JT-
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 RALPH AND BRUNO.
 
 RALPH AND BRUNO. 
 
 By M . B R A M S T O N, 
 
 Al'THOR OF " THE CARBRIDGES,' ETC. 
 
 Love . . made wise 
 
 To trace love's faint beginnings in mankind, 
 To see a good in evil, and a hope 
 In ill-success : to sympathise, be proud 
 Of their half-reasons, faint aspirings, dim 
 Struggles for truth, their poorest fallacies. 
 Which all touch upon nobleness despite 
 Their error." BkOWNINi 
 
 IN TWO VOLUMES. 
 VOL. I. 
 
 MACMILLAN AND CO. 
 1875. 
 
 [77/f Right of Translation and Reproduction is Reserved.]
 
 LONDON I 
 
 R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, PRINTERS, 
 
 BREAD STREET HILL.
 
 qi tot 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 TAGE 
 
 OLD CRONIES * 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 HOPES AND FEARS 17 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE DOCTOR'S CHILDREN 27 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Ralph's mother 42 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE COUSINS . 56 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 AN ENGLISH TOMBOY 66 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 FRENCH SCHOOLROOM LIFE .... - 84 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 MADAME TREGUIRE'S SOIREE 95 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE DOCTOR'S INVITATION HO 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 BRYNSCOMBE 123 
 
 
 Fvr* \s\\
 
 vi CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 PAGE 
 
 gossip *43 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 GOOD-BYE X S9 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 "la fraternitE' : l 7 l 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 A PASSING VISIT 1%7 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 OLD ANXIETIES ... - 201 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 AN ENGLISH HOME 212 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 RALPH'S RETURN 227 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 NINIE _24I 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 CONFIDENCES 256 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 A DISCLOSURE 2JO 
 
 t 
 
 CHAPTER XX [. 
 
 BRUNO'S VISIT 285 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 A SUMMONS 3°°
 
 RALPH AND BRUNO.
 
 RALPH AND BRUNO. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 OLD CRONIES. 
 
 " O joy to him in this retreat 
 
 Immantled in ambrosial dark, 
 To drink the cooler air, and mark 
 The landscape winking thro' the heat : 
 
 " O sound to rout the brood of cares, 
 
 The sweep of scythe in morning dew, 
 The gust that round the garden flew 
 And tumbled half the mellowing pears. " 
 
 In Memoriam. 
 
 EDWARD GRACEDEW, M.D., had lived nearly all his 
 life in his quiet old-fashioned house in Bridge Street, 
 Middlebury. Middlebury is a moderately-sized 
 country town, situated on the banks of a broad 
 slow river, which glitters in the light and shines in 
 the gloom, reflecting the backs of the old red-brick 
 houses which flank it, and the quaint arched bridges 
 VOL. I. B
 
 2 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 that span it, one of which gives its name to the street 
 in which Dr. Gracedew's house — Bridge House — 
 stands. Bridge House was one of those characteristic 
 dwellings which bear the impress of the years that 
 have passed over them, and the touches of the hands 
 of their successive owners, which adapt themselves 
 with time, like a well-worn garment, to all the indi- 
 vidualities of their inhabitants. Its street face 
 looked out upon a garden wall with waving boughs 
 over it instead of into the windows of opposite 
 houses, giving you an idea of pleasant country 
 quiet and coolness as the lime leaves and apple- 
 blossom caught your eye instead of bricks and 
 mortar. A town garden represents enjoyment to 
 many besides its owner. But Dr. Gracedew needed 
 to envy no man's garden : for if you went through 
 the house, or passed through the wooden door at 
 the side, you came into one of the prettiest, sweetest, 
 homeliest garden-nooks that ever existed within 
 the precincts of a town. It had a rich red -brick 
 south wall, mellowed by age into tints that would 
 have enraptured an artist, covered with fruit-trees 
 and climbing roses. No stiff modern pines and cy- 
 presses broke the smooth green sward of the gay little
 
 OLD CRONIES. 
 
 lawn : only star and leaf-shaped borders round the 
 edge, always gay with a succession of sweet homely 
 flowers. There were gravel walks where little feet, 
 now slow or altogether still, had once run with cheer- 
 ful patter, and quaint little arbours where youths 
 and maidens had made love: shade for summer, sun- 
 shine for winter, and flowers all the year round. 
 
 Dr. Gracedew was a man of more ability than is 
 often to be found contentedly accepting a professional 
 position in a little town like Middlebury. He had 
 highly distinguished himself in his youth both at 
 college and in his subsequent medical studies : and 
 many were the remonstrances which he had heard 
 from his friends as to his folly in persisting in his 
 refusal not to follow up these advantages, and bury- 
 ing himself in a country town for life. They shook 
 their heads yet more ominously when the young man 
 informed them not only that he held it his duty to go 
 to help his father, who was falling into bad health, 
 but that he was about to be married to an orphan 
 young lady in his native place, a curate's daughter 
 whose father had died leaving her absolutely home- 
 less and destitute. 
 
 "He might have done anything — absolutely am - 
 
 B 2
 
 4 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 thing ! " said Sir Perkin Ashford ruefully after taking 
 leave of his favourite pupil: "but it's all over with 
 him now. We shall never hear of Ned Gracedew 
 again." He was right : Ned Gracedew vanished 
 utterly from the world in which Sir Perkin lived, 
 and he never returned to it. 
 
 He married Maria Darling, and gradually succeeded 
 to his father's practice, as the old man gave it up. 
 He led a fairly easy, comfortable, common-place life 
 — as far as other people knew. He was a quiet, 
 gentle-spoken man, who seldom grew angry except 
 now and then on other people's behalf: he listened 
 daily, with infinite patience, though with perhaps 
 less interest than his wife considered her due, to 
 her recital of her achievements in household econo- 
 mies, and her discoveries that Hodges had been 
 making her pay a halfpenny a pound more for 
 Dutch cheese than Sims was charging : and he 
 paid a good deal of attention to the education of 
 his two boys, John and Edward. He read and 
 thought a great deal, and some of the good people 
 at Middlebury thought him terribly heterodox in 
 his views ; though his heterodoxy, truth to tell, was 
 of that mild kind which his "advanced" medical
 
 i.] OLD CRONIES. 5 
 
 contemporaries would have sneered at as orthodoxy. 
 But even those who whispered that he was unsound 
 enough to support the geological theories of Cuvier, 
 and to admire that terrible heretic, Arnold of 
 Rugby, could not deny that he was actuated by 
 the most practical Christian principles, and that 
 he carried them out into every matter in his daily 
 life. 
 
 So the years went over his head ; his boys grew 
 up, his hair grew grey, the decades of the century 
 changed, and yet his outward life remained much 
 as it had been. If life had not brought him all that 
 it had brought to some other men, he did not 
 complain ; if the world in general looked upon Mrs. 
 Gracedew as a good-natured fool, no one could say 
 that her husband did not treat her with all possible 
 tenderness and love. Then there came a great 
 sorrow upon his life. His youngest boy, the darling 
 of his heart, whom he had initiated into his own 
 profession, and whom he hoped to see win the fame 
 which he himself might have won if circumstances 
 had not hindered it — married young as his father 
 had done, lost his wife when her first baby was 
 born, and died himself in the following year. Dr.
 
 6 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 Gracedevv was still sore and bruised from this blow 
 when he lost his wife, two years later. The com- 
 panionship of a lifetime was not a light thing for a 
 man like him to lose, even though Maria had not 
 been all to him that she might have been ; his heart 
 had very tenacious fibres to all that it had once 
 taken into it, and therefore he grew more solitary 
 and more taciturn than before, although when any- 
 thing was to be done, he came out of his shell and 
 took his part in the affairs of life. 
 
 Of all Dr. Gracedew's old college friends there 
 was only one who had carried on the friendship 
 after the Doctor had settled down into his country- 
 town practice at Middlebury. Carried it on, that 
 is, in full life and affection ; for there were plenty 
 of men ready to grasp the Doctor's hand warmly 
 and chat about old Cambridge days on the rare 
 occasions when they met. But Ralph Treguire cor- 
 responded regularly with Dr. Gracedew ; wrote 
 intelligence to him from all parts of the world, 
 asked advice which he seldom took, and filled the 
 house in Bridge Street with Indian fans, China 
 jars, Mexican feather ornaments and Brazilian birds. 
 Little Elsie Gracedew, her grandfather's special
 
 l.] OLD CRONIES. 
 
 pet and orphan charge, always confused him with 
 Sinbad the Sailor, and looked at him with respect 
 mingled with awe when for the first time within 
 her memory he came to pay a week's visit to 
 Middlebury. 
 
 Few men could have presented so great a con- 
 trast as Edward Gracedew and Ralph Treguire 
 did, as they sat out together on the sunny lawn 
 smoking Ralph's most peculiar and recherche cigars : 
 — the Doctor was usually content with a meerschaum, 
 and bird's-eye. Dr. Gracedew was small, slight, 
 refined-looking, with clear eyes, a serene face, and 
 a gentle and musical voice, which never jarred upon 
 the ear of the most nervous of his patients. Ralph 
 Treguire was an unusually tall and muscularly 
 framed man, with large, strong features, rolling 
 black eyes that looked out of cavernous sockets 
 and thick masses of hair which had once been raven 
 black and now were nearly white. His voice was 
 gruff and harsh, and Elsie always tried to hide 
 behind her grandfather when he looked at her. 
 He had a splendid property in the west of England, 
 but he never stayed there above a month in a year 
 or two ; and Dr. Gracedew often laughed at him
 
 8 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 for having once within the space of one year sent 
 him a series of letters dated respectively Rome, 
 the Caucasus, Calcutta, Hong Kong, San Francisco 
 and New York. Travelling was his delight, staying 
 in one place his abhorrence ; accordingly he made 
 himself into a more correct imitation of the Wander- 
 ing Jew than most people would have conceived 
 possible. His hobby was a linguistic one — the in- 
 vestigation of the languages of savages ; and he had 
 collected materials for a valuable book, but had not 
 the requisite concentration of purpose to enable him 
 to work them up. He sent his manuscript notes to 
 Edward Gracedew to keep for him, and they remained 
 carefully rolled and docketed in a cupboard in Bridge 
 House. 
 
 A melancholy secret lay behind Treguire's restless- 
 ness, which Edward Gracedew knew well, and which 
 made the duty-loving, stay-at-home Doctor encourage 
 rather than check his friend's roving tastes. In old 
 days it had been the saying that all the Treguires were 
 either mad or bad ; and though Ralph Treguire was 
 neither, he was the first for some generations of whom 
 such could be said. He himself believed that nothing 
 but constant change, variety, and adventure had kept
 
 i.] OLD CRONIES. 
 
 him sane : his father had died out of his mind, and so 
 had his only son. However, the doom seemed now 
 and then inclined to slip over an intermediate gene- 
 ration, when, as Ralph Treguire put it, " bad " came 
 in to alternate with " mad." It was not a pleasant 
 prospect for the little grandson, respecting whom he 
 had come to talk to his old friend, in an interval of 
 respite from his Ulysses-like life, round and round, 
 and up and down the world. 
 
 " By the by, Ralph," said the Doctor, taking the 
 cigar out of his mouth, " I never got clearly into my 
 head the circumstances of your poor boy's marriage. 
 You knew nothing about it, did you ? " 
 
 " Not a word," said Ralph Treguire in his deep 
 voice. " Poor Rob had no business to marry, nor I 
 either, for that matter, I suppose ; and he kept it 
 close till he lost his senses, and after that he knew 
 nobody. I suppose this poor little wretch will go 
 the way of the rest of us. Pity, for he's a jolly 
 little chap ; " and he sighed. 
 
 " He might go a worse way than his grandfather," 
 said the Doctor. 
 
 " All men have not Ned Gracedews at their elbow, 
 to make them mind what they are at. Besides, I
 
 io RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 don't want him to be a Wandering Jew, like me. 
 I'm getting old and tired by this time, and I know 
 I'm not safe unless I move on perpetually, without 
 rest for the sole of my feet. However, fate is 
 fate. Did I never tell you all about those Noels, 
 though ? " 
 
 " No ; I never heard the rights of the story. How 
 did poor Robert meet her ? " 
 
 " She was governess at the Dacres, where he used 
 to stay. I often wondered what took him there so 
 much. She is a handsome, intriguing sort of woman, 
 and I don't doubt she thought it would be a fine 
 thing to be mistress of Brynscombe. She reckoned 
 without her host, though. Poor Rob's illness came 
 on a month after the marriage, and he died before 
 this child was born." 
 
 " You knew nothing till then ? " 
 
 " No ; the first I heard of it was then, when 
 Madame Eugenie wrote me a letter to announce the 
 boy's birth, and ask what I wished him to be called, 
 and whether I would allow her anything for his 
 support. I was at Lima at the time, but I came 
 back as soon as ever I could, and found her living 
 with her brother in a back street in Paris, over the
 
 i.] OLD CRONIES. 
 
 1 1 
 
 Seine. She sat there with the two babies, one 
 on her lap, and the other in the cradle at her 
 feet." 
 
 " Two babies ? " 
 
 ' Yes ; the brother had married an Englishwoman, 
 and had been left a widower with one child, and my 
 daughter-in-law was apparently taking charge of 
 both. They might have been twins for the size of 
 the two. I was pointed out the one that I had to 
 do with ; but all babies look alike to me. Well, the 
 brother did all the talking, and a great lot of it, too ; 
 the sister sat up there, looking proud, and con- 
 foundedly handsome as well, holding the baby, but 
 saying nothing. Well, I made all inquiries, and the 
 thing seemed to have been legal enough ; no flaw ; 
 the woman would be sharp enough to see that she 
 had her rights in that way. The best of the bunch, 
 I should say, had been the English wife who had 
 died ; everyone who had known them seemed to 
 speak well of her, poor thing; but the brother 
 seemed a very slippery fellow, all talk, and nothing 
 more. I thought I should be very sorry to leave the 
 boy in their power, and I offered her an annuity of 
 five hundred as long as she lived if she gave up the
 
 12 RALPH AND BRUNO.. [chap. 
 
 little chap to me at once, and promised never to 
 attempt to see him without my leave." 
 
 " Well, that seems rather hard measure for a 
 mother, Ralph." 
 
 " She should not have trapped my boy as she 
 did," said Treguire, gruffly ; " and I would have let 
 her see him once a year or so, though I did not 
 choose to let her think it an agreement. However, 
 her eyes got fierce, like a wild animal's, and she 
 refused outright. ' Sell her child for money ! not 
 she,' she said, hugging it, and glaring at me in her 
 fury. I was beginning to respect the woman, when 
 her brother touched me, and whispered to me to 
 leave it and let them send an answer ; he would try 
 to persuade her to accept my offer, as it was her 
 duty to do. So I went back to my hotel, and 
 waited there ; and, sure enough, in two days' time, 
 Horace Noel called on me, and told me that he had 
 persuaded his sister to accept my terms, and that I 
 could have the baby whenever I liked to send for 
 him. So the boy is down among the clover fields 
 and beechwoods at Brynscombe, making a fair 
 start at least, if it is to come to nothing. Grace- 
 dew, do you think there is any training, physical
 
 I.] OLD CRONIES. 13 
 
 or mental, that could make a Treguire sane for 
 life ? " 
 
 "There might be," said the Doctor. "This boy 
 belongs to the alternate generation, which seems 
 usually to escape. Does he take after the Treguires, 
 or after his mother ? " 
 
 " Well, neither very much. He is small made, 
 with lightish colouring, something of what my 
 mother's was, though I don't think he is like her 
 otherwise. I am glad he does not take after the 
 Noels. After all that woman's fuss, she has 
 never once written to ask how he is, or might she 
 see him, or anything. I write that he is well twice 
 a year when I send the money, and that satisfies 
 her. I should like to settle down at Brynscombe, 
 and see to the boy's training myself, if I dared ; but 
 I dare not. Gracedew, for our old friendship's sake, 
 I have half a mind to ask you the greatest favour 
 I ever asked anyone yet." 
 
 Dr. Gracedew laid his hand on his friend's 
 shoulder. 
 
 " Such an old friendship as ours, Ralph, can bear 
 something of a strain. Try." 
 
 " Would you consent to act as the boy's guardian
 
 U RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 and bring him up under your own eye — while I am 
 away from England now, and after I die ? I don't 
 expect many more years of life ; I have had more 
 than one warning already." 
 
 " I am getting elderly too, Ralph, as far as that 
 goes. I am fifty-five." 
 
 " Very likely ; but your life is as good a one as 
 any man's, and you come of a long-lived family. I 
 don't. I suppose I am the oldest Treguire that there 
 has been for a century. Well, Gracedew, think about 
 it, will you, old fellow ? You shall have any amount 
 you like put to your account to make ducks and 
 drakes with for the boy. But I should like to give 
 the little chap as good a chance as I could ! " 
 
 " I'll do it if you like, Treguire," said the Doctor, 
 " though it seems to me that you might get many 
 wiser men to undertake the experiment." 
 
 " But not another Ned Gracedew. You promise, 
 Ned ? " 
 
 '• I promise." And the two men's hands met in a 
 warm grasp, which sealed the compact. 
 
 By this time the cigars were done, and the two 
 men paced the garden together, little Elsie holding 
 her grandfather's hand. The low August sun lit up
 
 i.] OLD CRONIES. 15 
 
 the old red wall with its rosy peaches and nectarines 
 into a glow of colour ; the windows of the house 
 glittered between the luxuriant dark creepers, and 
 white curtains fluttered in the sweet air ; the sunlight 
 crept into the green moss that made the turf so soft, 
 and brought out golden gleams there, and tinted the 
 Doctor's grey hair and little Elsie's plump round 
 face and wide brown eyes. Above the wall rose the 
 brown roofs of Middlebury houses, with the subdued 
 hum of human life coming pleasantly and musically 
 to the ear ; the garden was scented with mignonette 
 and heliotrope ; everything told of peace and content- 
 ment and a quietly ordered life. Something of this sort 
 seemed to enter Ralph Treguire's mind, for he said, 
 " If the little chap can do anywhere, Gracedew, he'll 
 do here. You'll bring him up to fear God and to 
 control himself, and persuade him, if you can, to let 
 the old name die out with him, and the Treguire 
 curse with it. I am preaching what I did not 
 practise, worse luck for me, though you would have 
 had me do so when I was young." 
 
 " It was easy for me to preach in those days," said 
 Dr. Gracedew smiling. 
 
 " Well, Ned, I owe my soul to your preaching," said
 
 16 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. i. 
 
 Ralph Treguire half hoarsely, and then there was a 
 certain silence between the two, with the memories 
 of a lifetime in its pause. Men of fifty are not apt 
 to be demonstrative in friendship, like girls of fif- 
 teen, but each of these two valued the other's love 
 as one of the most precious possessions of his life. 
 Ralph Treguire's history does not concern the readers 
 of this story ; Edward Gracedew only of all men in 
 the world knew the faithfulness, and tenderness, and 
 the deep soul-struggles of the man who was set down 
 by the world as " mad old Treguire." 
 
 Six months later, Edward Gracedew saw the 
 following notice in the Times — 
 
 "At Rio, suddenly, on Jan. 25th, Ralph Treguire, 
 Esq., of Brynscombe, aged 57."
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 HOPES AND FEARS. 
 
 " Coo, dove ; but what if the sky 
 
 Should break, and the stormwind fell, 
 And the reeling branch come down from on high 
 
 To the turf where daisies dwell, 
 And the brood beloved should with them lie, 
 Or ever they break the shell ! " 
 
 J. Ingelow. 
 
 Dr. GRACEDEWwas sitting in his garden one pleasant 
 spring day, a year or two after Ralph Treguire's 
 death. He was basking in the warm sunshine, 
 which made that sheltered garden available for 
 enjoyment during the greater part of the year. He 
 had a German book in his hand and a pipe in his 
 mouth ; and he revelled in this leisure hour as only a 
 busy man can. He was not solitary now, although one 
 of his sons was in India and the other further away 
 still ; his eyes strayed from his book to watch the 
 movements of the two children who were sowing 
 VOL. I. C
 
 iS RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 seeds in a sunny border under the wall, and who 
 both appealed to him again and again as grandpapa, 
 though from one alone he had the right to that 
 appellation. Our old acquaintance, little Elsie, by 
 this time a strong-limbed rosy-cheeked child of seven, 
 with a plump brown face, coffee-brown eyes, and 
 hair cut quaintly close above her ears, was obeying 
 the orders of a boy about the same age, but slighter 
 and smaller in make, with nothing remarkable about 
 him except his quick bright eyes, and a certain easy 
 grace of movement not always natural to an English 
 boy. This was the Doctor's ward, little Ralph 
 Treguire. 
 
 When his grandfather's will had been opened, it 
 was found that the guardianship of the little boy was 
 left in the sole hands of Edward Gracedew of Middle- 
 bury, who was to educate him in the fashion which 
 the said Edward Gracedew should think best, without 
 interference from any other person whatever. The 
 property was to be managed by the agent who had 
 always had it under his charge — a worthy, active 
 and conscientious man, well equal to the task. An 
 ample sum was to be paid to Dr. Gracedew for the 
 little boy's expenses, and some people surmised that
 
 ii.] HOPES AND FEARS. 19 
 
 he would make a good thing of it. Probably he 
 would not object if in future clays his little grand- 
 daughter were to become Mrs. Ralph Treguire. 
 They little thought how great a misfortune the 
 Doctor would have deemed such a fate for his bright 
 little Elsie. 
 
 He pondered much upon the problem which his 
 dead friend had set him to solve. What was the 
 healthiest mode of education for a boy who was 
 heir to ten thousand a year, and at the same time 
 to the terrible hereditary disease of the Treguires ? 
 How could he be brought up so that his life might 
 be most of a blessing and least of a curse to him- 
 self and his fellow-creatures ? How could he be 
 taught to acquiesce in the fact that (as Dr. 
 Gracedew saw it) he was morally interdicted from 
 marriage, and that the only brave and honourable 
 career in such a case as his was to go through the 
 world alone, so that he should leave behind him no 
 sons to inherit the Treguire doom ? The ordinary 
 education of lads in his position — Eton and Oxford ; 
 the maximum amount of play with the minimum 
 of work ; the consciousness from babyhood of being 
 a greater person than those around him — this would 
 
 C 2
 
 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 not be wholesome for one who would need more 
 self-mastery and courage than other men to enable 
 him to make head against the enemies in his way. 
 What would be the right course to pursue when the 
 boy was no longer a baby, as he was now ? 
 
 He mused, without coming to a much more 
 definite conclusion than had often occurred to him 
 before, and then his eye fell upon the Novalis which 
 he had had open in his hand all this while. He 
 turned his thoughts to that delightfully paradoxical 
 theory of the German thinker, to the effect that, as 
 in a fairy tale, a magic effect follows upon the 
 achievement of an apparent impossibility, such as 
 the catastrophe of Beauty and the Beast ; so just 
 such a magic effect might occur in real life, could 
 we work so thorough a change upon our will as to 
 love what is naturally distasteful to us. Well, he 
 wanted to work a magic effect upon little Ralph ; 
 but what was the spell, and who should weave 
 it? 
 
 His thoughts were here checked by an unphilo- 
 sophic interruption. The children had done their 
 sowing, and were sitting on the grass beside him, 
 Ralph grasping his knickerbockercd knees with his
 
 ii.] HOPES AND FEARS. 
 
 slender little hands, and Elsie leanincr her brown 
 
 fc. 
 
 head against her grandfather's knee. 
 
 " Grandpapa, why mayn't Ralph be a doctor ? " 
 began the little maid. " He does want to be one 
 so much, and Forder says he will have too much 
 money." 
 
 " It doesn't make any difference — now, does it, 
 grandpapa ? " said the boy. " You would be a 
 doctor, however rich you were, and you've got lots 
 of money, too, for I've seen ever so many sovereigns 
 in your room. And why should being rich make 
 you not care to make sick people well when you 
 know how ? " 
 
 " Why, indeed, Ralph boy ? " said the Doctor, 
 smiling a little sadly. 
 
 " Well, I'm going to be a doctor, whatever Forder 
 says," pursued Ralph ; " an animal-doctor. You 
 know the big house at Brynscombe that I'm going 
 to have for my own some day, grandpapa ? '' 
 
 " O yes, Ralph ! tell him," said Elsie, eagerly. 
 
 "What is it?" said the Doctor, with all needful 
 interest. 
 
 " Why, Elsie and I have made a plan of what we 
 are going to do when we are old enough. It will be
 
 2 2 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 so nice ! We are going to make all the house into — 
 what do you think, grandpapa ? " 
 
 "A palace, like the White Cat's?" 
 
 " No, grandpapa ! Something much nicer, and 
 more useful too. A hospital for animals ; and I am 
 going to doctor them when they are ill." 
 
 " Yes, grandpapa," said Elsie, too eager not to 
 break in, with big shining eyes that spoke as plainly 
 as her tongue. " Won't it be delightful ? On the 
 ground floor we are going to have the cows and 
 elephants, and things that can't walk upstairs ; and 
 on the next floor, dogs and cats and rabbits ; and 
 up in the attics, birds ; and dormice in the nursery 
 cupboard, with a heap of nuts in the corner." 
 
 This pleasing scheme was duly commented on, 
 and the two children, having been quiet long enough, 
 ran off to play at horses along the gravel walk, 
 leaving the Doctor again to his thoughts. 
 
 Suppose, he thought, that this children's nonsense 
 really pointed a suggestion which he might follow 
 out. Suppose that he really could infuse into 
 Ralph's mind such interest in his fellow-creatures 
 -(human rather than brute, as proposed) — that 
 he might grow up unconventional enough to
 
 ii.] HOPES AND FEARS. 23 
 
 take the singular line of devoting himself to them 
 in some way, and make it the object of his life to 
 bestow help upon them, making their lives better 
 than they would otherwise be. Whether the help 
 were to be of a spiritual, moral, social, or medical 
 nature Dr. Gracedew cared little ; the great thing 
 would be for Ralph to try to annihilate the conscious- 
 ness of self in the larger feeling for humanity, so 
 that his life might be given to an object which did 
 not concern himself. 
 
 For Dr. Gracedew, though his marriage had not 
 brought to him that companionship of equal minds 
 which some favoured people find in it, knew too much 
 of human nature, and valued domestic joys too highly, 
 not to feel keenly for the little lad at his feet, who 
 could never enjoy them with a clear conscience. 
 He knew how hard it is for a young man to keep 
 his head and heart clear and steady in the world's 
 whirl without some anchor of present love or future 
 hope to hold on by ; how self-indulgence and 
 desultoriness, if nothing worse, are almost sure to 
 beset the steps of him who stands alone in the world 
 with no one to care for him, and no one to care for. 
 And Ralph, poor little fellow, would be terribly
 
 2\ RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 .solitaiy. His French mother had acquiesced in that 
 surrender of her child which, Dr. Gracedew always 
 felt, his friend had not been justified in asking for. 
 He had no Treguire kindred; the Wyvertons of 
 Fairbridge, who were to inherit Brynscombe in case 
 of his death, were distant cousins, who traced their 
 descent from a Mistress Judith Treguire six genera- 
 tions or so back in the past, and could not be 
 expected to take any very strong cousinly interest in 
 the small boy whose unexpected advent upon the 
 stage had made their chances of succession inde- 
 finitely smaller than they had been. The Treguires 
 had never of late had large families ; the stock had 
 survived, but that was all. Considering all things, 
 this might not be a disadvantage to the world in 
 general ; but it rendered their poor little heir more 
 solitary than he would otherwise have been. His 
 guardian mused sadly upon the troubles that must 
 sooner or later beset the little boy, and his heart 
 sank within him till he could almost have said that 
 an early death was a more desirable lot than one 
 of loneliness from cradle to grave. Unless he could 
 instil into the child the conviction that he could 
 use his life for his fellow-men, and must replace the
 
 ii.] HOPES AND FEARS. 
 
 parents, and brothers, and sisters, and wife, whom 
 he was never to know, by a more diffused, and more 
 unselfish affection, which could never claim return 
 from its objects. "A place and a name better than 
 sons and daughters," murmured the Doctor to himself. 
 
 " Grandpapa, when Ralph is a doctor, and we 
 have that hospital I was telling you about, don't 
 you think we might let a few lions and tigers in 
 if they were very ill — too ill to hurt anybody ? " 
 said a little voice at his elbow. 
 
 " So you would like to be a doctor, Ralph. 
 Why ? " said his guardian, drawing the little fellow 
 backwards between his knees. 
 
 " Oh ! because 1 should like to be like you, 
 grandpapa. And because I should think it would 
 be such fun to make people quite well all at once 
 when they are ill. But I should like to be an animal- 
 doctor best, because then I could have the hospital 
 I told you about. Such a lot of animals ; it would 
 be such fun ! " 
 
 Clearly there was no strong " enthusiasm of 
 humanity" at present at work in little Ralph's 
 mind, which was what the Doctor most wished to 
 see germinating there.
 
 26 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. II. 
 
 " Ralph, my little man," he said, " I hope you 
 will always remember that you will have the chance 
 of doing a great deal of good to other people with 
 your money when you are older. I should be very 
 sorry if you only cared for amusing yourself, when 
 you might make other people happier and better." 
 
 " Oh, of course I wouldn't be so stupid as that, 
 grandpapa," said his ward. " That would be just 
 like the greedy boy who ate up all the cake 
 himself. Besides, I'm going to give Elsie half; and 
 I mean to give the school-children a treat once a 
 month, and lots of jam on the bread. No, I won't 
 be like the greedy boy, grandpapa." 
 
 " I am afraid there are more greedy boys in 
 the world than would quite like to be called so," 
 thought Dr. Gracedew, with a smile, as he released 
 his ward. " There, then, old fellow, run off to 
 your play. I hope you will manage to put 
 plenty of jam on the bread of people who have 
 got none some day. It is the most amusing game 
 to play at, after all." 
 
 " I don't call it a game, though," said Ralph 
 meditatively, as he went off.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE DOCTOR'S CHILDREN. 
 
 " At one dear knee we proffered vows, 
 One lesson from our book we learned, 
 Ere childhood's flaxen ringlet turned 
 To black and brown on kindred brows." 
 
 In Memoriam. 
 
 YEARS passed on, uneventfully enough, in the quiet 
 house in Bridge Street. The two children had a 
 very happy life there. Dr. Gracedew held that a 
 happy childhood was a treasure for after-life. And 
 whereas, to many children the retrospect of their 
 childhood recalls grey, chilly mornings, interminable 
 lessons, bread and butter and chilblains, and a series 
 of rebukes and punishments often richly deserved, 
 Ralph and Elsie, looking back upon theirs, seemed 
 to see the joyous sunshine that streamed into the 
 breakfast-room when they came down to greet 
 grandpapa : the eager plans and hopes, delayed 
 through the hours of morning school, to be com-
 
 2S RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 municated to each other with fresh zest when they 
 met at luncheon ; and, best of all, the evenings, 
 when grandpapa was at home, when, in the summer, 
 lie would take them for a country walk by the 
 river-side, and the cool breeze and tender golden- 
 green glow of sunset would meet them on their 
 homeward path ; or when, in the winter, they sat 
 with him in the cosy room in the firelight, while 
 he entranced them with the adventures of Rebecca 
 the Jewess, or of Oliver Twist. They had dogs 
 and cats and birds, and collections of land-shells 
 and dried flowers, and butterflies, and birds' eggs, 
 and, in fact, everything which ever entered into 
 the hearts of children to collect ; and their minds 
 were more alive and open than those of most of 
 their contemporaries, in consequence of constant 
 contact with the thoughtful and original mind of 
 Dr. Gracedew. Ralph went to the grammar- 
 school, and Elsie to a day-school for girls, rather 
 above the average in efficiency ; where the younger 
 ones, at least, were carefully grounded in the three 
 Rs, and in the rudiments of French, though the 
 higher pupils' education was wont to evaporate in 
 " accomplishments," of the kind most sought after
 
 in.] THE DOCTOR'S CHILDREN. 
 
 in country towns. Both the children enjoyed their 
 lessons, and had considerable pleasure in preparing 
 them together in the afternoon ; often helping each 
 other more than they knew by the mere talking 
 them over, and thus impressing them on their own 
 minds. That Elsie prospered in arithmetic, and 
 that Ralph knew anything of history, was due to 
 this cause more than to any other. 
 
 But this could not last for ever. Ralph was 
 nearly thirteen, and the Doctor had decided that 
 he was to go to Marlborough in the summer, at 
 which Ralph was considerably elated, and Elsie, 
 for the first time in her life, unhappy. Dr. 
 Gracedew was somewhat puzzled what to do 
 with Elsie. She would soon outgrow Miss Pratt's 
 teaching powers, and the Doctor saw no alterna- 
 tive between sending her to school and having a 
 governess at home. But he liked neither course. 
 If he had a young governess for Elsie, a girl who 
 might be a friend and companion for her, there 
 was the obstacle of having no lady in the house 
 to take charge of her ; and Dr. Gracedew did not 
 think that young girls of twenty or so were the 
 less likely to need the care and counsel of an older
 
 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 woman because they had to work for their own 
 living. On the other hand, if he chose a middle- 
 aged woman, accustomed to school-room routine, 
 he feared that Elsie would be dull, while he did 
 not relish the idea of transforming his quaint, fresh, 
 merry little girl into a conventional school-girl, like 
 his Brighton grandchildren, the daughters of his 
 son John, who was in India. 
 
 One morning Dr. Gracedew received two letters, 
 which caused him to decide upon Elsie's future 
 fate. The first was from his daughter-in-law, Mrs. 
 John Gracedew, and ran thus : — 
 
 " Brighton, June \o\ 
 " My Beloved Father-in-law, 
 
 " Excuse my addressing you thus, by the full 
 title of our relationship, but the fact is, that I know 
 not which way to turn, and I hope sincerely for 
 your sympathy and advice. I have heard to-day 
 that all my fortune — which was (I fear imprudently) 
 invested in Chutnegunga bonds — is entirely lost by 
 the failure of the bank there, and my poor children 
 and I are beggars, except for the miserable pittance 
 which John sends us every quarter from India. His 
 whole income, as you know, is but 600/., and how
 
 m.] THE DOCTOR'S CHILDREN. 31 
 
 are my beloved Fanny, Laura, and myself to live 
 on this pittance, after the luxuries to which we have 
 been accustomed ? What to do I know not. My 
 heart bleeds for my poor girls ; and my lawyer tells 
 me that we must at once let our Brighton house, 
 and go elsewhere. But where ? In this perplexity 
 my hopes turn on you. Would it be impossible for 
 you to give us a home ? Elsie must by this time 
 need a mother's care, and I would watch her and 
 tend her as though she were indeed my own. Have 
 pity upon me, for John's sake, and do not turn us 
 from your door ! 
 
 " I am, your most unhappy daughter, 
 
 "Louisa Gracedew." 
 
 " The goose of a woman ! " muttered the Doctor 
 between his teeth. " What possessed John to marry 
 her and her Chutnegunga bonds I cannot conceive ! 
 And now she will fasten herself here, for there is 
 nothing for me but to take her in, I suppose ; and 
 Elsie, poor child, will be worried out of her senses, 
 and so shall I, for that matter." 
 
 He took up a second letter in a foreign envelope, 
 which was lying unopened beside his plate. It was
 
 32 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 written in a little slanting French handwriting, but 
 Dr. Gracedew perused it with considerably more 
 pleasure than the last. 
 
 " My good friend " — it began in French — " I have to 
 tell you that I am now settled very comfortably in 
 the lodgings to which you had the kindness to re- 
 commend me. They are very cheerful, very clean 
 and very little expensive ; and the pure air is so 
 good for my little Herve that he grows quite strong 
 in it. He is a little angel of goodness, and his heart 
 is so sensitive and tender that I often sit and weep 
 with thankfulness at the idea that I have such a 
 dear son. Madame Treguire is kind to me, and I 
 have nothing to complain of. Her little nephew, 
 Bruno Noel, goes to school with my Herve, and I 
 cannot help loving the boy for his goodness to 
 Herve, whom he protects against the big boys who 
 would ill-use him. Now, my good friend, I have 
 a favour to ask of you. Could you procure me a 
 little English pupil ? I have much time on my 
 hands now that Herve is at school, and I would 
 take all possible care of such a little girl, and would 
 teach her French, and sit with her while she received 
 lessons from professors ; in short, I would do for her
 
 m.] THE DOCTOR'S CHILDREN. 33 
 
 all that I would do for a little daughter of my own. 
 In this way I might be able to lay up a little sum 
 against the time when Herve has to make his way 
 in the world. With grateful thanks for all your 
 past kindness, I am, M. le Docteur, 
 
 "Your respectful and grateful, 
 "AlMEE REGNIER." 
 
 This letter may require a little explanation. It 
 was written by the widow of a French doctor, who 
 had been a student in Paris at the same time with Dr. 
 Gracedew. When a middle-aged man M. Regnier 
 had married a young woman, and after several years 
 of married life, during which he happened to be very 
 unfortunate in monev matters, he had died leavinsr 
 his widow and little boy in somewhat destitute cir- 
 cumstances. Dr. Gracedew had come across her 
 and helped her, and as he found it very difficult to 
 persuade her to accept any assistance in money, he 
 went to the lady of a certain lodging-house, whom 
 we shall hear more about hereafter, and arranged 
 that she was to let two or three cheerful and sunny 
 little rooms to Madame Regnier at a nominal price, 
 he himself privately defraying the greater part of the 
 vol. r. i)
 
 34 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 cost. It was not the first time that Edward Grace- 
 dew had done acts of kindness like this without the 
 knowledge of those who were to be benefited by them. 
 
 He read this letter more than once, and then said 
 in his own mind, " That might open a way out of it. 
 Madame Regnier is a sweet good little soul, and 
 would take good care of Elsie ; and though I shall 
 miss % her fearfully, I would rather have her quite 
 away from me than see her pining after Ralph, and 
 victimized by Mrs. John and those affected girls of 
 hers. She might come home twice a year for the 
 Marlborough holidays, and I would get rid of Mrs. 
 John then and have the children myself. That 
 might do." 
 
 At this moment the two children entered the 
 sunny room, Elsie with her arm round Ralph's neck. 
 No one would have called Elsie a beautiful child, 
 but it would have been still more impossible to pass 
 her by as plain. The widely opened bright brown 
 eyes sparkled beneath thick dark lashes ; the rather 
 wide but well-formed mouth displayed a flash of 
 white teeth when she smiled, which was not seldom ; 
 there was energy and determination in the quaint 
 little nose which had in it a hint of a snub, and in
 
 in.] THE DOCTOR'S CHILDREN. 35 
 
 the sensible, firm little chin, and there was perfect 
 health in the clear brown skin and in the rich red 
 of cheeks and lips. She was well-grown for her 
 age, though her height was somewhat concealed by 
 her childish dress ; the short frock, brown holland bib 
 and apron, and hair plaited tightly at the back of 
 the head showed that she looked upon herself, and 
 was looked upon by others, as still a little girl. 
 
 Ralph was not quite so tall or vigorous ; he was 
 a slightly-made boy, with nothing remarkable about 
 him to distinguish him from other boys of his age 
 and class. He had a fair skin, a little freckled by 
 the sun, bright eyes, and a merry mouth. His guardian 
 rejoiced, notwithstanding his love for his dead friend 
 to see how little he took after the Treguires. His 
 temper was equable, and he had none of the excita- 
 bility which had always seemed hereditary in their 
 family. He was not over fond of work, though he 
 could be energetic enough at play ; he did not by 
 any means despise cakes or barley sugar ; he was 
 boyishly affectionate towards his guardian and 
 Elsie, and at present he had not arrived at any 
 unwholesome consciousness of his position as heir to 
 Brynscombe. In fact, notwithstanding his infusion 
 
 D 2
 
 36 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 of French blood, he would have stood very well as 
 a favourable type of the small English schoolboy. 
 
 " Elsie," said her grandfather, " what would you 
 think of being sent off to Paris ? " 
 
 " Paris, grandpapa ? " and Elsie's eyes grew round 
 with amazement. 
 
 " Well, an old friend of mine has written to me 
 to say that she wishes for a pupil, and I am not 
 at all sure that it would not be better for you than 
 going to an English school when you leave Miss Pratt." 
 " Grandpapa, don't send her off there," said Ralph. 
 " I shall never get her in holiday-time if you do." 
 
 "Yes, you will. Paris is not so far from Middle- 
 bury as Edinburgh, and Elsie should come home 
 twice a year if she went to Madame Regnier's. 
 And, Ralph, when I took Elsie over to Paris, you 
 should go, too, and pay a visit to your mother. 
 Madame Regnier lodges in your mother's house." 
 
 " Does she ? how funny ! " said Elsie. " And do 
 Ralph's other relations live there, too ? " 
 
 " Yes ; Ralph's uncle, Monsieur Noel, and his boy 
 Bruno, who is about your age." 
 
 " Bruno sounds like a dog's name," said Ralph. 
 " He hasn't got a mother, has he?"
 
 in.] THE DOCTOR'S CHILDREN. 37 
 
 " No ; his mother Avas an Englishwoman — a Miss 
 Morris, I believe ; and she died when Bruno was 
 a baby. I recollect your grandfather telling me 
 how, when he went to look after you, he found 
 two babies just about the same age ; one in the 
 cradle, and one on your mother's lap." 
 
 " Why did Ralph's mamma let Mr. Treguire take 
 him away ? " said Elsie. 
 
 " Mr. Treguire did not wish him to be brought up 
 as a Frenchman," said Dr. Gracedew ; " so that he told 
 Ralph's mother that he would take Ralph and see 
 after his education, and would make her comfortable 
 besides." 
 
 " But grandpapa, wasn't that bribing her to give up 
 her baby ? Was that right ? " said Elsie. Children's 
 eyes see so inconveniently clearly at times ! As it had 
 been Dr. Gracedew's own conviction that his friend had 
 acted unjustifiably in insisting upon the absolute sever- 
 ance between mother and child, he hardly knew what 
 to say. He thought it best to change the subject. 
 
 "You can't quite understand such matters yet, 
 little woman ; now I want to tell you about Madame 
 Regnier. She is a very nice, bright, clever little 
 woman, and I should think she would teach well ;
 
 3 3 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 but this is the reason why I should like to help her. 
 She is the widow of a doctor who died young leaving 
 her with one little boy, and very little money Well, 
 I knew Madame Regnier in old days, and I wanted 
 to help her ; but she would not take any help at 
 first ; she said that while her little boy was young 
 she could do without. So she struggled on for some 
 time, till two years ago when I went to Paris when 
 Mrs. Purvis sent for me ; and then I went to look 
 her up. Just then, poor thing, she was in great 
 trouble, for little Herve was ill with scarlet-fever, and 
 she hardly knew which way to turn to meet the 
 expenses which his illness had brought upon her. 
 Well, that time she let me help her, poor woman ! 
 she could not help it ; but she is too independent to 
 be indebted to me for anything she can help. But 
 it would be a great help to her if I sent you there, 
 Elsie, and paid her what I should pay for you at an 
 English school. I have no doubt about her teaching 
 powers ; she has had to teach for her living before 
 now ; but of course I should not keep you there if 
 you were very homesick and unhappy." 
 
 " Of course ; anyhow I should be at school away 
 from you, grandpapa," said Elsie.
 
 in.] THE DOCTOR'S CHILDREN. 39 
 
 " Yes ; and except that Paris is in a foreign 
 country, it is not really further off than Scarborough, 
 where your friend Edith Deane is going. So we will 
 think it over, little woman, and you shall tell me 
 what you think about it this evening. Our ancestors 
 came from France, you know, so it will be but 
 suitable for a Gracedew to go there for her 
 education." 
 
 " Is Gracedew a French name then ? " said Ralph. 
 
 " I believe my forefathers came from a village 
 which was called after a convent ' Grace-Dieu,' " said 
 the Doctor. " Thank God," he went on, " it is a 
 good name to have. I often think of that sentence 
 in the General Thanksgiving, ' Not only with our 
 lips, but in our lives.' That is the way we 
 Gracedews ought to live out our name, Elsie." 
 
 " Yes, grandpapa," said Elizabeth Gracedew, with 
 no unusual dropping of the voice or stiffening of 
 the muscles of the face because her grandfather talked 
 " Sunday," as children say ; there was no set distinc- 
 tion between Sunday and workaday talk in this 
 household. " It's nice to have a name with a 
 meaning, I think." 
 
 Here it may be mentioned that Elsie's pet name
 
 4o RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 was the Doctor's hobby. Properly speaking — so his 
 philological friends told him — her name ought to 
 have been Alice : Elsie was not the correct abbrevia- 
 tion for Elizabeth. Whereat the Doctor remarked 
 that he did not care whether the name were correct 
 or not ; it suited his little woman, and she should 
 keep it. 
 
 Elsie and Ralph met at one o'clock, after having 
 spent the morning apart at their respective schools. 
 Dr. Gracedew had been called out to see a patient, 
 and the two were left to their own company at their 
 meal. They considered it "stupid" not to have 
 grandpapa, but as usual, they were very happy with 
 their own chatter. 
 
 " Well, Elsie, do you mean to go and turn into 
 a frog ? " said Ralph, over his roast mutton. 
 
 " Yes, I think I shall," said Elsie. " I thought it 
 over when I was practising my scales this morning, 
 and I thought that a good many nice things 
 might happen to me if I did — adventures and 
 so on." 
 
 " What kind of adventures ? " 
 
 " Oh, there might be a revolution, and some woun- 
 ded men might be carried into the house, and then I
 
 in.] THE DOCTOR'S CHILDREN. 41 
 
 might help to nurse them. Or perhaps, you know 
 there might be a great persecution of all the Pro- 
 testants in France, and some of them might ask me 
 to save them, and I would hide them in some secret 
 chamber, and keep the key, and take them some 
 food every day. Or suppose there was a war, you 
 know, I might open the gates secretly to the English, 
 and let them get the victory, and not mind a bit if 
 they shot me for it." 
 
 " Why should they shoot you for helping them ? " 
 said Ralph, looking bewildered. 
 
 "The French would shoot me, of course, Ralph, 
 not my own people," said Elsie with dignity. 
 
 " Oh well, I don't believe anything like that will 
 happen," said Ralph. "Jolly adventures never do 
 happen here, so I daresay they won't happen in 
 France either. But still you might have some fun. 
 Grandpapa says he"ll let you come home if 
 you're unhappy ; he doesn't say that to me, you 
 know." 
 
 " No," said Elsie meditatively ; " and as he seems 
 to want me to go, perhaps I may as well. I shall 
 hate it, but then I shall have such lots to tell you in 
 the holidays, Ralph ! "
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 RALPH'S MOTHER. 
 
 " Sie druckt mich und presst mich 
 Und thut mir fast ein Well : 
 Du driickst ja viel zu fest mich 
 Du schone Wasserfee ! " 
 
 Heine. 
 
