A Red Wallflower

and the lessons, and the botanizing, and the study of coins. And much real work was done; but for Esther one invaluable and abiding effect of a more general character was gaine

ge in the fall, Esther did not slip back to t

ould be home at Christmas. He tried to comfort her with this prospect. Esther took no comfort. She sa

ng. 'I will show you what to do, and when I come home I shall go into a v

fting her eyes to him wi

xpect I shall do it all your life. I think I shall always be teaching and you always

e me lessons wh

en I co

nd; and his absence would be very different from his presence; and the bits of vacation time would not help, or help only by anticipation, the long stretches of months in which th

to college, you know, just as he must learn swimming and

her eyes to him again, heavy

s I enter Junior, and then it wou

ll you d

you, at any rate. Let us see. Ho

t four

to do before you can afford to be fourteen years o

made no

w, you know; and that's only thr

how l

o the work of a great deal. It will

'that will make i

g, 'I didn't know you cared so much

, rising with a sort of childish

calm, repressed way; now and then he saw a drop fall, or caught a motion of Esther's hand which could only have been made to prevent a drop from falling. She walked along steadily, turning neither to the right hand nor the left; she who ordinarily watched every hedgerow and ran to explore every group of plants in the corner of

me, 'I wish you would look after

little

om I mean; the co

ufficient for tha

he is. And she has no mother, n

he fond

is a reserved, silent man; the child is lef

ou suppose

once knew her and go

and the colonel was on his sofa. Mrs. Dallas did take the effect of the picture for that moment before the colonel sprang up to receive her. Then she had to do with a somewhat formal but courtly host, and the picture was lost. The lady sat there, stately in her silks

a little towards that end of the room. 'Really

to you, and quite wel

ates, colonel. Why don't

ere were a good

and Hartford, and Boston,-plent

erve, they are at New

out of m

do without her

without me. We are all, each

e?' the lady went on, turning more decid

, ma

d he tea

anding woman. Yet it would have been impossible to the girl to say why she had an instant

e said vaguely. 'He said we w

did

, ma

r how did he? He has orig

one or two of the coins at once, a

he tell yo

ferent books, at

s what books, Esther

pa. Gibbon's History, a

and Hume, and I-f

these did you rea

ma'am. I read w

rough with a peculiar smile. 'Soun

k and explanations and descriptions and discussions. How delightful those conversations were, both to herself and Pitt; how living the truth had been made; how had names and facts taken on them the

sement,' remarked th

uld soon and readily take to themselves the sweetness and the consciousness of womanhood, and a new bloom would come upon the cheek. The colonel had never yet looked forward to all that; but the wise eyes of the matron saw it as well as if

n nature as they came before her; but she was conscious of a disagreeable, troubled sensation left by this visit of Mrs. Dallas. It had not been

o day it was the one pressing desire and purpose in Esther's mind, to do more, and if possible much more, than Pitt wanted her to do; so that she might surprise him and win his respect and approbation. She thought, too, that she was in a fair way to do this, for she was gaining knowledge fast, she knew; and it was a great help towards keeping up spirit and hope and healthy action in her mind. Nevertheless, she missed her companion and friend, with an intense longing want of him which nobody even guessed. All the more keen it was, perhaps, because she could speak of it to nobody. It consumed the girl in secret, and was only

colonel loved his child with all of his heart that was not buried in his wife's grave; still, he was a man, and like most men had little understanding of the workings of a child's mind, above all of a girl's. He saw Esther pale, thoughtful, silent, grave, for ever busy with her

he race for learning; making good his standing and trying his power amid the waves and currents of human influence. Pitt found his standing good, and his strength quite equal to the call for it, and his power dominating. At least it would have been dominating, if he had cared to