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M ADELI NEI 3sro-\rEij. — BY- MARY J. HOLMES, Anther of Lena Rivers— Tempest and Sunaiiine— Meadow Brook— English Orphant, etew CO M r L E T E, TORONTO; J. ROSS ROBERTSON, 55 KING-ST WEST, COR. BAY. 18 81. i tri *. MADELINE. CHAPTER I. THE KXAMI.MNO ("OMMITTEK. Twenty-five years ago the people of Devon- shire, a little town amons,' the New Knghmd hills, had the reputation of being rather nuarrelaome. Sometimes about meeU, gentle Mrs. Tiverton, the minister's wife, whose manner of liousekeepiiig, or style of dress, did not exaetly suit them ; sometimes about the minister liimself, who vainly imagine ted something in a minor key,and pitch- e«l it so high that few could follow him ; while Mrs. Captain Simpson — whose daugh- ter was the organist — rolled her eyes at her next neighbour, or fanned herself furiously in token of her disgust. Latterly, howes'or, there had arisen a new cause for (juarrel, before which everything else sank into insignificance. Now, though the village of Devon.>i!>ire could boast but one public scnool-house, said house lieing divided into two departments, the upper and lower divisions, there were in the toNvn several district schools ; and for the last few ^ears a committee of three had been aniiiiallv ap- pointed to examine and decide upon the merits of the various candidates for teaching, giving toeachjif the decision were favoura'ole, a slip of paper certifying his or her qualifi- cation to teach a common school. It was strange that over such an ^office so fierce a feud should have arisen ; but when Mr. Tiverton, Squire Lnmb, and Lawyer Whittemore, in the full conviction that they were doing^ right, re- fusetl a certificate of scholarship to a niece of Mrs. Judge Tisdale, ami awarded it to one who.se earnings in a factory had procured for her a thorouL;!! English education, the villa- gers were roused as they liad never been be- fore — the aristocracy abusing, and the demo- cracy upiiolding the disiiiiiytul trio, who at last quietly resigned their utiico, and Devon- shire was without a school committee. In tills emergency something must le done, and as the two belligerent parties could only unite on a stranger, it .«eemed a matter of special providence that only two months be- fore the quarrel began, young Dr. Holbrook, a iifitive of Boston, had rented the pleasant little office on the village common, formerly occui)iod by old Dr. Carey, whose days of practice were over. Besides being hand- some, and skilful, and quite as familiar with the poor as tlie rich, the young doctor was descend d from tiie aristocratic line of Boston Holbrooks, facts which tended to make him a favourite with both cla«.ses ; and, greatly to his surprise, he found himself unanimously elected tt> the responsible office of sulc Inspector of Common Schools in Devonshire. It was in vain tiiat he remon- stratoii, saying lie knew notliing whatever of the (iualihcations requisite lor a teacher ; that he culd not talk to uirls unless they happened to be sick ; that he should make a ^ miserable failure, and be turned out of oflioc in less than a month. The people wouhl not listen. Somebody must examine the teachers, and that somebody might aa well be Dr. Holbrook as any one. ' Onljr be strict with 'em and draw the reins tigiit ; find out to your satisfaction whether a gal knows her P's and Q's before you give her a stifficut : we've had enough of your ignoramuses, ' said Coloi.el Lewis, the democratic potentate to whom Dr. Hol- brook was expressing his fears that he should not give .satisfaction. Then, as a bri'rht ;de« suggested its 'If to tlv dt'. yvw- MADKLINE. II I tlcman, he added : ' I tell you what, just cut one or two at first ; that'll give you a Dame for being particular, which is just the thing.' Accordingly, with no definite idea aa to what was expected of him, except that he was to find out * whether a gal knew her P's and Q's, ' and was also to * cut one or two of the first candidates,' Dr. Holbrook accept- ed the situation, and then wuited rather nervously his initiation. He was never at his ease in the society of ladici), unless they stood in ttfed of his professional services, when he lost sight of them at once, and thought only of their disease. His patient once well, however, he became nervously shy and embarrassed, retreating as soon as possi- ble from her presence to the shelter of his friendly office, where, with his boots upon the tablo, and his head thrown back in a most comfortable position, he sat one April morning, in happy oblivion of the bevy of girls who were ere long to invade his r-'.nc- tum. ' Something for you, sir. The lady will wait for an answer, ' said his office boy, pass- ing to his master a little note, and nodding toward the street. Following the direction indicated, the doctor saw near hia door an old-fashioned one-horse waggon, such as is still occasiunully seen in New England among the farmers who till the barren soil and rarely induli^e in anything new. On this occasion it was a square-boxed dark-^reen waggon, drawn by a sorrel horse, sometimes called by the genu- ine Yankee ' yellow, 'and driven by a white- haired man, whose silvery locks, falling around his wrinkled face, gave him a pleas- ing, patriarchal appearance, wliich interest- ed tiie doctor far ipore than did the iliitter of the bine ribbon beside him, even tiiough the bonnet tliat ribbon tied shadeil tlie face of a young girl. The note was from her, and, tearing it open, the doctor read, in a pretty, girlish handwriting : 'Dr. Holbrook.' Here it was plainly visible that a ' D ' had been written as if she would have said ' Dear.' Then, evidently changing her mind, she had witli her finger blotted out the ' D,' and made it into an oddly-shaped ' S. ' so that it read ; 'Dr. Holbrook— Sir : Will you be at leisure to (examine me on Monday afternoon, at three o'clock ? ' Madeline A. Clyde. ' V. S. — For particular reasons I hope you can attend to me as early as Monday. M. A. C. ' Dr. Holbrook knew very little of givlnan their peculiarities, but he thought this not. with Its P. S., decidoilly girlish. Still li- made no comment, eitiier verbal or ment;)l so flurried was he with tlic thought that thf evil he so much dreaiied liad come upon bin at last. Had it been left toiiis choice, he wouln far rather have extracted every one of Madi lineClyde'steeth, than have set himself up be fore her as some horrid ogre, ns'\ing what sh' knew and what she did imt know. But tlu choice was not his, and, turning at last ti the boy, he said shortly, ' Tell her to come. Most men would have sougnt for a glimpse of the face under the bonnet tied with blue, but Dr. Holbrook did not care a picayune whether it were ugly or fair, though it did strike him that the voice was sinirularlj sweet, which, after the boy had deliveretl the message, said to the old man, ' Oh, I am so glad ; now, grandpa, we'll go honie. I know you must be tired. ' Very slowly Sorrel trotted ilown the street, the blue ribbons fluttering in the wind, and one little ungloved hand carefully adjusting about tlie ohl man's shoulders the ancient camlet clojik which had ear, and was needed on this chilly April day. The doctor saw all this. and the impression left upon his mind was, that Candidate No. 1 was probably a nice kind of a gtrl, and very good to her grand- father. But what should he ask her, and how demi an himself towards her, and wouM it be well to 'cut her,' as C*)lonel Lewis had advised him to do to one or two of the first '! Monilay afternoon was fiightfully near, he thought, as this wa.s only Saturday ; and then feeling that he must be prepured. he brought out from the trunk, where, since his arrival in Devonshire, they had been quietly lying, books enough to have fright- ened an older person than poor little Made- line Clyde, riding slowly lujiiio, and wish- ins.' so much tliai she'd liad a glimpse of Dr. Holln-ook, so as to know what lie was like, and hoping he would give her a chance to repeat some of the many pages of Geogra- phy p.nd History which she knew by heart. How she would have trembled could she have seen tlie fomiidable volumes heaped upon the doctor's table and waiting for her. Tliere were French and Latin grammars, Hamilton's Metaphysics, Olmstead's Phil- csoj)iiy. Day's Algebra, Butler's Analogy, and many other books, into which poor Madeline had never so much as looked. Ar- ranging them in a row, and half wishin,' himself back again in the days when he bad studied them, the doctor went out to visit his patients, of which tliero were so many that Madeline Clyde entirely escaped his in'_' with of hei broiigl speak frieiu as a capoc a iitt brook, Mr.- seen t d(jw 11 vi.si((jr indebt her ni iiigton ac(|il;u iier. a just t in the paired in the Tiii.s i( and al That ( LOuld .