 Ralph's mother, commonly called Madame Treguire, 
 lived in one of the boulevards which intersect the 
 wilderness of villas to the northwest of Paris. The 
 road, lined on either side by thin spindling plane- 
 trees, was white and dazzling, like the houses which 
 stood a little way back from it, Palladian and pre- 
 tentious, with glaring white stone porticos and closed 
 Venetians ; in every direction you beheld scaffolding, 
 and saw fresh villas arising, for the time I am describ- 
 ing is that of the building fever of the empire. On 
 these boulevards, where no one seemed to walk, the 
 sun glared down on the white ground out of a glaring
 
 chap, iv.] RALPH'S MOTHER. 43 
 
 blue sky ; the trees and shrubs in the gardens were 
 burnt with heat and grey with dust ; all tenderness 
 seemed to have gone out of the atmosphere, and all 
 the colours you beheld were hard and metallic, 
 without any of the sweet mingling of tones which 
 flushes the blue of our English skies with rose, 
 and our sunshine with gold. Say what you may 
 against our climate, and the rarity of our sunny 
 days, it cannot be denied that when we get them 
 they are worth having, and that our damp atmo- 
 sphere gives us more glorious colouring than 
 continental drought. 
 
 Entering in at the iron gates of Numero 34, you 
 saw before you a large house, built with perfect 
 regularity from base to roof. As you went under 
 the portico you beheld before you a staircase, 
 richly carpeted as far as the first floor ; clean and 
 bare up to the second and third ; rather dirty, and 
 growing ever dirtier, as you went up higher. This 
 house was rented by the brother and sister, Horace 
 Noel and Eugenie Treguire, whose name had gra- 
 dually become acclimatised by the lips that pro- 
 nounced it, and like an exotic changing its type with 
 the soil that produces it, had become altered from its
 
 44 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 original Cornish into the corresponding Breton 
 shape, easier to French pronunciation — Treguier.* 
 
 Robert Tregu ire's widow might have lived com- 
 fortably upon her annuity without the necessity of 
 keeping a lodging-house ; but there was Horace 
 Noel, her brother, to be kept, and little Bruno, her 
 nephew, to be educated ; and Madame Treguire 
 was an enterprising and energetic woman, who did 
 not mind trouble. Besides, as her brother lived 
 upon her, and never did anything for his livelihood 
 if he could help it, she thought that it would be 
 just as well to utilise him. He was somewhat of a 
 lay figure at the best, for she took all the trouble 
 of the management of the lodging-house, and kept 
 all the accounts herself; but it was something to 
 have a lay figure to bring in when she wished to 
 insist upon some arrangement against which her 
 lodgers remonstrated. "Mais, madame, mon frere J '" 
 had had its effect more than once. She had a 
 very worthy and respectable set of lodgers : M. 
 Dulaurier, the Protestant pastor, inhabited her best 
 flat of rooms, and above him several other families, 
 
 * They lived on the ground floor, and let the rest of the house to 
 lodgers.
 
 iv.j RALPH'S MOTHER. 45 
 
 among whom were Madame Regnier and her little 
 boy. On the profits of her lodging-house keeping 
 and her annuity combined, Eugenie Treguire worked 
 Avonders. She not only provided for her brother 
 Horace, and laid by her savings for little Bruno, 
 whom, as she told her friends, she had been 
 forced by the dictates of nature to take to her 
 heart when her own child had been taken from 
 her ; but she also drove in the Bois in a smart 
 carriage every Sunday, and she gave social reunions 
 in her large and handsomely-furnished salon, which 
 occupied exactly as much room as all her other 
 rooms together. This salon was the pride of 
 Eugenie's heart. It was furnished according to the 
 most fashionable views of the French bourgeoisie ; 
 the parquet was shining, the paper was white and 
 gold, there was a handsome white marble cJicmin^c 
 with a white and gold clock upon it, the sofas and 
 chairs were of green velvet over an unyielding 
 rounded substance, and six pictures in gold frames, 
 indifferently executed in coloured crayons, adorned 
 the walls. Madame Treguire thought it the perfection 
 of taste, but then her childhood and youth had not 
 been passed in aesthetic surroundings. Her father
 
 46 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 had been a worthy small tradesman, with Re- 
 publican views, which had brought him so far into 
 prominence that he had thought it prudent to come 
 to England after the Revolution of 1832. He had 
 found employment in inventing patterns for wall 
 papers for an English manufacturer, and there he 
 had lived and educated his children as best he 
 could. His son Horace, who had never had any 
 strong inclination to work, married a young English 
 girl, who was the daughter of a small grocer, 
 reputed to have amassed an immense fortune, all 
 settled upon her ; but the grocer died, the fortune 
 proved to be imaginary, and poor Anne Morris died 
 when her baby was born, imploring ceaselessly in 
 her delirium that Horace would forgive her, for 
 indeed she would not have married him if she 
 had known that he wanted money so much. His 
 wife's friends were not inclined to be very charitable 
 to Horace Noel after hearing this. Eugenie went 
 out as a governess, and her subsequent history we 
 know. When she surveyed her position as Robert 
 Treguire's widow, she had sense to see that she might 
 be a great lady in her own class, but that she would 
 be nobody if she succeeded in pushing herself into
 
 iv.] RALPH'S MOTHER. 47 
 
 a higher one. Accordingly she remained a Triton 
 among the minnows instead of a minnow among the 
 Tritons, and her acquaintance looked up to her as a 
 woman of considerable social power in her own line. 
 
 And now she was standing in her salon, awaiting 
 the arrival of her guests ; for she had insisted that 
 Dr. Gracedew and Ralph should take up their abode 
 with her during their stay in Paris. A handsome 
 woman she was still, though her complexion had 
 faded into sallowness, and the outlines of her still fine 
 figure were a little sharp and meagre. There was 
 force in the clear dark eyes, still brilliant and keen in 
 their glances ; and force in the firm full lips which 
 closed on each other so decidedly. Yet the ex- 
 pression was not altogether a pleasant one. Whether 
 it were that there was a strained look on the features 
 — a watchful scrutinizing gaze that you found upon 
 you when you were not prepared for it — or whether 
 it were that there was too much of the physical and 
 too little of the spiritual element in her personality ; 
 Madame Treguire was not a pleasing woman, though 
 she was by no means of the frivolous Parisian type. 
 
 They came in — Dr. Gracedew, with Elsie and 
 Ralph ; the latter, for the first time in his life, dis-
 
 4§ RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 covering that he was both shy and nervous, and 
 thinking it very disagreeable. There was a little 
 confusion of greetings ; then Ralph heard his 
 guardian say " This is our Ralph, madame ; " and 
 he was instantly enfolded in two black silk arms, 
 and kissed upon both cheeks. He felt glad when 
 she released him, and yet ashamed of his gladness, 
 for which his boyish conscience reproached him. 
 When fellows had a mother, he supposed the thing 
 was for them to be glad to see her, and not mind her 
 kissing them ; and if there was anything which Ralph 
 disliked it was being kissed. 
 
 He had a reprieve, however, while Elsie was 
 brought forward by her grandfather to be introduced 
 to her hostess ; and was also kissed upon both 
 cheeks and asked her name. " Elizabeth Gracedew," 
 said Elsie shyly and stiffly as though she were 
 saying her catechism. Then the children stood by 
 while Madame Treguire talked in verv fair English 
 of the journey, and her pleasure in seeing Ralph, and 
 her hope that he would like his cousin Bruno, who 
 was not yet come in from school. " My brother 
 Horace," she said, "is also out on business, but he will 
 be back in time for dinner. Ah, my little Ralph,
 
 iv.] RALPH'S MOTHER. 49 
 
 you have many new relatives to see all at once ! " and 
 she patted his shoulder. 
 
 Dr. Gracedew said that he would leave Ralph 
 with his mother while he took Elsie to introduce 
 her to Madame Regnier ; and, disregarding his ward's 
 piteous glance of entreaty not to be left behind 
 alone, he marched off with Elsie up the stairs 
 towards her future instructress's room. Up and up 
 the stairs — at last the modest little door an quatrihne 
 was reached, and Dr. Gracedew's knock was answered 
 by Madame Regnier herself. She was a great con- 
 trast to her landlady. She was a small gentle 
 woman, in a black stuff gown and a little white 
 net cap. She had high cheekbones, and a fair 
 sallow face, with pleasant blue eyes that must once 
 have been pretty enough, though now they had 
 grown dull with years and trouble ; and hair that 
 was fading from blonde cendree into grey, unhindered 
 by any devices of art. " Ah, my benefactor ! " she 
 said, clasping Dr. Gracedew's hand in her pretty 
 French way, "this is good indeed. How can I 
 thank you for all that you have done, — and for 
 entrusting me with this dear little one also ? " And 
 Elsie was again embraced ; but this time she did 
 VOL. 1. E
 
 5o RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 not simply endure the embrace ; it was so warm, 
 so motherly, so loving ! " What a pity that Madame 
 Regnier is not Ralph's mother ! " she thought in her 
 own mind as she lifted up her face to return the kiss. 
 They were conducted through a little outer room 
 containing a solitary bed, whence opened a tiny 
 kitchen, into a pretty little sitting-room; out of 
 this again opened another room where there were 
 two little white-curtained beds, a toilet-table, and 
 a crucifix with some French lace-bordered religious 
 pictures upon the wall. " Elsie will not mind sharing 
 my bedroom," said Madame Regnier, laying her 
 hand upon the child's shoulder ; " I thought that the 
 day was at last come when Herve ought to have 
 his own chamber, and I could not bear the thought 
 of solitude. Will you be my little companion, 
 dear child ? " 
 
 Elsie did not understand much of this speech, 
 but the sweet tone and gentle face needed no inter- 
 pretation. She looked up at her grandfather, who 
 answered for her : "lam sure she will try to be 
 a good girl and do all that you tell her. Have 
 we turned out your little boy into that entry that 
 we came through ? "
 
 i\\] RALPH'S MO THER. 5 1 
 
 " Yes, that is Herve's bed. I thought at one 
 time of putting Elsie's bed in the alcove in the 
 sitting-room, but I feared you might not like it ; I 
 know the English do not sleep in their salons,'" 
 said Madame Regnier simply. "And now, monsieur," 
 she said, as she seated herself in the said salon, 
 " I hope you will tell me all your views about this 
 dear little one's education. I am sure I will do 
 my best to carry them out faithfully." 
 
 Madame Regnier's Parisian French was beyond 
 Elsie's comprehension ; and after the little girl had 
 .washed her face and smoothed her hair she came 
 and looked out of the window. It was rather nice, 
 she thought, to live up so high, where you could 
 look down into the tops of the garden trees below 
 you ; and what a long way you could see ! as far 
 as a wooded slope in the distance where the villas 
 seemed to end and the country to begin. The air 
 was sweet and fresh at this height ; and, looking 
 down, you beheld a neat garden, with a white 
 stucco fountain, and flowers arranged in beds round 
 the spaces of gravel which would in England have 
 been turf. " If it were my garden," thought Elsie, 
 '* I would have a seat made in the top of the lime-tree, 
 
 E 2
 
 
 52 RALPH AND BRUNO. 
 
 and a rope ladder to get down to it ; it would be like 
 flying ; and how jolly it would be to sit there and do 
 lessons among the leaves ! They almost look as 
 if one could lie down in them as they are ! " 
 
 Then the little maid, who was of an observant 
 nature, turned her eyes upon the interior of the little 
 salon. There was a white china stove, a bookcase, 
 a marble table and some very aged chairs ; the floor 
 was of waxed wood instead of parquet, and the sofa 
 on which Dr. Gracedew and Madame Regnier were 
 sitting was covered with a very aged brown rep, and 
 had evidently been in use for a long time. Yet 
 somehow there was a dainty neatness and grace 
 about the arrangement of the room, and the small 
 decorations about it, that made it, even in little 
 Elsie's mind, a much prettier and nicer place than 
 Madame Treguire's grand salon down stairs. 
 
 Meanwhile the following conversation was going 
 on between the Doctor and Madame Regnier: — 
 
 " She has the air of good health, is it not so, 
 monsieur ? " 
 
 " She has never known a day's illness, and is 
 as healthy a child as you would wish to see. 
 Let her take good long walks, and have plenty
 
 iv.] RALPH'S MOTHER. 53 
 
 oi air. Or, at least, if you cannot always take 
 her for a walk, take her with you when you go 
 shopping or marketing, or let her go with one 
 of the maids that you can trust." 
 
 " Mais, monsieur — " began Madame Regnier in 
 a tone between deference and dismay. 
 
 " Well, madame ? " 
 
 " Do you not think that it is undesirable for a 
 young girl to be often seen beyond the walls of 
 her house ? We do not think well of young 
 girls who do like that here." 
 
 " Of course I do not wish her to go out by 
 herself," said Dr. Gracedew ; " but with you or a 
 trustworthy servant, what harm can come to her ? " 
 
 " Then you do not mind her being seen ? " 
 
 Dr. Gracedew laughed. " I did not know you 
 were such Orientals here, madame. No, I do not 
 think I need mind Elsie's being seen ; it is much 
 more important that she should have plenty of 
 air and exercise than that she should be kept 
 immured in conventual seclusion." 
 
 " That reminds me," said Madame Regnier 
 " that I am the more grateful to you for trusting 
 me with the dear little one because I know that
 
 54 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 many persons would object to me because I have 
 a boy in the house. But I assure you that her 
 intercourse with my Herve shall be strictly sur- 
 veille. They shall be kept apart as much as 
 possible." 
 
 " Why ? I had hoped they would be com- 
 panions. Elsie is used to boys, and they usually 
 get on very well with her. In fact, she is as 
 much of a boy as a girl at present. Let the 
 children be together naturally — unless you have 
 some serious reason for refusing it ? " he added in 
 an inquiring tone. 
 
 " Oh no, monsieur. My Herve is a gentle boy, 
 quite angelic in temper : but we do not think it 
 right to let boys and girls associate together, 
 chiefly for the sake of the girls, lest they should 
 become too rude and boyish." 
 
 " I fear that you will find Elsie the most boyish 
 of the two," said the Doctor laughing ; " but we 
 English do not object to that fault in little girls : 
 we find that it corrects itself in after life. By 
 the way, Mrs. Treguire told me that dinner would 
 be ready in half an hour, and I should think it 
 must be nearly that time already. I must go
 
 iv.] RALPH'S MOTHER. 55 
 
 down and see how Ralph has been getting on 
 with his new relatives." 
 
 And Dr. Gracedew, holding Elsie's hand, went 
 
 down the sixty odd steps which led to the 
 
 Noels' apartment, rather curious to know what 
 Ralph's experiences had been.
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 THE COUSINS. 
 
 " In every country the sun rises in the morning." 
 
 G. Herbert. 
 
 RALPH had sat for some five minutes or so in 
 the salon, answering his mother's questions mono- 
 syllabically, and beginning to think that if fellows 
 had mothers they ought to have got used to 
 them before they were as old as he was, when 
 a step was heard in the passage outside, and 
 Madame Treguire, apparently relieved by the 
 hope of something to break the monotony of the 
 situation, went to the door and called "Horace!" 
 
 In came a fairly good-looking man with a 
 waxed moustache, a white waistcoat, and a general 
 air of French dandyism about him. 
 
 " Here is the little one," said Madame Treguire 
 in French. 
 
 '■ Come to my arms, my child ! " said M. Noel,
 
 chap, v.] THE COUSLXS. 57 
 
 extending his own. There was a twinkle of 
 amusement in his face which Ralph, who did not 
 like to be laughed at, did not appreciate very 
 heartily. However, he obeyed his uncle's request, and 
 endured with as much fortitude as he could at the 
 moment bring to bear, the scrubbing of the waxed 
 moustache on both his cheeks. After which M. 
 Noel held him at arm's length and scrutinized 
 him. 
 
 "They have made an Englishman of him," he 
 said. " No one would say that he had French 
 blood in his veins. Quite as well, perhaps, under 
 the circumstances." 
 
 Ralph saw his mother frown at this speech. 
 
 " Come, Eugenie, don't be silly. At this moment 
 you ought to allow some little liberality to the 
 expression of the feelings of the heart. Which do 
 you prefer, my child, the country of your English 
 or of your French parent ? " 
 
 " England, of course ! " said Ralph. 
 
 " You are right ; you will get in England what 
 you could never have got in France, my child — 
 money and position. Those are the chief things in 
 life, are they not ? "
 
 58 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 Ralph said nothing, not being quite sure whether 
 he was again being laughed at or not. 
 
 " And yet," proceeded Horace Noel, " you will 
 find, my friend, that you have lost a few things 
 by being thus expatriated." (Another frown from 
 Eugenie, and another answering laugh from Horace.) 
 " Perhaps you will not be pleased to see the 
 devotion which exists between your cousin Bruno 
 and madame, your mother?" 
 
 " I shan't mind," said Ralph, as it seemed that 
 an answer was expected of him. 
 
 Horace Noel laughed again. "Have they not 
 made an Englishman of him, Eugenie ? My friend, 
 if you had been a Frenchman, you would have 
 said that you would be truly distracted with jealousy 
 if you did not receive from your mother the love 
 that was your due." 
 
 Madame Treguire seemed somehow uneasy during 
 this conversation, as well as Ralph ; and it was a 
 relief to both when a tall, bright-eyed lad, about 
 Ralph's age, pushed the door open and entered. 
 " How do you do, my cousin ? " said Bruno Noel, 
 quick to catch the hint of Ralph's outstretched 
 hand, and to substitute a hand shake for the
 
 v.] THE COUSINS. 59 
 
 customary double kiss. And then the two boys 
 stood and looked at each other. Ralph had 
 made up his mind that, in virtue of his English 
 education, he should be able to lick his French 
 cousin ; but when he looked at Bruno he felt 
 less sure of the fact. In the first place, the 
 French boy was half a head taller, and very 
 well made ; and there was a quickness and 
 alertness about him that showed that he was not 
 a lad to be despised. He had a bright, frank 
 face, and open dark eyes that met yours as if 
 they had nothing to conceal ; a forehead that looked 
 as if it held brains, and a mobile, boyish mouth, 
 which fell so readily into smiles that you did not 
 often perceive the slightly melancholy expression 
 that it took when it was grave. 
 
 " Bruno, you have never greeted me ; you have 
 been so taken up with your cousin," said Madame 
 Treguire, suddenly, in French. 
 
 " O mamma ! Pardon my forgetfulness, then," said 
 Bruno, hastening to make amends by an eager 
 boyish kiss. 
 
 " Raff looks surprised to hear you address your 
 cousin as mamma," said M. Noel, with a slightly
 
 60 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 malicious intonation, and another of those laughs 
 which made Ralph feel hot all over. 
 
 " You must not mind, my cousin," said Bruno ; 
 "she has always been a mother to me, and you 
 need not fear that she will love you less. Shall 
 I show you the room we are to share together 
 while you are here ? " 
 
 Ralph caught eagerly at the notion of getting 
 out of the company of his perplexing relatives, and 
 followed the French boy without demur. He was 
 taken downstairs to a cellar-like room, lighted from 
 high square windows against the ceiling, and per- 
 meated by a strong smell of soup from the 
 neighbouring kitchen. Here there were two beds, 
 and here, Bruno said, they were both to sleep for 
 the next fortnight. "Your guardian has the room 
 I usually sleep in," explained Bruno. " Which bed 
 do you like ? it is for you to choose." 
 
 Ralph, much rejoiced to find that his cousin 
 could talk decent English, entered into conversation 
 at once. He asked if Bruno's school was a jolly 
 one, and if he played cricket, or anything of that 
 sort ? and he told him that Elsie was no end of 
 a girl, much jollier than half the fellows you came
 
 v.] THE COUSINS. 61 
 
 across. Then he asked what M. Noel was. Was 
 he a lawyer, or a doctor, or what ? Bruno replied 
 that his father had a constitutional disinclination 
 to work, and could not bring himself to do so. 
 " He sometimes writes criticisms on the theatres ; 
 he feels that he might make his fortune as a 
 manager ; but the theatres do not seem to wish 
 for him in that capacity. Sometimes, however, 
 they give him passes, and then at times he takes 
 mamma and me. Do you like theatres ? " 
 
 "I've only been to a circus," said Ralph; "but 
 that was awfully jolly. It came to Middlebury 
 last year. Do you ever have circuses here ? " 
 
 By the time the boys came upstairs again they 
 had become quite confidential, though Ralph was 
 struck with astonishment and horror at the discovery 
 that Bruno played neither cricket nor football, and 
 had to work for eleven hours in the day. In the 
 salon they found Elsie, who sprang to Ralph as 
 soon as she saw him, and began telling him all 
 about Madame Regnier ; and Ralph confided to 
 her that he did not like his uncle at all ; " nor her 
 very much— don't tell anybody I said so ; " but 
 that Bruno was awfully jolly. " You see, Elsie," he
 
 62 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 said, looking round to be sure that he was not 
 overheard, " I think it can't be so awfully horrid 
 as it seems for a fellow not to care for his mother 
 when he's like me, and has never seen her since he 
 was a baby, do you ? " 
 
 " Do you know," said Elsie, changing the subject, 
 " Madame Regnier has got a crucifix in her room, 
 and she is a Roman Catholic ; but grandpapa says 
 she is a very good woman, and I think she must 
 be by her looks. He says he is going to ask M. 
 Dulaurier, the Protestant clergyman, to teach me 
 my Bible while I am here. Is Bruno a Roman 
 Catholic ? " 
 
 "No; they are all Protestants," said Ralph; 
 " Bruno goes to M. Dulaurier's church on Sunday, 
 and he says its jolly dull there. Look, they are 
 going in to dinner. Hurrah ! " 
 
 The French cookery was very grateful to the 
 hungry children ; more so than the discussion of 
 the theological views of their new acquaintances, 
 and they were only amazed at the sight of the 
 white napkins which M. Noel and Bruno tucked 
 within their shirt-collars like bibs. They were not 
 so surprised by this sight, however, as to lose their
 
 v.] THE COUSINS. 63 
 
 appetites, and did full justice to Madame Treguire's 
 dinner. 
 
 Leaving them below, we will peep in upon the 
 quiet little room where Madame Regnier and her 
 son Herve were eating their frugal meal of soup, 
 cheese, and salad, thinking, with some regret, that 
 this was nearly the last time that they would have 
 the full enjoyment of each other's society. Herve 
 Regnier was a short, ugly boy, with a soft voice 
 and a sweet expression of face ; he looked unhealthy, 
 as if he did not take sufficient exercise, and as if 
 the eleven hours of lessons might have been ad- 
 vantageously abridged in favour of a little more 
 fresh air. But no one thinks of such an abridgment 
 in France. 
 
 " Mamma," said the little boy, pensively, " I have 
 undergone a trial to-day." 
 
 " What is it then, my son ? " 
 
 " It is that I am degraded for prompting Bulot 
 in his recitation, and I shall not get the prize now; 
 and you will be disappointed as well as I." 
 
 " I am sorry, my little Herve ; but as it was for 
 a kind action, I cannot be distressed. Ah, well 
 we must suffer sometimes, then, for doing good
 
 64 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 " That is what I said to myself," said Herve, 
 " and consoled myself with the thought, mamma 
 Now Noel or Vaudet will get the prize, I think 
 I hope it will be Noel ; I love him." 
 
 " He protects you still in school, does he not ? " 
 
 " Oh yes, mamma ! he laughs at me sometimes 
 himself, but he always protects me against the 
 others. He is so strong — stronger than «any of the 
 boys in our class, 1 think." 
 
 " Why does he laugh at you ? " 
 
 " Because he says I have too scrupulous a con- 
 science, and ought not to be always thinking whether 
 things are forbidden that I wish to do. You see, 
 mamma, he is not a Catholic, so he does not know 
 these things as well as I do ; but he is very kind 
 to me. Now, tell me how you like the young 
 demoiselle who is to come here." 
 
 " I found her gentillc enough for an English 
 child," said Madame Regnier. " But monsieur the 
 Doctor has surprised me much with his insular ideas 
 on the subject of her education. He says that he 
 does not mind — in fact, he wishes you to be her 
 companion. However, you must not forget that she 
 is neither your cousin nor your sister, and therefore
 
 v.] THE COUSINS. 65 
 
 you had better always call her Miss Elsie. We 
 must try to instil into her the ideas suitable to an 
 ingenuous and modest young person." 
 
 " Yes, mamma," said Herve, who usually acqui- 
 esced in everything his mother told him. 
 
 " Her grandfather is going to beg M. Dulaurier to 
 undertake her education in religion ; but you and I, 
 Herve, must try to show her by example how 
 superior is the Catholic faith to the Protestant 
 heresy. Though, after all," concluded Madame 
 Regnier, in a sudden outburst of natural heterodoxy, 
 " I really think that Dr. Gracedew is as good as 
 if he were a Catholic. Well, well, it is difficult to 
 understand these things ! " 
 
 vol. I.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 AN ENGLISH TOMBOY. 
 
 "A game it was of running and of noise : 
 (She) as a boy, with other girls and boys 
 
 took the fun." 
 
 Clough. 
 
 Little Elsie had not yet come to the end of all 
 the new acquaintances she was to make in these 
 days. The next morning, as she was standing" in 
 the garden with Ralph beside the glittering fountain, 
 whose stucco erection looked quite passable in the 
 early sunshine, Dr. Gracedew came to her and told 
 her that the night before he had been to call on 
 M. Dulaurier, to ask him if he would be kind 
 enough to superintend Elsie's religious instruction 
 while she was at Madame Regnier's. He had 
 known him, though slightly, for some years, and 
 had a high respect for him ; and Madame Dulaurier 
 had asked that Elsie might come to be introduced
 
 chap, vi.] AN ENGLISH TOMBOY. i 7 
 
 to her little girls, who were delighted at the notion 
 of an English playmate ; for they were kept very 
 strictly apart from most of the children of their 
 acquaintance. So they were to go there after 
 breakfast, and then they were to set out to explore 
 Paris, taking Bruno with them ; for Bruno was 
 to have a holiday in consideration of his cousin's 
 arrival. 
 
 Elsie was full of delighted anticipation, as befits 
 a child of twelve years old on her first visit to 
 Paris ; her schoolroom life was not to begin for a 
 whole fortnight, and a fortnight is a long time at 
 her age. Madame Treguire gave them an excellent 
 breakfast a V Anglais, with eggs and ham: she was 
 a first-rate mcnagcre, and she liked to display her 
 talents to advantage when she had an opportunity. 
 After they had done full justice to this, Dr. Grace- 
 dew took Elsie up stairs to the pastor's apartments. 
 Elsie was observant enough to gather that the 
 Dulauriers must be educated and refined people. 
 There was nothing of the showiness of Madame 
 Treguire's salon here ; neither was there any token 
 of straitness of means, as in Madame Regnier's 
 neat room up stairs. Two little girls, with black 
 
 F 2
 
 63 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 pinafores, and hair turned back a la CJrinoise into 
 wide-meshed nets, were sitting at needlework, one on 
 either side of their mother, who was a sallow, graceful 
 woman, with a bright face, and an air which had 
 something distinguished about it. She kissed Elsie 
 kindly, and then proceeded to talk to Dr. Gracedew, 
 while the little girl eyed her natural congeners, the 
 two small workers on their chairs. 
 
 One of these children was pale, stunted, and 
 sallow, with washed-out blue eyes and light hair; 
 she was apparently the elder, and might have been 
 about Elsie's age. The younger child was the 
 prettiest, archest little fairy Elsie had ever seen. 
 She had a lovely delicate complexion, tinted with 
 rose, but not rosy ; bright dark eyes sparkling with 
 mischief, and pretty vivacious features, smiling, 
 pouting and frowning all at once. The pale child 
 went on working diligently ; the pretty one fidgeted 
 and peeped up through her long eyelashes at Elsie, 
 which brought upon her — " Come then, Ninie, be 
 good, or thou wilt displease mamma," from her more 
 .sedate sister. 
 
 " See then, I work, Mademoiselle Lilie," was the reply. 
 
 " Can you talk French, my dear?" asked Madame
 
 vi.] AN ENGLISH TOMBOY. 69 
 
 Dulaurier of Elsie in English ; and on receiving 
 Elsie's shy, smiling negative, she called to her 
 children — " Come then, Lilie and Ninie, let me see 
 how you have profited by Miss Smith's lessons in 
 talking to this young lady." 
 
 u Ne sais pas Anglais'' pouted pretty Ninie; but 
 the elder girl came forward obediently, and began 
 to make talk. " Have you been long in Paris, 
 Mademoiselle ? I hope you had a pleasant voyage," 
 she began, as if she were reciting from a phrase- 
 book. Elsie responded shyly at first, but the free- 
 masonry of childhood was at work between them, 
 and presently they were in quite an interesting 
 conversation about lessons and games; for Lilie, 
 though she dropped every aspirate she came to, 
 was a very fair English scholar. Before they came 
 to the end of the visit, however, our poor little 
 tomboy had considerably puzzled the little Parisian 
 by various slang phrases caught from Ralph, which 
 were apt to escape her whenever she grew excited. 
 "Awfully jolly" was not to be found in the phrase- 
 book out of which Lilie had learnt her English 
 lessons, and she resolved to look it out in the 
 dictionary on the first opportunity.
 
 70 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 The Dulauriers belonged to a class which in 
 France has as much refinement and education as 
 any, and more than most of the " swells " of the 
 Empire. M. Dulaurier was the son of a well-to- 
 do watchmaker of Swiss Protestant connections 
 and extraction ; his wife was a scion of the true 
 ancienne noblesse, who, had she lived a century 
 back, would probably have queened it at court, but 
 who now was well content to live a hard-working 
 and useful life among her husband's bourgeois con- 
 gregation, in the same way as her family had 
 accommodated themselves to circumstances, and 
 become retail wine-merchants instead of owners of 
 the soil. She was very proud of her husband's 
 learning and eloquence, and considered him quite 
 the first of all the pastors in Paris, in France, or 
 in the world. 
 
 Having paid their visit, Dr. Gracedew and Elsie 
 took leave of their hostess and her children, and 
 set off with Bruno and Ralph to explore Paris. 
 Everyone knows Paris in these days, and can 
 imagine what it was for these eager children to go 
 and see all the sights with such a man as Dr. 
 Gracedew, who had all the history at his fingers'
 
 vr.] AN ENGLISH TOMBOY. j\ 
 
 ends, and told them all about Pascal at the Tour 
 St. Jacques, and about the tocsin at St. Germain 
 d'Auxerre. He showed them the historic chestnut 
 tree in the Tuileries gardens, and let Elsie enjoy 
 the "creepy" sensation that made her eyes open 
 and dilate when she was told that the Place de la 
 Concorde was really the scene of the Terrorist exe- 
 cutions, about which she had read so many stories. 
 He was even more delightful than this, for he let 
 them make their luncheon of coffee and ices, in- 
 stead of hot mutton as at home ; and then let them 
 sit in penny chairs and listen to the band, when 
 they were tired of walking about, and thought rest 
 would be pleasant. Paris was an " awfully stunning" 
 place, pronounced Ralph that day. 
 
 It was not without a double motive that the 
 Doctor had pleaded for a holiday for Bruno to join 
 their party. He was glad to give the boy pleasure, 
 but he also wished to judge for himself what sort 
 of boy he was, and whether he would be a harmful 
 companion for Ralph. Certainly this day's expe- 
 dition seemed, so far as he could see, to answer 
 that question decidedly in the negative ; in fact, 
 Bruno and the Doctor found a mutual attraction in
 
 72 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 one another. The boy was not only a bright, 
 handsome lad, but he was eager-minded, emotional 
 and generous ; and the story of a noble deed made 
 his eyes dilate and his cheeks flush as Ralph's never 
 did. There was no English reserve about him to 
 make him ashamed of expressing his feelings, and 
 he had a Frenchman's natural eloquence, such as 
 astonished Elsie, and made her think he must be 
 the cleverest boy she had ever seen. 
 
 It was so pleasant out there in the Tuileries 
 gardens that when the band ceased to play, and 
 the Doctor proposed to move, Elsie begged for -a 
 little longer respite. " I know what would be nice, 
 grandpapa, if you are not tired," said the little 
 girl. 
 
 " What ! ices again, miss ? " 
 
 " That would be nice too," laughed Elsie boldly ; 
 " but the nicest thing would be for you to tell us 
 a story." 
 
 Now, the Doctor was a first-rate storyteller. He 
 never invented stories, but he would take subjects 
 out of the poets — Spenser, or Shakespeare, or 
 Chaucer, — and tell them to the children in his own 
 language, and very beautiful language it was. The
 
 vi.] AN ENGLISH TOMBOY. 73 
 
 Arthurian legends had not yet become household 
 words through Tennyson's " Idylls " ; but Dr. Grace- 
 dew knew Mallory's " Morte d'Arthur " by heart, 
 and on this occasion he complied with Elsie's re- 
 quest by telling them the story of the Holy Grail, 
 as there related — perhaps here and there with slight 
 additions of his own. He had a very attentive 
 audience. Ralph, indeed, who was not of a very 
 emotional nature, listened with interest to the story, 
 and nothing more ; but Bruno and Elsie sat at his 
 feet with eyes riveted on his face, and he was 
 only interrupted here and there when Bruno did 
 not understand an English word that he used, and 
 repeated it interrogatively with grave intentness, 
 that showed that he meant to miss nothing till the 
 story was done. 
 
 " It's like an allegory, grandpapa," said Elsie 
 presently, after a little pause. " But what does it 
 mean ? is it one really ? " 
 
 " Not exactly, I think. Though I don't know 
 but that it might stand very well as one," said 
 the Doctor, "when you look back through history, 
 Elsie, and see how all the great men who have 
 yearned to do good to mankind, have sought after
 
 74 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 the revelation of a heavenly vision, which was to 
 have a magic power to heal the nations, like the 
 Holy Grail. Dante — Savonarola — Luther — Loyola 
 — nay, our own Shakespeare, for I believe in the 
 mystical element in him too. But here I am, 
 talking over your heads, children, as if you could 
 understand all my fancies. I can see that Bruno 
 here thinks me talking utter nonsense." 
 
 " Oh no, monsieur ! I like to hear it, though I 
 cannot understand it all," said Bruno blushing 
 through his brown skin. 
 
 And somehow the Doctor and his story seemed 
 to have taken considerable effect upon the French 
 boy : for he recurred to it again that evening after 
 dinner, when he and Ralph, who were getting on 
 admirably together, were disporting themselves in 
 the garden. Ralph was sitting astride the bough 
 of a low tree, and Bruno lying along on the 
 bench beneath it, when the following conversation 
 took place. 
 
 " I never thought guardians were like your 
 guardian," said Bruno. " He is good, he is 
 charming. Does he often tell you histories like 
 that one to-day ? "
 
 VI.] AN ENGLISH TOMBOY. 75 
 
 " Grandpapa ? Oh, yes. He's awfully jolly, isn't 
 he ? I liked that story to-day awfully, because 
 there wasn't any moral at the end. Generally he 
 puts in a moral about me, and about fellows 
 spending all their money on other people and 
 not on themselves, and making their lives useful ; 
 and I never can see .why I should have to 
 make my life so much more useful than other 
 people's." 
 
 "Then what is your ambition for?" asked 
 Bruno quite simply, as though an ambition of 
 some sort were a necessity to everyone. 
 
 " What do you mean ? " said Ralph. 
 
 "Why, do not you mean to be a great man 
 when you are grown up ? I do." 
 
 "I don't care about it," said Ralph, meditatively: 
 " I don't think it would be much fun. I think 
 I'd rather not, on the whole. Don't tell grand- 
 papa I said so, but what I really should like 
 would be to live at Brynscombe with a lot of 
 jolly fellows, and have no end of ponies — horses 
 I mean — and guns and rifles and dogs. Grand- 
 papa would be awfully shocked though, to hear 
 me say so."
 
 76 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 " I think it is a very foolish ambition," said 
 Bruno : and Ralph felt rather small at his 
 cousin's quiet disapproval. " Now, my friend 
 Herve Regnier and I often disagree about our 
 ambitions : but his is certainly a greater one than 
 yours." 
 
 " What is his ? " asked Ralph, almost prepared 
 to see whether it would be a good one to adopt. 
 
 " Oh, he is a Catholic, and he wants to convert 
 every one to his religion. He is not going to 
 persecute any one, you know : he is going to 
 convert the world by persuasion. However, I 
 tell him he will never convert Frenchmen, nor 
 me either. He was angry with me for a little 
 when I told him that." 
 
 Ralph at once decided that it would be against 
 his conscience to look with favour upon Herve 
 Regnier's ambition. " Then what is yours ? " he 
 said. 
 
 " I mean to be a patriot," said the French 
 boy. " I think that is the greatest thing to be. 
 I should like to do something of noble for France, 
 so that my name might be remembered for 
 years afterwards as a man who saved his country :
 
 vi.] AN ENGLISH TOMBOY. 
 
 77 
 
 as they speak of Epaminondas, and Aristides, 
 and Regulus in the ancient history." 
 
 " But," said Ralph, trying hard to follow his 
 cousin, yet rather puzzled in spite of his en- 
 deavours, " there is not anything to save your 
 country from now, is there ? We haven't got 
 any enemies to fight against, and all that. Of 
 course if the French came and fought us, I'd fight 
 too — jolly fun we'd have, wouldn't we ? " 
 
 "Yes, so would we if the English came," said 
 Bruno. 
 
 " We'd lick you, you know." 
 
 " We would not let you." And so the con- 
 versation drifted away from the abstract to the 
 concrete ; in which, however, the representatives of 
 both nations kept their temper very creditably. 
 
 It would take too long to describe every day 
 of this memorable fortnight minutely. It was 
 concluded by a festivity of the Doctor's : a picnic 
 in the Bois, attended by Madame Regnier and her 
 son Herve, Madame Treguire and Bruno Noel, 
 and Madame Dulaurier with her two daughters 
 and her son Leon, a big loutish lad of sixteen 
 or so. The three little girls walked together,
 
 78 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 Elsie with her pink and white cotton frock and 
 broad-brimmed English hat between Lilie and 
 Ninie in their Sunday grey silk frocks edged with 
 real lace, and their little straw bonnets trimmed 
 with flowers. These silk frocks were the cause of a 
 certain amount of scandal to the pastor's congre- 
 gation ; though to say truth, they were the relics 
 of an aged gown of Madame Dulaurier's, which 
 she had herself worn for half a dozen years or 
 so, and which had endured as Frenchwomen's 
 gowns will, by being treated as if they were 
 alive and could feel. Ralph, Bruno, and Herve 
 walked behind, the two first discoursing on various 
 subjects interesting to boys: Herve rather "out of 
 it " by reason that the conversation was in English, 
 which he did not understand. Bruno, however, 
 did his best to bring him into it again by various 
 appeals to him in French : for Bruno was a kind- 
 hearted boy, and Regnier was his friend. He 
 would not let him feel himself neglected for the 
 English cousin. 
 
 This picnic was chiefly memorable for a circum- 
 stance which made Elsie grow hot and ashamed for 
 years afterwards when she thought of it. The elders
 
 VI.] AN ENGLISH TOMBO V. 79 
 
 of the party left the children to themselves for a quar- 
 ter of an hour or so, while they went to the pavilion in 
 the Bois to procure drinkables ; the boys were playing 
 at catch -ball, the girls sitting on the grass chatting 
 merrily together : all quite good and decorous. Sud- 
 denly Ralph came up to Elsie. " Elsie, we want to 
 play cricket, but there are so few of us. Don't you 
 think, you and those girls could come and play too ? " 
 
 " Oh yes ! " began Elsie with delight, for she loved 
 cricket beyond anything ; but she stopped short 
 " Do you think I ought with strange boys ? You 
 know I never do at home except with you." 
 
 " Nonsense, they're not strange by this time. Besides, 
 Elsie, you might. It's the last time I shall ask you 
 anything for months, you know." 
 
 This was irresistible. From her babyhood Elsie 
 had done whatever Ralph asked her, and she could 
 not refuse it when he pleaded like this. She dragged 
 her little French friends from their comfortable seat, 
 and said that they must come and play ; it would be 
 " so jolly." 
 
 " Do girh play cricket ? I thought it was a boy's 
 game," said the conscientious Lilie. 
 
 " Oh yes, girls play it ; I always play with Ralph,"
 
 So RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 said our tomboy Elsie so peremptorily, that they sub- 
 mitted and joined forces. The wickets were formed 
 of Ralph's and Bruno's jackets ; the bat was half of 
 the lid of the box in which the provisions had been 
 packed; and none of the party, except Ralph and Elsie 
 had ever seen the game played before. However, 
 with all these disadvantages, the cricket went on so 
 well, that when the elders again came in sight, Madame 
 Dulaurier was horrified by perceiving a little grey 
 figure rushing at the top of her speed between two 
 black heaps, crossing Ralph Treguire as she ran, and 
 shrieking with delight all the time. 
 
 "Encore unefois!" cried Ninie, wild with excite- 
 ment ; but the fun was suddenly checked. 
 
 " Ninie ! " said her mother severely, " what are you 
 thinking of? Come away, naughty little girl !" 
 
 " Oh, please ! " said Elsie, entreatingly, " it's only 
 cricket, and Ninie is getting on so nicely ! " 
 
 " My child," said Madame Dulaurier, " I cannot 
 allow it. In France young ladies do not play wild 
 games with boys. In England, as I have heard, it is 
 different. Lilie, how could you have permitted your 
 sister to commit such a fault ? I looked to you to 
 control her. How could you ? "
 
 vi.] AN ENGLISH TOMBOY. 81 
 
 " Mamma," said poor honest Lilie, terribly out of 
 breath with the one run which she had attempted and 
 failed in, " I am very sorry ; but Elsie said it was a 
 game girls played at, and I played too." 
 
 " Very well, my daughter ; then neither of you will 
 leave my side for the rest of the day." 
 
 Elsie saw her grandfather looking at her gravely, 
 and with hot cheeks made the best apology she could. 
 She saw that " grandpapa " did not like her having 
 played ; and she came up to his side, and slipped her 
 hand in his to beg pardon. However, all he said was. 
 " You have not yet learnt discretion, little woman," 
 and then went on talking to Madame Regnier, and 
 sent Elsie to walk with the children whom she had 
 brought into the scrape. Elsie felt rather sad. This 
 was her last day with Ralph, and there he was, walking 
 with Bruno Noel in front. Ninie had forgotten that 
 she was being punished, and was chatting away like a 
 little parrot ; but Elsie did not respond. Her eyes 
 were filling with tears, and she was 1 beginning to think 
 how best to get rid of them without betraying their 
 presence by a pocket handkerchief, when a voice 
 sounded in her ear — 
 
 " I say, give me that fandangle. I'll carry it." 
 VOL. T. G
 
 82 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 That " fandangle " was Elsie's cloak, and her tears 
 vanished in a moment as Ralph possessed himself of 
 it, and went on walking by her side, leaving Bruno and 
 Herve to themselves. He might not be anything re- 
 markable in genius or in character, but he was a good 
 loving boy, and he cared very much for Elsie, and dis- 
 liked the parting more than he would have cared to 
 avow. 
 
 " I say, Elsie ! Do you know," he said, in a low 
 tone, " Uncle Horace never goes to church anywhere, 
 and Bruno's going to leave off soon, too." 
 " Ralph ! How wicked he must be ! " 
 " No, he isn't ; he says Frenchmen never do. It's 
 the custom of the country," said Ralph, philosophi- 
 cally. 
 
 " Then it must be a horribly bad custom, and a 
 horribly wicked country," said Elsie with great deci- 
 sion. " And I thought he was so nice ! Why, you said 
 he liked the story about the Holy Grail so much ! " 
 
 " So he did ; but what's that to do with going to 
 church ? He is an awfully jolly fellow, Elsie, whether 
 he goes to church or not, I can tell you that ! " 
 
 Elsie, however, could not quite get over poor Bruno's 
 unorthodox sentiments so easily, and when he came up
 
 vi.] AN ENGLISH TOMBOY. 83 
 
 to them she edged a little away, somewhat as St. John 
 might have done from Cerinthus. However this might 
 be, it mattered little to Bruno, who was not yet at the 
 age to be susceptible to a girl's opinion of him, and 
 who had of late become so inseparable from his 
 English cousin that poor Herve Regnier had more 
 than once been quite depressed, and had taken his 
 innocent little conscience to task for indulging envy 
 and jealousy. But Ralph kept close to Elsie's side 
 all through the walk home, and before he reached the 
 house, gave utterance to this sentiment, which com- 
 forted and afflicted Elsie at once : — 
 
 ' I say, it's awfully beastly your not coming home 
 with us to-morrow. I don't care now how soon I go 
 off to Marlborough ! " 
 
 G 2
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 FRENCH SCHOOLROOM LIFE. 
 
 " Tell me, my friend, do you think that the grain would sprout in the 
 furrow, 
 
 Did it not truly accept as its summtim and ullimum bonum 
 That mere common and may-be indifferent soil it is set in ? " 
 
 Clough. 
 
 POOR little Elsie felt that Ralph's sentiments were 
 but too true when she said good-bye to him and 
 her grandfather the next morning. If it was any 
 comfort to her to know that the Doctor felt 
 almost as miserable as she did, she might have 
 solaced herself with the sight of his face : and it 
 was all that she could do to keep in her tears as 
 she stood on the steps with Bruno, looking after 
 the departing carriage : whence she was led off 
 reluctantly by the gentle little Frenchwoman, 
 whose charge she was now to be. 
 
 Bruno had been very much delighted by being 
 told by the Doctor that he would some day have
 
 chap, vil.] FRENCH SCHOOLROOM LIFE. 85 
 
 to come and spend his holidays with Ralph at 
 Middlebury. "That boy has splendid possibilities 
 in him," the Doctor had said to himself more than 
 once, as he watched the eager kindling of the 
 eyes and the noble lines of the mouth, and saw 
 the evidences of the generous boyish heart and the 
 natural love for all that was good and noble. 
 Where did the boy get an individuality so unlike 
 that of Horace Noel, or the poor English girl, 
 who had broken her heart over her husband's 
 reproaches on the score of her poverty ? The 
 Doctor pondered over this problem without arriving 
 at any conclusion : but he cultivated young Noel 
 assiduously, and the frank-hearted boy, who had 
 little reserve in his nature, opened out his mind 
 to him and answered his questions fully and freely. 
 It appeared, as far as Dr. Gracedew could see, 
 that the strongest influence for good that had yet 
 been brought to bear upon Bruno Noel was that 
 of his little Catholic schoolfellow, Regnier : but 
 that this had worked upon Bruno, not by drawing 
 him at all towards Regnier's ecclesiastical views, 
 but by quickening his eyes to see moral beauty 
 and to admire it and aspire to it. A French
 
 86 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 boy, in whose family there are Protestant traditions, 
 is usually so impregnated with the romance of 
 the long persecution of his forefathers, that though 
 he may, and often does, come to believe nothing, 
 he is not likely to be attracted to the Roman 
 Church. And unless a boy is brought up in a 
 very controversial atmosphere, he is not likely at 
 twelve years old to rush into it of his own accord. 
 Bruno, though an exceptional kind of boy, was 
 not so exceptional as this : and when Herve 
 Regnier, who had views of converting his friend, 
 tried arguments upon him with this end in view, 
 he generally got for his pains, " Tais-toi, I can 
 get plenty of sermons from other people if I 
 want them." 
 
