Coniston, Book III.

the greater world was largely confined to that which she had gathered from novels-not trashy novels, but those by standard authors of English life. And many another girl of nineteen has

s she was able to define that position,-the wealthy young peer, the parson's o

aid that she was not in love with Bob Worthington. She felt, rather than knew, that if love came to her the feeling she had for Jethro Bass-strong thoug

nd herself alone with that lady, "you once told me you

red Mrs. Merrill. "I have asked

out it; they had discovered, moreover, that the young man had not been a tiller of the soil or a clerk in a country store. E

he wants to come again. He lives in Brampton,"

act. She knew of Dudley Worthington as one of the richest and most important men in his state; she h

t him come, Cynt

me that evening she spo

n't understand her-she seems so much older than our girls,

e looking into the glowing coals. Then he laughed again. Mr. Merrill was a philosopher. Aft

n as he had forgotten before. And she determined when Wednesday afternoon came around that she would take a long walk in the direction of Brookline. Cynthia loved these walks, for she sadly missed the country air,-and they had kept the color in her cheek

may give to it? Wednesday afternoon came, and Cynthia did not go to Brookline. She put on her coat, and took it off again. Would

ering and apologetic enough, with a card. She had taken the trouble to read it

se me, Ellen. Why d

An' him such a fine young gintleman! And whin he took to commandin' like, sure I couldn't say no to him at all at all. 'Take the card to

he attitude of a culprit. Nor did he bear the faintest resemblance to a culprit as he came up to her in the doorway. The chief recollection she carried away of that moment was that h

this mean

t means?" retorted C

ore or less accurately describing it. "What w

this. She had meant to ask the questions herself.

seeing me as you did," she said, remembering with shame Ellen's accou

ucceeded in putting

when I try to do what is right. I shall be blamed for these visits," she said. The young ladies in the novels alway

all agree with you that it is best for me not to see you. I know of nobody in the world it does me more good to see th

remembered how Ellen had been wheedled. Her instinct

she replied, shaking her head; "

week. We ought to thrash it out. Various aspects of the matte

e was very much in earnest too. He realized the necessity

e," said Cynthia. "I'

I haven't thought of any

ared, shaking the envelo

in my life. You must ha

ler's co

warmth of your other correspondents," said C

many degrees yet

a of doing so,

a principle appealed to Bob, although he did not care a fig about that particular principle. In his former dealings with young women-and they had not been few-the son of Dudley Worthington had encountered no resistance worth the ment

hia, "don't you thin

e day he meant to scale the walls. Like John Paul Jones, he had not yet begun

e good of going away? I might as we

e," said Cynthia, "with pictures of all the M

help laughing at it. Mrs. Merrill in her sitting room hear

a," he said; "perhaps you w

decide whether he were a man or a boy. Sometim

you going

f course," s

. But fate thrust a fina

look at the album. What time

answered Cy

n. He'll ask me what I'm doing, and I'll tell him you went upstairs at ha

tend to go upstairs just then. To his intense relief she seated herself on a straight-backed chair near the door, althoug

us have friends. Some people-you, for instance-have a great many. We have but one father." Her voice failed a little at the word. "No friend can ever be the same

t in the Brampton hill cemetery. How unlike her was that monument! Even as a young boy, when on occasions he had wandered into the cemetery, he used to stand before it with a lump in his throat and bitter resentment in his heart, and once he had shaken his fist at it. He had grown up out of sympathy with his father, but he had never until now began to analyze the reason

d with this. Mr. Worthington meant that his son should eventually own the state itself, for he saw that the man who controlled the highways of a state could snap his fingers at governor and council and legislature and judiciary: could, indeed, do more-could own them even more completely than Jethro Bass now owned them, and without effort. The dividends would do the work: would canvass the counties and persuade this man and that with s

but in the past week he had come to know his father with a fair amount of thoroughness. If Isaac D. Worthington had but chosen a worldly wife, he might have had a more worldly son. As it was, Bob's thoughts were a little bitter when Cynthia spoke of hi

pretend to be a paragon of virtue, but I have a kind of a conscience which tells me when I am doing wrong, if

ry little self-denial attached to this.

hink it impels you to do that which you want to do, Bob,"

ed?" he deman

ack. But she corrected herself swiftly, perceiving hi

d the qua

vain and

ed in the glass before she had c

suits, to leading young men fro

recite the Blue Laws," s

better to do than

haracter for you, and then, if you can give me one good reason why

I don't admit your qualifications for drawing my ch

e, standing up in front

ing and giggling in the hall, and then by the entrance of the Misses Merrill into the parlor. Curiosity had been too strong for th