« would iiuittir peii-kn MADKLIXK. miinl, iior did slie trouble him aciiin until tlie tlrt-iultMl Mondiiy cuiiiu, and the hands uf hiH wati'li i>ointfd t<> two. ' Oiu- hom iMoi'c. lie Niid to liiinself, just as tlif itill of winds iiiid cloud ot dust iin- ULMiurrd the arrival ot homiu one. 'Can it lie Sorrel and tin- .si|\iare wiijjgon?' Dr. Ilolhrook tliouglit. Hut lar diHen-nt from ( iraiidtather Clyde's t itnout was tiic Htylisii carriage and the .spirite*! bayK which tile coloured coaclnnan stopped in front of tile w'liitu cuttago in the saiiic yard w itli the otHce. the lio.i8e where l)r. Uolhrook hoanl- ed, and where, if he married while in hevou- ehire. he would most lilvely liriiig hia wife. Mluy Rcniiiiuton, the vt-ry chap of all others wliom Id rather see, and, as I live, tliert's At'iU's, and .Fessie. Who knew she w as in tliese }iart8 ?' was the doctor "s mental cxamiii.ition, as, running his tinkers thnnurli liij hair and making' a feint of pulling up tlie corners of his ratiicr limp collar, lie liurricd tj the carriage, from wliicli a dasiiiiig-look- iiiL' liiiy of thirty, or tliereahouts, wa.s al- ighting. ' \v iiy, Agnes — I heg your pardon, Mrs. Keniington— when did you come?' he asked, otlcriiig his hand to the lady, wlio,co((\ittish- ly sliakiiig hack from lier )»retty, dollisli tace a ]>rofu,sion of liglit hrow n curls, gave iiiin the tips of her lavender kids, wliile slie tol i him yiie had come to Aikenside the Saturday before ; and hearing from (iuy that tiie lady with wiioiii he iiad l)oarded was an old friend of her.-, she iuul driven over to call, aiul brought Jessie with her. 'Here, Jessie, speak to the doctor. He was poor ilear ])apa'a friend ' and something which was intended as a sigh of regret for ' poor, dear jiapa,' es- caped Agnes Kemingtous lips as she pushed a little "curly-haired girl toward L>r. Hol- brook. Mrs. Connor, the lady of the house, had seen them by tliis time, and came running down the walk to meet lier distinguished visitor, womleiing a little to wiiat she was indebted, tor this call from one who, since her m uriago with the aristocratic Dr. Kein- iiigton, had sumewliat ignored her former aequaintauces. Agnes was del: -hted to see hfir, and as (Juy declined entering 'he cottage just then, tlie two friends disajjpeared with- in the door, while tlie iloctor and Cuy re- paired to the ofHce, the latter sitting down in tiie chair intended for Madeline Clyde, Tills reminded the doctor of his perplexity, and also brought the comforting tlirought That Cuy, who had never failed him yet, coulil surely offer some suggestions. ]}ut he would not speak of it just now, he liad other matters to talk about ; and so, jamming hia pen-knife into a pine table covered with ttimilar jam.<, he said, ' Agnen, it Beems, haa come to .Aikenside, iiotwitiistandiiig slie de- clared she n«'ver wouhl, w hen she found that the whole of the Jlemington prop'i ty be- longed to your motlier, and not your latlu-r. ' 'Oh, yes. She rei-overeti fioni her piipie as soon as I settled a liandsome little in- come on Jessie, and, in laet. on her too, un- til she is foolish eintugh to marry again, when it will cease, of course, as 1 do not feel it iiiN duty to su|iporL any man's wife, unless it be my own,' was (iuy Keiiiiiigtou's reply ; whereupon the pen-knife went again i ito tlietablo, and this time witli so much force that the point was broken od' ; but the doctor did not mind it, and with the jagged end eontiiiued to make jigged marks, while he said : 'Siie'll harill\ marry again, though she may. She's young — not over twenty- six ''riiirty, if the family Bible does not lit,' said Cue ; 'hut slied never forgive me if she knew I told you that. So let it pass that she's twenty-eight. She certainly is not moi«! than two years your senior, a mere notiiing, if you wis'i to make her Mrs. Hol- Iji'ook ; and Cuy's dark eyes scanned curl- misly the doctor's face, as if seeking there for the secret of his proud young step-mo- ther's anxiety to visit plain .\lrs. Conner the moment she heard tluit l)r. Ilolbi'ook was aiighed to (Juy, who was his college chum and long- tried friemi. Airiies Itemington, who was reclining lan- guidly in Mrs. Conner's easy-ciiair, and over- wiielming her former friend with descrip- tions of the tray parties she had attended in 15 iston, and the tine siglits she saw in Ku- rope, whitlier her gray-liaireon't look so sorry, please, for if Mr. Remington won't let you liave the money, there's my pony, Beauty. I am willing to give him up. ' 'Never. Mad.ly. It's all the little fortin' you've got. I'll let the old place go first ; ' and chirruping to Sorrel, the old man drove on, while ^lacUdine •walked, with a beating heart, to the office door, where she knocked timidly. Glancing involuntarily at each other, the young 111'^ exchanged meaning snulrs, while the doctor whispereil softly, ' Verdant — that's sure.' As (iuy sat nearest the door, it was he who opened it, while Madeline (■.uiie in, her soft brown eyes glistening with something like a tear, and her cheeks inrniii': with excitement as she took the chair indicated by tiuy Remington, who unconsciously found him- self master of ceremonies, and whom she naturally mistook for Dr. Holbrook, whom she had never seen. CHAPTER IL MAPKI.INE ri-YDB. Maddy, her grandfather and grandmother called her, and there was a world «)f unut- terable tenderness in the voices of the old couple when thev spoke that name, while their dim eyes lighted up with pi iile and joy whenever they rested upon the young girl who made the sunlight of their home. She wa."? the child of their only daughter, ' and had lived with them s nee iur mother's death, for her father was a sea captain, who never returneas.sed. It was vain to hope for mercy from a man lik»i Silas Slociim. The nidiiey must either he forthcoming, or the red faini-hoise be sold, with its few acres of land ; an(; as aim njr his neighbours there was not one who had the money to spare, even if they had been willing to do so, he must look for it among strangers. ' If I could only help,' .Madeline said one evening when they sat talking over their troubles ; 'but there's nothing I can do, un- less I apply for our school this summer. Mr. (treen is the committee-man; he likes us, and I don't believe but whathell let me have it. I mean to go and see ;' and before theohl people had recovered from their astonis';- iiient, Madeline had caught lior bonnet and shawl, and was flying down the roa.l» Madeline was a favourite with all, especi- ally with Mr. (ireeii, iuid the acliool would be small that summer, xhe plan struck him favouraldy. Her age, however, was an ob- jection, and he must take time to in([uiie what others thought of a child like her i)e- coining a school-mistress. The pco|)le thought well of it, and iu^foi'c the close of tiie next day it was generally known through fIonedalc,as the southern part of Devonshire was called, that pretty little Maddy Clyde had been engaged as teacher, and was to re- ceive three dollars a week, with the iinder- stjiiiding that she must board herself. It did not take Madeline long to calculate that twelve times three dollars were thirty-six dollars,more than a tenth of what her grand- father must borrow. It seeni'-d like a little fortune, and blithe as a singing bird she flitted about the house, now stopping a mo- luent to foudle her pet kitten, while she whispiird the good news III its Very ap|)i«'. ciativi' ear, and tiieii stroking her grand- father's silvery hair, as she said ; ■ \ till i:an tell fheiii lh.it you are sure ot paving lliiity-si\ dolliiM in the fall, and if 1 do well, ma> be they'll hire me longer. I mean to try my very best. I wonder if any- Imdy before me t.iught a si-hool when they were only til teen and a half. ho I look as young as tiiat?'and for an instant the i)right, ( hildish hiee scanned itsclt eagerly in the old-fashioned mirror, with the tigiire of an eagle on the top. She did look very young, and yet thert? was soiiii'thing womanly too in tiie expression of the face, Hometliing which said that life's realities w<'re already beginning to be under- stood l)y hi'r. ' If my h.iir were not so short I should do better. What a pity I cut it the last time I It would i)e so long and splendid now,' she contiiiiicil. giving a kind ot conteiiii)tu- ons pull at the thiirk. Iieautifiil l»rown hair, on \s liicli there was in certain lights a red- dish tinge, which added to its richness and beaut}. ' Never iiiiiul the hair, Maddy.' the old man saiil, ga/ing tondly at her with a halt sigh as he reineinliered another brown head, pillowed now beiieatii the gravt^yard-tiiif. ■ Mavbe you wnn't pass muster, and then the hair will make no dilh'r. There's a new coniinittet -man, that l>i. Ilol- brook, Ikjiii lioston, ;ind new ones are apt to be mighty .strict, and < spi'cially young ones like him. 