 Nevertheless, Regnier nad a strong effect upon 
 Noel, though not in the direction he wished for. 
 The widow's little boy was a thoroughly good, 
 gentle, conscientious little fellow : and Bruno first 
 fought his battles for him out of pity when he 
 was bullied, then took a fancy to him on his 
 own account, and next set himself to prove 
 partly to himself and partly to his friend that 
 it was possible to do quite as fine things, and
 
 vii.] FRENCH SCHOOLROOM LIFE. 87 
 
 live quite as grand a life if you were not a 
 Catholic as if you were. Whenever Regnier talked 
 about the lives of the Saints, Bruno maintained 
 that the Greek and Roman heroes were much 
 more worthy of imitation ; — when Regnier an- 
 nounced his intention of converting some barbarian 
 country and dying a martyr, Bruno announced 
 that he intended to be a patriot and pro patrid 
 mori. The extraordinary visions which the two 
 lads discussed with absolute certainty that they 
 would carry them out, would never have entered 
 into the brains of English lads : the imagination 
 of each reacted upon the other, and they cared 
 very little about any other companions except 
 each other. What indeed could these two dreamers 
 of splendid dreams and seers of lofty visions find 
 in common with the ordinary French schoolboy, 
 who found his amusement in spiteful teasing, and 
 his highest object in currying favour with the 
 master who never let him out of his sight ? 
 
 Perhaps it was the mere fact of kindred : per- 
 haps it was only the novelty of a new type of 
 boy, that made Bruno take so kindly to the little 
 English schoolboy, who, as we have seen, had no
 
 88 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 visionary dreams or ambitions at all. But then 
 Ralph was a jolly little bright-faced honest boy, 
 and most people found him attractive, though at 
 present no one could predict that he would turn 
 into anything remarkable as a man. His greatest 
 charm was his simple, unaffected boyishness, and 
 his loving heart. Bruno had made a considerable 
 impression upon Ralph, and as the latter drove 
 through the streets of Paris to the station, he 
 mused with considerable bewilderment of mind on 
 the best means of following his cousin's example, 
 and setting up an ambition for himself which was 
 not to consist of dogs, guns, or ponies. Before 
 he had decided the point, however, he saw some- 
 thing out of the window which took off his 
 attention, and left the subject of his ambition to 
 be decided at a future day. Of all his new 
 relatives, that one of whom he thought the least 
 was his mother, Madame Treguire. They had 
 parted, as they had met, without any very strong 
 show of emotion on either side : and Ralph kept 
 to his view that if a fellow was to be fond of 
 his mother he ought to have known her from 
 the time he was a baby, and then he would
 
 vii.] FRENCH SCHOOLROOM LIFE. 89 
 
 have got used to her. But he was very respect- 
 ful, though terribly shy, in her presence : grand- 
 papa expected him to be so, and grandpapa was 
 much more to him than a newly found and rather 
 indifferent mother. 
 
 To return to our poor little heroine, in her first 
 separation from home. A day or two made all possible 
 difference in Elsie's feelings ; she began to get used 
 to her French life, and it was really a very pleasant 
 one under the circumstances. She had the kindest 
 and most painstaking of teachers in Madame 
 Regnier, and the little Dulaurier girls for her 
 playmates. Madame Dulaurier had at first been 
 rather alarmed by Elsie's tomboy propensities, 
 as evidenced in the cricket at the picnic ; but 
 she found that the little girl was really very 
 obedient and trustworthy, and allowed her to 
 play with Lilie and Ninie every day in their 
 recreation time. In the evening Herve Regnier 
 returned from school, and Elsie soon made friends 
 with him. 
 
 " Now, Herve, have you had any adventures 
 to-day ? " Elsie would ask in her English-French ; 
 for the child, being entirely among French people,
 
 90 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 was rapidly learning to chatter fearlessly in the 
 new tongue, without pausing for fear of mistakes. 
 
 " I have had none, Meess Elsi," Herve would 
 reply ; " but I am ashamed to say that one boy in 
 my class has received a severe imposition for lying. 
 It is foolish, as well as wicked to lie at school, for the 
 masters observe everything we do," he continued. 
 
 " What did he do it for then ? " said Elsie. 
 
 "He wished to revenge himself upon a comrade : 
 thus he hid the other's lesson book, that he might be 
 punished for losing it, and defaced the pages, and 
 then laid the blame upon another boy. We see 
 much depravity of the human heart at school, Meess 
 Elsi," he went on, in his soft-voiced moralizing. 
 
 " Est-ce que l'autre l'a leche ? " said Elsie, whose 
 French was often rather original. Herve needed an 
 elucidation of the girl's meaning, as was natural, and 
 Madame Regnier looked shocked. 
 
 " No, Meess Elsi. The masters do not allow such 
 things." 
 
 " But when he was out of the master's sight ? " 
 
 " No one is ever out of the master's sight," said 
 Herve. 
 
 " How you must all hate it ! "
 
 vil.] FRENCH SCHOOLROOM LIFE. 91 
 
 " On the contrary, we perceive that it is for our 
 good," said Herve. 
 
 " We don't have such things in English schools," 
 said Elsie, proudly. 
 
 " Perhaps not ; England is not so far advanced in 
 civilization as France," said the French boy, with the 
 air of one enunciating an incontrovertible truth. 
 
 " Herve ! " flamed up patriotic Elsie. 
 
 " Pardon, Meess Elsi, if you do not like to hear 
 the fact stated ; but I thought that all the world 
 granted, without question, that the civilization of 
 France preceded that of all the rest of Europe." 
 
 " I am sure we are more civilized ! We are a free 
 nation ! " 
 
 " So are we. We chose our Emperor by universal 
 suffrage," said Herve, his placid ugly face presenting 
 a curious contrast to Elsie's eagerness. 
 
 " Herve, my friend," said his mother, gently, 
 " respect the insular prejudices of our guest." 
 
 " Certainly, my mother," said Herve sweetly. 
 " Pardon me, Meess Elsi, I did not mean to make 
 you angry. I thought you knew that France was 
 the foremost country in the world ; but of course 
 one is blind to the faults of the land one loves ! "
 
 92 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 Herve meant this to be a peace-offering, but 
 Elsie found it hard to take it in this way. How- 
 ever, she swallowed down her wrath as she best 
 could, for it was evident that both Madame Regnier 
 and her son looked at her patriotism as unreason- 
 able insular self-assertion. 
 
 When Sunday came, Elsie had a change of life. 
 She breakfasted with the Regniers, and then she 
 went downstairs to the Dulauriers' apartments. M. 
 Dulaurier gave his children a Bible-lesson after 
 breakfast, which Elsie shared with them ; and then 
 they had an interval before going to the Protestant 
 chapel where M. Dulaurier preached. On the first 
 Sunday of Elsie's French life she was terri- 
 bly shocked by seeing Lilie and Ninie filling up 
 this interval with fancy-work ; for she had a firm 
 belief that Sunday was desecrated by the use of a 
 needle, though not by any other implement. How- 
 ever, as they certainly observed it in other respects, 
 she came after a time to put this down as " native 
 manners and customs." 
 
 Her first idea of the Protestant service was 
 certainly that, as Ralph had gathered from Bruno, 
 it was "jolly dull ;" but as she came to understand
 
 vii.] FRENCH SCHOOLROOM LIFE. 93 
 
 French better, she used to find herself listening 
 with interest that surprised herself to M. Dulaurier, 
 as he stood in his Jack-in-the-box-like pulpit 
 against the wall and delivered his discourse ; his 
 plain Swiss face illuminated with eloquence, and 
 his eyes looking as if they saw something beyond 
 the congregation and the bare walls of the chapel, 
 and took in the great realities which are not bounded 
 by space or time. You might differ from M. 
 Dulaurier, but you could not help respecting him, 
 and believing that he had a tenable ground for his 
 convictions ; and little Elsie listened and learnt, 
 and found wholesome food for her little soul in his 
 words. In the afternoon she went with Madame 
 Dulaurier to the Sunday-school, an imported insti- 
 tution, bearing a strong resemblance to an English 
 one, except in the quaint caps and pinafores of the 
 little French children, who sang " There is a happy 
 land," and such-like hymns in French to their 
 English tunes. Then they all had a walk in the 
 Bois, and a pleasant homely evening ended with 
 singing. Elsie wrote home to say that Sundays 
 were really "quite jolly." 
 
 Of the little Dulaurier girls, she liked Lilie the
 
 94 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. vii. 
 
 best. Lille was a very delicate child, rather over- 
 worked with lessons, and not good for active play 
 at any time ; but she was a good little thing, 
 though rather stupid, and was never cross. Her 
 sister, on the contrary, though full of life and 
 spirits, was of a very uncertain temper, and would 
 sometimes sulk for a whole afternoon, when no 
 one knew what had displeased her. Ninie's chief 
 passion was for skipping, and she used to make 
 Lilie and Elsie hold the rope for half-an-hour 
 together while she whisked over it and under it 
 like a fairy. She taught Elsie to skip, though with 
 far less agility than herself, and mortified her by 
 declaring satirically that she was " truly Madame 
 John Bull, a great English cow ! " 
 
 However, Elsie managed to please those who 
 had to do with her, for both Madame Regnier and 
 Madame Dulaurier wrote to the Doctor and told 
 him that his grandchild was " line petite fille tres 
 douce et tres gentille" and that she looked ex- 
 tremely well and happy in her Paris life.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 MADAME TREGUIRE'S SOIREE. 
 
 " Upon etiquette relying, 
 Unto usage nought denying, 
 Blush not even, never fear. " 
 
 Clough. 
 
 LITTLE Elsie had a very quiet and monotonous 
 life as Madame Regnier's pupil, and she was highly 
 delighted when her governess told her that she had 
 been invited to one of Madame Treguire's grand 
 soirees, and had asked if she might bring Elsie 
 with her. Elsie had all a child's delight in novelty, 
 and she was very curious to see what a French 
 grown-up party was like. She was an observant 
 and intelligent little thing, and had no self-conscious 
 thoughts about her own looks to trouble her enjoy- 
 ment. Once certain that her hair was smooth, and 
 her locket-ribbon properly tied, Elsie had no more 
 care for her personal appearance. 
 
 Madame Treguire's soirees were considered the
 
 96 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 great social events among her friends and acquaint- 
 ances. She was the leader of a most respectable 
 circle, in which, in virtue of her Protestantism, the 
 Dulauriers were included, though they went but 
 little into general society. In this respect she 
 was exclusive. She would not admit her brother 
 Horace's boon companions into it — it was the only 
 point on which she made a firm stand against him. 
 " I will have none at my soirees who cannot har- 
 monize," she said, and she carried out her resolve. 
 Her guests were all harmonious, and if the harmony 
 was a little dull, that was not her fault. 
 
 The white and gold salon, with its green velvet 
 sofas, looked most imposing, blazing with lights, 
 and thronged with people. The dresses were mostly 
 morning ones, and the little Dulauriers, Elsie ob- 
 served, were in their Sunday silk frocks ; Ninie 
 looking curious and amused, Lilie virtuously prim 
 and sickly as usual. Madame Regnier thought that 
 Elsie was safely conversing with them while she 
 was talking to their mother, when she beheld her 
 charge at the other end of the room, making her 
 way towards Bruno Noel. 
 
 "It is truly remarkable," said Madame Regnier,
 
 viil] MADAME TREGUIRE'S SOIREE. 97 
 
 that though the English think so much about their 
 children, they never instruct them at all in the 
 manners of society ! That is a good, docile little 
 girl, of a charming character, but she has no more 
 idea how to behave herself in society than Pauline 
 the bonne /" 
 
 " Yes," said Madame Dulaurier ; " I was at first 
 doubtful whether I could allow her to associate 
 with my children after I saw her playing with boys 
 at that rude game, le cricket. But do you find 
 her well-instructed, madame ? " 
 
 " Very well in some ways, very ill in others. 
 Imagine, madame, they have only made her work 
 at the needle for half-an-hour each day, and some- 
 times not even that ! and she has never made one 
 of her clothes ! " 
 
 " Ah ! we bring up our children on a different 
 system," said Madame Dulaurier. "My girls work 
 for three hours every day ; Lilie can now cut out 
 and make any article of dress, and Ninie, though 
 less steady, is good in all matters requiring taste. 
 I suppose you are now correcting your little pupil's 
 deficiencies ? " 
 
 " I cannot, alas, madame, as much as I would. 
 VOL T. H
 
 9 8 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 The Doctor Gracedew has such foolish English 
 ideas respecting air and exercise, that I cannot, 
 consistently with his directions, allow her to spend 
 more than an hour each day at her needle." 
 
 " The English are absolutely mad about fresh air ! 
 They always think children must be ill unless they are 
 allowed to play all day ! " said Madame Dulaurier, 
 shrugging her shoulders. 
 
 The little girls were listening to the conversation 
 with great interest. Ninie wished she was a little 
 English girl ; Lilie congratulated herself that she was 
 not brought up on so foolish a system. She did not 
 know that she owed her weakness and her constant 
 languor to her mother's admirable system, conscien- 
 tiously applied to an unresisting subject. 
 
 Meanwhile, Elsie had found her way to Bruno, and 
 had taken out a letter, received two or three days 
 before from Ralph at Marlborough, which she was 
 desirous to show him. Madame Regnier did not 
 encourage her to talk about Ralph. The worthy 
 little Erenchwoman was a little scandalized at the 
 Doctor's imprudence in allowing the two to grow up 
 in such absolute brother-and-sister intimacy that 
 they kissed each other every morning and night
 
 VIII.] MADAME TREGUIRE'S SOIREE. 
 
 99 
 
 as a matter of course. Madame Regnier did not 
 approve even of brothers and sisters having too much 
 to do with each other ; it was an axiom with her 
 that boys made girls rough, or else teased them. 
 Elsie longed to talk about Ralph to some one 
 wljo cared about him, as Bruno did. 
 
 The epistle which interested them both so much 
 ran thus : — 
 
 "My Dear Elsie — 
 
 " I like Marlborough very well, though I 
 hated going away from grandpapa. The fellow I 
 like best here is called Winterton. He is awfully 
 tall for his. age, and high up. He collects [butter- 
 flies understood] and he has got an uncle at 
 Singapore who sent him one that was nine inches 
 across. Tell Bruno that I have settled on some- 
 thing to do when I am a man. I mean to have a 
 yacht, and Winterton and I are to go and collect 
 butterflies and moths all over the world, and dis- 
 cover new species. When his country does not want 
 anything doing to it, he can come with us. Don't 
 you think it is an awfully jolly plan ? I got eleven 
 runs yesterday and a catch. Winterton says I play 
 
 H 2
 
 ioo RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 awfully well for a new fellow. Don't tell anybody I 
 said he said so : it sounds conceited, but he did. I 
 hope you like Paris. Write to me soon. 
 
 " Your affectionate brother, 
 
 " R. T. 
 
 " P.S. — Your aunt came to Middlebury before I 
 came here. I don't like her. I think she's a hum- 
 bug, and the girls are stupid, and not a bit like you. 
 Grandpapa says I must write to mamma this 
 term ; I wish I needn't. I don't know what to write 
 about. Grandpapa jawed me a little about speaking 
 disrespectfully about her. I didn't mean to be dis- 
 respectful. But I don't mind grandpapa's jaws; he 
 does not keep you long. 
 
 " Your affectionate 
 
 " R. T. 
 
 " P.S. 2. — Tell Bruno I wish he would get Uncle 
 Horace to send him to Marlborough too ; it would 
 be so awfully jolly, instead of being at that hum- 
 bugging French school." 
 
 Here the letter ended, space and material having 
 apparently come to an end together. Bruno having
 
 v 1 1 1 . J MA DA ME TREG UIRE 'S SOIRAE. i o i 
 
 finished his perusal of it, returned it to Elsie, who said, 
 " What do you think of his plan ? " 
 
 Bruno smiled a little compassionately. " I do not 
 think he will ever be a great man, that way, made- 
 moiselle." 
 
 " Don't you ? I should so like Ralph to be a great 
 man," said Elsie, in a rather disappointed tone. 
 
 " Then he will have to take for his object something 
 better than his papillons':' 
 
 " Perhaps he might be a missionary, and preach to 
 the savages as well as catching the butterflies." 
 
 " A missionary ! " said the French boy with a 
 somewhat sarcastic intonation. " With a net for 
 catching butterflies in one hand, and a Bible in 
 the other ? I saw an English missionary at M. 
 Dulaurier's once, mademoiselle ; he wanted us all 
 to buy Bibles, and gave me the Epistle to the 
 Romans in a pretty little paper book, which my 
 father said was exactly the right thing for rolling 
 cigarettes ; so I gave it to him. I hope you do 
 not want Ralph to go about selling Bibles ! " 
 
 " No, I don't," said the little English girl 
 sturdily ; " but I dare say the missionary would 
 have done you good if you had read the Bible. 1
 
 102 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 think French people are not nearly as good as 
 English people ; why, I counted the people the 
 other day at M. Dulaurier's chapel, and there were 
 only six men there altogether ; and Madame Regnier 
 says it is just the same in her church ; only the 
 women come to church at all." 
 
 " You see," said Bruno, " it is not the way of the 
 nation. Frenchmen are rarely pious. I go to M. 
 Dulaurier's chapel now and then to please my aunt, 
 who likes me to accompany her. ' Soon I shall leave 
 off." 
 
 " Grandpapa never misses going to church 
 twice on Sunday, and sometimes in the week, 
 too," said Elsie proudly. 
 
 " Ah ! he is English and we are French, 
 you see," said Bruno, as though the question of 
 nationality were decisive. " And though, no doubt, 
 our nation is superior to yours on the whole " 
 
 "It isn't ! Who beat you at Waterloo ? " 
 
 " Not the English, mademoiselle ! " 
 
 " Bruno ! " said Elsie, with a little gasp. 
 
 " I know the English were deluded into think- 
 ing so, but it is a mere delusion," said Bruno calmly. 
 " However, mademoiselle, there are, no doubt, some
 
 vin.] MADAME TREGUIRE'S SOTREE. 103 
 
 things — I except les cJioscs militaires — in which 
 you surpass us. Possibly church-going is one. We 
 will yield you the palm there, at least." 
 
 " Well, I'm not ashamed of it," said Elsie ; and 
 feeling slightly offended, she moved off to 
 Madame Regnier, who told her in a low voice that 
 she must not leave her side again, and placed her in 
 a sofa corner, while she herself went on chatting 
 with an acquaintance. Elsie found it rather dull, 
 and was fain to amuse herself with observing her 
 neighbours. First came a yellow lady and a brown 
 lady ; the brown lady assisted Madame Dulaurier 
 in the Sunday-school, and the yellow lady was 
 complimenting her upon her charitable deeds. 
 
 "You must have much of the love of religion, 
 mademoiselle, to devote yourself thus ! " 
 
 " Of the love of souls, mademoiselle ! " mildly cor- 
 rected the brown lady, bowing and smiling. 
 
 They passed on, and were succeeded by two 
 other ladies : a certain young Madame Andre 
 and an old Mademoiselle Menier, who were both 
 members of M. Dulaurier's flock. 
 
 "Yes, madame," said the one with vehement 
 gesticulation and play of features, " I assure you
 
 104 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 it is causing the greatest possible scandal. The 
 behaviour of Madame Dulaurier is not that 
 which becomes a pastor's wife. I see that she has 
 now advised herself to let her hair grow to a proper 
 length ; but if you will believe it, she wore it at one 
 time cropped short like a boy's ! just as the Comtesse 
 de L. did when she appeared at the Emperor's 
 ball, attired as Mary Stuart's page. And we know 
 very well what the Comtesse de L. is ; I have 
 heard about her from my dressmaker." 
 
 " Ah ! mademoiselle, it is indeed sad to see the 
 world making such inroads upon the Church ! A 
 pastor's wife ought to be a model to all the other 
 young women in the place ; but only see the style in 
 which Madame Dulaurier dresses her daughters ! Silk 
 dresses, and lace which must have cost ten francs a 
 yard — real Brussels ! " 
 
 " And she cannot teach them to behave properly 
 in church, either ! That little one actually be- 
 gan to laugh when my book fell down on the 
 floor in the midst of the prayer ! " 
 
 " Sad, sad ! What will she grow up like ! " 
 
 " A scandal to the Church, madame ! " 
 
 Elsie began to feel very hot and uncomfortable at
 
 viil] MADAME TREGU/RE'S SOIREE. 105 
 
 having her friend abused ; and as she was a loyal little 
 girl, she did not like to sit there without bearing 
 testimony in her favour. She looked up with crim- 
 son cheeks and great shy brown eyes, and said in 
 the best French she could master for the occasion, 
 " Pardon, madame, but I heard what you said, 
 and indeed it is not true. The lace on Lilie's and 
 Ninie's frocks belonged to their great-grandmother, 
 and Madame Dulaurier's hair had to be cut short 
 because she had a fever, and she scolded Ninie 
 for laughing, and " 
 
 Many thanks for your information, made- 
 moiselle," said one of the ladies ; and they looked 
 at one another and laughed. Elsie felt very hot 
 and very small, and shrank back into herself. The 
 ladies talked lower, but looked at her as they did 
 so ; and she was aware that she herself was coming 
 under the lash of their criticism. Her white muslin 
 frock, made high to the throat, with a blue sash 
 and blue neck-ribbon, would have disarmed criticism 
 in England by its simplicity ; but it was pronounced 
 by Elsie's critics very indecorous to expose the 
 shoulders through the thin material ; and then those 
 tails of ribbon, just as if she wished some one to
 
 io6 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 catch her by them ! Elsie stood this fire for some 
 time, but at last she touched Madame Regnier, 
 and asked piteously to be allowed to go upstairs 
 to sit with Herve. Madame Regnier thought that 
 she found the room too warm, and consented ; and 
 Elsie, much relieved, made her way up the dark 
 staircase to the pleasant little room where Herve 
 was sitting under the lamp with a book. 
 
 " They talked about Madame Dulaurier and my 
 tails of ribbon ! " she said indignantly. " They said 
 such things! If they had learnt their Catechism, 
 they would know they had to keep their tongues 
 from evil-speaking, lying and slandering," said Elsie, 
 relapsing into English in her wrath. 
 
 " The world is wicked, Meess Elsi. All we can 
 do is not to join in its evil ways," said Herve. 
 
 " Herve, when you are bigger do you mean to 
 give up going to church ? " said Elsie, abruptly. 
 
 " No," said Herve, very decidedly, and a light 
 came into his eyes which positively illumined his 
 ugly face. " Do you not know, Meess Elsie ? I 
 am to be a priest." 
 
 "A priest?" said Elsie in wonder, and in some 
 disappointment. " A Roman Catholic priest ? "
 
 vill.] MAD A ME TRRG UIRE 'S SOIREE. 1 07 
 
 " Catholic, of course." 
 
 " But then," said Elsie, " you will never be able 
 to marry, or have any little boys and girls. Now, 
 if you were a Protestant you could." 
 
 " Then I should not be a Catholic priest, Meess 
 Elsi. It is much nobler to devote oneself wholly 
 to the service of God than to be half one thing 
 and half the other, like the worthy ministers of 
 Protestantism." 
 
 " But what will you have to care about then ? " 
 said Elsie. 
 
 " My work," said Herve. " Do you know what I 
 should like, Meess Elsi ? I should like to go to 
 preach in China or in Japan, and there to gain the 
 crown of martyrdom, if such an honour were 
 permitted to me." 
 
 " But there are no martyrs now," said Elsie. 
 
 " Yes, in our Church. The world scoffs at such 
 things, I know ; once when I first went to school, and 
 we had to write a theme upon glory, I wrote that 
 the most illustrious glory was the glory of the 
 martyr; and the boys, without my knowledge, 
 pinned a paper to my coat, on which was written 
 ' Saintc Hervee, Vierge-Martyre! '"
 
 108 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 Elsie burst out laughing, but Herve only smiled 
 with a benign sort of regret for his companions' folly. 
 
 " Were you angry ? " said the girl. 
 
 " A little. It is not easy always to restrain the 
 impulses of the flesh, especially when they all 
 surrounded me and cried ' Sainte Hervee, priez 
 pour nous ! ' and especially when some began to 
 prick me with pins, which I did not like. But at 
 that moment the master perceived what they were 
 doing, and would have punished them, but that I 
 thought it would be the best joke to turn the tables 
 upon them, and begged that nothing might be 
 done. Thus I was able to laugh at them in return, 
 and to say : ' Eh bien, messieurs, fai prie pour 
 vous ! ' " 
 
 "That was good of you, Herve!" 
 
 " It was my little joke, mademoiselle, and it 
 served well ; for, after that, when any of them 
 called me Sainte Hervee, Bruno Noel took my 
 part ; and as he is stronger and bigger than any 
 boy of his age in the class, they respect him. But 
 after another year I am to go to the seminary, 
 where 1 hope there will be more religion than 
 there is at our school."
 
 viii.] MADAME TREGUIRE'S SOIREE* 109 
 
 " I don't think," said Elsie musingly, " that I 
 should mind being a martyr so much, if they would 
 only kill me without torturing me." 
 
 Herve laughed. "You could not be a martyr if 
 you tried, Meess Elsi. You are not a Catholic." 
 
 " We have had martyrs, too — lots of them ! " said 
 Elsie. 
 
 " You cannot be a martyr without the right 
 religion. Your religion was founded by a wicked 
 king, who had six wives all at one time, Meess 
 Elsi!" 
 
 Poor Elsie was so dumbfoundered by this accusa- 
 tion that she forgot to dispute the accuracy of its 
 historical statement ; and when Madame Regnier 
 came upstairs she found the two deep in ecclesi- 
 astical polemics, upon which she sent the young 
 controversialists both to bed, there to forget their 
 controversies in healthful sleep.
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE DOCTOR'S INVITATION. 
 
 " This world's no blot for us, 
 Nor blank: it means intensely, and means good ; 
 To find its meaning is my meat and drink." 
 
 Browning. 
 
 " The English demoiselle has need to speak to you, 
 madame," said Pauline the bonne in her high- 
 pitched voice, some four years after Elsie's first 
 introduction to Paris. 
 
 " Bring her in here, then," said Madame Treguire, 
 who was sitting in her boudoir-bedroom at work, 
 while Bruno, seated at a tall secretary, was busy 
 with an algebraic problem. 
 
 Elizabeth Gracedevv at sixteen was much what 
 Elizabeth Gracedew had been at twelve. She was 
 taller and more womanly; but she was still a bright, 
 sweet simple child, and no Parisian airs could ever 
 be brought to sit upon that frank open forehead
 
 chap, ix.] THE DOCTOR'S INVITATION. in 
 
 and merry mouth. She was one of the straight- 
 forward English girls who puzzle Frenchmen with 
 their absence of coquetry, or of personal feeling in 
 their intercourse with young men ; and Elsie be- 
 haved to Bruno Noel, or Herve Regnier, or even 
 that worthy, but dull youth, Leon Dulaurier, very 
 much as though she were a boy herself: without 
 coyness or shyness, but with a sort of freemasonry 
 of friendliness which called for belief and trust. 
 
 " Good morning, madame," said the girl, looking 
 with her frank candid eyes into Madame Treguire's 
 face. " Good morning, Bruno, I have brought a 
 note from grandpapa for you, and ever so many 
 messages from Ralph to enforce it. Now, you will 
 come, won't you, this time ? We shall have such 
 fun at Brynscombe ! " 
 
 The letter — written in fairly grammatical, but 
 stiff French, with imperfects in ois instead of ais, 
 looking as if the writer possessed more acquaint- 
 ance with Pascal and Moliere than with Hugo or 
 Balzac — contained an invitation from the Doctor 
 to Madame Treguire to spend the holidays at 
 Brynscombe, and to bring Bruno with her. True 
 to his belief that mother and son ought to see
 
 ii2 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 each other from time to time, he had made several 
 endeavours to get Madame Treguire and Bruno to 
 visit him at Middlebury ; he did not like Horace 
 Noel's manner of life sufficiently to care to throw 
 Ralph in his way by sending him again to Paris ; 
 but as yet he had never succeeded. One summer, 
 Madame Treguire did not wish to disturb Bruno's 
 studies, as he was trying for a prize ; the next 
 she had promised to spend with friends at Fontaine- 
 bleau ; and even now, if it had not so happened 
 that Bruno was in the room, some other excuse 
 might have been found for declining the invitation. 
 Bruno, however, sprang up from his work and knelt 
 down by Madame Treguire's side to read the letter, 
 while Elsie said : " We have never spent the holi- 
 days at Brynscombe yet ; grandpapa has promised 
 it before, but there has always been something to 
 prevent it. Last year they were putting a new 
 roof on the house, and the year before there was 
 scarlet fever in the village ; but this year there is 
 nothing to prevent it, and it will be so delightful ! 
 Madame, you must come ! " 
 
 "O mamma, you will say yes?" said Bruno, 
 eagerly. " It is what I should like above all things,
 
 IX.] THE DOCTOR'S INVITATION. 113 
 
 and there can be nothing against it ? Say yes 
 then, mamma ! " 
 
 It was not easy to refuse anything to that bright- 
 faced lad, with his eager imploring eyes ; but 
 Madame Treguire only said doubtfully, " There are 
 many things to be considered, Bruno. I will talk 
 to Horace about it. Thank you, mademoiselle, for 
 your goodness in bringing me the letter." 
 
 " I am so glad, at least, that you are on our side,' 
 said Elsie to Bruno. " Ralph will like so much to see 
 you again ; he always makes me tell him all about 
 you when I go home. I am sure you will persuade 
 Madame Treguire to come. Good-bye ! " 
 
 " Now, mamma, tell me what objection you can 
 have," said Bruno playfully. " See, I have never 
 travelled ; it would be a great advantage to me ; 
 besides which I am half English, and I ought to 
 visit the country of my mother." 
 
 Madame Treguire looked as if she were going to 
 say something, but did not. After a little pause she 
 said, " Your father may wish for your society in the 
 holidays." 
 
 "Now, mamma, pardon me, but is that likely? 
 When does he take any notice of my existence 
 vol 1. 1
 
 H4 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 whatever, unless it is to give me a ticket for the 
 play when he does not know what else to do with 
 it ? If he took me about with him as M. Dulaurier 
 did Leon when he was my age there might be 
 something in what you say ; but as it is, he would 
 be quite as happy without me. And you never 
 encourage my going with him on the rare occasions 
 when he suggests it." 
 
 " No ; I do not think his companions are suitable 
 for a young boy." 
 
 " Well, mamma, I never find much pleasure in their 
 society ; but that makes my case all the stronger. 
 You cannot have any reason for refusing this ; 
 and you will see Ralph. Why do you hesitate 
 so much ? " 
 
 " Well, we will see," said Madame Treguire ; " go 
 back to your work now, my boy." 
 
 Horace Noel happened just then to be at home. She 
 took the letter and went over into his room ; he was 
 lying on the sofa smoking. 
 
 " What has happened, my little sister ? " he said, 
 with an amused look at her face. " You have a 
 disturbed air." 
 
 " I do not know what to do. The little Gracedew
 
 ix.] THE DOCTOR'S INVITATION. 115 
 
 has brought an invitation from Ralph's guardian 
 desiring me to bring Bruno and spend the holidays at 
 Brynscombe. Bruno was there ; he is wild to go." 
 
 " Go then, by all means." 
 
 " I do not wish to go. Cannot you imagine some 
 excuse ? Should I send Bruno without me ?" 
 
 " The worthy Doctor will not imagine your ma- 
 ternal feelings very strong." 
 
 " I do not care." 
 
 " You had better care, my sister. You must guard 
 against making people think that you are indifferent 
 to that boy. Come, it is needful to make a small 
 sacrifice. Will not the sight of Bruno's pleasure 
 repay you ? " he added with his ironical smile. 
 
 "You never feel for me at all, Horace!" said 
 Madame Treguire with angry tears in her eyes. 
 
 " I do not feel that you are greatly to be pitied for 
 having to spend a month or so in a beautiful chateau 
 by the sea in the summer season, Eugenie. It will be 
 excellent for your health, my friend ; and in fact I 
 think it is absolutely necessary that you should go. 
 I need say no more." 
 
 He looked at her meaningly, and she bit her lip and 
 turned away. A passionate woman is no match for
 
 u6 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 an even-tempered man ; and it was not the first time 
 that Horace Noel had coerced his sister into doing 
 what she was unwilling to do by the mere force of his 
 will. She wrote to Dr. Gracedew that day, accepting 
 his invitation in terms of no extraordinary gratitude. 
 Perhaps she thought that Bruno's delight was 
 enough for both. 
 
 Meanwhile Elsie had made her way into the garden, 
 where the two Dulaurier girls were spending their 
 hour of recreation, while their mother sat at the win- 
 dow to watch them. Lilie was hardly altered from 
 what she had been before, except that a more con- 
 firmed air of ill-health rested upon her stooping 
 figure and sallow face ; but Ninie had blossomed 
 out into the full beauty of quinze ans, the very 
 prettiest age for a French girl, as often the plainest 
 for an English one. 
 
 And a very lovely creature the pastor's little 
 daughter had become. Ninie was not very tall, 
 but lithe and slender, with the daintiest possible 
 figure, and that exquisite sort of complexion which 
 the French poem describes as pale et ponrtant rose ; 
 eyes of dark dewy brightness edged with long 
 curling lashes, marked slender eyebrows, silky hair,
 
 i x. ] THE DOCTOR'S IN VITA TION. 1 1 7 
 
 and a dainty way of moving and speaking, which 
 of all girlish attractions is the most irresistible. 
 Elsie, who had an eye for beauty, admired her 
 little friend with a girl's undisguised admiration ; 
 and Ninie was quite ready to accept admiration from 
 Elsie and Lilie when she could not get it else- 
 where. Certainly Ninie's beauty went a long way 
 in excusing various deficiencies in her character 
 that might otherwise have appeared more clearly 
 than they did. 
 
 Poor little Ninie ! She was fifteen, and she had 
 all the world before her ; and it was such a pretty 
 tempting world, and she had such a lovely little face 
 to attract it, and such intense enjoyment of admira- 
 tion and social pleasure. Perhaps it was hard upon 
 her that she was born the daughter of a Protestant 
 pastor, and yet within sight of all the frivolities of 
 Paris. She could not walk with her mother in the 
 Champs Elysees, or stroll with her father into the 
 Bois, without a feeling of intense envy of the smart 
 ladies who rolled by in their smart carriages, and 
 a longing to share their brilliant and joyous lot. 
 (Poor things, it was often far from being as enviable 
 as innocent Ninie Dulaurier thought it ! ) A soiree
 
 u8 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 at Madame Treguire's was the greatest festivity, a 
 gathering of Sunday schools the gayest occasion of 
 Ninie's experience. Concerts, and still more dances, 
 were considered by the pastor to be frivolous snares 
 for attracting young souls from the right path ; and 
 even if any one had proved to him the innocence 
 of any especial amusement, there was to him an 
 unanswerable objection behind : it would "scandalize 
 the congregation." So that Ninie had few congenial 
 girlish amusements such as might possibly have called 
 her thoughts off herself; and that self occupied a 
 very large portion of the available space of her 
 little heart. If the pastor's slippers were put out 
 for him when he came in after a long fatiguing 
 tramp about the streets of Paris ; if the glass and 
 silver were clear and bright for meals, and the 
 flowers in the window watered and shaded, it was 
 not Ninie who had to do with these things. It was 
 poor sickly stupid Lilie, who, with much less mother 
 wit than her sister, no health, no beauty, and a very 
 humble opinion of herself, managed to oil the family 
 wheels and to make everything run smoothly and 
 without friction. 
 
 On this occasion Elsie came to her friends full
 
 ix.] THE DOCTOR'S INVITATION. 
 
 119 
 
 of her own anticipations. Lilie listened and sympa- 
 thized ; Ninie said nothing, but her pretty lips went 
 out in a pout, and her dark eyes filled with tears. 
 At last she threw down her work in a pet. 
 
 "What is the matter, my sister? Are you ill ? " 
 said Lilie. 
 
 " No ! but it is really too bad. Here is Elsie with 
 holidays every year, going about and enjoying her- 
 self: and now she is going to spend the summer in 
 a beautiful chateau by the sea, while we have to 
 stay here all through the summer, and never go 
 away at all. I hate it ; it provokes me ! " and Ninie 
 stamped her pretty foot on the ground. 
 
 " Let us be contented, my sister," said Lilie ; " we 
 have many blessings to be thankful for." 
 
 "Yes, I dare say. You are always preaching 
 about being contented. She is always preaching, 
 is she not, Elsie ?" 
 
 " Why shouldn't she, if she likes ? " said the 
 English girl, who was apt to stand up for Lilie. 
 
 " I don't like it ; and I won't be contented be- 
 cause she says I ought to be ! " 
 
 " Very well, my sister," said Lilie, without the 
 least vexation ; " then we will change the subject
 
 i2o RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 What a fine crop of gourds Madame Treguire will 
 have this year, v/ill she not ? What large leaves 
 hey have ! " 
 
 Ninie and Elsie both laughed, and Ninie's little 
 ebullition of temper passed off. Lilie did not mind 
 being laughed at, though she was often at a loss to 
 understand what she had said to call out her com- 
 panions' amusement ; but she was too svveet-natured 
 to resent anything personal to herself. 
 
 That same evening Herve Regnier had leave from 
 the master of the Jesuit seminary, which he now at- 
 tended, to visit his mother ; and as he walked up the 
 Boulevard he came across Bruno Noel. These two 
 lads were still glad to get a little of one another's- 
 company, though the different influences at work 
 upon them were making their minds diverge more 
 than either at present suspected. Regnier was the good 
 boy of the Jesuit seminary ; not so clever as many 
 of his companions, but good and conscientious, with 
 more reality and less sentiment about his goodness 
 than was common in the hotbed system under which 
 he was educated. He was rather priggish, perhaps ; 
 but then Bruno had the same tendency in these days. 
 Bruno had it in him to be the most popular boy in
 
 ix.] THE DOCTOR'S INVITATION. 121 
 
 the school, if he had chosen ; but whether it was from 
 the touch of priggishness in him, or from the fact 
 that he could find no sympathy for the visions which 
 filled his mind among his somewhat commonplace 
 companions, he led a rather isolated life, and had 
 never found any friend to replace Regnier. 
 
 " Regnier, do you know that I am going to 
 England for the holidays ? " 
 
 " Indeed ? " 
 
 "Yes ; to my cousin Ralph's chateau with mamma. 
 Will it not be charming ? " 
 
 " No doubt it will. You will turn into an English- 
 man under its attractions, mon cher" said Regnier, a 
 little wistfully. He still felt a little pang of jealousy 
 respecting Noel's English cousin. 
 
 " Never, Regnier," said Bruno. " I glory in my 
 birthright as a Frenchman. France leads the van of 
 the civilization of the world, and nothing could make 
 me wish to forsake her." 
 
 Regnier had little sense of humour, and it never 
 occurred to him to smile at his friend's patriotic 
 grandiloquence. 
 
 " Yes, we are both of us happy in being born 
 Frenchmen," he said ; " but I wish, Noel, you knew
 
 122 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. ix. 
 
 as I do what it is to be the member of a greater 
 organization than that of France — the Catholic 
 Church." 
 
 " Pardon, Regnier, but you really do bore me a 
 little when you try to convert me. Let us drop that 
 subject and talk of something else." 
 
 Herve obediently did as he was told, though his 
 conscience smote him all the evening for striking his 
 colours. But when Bruno refused to listen to 
 his moral exhortations, what other course could he 
 take ?
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 BRYNSCOMBE. 
 
 " Beside the river's wooded reach, 
 
 The fortress and the mountain ridge, 
 The cataract flashing from the bridge, 
 The breaker breaking on the beach." 
 
 In Memoriam. 
 
 " We must call you Mrs. Treguire now, not 
 Madame, must we not ? You are an Englishwoman 
 at your son's home." 
 
 The speaker was Dr. Gracedew, and the place 
 was the old-fashioned Brynscombe barouche, which 
 was conveying Madame Treguire, the Doctor, Bruno, 
 Elsie and Ralph, from the distant railway station to 
 Ralph's home. 
 
 " I have not much to do with my son's home," said 
 Madame Treguire shortly. 
 
 Certainly she was a difficult woman to get on with. 
 She always gave you the impression of preparing for 
 defence. Her eyes looked you full in the face, with a
 
 124 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 half watchful, half defiant look. You would have 
 said that there was no tenderness in her nature if you 
 had not seen her look at Bruno. Dr. Gracedew put 
 her down as a remarkable instance in the human race 
 of the brute instinct of motherhood, which makes 
 cats and dogs, robbed of their own young, adopt into 
 their love the young of other animals. It really was 
 too bad of Treguire, he said to himself, to interfere 
 with the course of such very strong maternal affec- 
 tion as Eugenie Treguire's ; though it might have 
 led to difficulties in Ralph's education, it was a 
 pity to oust him from his proper place in his 
 mother's heart. 
 
 Well, it was no use thinking of that now. It 
 was pleasanter to look at Elsie's fresh face and brown 
 eyes, full of gay girlish enjoyment, as she looked out 
 eagerly for the first glimpse of the sea between the 
 green, ferny hills. 
 
 " There it is ! " she cried joyously. 
 
 " Ralph's house ? " said Bruno. 
 
 " No, the sea." 
 
 " I am sure we had enough of the sea last night," 
 said Madame Treguire, who had not proved herself a 
 good sailor.
 
 x.] BRYNSCOMBE. 125 
 
 "Oh," said Elsie, "but there is nothing pretty or 
 poetical in being on the sea in a steamer ; but when 
 you see it like this it is so different. Look, Bruno, is 
 it not lovely ? " 
 
 " Now Elsie will find somebody to join in her 
 raptures, Bruno," said Ralph, leaning over from the 
 box and laughing down at Elsie. " That sweet gush 
 is a thing I never know how to respond to ; do I, 
 Elsie ? " 
 
 " No ; you are always very stupid," said Elsie, 
 laughing back, her merry eyes full of fun. It was 
 pleasant to see the way these two understood one 
 another; they were always chaffing each other in a 
 frank, family manner, but it never occurred to either 
 to feel hurt by anything the other might choose to 
 say. 
 
 An hour's drive up and down wooded hills, and 
 then, after a long ascent, they came to the top of one 
 which seemed to slope straight down into the sea. 
 Half-way down its furthest side stood a grey stone 
 house, tinted dark with wind and rain ; a few trees 
 stood about it, but not enough to take off the bleak 
 appearance of the situation, and these were stunted 
 with the sea wind.
 
 126 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 " That is Brynscombe," said Ralph, pointing to it 
 with pride. 
 
 " That ? How affreusement desolate ! And where 
 is the village ? " said Madame Treguire. 
 
 " Down below, in the valley. It does not look so 
 dreary when you get there," said Dr. Gracedew. 
 
 "Oh, grandpapa, you don't call it dreary?" said 
 Elsie, indignantly. 
 
 "A little so, from this aspect, my dear." 
 
 Here the carriage turned sharp round to the left, 
 and rolled along a fairly smooth, but rather perilous 
 road overhanging the steep green slope, which ended 
 some thirty feet below in a precipitous cliff. Madame 
 Treguire grew giddy and shut her eyes. Elsie looked 
 down delighted into the misty blue water below. 
 They drove round the projecting hill-side, and came to 
 the stone gateway, with the Treguire griffins upon the 
 posts, and through this they entered a sheltered court 
 within a high wall, with a smooth grass-plot and a 
 sun-dial. The house looked dreary enough from this 
 side ; there was no architectural beauty to make up 
 for its bareness and bleakness, and most of the 
 window blinds were down. Madame Treguire seemed 
 to find some sort of consolation in the ugliness of the
 
 x.] BRYNSCOMBE. 
 
 127 
 
 place as she entered the hall, which was panelled 
 with dark wood, dim and sombre, and by no means 
 suitable to the taste of the proprietor of the white 
 and gold salon in Boulevard N. Through the hall, 
 however, they passed into a bright room with the sun 
 shining into its western windows, and Ralph led the 
 way to the window, where he drew up the blind. 
 
 " There, mother, you did not think it was as pretty 
 as that, did you ?" he said with boyish pride. 
 
 And truly the scene was curiously changed. The 
 windows did not face the sea, but looked sideways to 
 it, so that only the end of the little bay below with 
 its edge of wild rocks came into the landscape ; from 
 it the ground sloped away into a wooded valley, with 
 rich green pastures and shady woods, and a little 
 tumbling mountain stream glittering through them 
 on its way to the sea. On the other side, the hills 
 rose up steeply into green crests and purple peaks, 
 glorified by the tender mist that always floats over a 
 west-country landscape. " Mais cest magnifiq2te ! " 
 said Bruno, gazing as if he could never gaze enough. 
 
 " What do you think of it ?" said Elsie to the 
 French lady. 
 
 "A beautiful landscape," said Madame Treguire,
 
 128 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 in a distrait manner : she was looking at the room 
 rather than the landscape. " Is this the only salon, 
 Ralph ? It strikes me as small." 
 
 " Oh no ; this is what they call the little drawing- 
 room," said Ralph. " The other is not used now ; all 
 the chairs and sofas are dressed up in sheets. But if 
 you like to see it, here goes!" And he threw open 
 the folding doors, and displayed a long dark room 
 some fifty feet by thirty, full of mirrors and marble 
 tables, and swathed furniture. " Look at the stupid 
 place !" he said. "Who would ever sit there when there 
 was this jolly little room to be used !" 
 
 " But, Ralph, that room is quite beautiful ! Quite 
 perfect for a large reception," said his mother. " Re- 
 gard the mirrors, and the space ! When you marry, 
 what reuniojis your wife will be able to give here !" 
 
 " Oh, when I marry I'm sure I won't marry anybody 
 who'll want to give parties," said the schoolboy. " I 
 know what I'll do with it when it's mine, grandpapa : 
 I'll turn it into a skating rink ! Wouldn't it be awful 
 fun, Elsie ? We'd have skating going on here all the 
 year round." 
 
