Father Stafford

n and a Morni

ess he would send, went quietly downstairs, and, finding the door just opened, passed out unseen. He had three miles to walk to the station, but his restless feet brought him there quickly, and he had more than an hour to wait for the first train, at half-past eight. He sat down on the platform and waited. His capacity for thought and emotion seemed for the time exhausted. His thoughts wandered from one trivial matter to another, always eluding his effort to fix them. He found himsel

y driven up to the door of the station,

ice say. "Four boxes, a portmanteau, and a hat-

ugh the ticket-office on to the platfo

an hour, I don't know. Haddington, I suppose, always must be in a hurry-never does for

n his face; and as Haddington went off to take th

termined on

" she ask

t almost comes to that-leaving

y n

th Hadd

ean to in

hink it must look to me? What do

ourse will be to wait till I ask you to fulfill your promise, a

ld not res

ck look, in obedience to which he checked his exclamation, and, making some excuse about a parcel due and not arrived, unceremoniously handed Kate to a carr

s the meaning of th

eft a not

will e

his unsparing truthfulne

gged yo

I am t

o now, and

s less bad than

an't t

ellow. Perhaps

doing? Hallo, she's off! And, St

wered, with some surprise. "B

hook hands, and Eugene retra

self, with an irrepressible feeling

e in better spirits than a man has any right to enjoy when he has seen his mistress depart in a temper and his best friend in sorrow. Our spirits are not always obedient to the dicta

conduct, he retained all his youthful capacity for wonder. Surprise, however, gave way to unrestrained and indecent exultation when he learned that the early

as they smoked the after-breakfast pipe, "b

ut, oh, diplomatic young man, why didn't you te

ou kno

may call a way-bill every morning, and again

id Eugene. "Did he happen

tions even to Tim

can g

an," answered Ayre,

n it up, a

n't k

ooked, poor old chap! I was glad K

t hard. Hallo! here's

d joine

in brown paper, and put it among his socks in his portmanteau. I couldn't see it anywhere t

id Ayre; "it's unmanly.

ne r

are you

ne s

d, with a wave of his hand,

on is going rat-hunting, and propos

erick, with alacrity. "It

d Morewood, as they

. "But, young Eugene! It's a pit

that

citer, you know

feminam,

brought hi

ll know them.' But here'

he came up; "Claudia's just savage because the pope

lution the same word,

or. He's sure to turn up

. But Morewood will never admit he's been edu

boy released from school and, turning his eyes away from future difficulties, was determined to enjoy himself

away without saying good-by to

will not. But didn't Kate

her Stafford

sent an apology to y

l you why h

regarding her wit

naccountable. I like h

ike unaccoun

ling to let Stafford dro

ou, Mr. Lane, because I alway

ased. A man likes to be thought a littl

u know what I am

ha

you if you know wh

n't speculate on your friend's motive

rence; it sounded to

t you mig

u don't. If the one, you're taking a liberty, and one enti

ardon," said

ave a lit

aggressive? I don't want t

, ra

solved to quarrel? I want to be pleasant." And C

you are always delightfu

in its literal sense. After all, I must be

ly, "either you mean somethin

moment!" she

k in his low chair wi

and never mind Kate. Why s

ly it's too fine a day to spend in trying to improve you or, i

of a genuine effort after demureness, conveyed to any self-respecting man an irresistible challenge to make himself agreeable if he could. Eugene's notions of making himself agreeable were, as may have been gathered, liberal; they certainly included more than can be considered strictly incumbent on young men in society. And, besides being

orry to leave h

worth has actually consented to take me with

on't go kil

on't kil

only a pack o

don't mind that-if

're trying to

ick doesn't let you be an

no heart

w. But I hav

ter ten years

ia la

old. Were we frien

tes! I don't c

e I should call this absurd. It would be f

hy

would imply yo

be wrong i

rally considered so, un

have endured it long enough.

ought to crush him at this point. I

at?" sh

that

el

? Why, that I love the ground you tread on, Cla

but isn't there a trifling as

ow

mply that only that 'wretched thing' kept us apar

ean it. But if things we

a new fashion. Is that on

ry. He was silent for

ust congrat

wh

thout accident to yourself.

s very rude speech, he rose and flung

with a little smile for a moment, then she threw her hat in the

Haddington, I suppose. I didn't think he knew. Poor Eugene! He'

ghed again, and then

ive, looking very hot and very disguste

," he said. "I was there half an

coincidence!" ex

coinc

g a brace means kill

s.

wanted

ooked

e's E

now, but he's go

his mustache

ou wan

ly. I thought I sho

you'd come a l

go and f

I sh

ff he

wants to find out. I think it does me credit-and it annoys him so very much. I will go and have

s it was a