'i'hey say he is mighty larneii, and can speak in furrin tongues. ' Instantly .Maddy "s lace flusiu'd with nerv- ous dread, as she thought, 'Wliatif I should fail '!' f.'Hicying that to do so wouhl be an eternal disL'i;ice. Hut she should not fail. Siic was (.ailed by everybody the vei-y best •cliolar in tin; lioueilaie school, the one w hom the teachers alwiiys put forward when desirous of showing o(F, tlie one whom Mr. Tiverton, and S(|uire Land), and Lawyer Whittemore always noticed and praised so much. Of course she shouhl not fail, though she di, ill an tiilj<>iirniiii{ town, ami ank itrt yoiiii;^' iiiastor for tliH loan of tlirei* IiiiikI- I'tMl iluliaiH. \lv could Imrdly t«)ll wliy he iiad tlioiij:lit of apidyiii;,' to ( Jiiy F{iMimii.'toii f<«r Ik'1|i. im- l<'M.s it were that tm-o he Lail Havfd tlic litcof • iny'M f.if In r, who, aH long as In- livcil, liail »vitii»(l a gii-at ii'ganl for Imh iK-npfaitoi, fre(|U»!ntly aHsertiiig that he nioant to «ln Hoiiu'thing for him. But tlio Momcthin^' was never iloiio, the father was iIimiI. ami in liis strait the old man tnriuMl to the son, wiioin he knew to he very rich, ami m ho, he had lipon told, waH "xoeedingly ^.'(mk'Ioiih. ' HoM' r wisii F nonlil go witli yon clear up to AikeiiHide ! Tlify say its so hcuit ifnl, ' Ma eline liad Haid, aH on Satnrdiy evcniiij.' they sat discussing the cxiKHtcti event of the following Monday. ' Mrs. Xoali, the Iioiihc- keeper, had Sarali .lones there once, to sew . and she told mv. all aliout it. There ;ire gravelled walks, and niee green lawns, and liig. tall trees, ami (loweis — Oh I si many ! —and marble fountains, with gold (i.'^he.s in tlie l)a.'-in ; and stitne.s, liig as folks, .ili over tlie yard, with tnn lirass lii.iis on Ijie L'ate- poHts. Hut till! house is tlie tin st nC mII. There '.s a drawing-roon. bigger tii-in i hall- loom, with carpets that let your fict .-inlv in so far ; pictures and mirro-'s clear to the door — thndi of that, gi-amlpa I a looking- glass so tall that one can see tlie very bot- tom of her dress and know just 1k>w it hangs. Oh, I do so wish I could have a p"ep at it I There are tM'o in onerooni, and the win.iows are like door.s, with lace curt.iins ; Init what is queerest of all, th(! chairs and sofas arc covered witli real s'lk. Jil-^I iike that funny gored ijown of gramJ'ii.iM up in the oak clies';. Dear mo ! I wonder if I'll ever live in such a place as Aikenside? ' "No, n<>. M.td ly, no. Be satisfieil with the lot where (lod has put y"U, and don't be longing aftoj- soniethirig higher. Our Father in lleiivon know.s just what ir best for u.s ; as lie ilidift see fit to put you up at Aikenside, 'tain't no Mays likely you'll ever live in the like of it.' 'Not unless 1 should happen to many a rich man. Poor girls like me have some- times (lone tliat, haven't they ? " was Mad- dy"s demuie ivply. (Iramlpa Markh:im shook his head. * Tiiey have, but it's mostly their ruin- ation ; so don't build castles in the air about this (luy Remington.' ' Me ! oh, grandpa, I never dreamed of Mr. (Uiy ! 'and Madeline blushed half in- dignantly. ' He's too rich, too aristocratic, though Sarah said he ditln't act one bit proud, and in ho pleasant that the Hervant . all w<>i- niantei of Aikenside, made her iHdievo that he wonhl accede at once to her grandfather's i'(|uest. All that night in her dreams she was work- ing to pay the d«rbt, giving the money her- self intfi the hands of tiny llomington. whom she had nevi-r seen, but who came up before her the tall, handsome-looking man she had so often heard described F>y Sarah Jones aft»!r her return from Aikensiile, Mdiere siie had once done some plain sewing tor the housekeper. Kvvu the next day, when, liy her grandparent's side, .Maddy knelt reverently in tiie small church at IFoneilale, her thoughts Mer*' more intent upon the to-morrow ami Aikenside tiian the sacied wokIs her lijis M<'re uttering S e knew it was wroiiL', and with a nervuii.s start trieil to bring her mind back from decimal fiaetions to what the minister was -■lyi'ig : but Maddy Mas mortal, ami light in the midst of the Collect, Aiken- side and its owner would rise before her, togetlier M'ith the wondt-r Iiom- she and her giiuuifather would feel one M'eek fiom that day. Would the desired certiticatc lie hers? or M'ould she be dis,t;i'aced toiesei'and ever b\ a rejection '1 Would the mortgage be paid .and her grandfather at ease, or would his heui t lie br«'aking with knowing he must leave what had Vjeen his home for so many years ? lint no such thougms troubled the aged disciple beside her — the good old man, M'lioae M'liito loi;ks sM-ept the large-lettered book over Mdiich liis Mrinkled face was bent, as he joined in the responses, or SiWd the piayers M'liose words hail so soothing an iuHuencc over him, carrying his thongtits npM'ard to the house not made M'ith hands, which he felt assured M'ouhl one day be his. Once or twice, it is true, the possibility of loosing tile dear old red cottage flitted across his mind M'ith a keen, sud(kin pang, but he put it quickly aside, remembering at the same instant how the l''ather who loved doeth all things M-ell to such as are his children. (Jrandpa Markham Mas old in the Christian course, while Maddy could hardly be said to have commenced it as yet. anrl so to her that April Sunday Mas long and wearisome. Mow Tlie pie ne;it MADKLINE. -ha did wish the might look over the L'lfOgiMpliv, l»,v way (It rftrt'nlmi^j Iut iiicinory, ,.iul !!<••• KXHi'lly liuw tlio rule for extraitiatj die ciil)ic ludt (lul ri'jul, h^jt Miidily t'on-boto, ami mail only the I'il^riiuH l'rofl[ri<8ii, tlio Bible, uiul tiio book bruuglit tioiii the Sun- ;ruM(liuotht'r heard Iut ropfatinp to itTv If iniu;h of what slu* lancioil Dr. Ilol- liiiiuk iKi,:.'ht (jut'stioii Imr upon. Kwu whi'U hu was tteiidiiij.' over tiie wu.sh-tub, tor tlu'it- .\ ere no acrviiuts at th. Miiuw-dntpH in the garden licds, won; .swinging upon the line, the kitelien thior was si'riibbeles 1 lnai:ed for dinnoi', and then Maddy's work W:is tiiiished. (iraiidina euidd do all thereat, and Madeline was free to pore over her books until called to dinner ; but she eonld not eat, 8o iivoA\t was luM' exeiteniunt. Swiftly the horns tl.w until it was time to be getting ready, when again the short liair was deploied, as before her loo!;ing-giass Madeline briisiied ami arranged her sliining.beautifnl locks. Wonld Mr. llol- brook think of her age '! Siippo.^e he siionld ask it. lint IK), he wouldn't. Unly census- takers did tliat. If Mr. (Sroen thought her old enough, surely it was n >t a matter with which the doctor need troiilile hiniselt ; and somewhat at ease on that point. Madeline donneil her longest frock, ami standing on a chair, tried to disiiover how much of i.cr pan- talet was visiblf. ' I could see splendidly in Mr. Reming- ton's mirrors. 8arah Jones says they come to the floor,' she saitl to hi!r.self, v\ith a half sigh of regret that iier lot had not been cast in some such place as Ad<<'nside, inste.id of there beneath the hill in that wee Ijit oi a cottage, whose roof slanted back until it al- most touched the ground. ' After all, 1 guess I'm lia|)pier here,' she tliougiit. ' Everybody likes me, while ii \\\:v*': S\y. wlirre lier graiidt'tttlier and old Sorrel wer« wmtiug for hor. ' I •hall be bo happy when 1 ctuno back. I)#!cau8u it will then be over, ^unt like hafing a tooth oiit.you know.'Hhu said to her graiul mother, who Iteiit down for tho guod-bye kiba, without which Maildy never lett her. ' Now, grandpa, drive on ; 1 v/a« to be there at three,' and chirruping herself i . .S.trrel, the impatient Maddy went ridiii;; from tin* lottage door, chatting chet-rily until the vdlage of Devonsiiire waa leachrd ; then, with a farewell to her gi.indtalher, who never dreaiiictl that the man he was seeking; was rio near, slu; tripped up the walk, and siioii stooil in the presence of not only l)r. Holbrook, but also oi (iny Wetningtou. CIIAITKU 111. r II K K. \ A M 1 N A T I O N , It was (illy who received her, (iuy wlio pointed to a chair, (Jny who seemed per- jcctly at home, and, n.'itnrally i noUL;!), slui took him tor I >r. liolbrook, wondering who the (itinr black haired man could be, and if he meant to stay there all IIk; wiiile. It wonld be very dreadful if he did, and in her agitation and excitement the cube r(jot was in danger ot l)eiiig altoj^ether lorg itteii. Jlalf L'uessing the cause ot tier uneasiness, and teeling more averse than ever to taking part ill the matter, the doctor, after a hasty jur\ey of her person, witiidiew into the background, and sat wiiere he could not be seen. This brought t\\('. short dress into full view, togetiier with the dainty little foot nervously boating the floor. 'She's very young.' ho thought; 'too young, by far ; ' and Maddy's chaiici;.'