 All this while Bruno was looking out of the window 
 absolutely lost in admiration. It was the first beau-
 
 x.] BRYNSCOMBE. 129 
 
 tiful scenery he had ever beheld, and it stirred the 
 boy's susceptible heart so that he could hardly have 
 spoken if he had tried. When Elsie had conducted 
 Madame Treguire upstairs to her room, and the 
 Doctor had gone out in the hall to talk to Purvis the 
 butler, his reverie was interrupted by Ralph's hand 
 on his shoulder, and his voice saying, " Well, old 
 fellow, don't you think it's a jolly place on the 
 whole ? " 
 
 "Jolly? Glorious, magnificent; I never saw any- 
 thing like it. You are a lucky fellow, Ralph." 
 
 " Oh, you mean because it's mine ? I was only think- 
 ing of it as a place to spend the holidays in. But 
 it is very jolly to think it's one's own, too, though I 
 don't like to say that, because it sounds as if a fellow 
 was bragging." 
 
 " I don't suppose you are given to bragging," said 
 Bruno, looking at his cousin's bright, honest face, and 
 smiling. 
 
 " No ; I'm too wise. When first I went to Marl- 
 borough I remember I said something idiotic, and 
 made rather an ass of myself, and Winterton pitched 
 into me like fun for it, so I never did it again. I don't 
 
 like fellows that brag, myself." 
 
 K
 
 130 RALPH AND BRUNO. [CHAP. 
 
 " Bruno," said Elsie, breaking in upon the conver- 
 sation, " Madame Treguire says, if you will go up to 
 her she will give you your keys." 
 
 Bruno found his aunt standing by the window look- 
 ing out, as he had done, upon the view into the valley. 
 
 She turned sharply round as he came in. " How 
 would you like to own this place instead of Ralph ? " 
 she said, looking at him keenly. 
 
 " Oh, I should have no objection," said Bruno, lightly. 
 " It is a lovely place ; — look there at the light on that 
 purple hill. If it were only in France, instead of in 
 England, I should have lost my heart to it altogether, 
 mamma." 
 
 " If my husband had lived, Bruno, I should have 
 been mistress here. Now I am nobody." 
 
 " Poor mamma ! But never mind ; you know I 
 should have had no one to look after me if you had 
 not come and lived with papa, and all your heart 
 would have gone to Ralph, and he would have had 
 you and his inheritance too. That would not have 
 been fair." 
 
 It was not easy to. discover the slightest symptom 
 of envy or jealousy in Bruno's tone ; and as his 
 mother's expression of face caught his eye, he kissed
 
 x.J BRYNSCOMBE. 13 r 
 
 her with the demonstrative affection of the French 
 boy. 
 
 " Come now, mamma clear, console yourself. It 
 would be very good if you were mistress here, as you 
 ought to be ; but it cannot be now, and you must not 
 let that make you unhappy. When I am a great man 
 I will buy a house and estate in France, even more 
 beautiful than this, and you shall be mistress there. 
 At present let us enjoy ourselves." 
 
 That was the beginning of a month to which 
 Ralph, Bruno, and Elsie looked back with delight for 
 the rest of their lives. The weather favoured them : 
 it was gloriously bright and warm, and day followed 
 day in perfect enjoyment to these young folks. They 
 were old enough to feel that they were happy, and 
 young enough to be perfectly unconscious and care- 
 less of the future. Long expeditions on shore - and 
 hills — whortleberry and blackberry-picking, trout- 
 fishing in the noisy little stream, or lazily rowing about 
 the quiet blue bay to pick up the fish-lines which had 
 been set over-night, and to find upon them all sorts of 
 sea-treasures floated up from the other side of the 
 world, more interesting than the eatable spoil which 
 was their original object — all these were marvellously 
 
 K 2
 
 132 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 charming to these children, who had not yet quite left 
 their childhood behind them. Ralph and Elsie were 
 at all times happy in each other's company ; but Bruno 
 was a novel element of pleasure to them. He entered 
 into their pursuits with more zest than either ; he left 
 his French schoolboy priggishness behind him, and 
 turned into a natural, merry lad, vivacious and original, 
 and highly entertaining to his companions. He learnt 
 to use his arms and legs in rowing and climbing, was 
 chivalrously respectful, and always anxious to assist 
 Elsie, who was quite as good a climber as he was, and 
 kept up a perpetual merriment among them by his 
 amusing remarks and his boyish wit. He was much 
 the cleverest of the three, and Ralph and Elsie en- 
 joyed his company very much, and expressed their 
 wonder to each other that a French boy should be so 
 jolly and so easy to get on with. Certainly, he was 
 the life and soul of the party in these days. 
 
 There was one thing, however, which Bruno could 
 not endure. This was the Sunday morning service 
 at Brynscombe Church, which the Doctor told him 
 plainly that he expected him to attend with them. If 
 Madame Treguire had a headache on Sunday morn- 
 ings, that was her affair. Bruno could plead no such
 
 x.] BRYNSCOMBE. 
 
 13: 
 
 excuse. Accordingly every Sunday morning he found 
 himself accompanying Ralph, Elsie, and the Doctor 
 to the little stuffy, old-fashioned church, where the 
 service was conducted by a mumbling old rector of 
 seventy-five, and a sharp-voiced clerk who spoke the 
 broadest West-country dialect, according to the most 
 approved style in vogue sixty years before. 
 
 On the second Sunday, after witnessing this per- 
 formance for two weary hours of a sunny August 
 day, Bruno could restrain himself no longer, and 
 when he came out of church said, "Pardon me, 
 monsieur, but will you tell me what is the good of 
 our undergoing this infliction ? What is there edifying 
 in your church service ? Why should you not wor- 
 ship in the temple of Nature rather ?" 
 
 " Poor Bruno ! I am afraid it is something of an 
 infliction for you," said the Doctor, smiling. 
 
 " I should not care so much if you made me read a 
 sermon, or listen to prayers in the house," said Bruno ; 
 " but to sit for hours in that hot, close church, which 
 you have to reach by walking a mile and a half in the 
 hot sun ! — " 
 
 " That is trying in this weather, no doubt," said the 
 Doctor ; " but though we might get our devotions
 
 134 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 without these hardships, I do not think we should get 
 the lesson of brotherhood which our public worship 
 teaches us." 
 
 " Brotherhood ? La fraternite?" said Bruno, with 
 quick interest and questioning in his voice. 
 
 "Yes. I don't like the word 'fraternity' in 
 English ; it is not true English, and it sounds 
 clap-trap. But to me our weekly public worship 
 is a weekly avowal of the fact of our brotherhood 
 with those whom in our present state of civilization 
 we meet on no other ground. The poor, for instance, 
 and those whom we do not come across in ordinary 
 social intercourse." 
 
 " But in France we meet them on other ground 
 — on the ground of politics, of international assist- 
 ance, of the solidarity of humanity," said Bruno. 
 
 Ralph looked at Elsie, and gasped at this some- 
 what ostentatiously ; but Bruno was too eager to 
 heed. 
 
 "But you build without a foundation if you act 
 upon the principle of brotherhood without demon- 
 strating the link that makes men brothers — their 
 common Father and their common home," said the 
 Doctor gravely.
 
 x ] BR YNSCOMBE. 1 35 
 
 Bruno knit his brows to consider this remark, 
 but he was interrupted by Ralph : " There, now 
 you have done enough philosophizing for the pre- 
 sent, Bruno. I never knew such a fellow as you. 
 Leave the solidarity of international politics alone, 
 and come round with me by Barnes Wood, to see 
 if any of those Painted Ladies are about to-day. 
 I saw such a beauty yesterday, but I could not 
 catch it." 
 
 " All right," said Bruno ; and the two lads went 
 off together after their butterflies, leaving Dr. Grace- 
 dew to ponder over the precociously active mind of 
 the French boy, and to wonder what his future 
 would be. 
 
 The days went on, with gay merriment and fun 
 and now and then touches of deeper thought, which 
 Bruno seemed to find congenial to his mind, and 
 which brought from him ideas and sayings which 
 showed the Doctor that, young as he was, he had 
 already begun to think. But all things must draw to 
 an end, and so did these pleasant holidays. The 
 English and French schools, which the two boys 
 attended, severally claimed their prey. Ralph endured 
 the prospect with fair equanimity, because he was
 
 136 RALPH AND BRUNO. [CHAP. 
 
 very happy at school, and Bruno because he was 
 eager about a certain prize which was to be given 
 in the following winter, and which he meant to win. 
 But still they counted with lingering affection these 
 last days of the holidays, even though the weather 
 was unkind enough to break up before they turned 
 their backs upon Brynscombe. 
 
 Madame Treguire, though she had not been an 
 acquisition to the society of the Gracedews, had 
 proved herself very harmless. She had held aloof 
 from all the expeditions which the others had 
 taken, saying that she preferred to stroll about the 
 park by herself. She did not look well or happy ; 
 but she refused all the Doctor's kindly-meant offers 
 to prescribe for her headaches, and shut herself up 
 a good deal in her own room when the others were 
 noisily merry downstairs. She made no advances 
 towards intimacy with Ralph ; in fact, she took 
 very little notice of the boy, who did not break 
 his heart, being always ill at ease when he had 
 to talk to his mother. The natural relation be- 
 tween them, once broken, did not seem inclined to 
 right itself by artificial means. 
 
 The day before they were to leave Brynscombe it
 
 x.] BRYNSCOMBE. 137 
 
 had been arranged that all the party should go for 
 a sailing excursion to Warden Island, a little rocky- 
 point of land about six miles off. However, when 
 the clay came the weather looked so uncertain that 
 Dr. Gracedew, who was careful of his little grand- 
 daughter, decided that Elsie must stay at home. 
 It would do the boys no harm if they got wet 
 through with rain or sea-water, but a girl was more 
 precious stuff. " You pay the penalty of your worth, 
 little woman : — 
 
 " Her 'prentice han' she tried on man, 
 And then she made the lasses, O ! " 
 
 laughed the Doctor, by way of comforting poor 
 Elsie, who looked rather sad at the prospect of 
 spending this last day alone with Madame Treguire, 
 whom she was somewhat afraid of still. 
 
 Poor child, the dreariness of this day surpassed 
 all her expectations. She never found Madame 
 Treguire very easy to get on with ; she sat with 
 her work in the drawing-room, and tried to make 
 talk virtuously without evoking much response. 
 Madame Treguire thought "la petite Gracedew" 
 brusque, English and uninteresting, and was at 
 times most unnecessarily alarmed lest her friendly
 
 i 3 8 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 "bonne camaraderie" should attract Bruno to fall in 
 love with her when she was a little older. After 
 various attempts at conversation, poor Elsie was 
 so snubbed that she took refuge in David 
 Copperfield. 
 
 Towards noon the wind began to rise, notwith- 
 standing that Dr. Gracedew had been assured that 
 the weather would be fine, and in the afternoon it 
 blew a gale. Elsie began to look anxious, found 
 Dickens insufficient to occupy her thoughts, and 
 remained standing in that corner of the drawing- 
 room window from which she could see the water 
 with its white breakers. Old Purvis, the butler, 
 came in with considerable perturbation in his coun- 
 tenance, and pronounced that it was right down 
 dangerous for any boat to be out in such a wind 
 on such a coast, and what could Dr. Gracedew 
 have been at to let master Ralph go? Elsie, with 
 a white face, pronounced vehement assurances that 
 she knew they were all right ; but as soon as Purvis 
 had gone, she hid her face in her hands and began 
 to cry silently. She hoped that Madame Treguire 
 did not know of the danger : but her hopes were 
 ill-founded. Before she knew that the Frenchwoman
 
 x.] BRYNSCOMBE. 139 
 
 was in the room, she felt her shoulder gript with a 
 fierce grasp, and she looked up. 
 
 " Are they in danger ? " said Madame Treguire 
 fiercely. 
 
 " 1 don't know," said Elsie in a low voice. 
 
 " You do, little menteuse ! You know they are : 
 and I wish to know what right your grandfather 
 had to take my boy away from me ? " 
 
 " Grandpapa loves Ralph as much as you do. 
 He would not take him into needless danger if he 
 could help it," said Elsie in indignation, shaking 
 herself free of the gripping hand. 
 
 " Ralph ! " said Madame Treguire in a tone that 
 Elsie could not understand. It was a low utterance 
 of the name, but to Elsie it sounded rather like 
 sarcasm than anguish. But then Elsie never could 
 understand Madame Treguire : the simple English 
 maiden had so little in common with the complex- 
 natured Frenchwoman. 
 
 However, it was plain even to Elsie that Madame 
 Treguire was in a violent passion of anger and terror 
 combined, and hardly knew what she said. Perhaps, 
 she thought afterwards, Madame Treguire was jea- 
 lous because she was so much with Ralph, and so
 
 140 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 much more to him than his mother was. She tried 
 to soothe her in a sensible and commonplace way. 
 " Old Sam is very careful : they are sure to have 
 put ashore somewhere before the gale grew so bad. 
 Indeed, madame, I am sure they are safe," she added 
 in a faltering tone ; for, brave as her words were, 
 Elsie was thoroughly alarmed herself. 
 
 Madame Treguire only said "Petite sotte!" and 
 continued to walk up and down the room. Then 
 she opened the folding doors of the long saloon, 
 and shut them after her. Elsie heard her walking 
 up and down within, but did not like to intrude 
 upon her grief. If she had, she would have thought 
 that terror had driven the woman out of her mind ; 
 for Eugenie was walking from one piece of furniture 
 to the other, uncovering corners to gloat her eyes 
 upon the rich upholstery which somehow seemed 
 to appeal to her heart in a way incomprehensible 
 to most people, and muttering to herself in whispers 
 the while. Eugenie Treguire was a passionate 
 woman, and a strong emotion made control almost 
 impossible to her. 
 
 The hours passed on heavily enough — more 
 heavily to Madame Treguire, perhaps, than to
 
 x.] BRYNSCOMBE. 141 
 
 Elsie, who went up to her own room and said her 
 innocent girlish prayers for the safety of those she 
 loved, and found comfort there for herself. But 
 at last, when it was getting dusk, and the wind was 
 blowing great guns, and all the air seemed to be 
 one great noise of storm and tempest, wheels drove 
 up into the walled court. Elsie rushed downstairs 
 in wild suspense, opened the door before Purvis 
 could reach it, and rushed upon her grandfather, 
 who composedly descended from the carriage, 
 followed by Ralph and Bruno, full of spirits and 
 very hungry. 
 
 " I hope you have got some dinner ready for us, 
 Elsie," said Ralph. 
 
 " I hope you have not been frightened, my dear," 
 said Dr. Gracedew at the same moment. 
 
 " O grandpapa ! " said Elsie, with difficulty 
 restraining a hysterical burst of tears, "we have 
 been so frightened all day ! " 
 
 "Poor little thing!" said her grandfather patting 
 her shoulder ; " I was nowhere near a telegraph 
 office or I would have tried to let you know. We 
 were in rather a bad plight at one time, Elsie, for 
 we had to take down our sail and trust to our oars,
 
 142 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. x. 
 
 and we could not make much head against the 
 wind ; but providentially a steamer came by and 
 took us on board, and carried us on to Ullacombe, 
 where we got out and drove home. But the boys 
 will tell you the rest of their adventures over their 
 dinner." 
 
 Madame Treguire did not appear at dinner : the 
 day's excitement had given her a bad headache. 
 Possibly three of the four there present enjoyed 
 themselves all the more for her absence. How 
 merry they were, and what jokes they had that 
 evening! and how "grandpapa" enjoyed the young 
 folks' fun ! They did not heed the howling of the 
 storm or the wind now : they were all together, 
 all happy in the frolicsome merriment of their 
 youth. " We shall meet again another summer and 
 have plenty of holidays like these, I hope," said 
 Ralph to Bruno as they went up to bed, a little 
 saddened with the consciousness that this was the 
 end of the happy month. 
 
 But the delight of those early days — their free, 
 unconstrained, childish pleasure — never came back 
 to them again.
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 GOSSIP. 
 
 " Was there no mystic virtue in the sense 
 That joined your boyish girlish innocence ? " 
 
 Clough. 
 
 Madame TreguIRE, Bruno and Elsie, returned to 
 Paris in due course of time ; the months passed 
 quietly by, and at Christmas, as usual, Dr. Gracedew 
 came over to Paris and fetched Elsie back aerain 
 for her holidays. She had never spent more than 
 six months, as yet, without a sight of home, Ralph, 
 and grandpapa to solace her. Hitherto she had 
 been a child, and Dr. Gracedew had had no diffi- 
 culties in arranging les convenances for her; but this 
 winter it suddenly flashed upon him that Elsie was 
 growing up. She was just upon seventeen, emerging 
 from girlhood into maidenhood ; and though she 
 was simple, and even childish in some things, she
 
 144 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 was a tall girl, and looked more like a woman 
 than a child. 
 
 Somehow, by some fatality, too, this winter was a 
 very gay one in Middlebury. Sometimes there had 
 been hardly any winter gaieties beyond a few state 
 dinner parties, and one or two Christmas trees ; but 
 this year the whole neighbourhood seemed to blos- 
 som into hospitality. Then there was a ball given 
 by the officers of the garrison. Middlebury had of 
 late become a garrison town ; and Ralph, who hated 
 dancing, or thought he did, declared he would not 
 go unless Dr. Gracedew would let Elsie come too to 
 dance with him. Elsie was only too delighted at 
 the thought ; and as her aunt, Mrs. John Gracedew, 
 was going to chaperon her own daughters, it seemed 
 natural that she should be asked to chaperon her 
 niece as well. Accordingly, Miss Elizabeth Grace- 
 dew made her debut in white tarlatan, with a little 
 spray of pink roses in her brown hair ; and though 
 her features were not regular — (her aunt said she 
 was "positively ugly, my dear, with her turned-up 
 nose and her wide mouth ") — yet every one else said 
 afterwards that she looked " the nicest girl there." 
 The dancing brown eyes, the pure, fresh complexion,
 
 xi.] GOSSIP. 
 
 145 
 
 the tall, lithe girlish figure, and the eager intelli- 
 gence of the expression more than counterbalanced 
 the little disadvantages of which Mrs. John Grace- 
 dew made so much ; and Elsie was engaged three 
 or four deep all the evening. Her first ball was 
 a decided success. 
 
 The next day Mrs. John Gracedew called upon 
 the Doctor, and asked to be shown at once into 
 his study. She lived in a small house about five 
 minutes' distance from Bridge Street. There had 
 been a little coolness for two years or so between 
 the Doctor and his daughter-in-law, because he 
 could not see why, now that her girls had finished 
 their education, she should not return to India to 
 her husband. She said that her health would not 
 stand it, and that her Brighton doctor had told 
 her so. He said that he thought differently from 
 the Brighton doctor, and that it was her duty at 
 least to make the experiment. The good Doctor 
 was perhaps a little severe on people who en- 
 couraged invalidism to interfere with their duties. 
 Anyhow, Mrs. John Gracedew thought him very 
 hard upon her. 
 
 But on this occasion she made up her mind that 
 VOL. t. L
 
 1 46 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 "somebody ought to speak;" and she spoke. She 
 entered the study, where the Doctor was studying 
 his microscope. He was making experiments for 
 himself upon Pasteur's theory of germs, and both 
 Ralph and Elsie had become surprisingly at home 
 in the subject during these holidays. He did not 
 look up when his daughter-in-law entered, but the 
 rustle of her dress and her step told him plainly 
 enough who she was, before her thin and rather 
 strident voice sounded in his ears. 
 
 " I called, Dr. Gracedew, to speak to you about 
 our dear little Elsie." 
 
 " Indeed," said the Doctor, relinquishing his 
 microscope with a sigh. 
 
 " Yes ; I thought it was only fair to you to let 
 you know what people say." 
 
 " They can hardly say much harm of the child 
 at present," said Dr. Gracedew, smiling. 
 
 " Perhaps," said his daughter-in-law, " you are 
 not aware that last night she danced eight dances 
 with Ralph Treguire." 
 
 "Very likely. Ralph got me to let her go to 
 the ball as a partner for him." 
 
 " Well, people are beginning to talk. They say
 
 xi.] GOSSIP. 147 
 
 that you throw her in his way because you wish 
 her to be Mrs. Treguire of Brynscombe." 
 
 " Very kind of them, I am sure," said the Doctor, 
 drily. 
 
 " But, my dear Dr. Gracedew, you surely do not 
 wish such things to be said ? Besides, if you are 
 callous about the world's opinion yourself, you 
 should take care for that poor motherless child's 
 sake. You would not wish her to suffer from your 
 eccentricity." 
 
 " People can hardly visit my supposed designs 
 upon her, I imagine," said Dr. Gracedew, a little 
 less calmly than usual. Mrs. John Gracedew was 
 right in saying Elsie was a motherless child, he 
 thought to himself. This conventional nonsense 
 might harm her as it would not harm a girl under 
 a mother's charge. 
 
 " No ; but they will say that she would not 
 object to your views on her behalf." 
 
 " Nonsense, Louisa ! " said the Doctor, now really 
 stirred into wrath ; " the world is not so idiotic as 
 that. A girl and boy of sixteen — why, they are 
 just like brother and sister." 
 
 " They are not brother and sister, you see," said 
 
 L 2
 
 H8 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 Mrs. John Gracedew. " Of course, my dear Doctor, 
 I know you have no views of the sort ; but it 
 seems a pity that you should let people attribute 
 such motives to you." 
 
 " I don't care twopence what motives they attri- 
 bute to me," said the Doctor, bluntly. 
 
 " But you are sure — you do not think she has 
 any girlish liking for the boy ? Because, if so, I 
 will take every opportunity of contradicting the 
 rumour." 
 
 " I should be much more gratified if you would 
 leave the child's name alone altogether," said the 
 Doctor. " I don't want her talked about, nor 
 notions put into her head. Besides " 
 
 There he stopped, for he had never spoken to 
 anyone at Middlebury about his special anxiety 
 regarding Ralph, and the hereditary tendencies 
 which he believed him to possess. 
 
 " Of course, I only spoke out of consideration 
 for you," said his daughter-in-law. 
 
 " Thank you," said the Doctor, quietly. This 
 ended the interview. 
 
 But he did not return to his microscope. He sat 
 on in his arm-chair, deep in thought. He was
 
 xi.] GOSSIP. 
 
 149 
 
 not alarmed about the probability of any love 
 passages between Ralph and Elsie. Ralph was 
 a mere boy still, not inclined to sentiment ; but 
 Mrs. John Gracedew's words had brought plainly 
 before him the need of guardianship for a young 
 girl like Elsie, unless he wished her to "get talked 
 about," as women say. The Doctor had never had 
 to chaperon anyone in the course of his life. He 
 had never had a sister nor a daughter, and he 
 habitually thought little of Mrs. Grundy. But now 
 that Elsie was growing up, things were changing. 
 As Louisa Gracedew had remarked, Ralph and 
 Elsie were not brother and sister, and both must 
 find it out some day. Neither had discovered it 
 yet. They had all their old memories of childhood 
 together from the time when Ralph, a little tired, 
 sleepy boy, had been brought into Elsie's nursery, 
 and she had then and there stood by and seen 
 him fed with her own bread and milk, till now, 
 when the girl had acquiesced in giving him all the 
 dances he asked for, to spare his boyish shyness 
 in asking other and less familiar partners. Per- 
 haps these two were even more demonstratively 
 affectionate than most real brothers and sisters.
 
 ISO RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 Even now they kissed naturally at meeting and 
 parting. Some day, soon, they would have to 
 break oft" the habit, now that Elsie was grown into 
 a young lady. Ralph was always calling to her to 
 share his employments, to help him in his work, 
 to look out Greek words in his Liddell and Scott, 
 to set his insects for him ; and Elsie was apt to 
 insist upon his reading all her favourite stories 
 and to criticise every stage of her water-colour 
 drawings. Perhaps this familiar intimacy ought to 
 end now ; perhaps, as " that woman " had sug- 
 gested, it might be bad for Elsie's future that the 
 world should come to talk about the matter. But 
 how was it to be ended ? And would it be good 
 for either that it should be ended ? It is no slight 
 responsibility, thought the Doctor, to try to break 
 a simple, true-hearted friendship that has grown up 
 with people's lives, and worked itself into their 
 very being. Neither Ralph nor Elsie had any 
 brothers or sisters who could supply the place 
 which each took in the other's affection. If he did 
 this, would there not be a worse result than a 
 heartache for both — the loss of the loving, simple 
 confidences which are so wholesome from boy to
 
 xl] GOSS/P. 151 
 
 girl, and from girl to boy ? And yet, it was a 
 fact that they were not brother and sister ; and 
 circumstances, however worthy an imitation of the 
 relationship they might produce, could not make 
 them so in truth. 
 
 Dr. Gracedew was not a man to settle his diffi- 
 culties by an off-hand decision. He put them 
 before himself as candidly as he could, and then, 
 without deciding them one way or another, he 
 put on his great-coat and hat and went off to 
 visit his patients. He came back to luncheon to 
 find Ralph and Elsie, full of fun and merriment, 
 recalling the events of the night before. They 
 were both easily amused, certainly ; but both the 
 girl and the boy might be pardoned for making 
 a good deal of their first ball. When the Doctor 
 came in, they poured it all out into his ear, one 
 capping the other with anecdotes and remarks. 
 They had not seen him before that morning, as 
 Elsie had slept until eleven, and Ralph until 
 twelve. 
 
 " And what sort of a partner did Ralph make, 
 Elsie ? " said the Doctor. 
 
 " Oh, he could dance with me very nicely," said
 
 152 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 Elsie, " because he was humble enough to let me 
 guide him — weren't you, Ralph ? But when he 
 was dancing with that big Miss Robinson, grand- 
 papa " and both of them looked at each other 
 
 and laughed. 
 
 " What happened then ? " 
 
 " She was too much for me," said Ralph, " and 
 I couldn't guide her ; and Captain Dene came 
 whirling up against us, and knocked us both down. 
 Only, happily, we were close by the chairs, and so 
 she only subsided on to one ; and, as Artemus 
 Ward says, ' the ground riz up and struck me.' 
 So, after that, I went to Elsie and put my name 
 down on her card for all the round dances that 
 she was not engaged for ; and we did very well 
 like that, didn't we, Elsie ? " 
 
 " I should think it was hardly fair upon Elsie's 
 other partners," said the Doctor, laughing. 
 
 " Oh, it was much nicer dancing with Ralph," 
 said Elsie, " because I had not any conversation 
 to think of. I don't know how many people I 
 told that I was not really out, but was going back 
 to Paris on the 20th ; and then they talked non- 
 sense, when I said I should not be at the Bracken-
 
 xi.] GOSSIP. 153 
 
 ford ball at Easter. And then, you know, grand- 
 papa, I did not exactly know what to say, because 
 I thought it would not be civil to tell them that 
 they talked rubbish, and, of course, I did not 
 want them to think I believed them. So I 
 thought it was very nice to get Ralph instead." 
 
 " And did your cousins get plenty of dancing 
 too, Elsie?" 
 
 " Not as much as I did, grandpapa ; I never sat 
 out one dance all the time, and they did for ever 
 so many ; and, do you know, I did one thing that 
 I suppose I ought not to have done — Mrs. Blagden 
 laughed so at me ! Captain Dene came up to ask 
 me to dance, and I was engaged to Ralph ; and I 
 saw Laura sitting still, looking bored, so I said I 
 was engaged, but I thought my cousin would very 
 much like to dance, if she would do instead ! So 
 then he said he would dance with her, if I would 
 give him one too ; and so we danced the next 
 Lancers together. And then, Ralph, he said he 
 was awfully jealous of you ! " — and Elsie went into 
 another peal of laughter. " I never heard such 
 nonsense as those officers think it right to talk at 
 a ball."
 
 154 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 So far, at least, Dr. Gracedew could not help 
 being satisfied. There was not the least shadow 
 of consciousness between Elsie and Ralph — nothing 
 but childish affection and innocent delight. If, 
 what he called " nonsense " was not put into Elsie's 
 head, no harm was done. As to the future, Dr. 
 Gracedew had a firm belief, derived from the ex- 
 perience of a lifetime, in the " morrow taking care 
 for the things of itself." If there were a way by 
 which he might do the best for his ward and his 
 grandchild, he believed that he should be able to 
 find it when the right time came ; and meanwhile, 
 Elsie would be safe at Paris, and Ralph at Marl- 
 borough. 
 
 So the Doctor remained at home alone until 
 May ; and, though he often thought over Mrs. 
 John Gracedew's suggestion, he saw no way out of 
 the matter. But in May a solution of the problem 
 offered itself, on this wise. 
 
 Edward Gracedew, Elsie's father, had married 
 into a poor and proud family, by name Redmayne. 
 Bessie Redmayne had insisted upon accepting the 
 young doctor against the wishes of her family, 
 and the only one of them who did not snub the
 
 xi.] GOSSIP. i ss 
 
 aspirant to so lofty a height was her sister Emily, 
 just then herself married to a young colonial em- 
 ploye, Mr. Nevil. Mr. Nevil had risen, step by 
 step, until he had become Governor-General of an 
 important colony, and his wife, who had no 
 children, had more than once offered to take 
 charge of Bessie's little girl, if her grandfather 
 would spare her. But Elsie being the very apple 
 of the Doctor's eye, he had hitherto refused any 
 such offer, as Mrs. Nevil had perhaps expected. 
 He had resented the way in which the Redmaynes 
 had treated his son, and he had no great desire 
 that Elsie should fall under their influence ; but 
 still, when in the May of this year Mrs. Nevil 
 arrived in London, widowed and an invalid, the 
 Doctor made a point of taking the first spare day 
 he could find to run up to town to visit her. Her 
 first words to him were — " Have you brought 
 Bessie's little girl with you ? I did so want to 
 see her ! " 
 
 It was explained that Elsie was receiving her edu- 
 cation in Paris, and Mrs. Nevil then put before the 
 Doctor, quite humbly and very timidly, the request 
 upon which all her hopes were set. She was going
 
 156 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 to Switzerland for the summer, and to Italy for the 
 winter, and would probably pass some years in a 
 continental life for her health's sake. Would Dr. 
 Gracedew let her take Elsie with her ? She would 
 take the greatest care of her ; would give her all 
 the advantages of lessons and of society : she was so 
 lonely, said the poor widow, with tears in her eyes, 
 and she had no one who belonged to her in the 
 world — no English friends even, in consequence of 
 her long colonial residence. Elsie was her only 
 relation, beyond a brother in India, whom she had 
 not seen since his boyhood. Would not Dr. Grace- 
 dew consent, though she knew that she was asking 
 a great deal ? 
 
 She was right in saying that she was. asking a 
 great deal. Dr. Gracedew had comforted himself 
 during the long years of Elsie's exile with thoughts 
 of the delight of her return ; and notwithstanding 
 Mrs. John Gracedew's suggestions, he had never 
 dreamed that anything might prevent her absence 
 from ending when she returned home for good in 
 two months. He had had ideas of possible arrange- 
 ments by which he might take Ralph for some little 
 holiday tour without Elsie ; but he had had no idea
 
 XI.] GOSSIP. 157 
 
 but that Elsie should be established in September 
 as mistress of the house ; that her bright young face 
 would greet him the first thing in the morning, and 
 that her kiss would be upon his cheek the last thing 
 at night.' He was an elderly man, too, though a 
 very hale and healthy one, and there might not be 
 many years for him to enjoy Elsie's society, He 
 said that he could not give Mrs. Nevil an answer at 
 once : he would think about it. He went away to 
 his lodging and thought about it for four con- 
 secutive hours. 
 
 Dr. Gracedew was a very unselfish man, and his 
 unselfishness finally carried the day. After all, it 
 was only his own wishes which weighed down 
 the scale against the plan : Elsie's advantage, the 
 obvious means of diminishing the intimacy between 
 her and Ralph, and the loneliness of poor Mrs. 
 Nevil, were all in the opposite balance. 
 
 "Yes, I suppose it is the right thing to do," he 
 said, lifting himself up with a sensation as if his 
 mental struggle had been a bodily one : " Elsie must 
 go to her aunt ; and as for me, if I am not to have 
 my little girl's society in this world, I must wait a 
 little longer for it, that is all."
 
 158 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. xi. 
 
 Accordingly, next day he called on Mrs. Nevil 
 and told her of his resolve. Elsie should go with 
 her, and he would try to come out to her every 
 year, if he could, to catch a glimpse of his child. 
 Mrs. Nevil hoped that two or three years would 
 be the utmost limit of her absence from England ; 
 after that she might be able to return and to take 
 a house at Middlebury. 
 
 " But after all," said the Doctor, with a ray of 
 hope, " you have not yet seen Elsie, and perhaps 
 you will not like her when you do." 
 
 " I am not afraid," said Mrs. Nevil. " Perhaps, 
 indeed, she may not like to be tied down to live 
 with an invalid ; and then I am sure I will not try 
 to force her inclinations." 
 
 The Doctor could give no answer to this gentle 
 reply. He knew that his bright, eager, helpful little 
 Elsie was in her element when she thought herself 
 of use to anyone, and that she would never think 
 of her own likings in the matter. He had rejoiced 
 in her unselfish nature before; he rejoiced in it still, 
 even though its exercise would deprive him of her 
 society. " However, it is all for the best," he said 
 stanchly, as he went home.
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 GOOD-BYE. 
 
 " I wish and I wish that the spring would go faster, 
 Nor long summer bide so late ; 
 And I could grow on like the foxglove and aster, 
 For some things are ill to wait." — J. Ingelow. 
 
 Elsie awoke on a certain July morning with a 
 choking in her throat and tears in her eyes. It was 
 the last day of her Paris life, and she was very sorry 
 to take leave of it ; people of an affectionate nature 
 must be sorry to bid good-bye to what has become 
 a portion of their life. She lay in a little white- 
 curtained bed that morning thinking of the many 
 happy days she had had at Madame Regnier's, and 
 of all the people who had been so kind to her at 
 Numero 34. The Dulauriers, and Herve, and Bruno, 
 and the many friends whom the little English girl 
 had won — when should she see them all again ? 
 And the dearest of all, Madame Regnier, with her 
 kind face and her gentle voice. Elsie was more
 
 160 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 sorry than she could have believed possible to think 
 that these school-days of hers were at an end. 
 
 Neither was the girl thoroughly at ease about the 
 future. The thought of Switzerland and Italy was 
 very nice ; but this unknown Aunt Emily as her 
 only companion was rather a fearful infliction — 
 almost as bad as going back to school again. 
 And then there would be no Ralph this time ; 
 there would be none of the fun, and frolic, and 
 nonsense which had always made the holidays so 
 enjoyable until now. And grandpapa, too ! He 
 said he wished for this plan himself, so that Elsie 
 could not remonstrate : but she had made so many 
 plans for her life at Middlebury when she left 
 school ! She was to have had a little pony carriage, 
 and then she had intended to embellish the drawing- 
 room, after an idea of her own, with all sorts of 
 contrivances of ferneries and mosscries (if there be 
 such a word) ; and she meant to have worked hard 
 at her drawing, and to have done wonders with her 
 allowance by judicious dressmaking ; and, in fact, she 
 had had all sorts of girlish visions floating in her 
 brain, as they are apt to do at seventeen ; and she 
 had thought that grandpapa would have wanted her !
 
 XII.] GOOD-BYE, ,6i 
 
 " It's not worth crying about if it has to be done, 
 though," she said to herself, winking her eyes briskly 
 as she watched the bright white daylight creeping 
 in through a crevice in the " volets ; " " but I wish 
 — oh, how I wish — I was going to Brynscombe 
 again with Ralph as we did last year ! " 
 
 There was a busy morning of packing, and then 
 an afternoon of good-byes. Madame Regnier was 
 very tearful and melancholy : but she had invited 
 a little party to dinner to make their adieus to her 
 pupil. M. Dulaurier had been invited, but he had 
 been too busy to come : Madame Dulaurier, how- 
 ever, and Lilie and Ninie, and Bruno, and even 
 Herve the seminarist, were to be assembled to bid 
 Elsie good-bye. Dr. Gracedew and Mrs. Nevil 
 were to come that evening at eight o'clock, and 
 during the next day Elsie would have little time 
 for her old friends, 
 
 By four o'clock, when the heat of the day began 
 to go off, all Elsie's work was done, and she made 
 her way into the little salon where the sound of 
 Madame Regnier's rejoicing tones told her that 
 Herve had arrived for his afternoon's holiday. He 
 was still stunted, ugly, and withal sweet-faced and 
 
 vol. I. M
 
 162 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 gentle-spoken as in the days of his childhood. His 
 face brightened at the sight of " Meess Elsie," for, 
 notwithstanding their theological arguments, the 
 two were warm friends. 
 
 " I am so glad to be able to say good-bye to 
 you, Herve," said Elsie in her frank English voice. 
 " I should not have liked to slip away without 
 saying good-bye to all my friends." 
 
 " And I am also glad, though sorry too, Meess 
 Elsie. My mother will miss you very much." 
 
 " She ought to be glad to have no naughty 
 English girl to worry her," said Elsie, looking up 
 lovingly into the kind little woman's face. 
 
 "Ah, do not let us talk of it now. When you 
 are gone I shall weep, Elsie, but I do not want to 
 weep while Herve is here." 
 
 " I wonder whether you and I will ever meet in 
 the future, Herve, when we are both grown up," 
 said Elsie musingly. " Perhaps you will be a great 
 preacher at Notre Dame, and I shall come to listen 
 to your sermon." 
 
 " Perhaps in the Madeleine," said Madame Regnier, 
 with a proud smile at her son. 
 
 " No, no, Herve, you must not preach in the
 
 xii.] GOOD-BYE. 163 
 
 Madeleine ; it is such an ugly old heathen church. 
 Preach in Saint Eustache or Notre Dame," said Elsie. 
 " I hope that when Mademoiselle comes to hear 
 me I shall have the pleasure of preaching to a good 
 Catholic," said Herve smiling. 
 
 "No, don't let us begin an argument now," said 
 Elsie ; " I am not in an arguing mood, Herve. Let 
 us have one of our nice old talks : I see you so 
 seldom now that you are a seminarist. Do you 
 still hold to your old plans that you used to tell 
 me about?" 
 
 " I think I used to tell you nonsense that no 
 human being could expect to carry out," said Herve, 
 smiling and reddening a little : " but in the main my 
 purpose holds, Meess Elsie. My mother agrees with 
 me that I should not be wrong to offer myself to 
 the service of the Church, as I have always hoped 
 to do. We Catholics are happy, Meess Elsie, in 
 having such an object of veneration within our reach 
 to which we can devote our lives and our energies." 
 
 " I dare say," said Elsie : " but do you mean to 
 be a cure, or a monk, or what do you mean to do ? " 
 
 " That will be for my directors to settle," said 
 Herve: "whatever they decide I shall follow. It is 
 
 M 2
 
 1 64 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 thus that we are taught to annihilate self, Meess Elsie, 
 and to give ourselves up freely to the service of God." 
 " But do you mean that you will have no voice 
 in the matter if they send you to Kamtschatka or 
 to Central Africa or to the Grande Chartreuse ? " 
 said Elsie. 
 
 " They are not likely to send me to the Grande 
 Chartreuse," said Herve : " but if they did, I should 
 certainly go. With the Divine aid, nothing is im- 
 possible." 
 
 " And with the fervent faith of a Catholic, my 
 son," added his mother, as an afterthought for Elsie's 
 benefit. 
 
 " All Catholics have not faith as fervent as they 
 should have, my mother. I myself am of weak 
 faith, I regret to say," said Regnier with that can- 
 did simplicity which was part of his character, and 
 which Elsie never quite knew whether to venerate 
 or laugh at. She ended by doing both in a kind 
 of compromise. 
 
 " You should not say that before la petite" said 
 his mother reproachfully. " She will think it is the 
 fault of our system and not of your soul, Herve, 
 though, after all, I know many people who call
 
 xii.] GOOD-BYE. 165 
 
 themselves fervent and who are not at all as good 
 as you, my son." 
 
 " Don't distress yourself, madame dear," said 
 Elsie fondly, laying her hand on Madame Regnier's : 
 " I know Herve is humble enough to say anything 
 bad of himself that he does not deserve. But would 
 you really let him go out to those missions that 
 he used to talk about, where the missionaries die 
 by hundreds, and no one hears of them any more ? " 
 
 " Do not let us talk of it, my child," said Madame 
 Regnier with a shudder. "If it comes, perhaps I 
 may have strength to endure it, or I may die first ; 
 or, again, it may not come at all. Who knows but 
 that Herve may be . a popular preacher in Notre 
 Dame as you suggested, Elsie, and that the Emperor 
 and Empress may go to hear him, and that he may 
 have the privilege of teaching the Empress her 
 duty with regard to setting the Court a good example 
 as regards dress and such things. Madame Schultz, 
 the dressmaker of Madame Treguire, informs me 
 that the court dresses are now so decolletes as to be 
 quite shocking." 
 
 'Thanks, my mother," said Herve smiling; "but 
 I do not think it will ever be my role to preach to
 
 1 66 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 fine ladies. I shall never be eloquent, do what I 
 may. My comrades laugh at me when the recita- 
 tions take place : they say I am so ungraceful in 
 my gestures, and so, doubtless, I am. Neither do 
 I find the art of rhetoric easy to acquire." 
 
 " It is all his humility," whispered his adoring 
 mother to Elsie : but here the conversation was 
 interrupted by a knock at the door, and the en- 
 trance of Bruno Noel. There could hardly be a 
 greater contrast than that between these two French 
 friends, who happened to meet now for the first 
 time for several months. Herve, short, stunted, 
 rather unwholesome looking, with his ugly face 
 and his redeeming expression ; and Bruno, tall, 
 slender, dark, and handsome, with clear-cut noble 
 features and a better set head than most French- 
 men possess, and with the bright dark eyes, the 
 alert look, and the mobile mouth which charac- 
 terize the best specimens of the French nation. 
 
 "Well, mon vieux," said Bruno when he had 
 greeted Madame Regnier and Elsie, sitting down 
 beside Herve, "it is good to catch a sight of you 
 now and then when those cats of Jesuits let you 
 out of their clutches."
 
 ML] GOOD-BYE. 167 
 
 "But I am not a mouse, my friend," said Herve 
 with his contented smile. 
 
 " You are certainly not a kitten : you will never 
 develop teeth and claws, Herve." 
 
 " I hope not to require them. And you, Bruno, 
 you have really begun to study the law?" 
 
 "Si, mon ami. Perhaps I shall be a judge by 
 the time that you are a bishop." 
 
 " Let us hope that it may be before then," said 
 Herve. 
 
 "And when does the bon docteur arrive?" said 
 Bruno to Elsie. 
 
 "To-night. I hope you will be able to see him. 
 He remains in Paris over to-morrow." 
 
 " I hope I shall. He was very kind to me at 
 Brynscombe : I shall never forget his kindness," said 
 Bruno with softened eyes. 
 
 " Ah, Bruno, don't you wish we were going to 
 spend the holidays at Brynscombe again ? Do you 
 remember the day we left the luncheon basket 
 behind, and had to eat whortleberries on Royal 
 Moor ?" 
 
 " I remember that Ralph was not nearly so philo- 
 sophical about it as you and I."
 
 1 68 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 "And who was in charge of you at the time?" 
 said Madame Regnier. 
 
 " No one, madame. We were very happy by 
 ourselves." 
 
 " Ah, these English notions ! They would not 
 do in this country," said the little lady, shaking 
 her head. " Mind, Elsie, you have now been taught 
 what is discreet and convenable, and I look to hear- 
 ing your French friends say of you, ' She is so 
 bien-elevee, she might have been a Frenchwoman!'" 
 
 "No, madame, don't tell her that," said Bruno. 
 " I like a French girl to be French, but an English 
 demoiselle should be English altogether, like Elsie : 
 frank, and — pardon me, mademoiselle — I was going 
 to add, tant soit peu gauche!' 
 
 " She need not be gauche, Monsieur Bruno," said 
 Madame Regnier, a little shocked ; but Elsie and 
 Bruno were upon such terms that they could afford 
 to laugh together at Bruno's plain speaking. " There 
 a little of your own English blood appears, Bruno," 
 said Elsie. 
 
 And then came the Dulauriers ; Leon, the son, 
 who was at Montauban in training for the Protes- 
 tant pastorate, and who eyed the young seminarist
 
 XII.] GOOD-BYE. 169 
 
 somewhat as if he were a tiger in a leash, in a 
 way which was irresistibly ludicrous to Elsie, who 
 knew how very far from tigerish Herve's nature 
 was ; Lilie and Ninie, the latter prettier and daintier 
 than ever ; and their mother, who was really sorry 
 to part with Elsie. M. Dulaurier hoped that Elsie 
 would come and bid him good-bye before she 
 went : they were all fond of the honest little Eng- 
 lish maiden who had come so much into their life 
 for so many years. Ninie and Lilie were divided 
 at dinner by the young seminarist, whom Ninie 
 snubbed unmercifully, half out of dislike of his ugli- 
 ness, and half out of contempt of his creed ; and 
 whom Lilie talked to in her dull, gentle way, be- 
 cause she thought it was her duty. Bruno sat 
 opposite to Ninie, and looked at her all through 
 the meal : she was so pretty that it was impossible 
 to wonder at his doing so. Elsie tried to talk to 
 Leon Dulaurier, but found him, as of old, remark- 
 ably heavy in hand : she thought his mother a 
 much more agreeable companion. In fact, Madame 
 Dulaurier was rather inclined to think that the little 
 English girl would not make a bad wife for Leon 
 when she was a little older. She was not exactly
 
 170 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. xii. 
 
 the stereotyped style of French pastor's wife, but 
 possibly Madame Dulaurier did not like her the 
 less for this. The bon sang in the pastor's wife had 
 to put up with many things she would not have 
 chosen in life had she had her own way. 
 
 After this, one by one, they took leave of Elsie, 
 and said good-bye to her, with kindly speeches 
 and gentle words ; and as they did so she felt as 
 if she were taking leave of her childhood and bidding 
 good-bye to a state of things which could never 
 return again. The future might be bright and 
 happy, but the past had its own special sweetness 
 now that it was orbing into " the perfect star we 
 saw not when we moved therein ; " and Elsie had 
 depth and thoughtfulness enough, even at seven- 
 teen, to feel this. Long afterwards, when she was 
 among far other scenes, the faces of Madame 
 Regnier, and Herve, and Bruno, and Lilie, would 
 come suddenly to her memory out of those old 
 Paris days, and the phrases of their tongue would 
 rise uncalled to her lips. But for all that, the scene 
 was over and the curtain had dropped, and it was 
 time to be thinking about the next act of the 
 drama of life.
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 " LA FRATERNITfi." 
 
 " Having first within his ken, 
 What a man might do with men : 
 And far too glad, in the evenglow, 
 To mix with the world he meant to take 
 Into his hand, he told you, so — 
 And out of it his world to make, 
 To contract or to expand, 
 As he shut or oped his hand. " 
 
 Browning. 
 
