The Road to Understanding

nt to his father; and to his father (so far as the l

id; secondly, because he had systematically absented himself from the house during the most of his sister's visit, preferring to take his sister away with him for drives and walks r

ung man with affec

you! Where have you been keepi

ht here-in fact, I've be

the boy's forehead should have b

soon we'll be by ourselves again. Not but what I'm enjoying your aunt's visit, of course," he a

," plunged in the boy. "I've decided I don't want to fini

together, but did not l

o bad an idea, after all. I'd be glad to have you here for good that much earlier, son. B

e color flamed in

ee, then I wasn't think

beat. This possible future marriage of his son, breaking into their close companionship, was the dreaded

ve found

y paled p

anded. "You don't mean

rprised," laughed the boy. "H

never heard of the young lady before. What is this-some colleg

's here. You know her.

He stopped, and half started from his chair. "Y

asis an indignant re

that of you, d

nscious of the hurt the words g

this of you, Burke,

u m

uld show some consideration as to

alpably serious. "I can't stand much of this sort of thing, even from you. Miss Barnet is everything that is good and true and lovely. She is in ev

ly been on the end of his tongue, when, with a sudden ch

tage of a second-rate theater! However, I stand corrected; and we'll speak very respectfully of the lady hereafter. I have no doubt s

y n

us rea

shed the boy. "But that-excuse me-seems to me plain snobbishness

ather of an idolized son. "You're only a boy. You don't know your own mind. You'll

boy. I'm a

ot twenty

do know my own mind. You'll

ied at present. And you're never

the

n what

give your

ev

it without, aft

ulation, John Denby got to his feet and strode to the window. When he turned a minute later and came back, the angry resentme

ere comes in the second reason. However good and lovely she may be, she couldn't possibly qualify for that long lifetime together, Burke. Simply because she works for her living has nothing to do with it. She has not th

nds on his shoulders the

at do I care for that

ldn't-fo

ait an

a risk to r

t. I'm going

he stern lines deepened around the man's li

s to me that I ought not to need to tell you that you cannot bring her here

then: I'll take he

e anguish that leaped to his father's eyes. But he did not stop to see or

opinion, the revered sanctity of his wife's memory, wrapped himself in forbidding dignity. An impetuous lover, torn between the old love of years and the new, quite different one of weeks, alternately stormed and pleaded. A young girl, undisciplined, very much in

business, in deed as well as in name, when he should some day take his father's place. Meanwhile, for one year, he was not to see or to communicate with Helen Barnet. If at the end of the year, he was still convinced that his only ho

es," had been the prompt and somewhat haughty

iting. Given twelve months with the boy quite to himself, free from the hateful spell of this designing young woman, and there could be no question of the result-in Joh

accustomed all his life to having what he wanted, and having it when he wanted it, moped the first week, sulked the second, cover

is last month: so, as far as I am concerned, I have waited my year alread

her. We'll be back in two weeks. Now don't bristle up. I'm not going to bring her home, of course (at present), after the very cordial invitation you gave me not to! We're going

d-b

rk

. His voice was steady and-to the man at the other end of the wire-ominously emotionless. When he had finished talking five minutes later, cert

be no several-other-things; for there would be no "allowance" after the curre

w gone forever. There was, too, his very real fear for the future happiness of his boy, bound in marriage to a woman he believed would prove to be a most uncongenial mate. But overtopping all, just now, was his wrath at the flippant assurance of his

before the fireless grate in his library, thinking. He looked old, worn, and wholly miserab