? ot suc- cess were be^'iniiiii;; to decline even l>efore a word had bt;en spok«!n. I low terribly still it was for thetimeduriiig wlii::li tclegiapiiic coniiminications were silently passin^; between (iuy and the d(jctor, til': laLler slia.kmg his iiead decidedly, while the iniiner insisted that he should do hi.i duty. Mad'line couhl almost hear the bcatiii^s ol iier heart, and tuily by ijounting and recjiinting tlie fioplar trees glowing across the stre.-t could .-;lie keep back the tears. What was In- waiting,' for, she W(jn- ilcred, and, at last, sninnioniii^' all her c(;iira,L,'e, she lifted her great brown eyes to (Juy, and said, pleadingly : 'Would you be so kind, sir, as to begin? I am afraid I shall forget. ' ' ^'os, cfrtainly,' -nd electrified by that 10 MADELINE. U- Hi K ■I voany, bird like voice, the sweetest save one i.e had ever heard, Guy took from the pile of l)ooks winch the doctor had arranged upon the table, the only one at all appropriate to the occasion, the otheis being as far beyond what "as taught in district siliools as liis classical education was beyond Madeline's common one. When a boy of ten or theroabonts, (Uiy liad spent a part of a summer with his grand- mother ill tlie country, and for a week had attended a (ii^tri(,•t school. liut he was so utterly rcg;uil!css of rides and restrictions, talking aloud and walking about wlienever the fancy took liim, tliat he was iguomiiii- ously dismissed at tlie end of the week, and that wa.' all tlie expcneiice he had ever ' i in tiie kind of school Madeline was to tcacn. But even this licipcd him a little, for re- membering that the teacher in Farniingliam had commenced her operations by siiuiieii- •ig a lead pencil, so he now shar])oiied a similar one, det(;rminiiig as far as he could to follow Miss liurr's example. Muddy couiit'jil every fragment as it fell upon the floor, wishing so much tiiat he would com- mence, and fancying that it would not be half so bad to have liim approach her with some one of the terrible dental insti'uments lying l)cfer.' her, as it was to sit and wait as slic was waiting. Had (iuy Remington re- flei:t'-'d a little, he would never have consent- ed to do the doctors work ; l)ut, unaccus- tomed to country usages, especially those pertaining to schools and teachers, he did not consider that it mattered in the least which examined that young girl, Dv. Hol- brook or h mself. Viewing it somevhat in the b^iit of a joke, he rather enjoyed it; and as the Farmincham teacher had fust asked her pupils their names and ages, so he, when the iiencil was sharpened suffi- ciently, startled Madeline by asking her name. 'Madeline Amelia Clyde, ' was the meek reply, which (Jiiy recorded with a flourish. Now, (xuy Remineton intended no irrever- ence ; indeed, he could not tell what he did intend, or what it was which prompted his next (piery : ' ^Vhogave you this name ?' Peihap.s he fancied himself a Vioy again in the Suiwlay-achool. and standing before the railing of th^ altar, where, with otliers of liis age, he had been asked the question propounded to Madeline Clyle, who did not hviiY the doctor's smothered laugh as lie re- treatcit into the ahe did not lose a syllable oi what was .said in the back office, aiul iici' lip curled scoiiifuHy when she heard (Iuy re- mark, ' I pity lier; she is so young, and evidently take-: it so hard. Maylie .she's as good as they average. Sup]iose we give hei the ccrtiticate. anyway?" Then Dr. Moihrook spoke, but to poor, beuildciril Madily liis words were all a riddle. It w;;s nothing to him whetlier she knew any thill'; or n.it, — who was he tiiat he should be dictating thus? Tlieie secineil tf. be a diff'ereiu\' of ojiinion lietwicu the younij men, (Uiy iiisist.ng tiiat out of pity she siiould 11. it be rejected ; and the doctor de- murring (.ii the ground t.iat he on^dit ti) be niorc strict, especially witli the rir.-,t one. A? u-.ra1. Guy overruled, and seating liimsell at the table, the doctor was just coinmenc iiig, 'I heicby certify ' while (iuy was bending over him, wlien the latter was stai'tleii by a iiand laid lirndy on his arm, and. turning (|iiickly, he confronted Madelint Clyde, who, with her short hair pushed la"!; from her blue-veined forehaul, her lar> a pale as ashes, save where a round spot ut purplish red burned upon her cheeKs. and her eyes gle£;ming like coals of fire, stood before him. ' ?l 12 MADELINE. ^1 m lii ?if ' He need not write t)iat,' she said, tiuskily, pointing to the doctor. ' It wouhl be a lie, and I could not take it. You tlo not think nie qualified. I heard you say so. I do not want to be pitied. I do not want a certificate because I am so young, and you think I'll feel badly. I do not want ' Here her voice failed her, her bosom heav- ed, and the choking sobs came thick and fast, but still she shed no tear, and in her bright, dry eyes tliere was a look which made botli those you men turn away involuntarily. Once Guy tried to excuse her faihue, saying slie no doubt was frightened. She would probably do better again, and might as well accept the certificate; but Aladeline still said no, so decidedly that further remonstrance was useless. 'She would not take wliat she had no right to,' slie said, ' but if they p cased slie would wait tiiere is the back ottiue until iier grandfather ca*".e liack ; it woulil not be long, and she would nut trou- ble them. ' Guy brought her the easy-chair from the front room and placed it for h?r by the win- dow. With a laint smile she thanked liim and Hiiu\ : 'You are very kind, 'but the smile hurt Guy cruelly, it was so sad, so full of unintentional reproacli, while tlie eyes she lifted to his looked so grieved and weary that lie insensibly murmured to himself, ' Poor child !' as she left her, and with the doctor repaired to the liouse, where Agnes was impatiently waiting for them, and where, in the light bailinage which followed, they forgot poor little Maddy. It was the fiiwt keen disappointment she had ever known, and it crushed her as com- pletely as many an older person has been crushed by heavier calamities. * Disgraced for ever and ever, ' she kept repeating to herself, as she tried to shake off the horrid nightmare stealing over her, ' How can I hold up my head again at home, where nobody will understand just how it waa, except grandpa and grandma ? The jieople will .say I do not know anything, and I do ! I do ! Oh, graiidpa, I can't earn that thirty-six dollars now. I most wish I was dead, and I am dying. Somebody — come — quick !' There was a low cry for help, succeeded by a fall, and wliile in Mrs. Conner's par- lour Guy Remington and Dr. HolV)rook were chatting gayly with Agnes, Madeline was lying upon the office floor, white and insen- sible. Little Jessie Remington, tired Oi fitting still and listening to what her mamma and Mrs. Conner were saying, had strayed off into the garden, and after filling her hands with dagodila and early vio'ets, made her way at last to the office, the door of which was partially oj>en, Peering curiously in she saw the crumpled bonnet, with its ribbons of blue, and attracted by this advanced into the room, until she came where Madeline was lying. With a feeling that somethina was wrong, Jessie bent over the girl, asking if she were asleep, while she lifted the long, fringed lashes drooping on the colourless cheek. The dull, dead ex- pression of the eyes sent a chill through Jessie's heart, and hurrying to the house she cried. * Oh, brother Guy, somebody's dead in the office, and her bonnet is all jammed ! ' Scarcely were the words uttered l)efore Guy and the doctor lx)th were with Madeline, the former holding her in his arms, while he smoothed the short hair, thinking how soft and luxuriant it was, and how fair was the face which never moved a muscle beneath his scrutiny. The doctor was wholly self- ))()ssesse(l ; Maddy had no terrors for him now. She needed his services, aud he rendered them willingly, applying restora- tives which soon brouglit back signs of life in the rigid form. With a shiver and a moan Madeline whispered, ' Oil, gi'aiidma. I'm so tired, ane so sorry, but I could not help it. I foi'got everything. ' By this time Mrl^^, Conner and Agnes liad come into the office, asking in much surpri.se who the stranger was, and what was the cause of her illness. As if there had been a previous understanding between them, the doctor and Guy Mere silent with regard to the recent farce enacted between them, and simply said it was someone who had come for medical advice, and it was possible she was in the habit of fainting ; many people were. Very daintily, Agnes held back the skirt of her rich silk as if fearful that it might come in contact with Madeline's plain delaine ; then, as the scene was not very in- teresting, she returned to the house, bidding Jessie do the same. But Jessie refused, choosing to stay by Madeline, who by this time had been placed upon the comfortable lounge, where she preferred to remain rather than be taken to the house, as Guy proposed. ' I'm better now, much \)etter, ' she said. ' Leave me please. I'd rather be alone. ' So they left her with Jessie, who, fasci- nated by the sweet, face knelt by the lounge, and laying her head caressingly against Mitdeline's arm, said to her, ' Poor girl, you're sick, and I'm so sorry. What makes you sick ? ' There was genuine sympathy in tliat little voice, and with a cry as of sudden pain, Maddy clasped the child in her arms and burst into a wild fit of weeping, which did MADELINE. 