 If this story had been bound by the require- 
 ments of those Unities which were at one time 
 considered so exacting in their rather unreasonable 
 demands, it would have expired early in its career. 
 We have to overleap another chasm of four years 
 before we resume the course of its narrative, and 
 the stray picture which we here bring before our 
 readers must be regarded as merely an interlude 
 with no positive bearing on what has already gone 
 by or on what is now coming.
 
 172 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 It is fresh May weather, about seven in the 
 evening. Ralph, at Cambridge, is just now coming 
 in from his boating with a hearty appetite for his 
 dinner. Dr. Gracedew returns from a round of 
 visits among his patients to a rather cheerless 
 home, not without a longing for Elsie's bright 
 face, expressed with a sigh of, " After all, she is 
 happy away, and I am old enough by this time 
 to put up with what I do not like." Elsie, away 
 in Florence, tries to coax Aunt Emily into 
 swallowing a little of the beef- tea which she 
 has carefully prepared for the invalid's taste 
 with her own notable little hands ; and Bruno Noel 
 walks up the Boulevard towards his mother's house 
 with a roll of paper in his hand, and a bright 
 look in his eyes which makes him a pleasant ob- 
 ject to look upon. Let us follow the last-named 
 youth, and see into what these three years have 
 transmuted him. 
 
 Bruno at twenty is a boy no longer. He is a 
 tall young man now, differing considerably in 
 his physique from the usual run of under-sized 
 and weak-muscled young Parisians among whom 
 he lives. He is a well-developed, handsome youth,
 
 xin.] "LA FRATERNITE." 
 
 i/3 
 
 with bright eyes and finely moulded features, and 
 has nothing about him of the Paris dandy — that 
 unwholesome development of humanity whose 
 loftiest notion of pleasure is to sit in the cafes 
 drinking absinthe and criticising the feminine 
 passers-by. Bruno's countenance has a look of lofty 
 absorption and enthusiasm as if life to him were 
 not the mere commonplace matter it is to 
 most people ; and his eyes have that peculiar still 
 shine in them which shows when the mind is in 
 the habit of working outward from itself instead 
 of inward upon itself, and when the things which 
 are external to it possess more interest than its 
 own personal hopes and desires. 
 
 Pure-hearted and unselfish as Bruno Noel was 
 at this period of his life, his thoughts and ideas 
 were nevertheless such as the Doctor would have 
 been little able to sympathise with. In the first 
 place, Bruno was a young Frenchman, and did his 
 thinking in a French groove. He had been educa- 
 ted in practical paganism, as far as his home teach- 
 ing had been concerned ; he had had no religious 
 education at school to counteract it ; and now, at 
 twenty, his attitude towards Christianity was as
 
 174 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 sceptical as that of any of his companions. But 
 whereas with most of them the negation of the 
 supernatural brought all things to a dead level of 
 cynicism, and made their motto " Let us eat and 
 drink, for to-morrow we die," Bruno had found a 
 way out of this in the acceptance of the noble, 
 though unreal and melancholy, theories of Auguste 
 Comte. He was young enough not to feel their 
 unreality or their melancholy at present. Their 
 nobleness or their unselfishness satisfied him, and 
 found an eager response in his own heart ; he 
 dreamed of great achievements for his country, 
 of great deeds done for the human race, of all 
 the golden visions which a boy's enthusiasm 
 could weave out of the " Religion of Humanity." 
 At present the glamour of early youth glorified 
 them, and the cold touch of reality had not dis- 
 enchanted his eyes ; and Bruno gave to his dreams 
 all the eagerness and zest which most young men 
 of his age are wont to spend upon themselves. 
 
 That roll of paper under his arm contained 
 his first attempt at bringing his dreams into ac- 
 tion. Bruno studied law still, but with only half 
 a heart; his desires and his capabilities alike
 
 xiii.] "LA FRATERNITE." 175 
 
 pointed to journalism as his future career. He 
 had the power of writing not only epigrammatically 
 but eloquently, and for some months he had been 
 regularly employed upon the staff of a paper of 
 some note, which was edited by an ex-professor 
 of the Lycee which he had attended. Not con- 
 tent with this, however, he had set his heart 
 upon making a venture of his own ; and his roll 
 of paper contained the first proofs of the little 
 newspaper, La Fraternitc, which was to indoctri- 
 nate the artisans and mechanics of Paris with the 
 true principles of philanthropic Positivism, and to 
 be the first steps of that regeneration of France 
 to which Bruno meant to devote his life. 
 
 "What have you got there, Bruno?" said 
 Madame Regnier languidly as he entered the 
 room. She had grown thin and sallow in these 
 years, and her eyes were dull and heavy; but his 
 presence generally made her brighten up into 
 something like animation. 
 
 " I have got my proofs, mamma. Look at them !" 
 " Why do you not have it printed in better 
 type and on better paper? L 'Empire looked 
 much more attractive," said his aunt.
 
 1 76 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 " Very likely. L 1 Empire was for the rich 
 bourgeois, who could well afford to pay for good 
 type and paper. La Fraternity is for the mechanics 
 and artisans." 
 
 "But you will go on writing for L Empire, 
 will you not, Bruno ? All our friends read your 
 articles when you wrote there, and M. Dulaurier told 
 me that M. Guizot had remarked that you were a 
 young writer of promise. Now, men of mark will 
 never read a miserable little feuilleton like this ; " 
 and she took up the thin crackling paper with 
 its grey half-pressed type, which indeed looked 
 uninviting enough. 
 
 " I do not care to write for mere pcrsifleurs. 
 I wish to persuade people to enter into my views ; 
 and as long as I write in L ] Empire I shall 
 never do that," said the young man. 
 
 " I wish you had not taken up these views of 
 yours, Bruno," said Madame Treguire. Your papa 
 thinks that it is a great pity. They will stand in 
 the way of your career all your life." 
 
 " His views certainly did not stand in the way of 
 his career," said Bruno with some contempt. 
 
 " It is true : Horace was always too idle to bestir
 
 xiii.] "LA FRATERNITE." 177 
 
 himself about anything. But it is really hardly 
 respectable, Bruno, to go about and speak at these 
 Red clubs as you do.- Some day you will get warned 
 by the police." 
 
 " I doubt it, mamma ; they cannot call what- I say 
 sedition. I do not like things as they are, it is true : 
 I hate Emperor and Empire ; but I do not wish 
 things to change at present. Liberty and Equality 
 are preached enough ; but no one has yet preached 
 Fraternity, and unless some one does so we shall 
 have another Terror some day, when the people 
 get the upper hand. No one can but be thankful 
 to me if I preach Fraternity in its right place, the 
 counterpoise to the two other war-cries of the Re- 
 public ! " 
 
 He looked so young and boyish in his enthu- 
 siasm that most people would have smiled to hear 
 him speak ; but Madame Treguire only looked 
 anxious. " But indeed, Bruno, you should preach 
 it to respectable circles through a respectable news- 
 paper — not to otcvriers and such like." 
 
 " Mamma, they would not read a respectable 
 newspaper ; and they are the circles I wish to reach. 
 You talk of respectability," he went on : "I hate 
 
 VOL. I. N
 
 178 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 respectability ; it has been the bane of our bour- 
 geoisie all through this century ! They have refused 
 to strike for their opinions ; they have submitted 
 tamely to the Empire for the sake of their respecta- 
 bility ; and they have kept their respectability, and 
 have lost their liberty in consequence ! Whatever I 
 may be, may Heaven preserve me from respecta- 
 bility." 
 
 As the speaker of this tirade was incontrovertibly 
 an unusually respectable young man, his aunt was not 
 so much shocked by it as a casual hearer might have 
 been. She took up the paper and cast her eye over 
 it. It was not long : it contained a couple of articles 
 by Bruno, a story, after the manner of French news- 
 papers, entitled " Comtesse et Grisette," a few casual 
 notices, and a dozen or so advertisements of Menier's 
 chocolate, and some one else's benzine. Bruno's first 
 venture was a humble-looking affair enough ; but his 
 hopes were elastic enough not to be damped by 
 outside appearances. 
 
 Enter M. Horace Noel, with his usual white ex- 
 panse of waistcoat, about to start with an order for 
 the theatre. 
 
 " Ah, my son ! what have you there ? " he said,
 
 XIII.] "LA FRATERNITE? 179 
 
 advancing to the table and taking up the newspaper 
 sheet that lay upon it. " La Fraternity ! Excellent 
 and instructive to the highest degree ! It reads like 
 an antiquity preserved from the year '89!" And he 
 proceeded to read aloud, pompously, the following 
 opening sentence, giving it exactly the right inflec- 
 tion to turn it into ridicule : " The following pages 
 are dedicated to all — no matter how poor, how little 
 instructed, how weak — who own and who give to 
 others the sacred name of brother. Brother ! It is 
 a holy name ! It has been for ages appropriated by 
 the priest-ridden victims of superstition who have 
 confessed in word what they have denied in act. It 
 remains for us, emancipated from ancient thraldoms, 
 to show the world what true Fraternity is. This is 
 the task of our age." 
 
 " I fear the age will need a stronger arm than 
 yours to flog it to its task, my son," said Horace 
 Noel, with a laughing shrug as he went out. Bruno 
 bit his lip, and opened the window which led out 
 upon the garden terrace. 
 
 " Where are you going ? " said his aunt. 
 
 " I go to smoke a cigar in the air." 
 
 " Walk softly under the windows ; the little Du- 
 
 N 2
 
 i So RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 laurier has been very ill all day. They are to take 
 her to the sea as soon as she is able ; but I doubt 
 when that will be." 
 
 " Which ? " said Bruno. " Not Ninie ? " 
 
 " Ninie ! I should think not. My dear Bruno, 
 have you not heard that Lilie has been out of health 
 for months ? You never hear anything ! " 
 
 " I am very sorry to be so stupid, mamma," said 
 Bruno ; and he stooped down and kissed her as he 
 went out, with the demonstrative instinct of a French 
 youth. Then he sat down on a garden-seat under 
 the window, after carefully noting the way of the 
 wind ; for he was thoughtful enough to watch that 
 the odour of his cigar should not reach the sick- 
 chamber, where the windows were open and the 
 lights were moving about. 
 
 The loveliest time in Paris is after sunset in the 
 early summer, when the air is clear and the sky is 
 gradated from blue to green and from green to gold, 
 and when the nightingales sing in every littie stunted 
 dusty plane and lime in the boulevards and in the 
 gardens of the suburban houses. All the details of 
 whiteness and newness which weary one in full sun- 
 shine lie hidden in rosy grey; the sharp smell of the
 
 xiii.] "LA FRATERNITY 1S1 
 
 dust gives place to the fragrance of the dew, and the 
 full-throated songs of the birds are as sweet as if 
 they sang far away from the ken of man in some 
 primeval wood. Bruno sat in the garden puffing at 
 his cigar, enjoying the quietness and the solitude as 
 few French youths of his age would have done ; but 
 then he was something of a poet, and had his politi- 
 cal visions and his castle-building to occupy him. 
 He thought of his beloved Fraternity and his 
 father's cynical contempt of his hopes. He thought 
 of a poem which he had on hand, entitled " L'Avenir 
 et le Passe," where the Future was represented as 
 a veiled maiden with starry eyes faintly gleaming 
 through her veil, and the Past as the lover who tries 
 to woo her to his embraces. 
 
 "Si tu me touches la main, 
 Ce moment meme je meurs," 
 
 were the words with which he had resolved to end 
 the poem ; and he wished to show in it, not merely 
 the obvious idea that the Future ceases to be the 
 future when it becomes the present and is linked 
 with the past, but also that the golden hopes of the 
 Future must not be sullied by the cold common- 
 place of achieved experience. It was a pretty idea
 
 1 82 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 enough, but somewhat unreal, like most of Bruno's 
 visions, since the experience of the past is the only 
 foundation upon which we can expect to lay a prac- 
 tical superstructure of future improvement; and 
 those who think that the most splendid and glorious 
 future possible to our race is but the result of the 
 greatest event in its past history, do not hold with 
 Bruno's depreciation of the past. 
 
 However, there he sat, spinning his verses and 
 
 smoking his cigar — one of a box which Ralph 
 
 had brought him as a present during a visit which 
 
 he had made to Paris in the Easter vacation ; and 
 
 when he had shaped them to his own satisfaction, 
 
 he went on dreaming in the twilight of the time 
 
 " when man and man, the world o'er, shall brithers 
 
 be for a' that." With no religious discords, thought 
 
 the young Frenchman ; for thought would then be 
 
 emancipated from servile bonds : with no conflicting 
 
 interests, for science would then have taught men 
 
 that the interest of one was the interest of all. 
 
 Liberty without license, pre-eminence without 
 
 jealousy, family life without dissension : poverty 
 
 unknown, sickness casual, education and culture 
 
 universal. The theory of universal philanthropy,
 
 xiii.] "LA FRATERNITY." 183 
 
 thought Bruno to himself, is the theory of the 
 present day only : ought not the future as far to 
 surpass any part of the past as our enlightenment 
 surpasses theirs ? 
 
 Voices in the room above roused him. 
 
 " On what text do you preach to-morrow, 
 papa ? " said a weak, girlish voice, soft and prim, 
 which he recognized as Lilie Dulaurier. She suf- 
 fered [from oppression of breath, and spent much 
 of her time sitting propped with cushions at the 
 open window, when she could not rest lying down. 
 Her father, who was sitting beside her, answered 
 her in the full rich voice which Paris Protestants 
 knew well in his pulpit oratory. 
 
 ' ' By this shall all men know that ye are my 
 disciples, if ye have love one to another.' That 
 is my text. I am going to denounce those viiscr- 
 ablts who would have us believe that atheism 
 invites to the love of humanity more than Chris- 
 tianity," said the pastor. 
 
 ' It is a beautiful text, papa. I wish I could 
 hear your sermon," said the sick girl ; while Bruno, 
 interested by what the pastor had just told her, 
 forgot that he was eaves-dropping, and thought
 
 1 84 RALPH AND BRUXO. [chap. 
 
 that he should rather like to go and hear M. 
 Dulaurier in his chapel on Sunday, — if Bruno 
 could only get him to listen to his arguments 
 against it afterwards ! But as it was hardly likely 
 that a middle-aged Protestant pastor would allow 
 himself to be converted by the argument of a 
 youthful sceptic of twenty, Bruno did not think 
 very seriously of this plan. However, he did long 
 to join battle with the pastor upon what he con- 
 sidered his erroneous notions, and waited eagerly 
 to hear what he was going to say. Would he hear 
 himself denounced as a miserable ? Bruno's in- 
 terest was quickened by the slight- personality 
 involved, and he heard Lilie's gentle voice again 
 after a pause : — 
 
 " But you do not mean to denounce the people 
 themselves, papa ; only their errors, n'est-ce pas ? I 
 suppose we ought not to speak harshly of them, 
 for you know God loves them, even though they 
 do not know it." 
 
 The pastor did not reply. Lilie's idea was not 
 quite congenial to him, though he did not like to 
 controvert it ; and Bruno, who was struck by the 
 girl's words, and listened eagerly for her father's
 
 XIII.] "LA FRATERN1TE." 185 
 
 answer, was disappointed that none came. " That 
 notion will not do for him," he said, moving away, 
 suddenly remembering that he was doing' some- 
 thing like eaves-dropping ; " it is the agreeable 
 way in which amiable young ladies contemplate 
 the universe. The good Doctor at Middlebury 
 holds it, no doubt, but then the English are alto- 
 gether homes in matters of religion, as M. Taine 
 says. No ; there is nothing for it but to shake 
 off all the shackles of the past, and to follow the 
 leadings of science. A religion presque raisonnable 
 will not do for me ! " 
 
 Two months afterwards La Fraternite came to 
 an end, having exhausted its proprietor's purse, and 
 been threatened by the police as seditious ; and a 
 few days later, Lilie Dulaurier was buried in the 
 dreary Neuilly cemetery, with its gravel walks, its 
 railed partitions, its absence of grass, and its 
 general air of neglect and decay. Little plaster 
 images, half soaked into clay by rain, and dirty 
 weather-stained wreaths of immortelles, were the 
 only signs of love and care upon the bare spaces 
 of ground ; and they looked as if they had been 
 for the most part put there when the grief was
 
 1 86 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. xiii. 
 
 fresh, and forgotten when time had healed it. But 
 on Lilie's grave they planted a bed of " muguets," 
 in allusion to their English name ; and if they did 
 not make the square fiat space as pretty and sug- 
 gestive as a grass hillock in an English church- 
 yard, yet there was something suitable and signifi- 
 cant in the fragrant white bells hiding within their 
 broad leaves as an emblem of the quiet, plain, 
 sweet little soul which they commemorated. 
 
 M. Dulaurier and his wife visited Lilie's grave 
 every Sunday ; but it was noticeable that after the 
 first two or three times Ninie shrank from accom- 
 panying them. She did not wish, she said, to re- 
 open the wound of her heart. They did not press 
 her to do so, and thenceforward they went to the 
 cemetery alone.
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 A PASSING VISIT. 
 
 " Les Anglais are for ever on the wing — ■ 
 The condudeur said everybody knew 
 We were descended of the Wandering Jew.'' 
 
 Clough. 
 
 Dr. GRACEDEW received a sudden summons to 
 Mentone in the spring of the fourth year of Elsie's 
 exile. Mrs. Nevil had suddenly failed, and had 
 become so rapidly worse that the Mentone phy- 
 sician thought very seriously of her state, Elsie 
 said. Could grandpapa come to her ? 
 
 " Grandpapa " came at once, and he was not 
 there too soon. Mrs. Nevil had fallen into a state 
 of unconsciousness, and died within twenty-four 
 hours after Dr. Gracedew reached Mentone, and 
 there were only the arrangements for the funeral 
 for him to undertake. Elsie had been very fond 
 of her gentle aunt, and felt her loss much ; but she 
 could not help an undercurrent of gladness in her
 
 1 88 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 heart when the train was actually bearing her to 
 her dear English home — to Middlebury, and Ralph, 
 and the old pleasures of her childhood, Her grand- 
 father would not let her hurry home as she would 
 have liked to do. He thought she had rather over- 
 tasked herself with nursing, and insisted on her 
 staying for a few days in Paris before she went on 
 to England ; and here, of course, Elsie went to see 
 all her old friends. She was quite surprised by 
 the warmth of affection with which Madame Du- 
 laurier greeted her. In former days the pasteur's 
 wife had been kind, but not demonstratively affec- 
 tionate ; but the sight of one who had been Lilie's 
 friend unlocked her heart. She sat for an hour 
 with Elsie's hand in hers, telling her the particu- 
 lars of Lilie's illness, and all the little tender touches 
 which a mother loves to remember about a dead 
 daughter. " Ninie does not like to speak of these 
 things," said Madame Dulaurier with a sigh : " she 
 has missed her sister very much, I know, for they 
 were always together. But it would have been such 
 a comfort to me if we could have talked together 
 of the dear child !" 
 
 " Does not Ninie like to talk to you, then ? "
 
 xiv.] A PASSING VISIT. 189 
 
 " No ; she says it gives her too much pain. I 
 sometimes wish that Ninie could have a thorough 
 change ; it is not well for a young girl to live in 
 a triste house such as this has been since our dear 
 Lilie died. You see, she is but young. She sits in 
 the house and sighs and mopes, and loses her pretty 
 colour ; and then, if there is ever so little gaiety in 
 prospect, she seems to get quite etourdie and wild 
 over it while it lasts. Afterwards I find her sitting 
 alone, doing nothing, as before. We had an offer 
 of marriage for her not long ago from the son of 
 a pasteur in the provinces ; but we would not press 
 her against her inclinations, and Ninie declares that 
 nothing shall induce her to marry a pasteur. Nor 
 do I think that it would be suitable for her to do 
 so. We are not all made alike." 
 
 " Dear madame," said Elsie, " Madame Regnier 
 has promised to come with us for a little visit. 
 Could not Ninie come too, and return when she 
 returns ? I am sure my grandfather would like it 
 very much if she would. He was suggesting it in 
 the train the other day, but we agreed that you 
 and M. Dulaurier would not like to spare Ninie 
 now that she was the only one left to you."
 
 i9o RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 " We shall find our house blank, no doubt ; but 
 if it is for Ninie's good I do not think we shall 
 have the heart to refuse so kind an offer. I would 
 not let her leave me to stay with most of my 
 acquaintance ; but I know you well, and if Madame 
 Regnier is really going with you so as to chaperon 
 her as I should like, there can hardly be any reason 
 against it. It is very kind of you, Elsie, and your 
 dear grandpapa also." 
 
 At this moment Dr. Gracedew entered the room, 
 and Elsie appealed to him. 
 
 " By all means. She will be a nice companion 
 for Elsie while she is settling down into our quiet 
 Middlebury life ; and you have always been so kind 
 to my girl, Madame Dulaurier, that anything I can 
 
 do for yours " 
 
 Madame Dulaurier called her husband from his 
 study, and the plan was discussed in all its bear- 
 ings and finally agreed to. A little later Ninie 
 came in. She had been spending the afternoon at 
 the house of a pasteur's wife where several young 
 people met together to make clothes for the poor, 
 while the pasteur read them a little story of a moral 
 tendency. This was Ninie's most exciting weekly
 
 xiv.] A PASSING VISIT. 191 
 
 gaiety. She was not fond of plain work, but this 
 "reunion," and the small opportunities of gossip it 
 contained, were to her preferable to the dulness of 
 her home. She did not know that the Gracedews 
 were expected, and a bright flush lighted up her 
 cheeks as she saw them, and changed the wearied 
 discontent of her expression into pleasure." 
 
 "Ah, ma fille," said the pasteur, "you do not 
 guess what an invitation we have accepted for you." 
 
 Ninie looked from one to the other in wonder 
 and surprise. 
 
 " What would you say to coming to England 
 with us, Mademoiselle Ninie?" said the Doctor. 
 
 Ninie clapped her hands with a little shriek of 
 delight. "Not really! It is too good to be true!" 
 she said, as she looked inquiringly at her father. 
 
 " Quite true. Dr. Gracedew has been kind enough 
 to invite you to his house for a visit, and your 
 mamma and I think that the change would be 
 good for you. We are glad to give you pleasure, 
 my daughter." 
 
 There was a certain reproachful intonation in M. 
 Dulaurier's voice as he spoke the last words. 
 
 "You are very good, my papa," she said, lifting
 
 192 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 up her face to his for a kiss. Such a pretty face 
 it was ! The exquisitely shaped head was poised 
 on the slender little neck in a way that irresistibly 
 reminded you of the corolla of a flower ; the hair, 
 too, was not fashionably stuffed with pads and 
 horsehair, but lay plaited in smooth, shining braids 
 at the back. French beauty is a good deal rarer 
 than English beauty, but when you find it, it is not 
 less perfect of its kind. 
 
 " This will make it possible for you to accompany 
 me to America, Louise," said M. Dulaurier sud- 
 denly ; " that is, if we shall not be trespassing upon 
 Dr. Gracedew's kindness in leaving Ninie with him 
 for so long." 
 
 Then it appeared that the pasteur was going to 
 a meeting of the Evangelical Alliance held at New 
 York ; that he had wished to take his wife with 
 him to pay a visit to her sister who was settled 
 there, but that they had decided that they could 
 not well leave Ninie behind, and that they could 
 not afford the double expense involved in taking 
 her. Now they would be able to do so, and could 
 call at Middlebury for Ninie on their way back- 
 through England.
 
 xiv.] A PASSING VISIT. ■ i 9: 
 
 Ninie was absolutely wild with pleasure. All 
 the stories she had read of English life, and all 
 that she had heard from Elsie, had conveyed to her 
 mind the idea that English girls had much more 
 fun and frolic than she had ever known. She knew 
 that there would be no theatres or operas in a 
 country-town like Middlebury : theatres and operas 
 were the much desired forbidden fruit in the little 
 Protestant girl's mind, but she knew that it was their 
 absence which made her father look on English 
 country society as so innocuous. But Ninie had 
 heard of dances and garden parties, and croquet and 
 archery, and free and pleasant intercourse with young 
 men ; and Ninie had scarcely ever spoken to a 
 young man except in her mother's presence. The 
 girl went singing about the house for the next few 
 days, as she had never had spirits to do since Lilie's 
 death ; there was a light in her eyes and a flush on 
 her cheeks which gladdened the heart of her parents, 
 who had sometimes fancied that she was not well, 
 and that she might fade from their sight as Lilie had 
 done. " She has been triste and dull all this time, 
 but the change will do everything for her," they 
 said, resigning themselves cheerfully to her absence. 
 
 VOL. I. . O
 
 194 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 Dr. Gracedew went to call on Madame Treguire, 
 whom he thought much altered since he had last 
 seen her at Brynscombe. Nine years ago when he 
 had brought Elsie to Madame Regnier's, Madame 
 Treguire had been a remarkably handsome and 
 well-preserved woman for her years ; now her face 
 was aged and thinned and sharpened so that she 
 looked much older than her real age. Ill health 
 was plainly to be read on the sallow face and the 
 sunken eyes, and there was a restless nervousness 
 about her expression which increased the alteration 
 frpm her former self. She seemed weary and indif- 
 ferent when Dr. Gracedew spoke of Ralph ; she 
 said she hoped he would do well at College and 
 not fall into wild extravagant ways, but there was 
 little symptom of motherly interest in her tone. It 
 was very different from the nervous eagerness with 
 which she spoke when Bruno was the subject of 
 conversation. 
 
 " He is a puzzle to me, Dr. Gracedew," she said : 
 " I do not know how to deal with him. He has 
 taken up these new political ideas, and he runs 
 wild upon them ; and I fear that he should get 
 himself into trouble. Now might I ask you to do
 
 xiv.] A PASSING VISIT. 195 
 
 me a great kindness ? Bruno respects you, he has 
 often told me so ; he does not respect my brother 
 Horace. Could you not say something to persuade 
 him to give these wild notions up, and to live a 
 quiet and easy life like other young men ? He will 
 never range himself in respectable society while 
 he consorts with his present companions ; and if 
 only he would give up politics, and study law 
 his professors have told me that he would be 
 sure to rise. Will you not try to persuade him 
 of this ? " 
 
 " I doubt about my powers of persuasion, but 
 I should like a talk with him very much. Could 
 he come and dine with me and Elsie at Vefour's 
 restaurant to-night at seven ? " 
 
 " Certainly, monsieur. I will tell him, and he 
 shall be sure to come." 
 
 " I wish you would let me prescribe for you, 
 madame. You are not well, I am sure," said Dr. 
 Gracedew, holding her hot tremulous hand in his? 
 and looking at her with kindly, professional eyes. 
 
 " It is nothing, thank you," said Madame Treguire, 
 drawing back into herself so quickly that the Doctor 
 could say nothing more, and took his leave. 
 
 O 2
 
 1 96 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 Bruno came to Vefour's at the appointed time. 
 Dr. Gracedew had set himself and Elsie down at a 
 quiet little white covered table in the recess of the 
 window, and had ordered as recherche a little dinner 
 as he knew how, wishing to do honour to his guest, 
 under the impression that all young Parisians were 
 more or less given to daintiness in food : but Bruno 
 Noel had only a vague appreciation of the Doctor's 
 efforts on his behalf. Ralph would have enjoyed 
 them more, but then he would not have sat at the 
 table as Bruno did with his head poised slightly 
 back, and his knife and fork idle on his plate, re- 
 counting his views of the then state of society in 
 Paris, or at least as much of them as he could 
 before Elsie, and his hopes for its amendment. He 
 had an interested if not always a sympathising 
 listener, and he did not bore either of his hearers. 
 If he had not been conscious that they liked to hear 
 him, Bruno would not have been encouraged to 
 speak as he did. In ordinary society he was apt 
 to sit silent and listen without speaking ; and though 
 he had pleasant manners, he had individuality enough 
 to be known among the other students as " ce clrdle 
 dc Noel" and to undergo a good deal of chaff when
 
 xiv.] A PASSING VISIT. 
 
 197 
 
 he said or did anything not precisely like other 
 people. 
 
 Nevertheless, though all was from his heart, the 
 young enthusiast talked a good deal of nonsense. 
 He told the Gracedews in a tone of firm conviction 
 that the Emperor was widening the streets of Paris, 
 not to improve the city, but to render them capable 
 of being swept clear by cannon ; and that he was 
 paving them with asphalte that there might be no 
 stones to be used in them for a barricade. The 
 Emperor, to Bruno, was at this time an incarnate 
 fiend, of whom any evil might without difficulty 
 be believed, without reaching to the measure of his 
 wickedness. At last the Doctor, seeing that Bruno's 
 vehement speech was attracting the attention of 
 some of his neighbours at adjoining tables, thought 
 it best to change the subject by talking about 
 Ralph. 
 
 " Ah, how I should like to see Ralph again ! " 
 said Bruno. " And he is getting on well at 
 college ? " 
 
 " Better than I could have hoped at one time. 
 You see, he never appreciated the classics very 
 highly : but he always had something of a turn
 
 i 9 3 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 for physical science, and two years ago he took a 
 fancy for dabbling in chemistry, and picking my 
 brains on medico-chemical questions. So I told 
 him I advised him under the circumstances not to 
 think of taking up the ordinary honour examination, 
 but to go in for physical science. I have always 
 thought there was plenty of room in the world for 
 such a thing as a medical squire, who does not I 
 believe exist in the world at present. Think what 
 a man might do by putting all his labourers into 
 the most perfect hygienic condition that could be 
 aimed at by the modern lights of science ? " 
 
 " Experimentum in corpore vili," said Bruno in his 
 French Latin, smiling. 
 
 " Well, be it so. Such an experiment will teach 
 the world more than they have yet learnt, if it does 
 require a little patriarchal treatment to carry it out." 
 
 " And Ralph has really been taking to these 
 scientific studies ? " 
 
 " Yes, he has worked at them as he never 
 worked at anything in his life. I coach him in 
 the vacations, and my only complaint is that he 
 has that paralyzing fortune hung round his neck, 
 so that he cannot make it his profession. He
 
 xiv.] A PASSING VISIT. 
 
 199 
 
 might do well in that some day, but he will never 
 make a name in any other manner, as far as I 
 can foresee. Well, never mind ; he is a dear good 
 old fellow, and I cannot wish him very different 
 from what he is." 
 
 ' I believe you would not be very sorry if 
 Brynscombe were to be submerged by the sea, 
 grandpapa," laughed Elsie ; " you are always 
 wishing Ralph had nothing." 
 
 " For Ralph's sake I should not particularly 
 object. It is not the kingdom of heaven only that 
 is barred by riches ; it is the kingdom of science, 
 literature, art. A rich man is seldom more than 
 a mere dilettante." 
 
 "Ah, I am glad I am not Ralph," said Bruno. 
 
 ' If I were a rich man, my friends among the 
 
 artisans would have little to say to me. Poverty 
 
 gives me my power with them ; they feel that I 
 
 am one of their own class." 
 
 " Surely not really, Bruno," said Elsie, with her 
 English views of social grades. 
 
 " Yes, really, mademoiselle. You cannot re- 
 generate society by beginning from the top ; you 
 must begin from the bottom, and throw in your
 
 2oo RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. xiv. 
 
 lot with the oppressed and the down-trodden, if 
 you wish to ameliorate their condition. That is 
 what I am going to do." 
 
 The bright, frank young face looked so eager, so 
 resolute, so hopeful. How long would its bright- 
 ness and hopefulness last under the pressure of the 
 world and its struggles ? and would his high aims 
 for the benefit of mankind end as his aunt wished, 
 in his leading a "quiet and easy life like other 
 young men ? " Dr. Gracedew did not think it 
 would be for Bruno's advantage if it were so. The 
 Doctor was a Christian, and Bruno was a sceptic ; 
 but the Doctor would not for the world have susr- 
 gested that Bruno should yield to the influence of 
 a lower motive, because the premises of the argu- 
 ment which urged him to the higher one were 
 not those with which he himself agreed.
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 OLD ANXIETIES. 
 
 " All things in order stored, 
 A haunt of ancient peace." 
 
 Tennyson. 
 
 Elsie was naturally a merry and mirthful girl, 
 and for some months past she had been in close 
 attendance upon a suffering invalid. The pressure 
 had been too heavy to be at once removed : she 
 had felt the loss of her aunt, and she had been 
 unusually quiet and depressed for the first part 
 of their homeward journey. But time and change 
 seemed to bring back the natural reaction to the 
 girl's mind ; and on the day on which she was 
 travelling homeward to England she felt so young, 
 so joyous, so light-hearted, that she began to think 
 she must be inexcusably hard to forget dear Aunt 
 Emily so soon. And yet, how could she help it ? 
 Take herself to task as she pleased, the fact re-
 
 202 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 mained that her exile was at an end ; that she was 
 going home to Middlebury, and Middlebury meant 
 grandpapa and Ralph ; and girlish fun, and ease 
 and love all her own once more. Perhaps Elsie 
 was not quite conscious which was the greatest 
 attraction of all. 
 
 This was how Elsie mused, sitting in her corner 
 seat of the carriage, as the train flew over the dull 
 bare plains between Paris and Amiens. Opposite 
 to her was Ninie Dulaurier's pretty face, eager 
 with excitement and pleasure, a perfect picture 
 from the shining hair to the round chin, the fresh 
 lips displaying a lovelier curve parted than shut, 
 and the white silk necktie tied in a dainty bow 
 which nothing could teach Elsie to imitate. Elsie 
 liked to give pleasure, and she had a special 
 tenderness for Ninie as belonging to those childish 
 days, which were now over for ever, connected 
 with her child-friend Lilie Dulaurier, who had in- 
 vested all that belonged to her with that touch 
 of pathos that comes from the thought of "the 
 touch of a vanished hand and the sound of a 
 voice that is still." Elsie was one of those people 
 who are very easily touched by vibrations from
 
 XV.] OLD ANXIETIES. 203 
 
 the past : Ninie seldom felt them. If it had not 
 been for the old associations on Elsie's side, and 
 for the pleasure she was capable of imparting to 
 Ninie, there would have been but little in com- 
 mon between the two. 
 
 The Doctor sat by Elsie's side, and held Trentc 
 et Quarantc open in his hand ; but in reality he 
 was less interested in that inimitably amusing story 
 than in the drama of real life in which he himself 
 was one of the actors. The fact was, that the 
 good Doctor, between his care for Elsie, his care 
 for Ralph, his anxiety not to depress Ralph 
 when he was working hard for his examination, 
 and his sense that he ought not to come back 
 into Elsie's company without knowing of the facts 
 which forbade him to fall in love with her — a 
 catastrophe more likely now, when for four years 
 they had been strangers to each other, than if 
 they had always been on the brother-and-sister 
 footing of their childhood — had been at once over- 
 cautious and over-rash. When he had been sum- 
 moned to Mentone to bring Elsie back, he had 
 written to Ralph to announce the fact, and, at the 
 same time, had almost suddenly resolved that
 
 204 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 Ralph should no longer be kept ignorant of the 
 Treguire history. He had intended not to tell 
 him until he had done with brainwork at Cam- 
 bridge ; but the prospect of Elsie's return pre- 
 cipitated matters, and the Doctor, as gently as he 
 could, put the facts of the case to Ralph in his 
 letter. He did not alarm him about any pros- 
 pect that he would himself have to undergo the 
 Treguire malady. He belonged to the alternate 
 generation which had frequently escaped, and 
 the only point which the Doctor insisted upon 
 strongly was that it was his duty to consider 
 whether, under the circumstances, he was not 
 morally debarred from marriage. He hoped very 
 much that if, as he thought, Ralph was still heart- 
 whole, the matter might not strike him as a 
 severe personal deprivation, and might take shape 
 gradually in his mind as an external circumstance 
 of his life to which he had to conform his wishes, 
 a limit of necessity within whose barrier he must 
 restrain his steps. 
 
 He did not think it strange that he had re- 
 ceived no answer from Ralph. Ralph had written 
 to Elsie, in answer to her letter telling him of her
 
 xv.] OLD ANXIETIES. 205 
 
 aunt's death, and had said, " I don't think I have 
 ever thanked the Doctor for his last letter." This 
 Dr. Gracedew took as a tacit acknowledgment of 
 his advice. He was not surprised at its brevity, 
 for Ralph was not a good letter-writer, and was 
 more reserved by letter than in person. Accord- 
 ingly, he did not mention the subject again. He 
 meant to tell Elsie some time, but he was not 
 sure whether Ralph would not rather mention it 
 himself. Elsie had been his sister-confidante all 
 his life. It might be better to let her hear it at 
 once from him. 
 
 ' I wonder who will win and wear my jewel 
 after all !" here the Doctor's eyes rested lovingly 
 upon Elsie's face. " She is quite as fresh-looking 
 as she was that Christmas time when every one 
 admired her, but she has gained in expression 
 since then. Of course she has no pretensions to 
 be considered a beauty like that pretty little 
 French girl opposite, but it is a face that will 
 wear — a face that husband and children may 
 learn to love and reverence more and more 
 until it attains to the ' clear light upon the 
 holy candlestick — the beauty of the face in ripe
 
 206 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 age.' The son of Sirach was a sceptic generally 
 as to women, but I forgive him much for the sake 
 of that sentence of his. Ah! if poor Ralph were not 
 debarred from ever knowing the blessing of a good 
 wife, could I wish better for my Elsie than the 
 fate I am doing so much to avert from her now ?" 
 
 " Amiens — Amiens ! Dix minutes d'arret ! " shouted 
 the guard, bringing the Doctor's meditations to a 
 conclusion, and immerging all the party in the 
 general crowd round the buffet, anxious to procure 
 soup which might be eaten in time without excori- 
 ating the throat by its heat. Afterwards, when 
 they started again, there was more to be seen from 
 the windows ; and Elsie and her grandfather looked 
 out at the poplar-wooded country with its shining 
 streams, and rejoiced to think how near they were 
 coming to their English home and the English life 
 together, to which both looked forward with such 
 pleasant anticipation. 
 
 Then came the breezy Channel passage, which sent 
 Ninie and Madame Regnier below into the cabin, but 
 which brought fresh roses into Elsie's cheeks and 
 fresh brightness into her eyes. " How glad I am, 
 grandpapa," she said, "to think that I don't belong
 
 xv.] OLD ANXIETIES. 207 
 
 to the Continent, after all. It is so much pleasanter 
 to live on an island, washed round and round day 
 and night with this pure delicious salt freshness." 
 
 "So you have not lost your patriotism yet, 
 young woman ? " 
 
 " O no ! I don't think anyone can who lives long 
 abroad. Every year we used to see the English 
 people rushing abroad, and I used to think that I 
 should only be too thankful to get home and walk 
 with you by the towing-path, instead of constantly 
 going off to fresh places that I had never seen 
 before. When I shut my eyes at night, I used 
 sometimes to try and fancy that Ralph and I were 
 little again, walking home with you by the river, 
 and all the sky and water golden, and the roofs 
 and spires of the town standing out clear and sharp 
 and purple against the sunset. I am sure I never 
 saw anything prettier than that anywhere." 
 
 " Poor little home-sick girl ! It was hard upon 
 you, sending you into exile for so long." 
 
 " Oh, of course it could not be helped. Aunt 
 Emily wanted me, and you could spare me : but I 
 did so wish sometimes you had wanted me, instead 
 grandpapa ! "
 
 208 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 " My dear little woman, I did want you very 
 much indeed : quite as much as you wanted me." 
 
 "Then why — " began Elsie. 
 
 " For one thing : because I did not think I had 
 any right to keep you from that poor lon'ely 
 woman ; and for another, — because I thought that 
 it was a better thing for you to learn discretion 
 under a lady than under a rough old stager 
 like me." 
 
 " Grandpapa ! Was I so very indiscreet in the 
 old days, then ? " said Elsie smiling. " I remember 
 scandalizing Aunt Louisa by dancing all the round 
 dances with Ralph, at my first ball ; but how was I 
 indiscreet otherwise ? " 
 
 " I don't know that you were, little woman ; but 
 you see you had no mother to keep you in check, 
 and I did not want your aunt Louisa to be per- 
 petually talking about your little mistakes all over 
 Middlebury, especially as I should never have 
 found out myself that you were not conforming 
 most rigidly to Mrs. Grundy's laws." 
 
 "And now, I suppose, you consider me perfect in 
 etiquette ? " said Elsie, smiling at him. " Do you 
 know, grandpapa, I am afraid you have made a
 
 xv.] OLD ANXIETIES. 
 
 209 
 
 mistake, after all, if you think I have learnt all the 
 ways that Aunt Louisa thinks correct, for I am 
 afraid her idea of etiquette is very different from 
 poor dear Aunt Emily's. You will have to forgive me 
 if I shock her with my foreign notions even now. 
 By the by, grandpapa, you have told me so very 
 little about Ralph. I suppose he will be back in 
 three weeks or so now, won't he ? " 
 
 " I imagine so," said the Doctor, looking watch- 
 fully at her. If she had dilated with any warmth 
 upon her delight in the prospect of seeing him 
 again, he might have thought that she too needed 
 to know the facts about the Treguire history before 
 she was again thrown into contact with Ralph. 
 But Elsie said nothing ; and the Doctor, wise in 
 much knowledge of his fellow-creatures, was not 
 wise enough to know that this reticence in a girl 
 like Elsie showed exactly the reverse of what he 
 imagined it to do. But then he had had so little 
 experience of girls ; and his wife had certainly never 
 troubled him or puzzled him with reticence on 
 any subject whatever. 
 
 All musings, however, were suddenly dispersed 
 when the Doctor, looking forward in the direction 
 
 VOL. 1. P
 
 210 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 to which they were going, perceived that the white 
 cliffs, green grass, and brown houses of Dover had, 
 while they had been talking, apparently advanced 
 close to the steamer, and that in five minutes more 
 they would be landing. This put an end to all 
 conversation, and produced a hunt for rugs, shawls, 
 bags, and straps, which were only just arranged 
 when they drew up by the side of the pier, happy 
 in that they were not the sport of the unsym- 
 pathizing populace who haunt the pier in the 
 afternoon to gloat over the miseries of their fellow- 
 creatures. 
 
 Madame Regnier and Ninie were brought up- 
 stairs considerably relieved by the conclusion of their 
 voyage, and the remainder of the day was spent in 
 travelling home to Middlebury. It was evening 
 before they reached it, and Elsie's first impulse on 
 reaching the house was to run out through the 
 garden-door and catch sight of the sunset flaming 
 up between spires and chimneys, and reddening the 
 grass and* the flowers in the dear old garden. 
 
 " I do not like the house as well as I thought I 
 should," said Ninie aside to Madame Regnier. 
 " It is so sombre, and the furniture is so old. I
 
 xv.] OLD ANXIETIES. 211 
 
 thought that it would be larger, and finer, like 
 Madame Treguire's salon." 
 
 " Ah, my child, you cannot expect Parisian taste 
 in the English ! " said little Madame Regnier, with 
 a pitying inflection in her voice. 
 
 P 2
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 AN ENGLISH HOME. 
 
 " O fearful heart and troubled brain, 
 Take hope and strength from this, 
 That Nature never hints in vain 
 Nor prophesies amiss." 
 
 Whittier. 
 
 The summer sun was shining in at the breakfast- 
 room window when Dr. Gracedew came in the next 
 morning at eight o'clock. Early as he was, however, 
 some one else had been up before him ; and as he 
 opened the door Elsie came in through the window, 
 bearing in her hands a beauteous bunch of lilies of 
 the valley which she had just gathered for the deco- 
 ration of the table. 
 
 " O grandpapa, you are too early ! I hoped I 
 should have done this, and made the place respect- 
 able before you came to see it ! " said the girl as she 
 stood before him in the sunshine, which lighted up 
 her white half-mourning gown and sunny brown hair.
 
 chap, xvi.] AN ENGLISH HOME. 213 
 
 It was a very sweet rosy face that was lifted up to 
 his for the morning kiss, and there was an unusual 
 solemnity of thankfulness in the Doctor's greeting — 
 " God bless you, my dear ! " instead of the usual 
 good-morning. Elsie liked it ; it seemed to con- 
 secrate the new life which was beginning for her. 
 
 " I told Ninie and Madame Regnier they were not 
 to think of coming down before ten ; they both 
 seemed so tired after their journey. Besides, I 
 thought it would be nice to breakfast with you again 
 as I used to do, only that we want Ralph to make 
 it perfect. Dear old Ralph ! only think that I have 
 not seen him for four years ! I hear the servants 
 coming in to prayers ; shall I get your big Bible ? 
 Here it is, looking just the same as ever — only a 
 little dusty. I suppose Hannah's eyes are getting 
 dim, and she does not see dust as she used 
 to do." 
 
 Elsie's talk was interrupted by the entrance of the 
 three maids and the man who formed the Doctor's 
 establishment ; and the Doctor read prayers in that 
 tone of his, so unconventional, yet so deeply reve- 
 rent, which Elsie said made you join in the prayers 
 whether you felt inclined or not. Then Elsie sat
 
 214 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 down at the head of the table, and poured out a cup 
 of coffee which could not have been surpassed in 
 Paris ; and the unoccupied chairs prepared for 
 Madame Regnier and Ninie were forthwith filled 
 by the two animals of the household — the big tabby 
 cat Michael, and the little black-and tan terrier 
 Carl. 
 
 " And I suppose you will be busy all day seeing 
 all your old parents after your holiday, grandpapa ? 
 It is board-day, too. Now that I am come home I 
 shall look after you, and scold you if you work too 
 hard." 
 
 " Ah, Miss, you will not have the general resource 
 of womankind when they want to condemn men to 
 a course of uselessness — to call in the doctor to 
 frighten them into it ! " 
 
 " No ; but I shall trust to my moral influence." 
 
 " Very well ; I shall trust to mine to counteract 
 yours, and we will see which is the strongest." 
 
 "Ah! a little bird told me that I was very much 
 wanted here, for a certain Doctor very seldom re- 
 membered his meals when he was by himself." 
 
 " That little bird committed the error of drawing 
 an inference from one cr two exceptional cases."
 
 xvi.] AN ENGLISH HOME. 215 
 
 " Very well. I shall watch to see that the one or 
 two exceptional cases do not occur again." 
 
 " And what are you going to do with yourself all 
 dav ? " 
 
 "■ I suppose I must go to see Aunt Louisa some- 
 time this morning, or else I shall be put into her 
 black books for a month. I think I shall go directly 
 after breakfast, which will kill two birds with one 
 stone ; get a disagreeable thing done, and leave me 
 free for Madame Regnier and Ninie when they come 
 down." 
 
 " By the by, I forgot one thing." The Doctor 
 put his hand into his pocket and brought out a 
 cheque for twenty pounds. " There, young woman ; 
 that is to get some new and pretty furniture for your 
 bedroom. I thought you should do it yourself when 
 you came home ; then you could suit your own taste. 
 A lovely maiden should have a lovely bower, you 
 know." 
 
