A Court of Inquiry

ht begins wi

worth so

rt Br

last mail. The Philosopher happened to be dining with us that night, so we four were togethe

been sent to a school of Grandmother's selection. Rhodora had no mother. Her father, an absorbed man of business, had, at Grandmother's suggestion, been glad to let her have the girl to bring up-or to fini

ptic reminiscently. "It has never occurred to me to long to see her again. She was a mere lusty infant th

her Austen,'" re-read H

have developed in him, if my recollections can be depended upon to

a girl when you saw her. She has been four years under Grandmother's

nto the conversation of her elders with an axe," he speculated, "nor to walk ahead of Grandmother when she comes into a room. Any girl

y," cried Hepatica. "And the lump of clay tha

lt things to handle. The Philosopher, musin

uld be asked," he said. "I neve

t on that one occasion, t

osopher coloured lik

mber, you presented her with a bunch of garden flowers as big as your head, and looked at her as if she were eighteen and the beauty she undoubtedl

quired his wife. "Grandmother's

college-knows as much about women as a puppy about elephant training. Rhodora probably sang a hymn at one of his m

f course,"

, young duck. "Anything less adapted to the use of a preacher's family I can't conce

ght us there two hours before the one set for the ceremony, and we found not only Grandmother but Rhodora and the Preacher in the fine old-time drawing-room to greet us. The w

was helping hand the cups about. It was a beautiful

little, old queen, receiving everybody's homage, yet giving so much kindness in return that one can never f

n-not merely because I have heard of you in the world where you are making a name for y

, Rhodora herself, leaving her tea-table, and crossing the

tic and the Philosopher, having classified Rhodora once and for all, had since received no impression sufficient to efface or modify the original one. I can say for them that t

exuberant beauties who look as if they had but lately quitted the stage and must shortly return thither. Even yet, it would have taken but an error in dress, a reversion to

d differentiated these terms-but a preacher-and an embryo one at that-a big, red-cheeked, honest-eyed boy, a straightforward, clean-hearted, large-purposed young fellow, who meant to do all the good in the world, in all

ot a bit-except a little mission work a few of us went in for this last year. I'm as raw a recruit as eve

I, regarding him with grow

his eyes following her. "One and two, s

dora as she looks now, I should think

background. Although she towered above the little old lady she did not overwhelm her, and Grandmother herself had never seemed a more gently dominating figure than now, in her sweeping black gown with its rare laces, her white hair, in soft puffs, framing her delicate face. And as, at a

ike that till I saw them. And I saw at once that a girl who could be such friends with an old lady must be very much worth while herself. They are great chums, you

worship her-we all feel that to be near her is a special fortune for a

-but, quite naturally, more w

e big, square, upper hall, with its spindled railing making a gallery about the quaint and stately staircase. It was a little

g on his gloves with a man's brutal disregard for the possible instability of seams. H

lashes could not quite conce

od foot. "At the same time, I don't feel quite such a dispirited compassion for the Preacher himself as I did on the way down. Can that possibly be the s

e particularly influential members of society. Evidently ours is different

kwood's school,"

g its graduates, mentions it. I admit that Miss Lockwood's school is a place where rich y

r himself?"

any woman would admit the possibility of acquaintanceship with any particular man's h

ed. "What influence

the Philosopher, who r

ct to hear that?"

e of woman upon man," replied the Philosoph

ared the Skeptic. "It does me good, that's all. So you

tock. You've only to hear him speak to see that he's a man of purpose, of action, of training

epatica. "Do you agree

t us both. It's very clever of you, but we know perfectly that you understand how far-very far-we are affected by your id

long to the wise ones!" he said. "The wise ones, who, magnifying our h

he felt that an inscrutable smile was his s

odora made a bonny bride. The absurd vision I had had of her, ever since I had heard she was to be married, of her taking the officiating clergyman's book out of his hand and steering the service for herse

he turned to me. "I was a barbarian when she took me," she said. "A barbarian of barbarians. If it hadn't been for Grandmother I s

ar," said Grandmother, in her gentl

I was so much worse that only a grandmothe

ere," said Grandmother. "Only what yo

The Philosopher and Hepatica, seeing the old

ere observing them as we talked together. The Philosopher had adjusted his eyeglas

participants. Brave young things, setting sail upon a mighty ocean, in a small boat, which may or may not be seaworthy-some of them,

re," I ventured. "Is life no ocean to you,

nking of him. I had been thinking of Lad, my big boy, now away at school, and of the day when he should reach this expe

ke that?" he asked, ver

ssion in his kindly eyes. "No, no," I said hastily

way, and I laid hold upon him-figuratively speaking-and did not let go again till al

to Co