13 her a great deal of good. Forgettinc; that Jessie could not understand, and feeling it a relief to tell her grief to some one, she said, in reply to Jessie's repeated inquiries as to what was the matter, ' I did not get a cer- lificate, and I wanted it so much, for we are poor, and our house is mortgaged, and I was going to help grandpa pay it ; and now I never can, and the house must be sold.' 'It's dreadful to be poor!' sighed little .Fcssie, as her fingers threaded the soft, nut- brown hair resting in her lap, where Maddy had laid her aching bead. Maddy did not know who this beautiful child was, but her sympathy was very sweet, iind they talked together confkiingly.as child- ren will, until Mrs. Agnes' voice was heard calling to her little girl that it was time to go. • I love you, Maddy, and I mean to tell brothei: Guy all about it, ' Jessie said, as she wounded her arms round Madeline's neck and kibsed lier at parting. It never occurred to Maddy to ask her name, she felt so stupified and bewildered, and with a responsive kisn she sent her away. Then leaning her head upon the table, she forgot everything but her own wretchedness, and so did not see the galy-dressed, haughty- looking lady who swept past the doov, ac- companied by Guy and Dr. Holbrook. Neither did she hear, or notice, if she did, the hum of their voices, as they talked to- gether for a moment, Agnes asking the doc- tor very prettily to come up to Aikenside while she was there, and enliven her a little. Engaged young men like ( hiy were so stupid, she said, as with a merry laugh she sprang into the carriage ; and, bowing gracefully to the doctor, was driven rapidly toward Aiken- side. Rather slowly the doctor returned to the office, and after fidgeting for a time among the powders and phials, summoned courage to ask Madeline how she felt, and if any of the fainting symptoms had returned. ' No, sir, ' was all the reply ; le gave him, never lifting up her head, or even thinking v/hich of the two young men it was speaking to her. There was a call just then for Dr. Hol- brook ; and leaving his ('ffice in charge of Tom. lie went away, feeling sligtitly vnconi- fortabe v/henever he thought of the girl, to whom he knew that justice had not been done. ' I half wish T had examined her myself,' he said. ' Of course she was excited, and could not answer ; besides, hanged if I don't believe it was all humbug tormenting her with Greek and Latin and logic, (iiiy is such a stupid ; I'll question her myself when I get back, and if shell possibly pass, give her tlie certificate. Poor child ! how wliiti> she was, and what a queer look there was in those great eyes, when she said, "I shall not take it."' Never in his life before had Dr. Holbrook been as much interested in any woman who was not sick as he was in Madeline, and determining to make his call on Mrs. Briggs as brief as possible, he alighted at her gate, and knocked impatiently at her door. He found her pretty sick, while both her children needed a prescription, and he was detainod so long that his heart misgave him on liis homeward route, lest Maddy sliould he gone, and with her the chance to remedy the wrong he might have done her Maddy was gone, and tiie wheel-ruts of the square-boxed waggon were fresh before the door when he came back. Grandpa MUrkham had returned, and Madeline, who recognized old Sorrel's step, had gathered her shawl around lier, and cone sadly out to meet him. One look at her face was sufficient. * You failed, Maddy ?' the old man said fixing about her feet the warm bufTalo robe, for the night wind was blowing cool. 'Yes, Grandpa, I failed.' They were out of the village and more than a mile on their way home before Made- line found voice to say so much, and they were nearer home by half a mile before the old man answered back : * And, Maddy, I failed, too. ' CHAPTER IV. GRANDPA MARK HAH. Mrs, Noah, the housekeeper, at Aiken- side. was slicing vegetable oysters for the nice little dish intended for her own sup- per, when the head of Sorrel came around the corner of the building, followed by the square-boxed waggon, containing Grandpa Markham, who bewildered by trie beauty and spaciousness of the grounds, and wholly uncertain as to where he ought to stop, had driven over the smooth-gravelled road round to the side kitchen door, Mrs. Noah's special domain, and as sacred to her as Betsey Trot- wood's patch of green. ' In the name of wonder, what codger is that ? and what is he doing here ?' was Mrs. Nonhs exclamation, as she dropped the bit of salsify she was icraping, and hurrying to the door, she called out, ' I say, you, sir, what made you drive up here, when I've said over and over again, that I wouMn't have wheels tearing up my turf and gravel?' ' I— I beg your pardon. I lost my way. I guess, there was so many turnin's. I'm 14 MADELINE. If at: '.I ■J ;: sorry, but a little rain will fetch it right, ' grandpa aaid, glancing ruefully at the ruts in the gravel and the marks on the turf. Mrs. Noah was not at heart an unkind woman, and something in the benignant ex- {)re8sion of the old nien's face, or in the apo- ogetic tone of his voice, molified her some- what, and witliout further comment she stood waiting for his next remark. It was a most unfortunate one, for though as free from weaknesses as most of her sex, Mrs. Noah was terribly sensitive as to her age, and the san^e census-taker would never ven- ture twice within her precincts. Glancing at her dress, which this afternoon was much smaiter tlian usual, grandpa thought she cobid not be a servant ; au«l as siie seemed to have a right to say where he should drive and where he should not, the meek old man concluded she was a near relation of Guy — mother, perhaps ; but no, Guy's mother was dead, as grandpa well knew, for all Devon- shire had heard of the young bride Agnes. who had married Guy's father for money And rank. To have been mistaken for Guy's mother would not have offended Mrs. Noah particularly ; but she was fearfully shocked when Grandpa Markham said : ' I come on business with Squire Guy. Are you his gran'marm ?' 'His gran'marm!' screamed Mrs. Noah, feartully. ' Bless you, man, Squire Guy, as you call him, is twenty-five years old. " As Grandpa Markham was rather blind he failed to see the point, but knew that in some way he had given offense. ' I beg your pardon, ma'am. I was sure you was some kin — maybe an a'nt.' No, she was not even that, but willing enough to let the old man believe her a Remington — she did not explain that she was only the housekeeper — but she simply said . ' If it's Mr. Guy you want, I can tell you he is not at home, which will save you get- ting out. * ' Not at home, and I've come so far to see him !' grandpa exclaimed, and in his voice there was so much genuine disappointment that Mrs. Noah rejoined quite kindly : ' He's gone o.er to Devonshire with the young lady, liis atep-motlicr. Perhaps you might tell your business to me ; I know all Mr. Guy's affairs.' ' If I might come in, ma'am, and warm me,' grandpa answered, meekly, as through the open door he caught glimpses of a cheer- ful Hre. 'It's miijhty clnlly for such asme. ' He did look cold and bli e, Mrs. N, feeling a very little contem])t for the old-fashioned cimlot clonk in which his feet became en- tangled, and smiling inwardly at the shrunken, faded pantaloons, betokening poverty. 'As you know all Squire Guy's affairs, ' grandpa said, when he was seated before the fire, ' maybe you could tell whether he would be likely to lend a strangei three hundred dollars, and that stranger me?' Mrs. Noah stared at him aghast. Was he crazy, or did he mean to insult her mas- ter? Evidently neither. He seemed as sane as herself, while no one could associate an insult with him. He did not know any- thing. That was the solution of his auda- city, and pityingly, as she M'ould have ad- dressed a half idiot, Mrs. Noah made him understand how impossible it was for him to think her master would lend money to a stranger like him. ' You say he's gone to Devonshire,' grand- pa said, softly, with a quiver on his lip, when she had finished. ' I wish I'd knew it; I left my granddarter there to be ex- amined. Maybe I'll meet him coming back, and can ask him. ' * I tell you it won't be any use. Mr. Guy has no three hundred dollars to throw away, ' was Mrs. Noah's sharp rejoinder. 