 " An unlovely maiden too, I hope," said Elsie, 
 kissing him ; " what a dear grandpapa you are to 
 have thought of it ! I will take Madame Regnier 
 into my counsels ; it is just the thing she will like. 
 O, how nice it will be ! "
 
 216 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 In another half-hour the Doctor was off in his 
 pony-carriage ; and Elsie, hatted and gloved, was 
 walking down Bridge Street to the little house 
 where Mrs. John Gracedew still lived with her two 
 daughters. The Doctor had hoped that his son 
 John would have been able to come home before 
 now ; but his wife always said that it was out of the 
 question that he should do so until he had made 
 sufficient money to place them in what she con- 
 sidered competence for the rest of her life. 
 
 " Competence, bare competence — not luxury — for 
 me and my dear girls. I feel that it is my duty to 
 take my stand upon tliat" she would say. 
 
 " My good lady," said the Doctor on one occa- 
 sion, waxing wroth, " you know perfectly well that 
 if you were left a widow to-morrow, you and the 
 two girls would have ten thousand pounds between 
 you. 
 
 " And that, Dr. Gracedew, is not what I consider 
 competence ! " cried the lady, in evident displeasure. 
 " It may have been my misfortune to be brought up 
 in another circle and with other ideas than those 
 which you seem to think fitting for me ; but my ideas 
 of competence can hardly be expected to be those
 
 xvi.] AN ENGLISH HOME. 217 
 
 which no doubt I should have had if I had always 
 lived in your sphere ! " 
 
 She intended this to be cutting, but Dr. Gracedevv 
 only laughed. It was a peculiarity of the good 
 Doctor's that while he could get seriously angry 
 on an impersonal cause, anything like a personal 
 insult brought him at once to imperturbable good 
 humour. So well was this known in Middlebury 
 that his coarsest-fibred opponents in civic matters 
 were wont to think twice before making personal 
 attacks upon him, because the good humour of 
 his laughing repartees was apt to make them 
 feel small. 
 
 On this occasion, Elsie rang at her aunt's bell, 
 and was told that the family were at breakfast. 
 Her cousins, good-natured, though rather shallow 
 young women, hearing her voice, at once rushed 
 out to bring her in ; and she was at once brought 
 in to greet Mrs. John Gracedew. 
 
 " How do you do, my dear Elsie ? I am indeed 
 glad to see you, though you are such an early 
 visitor," said her aunt, with a little reproach in her 
 tone. 
 
 " I am sorry to come so early, Aunt Louisa ; but
 
 2i 8 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 I thought that if I came now, I should be able to 
 leave my guests with a clear conscience, because 
 they are not yet up." 
 
 " But it is only your French governess, is it ? " 
 said Fanny, looking puzzled. 
 
 " ' Only ' in that case means a great deal to me," 
 said Elsie, laughing. 
 
 " It is quite right," said Mrs. Gracedew, " to be 
 as particular as possible in civility to those kind of 
 people. I am extremely glad, my dear Elsie, to 
 know that you see your duty so clearly. Nothing 
 is so much against people as to let it appear that 
 one is conscious of social distinction." 
 
 " I don't think I am conscious of any social dis- 
 tinction in this case," said Elsie, much amused. 
 
 " No ; perhaps you are right. Dr. Gracedew's 
 position, of course, is a very humble one, in a 
 social point of view — " 
 
 " I did not mean that," said Elsie, firing up a 
 little ; "I am sure grandpapa is as good as any- 
 body, as far as that goes ; but I meant that 
 Madame Regnier is quite as much a lady as any 
 of us. She happens to be poor, but that makes 
 no difference."
 
 xvi.] AN ENGLISH HOME. 219 
 
 Elsie spoke with some decision, and an implied 
 protest against those plutocrat opinions of Mrs. 
 John Gracedew, which she and her grandfather 
 held in so much abhorrence. 
 
 " Madame Regnier has brought her daughter 
 with her, has she not ? " asked Fanny. 
 
 " She has none," said Elsie ; " Ninie Dulaurier is 
 here, that is all. M. Dulaurier was the Protestant 
 pastor who used to give me Bible lessons on Sun- 
 days," she added. 
 
 " Oh, indeed. I suppose those French Protestants 
 are very worthy sort of people, like our Dissenters. 
 Is the young person come permanently, as a com- 
 panion for you, my dear ? " 
 
 " Oh no, of course not," said Elsie, laughing ; 
 " Ninie is only come to stay with me for two 
 months or so. She lost her only sister a year ago, 
 and has been out of spirits ever since, and we all 
 thought it would be good for her. What should 
 I want with a companion ? " 
 
 "Well, my dear, you are very young to be left 
 alone all day, as Dr. Gracedew must leave you. If 
 he had engaged some older person to live with 
 you and keep up your French, I should have
 
 220 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 thought it a very natural step," said Mrs. John, a 
 little happily. 
 
 " However, Ninie is two years younger than I 
 am, and a great deal prettier, so I am afraid she 
 would be very little use as a chaperon," laughed 
 Elsie. 
 
 " Talking of chaperons," said Laura — the link was 
 not very obvious to any mind but her own — " how 
 is it that you have not come back engaged. 
 Elsie ? " 
 
 " Yes," said Fanny, " you have seen so much 
 society. We all fully thought we should have 
 heard news of some sort about you." 
 
 "You were mistaken, you see," said Elsie, with- 
 out the slightest blush or confusion. " I found 
 that I was very comfortable as I was. No one 
 wished to marry me, and I did not wish to marry 
 anybody : accordingly, here I am, an unpretending 
 spinster, aged twenty-one last birthday." 
 
 " Ah," said Mrs. Gracedew, meaningly, " it is 
 all very well to talk like that. For my part, I 
 always suspect a girl of a previous attachment, 
 if she sees plenty of eligible young men, and 
 fancies none of them."
 
 XVI.] AN ENGLISH HOME. 221 
 
 Perhaps it was the tone and the look, rather 
 than the words, that made Elsie's rosy cheeks 
 flush to a decidedly rosier hue. Perhaps it was 
 merely anger at the impertinence of the attack. 
 Anyhow she answered in a very quiet voice, 
 " People are at liberty to bring- forward any 
 amount of unfounded suspicions, I suppose. I 
 should say they might find better things to do 
 than to trouble themselves about what goes on in 
 the inside of girls' minds ; but if they like to use 
 their ingenuity in that way, I suppose there is 
 nothing to prevent them." 
 
 " You have not seen Ralph Treguire since you 
 left England, I suppose?" said her aunt. 
 
 " No. I suppose I shall find him a good deal 
 altered. Good-bye, I must go," said Elsie, rising, 
 and with difficulty restraining her wrath until the 
 door into the street was shut behind her. 
 
 No one was passing, and Elsie, notwithstanding 
 her mature age, exploded girlishly in a dance of 
 wrath. " I knew that would be it ! I knew they 
 would begin their matrimonial chaff as soon as I 
 got into the house ! If ever I accepted anybody, 
 I do believe it would be because then there would
 
 222 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 be a stop to Aunt Louisa's banter ! As if Ralph 
 and I were not to be friends without the whole 
 world at once taking it into their heads that we 
 were to be engaged ! Dear old Ralph, who is just 
 like my brother ! How I do want to see him 
 again ! How I wonder whether he is changed ; his 
 letters don't read as if he were. How I wish 
 there was another ball coming on, and that he 
 and I might dance eight dances together again ! 
 Oh, how glad I am to be at home again, not- 
 withstanding Aunt Louisa ! " 
 
 Ninie and Madame Regnier had just made their 
 appearance when Elsie came in. " There, madame," 
 said Elsie, kissing the kind little withered face, 
 " you will never believe again that the sun never 
 shines in England, will you ?" 
 
 "The day is beautiful — quite like Paris," said 
 Madame Regnier. "And, my child, how beautiful 
 your flowers are too ! How I wish Herve could 
 be here to see them ! He loves flowers as much 
 as I do." 
 
 " He is at Rome, is he not ? He will get better 
 flowers there," said Elsie. 
 
 " Do they have gardens at the Jesuits' College ? "
 
 XVI.] AN ENGLISH HOME. 223 
 
 said Ninie, drily. Ninie was a very ardent Pro- 
 testant. Her religion was not remarkably percep- 
 tible in its effect upon her daily life, but she hated 
 everything to do with the Roman Church with a 
 hatred which would have satisfied the Rock. 
 Her father and mother, who were by no means 
 bigoted in their own views, agreed that in this 
 respect at least Ninie was perfectly safe, and that 
 Madame Regnier's influence, if she exerted any, 
 would be perfectly innocuous to Ninie's Protes- 
 tantism. 
 
 Madame Regnier went into ecstasies over the 
 coffee and eggs, and all that was on the breakfast- 
 table. She could not have imagined, she said, that 
 such coffee, or such eggs, or such white bread could 
 have been produced in such a country as England. 
 She must go round the house, and Elsie must 
 show her an- English kitchen. She had heard of 
 spits turned by dogs. Did Carl turn the kitchen 
 spit ? and how could such a very small dog have 
 sufficient strength for the work ? Ninie, on the 
 other hand, was all anxiety to see the game of 
 croquet, which figured so much in the English 
 story books she had read. Would Elsie teach her
 
 224 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 to play ? Elsie promised to perform both these 
 conflicting tasks, explaining that Madame Regnier 
 must not expect to see Carl turning the spit on 
 which a great piece of raw rosbif a VAnglaise was 
 hanging, and that Ninie would run some risk of 
 sunstroke if she attempted to play croquet in the 
 full sun between eleven and one. She proposed 
 instead that they should both give their advice as 
 to the spending of the twenty pounds with which 
 her bedroom was to be furnished, and accordingly 
 she and her guests went upstairs to inspect the room. 
 Elsie's bedroom had been her own and Ralph's 
 day-nursery when they were children ; and it had a 
 homelike, nurserv look about it still. There was a 
 high grate with hobs, which reminded Elsie of the 
 bread and milk which used to stand there to sim- 
 mer, and a high fender, which she could remem- 
 ber looking through before she was tall enough to 
 see over it ; and two sunny windows looking out 
 into the garden. Carpet and curtains would have 
 to be bought, and Madame Regnier proposed that 
 they three should be their own upholsterers, so as 
 to make the money go further. Likewise she sug- 
 gested that they should cover the sofa and old arm-
 
 XVI.] AN ENGLISH HOME. 225 
 
 chair with new chintz, and make a cover of 
 the same, French fashion, for the bed. The little 
 woman entered so heartily into these plans, that 
 they were all infected with her eagerness, and set 
 to work, under her directions, that very afternoon. 
 
 Perhaps all this may seem to be a very trivial 
 matter — not worth putting into a story that pro- 
 fesses to tell of the depths of men's and women's 
 lives — but I tell it because these three weeks 
 during which Elsie and her guests were thus em- 
 ployed stood out in Elsie's mind for the rest of 
 her life like the last half hour of serene weather 
 before the clouds begin to darken the sky, or like 
 the end of the bright allegretto movement in a 
 sonata before the minor wail of the adagio. How 
 often afterwards she recollected the light heart 
 with which she stitched at that chintz, with its 
 pattern of green and brown ferns on a white 
 ground ; and the French chattering that went on 
 over it ; and the delightful old traditions which 
 Madame Regnier raked up out of her memory for 
 the benefit of the two girls who sat and listened ! 
 Ninie was happy and amused by the change ; and 
 she was not yet bored by the quiet life they led, 
 VOL. I. q
 
 226 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. xvi. 
 
 and proved herself the nimblest worker of all ; and 
 the Doctor was proud and pleased and happy at 
 having his little Elsie back again. Those were 
 the days when his patients congratulated him on 
 growing younger, rather than older ; and his eyes 
 shone brightly as he replied that it was all from 
 the care his little granddaughter took of him. 
 
 The days lengthened, and the leaves broadened 
 and darkened, and the birds hushed from full song 
 into happy chirpings and trills, as though their 
 domestic cares were adverse to artistic perfection. 
 It was June, and on the 20th of June Ralph was 
 to come home to Middlebury. Elsie found herself 
 counting the days, as she used to do at Paris 
 when it grew near the holidays. She said very 
 little about it, however. Mrs. John Gracedew, or 
 her own heart, had made her conscious so far as 
 caution went ; and, of course, she only cared for 
 Ralph Treguire as a brother
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 RALPH'S RETURN. 
 
 " That is my home of love: if I have ranged, 
 Like him that travels, I return again, 
 Just to the time, not with the time exchanged." 
 , Shakespeare. 
 
 The birds were chirping cheerily in the branches, 
 and the air was blue with the blueness of an 
 English summer morning ; and Elizabeth Gracedew 
 awoke from the sound sleep of her twenty-one 
 years with one thought in her mind — a very 
 pleasant one, as you would gather from her waking 
 smile — " Ralph is coming home to-day ! " 
 
 All that morning she looked brimful of happi- 
 ness ; smiling to herself unconsciously at intervals, 
 and taking little dancing steps instead of walking 
 when she was alone. Ninie laughed at her, and 
 asked her why she put on that air joyeux. 
 
 " Because it is such charming weather," said 
 Elsie. 
 
 Q 2
 
 228 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 " Then I suppose," said Ninie, " that you are 
 always triste when there are fogs ? " 
 
 " Elsie has a contented disposition, which goes 
 for much," said Madame Regnier. 
 
 " It is very easy to be contented when one has 
 all one can desire," said Ninie, rather enviously. 
 
 " Very," said Elsie laughing. " I don't know 
 any human being whom I should wish to change 
 with at present ; so that I can't take much credit 
 to myself for contentment." 
 
 Elsie went out into the garden, and gathered 
 flowers, and arranged them in her French biscuit- 
 vase for Ralph's room. Then she took a look 
 round it, and thought that the old table-cloth 
 looked shabby ; she would replace it with the fresh 
 one bought for her own room. She set the vase 
 in the centre, and fetched some of her own books 
 to fill the little carved bookstand which she had 
 given him for a birthday present years ago : 
 Heine's songs, Ruskin's " Queen of the Air," 
 "The Earthly Paradise," and "The Idylls of the 
 King." She arranged the ornaments on the mantel- 
 piece in a more graceful way, and brought in one 
 or two fresh ones to fill up gaps. " Dear old
 
 xvil] RALPH'S RETURN. 229 
 
 Ralph," she said to herself as she lingered over 
 her task with loving touches, " I hope he will 
 think that there is some good in having a lady 
 in the house to make things look nice. I wonder 
 whether he will get on well with Ninie ? He used 
 to be rather shy with strange girls. However, he 
 can't be shy with her long, she is so pretty and 
 has such pretty ways." 
 
 "Are you coming down to the station with me, 
 Elsie?" said her grandfather, when it drew near 
 the time of Ralph's arrival. " I have to go on to 
 Clover End to see the Dixeys ; but you might as 
 well come with me, and bring Ralph back." 
 
 " Or," said Elsie, fired by a sudden thought, " we 
 might both walk up to Clover End with you. 
 Ralph will have lunched in town, and it is such 
 a lovely afternoon for a walk. Ninie and Madame 
 Regnier have some shopping to do in the town." 
 
 " And can they perform that without your 
 assistance ? " 
 
 " Why, yes, grandpapa ! Ninie talks English as 
 fluently as I do ; it is only her accent that 
 betrays her. * Oh, I have no compunction in letting 
 them do their shopping without me ; besides, they
 
 230 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 shop like Frenchwomen, and take so much time 
 over it ! " 
 
 " Come along, then. The train will be due in 
 ten minutes." 
 
 Elsie was ready in a moment, and she and her 
 grandfather walked down together to the station, 
 which was not far off. A few moments of waiting, 
 and the train steamed up all noise and bustle, 
 and a slight, grey-coated young man sprang out 
 and came up to them." 
 
 " Well, Ralph ! " 
 
 « Well, Elsie ! This is jolly ! " 
 
 This was all the greeting that passed, but eyes 
 and faces said a great deal more ; and when Ralph 
 had rescued his portmanteau from the van, and 
 delivered it into the porter's charge, he gladly 
 hailed Dr. Gracedew's proposal of walking at once 
 with him and Elsie to Clover End, instead of re- 
 turning home straightway. 
 
 Ralph was still boyish-looking, and not very 
 tall, though he had grown to his full height. 
 There was nothing very distinctive about his look, 
 either for good or ill. You would not remark on 
 him as either tall or short, handsome or ugly. When
 
 [I.] RALPH'S RETURN. 231 
 
 you came to look closely at him, you perceived 
 that, although none of his features were good, 
 there was a pleasant frankness about their expres- 
 sion ; the complexion was clear and healthy, and 
 the forehead was well formed. He appeared younger 
 than his real age, and was rather like a public 
 school-boy in his last year ; he looked ycu full in 
 the face when he spoke, and had a ready and 
 pleasant boyish laugh. Anything less like the 
 traditional aspect of the Treguires — tall, broad, and 
 dark-complexioned — could scarcely be imagined, and 
 the Doctor rejoiced in the unlikeness. He looked 
 keenly at the lad to see if there were any change 
 in his countenance such as might have been pro- 
 duced by brooding upon the facts of the letter 
 he had sent him ; but Ralph looked unusually 
 merry and light-hearted. " Ah," thought the Doc- 
 tor, " boys take things lightly, if they don't inter- 
 fere with their present enjoyment. Ralph's mind 
 would probably have been much more disturbed, if 
 I had told him that he was debarred from boating, 
 or from going in for his degree, than it is by being 
 forbidden to think of a vague, ' not impossible 
 she.' "
 
 -32 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 " Well, old fellow, and what are you going to do 
 all this vacation ? " 
 
 " I am going to be very virtuous ; stay at home 
 and read till the middle of August," said Ralph. 
 " After that, I mean to go up to Scotland with 
 Urquhart, who has asked me and one or two other 
 men to come and stay on his moor for the grouse- 
 shooting. So I must get all my reading done 
 before then." 
 
 " And what will you get ? " 
 
 " Oh, I shall not do anything more than pass ; 
 but I don't expect to be plucked," said Ralph, 
 looking up at Elsie's bright face. 
 
 " Plucked ! I should think not indeed," said the 
 girl merrily ; " unless you have grown much more 
 idle than you used to be when I last knew you, 
 Ralph." 
 
 " Ah, what ages it is since I saw you last, 
 Elsie ! " 
 
 " Yes. You had not a shadow of beard then, 
 and you were in the sixth form at Marlborough, 
 and used to lament that you had only one more 
 term there. But you seem to have survived leaving 
 it nevertheless ! "
 
 xvii.] RALPH'S RETURN. 233 
 
 " You will have a chance to rub up your French 
 now, Ralph, and I hope you will take the oppor- 
 tunity of making yourself very agreeable to Elsie's 
 little French friend," said the Doctor. 
 
 " I'll try. I could hardly believe in the French 
 invasion when I first heard of it, though ; it seemed 
 so unlike your old habits, sir." It had been " grand- 
 papa " in the old days, and Elsie's quick ear noted 
 the difference; but the "sir" was quite as affec- 
 tionate and eager in tone as the old appellation, 
 and after all, she could not well expect Ralph to 
 go on all his life assuming a relationship to the 
 Doctor which did not exist. 
 
 " Madame Regnier's visit was a long-standing 
 promise," said the Doctor ; " and Mademoiselle 
 Dulaurier has been in trouble, poor child ! She 
 lost her sister a year ago, and has not recovered 
 her spirits since. Do you recollect her, Ralph?" 
 
 " I recollect a merry little tomboy of a child, 
 who played cricket, and who was promptly ex- 
 tinguished by her mother for so doing ; and a dull 
 one, priggish and good. Which is this ? " 
 
 " The tomboy," said Elsie ; " Lilie was the one 
 who died. Ninie always was brighter and prettier
 
 234 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 than her sister ; but Lilie was a dear good little 
 thing, and more to Ninie than she knew until she 
 lost her. Ninie pined very much after her, but I 
 think she is getting brightened up now, don't you, 
 grandpapa ? " 
 
 They passed on out of the town into the plea- 
 sant green meadows, talking in the free pleasant 
 way which old friends do after a long absence : 
 when what is said seems to be but a little frac- 
 tion of all that has to be told, and yet for that 
 very reason nothing in the telling is forced or 
 hurried. 
 
 " Here we are at Clover End," said the Doctor at 
 last ; " I must leave you young people to entertain 
 each other outside while I go into this house." 
 Accordingly he entered, and Elsie sat down on 
 the stile, while Ralph took his pipe out of his 
 pocket and lighted it. 
 
 " Ah, Ralph, that is a new accomplishment," she 
 said. 
 
 " Yes ; the Doctor made me promise when first 
 I went to school that I would never smoke until 
 I had done growing ; and a year ago I considered 
 that that desirable time had arrived. So since then
 
 XVII.] RALPH'S RETURN. 
 
 we have smoked our pipes together every evening, 
 to his immense advantage over me." 
 
 " How ? " 
 
 " Because the dear old governor is so agreeable 
 over his pipe that I can't resist telling him all 
 the secrets of my heart when he pumps me. I 
 don't believe there is such another man in England, 
 do you ? " 
 
 " No, nor in the world," said his granddaughter. 
 
 " He has missed you awfully. I am very glad 
 you have come home, for his sake," said Ralph. 
 
 " So am I ; but I can't see that it can make 
 much difference to him, or I suppose he would 
 not have insisted on my staying away so long." 
 
 " Why, Elsie," said Ralph, " don't you know 
 better than that ? Don't you know that it is a 
 part of his Quixotism — that he will never let his 
 own wishes interfere with what he thinks good for 
 anyone else ? " 
 
 " It was not nearly so good for me to go rack- 
 eting over the Continent for four years as it would 
 have been to stay quiet with him here," said Elsie. 
 " I wish he had asked my opinion about it ! " 
 
 " Well, it does not seem to have altered you
 
 236 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 much," said Ralph, eyeing her. " You look awfully 
 nice, Elsie." 
 
 Elsie coloured with pleasure. There was nothing 
 but brotherly frankness in Ralph's tone, but his 
 remark was very pleasant to her ; all the more, per- 
 haps, for that. How often lately she had wondered 
 whether Ralph would think her spoiled by her 
 exile — whether he would think that she had grown 
 into the conventional young lady whom in early 
 days they had both agreed in abhorring. Her mind 
 was set at ease upon that score, and she carried 
 on the subject by saying — 
 
 "Of course I was very glad to be a comfort to 
 poor Aunt Emily, ill and lonely as she was ; but 
 I daresay I was a little goose ; I was rather vexed 
 to think that grandpapa gave me up to her so 
 easily. 
 
 "You may comfort yourself with the thought that 
 he hated it just as much as you could," said 
 Ralph, puffing away at his pipe. 
 
 "Did he really? I am very glad if he did. Do 
 you know, Ralph, I have only just arrived at the 
 fact that you are of age, and don't want a guardian 
 any longer ? "
 
 xvii.] RALPH'S RETURN. 237 
 
 " I do, though. I always make him tell me what 
 to do all the same. I flatter myself that if I have 
 one small grain of sense in my head it is that I 
 value the governor's brains at what they are worth, 
 and make them do duty for his and mine too." 
 
 " And did you have rejoicings at Brynscombe ? " 
 
 " No, I wasn't such a fool. What on earth was 
 there to rejoice about ? " 
 
 " Why, you may be glad to come of a long line 
 of ancestors who have had Brynscombe from time 
 immemorial." 
 
 " I don't fancy my ancestors were fellows to be 
 particularly proud of. At least, so somebody in- 
 formed me once ; but then he heard it from the 
 Wyvertons, who think they ought to have had 
 Brynscombe themselves, and may feel it their duty 
 to blacken the poor old Treguires. Old Wyverton 
 appears to have said that the only respectable man 
 among them for generations was my grandfather, 
 who spent his life wandering over the world to 
 study the religion of savages. He was awfully 
 clever, but as mad as a hatter. That is what 
 some of the men say of me, because I take a 
 little interest in my physical science, and think it
 
 238 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 necessary to do a certain amount of work in the 
 course of the day ; " and Ralph laughed. " But I 
 don't care ; the governor says all the Treguires have 
 had a hobby, or come to grief for want of one. 
 And I never did see why a man should be idle 
 because he has a certain amount of tin of his 
 own." 
 
 "Nor I," said Elsie. 
 
 " That same tin is so absurdly overrated, too ! 
 Why Elsie, last summer I was staying in two or 
 three country houses for the shooting, towards the 
 end of the ' Long ' ; and Winterton was there too. 
 You know he is worth a dozen of me in brains 
 and goodness, and anything you like to mention 
 except money ; and yet those idiotic women were 
 always passing him over, and going out of their 
 way to be extra civil to me. I assure you, I once 
 overheard old Lady Maria giving it to her daughter 
 for having been no more than commonly civil to 
 him, after all. She said he was nobody ! I should 
 have liked to tell her that we don't call a man 
 nobody who was senior classic of his year, and 
 stroke of the 'Varsity eight ! " 
 
 Elsie laughed, but Ralph was quite serious.
 
 xvn.] RALPH'S RETURN. 239 
 
 " People say that is the way in society, and I 
 oueht to cro in for a London season to rjet used 
 to it. I wouldn't for the world. I'm glad you've 
 never had a London season, Elsie. I'm sure they 
 must be awfully bad things for girls." 
 
 " I'd rather spend my time at home," she 
 answered, much amused at his earnestness. 
 
 " So would I. I've settled what I mean to do 
 when I leave Cambridge." 
 
 " What ? " 
 
 " Well, I mean to spend the autumn and winter 
 at Brynscombe, and hunt and shoot, and work at 
 physical science in between. In the spring I mean 
 to come here for a long visit always, when other 
 people go to town ; and then I shall go abroad 
 about July, and get Bruno Noel to come with me 
 to Switzerland, or Spain, or somewhere pleasant of 
 that sort, and come home by the first of September, 
 and shoot partridges. I think that will be a very 
 jolly life, don't you?" 
 
 "Till Mrs. Ralph turns up." 
 
 " Oh, she won't turn up yet. No fear." 
 
 Dr. Gracedew, coming out of the cottage, paused 
 a moment to look at his bright young pair, as
 
 240 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. xvii. 
 
 they sat in the sunshine talking by the stile. There 
 was a thorough look of enjoyment about both, 
 visible not only in expression, but in attitude ; and 
 Elsie, who was one of those people who could look 
 positively pretty at times, and almost plain at 
 others, looked her very best now, with the long 
 white gown flecked with shadow and sunshine, and 
 a stray sunbeam lighting up her rosy cheek and 
 bright brown hair. 
 
 " I have kept you a long time, but we must 
 come home now," said the Doctor.
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 NINIE. 
 
 " A blooming pair of vermeil cheeks, 
 Like Hebe in her ruddiest hours, 
 A breath that softer music speaks, 
 
 Than summer winds awooing flowers." 
 
 Anon. 
 
 " Nobody in the drawing-room," said Elsie, peeping 
 in. " Ah, I see Ninie's grey gown in the garden ; 
 let me go and find her, Ralph. I want to intro- 
 duce you to her." 
 
 Ninie did not move or speak as they came 
 towards her, and Elsie, with some amusement, said, 
 " I do believe it is a case of the Sleeping Beauty, 
 Ralph ! Come close up to her and admire her, 
 for she always looks so pretty when she is 
 asleep." 
 
 Ninie was half-sitting, half-lying on the grass, 
 in a graceful attitude — she could not put herself 
 into an ungraceful one if she tried — and her head, 
 
 VOL. i. R
 
 2 \2 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 turned towards one shoulder, and slightly bent 
 orward, was supported by the moss-covered trunk 
 of one of the Doctor's fine old trees. The long 
 eyelashes lay upon the pink cheek, and the pretty 
 pouting lips were in their prettiest curve of repose. 
 Elsie looked up at Ralph, and saw him gazing in 
 speechless admiration at the dark-haired little beauty 
 before him. 
 
 " Get out of the way for a minute, Ralph," said 
 Elsie ; " I want to wake her, and she will be con- 
 fused if you catch her in the act of sleeping in 
 the garden." 
 
 Ralph accordingly walked away. 
 
 " Wake up, Ninie, dear," said Elsie, stooping 
 down and kissing her. " I have brought Ralph 
 Treguire here, and I want to introduce him to you." 
 
 Ninie started up, flushing pinker at the thought 
 of having been caught asleep ; but Ralph had dis- 
 creetly retired into a side walk, and by the time 
 he emerged from it Ninie had recovered her com- 
 posure. " I remember myself of you very well, 
 Mr. Treguire," she said ; the slip in her English 
 being the only thing which proved that she was 
 still either only half awake, or slightly confused.
 
 xviii.] NINIE. 243 
 
 " I remember a game of cricket in which I had 
 the pleasure of instructing you once," said Ralph, 
 smiling. 
 
 " Oh, do you remember that ? " said Ninie, 
 eagerly ; " and how we ran in our best frocks, and 
 mamma was vexed ? " 
 
 " Have you ever played cricket since then, Made- 
 moiselle Dulaurier ? " 
 
 " Never. I wish I had ; it was so good ! " she 
 said regretfully. 
 
 " Let us have a game in the field now, Elsie," 
 said Ralph, eagerly. 
 
 " Oh, I wish we could ! But no ; Madame 
 Regnier would see, and report it to mamma, and 
 mamma would scold," said Ninie simply. 
 
 "We must content ourselves with croquet, then. 
 Have you forgotten your croquet, Elsie ? " said 
 Ralph. 
 
 " No ; I have been playing a good deal with 
 Ninie of late. But wait a minute, Ralph, and I 
 will fetch Madame Regnier to make a fourth ; the 
 dear old thing does enjoy it so much !" 
 
 And accordingly the little Frenchwoman was 
 brought down to join them, and Elsie took charge of 
 
 R 2
 
 244 
 
 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 her play. They had a very merry game together, 
 Ralph and Ninie against Elsie and Madame Regnier; 
 and though Ninie was not a brilliant player, it was 
 surprising how much praise and encouragement her 
 performance elicited from Ralph. Elsie was glad 
 to see that the two seemed to be getting on well 
 together ; for notwithstanding Ninie's pretty face 
 and dainty ways, Elsie herself missed a good deal 
 that she would have liked in a friend, and feared 
 that Ralph might have been bored by her. Such, 
 however, was evidently not the case this after- 
 noon, whatever it might be on a longer acquaint- 
 ance. 
 
 After Ninie had gone to bed that evening, Elsie 
 sat upstairs in her room pondering over her friend's 
 character, as she had never done before. She did 
 not analyse the impulse that made her do it now : 
 if she had been of a more self-conscious mould 
 she might have done so. Ralph had said to her 
 that evening, " What a perfectly charming little 
 person your friend is, Elsie ! " and Elsie had re- 
 plied warmly "Yes; is not she quite as pretty as 
 I said ? " " Pretty and nice too ; perfect, in fact," 
 said Ralph to this : and Elsie was wondering
 
 XVlil.] NINIE. ; 45 
 
 whether it was a beam in her own eye which 
 made her so conscious of the mote in Ninie's. 
 
 " Perfect," thought Elsie ; " no, I don't think she 
 is that. She is very childish still. I dare say she 
 will improve as she grows older; but I don't think 
 she behaved quite as she ought to have done after 
 Lilie's death, when her father and mother were 
 so unhappy, and she would not open to them as 
 they wished her to do. Of course, people can't 
 help being reserved ; but Ninie was more than re- 
 served — what I should call selfish — and all the 
 time she is the very apple of her parents' eyes. 
 And then one has to be so careful about making 
 her angry ; she gets angry so easily about some 
 things. I always feel like Ralph's dog Rolf by 
 the side of Carl when I am with her. She seems 
 easily moved, and shallow, like a gold-fish pond ; 
 and yet I know she has plenty of good in her, 
 and feels strongly on some things. I dare say I am 
 very uncharitable, and she is a great deal better in 
 many things than I am, but she is not perfect ! " 
 
 Ninie was late for prayers next morning, but 
 she came down to breakfast with her hair ar- 
 ranged in a newer and perhaps more becoming
 
 246 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 way than that in which she had been wont to 
 wear it, with a pink bow on one side. Ralph sat 
 opposite to her, and looked at her all breakfast- 
 time. Madame Regnier glanced at her in distinct 
 disapproval. She liked young girls to dress a 
 r ingenue, and she felt herself to a certain degree 
 responsible for Ninie's appearance. Madame Du- 
 laurier, she said, had confided Ninie to her care, 
 and she therefore felt it necessary to watch over 
 her as if she were her own daughter. 
 
 Probably she said something of this to Ninie ; 
 for in the course of the day Ralph said to Elsie 
 " I fancy your little friend would enjoy herself 
 much more without her duenna." 
 
 "Madame Regnier? why, Ralph, she is kindness 
 itself to Ninie, I am sure." 
 
 " Ninie is very much afraid of her, I think, from 
 what she has said to me." 
 
 " O Ralph, if you knew Madame Regnier as 
 Ninie and I do, you would not think it possible to 
 be afraid of her." 
 
 " I don't suppose you are given to be afraid of 
 anyone," said Ralph ; " but that little girl is of a 
 different mould. What a sweet little poetical face
 
 XVIII.] NINIE. 247 
 
 she has, Elsie ! she looks as if she ought to be 
 put under a glass case, and shielded from all the 
 roughness of life. There is a great charm about 
 those fragile, imaginative creatures who ought to 
 sleep on rose leaves and feed on fresh fruit with 
 the dew on it." 
 
 " She has made you poetical for the first time," 
 laughed Elsie, stifling the impulse which would 
 have led her to declare that Ninie had nothing 
 poetical about her except her face ; for that a 
 more unimaginative and practical little French- 
 woman never existed. Ninie had had no pains 
 spared in her education ; but her recollections of 
 " Esther " and " Athalie " were of the dreariest de- 
 scription ; she rarely opened a book of any sort 
 voluntarily ; she was clever at her needle, and (when 
 she chose) at the kitchen arts ; and she was cap- 
 able of making a clever, economical, managing 
 little Parisian matron, when the right man should 
 be found for her by her parents. But as to her 
 being poetical ! Carl was quite as poetical as 
 Ninie, Elsie thought, as she patted his shining 
 black head, and felt him press his cold nose into 
 her hand in token of affection.
 
 248 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 The fact was that Elsie had in the last twenty- 
 four hours found in her mind a constant inclination 
 to disparage Ninie, and she therefore took special 
 pains not to do so. Perhaps it was as well that 
 she should keep silence as she did, as it was not 
 likely that Ralph would have accepted her reading 
 of the French girl's character rather than his own. 
 Even as it was, Ralph thought her less sympathetic 
 on this subject than he had fancied she would be. 
 
 A ring at the bell disturbed this interview, which 
 was a very casual one, carried on while Elsie was 
 doing various things which fall within the sphere of 
 the lady head of a household, tying up club-books, 
 arranging fresh flowers, altering the position of 
 various ornaments, which were arranged by the old 
 housemaid rather with a view to "what came 
 handiest" than to any abstract ideas of beauty. 
 " Mrs. John Gracedew and the Miss Gracedews " 
 were announced, and Elsie gave one look of comical 
 misery at Ralph as the trio swept into the room, 
 arrayed in costumes that might have been suitable 
 for driving in Hyde Park, but were singularly out 
 of place in a quiet country town. But then this was 
 a state visit performed in Ralph's honour. The fair
 
 xviii.] NINIE. 249 
 
 Fanny and Laura were still single, and Mrs. 
 John Gracedew would have had no objection to 
 see either of them change their name for that of 
 Ralph Treguire of Brynscombe. She did not at 
 all approve of Elsie Gracedew coming home, and 
 her grandfather positively throwing her at the poor 
 young man's head ; she had warned him many 
 years ago of what would be said of both of them. 
 It was as much for his sake as for anyone's 
 that she felt it her duty to look after Elsie when 
 Ralph Treguire was in the way. For this pur- 
 pose she came to call this afternoon. 
 
 There was nothing for it but to endure the 
 infliction. The three visitors sat down on three 
 chairs, and Mrs. Gracedew addressed her con- 
 versation to Elsie, leaving the coast clear for 
 Ralph to make himself agreeable to her daughters. 
 Mrs. Gracedew always did this when she made a 
 morning call ; it was her principle, and she was a 
 staunch adherent to most social principles of this 
 nature. 
 
 Mrs. Gracedew was just impressing upon Elsie 
 that the drawing-room furniture needed renewing, 
 and offering her the benefit of her own experience
 
 250 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 and advice if she could persuade the Doctor to 
 think so, when a vision of beauty came to the 
 window in the shape of Ninie, with a basket of 
 roses in her hand, which she had brought from 
 an old Middlebury lady, a friend of the Doctor's, 
 who had taken a fancy to the pretty French 
 girl. She had not been aware of the presence of 
 visitors, and the unexpected sight of Elsie's aunt 
 and cousins made her cheeks flush suddenly ; but 
 she recovered herself, and walked in at the window 
 with shy composure, very pretty to see. 
 
 " How do you do, Mademoiselle Dulaurier ? " said 
 Mrs. Gracedew, with frigid politeness. She persisted 
 in looking on Ninie in the light of a humble com- 
 panion, with the social status of the daughter of a 
 country Dissenting minister. 
 
 " I am quite well, I thank you," said Ninie, in the 
 laboriously correct English which she always used 
 when she was shy. 
 
 " I suppose you are enjoying yourself here greatly. 
 I daresay you find the society here very different 
 to that which you are accustomed to at home," 
 said Mrs. Gracedew, in her most patronizing voice. 
 
 " I find it very agreeable, madame," answered the
 
 xviil.] NINIE. 251 
 
 French girl, with instinctive good breeding which did 
 not admit of betraying the wrath which she could 
 not help feeling. 
 
 "Ah, yes. I can quite believe that. You must 
 not let Elsie spoil you for your home, made- 
 moiselle." 
 
 " Madame ? " said Ninie, not altogether compre- 
 hending. 
 
 " I mean that no doubt it is a pity to become used 
 to a style of life different from that to which you have 
 been born." 
 
 " What do you mean, Aunt Louisa ? " said Elsie 
 indignantly ; and Ralph at the same time said 
 quietly, but decidedly, " I think you must be mis- 
 taking Mademoiselle Dulaurier for some one else, 
 Mrs. Gracedew." 
 
 Mrs. Gracedew subsided, and Elsie began talking 
 fast to Fanny' and Laura in order to change the 
 subject. Ninie put down her roses and went out. 
 Ralph was just rising to follow her, when Mrs. 
 Gracedew stopped him. " What do you mean, Mr. 
 Treguire ? Surely that young person is only the 
 Protestant minister's daughter ? " 
 
 " Monsieur Dulaurier is one of the finest orators
 
 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 and the most respected men in Paris," said Ralph, 
 " and Madame Dulaurier is descended from the 
 ancienne noblesse. And allow me to remark that as 
 the young lady is a guest in Dr. Gracedew's house, 
 I do not think he would wish her to be " — insulted 
 Ralph was going to say, but he changed it into 
 " disparaged." 
 
 He bowed and went out, leaving Mrs. John 
 Gracedew somewhat extinguished. 
 
 Ninie was walking along the shady side of the 
 garden, where she could not be seen from the 
 drawing-room. Her face was flushed, and there were 
 angry tears in her eyes. Ralph came up to her and 
 said courteously, " I feel as if we must all beg 
 your pardon for that woman's rudeness." 
 
 "What did she mean by insulting me in that 
 way ? " said Ninie, turning round upon him. " Those 
 are the English manners ! No Frenchwoman would 
 have been so insolent ! " 
 
 " I gave her a little piece of my mind, however," 
 said Ralph. " Don't mind about her, Ni — made- 
 moiselle ; she is a vulgar, under-bred woman, and 
 Elsie and I both let her see what we thought of 
 her behaviour."
 
 xvm.] NINIE. 253 
 
 " It is very kind of you to take my part," said 
 Ninie gratefully. 
 
 " Everyone must have done that. But made- 
 moiselle, I want to make a little compact with 
 you. 
 
 " Eh bien ? " said Ninie. 
 
 " When we were children, and played that memor- 
 able game of cricket, we called each other by our 
 Christian names. Don't you think we might re- 
 vert to the custom ? You always call Elsie by 
 hers, you know, and I am just like Elsie's brother," 
 said Ralph, using an argument which would not 
 hold much water. 
 
 " Is that the English custom in such cases ? " 
 said Ninie simply. 
 
 " Yes, invariably," answered Ralph. " When 
 people have been intimate as children they never 
 call one another Mr. and Miss in after life." 
 
 It was perhaps a stretch of imagination that 
 Ralph and Ninie had ever been intimate as chil- 
 dren, but that could not be helped. They were 
 now established firmly on the footing of Christian 
 names, as Ralph told Elsie when they came in 
 about an hour later. It never seemed to strike
 
 254 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 him that Elsie had been sitting alone in the 
 drawing-room all this time, prevented from coming 
 out to them by the necessity of arranging Ninie's 
 roses in water, and of otherwise setting the room 
 to rights. Madame Regnier was upstairs writing to 
 her son, and Elsie had had no companion. She 
 seemed somehow " out of it," and that is never 
 pleasant to anyone. 
 
 In the evening it was the same. Ralph and 
 Ninie went out into the garden to look at the 
 stars. Dr. Gracedew went to sleep, and Madame 
 Recnier talked to Elsie about the difference be- 
 tween English and French manners. 
 
 " Do you think it is improper, my dear ? Ought 
 I to call Ninie in, as I should at once do if I 
 were in France ? " 
 
 " Oh no, madame, there is nothing improper in 
 it," said Elsie laughing ; but her heart was heavy 
 all the time. She went to the piano and played 
 Ralph's old favourite, the "March of the Priests," 
 from " Athalie." She had a vague idea in her mind 
 that it would bring him inj it would have done 
 so in the old days when they met in the 
 holidays, and could not make too much of one
 
 xviil.] NINIE. 255 
 
 another. But the charm failed now, and Elsie 
 was vexed with herself for having tried it. Ralph 
 did come in at last, but it was only to say, 
 " Elsie, Ninie says she can sing that pretty little 
 thing, Si vous naves ricn a me dire, if you will play 
 it for her." 
 
 Elsie played it, but it was rather dreary work 
 for her. Ninie had a sweet little shrill voice, not 
 very full, but capable of a good deal of coquettish 
 expression ; and she gave her fullest power to this 
 song. Elsie herself did not sing, though she had 
 a good ear and played well ; and Dr. Gracedew 
 awoke and listened contentedly to Ninie's song, and 
 thanked her courteously when it was done for the 
 pleasure she had given him. Then it was time 
 for prayers, and then they all went to bed, the 
 Doctor remarking as they did so that Elsie looked 
 tired. Elsie was tired, but sleep did not come to 
 her quite so soon as usual. Could she be growing 
 jealous of poor little Ninie ?
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 CONFIDENCES. 
 
 " But were there ever any, 
 
 Writhed not at passed joy? 
 To know the change and feel it, 
 When there is none to heal it 
 Or numbed sense to steal it, 
 Was never said in rhyme." 
 
 Keats. 
 
 The days went on ; bright, pleasant summer days 
 they were, full of little innocent amusements and 
 gaieties, such as Elsie would have enjoyed to the 
 full at any other time. But now the edge of her 
 enjoyment seemed to be taken off by a thousand 
 little trivial occurrences, each of which singly was 
 too little to notice, but which, massed together, 
 kept up a constant little annoyance and sense of 
 something denied in a mind ordinarily very easily 
 contented. Summed up, the matter seemed to be 
 that Ralph was always entertaining Ninie, and that 
 Ninie preferred being entertained in ways which
 
 CHAP, xix.] CONFIDENCES. 257 
 
 took her out of Madame Regnier's sight. This in- 
 volved Elsie's staying to entertain Madame Regnier, 
 whom her sense of hospitality would not allow her 
 to neglect ; and she could not help thinking that 
 it would have been kinder of Ralph if he had now 
 and then recollected that it was dull for her to be 
 so often left out of amusements which she would 
 have enjoyed extremely ; and if he had proposed 
 to Ninie that they should do something which 
 would include Madame Regnier and Elsie in their 
 party. The old Ralph that she had cared for so 
 long, and carried in her heart all these years 
 would, she thought, have done so ; but Ralph ac- 
 quiesced immediately in any suggestion of Ninie's, 
 and Ninie never had any ideas but for her own 
 gratification. 
 
 At last there came a picnic, given by the rector's 
 wife, Mrs. St. John, to which they were all invited. 
 They were to go with the rectory party ; and the 
 morning broke cloudless and sunny. At twenty- 
 one a picnic is something of an event, and Elsie 
 may therefore be excused if she felt slightly dis- 
 appointed when the morning's post brought a note 
 from an ancient maiden lady, a contemporary of 
 
 VOL. I. S
 
 258 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 her grandmother, to say that she was coming to 
 luncheon, and hoped to make acquaintance with 
 the Doctor's sweet little granddaughter, of whom 
 she had heard so much. Now, the Doctor was 
 obliged to be out all day, and though he did not 
 like to disappoint Elsie, he was equally loth to 
 fail in respect towards Miss Beadon, who had been 
 very kind and helpful in ancient days, when some 
 domestic trouble had befallen Mrs. Gracedew. Ac- 
 cordingly the Doctor's sweet little granddaughter, 
 with much reluctance, made up her mind that she 
 ought to stay at home. Her feelings towards Miss 
 Beadon were not inwardly of the most amiable 
 character, but she managed to disguise them so 
 that the worthy old lady did not discover that her 
 ill-timed visit had kept back her hostess from a 
 pleasure party, and thought that Elsie enjoyed her 
 conversation very much. 
 
 At last Miss Beadon departed, and Elsie was 
 left to her own devices. She had the house to 
 herself: it was pleasant and cool in the hot July 
 afternoon, and she took her work and sat in the 
 drawing-room window, looking out into the sunny 
 garden, feeling rather glad of the rest and quiet,
 
 xix.] CONFIDENCES. 259 
 
 and for once rejoicing in her absolute solitude. 
 As usual, her thoughts strayed from her work to 
 Ralph and Ninie. What had once been merely a 
 suspicion in her mind was now grown into a con- 
 viction, namely — that Ralph was falling every day 
 deeper in love with the little French beauty, and 
 poor Elsie could not help making herself miserable 
 over the thought. 
 
