The Second Generation

r the post office, brought it to his mind again. With an impatient exclamation-for he prided himself upon fidelity to his given word, in small matters as well as in larger-he turned the hor

rtinence of affecting to sympathize with Arthur for being so sorely handicapped. On that occasion Arthur had great difficulty in restraining plain speech. He would not have been thus tactful and gentlemanly had he not realized that Dory meant the best in the world, and was wholly unconscious that envy was his real reason for taking on such a preposterous pose. "Poor chap!" Arthur had reflected. "One shouldn't blame him

sponse. "Probably the girl's in the kitchen; and old Miss Skeffington is so deaf she couldn't hear," he thought. He had known the persons and the habits of that household from earliest boyhood. He followed the path round the house and thus came in sight of a small outbuilding at the far corner of the yard, on the edge of the ba

d Dory, coming forwa

his hat and bowing to

e. "How d'ye

with him, a shade cons

?" she

nable ideas and tastes. Also, Estelle had been almost a recluse since she was seventeen. The rest of the Wilmots went into Saint X's newly developed but flourishing fashionable society. They had no money to give return entertainments or even

"I'm afraid I can't,

ng about coming." This a politeness, for A

g of something entirely different." A pause during which he se

her to dress," c

umorous-looking mouth. "Dress!" said he. "My other suit is, if anything, less present

hus unwittingly brought out young Hargrav

y dryly, his eyes

or any drapery not to have set well on that strong, lithe figure. And his face-especially the eyes-was so compelli

h his own thoughts. Also Arthur would have noticed that, as they came round from the stables to the steps at the end of the front veranda, and as Dory caught

Arthur, and went on into the hous

d Adelaide, her tone and m

ooked straight at her until her eyes dropped-this while they were shaking hand

send for me

he recalled his habit of compelling her always to be truthful not only with him but-what was far

. "But, as soon as

he great souls that alone are not alone. They understand better than the self-conscious, posing mass of mankind the weakness and the pettiness of human nature; but they also appreciate its other side. And in the pettiest creature, they still see the greatness that is in every human being, in every living thing for that matter, its majesty of mystery and of potentiality-mystery of its living mechanism, potentiality of its position as a source of ever-ascending forms of life. From the protoplasmal cell descends the genius

self see what her fury against Theresa and Ross had goaded her on to resolve. So she had no difficulty in persuading herself that she had probably sent for Dory

Estelle Wilmot and I were

was driving down Monroe Street one day. How beautiful she has become! But, then, she always was pretty. And neither her fa

en one sees a beautiful man or woman, one is seeing the monument to some moment of supreme, perfect happine

and of all the self-absorbed. Simeon, who had been inspecting Dory from the far upper end of the hammock, now descended to the floor of the veranda, and slowly advanced toward hi

would fall in love w

de was

she say those things to me?" he asked. Simeon looked a

xactly suited to each

she needs; she has nothing that I need. And love is

ay that?" dem

hing to give. And you know that I-" He smiled soberly. "Sometimes I think you have really nothing I need or want,

aid she, smiling,

to lose with you. Besides, I shouldn't want you on any false terms. One has only to glance about hi

ruth which her vanity of conquest and the fascination of his free and frank manliness for her, though she denied it to herself, had led her on to discover beyond doubt, she became conscience-stricken. And she confessed to him that she loved Ross Whitney and was engaged to him; and he had taken the disclosure so calmly that she almost

smoking, Arthur sauntered away. She was alone with Dory; but she felt that she had nothing to say to him. The surge of fury against Ross and Theresa had subsided; also, now that she had seen Theodore Hargrave again, she re

l minutes in silence, she said: "I find I haven

im: "I'm sorry. I h

ed-w

off with you

n saying it was?"

I felt it when

lieved. A pause, then constra

at why you

ent of

erhaps you mig

e moonlight-moonlight that can soften even falsehood until true and false seem gentl

a thermostat. "You mean, when you saw me again, you felt you really d

then she flung out the truth. "Ross has engaged himself t

ted, feeling how it was distressi

anyone else. It has always seemed to me that you see me exactly as I am, with all the pretenses and meannesses-yet not unkindly, either. And, while you've made me angry sometimes, w

age yourself to me-and

fraid

d waited for him to say it. At last it came. "Well,

evening. You haven't seen him since he became so ill, but you will understand why he is a re

a dangerous illusion; that you have been honorable with him, and all t

enough to feel it with my friends jee

he said, "shall we become engaged, with the condition that

help me-to help me in a weakn

a chance to win you. You will look at me differently-a

ghed. "I see w

e to do your best to care? An engagement

is own powers where she was concerned, she went on: "The night you told me you loved me I did not sleep. What you said-what I saw when you opened your heart to me-oh

hat's all that stands in the way," sa

bly all she had been tempted to gain by artifice. "But you said a w

dn't be taken too literally as he talks

ld to, his strength and his love. But he, realizing that he was in danger of losing his sel

ress next morning. When they were well on their way, Belden said

ling against curiosity.

know, Ernes

id: 'I've induced Adelaide Ranger to promise to marry me.' 'Why, I never knew you cared about her in that way,' said I. And he said: 'There's

ged his mind; for, Ross was so amazed at Adelaide's thus challenging him-it could be nothing more than an audacious challenge-that h

jilted, and that therefore he must be silent-on that subject. "Not at all," said

ongratulate yo

erstood precisely what he had intend