'Wall, wall, we won't quarrel about it,' the old man replied in his most conciliatory manner, as he turned his head away to hide the starting tear. Grandfather Markham 's heart was very sore, and Mrs. Noah's harshness troubled him He could not bear to think that she really was cross with him ; besides that, he wanted something to take to Maddy besides disap- pointment, so by way of testing Mrs. Noah's amiability and pleasing Maddy too, he said as he arose, ' I'm an old man, lady, old enough to be your father.' Here Mrs. Noah's face grew brighter, and she listened attentively while he continued. ' You won't take what I say amiss, I'm sure. I have a little girl at home, a grandchild, who has heard big stories of the fine things at Aiken- side. She has a hankerin' after such vani- ties, and it would pleaae her mightily to have me tell her what I saw up here, so may- be you wouldn't mind lettin' me go iiito that big room where the silk fixiu s are and the tall lookin' glass. I'll take off my shoes, if you say so. ' ' Your slioes won't hurt an atom : come right along,' Mrs. Nodi replied, now in the best of moods, for except hci cup of green tea with raspberry jam and cream, she tMi- joyed nothing more than s'.inwing her mas- ter's handsome house, in wliich slie iuid lived so long that, in a way, she ootisirlered it her own. Conduct ng him through the wide hall, ■^ ] xM A UK LINK. lo y »t the >e tokening y's affairs,' I before the 'hetlier he ingei three er me?' last. Was t her nias- seeined as d associate know aiiy- his auda- have ad- niade him for liim to loiiey to a ire, 'grand - on his lip, 1 I'd knew ! to be ex- niing back, Mr. Guy irow away, ' 1 about it,' conciliatory kvay to hide ft was very roubled him t she really , he wanted sides disap- VI rs. Noah's too, he said lady, old Here Mrs. ihe listened ' You won't I have a , who has 8 at Aiken> such vani- nghtily to sre, somay- ;o into that re and the ly shoes, if bom : come now in the p of green iiM, she (Mi- i her uias- li slie luid oonsiflpred wide iiall, she ushered him into the drawijig-rooui, where fur a time lie .stood ]n.rfectly btwild- tred. It was hi.s first inlroiluttion to rose- wood, velvet, and bri'tatclle, and it seemed to him as if he had siuUlenly been traiispoit- eil to fairy-laiid 'Maddy would like tliis — it's her nature,' ho whispereil, advancing a step or two, and setting,' down his feet ;is .-^oftly as if stepping on eggs. Happening to lift ids eyes before one of the long mirrors, he spied himself, wonder- ing nmch wliat that '(|ueev looking ciiap ' was doing there in tlie midst of siicii elegance, and wliy Mrs. Xoah did n>t turn him out ! Then mentally asking forgiveness for this flash of pride, and determined to make amends, he bowed low to tiie Hgure in the glass, which bowed as low in return, but did not reply to the good-natured remark, ' How d'ye do— pretty well to-day 1' There was a familiar look about the cape of the candet cloak worn by the man in the gla.ss. and (riantlpa Markhams face turned crimson as tlie trntli b^Mst upon him. 'How 'shamed ot me Maddy would be,' he thought, glancing rii;i-,wise at Mrs. Noah, who had witnessed the b'under, and was now looking from the Mimlow to hide her laughter. (Jrandpa believed she did not see him, and conitorted with tliat cassurance iie began to lemaik upon the mirror, sayini;, 'it made it appear as if thtJie w;i'* two of you," a teniark wli;eh Mrs. Xoah fully appiveiated. He saw the silk chair.-^ next, and >lily touched one ( f tliciii to see if it ', as in the soft spring twilight they drove back to the low red cottage where grandma waited for them. CHAPTER V. THE RESULT. It was Farmer Green's new buggy and Farmer Green's bay colt which, three days later, stopped before Dr. Holbrook's office, and not the square-boxed wagon, with old Sorrel attached, for the former was standing quietly in the chip-yard, behind the low red house, while the latter, with his nose over the barn-yard fence, was neighing occasion- ally, as if he missed the little hands which had daily fed him the oatmeal he liked so much, and which now lay hot and parched and help.less upon the white counterpane which Grandma Markham had spun and woven herself. Maddy might have been she was if the examination curred, but it was natural loved her to impute it excitement and cruel just as sick as had never oc- for those who vll to the ettects of disapnointment, so th' re was something like indignation ming- ling with the sorrow gnawing at the hearts of the old couple as they watched by their fever-stricken darling. Farmer Green, toe, sharert the feeling, and numerous at first were his animadversions against that prig of a Holbrook, who was not flt to doctor a cat, much less 'examine a school-marm.' But when Maddy grew so sick as npt to know him or his wife, he laid aside his prejudices, and sugg. sted to (irandpa Markham that Dr Holbrook be sent for. ' He's great on fevers, 'he said, ' and is good on curia' sick folks, I 'spose ;'so, though he would have preferred some one else should have been called, confidence in the young doctor's skill won the day, and i^rand- pa consented, and Farmer Green was sent for the physician, to whom he said with his usual bluntness : MADKLINK. ir him a the vil- cheery *r was ' Well, you nxnh aVjont killed our little Mailtly t'other diiy, when you refused the Btifficut, and now we want you to cure her.' Tlie doctor looked up in surprise, but Far- mer (Jroen soon explained his meaning, niak- ini,' out a most aggravated case, and repre- senting Maddy as wild with delirium. ' Keeps talkin' about the big books, tlie Latin and the Hebrew, and even Cateeliiam, as if such like was 'lowed in our suliool. 1 s'pose you didn't know no better ; but if Matldy dies, you'll liavo it to answer for, I leckon.' T.ic doctor did not try to excuse himself, but hastily took down the medicines he thought he micht need, and .stowed them cartel uUy away. He h"ctor nskcil t'liat tlie shawl wliich had been pinned l>efnn; the window to ex- clude the light might be removed, so that he could see her, and thus judge better of iiei ccmdition. They took tlie shawi auay, and the sunlight came .streaming in, disclos- ing to the dfc'or's view the face never be- fore seen distinctly, or thought much about, if seeli. It was ghastly pale now, save wl; )re the hot blood seemed bursting through the checks, while the beautiful brown hair was brushed back from the brow where the veins were swollen and full. The lips were slightly apart, and the hot breath came in quick, panting gasps, while occasionally a faint moan escaped them, and once tl*3 doctor heard, or thought he heard, the sound of his own name. One little hand laj upon the bed-spread, but the doc- tor did rot touch it. Ordinarily he would ha\ e gra.-5ped it as readily as if it had been a piece of marble, but the sight of Maddy, lying there so sick, and the fear that he had helped to bring her where she was, awoke to life a curious state of feeling with regani to her, making him almost as nervous as on the day wht;n she appeared before him as candidate No. 1. ' Fo( 1 iier pulse, doctor : it is faster inoHt tiian you can c(puiit,' (Jramlma Markham whispered ; and thus entreated, the doctor took the hot, soft hand in his own, its touch sending through his frame a thrill such as the touch of no other hand had ever sent. iJut somehow the act reassured him. All fear of Maddy vanished, leaving behind only anintcn.se desire to help, if possible, the young girl whose fingers seemed to cling round his own as he felt for and found the rapid pulse. 