 " For I know Ninie too well not to see what 
 a wilful, selfish little thing she is, notwithstanding 
 all her pretty ways. She will never make Ralph 
 happy. She will turn him round her little finger 
 for her own ends, as she used to do with me and 
 Lilie. She is not in the least worthy of him, and 
 she will make him unhappy all his life. Oh, why 
 did I ever ask her to come here ? " 
 
 Elsie laid down her work and looked out of the 
 window with swimming eyes that saw very little 
 of the sunshine outside. Then she forced back the 
 tears with cheeks that flushed scarlet with shame 
 at herself. " What a horrid wretch I am ! I never 
 thought I was jealous, but now I see I must be. 
 Why can't I see Ninie's good points as well as 
 her bad ones ? Why should I expect Ralph to 
 
 ■ S 2
 
 260 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 think as much of me as he used to do when he 
 is in love with her? Oh, if Aunt Louisa knew 
 what a horrid little wretch I am, would not she 
 think all her insinuations were true ? They are 
 not true ! " protested Elsie vehemently to herself, 
 while her cheeks flamed hotly as if to contradict 
 her thoughts. "Of course Ralph is only a ( brother 
 to me ; but even a sister might be excused if she 
 did not wish to see her brother throwing himself 
 away on a girl like Ninie. And at this very 
 moment I suppose they are mooning about to- 
 gether, and she is taking him in with those soft, 
 shy, pretty looks of hers that she always puts on 
 when she has nothing to' say. I know how little 
 they really mean, but I can't tell him. How wicked 
 and disgusting I am growing ! " Here Elsie threw 
 down her work, and walked up and down the room 
 with her hands pressed together. "There must be 
 some way out of this for me. It's nonsense to 
 say that I'm in a position where I can't help being 
 jealous and uncharitable. That is worse than look- 
 ing on and seeing Ralph fall in love with Ninie. 
 What am I to do ? I suppose there is only one 
 way to conquer all this. I must put myself out
 
 xix.] CONFIDENCES. 261 
 
 of the question altogether and try to sympathize 
 with both of them. I might influence Ninie, though 
 I don't believe anyone ever will, and make her see 
 how Ralph needs to be treated if she is to make 
 him happy. I am sure if they do marry one 
 another they will need somebody to set their jars 
 straight; and if I had tact I might be of use then. 
 But I am so horridly abrupt and downright ! I 
 shall never be any use in that way, I am afraid. 
 Still they may both be glad some day to have 
 some one who loves them unselfishly, and will stand 
 by them if they are in trouble. I must try to be 
 that one. Of course I shall always be free for it. 
 I shall devote myself to grandpapa, and he will 
 have me to himself all his life. And I suppose 
 one ought not to mind if things do go all crooked 
 in this life ; there is a Providence over us all — over 
 Ralph, and Ninie, and me — and perhaps this may 
 be the right thing for us all to go through, though 
 I don't quite see how." 
 
 And Elsie — the aching at her heart a little 
 quieted by the true grandeur of that apparently 
 trite thought — went out into the garden and paced 
 up and down the grass, letting the soft air blow
 
 262 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 upon her heated brow. Her face grew quiet and 
 serene as she walked and mused, and a new clear- 
 ness shone out of her eyes as she climbed the 
 hard steps of self-renunciation and acquiescence in 
 the dispositions of a Higher Will. 
 
 When Elsie came in she put away her work, 
 and sat down to write letters at her Davenport, to 
 divert her thoughts from the question which had 
 been so hard for her to consider. Then she went 
 out into the hall to put the letters into the post- 
 box, and in doing so she made a curious discovery. 
 The hall was usually dark from the absorption of 
 light by the dark wood with which it was panelled ; 
 but in the afternoon the sunshine fell straight into 
 it through the high west window, and lighted it 
 up with long lines of glorified dust, which produced 
 a soft, velvety, and wholly artistic effect. Just now 
 the sunbeams fell upon the letter-box, and Elsie 
 perceived a slightly gaping crack at the side, as if 
 the glue with which it was joined together had 
 given way. Taking it up to examine it, she per- 
 ceived that the side was slightly warped, and 
 that an envelope had got wedged in the fissure. 
 She took it up, and perceived that .it was in her
 
 xix.] CONFIDENCES. 263 
 
 grandfather's handwriting, and was addressed to 
 Ralph Treguire, Trinity College, Cambridge. It 
 must therefore be quite an old letter, Elsie thought, 
 as Ralph had left Cambridge for a month or so 
 already. She put the letter into her pocket, and 
 went back into the drawing-room, thinking little 
 more of the matter. 
 
 Dr. Gracedew was called that afternoon to watch 
 a critical case which kept him from returning home 
 to dinner, and Elsie forgot to give the note to 
 Ralph when he returned from his party with Ninie 
 and Madame Regnier, all of whom seemed to have 
 enjoyed themselves greatly. Ninie and Madame 
 Regnier were tired, and went to bed early ; and 
 Elsie intended to sit up for her grandfather until 
 there was no chance of his returning that night. 
 Thus it was that she and Ralph had an unwonted 
 tete-a-tete that evening in the garden. 
 
 " Oh, by the by, Ralph," she said, " I rescued a 
 note to you from grandpapa out of the letter-box 
 to-day, where it had stuck. How stupid of me ! 
 I have left it in the pocket of my other gown. 
 However, I daresay it will keep." 
 
 "Yes, never mind," said Ralph. "I say, Elsie,
 
 264 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 I have got something I want awfully to say to 
 you — to consult you about." 
 
 It was dark, but Elsie detected a certain amount 
 of consciousness in his tone. 
 
 " Do you think the Dulauriers would object to 
 me — to letting Ninie marry an Englishman ? " 
 
 " I should think not," said Elsie, nerving her voice 
 to sound perfectly steady and natural. 
 
 " I mean to ask them, at any rate. You must 
 have guessed what I thought of her, Elsie." 
 
 "Yes, Ralph," said Elsie. 
 
 " Oh Elsie, isn't she a darling ? You have known 
 her so long, you can't be surprised at my thinking 
 of her as I do. So pretty, and sweet, and lovely 
 in every way. I remember thinking her quite 
 lovely when I saw her at Paris, when she was a 
 child." 
 
 " But Ralph, isn't it rather a short acquaintance 
 to decide upon already ? " said Elsie, with a little 
 hesitation. "Do you think she knows you enough?" 
 
 " Well, she has heard of me from you very often, 
 she tells me. It was very good of you to talk about 
 me to her as you must have done, Elsie." Elsie's 
 cheeks burned in the darkness. " She says she
 
 xix.] CONFIDENCES. 265 
 
 quite felt as if she knew me when first she saw me. 
 Of course I have said nothing definite to her : I 
 suppose her parents, being French, will have to be 
 spoken to first. But I am thinking whether I could 
 not telegraph to them by the Atlantic cable, or run 
 over to New York to see them in person, or some- 
 thing of that sort. It seems such an awful bore to 
 have to wait a month ! " 
 
 " Have you spoken to grandpapa ? " 
 
 " No ; 1 was afraid of his laughing at me for 
 being too quick about it," said Ralph. " I know 
 he will want me to take up a much longer time 
 before I make up my mind. Of course I must 
 wait, anyhow, owing to those idiotic parents of hers 
 being over in New York ; so I thought I would 
 wait before I spoke to him. But I was obliged to 
 speak to somebody, Elsie, so I could not help 
 speaking to you. You are a dear old thing, just 
 the right sort for a depositary of secrets, and like a 
 well for keeping them close, I know." 
 
 Elsie gave a little half tremulous laugh. " I am 
 very glad to be your depositary," she said. 
 
 " But can you imagine anything so absolutely 
 idiotic as that Evangelical Alliance taking people
 
 266 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 half over the world, and making them leave a 
 daughter like Ninie at home, with no one to give 
 consent if anyone wishes to marry her ! It's — it's 
 distinctly mad, you know. How can I telegraph to 
 them about it ? " 
 
 " I don't think you can. I can't see that there is 
 anything for you, except to wait till they come 
 home, and then apply to them in person. Besides, 
 even if they were in Paris, you could not go over 
 there without telling grandpapa what you were 
 doing." 
 
 " No ; the dear old governor would have to be 
 told, of course. Then you don't think there is any- 
 thing to prevent things going smoothly ? You don't 
 think she has seen anybody she may like better ? " 
 
 " I feel sure she has not. She is very young, you 
 know, and has lived a very quiet life." 
 
 I need not reiterate all that Ralph said and Elsie 
 answered in the garden that evening. He poured 
 out his confidence fully and freely as he might 
 have done if Elsie had been really his sister ; and 
 Elsie replied with all the warmth and sympathy 
 which a sister would have shown in like case. But 
 it was hard work to sustain her part ; and she
 
 xix.] CONFIDENCES. 267 
 
 decided earlier than she would otherwise have done 
 that grandpapa would not come home to-night, and 
 that she must go to bed. Ralph went to his room 
 to dream of Ninie : and Elsie to hers ; but she felt 
 almost too weary to undress, and sat down in the 
 chintz-covered armchair to rest. The strain had 
 been greater than she knew at the time, and she 
 felt positively stiff and weary with the effort it had 
 been to her. 
 
 She had not undressed when the latch-key turned 
 in the house door, and she knew that her grandfather 
 had come in. He would be tired, and would want 
 some creature comforts, such as his age required, 
 after his exertions, and Elsie rose to go down to 
 him, to boil a little hot water for toddy or tea for 
 him, since the servants were gone to bed. He 
 looked rather tired, and scolded her kindly for 
 staying up for him ; but he liked the care she took 
 of him, and said that no one could mix his whiskey 
 and water as she could. 
 
 " Grandpapa," said Elsie, as he sat sipping his 
 beverage, "I found a letter from you to Ralph in 
 the letter-box to-day : it had stuck in a crack. I 
 suppose it is not important, as you must have told
 
 268 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 him anything you would have written to him by 
 this time." 
 
 " I don't know. Where is it ? I am sorry to 
 trouble you, my dear, but I should like to see it," 
 said the Doctor, with unusual eagerness, as Elsie 
 left the room, and soon afterwards reappeared with 
 the letter. 
 
 He opened it with eager fingers, and saw within 
 two closely written sheets in his own handwriting. 
 One glance sufficed to give him certainty, and his 
 face grew anxious as he received it. " Is it anything 
 that matters much, grandpapa ? " said Elsie. 
 
 " I can't say. I hope it may not be too late. Poor 
 Ralph ! I don't think I ever wrote him any letter 
 but this one that was of real importance as to time ; 
 and this has been delayed!" 
 
 " Did you write it long ago, grandpapa ? " 
 
 " Just before I started for Mentone to bring you 
 home. It is a long story now, and I can't enter 
 into it at this time of night. I hope no harm may 
 have been done. I am very glad you found it, my 
 dear, anyhow. Good night now, and go to sleep ; 
 you look as if you wanted a good night's rest, and 
 you won't get much beauty-sleep to-night."
 
 xix.] CONFIDENCES. 269 
 
 Elsie went up to bed, and once there, slept well 
 for very weariness, notwithstanding all the troubles 
 and conflicting emotions of the day. Dr. Gracedew 
 lay awake for hours, pondering on the adverse fate 
 which had delayed his letter to Ralph. He had 
 thought that his words had been sufficiently strong 
 to keep him from losing his heart. " He has only 
 been here for a fortnight, anyhow," thought the 
 Doctor, " and much harm cannot be done in that 
 time. But what an old fool I have been to shirk 
 the subject with him as I have done ! "
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 A DISCLOSURE. 
 
 ' ' I have submitted to a new control : 
 
 A power is gone which nothing can restore : 
 A deep distress hath humanized my soul. " 
 
 Wordsworth. 
 
 Neither Dr. Gracedew nor Elsie looked altogether 
 like themselves the next morning. The Doctor 
 was preoccupied, and Elsie unwontedly still and 
 quiet, as though all her energies were still taken up 
 in compelling herself to look on without rebellion 
 while Ralph devoted himself to Ninie, and to try- 
 to feel glad that her two friends should win each 
 the love of the other. Madame Regnier was rather 
 knocked up with the unusual dissipation of the day 
 before, and only Ninie and Ralph were as gay 
 and lig-ht-hearted as usual. Ninie was in a state 
 of wild delight and exultation. All throughout the 
 picnic Ralph had been entirely devotea to her. He
 
 CHAP, xx.] A DISCLOSURE. 271 
 
 had shown her this and that ; he had refused every 
 inducement to leave her side ; he had rendered her 
 an object of envy in the eyes of the other young 
 ladies ; and Ninie, who had been rendered very 
 needlessly sensitive as to her position by Mrs. John 
 Gracedew's rudeness, rejoiced proportionately in the 
 distinction. Besides — though Ninie was not so 
 worldly - minded and hardened as consciously to 
 scheme for the future at nineteen — there was a fairy 
 vista of delight opened for her by Ralph's attentions- 
 No more charitable drudgery, no more exclusion 
 from social enjoyments, lest the congregation should 
 be scandalized by the sight of the pastor's daughter 
 at a play or a dance ; but the free, charming, ex- 
 quisite life of the lady of an English chateau, with 
 a husband devoted to her every wish, and dress, 
 and admiration, and amusement to her heart's con- 
 tent. She liked Ralph very much : it was very new 
 and very charming to be made so much of, and if 
 he were not remarkably handsome or distinguished 
 looking, what did that matter ? In fact, Ninie was 
 very young and tcte montie at this time, and she 
 was too much dazzled and fascinated with the 
 brilliant prospect before her to analyse it consciously
 
 272 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 in its component parts. Poor Ninie ! her castle in 
 the air was about to come down with a crash. 
 
 " Ralph, could you give me half-an-hour in the 
 study?" said Dr. Gracedew, as they rose from 
 breakfast. 
 
 " Certainly, sir," was the answer, and the old 
 man and his ward departed together. 
 
 While Elsie in the dining room wondered and 
 longed to hear what was the matter, the Doctor 
 put into Ralph's hand the letter which he had 
 written to him, and which Elsie had found in the 
 letter-box. 
 
 " My dear boy, I should like you to read that 
 letter, if you do not mind. I meant you to have 
 had it some time ago, but like an old fool, I fancied 
 you had had it, and wished you to take your own 
 time for discussing it with me." 
 
 Ralph took the letter and unfolded it. Dr. 
 Gracedew walked to the window and looked out. 
 He would have liked to observe every change of 
 the young man's countenance, but he resolutely 
 kept his eyes away until Ralph had finished reading 
 the letter, and had folded it up again and put it 
 into its envelope. Then he turned round and looked
 
 XX.] A DISCLOSURE. 
 
 at his ward's face. It was white and quivering, as 
 if a boyish burst of tears was impending, and was 
 only just kept back by all the self-control he 
 could muster. 
 
 " My poor dear boy ! " said Dr. Gracedew, putting 
 his hand on the young man's shoulder, " does it come 
 so very hard upon you ? You know I do not think 
 that personally you have any special cause for appre- 
 hension. You belong to the generation that has 
 generally escaped." 
 
 " It is not that," said poor Ralph in a half-choked 
 voice. " But — but I hoped " 
 
 " You hoped for what ? " said Dr. Gracedew, 
 looking wistfully into the young man's face, feeling 
 convinced that the next word would reveal his 
 attachment to Elsie. And Elsie — did she return 
 it ? A tumult of apprehensions raged in the good 
 Doctor's mind during the hour-like moment that 
 elapsed before Ralph could steady his voice 
 enough to say, " I hoped to ask Ninie Dulaurier to 
 be my wife." 
 
 In spite of his commiseration for Ralph, anc J 
 
 his reproach of himself, the Doctor gave a sigh 
 
 of relief as he sat down in his chair. Ralph 
 vol. I. t
 
 274 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 turned away from him and burst into tears. 
 Poor Ralph ! It was not a very heroic way of 
 enduring this revelation, and he was furious with 
 himself for belying his manhood thereby ; but there 
 was no help for it. His love for Ninie might be 
 only a boy's vehement passion, soon to vanish in 
 smoke, like so many other youthful love affairs ; 
 but while it was on him it was hot and strong. 
 
 The Doctor replied, " My dear boy, I shall never 
 forgive myself for letting you in for this. I ought 
 not to have trusted to a letter. I ought to have 
 seen you and told you the facts myself. I am 
 terribly grieved about this." 
 
 " But perhaps, sir," said Ralph, catching at a 
 straw of comfort, "the Dulauriers may not see it 
 in the same light. It was just the same with my 
 father and my grandfather, and they found girls 
 willing to marry them notwithstanding." 
 
 The boyishness of the argument made the Doctor 
 smile for a moment ; but a second thought gave 
 a sterner tone to his answer. " I don't doubt 
 but that you will find many a woman in the 
 world, Ralph, who will think that an indefinite 
 risk which she will probably refuse to believe in
 
 xx.; A DISCLOSURE. 275 
 
 weighs lightly in comparison with becoming mistress 
 of Brynscombe. The question is what you your- 
 self ought to think about it." 
 
 Ralph looked up inquiringly ; he had hardly yet 
 grasped that aspect of the question. Dr. Gracedew 
 went on to speak to him of his grandfather's 
 views, and of his own, on the subject ; of the sad 
 family tragedies of the Treguire family, of which 
 Ralph had never heard ; and of his own view of 
 the right and wrong that existed in the matter. 
 
 " Look here, my boy," he said at last ; " you 
 have, I hope, a long and a good life before you, 
 with chances of work and usefulness such as don't 
 fall in the way of most men ; but it has pleased 
 God to try you in this way : that you must either 
 pass on to your descendants the curse which has 
 made the lives of the Treguires miserable for 
 generations, or you must sacrifice yourself for 
 the good of your fellow-creatures, and be content to 
 lead a lonely life without the domestic happiness 
 which other men have a right to look for. If 
 you can rise to the occasion, Ralph, and choose 
 the nobler and the harder part, I shall be prouder 
 of you than I can say, my boy." 
 
 T 2
 
 276 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 Then there was a pause, after which Ralph spoke 
 tremulously. "Then I suppose I ought to go away. 
 I can't see her again and not care for her — and 
 she will think me such a brute — and — and " 
 
 "Will you come with me to Brynscombe for a 
 week ? Then we can settle what else is to be 
 done afterwards," said the Doctor. 
 
 "You can't get away just now, sir, with all 
 those hospital committees on hand, can you ? " said 
 Ralph. 
 
 " I would make a push for it in this case. For a 
 week I think I could. After that perhaps you 
 could get one of your Cambridge friends to go for 
 a little walking tour with you, till the Dulauriers 
 come back for Ninie." 
 
 " One thing," said Ralph, with boyish imploring 
 in his tone. " Do you think people need know 
 anything about it ? I would so much rather they 
 did not. I can't bear being looked upon as — as — " 
 •And here he broke down again for a moment, but 
 recovered himself and went on, "Except Elsie. I 
 should like Elsie to know ; nobody besides, though." 
 • "Very well. Then we will start this afternoon. 
 Will you come with me on my rounds, Ralph ? The
 
 xx.] A DISCLOSURE. 277 
 
 air will do you good, and you need see no one then 
 before you go." 
 
 "Thank you, sir. Yes, that will be a good plan," 
 said Ralph. 
 
 "Very well, then, we will start in half-an-hour. 
 Now then, I must see Elsie. You may stay here, 
 my boy, if you like to be quiet." 
 
 Ralph accepted the offer gratefully, and sat on 
 in the cool quiet room thinking over the strange 
 revelation of the morning, while the Doctor walked 
 up and down the shady garden-paths with Elsie, 
 telling her much of what he had just told Ralph. 
 
 "And now, most unluckily, the boy has taken it 
 into his head to fall in love with Ninie Dulaurier. 
 Had you any idea of it, Elsie?" 
 
 " Yes, grandpapa. I thought it was coming to that, 
 and he told me about it last night," said Elsie quietly. 
 
 " I don't think it can go very deep," said the 
 Doctor, trying to comfort himself; "he is such a 
 boy, and he has only known the girl for a fort- 
 night. Poor dear fellow ! it upset him dreadfully ; 
 but he really took it very well. I hope he will 
 be man enough to make up his mind once for all 
 now, so as not to have this sort of trouble twice."
 
 278 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 " Dear old Ralph ! " said Elsie, with tears in her 
 eyes, and a strange compound of pain and relief 
 in her heart, " I am so sorry for him. Only, 
 grandpapa, I am sure Ninie would never have made 
 him really happy." 
 
 " As to that, my dear, I don't think you need have 
 troubled yourself. It is only a case of calf-love on 
 his part ; and though he is very miserable just now, I 
 dare say he will soon get over it. But what annoys 
 me is that I might have spared it him if I had not 
 been such an old fool. I feel the more bound to go 
 and look after him, lest he should come to harm 
 somehow. So I am going to take him away this 
 afternoon. By the way, Elsie, can't you take those 
 two guests of ours out for a drive this afternoon, 
 so that Ralph may have no leave-taking to go 
 through ? " 
 
 " Wouldn't it do if they drove by themselves just 
 for once?" said Elsie, pleadingly. "I don't like to 
 rush away as if I did not care to say good-bye to him 
 just now when he is unhappy !" 
 
 The Doctor consented to this, and the result of the 
 matter was that about four o'clock that afternoon, 
 when the sun was hot and glaring outside, Elsie was
 
 xx.J A DISCLOSURE. 279 
 
 sitting alone in the drawing-room, as she had done 
 the day before, thinking about the new aspect that 
 affairs had taken, and her heart throbbing with 
 sisterly affection and pity for her dear Ralph, whom 
 she longed to comfort and cure of his pain. She was 
 a little sorry for Ninie, and the future disappointment 
 which she foresaw for her ; but she thought most of 
 Ralph. And yet, much as she grieved for his trouble, 
 which seemed to her much less trivial than it did to 
 her grandfather, it was yet a secret pleasure to her 
 to resolve that Ralph should never be utterly lonely 
 in the world ; that he should always have her 
 sisterly love and sympathy, and that she would 
 never put anyone before him, come what might ; 
 "Never!" said the girl to herself, clasping her hands 
 with a strange feeling, compounded of motherly 
 yearning, sisterly affection, and — though she would 
 not confess it to herself — of maidenly love. When 
 the wheels of the Doctor's gig sounded at the 
 door, and Ralph came into the cool, quiet room, 
 looking hot, dusty, and dejected, Elsie could almost 
 have wished that he still had hopes of possessing 
 Ninie to comfort him — almost, not quite. 
 
 To him, the aspect of the room, the stillness of the
 
 2 So RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 summer afternoon, and the repose of the moveless 
 shadows in the hot, yellow sunshine, and Elsie in her 
 cool cambric gown, all gave a sensation of calm 
 and comfort, heightened by the sweet tenderness 
 o( the girl's expression as she looked up at him 
 as he entered. All she said, however, was, " I 
 have seen about your packing as well as grand- 
 papa's, Ralph ; you will find your portmanteau all 
 ready," 
 
 ' Thank you," he said. Then, after a little pause, 
 ' Will you give this to Ninie yourself, Elsie ? I 
 could not bear to leave her without one word of 
 good-bye, though that is all over now." The 
 boyishness had gone out of his face, and for the 
 first time Ralph stood before her as a man. 
 
 " I will, indeed," she said, taking up the little 
 note. 
 
 " I should like you to read it, to see if you think 
 I have said too much," he said, a little wistfully, 
 unfolding it. She read : — 
 
 " I cannot leave you without saying good-bye to 
 you, and telling you how sorry I am to go away. 
 I do not think I shall ever see you again, but I 
 shall never forget how pleasant this last fortnight
 
 xx.] A DISCLOSURE. 28 1 
 
 has been, or your kindness to me. I hope you 
 will have a very happy and bright life — happier 
 and brighter than I could have made it if things 
 could have been as I wished. They never can be ; 
 so now I am going away. Good-bye. 
 
 "Ralph Treguire." 
 
 " You would not tell her the real reason ? " said 
 Elsie, doubtfully. 
 
 " No ; I could not bear to think that she asso- 
 ciated that sort of idea with me," said poor Ralph, 
 shrinking at the thought. " I may be a fool, but 
 to me it would be quite unbearable that people 
 should know about it. I don't suppose they do 
 now ; the Doctor says it was always supposed that 
 my father died of brain fever, and that my grand- 
 father kept it dark on purpose. I should like 
 Winterton to know as well as you, and no one 
 else. O Elsie, can you imagine that it was only 
 last night that you and I were walking together in 
 the starlight, and we were so happy ? " 
 
 The happiness which he attributed to Elsie had 
 but little foundation in actual fact. 
 
 " It does seem a long time ago," she said gently.
 
 282 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 " And now I feel as if I were in a horrid sort of 
 nightmare. The Doctor says I'm safe, because I'm 
 in the right generation to miss it ; but I don't 
 believe you can depend on that. Will you come 
 and see me when I'm in Bedlam, Elsie?" 
 
 " Don't, Ralph ! " Then recalling her words, " Of 
 course I would ; but I don't believe such a thing is 
 the least likely to happen." 
 
 " It may, and then you will look on me as a 
 disgrace to you, and try to forget my existence. 
 People always do," said poor Ralph, dejectedly. 
 
 " Nonsense, Ralph ! " said Elsie, indignantly. " Do 
 you think grandpapa and I are so heartless and 
 horrid that we should leave off loving you and 
 caring for you just because you were in an awful 
 lonely trouble where we could not help you ? Of 
 course, we should love you all the more. And 
 besides — " here Elsie laid her soft, firm, vigorous 
 hand gently on his, and lifted her shining eyes to 
 look into his face, till his insensibly caught the 
 reflection of her hope and faith, " if such a thing 
 ever did happen, it would only be because God saw 
 it was the right thing for you to have to go through, 
 and He would bring you out of it in time, when
 
 xx.] A DISCLOSURE. 2S3 
 
 you had been enduring it long enough. But I don't 
 the least think you need dread it. Promise me not 
 to go and brood over it, at least, Ralph. Look 
 here ; I am sure you have it in you to be a splen- 
 didly useful man, and do all sorts of fine things 
 that are waiting for you to do, and that most men 
 fail in because they are hampered by looking after 
 their wives, and having to accommodate their wishes 
 to their necessities. Now you will be able to devote 
 yours unconditionally, out and out. You will have 
 splendid opportunities to make use of in your life, 
 Ralph ! " 
 
 " Yes ; that would be all right and jolly if I were 
 a fellow like Bruno, or Winterton, or anybody not 
 so commonplace as myself," said Ralph, regretfully. 
 
 "Perhaps this will make just the difference to you, 
 and take all the commonplaceness away ; though I 
 don't see that you are so commonplace as you think 
 yourself. However, that is neither here nor there. 
 What I want you to do is not to make yourself 
 melancholy over what is not at all likely to happen, 
 and see that you may have quite an endurable life 
 after all, if you can't get all you want in it. And we 
 shall always be proud of you if you come to make
 
 284 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. xx. 
 
 it a great one or a good one. You know we shall, 
 Ralph ! " 
 
 All Ralph said was, in a half-choked voice, " I 
 believe you will stick to me, whatever happens, old 
 Elsie ! "
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 BRUNO'S VISIT. 
 
 " So did Pelleas lend 
 All the young beauty of his soul to hers, 
 Believing her." 
 
 Idylls of the King. 
 
 The week of the Doctor's absence was rather dreary 
 to all the three women at Bridge House. Ninie was 
 very much disappointed at the vanishing of her plea- 
 sant little fairy vision : and though her heart had 
 been but very slightly affected in comparison with 
 her vanity, she cried bitterly in her own room, and 
 came down with red eyes to tea. She was aggrieved 
 and vexed rather than melancholy, and Elsie could 
 not sympathize with her frame of mind as otherwise 
 she might have been able to do, for Ninie was cross 
 and snappish, and repelled all sympathy. Elsie had 
 known her much in the same state in childish days,
 
 286 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 when she had been disappointed of a treat or a 
 present. Nothing would please her ; her views of 
 the English climate and English society became 
 more and more gloomy, and even Madame Regnier, 
 who remained stanchly Parisian to the backbone, 
 hinted to her that it was hardly well-bred in a guest 
 thus to abuse her host's friends and their belongings. 
 Little Madame Regnier herself was rather aggrieved 
 about Ralph's desertion of Ninie. She liked Ralph 
 so much, and she had flattered herself that the 
 Dulauriers would give her credit for good manage- 
 ment when the master of Brynscombe, with his fine 
 estate, his unexceptionable character, and his eight 
 thousand "pounds sterling," should propose for the 
 young lady's hand. Now she inveighed against the 
 English matrimonial system, which left such matters 
 to young people to settle for themselves when they 
 did not know their own minds, instead of committing 
 them to the sage discretion of parents and guardians. 
 Nothing but miseries and broken hearts, she declared, 
 could come from such a system. " Now, when I was 
 young, how differently matters were arranged ! My 
 beloved Herve's parents came to see my parents ; 
 they said that they were seeking for a wife for their
 
 XXI.] BRUNO'S VISIT. 287 
 
 son, and had heard that Mademoiselle Aimee — that 
 was myself — was industrious, gentle, and amiable, 
 and would have a dot of so many francs. My 
 parents sent for me ; I came in and made my reve- 
 rence; and though I was never beautiful, I was not 
 then bad-looking, and had been taught to behave 
 myself prettily in society. They told me that 
 M. Regnier had proposed for me in marriage ; I 
 acquiesced, and in due time I had my corbeille de 
 noces, and was married. And a very happy life I led 
 for three years, until my beloved husband died. He 
 was twice my age, but I did not love him the less 
 for that. Ah, I am sure the English system is not 
 nearly so good as the French one ! " 
 
 At the end of the week Dr. Gracedew came home 
 alone. He had sent Ralph off to Norway, under the 
 charge of his friend Winterton ; and when Madame 
 Regnier and Ninie were gone to bed that evening, he 
 had a long talk with Elsie on the subject. 
 
 " The boy has taken it very well," he said. " He 
 will soon recover from his fancy for Ninie ; it did not 
 go very deep, as I suspected. The contemplation of 
 his own position took off his mind from her a good 
 deal, I could see. He reverted several times to
 
 288 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 something you had said to him, Elsie, that seemed to 
 have stirred him up." 
 
 Elsie's face glowed with pleasure. 
 
 " He talks now of reading hard at his physical 
 science, and trying to get a first, when he comes 
 back. ' The harder I work the less I shall think 
 about her,' he said. Poor fellow ! I patted him on the 
 back, and told him he would be a man yet. Between 
 ourselves, Elsie, I have often wished to see him less 
 of a boy ; I think this will do it, though more 
 roughly than I could have wished. But if he takes 
 it in this way it will not do him any harm." 
 
 The next day, when the Doctor was out visiting 
 his patients, there came a ring at the door-bell, 
 followed by the appearance of a tall handsome 
 young man, with dark eyes and a brown complexion, 
 who was introduced by the parlour-maid, in a low 
 and hesitating tone, as Mr. Brown Hole. 
 
 " Bruno ! " said Elsie, springing up. " What fun ! 
 here we are, quite a little Paris colony now that you 
 are come." 
 
 " I must apologize for my unexpected appearance, 
 mademoiselle," said Bruno. " The fact is that I had 
 to eo to London about some business connected
 
 xxi.] BRUNO'S VISIT. 289 
 
 with the newspaper for which I chiefly write, and I 
 thought I might catch sight of Ralph, if I accepted 
 the Doctor's invitation of coming here." 
 
 " What a pity ! Ralph is in Norway. But you will 
 stay here to-night, at least, and see grandpapa ? " 
 
 "Willingly, if I am not intruding. Excuse my 
 sitting down," said Bruno, taking the nearest chair. 
 " The fact is that I have had a little accident in 
 London, and have hurt my knee in descending 
 from an omnibus ; and walking makes it rather 
 painful." 
 
 "Grandpapa will doctor it for you," said Elsie. 
 " You know that Ninie Dulaurier and Madame 
 Regnier are here ? " 
 
 " Yes, I heard that they had been staying here." 
 
 " They are out in the garden. No, don't move, 
 stay here and rest," said Elsie. And then her two 
 other French guests were brought in, and they talked 
 of Paris news, and of Boulevard N., and asked after 
 all their friends, until the Doctor came in from his 
 rounds in time for afternoon tea, and warmly wel- 
 comed his visitor. 
 
 He quickly discerned that Bruno was in pain, and 
 then and there took him aside to examine his knee. 
 
 VOL. 1. U
 
 290 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 It had been a slight sprain at first, but Bruno had 
 gone on neglecting it, and walking about London 
 until it had become considerably inflamed ; and the 
 Doctor told him that he should not dream of letting 
 him go away the next day, but that he must stay at 
 Bridge House and lay it up, probably for a fortnight 
 at least. "If not you will have more trouble with it 
 than you like," said the Doctor seriously. 
 
 Bruno demurred as to the trouble he was giving, 
 but he had passed the last day or two in a state of 
 so much pain that he was now in a mood to take 
 advice. Besides, Bridge House was not a bad place 
 to be laid up in, with the Doctor as host, and Elsie 
 as hostess, and Ninie Dulaurier's lovely little face to 
 contemplate between whiles. So, with many thanks 
 and apologies, he consented to establish himself at 
 Middlebury for an indefinite number of days, until 
 the Doctor chose to let him go. 
 
 He was given a bedroom on the ground-floor, that 
 he might have no stairs to mount, and the only move 
 he was allowed was from his room to the drawing- 
 room sofa, and from the drawing-room sofa to a couch 
 placed outside the window in the shade which fell 
 there so pleasantly in the afternoon. It was the first
 
 xxi.] BRUNO'S VISIT. 291 
 
 time that Bruno had ever been treated as an invalid, 
 and the novelty rather amused him. The first morn- 
 ing of his stay at Bridge House, Elsie, while busy 
 about her housekeeping cares, asked Ninie to sit in 
 the drawing-room and see if the patient wanted any- 
 thing. Madame Regnier was busy writing to Herve ; 
 she always wrote him voluminous letters on the thin- 
 nest of paper and in the smallest of hands twice a 
 week. She considered that she was duly chaperoning 
 Ninie by her presence ; though when she once became 
 embarked in a letter to her son, the most open flirta- 
 tion might have taken place in the room and she 
 would never have seen it. 
 
 The drawing-room at Bridge House looked to the 
 south-east, and the rays of the morning sun were shut 
 off by blinds of a pleasant buff colour that shaded 
 off the heat but kept the glow. Through the open 
 window came sweet scents, and sunny green glitter of 
 leaves and climbing rose-buds ; and just in the bay 
 sat Ninie, where a gleam of light fell upon her pretty 
 hair and pink sprigged cotton gown, and the dainty 
 little figure which gave any artistic eye quite as much 
 pleasure to behold as the Venus de Medici. More, 
 possibly, for the Venus de Medici always remains in 
 
 U 2
 
 292 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 the same position, and Ninie put herself into twenty 
 fresh attitudes, all equally lovely, in five minutes. 
 
 Bruno watched her, and thought that she had 
 developed into fresh beauty since she had been away. 
 He had never thought before how exquisitely lovely 
 she was. He wished she would come and sit nearer 
 to him, so that he could look at her without turn- 
 ing his head backwards. Just at that moment Ninie 
 came up to him, and he saw the pretty pensive 
 little face looking down at him with liquid dark 
 eyes that might have contained any amount of 
 pitiful commiseration. 
 
 " Can I do anything for you, Monsieur Bruno ? " 
 she said in her sweet voice. 
 
 " I wonder, mademoiselle, if you would mind 
 reading to me a little ! " he said with a sudden 
 inspiration. 
 
 " Certainly, monsieur, if you like. But what book 
 shall it be ? " said Ninie, doubtfully. " There are so 
 few French books here, except the classical works 
 of Moliere and Racine." 
 
 " True. But will you not read to me an English 
 book ? I know you read English beautifully, much 
 better than I do. Poetry, now. I am sure you
 
 xxi.] BRUNO'S VISIT. 293 
 
 would read poetry exquisitely ; I see it in your 
 face." 
 
 Ninie accordingly started upon " Elaine " in the 
 " Idylls," and read neatly and correctly enough several 
 pages of that poem. She thought it rather dull, but 
 Bruno appeared to enjoy it, and complimented her so 
 prettily on her reading that she went on doing so. 
 She did not care for poetry, but she liked admiration ; 
 and Bruno's eyes were more eloquent than his lips as 
 he lay watching her. 
 
 " O thank you, Ninie ; how good of you ; I was 
 afraid Bruno would be dull, but I see you are enter- 
 taining him famously," said Elsie coming in. 
 
 "Yes, is it not kind of her to take compassion 
 upon me ? " said Bruno. " She has been reading to 
 me such a lovely poem, mademoiselle, and reading 
 it so well too. I wish I could read English poetry 
 as well." 
 
 " Ninie is very good at her English," said Elsie 
 patting her friend's shoulder. 
 
 "Yes, and then she enters into the poetry she 
 reads so well" (which was a delusion on Bruno's 
 part). " It is a great treat to me to hear it." 
 " Then you will not mind if I leave you to
 
 294 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 entertain one another a little longer. My aunt is 
 vexed with me because I have not been to see her 
 lately ; and I ought to go, I know. Will you go 
 on reading to him, Ninie ? " 
 
 " O yes, with great pleasure," said Ninie with 
 alacrity. She had been half afraid that Elsie might 
 send her away and take her place ; and Ninie 
 would not have liked that, though in Elsie's place 
 the little thing would probably have done so, and 
 she knew it. 
 
 In the afternoon they were sitting on the lawn, 
 when Elsie was again called away by her grand- 
 father about some trifling household business. 
 Madame Regnier was again nominally chaperoning 
 Ninie, but the afternoon was hot, and she was 
 asleep in the comfortable garden chair which gave 
 such a convenient rest to one's head. 
 
 By this time Bruno had had several hours' ob- 
 servation of Ninie, and the conclusion to which it 
 had led him was conveyed in his remark, a little 
 abruptly, as he looked at her bending pensively 
 over her lace work, " Mademoiselle Ninie, you look 
 a little unhappy. I hope nothing is the matter at 
 your home ? "
 
 xxi.] BRUNO'S VISIT. 295 
 
 " Nothing, thank you," said Ninie, flushing car- 
 nation in spite of herself. 
 
 "Perhaps you are home-sick. Are they kind to 
 you here ? " he said a little sharply. 
 
 " They mean to be. They cannot help it if 
 they are English, and a little hard," said Ninie 
 pensively. 
 
 Bruno thought her answer angelic in its sweetness. 
 " But you will go home soon, and all will be well," 
 he said consolingly. 
 
 " No," said Ninie, shaking her pretty head softly, 
 " it will not be well. Nothing will be the same as it 
 used to be, when my dear Lilie was alive. It will 
 never be the same any more." 
 
 "Ah!" 
 
 " It is so dull at home now — you do not know how 
 dull. I have no companion to amuse me ; papa and 
 mamma are busy all day with the affairs of the con- 
 gregation, and they think I ought to take my amuse- 
 ment in it too. But I cannot; it is not suitable for me. 
 I sit at home all day and ennuis myself. I have no 
 sister to talk to now, and no one who cares whether I 
 am happy or unhappy." And two big tears of self-pity 
 fell from Ninie's eyes, unchecked by the consciousness
 
 296 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 of the " big story " she had perhaps unwittingly- 
 told. 
 
 " Then they are brutes, ingrates," began Bruno, 
 indignantly ; but Ninie's soft voice checked him. 
 
 " No, Monsieur Bruno ; they only do not under- 
 stand me. How should they ? It is long since they 
 were young ; and they are pious, and enjoy the 
 consolations of religion. But I am young, and I am 
 not pious enough, and I care for les choscs mon- 
 daines. Perhaps when I am old I shall not care, 
 and then I shall be happy. Only now, you see, it 
 seems just a little hard." 
 
 He would have been a brute who had not pitied the 
 pretty creature as she sat there with her head a little 
 on one side, and her big eyes swimming in tears. 
 Besides which, it was all sincere on Ninie's part ; she 
 was not acting ; she really and truly believed in her 
 own miseries. Ninie was not an actress ; it was only 
 that she was so acutely touched by everything that 
 concerned herself that she could not help magnifying 
 it beyond its due proportions, whenever she had a 
 sympathizing listener ; and when the sympathizing 
 listener was absent, she made one out of her own 
 heart
 
 xxi.] BRUNO'S VISIT. 297 
 
 Bruno again thought her angelic ; and though the 
 conversation was here interrupted by the appearance 
 of Elsie, whose coming awoke Madame Regnier, and 
 made the conversation general, he pondered over it as 
 much as Ninie could possibly have desired, and pro- 
 bably much more than she imagined any one likely 
 to do. 
 
 " The sweet little flower ! The darling ! " he 
 thought to himself when he was alone in his room 
 that evening, stirred in his heart as he had never 
 yet been in his life. " How cruel of Fate to treat her 
 thus — to give her in charge to that rigid old pastor 
 and his wife, who have no thoughts but of their 
 gloomy religion ! They ought to let her live in the 
 loveliest surroundings ; they ought to let her soul 
 vibrate to the glories of art and music, and she should 
 sit all day in a bovver of the most exquisite flowers, 
 and have nothing more burdensome to do than to 
 water them and tend them. Or," and here Bruno 
 actually felt giddy with the splendour of the thought 
 that struck upon his brain, " she might develop into 
 the sweetest little wife that ever a man had. She 
 would not mind a little room, nor small means. What 
 would it not be to work for her — to come home and
 
 298 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 find the lovely little face waiting and watching, and 
 to see it light up when she caught sight of him. And 
 then to brine: all one's cares and labours and tell 
 them to her sympathizing ear, and to see her trans- 
 figure them into beauty by her smile ! Nay, more ; 
 what could be desired by a patriot better than to be 
 inspired by so sweet and heroic a little soul as must 
 surely dwell in that beautiful frame ? Must ? Nay, 
 did. Had he not had proof of her touching simple- 
 ness, her angelic sweetness ?" Women in general might 
 be what French novelists represented them ; Bruno 
 had always hitherto held aloof from them ; half from 
 shyness, half from vague dread of the possible and 
 unknown magic of their power; but Ninie Dulaurier 
 was of a different nature. In fact, like his cousin 
 Ralph, Bruno had fallen head over ears in love 
 with the bewitching little beauty from his first day 
 of familiar intercourse with her, and drew in his 
 imagination an utterly different Ninie from the true 
 one whom he beheld with his actual eyes. 
 
 The danger, too, was greater for Bruno than for 
 Ralph. Bruno was a man rather than a boy, and 
 his nature was more emotional and more passionate 
 than Ralph's. Then, too, he had a much more vivid
 
 xxi.] BRUNO'S VISIT. 299 
 
 imagination, and he bestowed upon the Ninie of 
 his dreams all sorts of mental qualities and feminine 
 virtues which the real Ninie did not possess, besides 
 all those which she had really. Thus he marvelled 
 at her deftness and quickness in the little household 
 matters in which she helped Elsie, and at her indus- 
 trious little fingers which were never idle ; and he 
 added to these the depth and poetry with which he 
 credited her, but of which she had not a grain. If 
 when he uttered some poetical idea he seemed to 
 see appreciation of it in the liquid dark eyes upraised 
 to his own, it did not at all follow that Ninie was 
 not really thinking how many more Catherine wheels 
 she had to put into her embroidery, or wishing that 
 Bruno would say something to which she could 
 reply without committing herself. Nevertheless, she 
 was really happy and amused while she was so evi- 
 dently the one object of Bruno's thoughts ; and 
 though with him there was no delightful back- 
 ground of Brynscombe to throw up his attractions, 
 he was handsomer and cleverer than Ralph, and 
 Ninie was not altogether a worldly-wise woman at 
 nineteen.
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 A SUMMONS. 
 
 " The valley lay smiling before me, 
 Where lately I left her behind : 
 Yet I trembled, and something hung o'er me, 
 That saddened the joy of my mind." 
 
 Moore. 
 
 BRUNO'S cure took some time, for he had made his 
 sprain so much worse by persisting in neglecting it 
 that the inflammation did not for some time yield 
 to the Doctor's remedies. He was rather glad than 
 sorry, however, and willingly endured the pain which 
 it caused him, because of the accompanying pleasure 
 of Ninie's presence. Otherwise he might have been 
 rather an obstreperous patient, and might have 
 argued against the inaction to which the Doctor 
 condemned him ; but as it was he enjoyed to the full 
 all the sweetness of this his first love. Sometimes 
 Ninie read to him; more often he -read to Ninie, 
 and she sat by his side and worked at her em-
 
 chap, xxii.] A SUMMONS. 
 
 broidery, which she liked best. If he had not been 
 so much in love with her he might have imagined 
 that the Ah que cest beau ! which was the one stereo- 
 typed form of praise wherewith she filled all the 
 pauses of his reading, was a little unsatisfactory ; but 
 then the beautiful eyes lifted up under their dark 
 fringes seemed to say all that the lips left unsaid. 
 There was not anything that could be called open 
 flirtation between them. Ninie had strict views of 
 propriety, and Madame Regnier and Elsie were 
 almost always of the party ; but Bruno and Ninie 
 when they were together, had little perception of 
 the presence of anyone but each other. 
 
 Yes, Ninie too was in love by this time, at least 
 as much as was possible to one of her nature. 
 Ralph had only touched her vanity ; Bruno touched 
 her heart. He thought her perfect ; he longed to 
 remove the thorns which pricked her little white 
 feet as they trod the path of life; and Ninie was 
 touched by his earnestness, and conscious that there 
 was something unusual in the fervent love of the 
 pure-souled poet nature that was poured out at her 
 feet. His devotion awakened a reflection in her 
 mind ; true, it was but as moonlight unto sunlight,
 
 302 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 and as water to wine, but it was sufficient to take 
 away for the time all regrets for the once possible 
 glories of Brynscombe and Brynscombe's master. 
 Ninie began to think that it might be very pleasant 
 to be a poor man's wife, if the poor man were 
 Bruno Noel. There would be a charming little 
 romance about it. They might have small apart- 
 ments, but everything about them should be charm- 
 ing, and in the best taste. " And I am little 
 myself," thought Ninie with satisfaction, as she 
 contemplated herself in the glass while she was 
 building this castle in the air. So far these two 
 understood one another, though Bruno's love had 
 hitherto been spoken rather by looks and tones 
 than by words. 
 
 Bruno thought himself extraordinarily fortunate 
 for the chance which suffered him to do his love- 
 making a VAnglaise instead of a la Franqaise. Elsie 
 seemed to think it quite a matter of course that 
 the young Frenchman should enjoy the young 
 Frenchwoman's society frankly and naturally, and 
 Madame Regnier being told that it was the custom 
 of the country that young people should amuse 
 themselves together without restraint, had nothing
 
 xxil.j A SUMMONS. 303 
 
 to say, and contented herself with acting chaperone 
 to Ninie whenever she thought that a tete-a-tete with 
 Bruno had lasted long enough. She could not set 
 herself against the custom of the country, or make 
 herself disagreeable. 
 
 At last Bruno's knee was well, and he could not 
 delay his departure any longer ; but the Doctor 
 persuaded him to stay three or four days more for 
 a great civic feast that was to be held in the town 
 on the occasion of the opening of a new Town Hall. 
 But on the day before it was to take place he 
 received a letter from his father, telling him that 
 his aunt Madame Treguire had been taken seriously 
 ill, and that she wished to see him, as the Doctor 
 was under grave apprehensions as to her recovery. 
 
