A Knight of the Nineteenth Century

its prosperity from its relations with the metropolis. It prided itself much on being a university town, but

tion; but the people in general had come to speak of "our society," as being "unusually good," just as they

ture she had few equals. But with the majority of those most cerulean in their vital fluid the fact that she possessed large wealt

own into ruts, for this would presuppose the passiveness of a nature controlled largely by circumstances. People who travel in ruts drop more often into those made by others than such as are worn by themselves. Mr. Arnot moved rather in his ow

, and, as is usually true in such instances, the

centre of the universe, and all things else are near or remote, of v

even understand the principles and motives of her action. She was a true and dutiful wife, and presided over his household with elegance and refinement; but he regarded all this as a matter of course. He could not conceive of any

gularly and methodically. He had his meals at the hour he chose, to the moment, and when he retired to his library-or, rather, the business office at his house-not the

om love. She had mistaken his cool self-poise for the calmness and steadiness of strength; and women are captiv

ral working of this tendency is, no doubt, beneficent, it not unfrequently brings together those who are so radically different, that they cannot supplement eac

olling principles of each life were utterly different. He was hardening into stone, while the dross and materiality of her nature were being daily refined away. A strong but wholly selfish character cannot blend by giving and taking, and thus becoming modified into

d mechanical service, but he had no time to "bother" with her thoughts, feelings, and opinions; nor did he think it worth while, to any extent, to lead her to reflect only his feelings and opinions. Neither she nor any one else was very essential to h

ome to be more and more the equivalent of a steady black frost, and she at l

his vast and complicated business go forward steadily, systematically, and successfully; and he would not permit that entity known as Thomas Arnot to thwa

s a province into which his cast-iron system and material philosophy could not enter. He grumbled at her large charities, and declared that she "turned their dwelling into a club-house for young men"; but she followed her conscience with such a quiet, unswerving dignity that he found no pretext for interference. The money she gave away was her own, and fortunately, the house to which it was her delight to draw young men from questionable and disreputable places of resort had been left to her by her father.

abitual reserve upon family and personal matters, and wrote to her friend a long and confidenti

ing a broad, and therefore correct, view of anything. She was governed far more by her prejudices and feelings than by reason or experience, and the emotion or prejudice uppermost absorbed her mind so completely as to exclude all other c

was in the line of her most cherished plan and hope of usefulness, as will be hereafter seen, and she had lost no time in persuading her husband to give Haldane employment in his counting-room. She also secured his consent that the youth should become a member of the family, for a time at least. Mr. Arnot yielded these points reluctantly, for it was a part of his policy to have no more personal relations with h

his misdeeds. He, therefore, rather dreaded to meet those who must, from the first, regard him as a graceless and difficult subject, that could not be manag

a straight-jacket, or if I find the counting-house to

brought to him in her private parlor. By the time it was eaten her graceful tact had banished all stiffness and sense of strangeness, and he found h

entually wins the heart. Those who knew Mrs. Arnot best declared that, instead of growing old and homely, she was growing more lovely every year. Her dark hair had turned gray early, and was fast becoming snowy white. For some years after her marriage she had grown old very fast. She had dwelt, as it were, on the northern side of an iceberg, and in her vain attempt to melt and humanize it, had almost perished herself. As the earthly streams an

as the anthracite coals which glowed in the grate, and he bega

, she caused him to draw his chair sociably up t

e best time for us to have a fra

he had been informed by his mother. She spoke in a kindly but almost in a business-like way of his duties in the counting-room, and of the domestic rules of the household, to which he would be expected to conform. She al

areer. I have spoken plainly because I wished you to realize just what you have undertaken, and thus meet with no unpleasant surprises or unexpected experiences. When one enters upon a course

, coloring deeply, "that my mother's letter had

form my opinion of you solely on the ground of your own action, and I wish you to

m in quite a heroi

ht; "but appears to take it for granted that I shall be a gentleman in this her h

admit that it did "work rather better than he expected," and

r and training began to show themselves. The restraint of the counting-room grew irksome. Associations were formed in the city which tended toward his old evil habits. A

n point. She had gained more influence over the young man than any one else had ever possessed, and by means of it k

told him of the danger in which he

ation by leaving of his own accord. He quite persuaded himself that he had a soul above plodding business, and that, afte

e performed his duties very accurately that day, but l

in thus requiting Mrs. Arnot's

. If I could only get a good position in the army or navy, the world would hear from

but, instead of observing with careless defiance the frown which he knew lowered to

h made the simplest thing she said seem real and

Laura, no doubt, can do far more than an ol

o ungratefully forgetful of all Mrs. Arnot's kin