Jane Merrill." Susan only intended to stay a minute, but how was Bob to know that? She was tempted into staying longer. Bob lighted the gas, and she inspected him and approve

." His leave-taking of Jane was less effusive, and then he turned to Cynthia and took her h

an, for the thought of the hills had made Cynthia incapable of an

aim, and tell him you're well, and what a marvel of learning, yo

ynthia, trying to keep back the tears. "I-I write to Uncle Jet

nute I get back and tell you

o come before Susan and Jan

's coldness and, indeed, misinterpreting it. "I am sure she will be

Susan became very repentant, and sl

uldn't, Cynthia." And seeing that Cynthia was still silent, she added: "I wouldn't d

e fields, and the snow on the hill pastures to the east stained red as with wine. What would she not have given to be going back to-morrow-yes, with Bob. She confesse

ere's nothing to forgiv

m for doubt. "Cynthia Wetherell, you're the strangest girl I've ever known in all my life. If I had a-a friend" (Susan had another word on her tong

Christmastide. At school she had listened, perforce, to the festival plans of thirty girls of her own age; to accounts of the probable presents they were to receive, the cost of some of which would support a family in Coniston for several months; to arrangements for visits, during which the

e of them than she imagined would have liked to embrace her had they believed that the embrace would be returned. Secretly they had grown to admire this strange, dark girl, who was too proud to bend for the good opinion of an

shaking, hands with all. It was then that a dramatic incident occurred-dramatic for a girls' school, at least. Cynthia deliberately turned her back on Miss Sadler and looked out of the window. The c

nately there is not much room for Miss Broke in this story, although she may appear in another one yet to be written. She was

u first came here, and I'm sorry for it. I want

r those watching to see if Cynth

y, "I couldn't see what I'd done to o

decidedly uncomfortable. Then she burst into laughter,

means, because you're not one." (Cynthia did understand, ) "But I like you, and I want you to be

to that house in Washington S

turn my back on Miss Sadler as you did," continued Miss

ay was a kind of a triumphal march, a victory over Miss Sadler and a vindication of their friend. Mrs. Merrill, when she heard of it, could not find it in her heart to reprove Cynthia. Miss Sadler had got her just deserts. But Miss S

member of the family vied with the others to make her happy; how they showered presents on her, and how they strove to include her in the laughter and jokes at the big family dinner. Mr. Merrill's brother

presents had come to Cynthia from the hills: a gorgeous copy of Mr. Longfellow's poems from Cousin Ephraim, and a gold locket from Uncle Jethro. This locket was the precise counterpart (had she but known it) of a silver one bought at Mr. Judson's shop many years before, though the ins

was no card. There was much pretended speculation on the part of the Merrill girls as to the sender, sly reference to Cynthia's heightened color, and several attempts to pin on her dress a bunch of the flowers, and Susan declared that one

invited by Susan to do so. Cynthia took the trouble to procure a Harvard catalogue from the library, and discovered that he had many holidays yet to spend. She determined to write another letter, which he would find in his rooms when he returned. Just what terrible prohibitory terms she was to employ in that letter Cynthia could not decide in a moment, nor yet in a day, or a week. She went so far as to make several drafts

around the breakfast table, Mrs. Merrill remarked that her hus

paper come, Step

ill had

surprise, "you haven't been dow

they were wont to be, and disquieting surmises of business worries filled her mind. The fact that he beckoned her into his writing room as soon as breakfast was ove

y extended his grip over the county and finally over the state; how he had bought and sold men for his own power and profit, deceived those who had trusted in him, corrupted governors and legislators, congressmen and senators, and even justices of the co

ked up from the

aid, for lack of immediate power to comment. "Is

own. "There's a bigger fight than they've ever had coming on up there, and this is the first gun. Worthington, with Duncan behind him, is trying to get poss

say that Jethro Bass will try to defeat th

mit. I've known these things a long time, and I've thought about them a good deal. But I'

eyes slowly fil

she stopped, utterly unable to speak. He ceased h

ought I'd be happier if I resigned my office as president of my road and became a clerk in a store. I don't attempt to excuse myse

, for the sight of his wi

married and you were a district superin

How was he to explain that these degrees had been so gradual that his conscience had had but a passing wrench here and there? Politics being

or which she had to summon all her courage. She c

going to try to ch

the words, and his eyes flas

for happiness here and hereafter, that if Worthington succeeds in what he is trying to do, if the railroads win in this fight, there will be no mercy for the people of that state. I'm a railroad man myself, though I have no interest in this affair. My turn may come later. Will come later, I suppose. Isaac D. Worthington has a very l

that would have fallen on the linen she was sorting. At eleven o'clock the doorbell rang, and Ellen appeared at the

CRETIA

oman'