'If she would waken,' he said, laying the hanil softly down and placing his other upon her burning forehead. And after a time, Maddy did awaken, but in the eyes fixed, for a moment, so intently on him, there was no look of recognition.and the doctor was half glad that it was so. He did not wish her to associate him with her late disastrous failure ; he would rather she should think of him as some one come to cure her, for cure her he would, he said to him- self, as he gazed into her childisn face and thought how sad it was for such as she to die. When he first entered the cottage he had been struck with the extreme plainness of the furniture, hctokeiiing the poverty of its inmates ; l)ut now he forgot everything eX(!opt the sick girl, who grew more and iiore lestlcss, and kejjt talking of liiin and the Latin verb whicli nieant to love, and which was not in the grammar. Miuy was a fool and I was a brute, the doctor nuitteicd, as he foldt'il up the l)its of paper whose contents he iioped might do nnich toward saving .Maddy's life. Tiien, promising to come again, he rode rapidly away, to visit other patients, who that afternoon were in danger of being sadly neglected, so constantly was their physi- cians's mind dwelling upon the little, low c .amber where Maddy Clyde was lying. As night closed in she a-woke to partial con- sciousness, and heard that Dr. Holbrookhad been the re prcsciibing for her. Turning her faite to thi- wall, she seemed to be thinking ; tl\en calliiii.' her grandmother to her she a kcil, ' Did he smooth my hair and say, •' ))oor child ?" ' Her Lrrandmother hanlly thought he did, thou;ih she was not in the room all the time. ' He had stayed a long while and was great- ly interested,' she said. Maddy had a vague remembrance of such an incident, and in her heart forgave the doctor for his rejection, and thought only how handsome he had looked, even while 18 MADKLINE. I- I '4 1^ M tormenting her with such unheard-of ques- tions, and how kind he was to her now. The sight ot her grandfatlier, who came in to s*)e her, awoice a new train of ideas, and bid- ding him to sit beside her, she asked if their home must bo sold. Maddy was not to be put ott' with an evasion, and so grandpa told her honestly at last that Slocnm would probably foreclose and the place be sold. ' But never you mind, Maddy,' he said, oheerfully, when he saw iiow excited she seemed ; * we siiall manage someiiow. I can rent two or three rooms clieap of Mr. Green — he told me so — and with old Sorrel I can work on the road, and fetch things from the depot, and in the winter I can shovel snow, and dean roofs. We shall not starve — not a bit of it— so don't you worry, it will make you wus, and I'd rather lose the old home- stead a thousand times over than lose you.* Maddy did not reply, but the great tears poured down her Hushed cheeks, as she thouj,'ht of her feeble old grandfatlier work- ing on the road antl shovelling snow to ear i his bread ; and the fever, which had seemed to 1)0 aViatiiig, returned with double force, and when next morning the doctor came, there was :i look of deep anxiety on his face i as lie watrlied the alarming symptoms of his delirious patient, who t;dked incessantly, not i of tlie examination now, but of the mortgage ' and the foreclosure, begging him to see that : the house was not sold ; to tell them slie was earning thirty-six dollars by teaching school ; that Beauty shovM lie sold to save tbeirdear ' old home. All this was strange at first to the doctor, but the rather voluble Mrs, Green, who had come to (Irandma Mark- ham's relief, enlightened him, dwelling with a kind of malicious pleasure upon the fact that Maddy 's earnings, had she been permit- ted to get a * stilficut, ' were to be appropri- ated toward paying the debt. If the doctor had hated himself the previ- ous day when he rode from the red cottage gate, he hated himself doubly now as he went dashing down the road, determined to resign his office of school inspector that very day. And he did. Summoning around him those who had been most active in electing him, he refused to officiate again, assuring them that if any more candidates came he should either turn them from his door or give them a certificate without asking a question. • Put anybody you like in my place,' he said ; ' anybody but Ouy Remington. Don't for thunder's sake, take him.' There was no probability of this, as Guy lived in ai other town, and could not have officiated had he wished. But the doctor was too much excited to reason clearly about anythinL„save Madeline Clyde's case ; and during tne next few weeks his other patients waited many timesinvainforhiscoming, while be sat by Maddy's side, watching every change, whether for the worse or better. Even Agnes Remington was totally neglect- ed ; and so one day she sent Guy to Devon- shire to say that as Jessie seemed more than usually delicate, she wished the doctor to take her under his charge and visit her at least once a week. The doctor was not at home, but Tom said lie expected him every moment. So, seating himself in the arm- chair, Guy waited until he came. ' Well, Hal,' he began, jocosely, but the joking words he would have uttered next died on his lips as he noticed the strange look of excitement and anxiety on the doctor's face. ' What is it ? ' he asked. ' Are all your patients dead ? ' ' (luy, and the doctor came closely to him, whispering huskily, ' you and I are murderers in the first degree, and both de- serve to be hung. Do you remember that Madeline Clyde whom you insulted with your loeic, and the Catechism, and Latin verbs! Siie'd set lier heart on that certifi- cate. She wanted tlie money, not for new gowns and fooleries, mind, but to help her old grandfather pay his debts. His place is mortgaged. I dor.'t understand it ; but he asktd some old hunks to lend him the money, and the miserly rascal, whoever her was, refused. I wish I had it. I'd give it to him out and out. But there's nothing to do with the girl — Maddy, they call her. The dis- appointment killed her, and she's dying — is raving crazy — and keeps talking of that con- founded examination. I tell you, Guy, I get terribly mixed up when I hear her talk, and my heart thumps like a trip-hammer. That's the reason I have not been up to Aikenside. I wouldn't leave Maddy so long as there was hope, but there is none now. I did not tell them this morning. I couldn't make that poor couple feel worse than they were feeling ; but when I looked at her, tossing from side to side, and picking at the bed-clothes, I knew it would soon be over — that when I saw her again the poor little arms would be still enough, and the bright eyes shut forever. Guy, I couldn't see her die — I don't like to see anybody die, but her, Maddy, of all others — and so I came away. If you stay long enouffh, yoi,i'll hear the bell toll, I reckon. There is none at Honedale Church, which they attend. They are Episcopalians, you see, and so they'll ' o lie up here, maybe. I hope I shall be deafer than an adder.' Here the doctor stopped, wholly out of MADKLINE. T9 rly about use ; ami ' patit'Dta iiig, while ij? every • better, ne^lect- I Devon- iiore than e doctor sit her at I nut at ni every he arm - but the red next strange on the ed. ' Are osely to d I are both de- ber that ted with [id Latin it certiti- for new help her s plaeo ia ; but he le money, her was, it to him do with The dis- dying — ia that con- Guy, I her talk, hammer, n up to [addy so is none )ruing. I el worse I looked td picking L soon be the poor and the '. couldn't rbody die, \m\ so I leh, you'll e is none y attend, and so 1 hope I \y out of nreath, wliile Ouy for a moment sat with- out speaking a word. Jessie, in his hearing, liad t )ld her mother what tlie "lick girl in tie doctor's otticc had said about l)eing poor nn I wanting the money for grand- pa ; w.ulo MrH. Xoah had given himarathe»- rxuggerated account of Mr. Markham'a visit ; l)Ut he had not aaso'iiatod the two together until now, when he saw the matter IS it was, and almost as much as the doctor liiinself regretted the- part he had had in Maddy'sillnessaml hergramlfatlier'sdistress. ' Doc,' ho said, laying hia hand on the doc- tor's arm, ' 1 am the ohl hunks, the miserly rascal who refused the money. 1 1 t the old man goiiii; iiome that day, and he asked lue for iu'Ip. Veil Hiiy the place must be sold. It never .Ahall, never. I'll see to that, and vou must save the girl.' ' I can't, (iuy. 1 ve done all 1 can, and now if she lives, it will be wholly owing to the praNCi'H that old saint of a gramlfather .says for hei. I never thonglit much of those things until I heard him pray ; not that she sliould live any way, but if it were light Maddy might not die. Guy, there's something in such a prayer us that. It's more powerful than all my medicine swallowed at one grand gulp. ' Guy did not know very much experi- mentally about praying, and so he di(l not respond, but he thought of Lucy Ather- ■^tone, whose life wjus one act of prayer and praise, and he wi.sh<.