure of that," said David; "at least, not of you all;
though I really have something to say."

All eyes turned to David. Norton looked up at him from under his brows,
with a strange expression of curiosity and displeasure. Matilda only
looked away. David hesitated, then went on very calmly and gently.

"You know, mother and grandmother, that I have been very strong in my
love for my own people, and very strong in my sympathies with them."

"Is it in the past tense?" asked Mrs. Lloyd.

"And very fixed in my prejudices against what was not Jewish; against
what in your beliefs was contrary to mine."

"We all know that," said his mother a little bitterly.

"Is _that_ in the past tense?" demanded Judy.

"I joined with my people in expecting the Messiah and hoping for him."

"Did you?" said his mother.

"I have changed," said David slowly. "I have been studying these things
for some time past; I have studied and studied; and now I know. Our
Messiah _has_ come