k so?" and added,
"You know how much he admires you?"

"I am glad to be assured of it," said Howard; "you would hardly guess
it from some of the things he says to me. It's awful, but he can't be
checked--and yet he never oversteps the line, somehow."

"He's a queer boy," said Maud. "The way he talked to the Archdeacon the
other day was simply fearful; but the Archdeacon only laughed, and said
to papa afterwards that he envied him his son. The Archdeacon was
giggling half the afternoon; he felt quite youthful, he said."

"It's the greatest gift to be able to do that," said Howard; "it's a
sort of fairy wand--the pumpkin becomes a coach and four."

"Jack's right ear must be burning, I think," said Maud, "and yet he
never seems to want to know what anyone thinks about him."

That was all the talk that Howard had with her at dinner. After the
ladies had gone, Mr. Sandys became very confidential about Jack's
prospects.

"I look upon you as a sort of relation, you see," he said, "in fact I
shall make bold to drop the Mr. and I hope you will do the same? May we
indeed take a bold step into intimacy and be 'Howard' and 'Frank'
henceforth? I can't, of course, leave Jack a fortune, but when I die
the two dear children will be pretty well off--I may say that. What do
you think he had better go in for? I should like him to take holy
orders, but I don't press it. It brings one into touch with human
beings, and I like that. I find human beings very interesting--I am not
afraid of responsibility."

Howard said that he did not think Jack inclined to orders.

"Then I put that aside," cried the good-natured Mr. Sandys. "No
compulsion for me--the children may do as they like, live as they like,
marry whom they like. I don't believe in checking human nature. Of
course if Jack could get a Fellowship, I should like him to settle down
at Cambridge. There's a life for you! In the forefront of the
intellectual battle! It is what I should have liked myself, of all
things. To hear what is going on in the intellectual line, to ventilate
ideas, to write, to teach--that's a fine life--to be able to hold one's
own in talk and discussion--that's where we country people fail. I have
plenty of ideas, you know, myself, but I can't put them into shape,
into form, so to speak."

"I think Jack would rather like a commercial career," said Howard.
"It's the only thing he has ever mentioned; and I am sure he might do
well if he could get an opening;