The Making of a Prig

ght; and now that the suffering was less the discomfort remained, and he felt no more inclined to sleep than before. With a kind of mechanical i

assed his door, and went downstairs into the garden. In reality it was much earlier than he thought; and it was still some time longer before the usual early morning sounds testified to the existence of a maid. He heard the stairs being swept, and suffered silently as the broom was struck clumsily against his wall in its downward course. Then the front door, was unbolted with a good deal of noise,

s sure to be in thick chunks, too, and salt, oh, very salt! Don't I know it? It recalls my childhood. There will be eggs, too,-there always were eggs when we had visitors; and bad coffee made by unaccustomed hands, also because there is a visitor. I

the German print of John the Baptist standing in layers of solid water, and the faded photograph of a baby girl with tangled curls and a saucy mouth. Something in the shape of that mouth suggested the shadowy events of last night to his mind, and brought with them the vague recollection of a girl's face looking curiously do

stastefully; and a dread crossed his mind lest his suff

d. She looked clumsy, and Paul sighed. She sidled along the wall to the door

in the room for another moment. But to be called by the cook's name so far confused her that she vanished precipitately; and Paul smiled, a little more cynically than before, and re

going to be about, it may not be

at his interest in some one whom he had hardly seen, and who would probably turn out to be an undeveloped schoolgirl, some one who would ride roughshod over his susceptibilities, and even fail to understand his feelings about things. It seemed impossible to him that he should be able to endure any one who did not understand his feelings about things. She might be plain, too; women with fascinating voices were often extremely plain. And if she were neither mature nor attractive, there could b

hen he found her preparing to sit with him. "I shall be quite happy if you

had never yet polluted the sacred mustiness of the best spare room, Paul l

elation left who cared a hang whether I was alive or dead. I must tell her, as an antidote, that my father was a parson; I have known that to take effect in the most ungodly circles. Perhaps, if I could swear I should feel better. But I am

was nothing, and that he did not suffer much; and then had been unreasonably disappointed at the professional verdict

n the dark, last night; the one who laughs, too. A Philistine place like this could never produce two of them. However, I shall never find out as long as I am nursed by that d

here was the sound of a scuffle and a stifled laugh, an

aul desperately, and the

orry; but Kitty would rot so, and I couldn't help it,

r twenty, for whose kind he had as a rule little sympathy. He could see there was some one else too, on the landing outside; so he s

nds in his pockets to give himself more confidence. "I shouldn't h

whose acquaintance I have not the honour of possessing," said Paul g

just then, assisted by an unexp

at-well, she wants to come in too, don't you see? She doesn't see why she should have to go and talk to horrid old men in the village, when they won't let her come in and talk to you; at l

for being young enough to appreciat

ther?" he asked,

t right enoug

you think, as I am decidedly as much afflicted as the other horrid old men you mentioned, and as Mis

this point of the negotiations, and closed the door; nodded cheerfully to Paul as though

"Ted declared you would; but Ted's s

rkably dense; but he only murmured some commonplace about the corre

bout people. Ted is. He makes fearful hashes about people; I

ou manage to know so much about people whom yo

t know. I was with daddy last night when he came to fetch you.

"I just remember some one supporting my

Katharine, with animation. "Wasn't Te

t was just like Kitty. Girls

t at least one of you was fortunat

atharine became su

for you, I was r

me,-merely inter

e reflec

fully. Paul raised his eyebrows; to be taken seriously by a woman, at

be truthful whatever you are! It's much more

. She turned to Ted instinctiv

I was rather sick about it, of course; but, after all, it wasn't re

m one to the other. "I should like you to have the feel of my leg for half an h

ver can help saying what he thinks at the moment,-that's how

tes spoofing people, and she never says things she doesn't mean. She doesn't always say them

o, and they sprang to t

Ted, who seemed the more

e flying visit to Paul, instead of satisfying her curiosity about him, had only roused it still more

. It was the first time she had shown any signs

will come in again, won't you? We shal

all

absurd that this child, who behaved generally like a charming tomboy,

said Katharine shortly. She was wo

a tolerable h

daddy's thi

tact in helping to gratify her evident wish to see him again; but she baffled him once mo

course I could. What fun! Aunt Esther? Oh, that

secretary. And the Rector's sister, who was a curious compound of conventional dogma and worldly ignorance, and knew

r the head of the house, I sup

Katharine with provoking cheerfulness. "

wake on the following day, and told him that she had gained her point and was ready to become his secre

ad?" she asked

retty girl to amuse him, he said with his usual smile that he was delighted, and

she folded up a letter to his housekeeper. "Is

briefly. And that was all the

however, her aunt was wanted in the parish; and she deputed the Rector to take her place in the sick room. She might have known that he would forget all about it, directly she was gone; but Miss Esther always acted

a woman who has lost her baby should be visited just because she is poor. Can you?" said

ent opinion. "You needn't bother about writing any letters to-day, thanks," h

, looking disappointed. "Then t

. "Come and sit on the chair at the end of the bed, wher

on you are talking to, isn't it?" observe

curred to him to suggest that Miss Esther should oc

made a sig

she said. "

ing his question seriously, and he had to listen to her enthusiastic eulogies

ressing a yawn, and she stopped sud

go?" she asked. The colour had come into her ch

st," was his unexpected reply. "Do yo

tic, not a little bit; and he would scoff like anything. I have never talke

make the danger fascinating. And Paul's first impulse was to wince at the unstudied frankness of her remark; but four

se I cared about poetry,

u began it, don't you remember? I thought

ugh about poetry for one day?" said Paul, half closing his eyes. He w

unny you are!

let us say any more about it. Supposing you were to talk

ook her head

ke Ted; you don't like the same sort

miled

nd, and I from another. I mean, you are too abominably young and I am too abominab

the bed, and was regarding him criticall

let daddy talk about growing old; it gives me a sort of cold feel, don't you know? I wish you wouldn't. Besides, I am not young, either; I am nearly ninet

or conversation. It is not q

told, but it was something that had never been there before. When she brought her eyes round again to his face, the serious

an, after all," was

the rest of the afternoon in finding something to talk about. It was getting la

ed. They had not gone through the fo

see a poor woman who has lost he

er for that kind of visit. Won't some one else die,

not strictly be called an answer to hi