(l she could know of .Ma\l iieie doing notliiny to mike amends. It will look (|iic. r, too, to go .ilone. Ah, I have it 1 I'll drive back to Aiken-'iile foi' .Jes-iie, who has talked so niucli of tlie girl thill her mother, forgetting that she was once a teacher, ia disgusted. Ves, rU take Jessie with me, but you must order it ; you must say it is good for her to ride, and, Hal, give me some medicine for her, just to (juiet Agnes, no matter what, pro- vided it is not strychnine.' Contrary to (iuy's expectations, Agnes did not refuse to let .Jessie go for a ride, and the little girl was soon seated by her brother's side, chatting merrily of the different things they passed upon the road. But when Guy tohi her where they were going, and why thev were going there, the tears came at once into her eyes, and hiding her face in Guy's lap she sobbed bitterly. • I did like her so much that day, 'she said, ' and she looked so sorry, too. It's terrible to die !' Then she plied Guy with questions, rconcerning Maddy's probabU future. ' Would she go to heaven, sure ?' and when Guy answered at random, •Yes,' she asked, ' How did he know ? Had he heard that Maddy was that kind of good which lets people in heaven ? Because, brother Guy,' and th? little preacher nestled closely to the young man, fingering his coat buttons as she talked, * because, brother Guy, folks can be goo{ in oonnnoii with the red cottage or its inmates. So when .lesHie aakeflagain if she could not \ iHit Muddy on the morrow, she answered decidedly, ' No, daughter, I do not wish you to asBOci- ato with Huch people ; ' and when Jessie in- sisted on knowing why she must not associ- ate with HUch people as Maddy Clyde, the auHwe; was, ' because you are a Reming- ton ; ' and as this of itself were an unanswer- able objection, Agues sent her child from lior, lefusing to talk longer on a subject so disagreeable to her and ho suggestive of the past. It was in vain that Jessie, and even (Juy !»imself, tried to revoke the decision. Jessie should not be permitted to come in contact with that kiml of people, she said, or incur the risk of catching that dreadful kind of fever. So day after day, while life and health were slowly throbbing through her veins, MaiUly waited and longed for the little girl whose one visit to her sick-room seemed so much like a dream. From her gran'»'|ilH'd : 'Oh ! nothing; only I wan wou(U>ring if yo I woiilil do to \iv my father. Aveli«ivu, jh more thiin halt in love with you ; hut, (Ui thi' whol<>, I Hhould not liki) to be your hou ; ho I i^in-nH you'd htittor takt' »'(»inf ono younger aay JeBsie. You art' only righu-en y«Mir« luMHunior.' I'll)' doi'tor Htari'd ut liiui nniii/cd, and when hu hiid liiiii^hiul, Haid, with thu utniu»tt candor; 'What ha« that to dowith.Madti- line? i tliought we wijro talking of her ' ' Innocont as the ni'wiDrn hulio,' waH UuyM niontal (loninicnt, as h«! congralulatid hinisult on Imm largtM and more varied uxpcr- enoo. And truly Dr. Holhiook waH as Hiniple- hearted 118 a ehild, and never dreamed of (iu>'« meaning, ortliatany emotion huvc a Iierteclly proper one had a Iriilgment in hi^ »reartt us iu' drove d(»wn to Honi;d,ile, guard- ing eiiretidly <aine hur Its daintily-criinpi. the sound of a iiorne's g illup was heard, aii'l in a mo- ment the doctor reined up before the gate. From Mr-. Markham, who met him in tho door, he ItMiiieil how much better MaiMy was ; and also how, as giaudma expresst^i it, ' She had been reckomiig on tlds vixit, makinu' herself all a sweat about it.' Suddenly the doctor felt all his old dread (if Maildy C'lydf! returning. Wliy should she worry herself into a sweat ? What was there in that visit dilVereiit from any other? Mottling, he said to himself, nothing ; and yet he, too, had been more anxious alioiit it than any he had ever paid. Depo-^iting his hat and gloves U))on the table, he followed .Mrs. Markham up the stall's, vaj,'uely (.'onsciitus of wishing she would stay out of the room, and very eonsc on- of feeling glad when just at Mail- dy's door and opposite a little window, she espied the hens busily <;iigaged in devouring the yeast cakes, witli wliich she hail taken so nuii'h (tains, and whicii she had plai.'ed in the hot sun to dry. Kinding that they paid no hei.'d to her loud 'shoo, shoos,' she started herself to drive them away, telling the doc- tor to go right in by himself. The iierspiration was standing under Maddy's hair by this time, and when the doctor stepped across the tlirishold, and she knew he really was coming near her, it oozed out upon her forehead in big. round drops, while her cheeks glowed with a fever- ish heat. Thinking he shouhl get along better if he treated her just as he would Jessie, the doctor confronted her at once.and asked : ' How is my little patient to-day ?' A faint scream broke from Maddy's lips, and she involuntarily rr.ised her hands to thrust the strangtM- away. This blaek-eyed, black-haired, thick-set man was not Dr. Holbrook ; he was taller, and more slight, while she liad not been deceived in the dark, brown eyes, which, even while they seemed to be mocking her, had worn a strange fasci- 24 MADELINE. ■% nation for the maiden of*fourteeii and a half. The doctor fancied her delirious again, and this reassured him at once. Dropping the bouquet upon the bed, lie clasped one of her hands in his, and without the slightest idea that she comprehend him, said soothingly : ' Poor child, are you afraid me — the doc- tor— Dr. Holbrook !' Maddy did not try to withdraw her iiand, but raising her eyes, swimming in tears, to his face, she stammered out : 'What does it mean, and where is he — the one wtfo — asked me — those dreadful questions ? I thought that was Dr. Hol- brook. ' Here was a dilemma — something for which the doctor was not prepared, and with a feeling that he would not betray Guy, he said : '^'o ; tliat was some one else — a friend of mine — but I was there in tlie back office. Don't you remember me ? Plyase don't grow excited. Compose yourMelf, and I will ex- plain all by-and-by. This is wrong. 'Twill never do,' and talking thus rapidly lie wiped away the sweat, about which grandma li.ul told him. Maddy was disappointed, and it took her some time to rally sutticiently to convince the doctor that she was delirious, as he termed it ; but composing herself at last, she answered all his questions, and then, as he saw her eyes wandering toward the bonquet, he suddenly reniend)eicd tliat it was not yet presented, and placing it in her hands he said : ' You like Howers, I know, and these are for you. I ' ' Oil ! thank you, thank you, doctor : I am so glad. I love them so much, and yon are so kind. What made you think to bring them? I've wanted flowers s) badly ; but I could not have them, because I was sick and did not work in the garden. It was so good in you ;' and in hei' deliglit Maildy's tears droppc^l upon the fail- blossoms. For a nionicnt the doctor was sorely tempted to keep the credit t us enthusiasti- cally given ; but he was too truthful for that, and so, watching her as her eyes glis- tened with i)leased excitement, he said : ' 1 am glad you like them, Miss Clyde, and Mt> Komington will be glad too. He sent them to you from his conservatory.' 'Not Mr. Reniii'gton frcjm Aiki'iiside — not .lessie's l)rotiier :' and Maddy's ey<;s now fairly danced as tliev sought the doc- tor's face. ' Vers. ./i»ssie"s brother. He came here with her (*nce. He is interested in you, and brought these down this morning to my office. ' ' It was Jessie, I guess, who sent them, Maddy suggested, but the doctor persisted that it was Guy. ' He wished me to present them with liis compliments. He thought they migiit please you.' ' Oh ! they do, they do !' Maddy replied. ' They almost make me well. Tell him ho\\ much I thank him, and like him, too. thougii I never saw him. ' The doctor opened his lips to tell her she had seen him, but changed his mind befon the words were uttered. She might not think so well of Guy, he thought, and there was I o harm in withholding the truth. So Maddy had no su.spicion that the face she had thought of so much belonged to Guy Remington. She had never seen him, of course ; but she hoped she should some time, so as to thank him for his geuervsity to her grandfather and his kindness to her- self. Then, as she remembered the message she had sent him, she began to think that it sounded too familiar, and said to the doc- tor : 'If you please, don't tell Mr, Rem- ington that I said I liked him — only that I thank him. He would think \z (jueer for a poor girl like me to send s.uh words to him. He is very rich, and hai:i'- some, and splendid, isn't he? ' 'Yes, Guy's rich and hand.'ome, an 1 every hody likes ' 'in. We were in colk,:,c together.' ' You were ! ' Maddy exclaimed. ' Then you know him well, and Jessie, and you have been to Aikeiiside often ? There's no- thing in the Morld I want so much as to p' to Aikenside. Tliey say it is so beautifu:.' ' Perhaps I'll tAe you up there S( 'iie day when you are strong enough to ric'-', ' th<» doctor answered, thinking of his li.. buggy at home, and wonderin; he had n. u used it more, instead of always riding on horseback. Dr. HoUn'ook looked much older tlian he was, and to Maddy he seemed (|uite fatherly, so that the idea of riding with him, ar- Ma from tiie honour it might be to her, struLic her niucii as riding with Farmer (ireen would have (lone. The doctor, too imagined that his jjroposition was prompted solely from ilisinterested motives, but he found himself wondering how lont' it would be before Madided his time, uid seized the first favourable opportunity to inquire after Madeline. She was improving rapidly, the dcctor •laid, adding, ' You ought to have seen her delight w4ien I gave her the bouquet. She wished me to thank you for her.' ' Indeed,' and Agnes Vu-idled haughtily ; 'I lid not know that