The Village by the River

the summer vacation. They were orphans, with only each other to care for; and Paul had not feared to take up some of their slender capital to enable his sister to complete her c

that, before any plans were discussed for her future,

t swallows up the money, so we'll start off for Brussels, and move on when we feel inclined, possibly to the Rhine, and so to He

star glimmered, were absolutely motionless. The band which played was the best string-band in Brussels, attracting a great throng of listeners; and every table around them had its complement of guests; and the civil waiters who flitted hither and t

laces like this out-of-doors in the fresh air, under the stars and trees, where people can go

-I will do my utmost to make some of our wealthy citizens disgorge a part of their wealth t

Sally, with chi

big cities. Brussels is just a pocket-town, if you come to compare it with London. Of course the recreation of the masses is only one of the many vexed questions co

ed Sally, with the enthusiasm of her twenty years. "When shall you g

en think of standing for any place. First, I must accumulate enough capital

hat belongs to me; I mean to earn my li

fairly well. Then I will stand for any place that will return me, after learning my honestly expressed politi

ke you popula

ndition of the people better than it is at present. The contrast between the v

, had ended in deadly earnest; and Sally

am so merry and happy. You've not answered my last quest

ally," Paul sai

mpediment why women should not do anything for which they have a special fitness. Now I feel politi

; "and certainly I should not give my sanction to your undertaking an

have been very good-looking if all your features were as good as your eyes.' Why do ladies of a certain age take it for granted that they can say what they choose to the budding young woman? It annoys me frightfully. Oh, Paul!" with a sudden lowering of her voice, "talking of pr

ely beyond compare; and yet there was something in her face that failed to satisfy him. The

lly, when he tur

certainly; but I

e you did not dis

es slipped their knitting into their pocket; the husbands bestowed a passing nod and guttural good night to each other as they moved away; and the twinkling lights began to be exting

the way these people pass their evenings; they are quite nice and respectable. I confess now

of the two ladies was rather f

out a man of our own," she s

is hat. "Is your carriage anywh

vate one from the Hotel de Flandre

rs," Paul said, with a slight smile. "He must take his place i

er," said th

y where she was, hurried off, retur

m Sally admired, as Paul handed her

ed Sally, as they drove off. "I've never seen what I call an abs

is; but she bears the knowledge of it about with her like an overpower

not often either nar

r their very noses!" continued Paul, angrily. "'Quite nice and respectable,' indeed! As she and

rent subjects. They paused in the hall of the hotel, running their eyes over the letters displayed outside the post-office, to see if the eve

l go upstairs to bed. I feel infected by the early h

opened his letters. The last of them he read and re-read se

I shall have to go back to Lond

powerless to express half the

everything nasty is always

milk-jug he gave me at my baptism-which I've never set eyes on for many a long year, by the way-and the tips he shoved into the palm of my hand whenever I paid him a visit on my w

" asked Sally

e last thing one can do

o be ill," said Sally, who, not knowing

lose our holiday; we'll

ning away her head so that Paul should not see that there were

rection of the quiet square where his godfather had spent his solitary life since the days of his retirement from active service. His eyes turned instinctively to the windows, to see if the blinds were drawn down;

adly, sir; he's not

l you let him know, as soon as possible, that

ed perceptibly; he threw open the library door and usher

ke and will see y

n long ill?

it. He's no use left in his legs, and very little in his arms or hands; but his brain seems as act

I'll go up

the bedside, did not hear him; but the grey head on the pillo

t you meant to leave it till to

not get your letter at

not talk about my saving my strength. What good will it do? A few minutes more life, perhaps," he added testily, as he saw the nurse giving Paul some admonition under her

l, filled with pity at the sight of the perfectly helpless figure. "It may be th

d his silence to exhaustion. In reality the keen eyes were scan

f you. It has crossed my mind more than once since I've lain here, th

ion of astonishment; the news gave

sible claim upon you. I have scarcely even

distant tie of relationship; and there's something else, Paul. Years ago I wanted

as pathetic. His mother had died when he was still quite a ch

alf Irish,

h it; but I've made some very bad speculations lately, and lost a great deal. I took to speculation from sheer want of amusement. I was a good billiard player as long as I had the use of my limbs; but here I've been, liter

out it," interpo

t my eye on it all the same; and what you call progress, and its attendant abominations, has not hurt it much yet. I made a mistake when I let the bishop

take, and, if there's time, you had

jor, irritably. "After all, what I ask of you is no very hard thing to

m in no way fitted for a country squire; I've been brought up on different lines from you, and arrived at very different

eadiness to carry out any wish o

the dark, not knowing that my

hat you call yourself? A Lessing who is not

I am; but my friends

gger blunder than the last!" said the

temples warned him that the interview had been too long and too exciting. "I would thank you, if I could, for the though

If there's yet time--" He broke off, turning away

tnessed had stirred him more than a little; and it grieved him to his h

If he will only talk quietly, and keep his temper, he could surely suggest some more fitting heir than I; and the business details could be fairly quickly s

presented himself again at the house in the square, with the

tless last night; and nothing would satisfy him but that I should go off in the middle of the night and fetch Mr. Morgan-the lawyer as wrote to you, si

asked Paul,

ng down the stairs, and

to meet him. "How did you fi

drawing on his gloves. "He