 Bruno made up his mind to cross that night from 
 Southampton, which would bring him to Paris the 
 next day. This involved his spending the afternoon 
 at Middlebury, but it was impossible to travel all 
 the way to Dover or Folkestone for the night 
 steamer. He was much upset and grieved about 
 Madame Treguire, whom he loved very dearly, and 
 perhaps his grief was one of the reasons for his 
 failing to hold to the plan he had decided upon
 
 304 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 respecting Ninie. He had intended to say nothing 
 to her at present, but to address himself to her 
 parents the moment they returned from America, 
 and to present them in due form his proposal for 
 Ninie's hand. 
 
 Circumstances, or the ardent passion of the young 
 man's heart, however, were too strong to allow him 
 to carry out this proper and sensible programme. 
 He came from his room where he had been packing 
 his portmanteau into the drawing-room, where he 
 found Ninie alone. Bruno had shed a good many 
 tears in his solitude, and he looked very sad and 
 melancholy as he entered the room. . 
 
 " This is a sad ending to my pleasant visit," he 
 tried to say unconcernedly, but his eyes filled with 
 tears again, and Ninie — our little prosaic, unromantic 
 Ninie — actually caught the infection and began to 
 
 cry. 
 
 " Are you crying for me, Ninie ? O my darling 
 my darling ! do you really care ? " 
 
 And then, somehow, she felt his arms round her, 
 and his kisses on her brow. " I can bear it now 
 that I know you care for me," he said, kissing her 
 
 again.
 
 xxii.] A SUMMONS. 305 
 
 It was the work of a moment, and the sound of 
 a footstep in the hall made Ninie shake herself free 
 of the encircling arm. However, it was only the 
 Doctor going to his study, and she stood before 
 Bruno crimson, with drooping head. 
 
 " I meant to have gone to your father first, and 
 asked for you properly, Ninie," he said, recalled to 
 himself ; " but you will forgive me ? My darling, 
 my darling, you do not know how happy you have 
 made me ! See, a little while ago I said to myself, 
 'If my dear aunt dies, there will be no one left to 
 love me or care if I am happy or miserable.' But 
 now I shall comfort myself; I shall have my own 
 little Ninie's heart, and she will always care. Ninie, 
 my darling, say once to me, Je faime. 
 
 " Je faime" said Ninie, in the sweetest and 
 most silvery little voice that could be. She thought 
 she did, poor child. 
 
 They billed and cooed a little longer, and then 
 Ninie looked up and said shyly, " Only, please, 
 Bruno, you will not tell papa that you have spoken 
 to me at all. He might not like it." 
 
 " Just as you please, my darling. I am quite 
 satisfied, now that you have said that little word. 
 
 voi,. r. x
 
 306 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 We shall not be rich, you know, but I think we 
 shall be very happy." 
 
 " Always — with you," said Ninie, with an upward 
 look of those liquid eyes of hers. 
 
 They had another leave-taking in the garden that 
 evening, and Bruno departed with a strange mixture 
 of joy and pain in his heart. The joy of happy 
 love was the greatest of the two during the first 
 part of his journey ; but as it went on, anxiety 
 about his aunt took its natural place in his mind. 
 When he arrived at the door he was comforted by 
 seeing that the shutters were open. " Madame lives 
 yet," said the stolid Alsace maid-servant, without the 
 slightest touch of sympathy or concern in her voice ; 
 " but she is not going to live out the day." Bruno 
 gave a great sob and went on. He paused for a 
 moment outside Madame Treguire's door, but hear- 
 ing voices within he took courage and entered. The 
 sick woman was lying on the bed with yellow face 
 and glazed eye, in extremity of sickness, but just 
 conscious. Poor Eugenie ! she had lived in practical 
 heathenism all the days of her life, and her death- 
 bed was in keeping with it. There was not a sign 
 there to tell of any hope of life beyond ; nothing
 
 xxii.] A SUMMONS. 307 
 
 but the dreary ending of everything connected with 
 this world, and the ugly signs of disease and decay 
 in the haggard frame that had once been beautiful. 
 It was a cloudy, windy day, with a dispersed white 
 shadowless light that made everything look dreary 
 and commonplace beyond description. Poor Eugenie 
 had been proud of her embroidered curtains and 
 walnut-wood furniture ; they were about her now, 
 but they gave her little comfort, as she lay dying 
 in their midst. 
 
 She made a motion of her hand to show that she 
 was conscious of Bruno's entrance, and he sat down 
 by her side, laying his hand tenderly on hers. 
 Horace Noel was not there ; he said that he could 
 be of no use, and that he could not support the 
 atmosphere of the sick-room. Bruno was not so 
 heartless. He did not know whether his aunt were 
 conscious of his presence or not, but he would not 
 leave her, notwithstanding the strange oppression 
 which the presence of the awful Shadow brought 
 over his mind. According to his creed, this was the 
 end of all things ; the end of life, of hope, of love, 
 of honour. Suppose it were Ninie who lay there 
 dying instead ? No, replied the illogical voice of
 
 3 o8 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap 
 
 his heart, it could not be. There was something im- 
 mortal about love, as about the noble deeds in which 
 a man must earn himself immortality and live on 
 in the life of his race. If that awful Fate were stilF 
 lurking in the background, the only thing to do 
 was to ignore -it by winning fame and honour and 
 the love of mankind in spite of it, as Bruno meant 
 to do, scorning delights and living laborious days. 
 And with health and youth and a noble purpose,, 
 and a pure love, would he not be strong enough to^ 
 defy its power, and make as much out of his life 
 as ever man had yet made ?' 
 
 So Bruno preached to himself through the long 
 hours during which he sat by the first death-bed 
 he had ever seen, Granting his position, perhaps 
 it was the bravest view he could take of life ; there 
 is but one creed which can deliver man from the 
 dread of that awful, aimless, blind Necessity which 
 lurks watchful but unseen behind the fair covert of 
 human hopes and the blossoms of human love, and 
 of that creed Bruno as yet knew so little as to 
 account it slavish instead of free. It was well for 
 him that he could see good and evil clearly enough 
 to reject both the Epicureanism and the bitter
 
 xxn.] A SUMMONS. 309 
 
 cynicism which have engulfed so many who believe 
 as he did. 
 
 After long and sad watching the end came. " Kiss 
 me," murmured the dying woman feebly ; and 
 then Bruno heard some scarcely audible words 
 that sounded like " I have set it right now — Horace 
 knows." It was the last thing she spoke consciously. 
 She began to wander, and a short period of raving 
 exhausted the feeble life that was still left in her. 
 She fell into a stupor and never awoke again. 
 Bruno- stayed beside her until they said, " Elle est 
 morte." Then he went into his own room and 
 threw himself on his bed, weeping bitterly for the 
 loss of the only mother he had ever knowni 
 
 His grief was interrupted by his father, who came 
 in to see him. "This is very sad, my son. Poor 
 Eugenie ! I thought she would have been a long- 
 lived woman. I suppose it was but natural that 
 Ralph did not care to come." 
 
 " He could not — he was in Norway," said Bruno. 
 
 " Ah well, some one must write to him and tell 
 him of this lamented affair. A son ought to be 
 sorry for his mother's death — do not you think so, 
 Bruno ? "
 
 3i° RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. 
 
 To Bruno the question hardly seemed to require 
 an answer. " Of course," he said. " Shall I write, 
 or you ? " 
 
 " Well — " said Horace considering. " On the 
 whole I think you had best write ; it will save me 
 the trouble. Your poor aunt said nothing before 
 she died, Bruno ? " 
 
 " Only that she had set something right, and that 
 you knew. I did not understand to what she 
 referred." 
 
 " Ah ! no doubt to the will she has made, leaving 
 all her little savings to you. I might complain, but 
 I am of too exalted a spirit to do so, though I 
 cannot now imagine how I shall live. Of course 
 her annuity dies with her ; it is very hard upon 
 me." 
 
 Bruno was not much disposed to enter into this 
 question, and the conversation dropped. 
 
 Eugenie Treguire was laid in one of the square 
 compartments of the Neuilly cemetery, and three 
 wreaths of immortelles, rendered yet more immortal 
 by being executed in china, were placed upon her 
 grave by Bruno. Horace left all the arrangements 
 to his son ; he said it was too painful to him to
 
 xxn.] A SUMMONS. 311 
 
 visit the grave of his late lamented sister, and he 
 never did anything which might rouse painful 
 feelings. 
 
 As he had said, Madame Treguire. had left her 
 savings to Bruno ; and they were by no means in- 
 considerable. She had lived on the proceeds of 
 her lodging-house, and had spent little of her 
 annuity ; and Bruno found that he would have quite 
 sufficient to enable him to marry and live in a small 
 way as a working journalist. The furniture of the 
 lodging-house was bequeathed to Horace, who in- 
 tended to go on with it as his means of livelihood. 
 Whether he would make it answer now that his 
 sister's economical and managing headship was 
 removed was doubtful ; but as he must live some- 
 how, he intended to try it. 
 
 As a first step to success in it, he surprised his 
 son by announcing, a week after the funeral, that 
 he had made proposals of marriage to a lady who 
 had promised to become Bruno's stepmother. The 
 future Madame Noel was a middle-aged widow, 
 rather ugly, but with a comfortable little sum of 
 money at her own disposal. Bruno replied that his 
 father had a perfect right to do as he pleased, but
 
 312 RALPH AND BRUNO. [chap. xxii. 
 
 that under the circumstances he hoped Horace would 
 not be vexed if he himself took lodgings elsewhere. 
 It would be painful to him to see another lady so 
 soon filling the place of his dear aunt. Horace 
 Noel acquiesced readily enough ; there never had 
 been much sympathy between his son and himself. 
 
 And so Bruno waited hopefully until the Dulauriers 
 should return from America, and he should be able 
 to claim Ninie's hand. 
 
 END OF VOL. I.
 
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 Extra fcap. 8vo. 4?. 6d. 
 
 " Told in a light and amusing style, which, in its drollery and 
 quaintness, reminds us of our old favourite Grimm." — Times. 
 
 Kingsley. — Works by the Rev. Charles Kingsley, M.A., 
 Rector of Eversley, and Canon of Westminster : — 
 "WESTWARD HO!" or, The Voyages and Adventures of 
 Sir Amyas Leigh. Eleventh Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s. 
 Fraser's Magazine calls it "almost the best historical novel of 
 the day." 
 
 TWO YEARS AGO. Sixth Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s. 
 
 " Mr. Kingsley has provided us all along with such pleasant diversions 
 — such rich and brightly tinted glimpses of natural history, such 
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 that amidst the pleasure of the way, the circuit to be made will be by 
 most forgotten." — Guardian. 
 
 HYPATIA ; or, New Foes with an Old Face. Seventh Edition. 
 
 Crown 8vo. 6s. 
 HEREWARD THE WAKE— LAST OF THE ENGLISH. 
 
 Second Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s. 
 YEAST : A Problem. Seventh Edition. Crown 8vo. S s - 
 ALTON LOCKE. New Edition. With a New Preface. Crown 8vo. 
 
 4r. 6d.
 
 io BELLES LETTRES. 
 
 Kingsley (C.)— -continued. 
 
 The author shows, to quote the Spectator, "what it is that con- 
 stitutes the true Christian, God-fearing, man-living gentleman." 
 
 THE WATER BABIES. A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby. New 
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 . . . There is in the ' Water Babies ' an abundance of wit, fun, 
 
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 THE HEROES ; or, Greek Fairy Tales for my Children. With 
 
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 " We do not think these heroic stories have ever been more attractively 
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 " The dialogue of ' Phaethon ' has striking beauties, and its sugges- 
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 PROSE IDYLLS. NEW AND OLD. Second Edition. Crown 
 
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 Contents : — A Chartn of Birds ; Chalk-Stream Studies ; The 
 Fens ; My Winter-Garden ; From Ocean to Sea ; North Devon. 
 
 "Altogether a delightful book // exhibits the author's best 
 
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 could hardly be found." — British Quarterly Review. 
 
 Kingsley (H.) — Works by Henry Kingsley :— 
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 ' ' We know no better book for those who want knowledge or seek to 
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 pared with these narratives." — Athenaeum. " Exactly the book 
 to interest and to do good to intelligent and high-spirited boys." — 
 Literary Churchman.
 
 BELLES LETTRES. 1 1 
 
 Kingsley (H..)— continued. 
 
 THE LOST CHILD. With Eight Illustrations by Frolich 
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 OAKSHOTT CASTLE. 3 Vols. Crown 8vo. 3jtj. 6d. 
 
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 Knatchbull-Kugessen. — Works by E. H. Knatchbull- 
 
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 Mr. Kuatchbull-Hugessen has won for himself a reputation as 
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 "or hearing them read, will have their minds refreshed and in- 
 vigorated as much as their bodies would be by abundance of fresh 
 air and exercise." 
 STORIES FOR MY CHILDREN. [With Illustrations. Fifth 
 Edition. Crown 8vo. 5-r. 
 
 " The stories are charming, and full of life and fun." — Standard. 
 " The author has an imagination as fanciful as Grimm himself, 
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 tian Andersen has "written." — Nonconformist. 
 CRACKERS FOR CHRISTMAS. More Stories. With Illustra- 
 tions by Jellicoe and Elwes. Fifth Edition. Crown Svo. $s. 
 ' ' A fascinating little volume, which will make him frie7ids in every 
 household in which there are children." — Daily News. 
 MOONSHINE: Fairy Tales. With Illustrations by W. Brunton. 
 Sixth Edition. Crown 8vo. cloth gilt. 5-r. 
 
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 you will find it good reading. " — Graphic. ' ' The most charming 
 volume of fairy tales which we have ever read. . . . We cannot quit 
 this very pleasant book without a word of praise to its illustrator. 
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 TALES AT TEA-TIME. Fairy Stories. With Seven Illustra- 
 tions by W. Brunton. Fifth Edition. Crown Svo. cloth gilt, $s. 
 " Capitally illustrated by W. Brunton. . . . In frolic and fancy they 
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 QUEER FOLK. FAIRY STORIES. Illustrated by S. E. 
 Waller. Fourth Edition. Crown Svo. Cloth gilt. $s. 
 " Decidedly the author s happiest effort. . . . One of the best story 
 books of the year." — Hour, \
 
 12 BELLES LETTRES. 
 
 Knatchbull-Hugessen (Louis). — the HISTORY OF 
 PRINCE PERRYPETS. A Fairy Tale. By Louisa Knatch- 
 bull-Hugessen. With Eight Illustrations by Weigand. 
 New Edition. Crown 4to. cloth gilt. is. 6d. 
 "A grand and exciting fairy tale. " — Morning Post. ' ' A delicious 
 piece of fairy nonsense." — Illustrated London News. 
 
 Knox. — SONGS OF CONSOLATION. By Isa Craig Knox. 
 Extra fcap. 8vo. Cloth extra, gilt edges. 4s. 6d. 
 " The verses are truly sweet ; there is in them not only much genuine 
 poetic quality, but an ardent, flowing devotedness, and a peculiar 
 skill in propounding theological tenets in the most graceful way, 
 which any divine might envy." — Scotsman. 
 
 Latham. — SERTUM SHAKSPERIANUM, Subnexis aliquot 
 aliunde excerptis floribus. Latine reddidit Rev. H. Latham, 
 M.A. Extra fcap. 8vo. 5^. 
 
 Lemon. — THE LEGENDS OF NUMBER NIP. By Mark 
 Lemon. With Illustrations by C. Keene. New Edition. Extra 
 fcap. 8vo. 2s. 6d. 
 
 Life and Times of Conrad the Squirrel. A Story 
 
 for Children. By the Author of "Wandering Willie," " Effie's 
 Friends," &c. With a Frontispiece by R. Farren. Second 
 Edition. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d. 
 " Having commenced on the first page, we were compelled to go on to 
 
 the conclusion, and this we predict will be the case with every one 
 
 who opens the book." — Pall Mall Gazette. 
 
 Little E Stella, and other FAIRY TALES FOR THE YOUNG. 
 
 i8mo. cloth extra. 2s. 6d. 
 
 " This is a fine story, and we thank heaven for not being loo wise to 
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 Lome (Marquis of). — GUIDO AND LITA : A TALE OF 
 THE RIVIERA. A Poem by the Marquis of Lorne. Small 
 4to. cloth elegant, with Illustrations. "]s. 6d. 
 
 Lowell. — Works by J. Russell Lowell :— 
 
 AMONG MY BOOKS. Six Essays. Dryden — Witchcraft — 
 
 Shakespeare once More — New England Two Centuries Ago— 
 
 Lessing — Rousseau and the Sentimentalists. Crown 8vo. 7-r. 6d. 
 
 COMPLETE POETICAL WORKS of James Russell Lowell. 
 
 With Portrait, engraved by Jeens. i8mo. cloth extra. 4?. 6d. 
 
 "All readers who are able to recognise and appreciate genuine verse 
 
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 Mall Gazette. 
 
 Lyttelton. — Works by Lord Lyttelton :— 
 THE "COMUS" OF MILTON, rendered : into Greek Verse. 
 
 Extra fcap. 8vo. 5j. ■ . 
 
 THE "SAMSON AGONISTES" OF MILTON, rendered into 
 Greek Verse. Extra fcap. 8vo. 6s. 6d.
 
 BELLES LETT RES. 13 
 
 " Classical in spirit, full of force, and true to the original." 
 — Guardian. 
 
 Macdonell.— FOR THE KING'S DUES. By Agnes Mac- 
 
 donell, Author of " Martin's Vineyard." Crown 8vo. \os. 6d. 
 
 ' ' It is rarely that so pleasant and unaffected piece of fiction finds its 
 
 way into the reviewer's hands." — Court Circular. " It is 
 
 briqht, pleasant, and wholesome .''. . An exceedingly tender, 
 
 natural, and fascinating little love story." — Morning Post. 
 
 Maclaren. — THE FAIRY FAMILY. A series of Ballads and 
 Metrical Tales illustrating the Fairy Mythology of Europe. By 
 Archibald Maclaren. With Frontispiece, Illustrated Title, 
 and Vignette. Crown 8vo. gilt. $s'. 
 
 " A successful attempt to translate into the vernacular some of the 
 Fairy Mythology of Europe. The verses are very good. There is 
 no shirking difficulties of rhyme, and the ballad metre which is 
 oftenest employed has a great deal of the kind of 'go ' which we find 
 so seldom outside the pages of Scott. The book is of permanent 
 value." — Guardian. 
 
 Macmillan's Magazine. — Published Monthly. Price is. 
 
 Volumes I. to XXXII. are now ready, ys. 6d. each. 
 Macquoid. — PATTY. By Katharine S. Macquoid. Third 
 and Cheaper Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s. 
 
 " A book to be read." — Standard. "A powerfid and fascinating 
 s tory." — Daily Telegraph. TJie Globe considers it " well- 
 written, amusing, and interesting, and has the merit of being out 
 of the ordinary run of novels." 
 
 Maguire,— YOUNG PRINCE marigold, and other 
 
 FAIRY STORIES. By the late John Francis Maguire, M.P. 
 
 Illustrated by S. E. Waller. Globe 8vo. gilt. 4*-. 6d. 
 
 " The author has evidently studied the ways and tastes of children and 
 
 got at the secret of amusing them ; and has succeeded in what is not 
 
 so easy a task as it may seem — in producing a really good children's 
 
 book."— Daily Telegraph. 
 
 Marlitt (E.)— THE COUNTESS GISELA. Translated from 
 the German of E. Marlitt. Crown 8vo. Js. 6d. 
 "A very beautiful story of German country life.'" — Literary 
 Churchman. 
 
 Masson (Professor). — Works by David Masson, M.A., 
 
 Professor of Rhetoric and English Literature in the University 
 
 of Edinburgh. 
 BRITISH NOVELISTS AND THEIR STYLES. Being a Critical 
 
 Sketch of the History of British Prose Fiction. Crown 8vo. Js. 6d. 
 WORDSWORTH, SHELLEY, KEATS, AND OTHER 
 
 ESSAYS. Crown 8vo. 5^. 
 CHATTERTON : A Story of the Year 1770. Crown 8vo. $s. 
 THE THREE DEVILS : LUTHER'S, MILTON'S, and 
 
 GOETHE'S ; and other Essays. Crown 8vo. Sj.
 
 i 4 BELLES LETT RES. 
 
 Mazini. — IN THE GOLDEN SHELL; A Story of Palermo. 
 
 By Linda Mazini. With Illustrations. Globe 8vo. cloth gilt. 
 
 4-f. 6d. 
 
 "As beautiful and bright and fresh as the scenes to which it wafts 
 us over the blue Mediterranean, and as pure and innocent, but 
 piquant and sprightly as the little girl who plays the part of its 
 heroine, is this admirable little book. "—Illustrated London 
 News. 
 
 Merivale. — KEATS' HYPERION, rendered into Latin Verse. 
 By C. Merivale, B.D. Second Edition. Extra fcap. 8vo. 
 3j. 6d. 
 
 Milner. — THE LILY OF LUMLEY. By Edith Milner. 
 Crown 8vo. Js. 6d. 
 
 Milton's Poetical Works. — Edited with Text collated from 
 the best Authorities, with Introduction and Notes by David 
 Masson. Three vols. 8vo. With Three Portraits engraved by 
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 Shakespeare.) 
 
 Mistral (F.) — MIRELLE, a Pastoral Epic of Provence. Trans- 
 lated by H. Crichton. Extra fcap. 8vo. 6s. 
 " It would be hard to overpraise the sweetness and pleasing freshness 
 of this charming epic." — Athenaeum. 
 
 Mitford (A. B.)— TALES OF OLD JAPAN. By A. B. 
 
 Mitford, Second Secretary to the British Legation in Japan. 
 
 With Illustrations drawn and cut on Wood by Japanese Artists. 
 
 New and Cheaper Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s. 
 
 " They will always be interesting as memorials of a most exceptional 
 society ; while, regarded simply as tales, they are sparkling, sensa- 
 tional, and dramatic, and the originality of their ideas and the 
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 The illustrations are extremely interesting, and for the curious in 
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 Gazette. 
 
 Morgan. — BARON BRUNO ; or, THE UNBELIEVING 
 PHILOSOPHER, AND OTHER FAIRY STORIES. By 
 LouisaMorgan. Illustrated by R. Caldecott. Crown 8vo. gilt. $s. 
 
 Mr. Pisistratus Brown, M.P., in THE HIGHLANDS. 
 
 New Edition, with Illustrations. Crown 8vo. 3-r. 6d. 
 
 " The book is calculated to recall pleasant memories of holidays well 
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 never been in the Western Highlands, or sailed along the Frith of 
 Clyde and on the Western Coast, it will seem almost like a fairy 
 story. There is a charm in the volume which makes it anything
 
 BELLES LETT RES. 15 
 
 but easy for a reader who has opened it to put it down until the last 
 page has been rad." — Scotsman. 
 
 Mrs. Jerningham's Journal, a Poem purporting to be the 
 
 Journal of a newly-married Lady. Second Edition. Fcap. 8vo. 
 
 3s. 6d. 
 
 " It is nearly a perfect gem. We have had nothing so good for a 
 long time, and those who neglect to read it are neglecting one oj 
 the jewels of contemporary history." — Edinburgh Daily Re- 
 view. " One quality in the piece, sufficient of itself to claim a 
 moment's attention, is that it is unique — original, indeed, is not too 
 strong a word — in the manner of its conception and execution." 
 — Pall Mall Gazette. 
 
 Mudie. — STRAY LEAVES. By C. E. Mudie. New Edition. 
 
 Extra fcap. 8vo. 3s. 6d. Contents: — "His and Mine" — 
 
 "Night and Day"— "One of Many," &c. 
 
 This little volume consists of a number of poems, mostly of a genuinely 
 devotional character. ' ' They are for the most part so exquisitely 
 sweet and delicate as to be quite a marvel of composition. They are 
 worthy of being laid up in the recesses of the heart, and recalled to 
 memory from time to time." — Illustrated London News. 
 
 Murray. — THE BALLADS AND SONGS OF SCOTLAND, 
 
 in View of their Influence on the Character of the People. By 
 
 J. Clark Murray, LL.D., Professor of Mental and Moral 
 
 Philosophy in McGil'l College, Montreal. Crown 8vo. 6j. 
 
 " Independently of the lucidity of the style in which the whole book 
 
 is written, the selection of the examples alone would recommend it 
 
 to favour, while the geniality of the criticism upon those examples 
 
 cannot fail to make them, highly appreciated and valued." — 
 
 Morning Post. 
 
 Myers (Ernest). — THE PURITANS. By Ernest Myers. 
 Extra fcap. 8vo. cloth. 2s. 6d. 
 
 " It is not too much to call it a really grand poem, stately and dig- 
 nified, and shoiviiig not only a high poetic mind, but also great 
 power over poetic expression." — Literary Churchman. 
 
 Myers (F. W. H.)— POEMS. By F. W. H. Myers. Con- 
 taining "St. Paul," "St. John," and others. Extra fcap. 8vo. 
 4j. 6d. 
 
 "It is rare to find a writer who combines to such an extent the faculty 
 of communicating feelings with the faculty of euphonious expres- 
 sion." — Spectator. '"St. PauT 1 stands without a rival as the 
 noblest religious poem which has been written in an age which 
 beyond any other has been prolific in this class of poetry. The sub- 
 limest conceptions are expressed in language which, for richness, 
 taste, and purity, we have never seen excelled." — John Bull. 
 
 Nichol. — HANNIBAL, A HISTORICAL DRAMA. By John 
 Nichol, B.A. Oxon., Regius Professor of English Language and 
 Literature in the University of Glasgow. Extra fcap. 8vo. "]s. 6d. 
 " The poem combines in no ordinary degree firmness and workman-
 
 16 BELLES LETT RES. 
 
 ship. After the lapse of many centuries, an English poet is found 
 paying to the great Carthagenian the worthiest poetical tribute which 
 has as yet, to our knowledge, been afforded to his noble and stainless 
 name." — Saturday Review. 
 
 Nine Years Old.— By the Author of "St. Olave's," "When I 
 was a Little Girl," &c. Illustrated by Frolich. Third Edition. 
 Extra fcap. 8vo. cloth gilt. 4-f. 6d. 
 
 It is believed that this story, by the favourably known author of 
 " St. Olave's," will be found both highly interesting and instructive 
 to the young. The volu?ne contains eight graphic illustrations by 
 Mr. L. Frolich. The Examiner says: "Whether the readers 
 are nine years old, or twice, or seven times as old, they must enjoy 
 this pretty volume." 
 
 Noel.— BEATRICE, AND OTHER POEMS. By the Hon. 
 
 Roden Noel. Fcap. 8vo. 6s. 
 
 "It is impossible to read the poem through without being powerfully 
 moved. There are passages in it which for intensity and tender- 
 ness, dear and vivid vision, spontaneous and delicate sympathy, 
 may be co?npared with the best efforts of our best living writers." 
 — Spectator. 
 
 Norton. — Works by the Hon. Mrs. Norton : — 
 THE LADY OF LA GARAYE. With Vignette and Frontispiece. 
 New Edition. Fcap. 8vo. 4.J. 6d. 
 
 ' ' Full of thought well expressed, and may be classed among her best 
 efforts." — Times. 
 
 OLD SIR DOUGLAS. Cheap Edition. Globe 8vo. is. 6d. 
 " This varied and lively novel — this clever novel so full of character, 
 and of fine incidental remark." — Scotsman. "One of the 
 pleasantest and healthiest stories of modern fiction." — Globe. 
 
 Oliphant. — Works by Mrs. Oliphant : — 
 AGNES HOPETOUN'S SCHOOLS AND HOLIDAYS. New 
 Edition with Illustrations. Royal i6mo. gilt leaves. 4s. 6d. 
 ' ' There are few books of late years more fitted to touch the heart, 
 purify the feeling, and quicken and sustain right principles." — 
 Nonconformist. "A more gracefully written story it is impos- 
 sible to desire." — Daily News. 
 A SON OF THE SOIL. New Edition. Globe 8vo. 2s. 6d. 
 " It is a very different work from the ordinary run of novels. 
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 and insight." — Athenaeum. 
 
 Olrig Grange. Edited by Hermann Kunst, Philol. Professor. 
 Extra fcap. 8vo. 6s. 6d. 
 
 Our Year. A Child's Book, in Prose and Verse. By the Author 
 of "John Halifax, Gentleman." Illustrated by Clarence 
 Dobell. Royal i6mo. 3^. 6d. 
 
 "It is just the book we could wish to see in the hands of every child." 
 —English Churchman. *
 
 BELLES LETTRES. 17 
 
 Owen Gwynne's Great Work— By the Author of 
 
 " Wandering Willie." 2 vols, crown 8vo. zis. 
 
 Oxford Spectator, The.— Reprinted. Extra fcap. 8vo. 
 3.r. 6d. 
 
 Palgrave. — Works by Francis Turner Palgrave, M.A., late 
 
 Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford : — 
 THE FIVE DAYS' ENTERTAINMENTS AT WENTWORTH 
 
 GRANGE. A Book for Children. With Illustrations by Arthur 
 
 Hughes, and Engraved Title-page by Jeens. Small 4to. cloth 
 
 extra. 6s. 
 
 " If you want a really good book for both sexes and all ages, buy 
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 market. " — Athenaeum. ' 'Exquisite both inform and substance. ' ' 
 — Guardian. 
 
 LYRICAL POEMS. Extra fcap. 8vo. 6s. 
 
 (t A volume of pure quiet verse, sparkling with tender melodies, and 
 alive with thoughts of genuine poetry. . . . Turn where we will 
 throughout the volume, toe find traces of beauty, tenderness, and 
 truth ; true poet's work, touched and refined by the master-hand oj 
 a real artist, who shows his genius even in trifles." — Standard. 
 
 ORIGINAL HYMNS. Third Edition, enlarged, i8mo. is. 6d. 
 " So choice, so perfect, and so refined, so tender in feeling, and so 
 scholarly in expression, that we look with special interest to every- 
 thing that he gives us." — Literary Churchman. 
 
 GOLDEN TREASURY OF THE BEST SONGS AND LYRICS. 
 Edited by F. T. Palgrave. i8mo. 4s. 6d. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE'S SONNETS AND SONGS. Edited by F. T. 
 Palgrave. Gem Edition. With Vignette Title by Jeens. p. 6d. 
 " For minute elegance no volume could possibly excel the ' Gem 
 Edition.' " — Scotsman. 
 
 THE CHILDREN'S TREASURY OF ENGLISH SONG. 
 
 Selected and arranged with Notes by F. T. Palgrave. In 
 Two Parts, is. each. Complete in 1 vol. i8mo. Cloth, 2s. 
 
 Parables.— TWELVE PARABLES OF OUR LORD. Illus- 
 trated in Colours from Sketches taken in the East by McEniry* 
 with Frontispiece from a Picture by John Jellicoe, and Illumi- 
 nated Texts and Borders. Royal 4*0. in Ornamental Binding. i6s. 
 The Times calls it ' ' one of the most beautiful of modern pictorial 
 
 works ;" while the Graphic says " nothing in this style, so good, 
 
 has ever before been published. " 
 
 Patmore. — THE CHILDREN'S GARLAND, from the Best 
 Poets. Selected and arranged by Coventry Patmore. New- 
 Edition. With Illustrations by J. Lawson. Crown 8vo. gilt. 6s. 
 Golden Treasury Edition. i8mo. 4;. 6d. 
 
 " The charming illustrations added to many of the poems will add 
 greatly to their value in the eyes of children" — Daily News. 
 
 B
 
 1 8 BELLES LETTRES. 
 
 Pember. — THE TRAGEDY OF LESBOS. A Dramatic Poem. 
 By E. H. Pember. Fcap. 8vo. 4-r. 6d. 
 
 Founded upon the story of Sappho. ' 'He tells his story with dramatic 
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 Athenaeum. 
 
 Poole. — PICTURES OF COTTAGE LIFE IN THE WEST 
 
 OF ENGLAND. By Margaret E. Poole. New and Cheaper 
 
 Edition. With Frontispiece by R. Farren. Crown 8vo. 2 s - 6d. 
 
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 Eliot's style. . . . Her stories could not be other than they are, as 
 
 literal as truth, as romantic as fiction, full of pathetic touches 
 
 and strokes of genuine humour. ... All the stories are studies 
 
 of actual life, executed with no mean art." — Times. 
 
 Population of an Old Pear Tree. From the French 
 
 of E. Van Bruyssel. Edited by the Author of "The Heir of 
 
 Redclyffe." With Illustrations by Becker. Cheaper Edition. 
 
 Crown 8vo. gilt. 4s. 6d. 
 
 " This is not a regular book of natural histoiy, but a description of 
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 sketches. " — Guardian. ' 'A whimsical and charming little book. " 
 — Athenaeum. 
 
 Prince Florestan of Monaco, The Fall of. By 
 
 Himself. New Edition, with Illustration and Map. 8vo. cloth. 
 
 Extra gilt edges, 5-r. A French Translation, 5^. Also an Edition 
 
 for the People. Crown Svo. is. 
 
 " Those who have read only the extracts given, will not need to be 
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 other purposes than amusement can hardly miss the sober and 
 sound political lessons with which its light pages abound, and which 
 are as much needed in England as by the nation to whom the author 
 directly addresses his moral. "—Pall Mall Gazette. ' ' This 
 little book if very clever, wild with animal spirits, but showing 
 plenty of good sense, a?nid all the heedless nonsense which fills so 
 many of its pages. " — Daily News. ' ' In an age little remarkable 
 for powers of political satire, the sparkle of the pages gives them 
 everv claitn to welcome." — Standard. 
 
 Rankine.— SONGS AND FABLES. By W. J. McQuorn 
 Rankine, late Professor of Civil Engineering and Mechanics at 
 Glasgow. With Illustrations. Crown 8vo. 6s. 
 
 Realmah. — By the Author of "Friends in Council." Crown 
 Svo. 6s. 
 
 Rhoades. — POEMS, By James Rhoades. Fcap. 8vo. 4s. 6d.
 
 BELLES LETTRES. 19 
 
 Richardson. — THE ILIAD OF THE EAST. A Selection of 
 
 Legends drawn from Valmiki's Sanskrit Poem, "The Ramayana." 
 
 By Frederika Richardson. Crown 8vo. js. 6d. 
 
 " It is impossible to read it without recognizing the value and interest 
 
 of the Eastern epic. It is as fascinating as a fairy tale, this 
 
 romantic poem of India. " — Globe. ' ' A charming volume, which 
 
 at once enmeshes the reader in its snares." — Athen^um. 
 
 Roby.— STORY OF A HOUSEHOLD, AND OTHER POEMS. 
 By Mary K. Roby. Fcap. 8vo. 5-r. 
 
 Rogers. — RIDICULA REDIVIVA. Old Nursery Rhymes. 
 
 Illustrated in Colours, by J. E. Rogers, with Ornamental Covers. 
 
 In four parts, is. each, or complete in 1 vol. $s. 
 
 " The most splendid, and at the same time the most really' meritorious 
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 Spectator. " These large bright pictures will attract children to 
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 children?' — Pall Mall Gazette. 
 
 Rossetti. — Works by Christina Rossetti : — 
 
 POEMS. Complete Edition, containing " Goblin Market," "The 
 Prince's Progress," &c. With Four Illustrations. Extra fcap. 
 Svo. 
 
 SPEAKING LIKENESSES. Illustrated by Arthur Hughes. 
 Crown Svo. gilt edges. 4s. 6d. 
 
 " Certain to be a delight to many a juvenile fireside circle." — MORN- 
 ING Post. 
 
 Runaway (The). A Story for the Young. By the Author of 
 " Mrs. Jerningham's Journal." With Illustrations by J. Lawson. 
 Globe 8vo. gilt. 4^. 6d. 
 
 ' ' This is one of the best, if not indeed the very best, of all the stories 
 that has come before us this Christmas. The heroines are both 
 charming, and, unlike heroines, they are as pill of fun as oT charms. 
 It is an admirable book to read aloud to the youn > fol ■'■ they 
 
 are all gathered round the fire, and nurses and other apparitions 
 are still far azuay. " — Saturday Review. 
 
 Ruth and her Friends. A Story for Girls. With a Frontis- 
 piece. Fourth Edition. i8mo. Cloth extra, is. 6d. 
 " We wish all the school girls and home-taught girls in the land had 
 the opportunity of reading it." — Nonconformist. 
 
 Scouring of the White Horse; or, the Long 
 
 VACATION RAMBLE OF A LONDON CLERK. Illustrated 
 by Doyle. Imp. i6mo. Cheaper Issue. I s . 6d. 
 
 Shairp (Principal).— KILMAHOE, a Highland Pastoral, with 
 other Poems. By John Campbell Shairp, Principal of the 
 United College, St. Andrews. Fcap. 8vo. $s. 
 
 B 2
 
 2 o BELLES LETTRES. 
 
 " Kilmahoe is a Highland Pastoral, redolent of the warm soft air 
 of the western lochs and moors, sketched out with remarkable 
 grace and picturesqueness.'''' — SATURDAY REVIEW. 
 
 Shakespeare.— The Works of William Shakespeare. Cam- 
 bridge Edition. Edited by W. George Clark, M.A. and W. 
 Aldis Wright, M.A. Nine vols. 8vo. cloth. 4/. 14s. 6d. 
 The Guardian calls it an " excellent, and, to the student, almost 
 
 indispensable edition ;" and the Examiner calls it "an unrivalled 
 
 edition. " 
 
 Shakespeare's Tempest. Edited with Glossarial and Ex- 
 planatory Notes, by the Rev. J. M. Jephson. New Edition. 
 i8mo. ' is. 
 
 Slip (A) in the Fens.— Illustrated by the Author. Crown 
 8vo. 6s. 
 
 " An artistic little volume, for every page is a picture? — Times. "It 
 will be read with pleasure, and with a pleasure that is altogether 
 innocent. " — Saturday Review. 
 
 Smedley — TWO DRAMATIC POEMS. By Menella Bute 
 . Smedley, Author of " Lady Grace," &c. Extra fcap. 8vo. 6s. 
 " May be read with enjoyment and profit.'''' — Saturday Review. 
 
 Smith. — POEMS. By Catherine Barnard Smith. Fcap. 
 8vo. 5*. 
 
 Smith (Rev. Walter).— hymns OF CHRIST AND THE 
 CHRISTIAN LIFE. By the Rev. Walter C. Smith, M.A. 
 Fcap. 8vo. 6s. 
 
 " These are among the sweetest sacred poems we have read for a long 
 time. With no profuse imagery, expressing a range of feeling 
 and expression by no means uncom?uon, they are true and elevated, 
 and their pathos is Profound and simple.'" — NONCONFORMIST. 
 
 Stanley, — TRUE TO LIFE.— A SIMPLE STORY. By Mary 
 Stanley. Crown 8vo. io.r. 6d. 
 
 ' ' Fgr many a long day we have not met with a ?nore simple, healthy, 
 and unpretending story." — Standard. 
 
 Stephen (C. E.) — THE SERVICE OF THE POOR; being 
 an Inquiry : nto the Reasons for and against the Establishment of 
 Religious Sisterhoods for Charitable Purposes. By Caroline 
 Emilia Stephen. Crown 8vo. 6s. 6d. 
 
 " It touches incidentally and with much wisdom and tenderness on 
 so many of the relations of women, particularly of single women, 
 with society, that it may be read with advantage by ma7iy who 
 have never thought of entering a Sisterhood.'" — Spectator. 
 Stephens (J. B.)— CONVICT ONCE. A Poem. By J. 
 Brunton Stephens. Extra fcap. 8vo. 3-r. 6d. . 
 
 " It is as far more interesting than ninety-nine novels out of a 
 hundred, as it is superior to them in power, worth, and beauty. 
 We should most strongly advise everybody to read ' Convict Once.' ' 
 — Westminster Review.
 
 BELLES LETTRES. 21 
 
 Streets and Lanes Of a City : Being the Reminiscences 
 of Amy Dutton. With a Preface by the Bishop of Salis- 
 bury. Second and Cheaper Edition. Globe 8vo. 2s. 6d. 
 " One of the most really striking books that has ever come before us." 
 — Literary Churchman. 
 
 Strivelyne — THE PRTNCESS OF SILVERLAND; and 
 
 other Tales. By Elsie Strivelyne. With Frontispiece by Sir 
 
 Noel Paton. Globe Svo. gilt. 4s-. 
 
 " Delightfully fresh and original." — Graphic. 
 
 " Readable and pleasant." — Athenaeum. 
 
 Tell Me a Story, with Illustrations by Walter Crane. 
 Globe Svo gilt. 4.J. 6d. 
 
 Thring.— SCHOOL SONGS. A Collection of Songs for Schools. 
 With the Music arranged for four Voices. Edited by the Rev. E . 
 Thring and H. Riccius. Folio, js. 6d. 
 
 Tom Brown's School Days. — By An Old Boy. 
 
 Golden Treasury Edition, 4s. 6d. People's Edition, is. 
 
 With Seven Illustrations by A. Hughes and Sydney Hall 
 
 Crown Svo. 6s. 
 
 " The most famous boy's book inthe language." — Daily News. 
 
 Tom Brown at Oxford. — New Edition. With Illustrations. 
 Crown Svo. 6s. 
 
 " In no other work that we can call to mind are the finer qualities of 
 the English gentleman more happily portrayed" — Daily News. 
 "A book of great power and truth." — National Review. 
 
 Trench. — Works by R. Chenevix Trench, D.D., Archbishop 
 of Dublin. (For other Works by this Author, see Theological, 
 Historical, and Philosophical Catalogues.) 
 
 POEMS. Collected and arranged anew. Fcap. 8vo. 'js. 6d. 
 
 HOUSEHOLD BOOK OF ENGLISH POETRY. Selected and 
 arranged, with Notes, by Archbishop Trench. Second Edition. 
 Extra fcap. 8vo. 5j. 6d. 
 
 ' ' The A rchbishop has conferred in this delightful volume an important 
 
 gift on the whole English-speaking population of the world." — • 
 
 Pall Mall Gazette. 
 
 SACRED LATIN POETRY, Chiefly Lyrical. Selected and 
 
 arranged for Use. By Archbishop Trench. Third Edition, 
 
 Corrected and Improved. Fcap. 8vo. "Js. 
 
 Trollope (Anthony). — sir HARRY HOTSPUR OF 
 
 HUMBLETHWAITE. By Anthony Trollope, Author of 
 
 "Framley Parsonage," etc. Cheap Edition. Globe 8vo. 2s.6d. 
 
 The Athen^um remarks : "No reader who begins to read this book 
 
 is likely to lay it down until the last page is turned. This brilliant 
 
 novel appears to us decidedly more successful than any other of Mr. 
 
 Trollope s shorter stories."
 
 22 BELLES LETTRES. 
 
 Turner. — Works by the Rev. Charles Tennyson Turner :— 
 SONNETS. Dedicated to his Brother, the Poet Laureate. Fcap. 
 
 8vo. 4^. 6d. 
 SMALL TABLEAUX. Fcap. 8vo. 4s. 6d. 
 
 Tyrwhitt — OUR SKETCHING CLUB. Letters and Studies 
 on Landscape Art. By Rev. R. St. John Tyrwhitt, M.A. 
 With an Authorized Reproduction of the Lessons and Woodcuts 
 in Professor Ruskin's "Elements of Drawing." Second Edition. 
 Crown 8vo. Js. 6d. 
 
 Under the Limes. — By the Author of "Christina North." 
 Second Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s. 
 
 " One of the prettiest and best told stories which it has been our 
 goodjortune to read for a longtime." — Pall Mall Gazette. 
 
 Veitch.— THE TWEED, AND OTHER POEMS. By J. 
 Veitch, LL.D., Professor of Logic and Rhetoric in Glasgow 
 University. Extra fcap. 8vo. 6s. 6d. 
 
 Vittoria Colonna. — LIFE AND POEMS. By Mrs. Henry 
 Roscoe. Crown 8vo. gs. 
 
 Waller. — SIX WEEKS IN THE SADDLE : A Painter's Journal 
 in Iceland. By S. E. Waller. Illustrated by the Author. 
 'Crown 8vo. 6.f. 
 
 " An exceedingly pleasant and naturally written little book. . . Mr. 
 Waller has a clever pencil, and the text is well illustrated with his 
 own sketches." — Times. 
 
 Wandering Willie. By the Author ot " Effie's Friends," and 
 " John Hatherton." Third Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s. 
 " This is an idyll of rare truth and beauty. . . . The story is simple 
 and touching, the style of extraordinary delicacy, precision, and 
 pictu?'esqueness. . . . A charming gift-book for young ladies not 
 yet promoted to novels, and will amply repay those of their elders 
 who may give an hour to its perusal '." — Daily News. 
 
 Webster. — Works by Augusta Webster :— 
 
 "// Mrs. Webster only remains true to herself, she will assuredly 
 take a higher rank as a poet than any woman has yet done." — 
 Westminster Review. 
 
 DRAMATIC STUDIES. Extra fcap. 8vo. 5^. 
 
 " A volume as strongly marked by perfect taste as by poetic power f — 
 Nonconformist. 
 
 A WOMAN SOLD, AND OTHER POEMS. Crown 8vo. -Js. 6d. 
 "Mrs. Webster has shotvn us that she is able to draw admirably 
 from the life; that she can observe with subtlety, and render her 
 observations with delicacy ; that she can impersonate complex con- 
 ceptions and venture into which few living writers can follow her. " 
 — Guardian.
 
 BELLES LETTRES. 23 
 
 Webster — continued. 
 
 PORTRAITS. Second Edition. Extra fcap. 8vo. 3s. 6d. 
 
 "Mrs. Webster's poems exhibit simplicity and tenderness . . . her 
 tasA is perfect . . . This simplicity is combined with a subtlety of 
 thought, feeling, and observation which demand that attention which 
 only real lovers of poetry are apt to bestow." — Westminster 
 Review. 
 PROMETHEUS BOUND OF ^ESCHYLUS. Literally translated 
 into English Verse. Extra fcap. 8vo. 3s. 6d. 
 " Closeness and simplicity combined with literary skill.'" — Athe- 
 n^um. "Mrs. Webster's 'Dramatic Studies' and ' Translation 
 of Prometheus ' have won for her an hone.:/ able place among our 
 female poets. She writes with remarkable vigour and dramatic 
 realization, and bids fair to be the most successful claimant of Mrs. 
 Browning's mantle." — British Quarterly Review. 
 
 MEDEA OF EURIPIDES. Literally translated into English 
 Verse. Extra fcap. 8vo. ^s. 6d. 
 
 " Mrs. Webster's translation surpasses our utmost expectations. It is 
 a photograph of the original without any oj that harshness which 
 so often accompanies a photograph'' — Westminster Review. 
 THE AUSPICIOUS DAY. A Dramatic Poem. Extra fcap. 
 8vo. 5j. v 
 
 " The ' Auspicious Day' shows a marked advance, not only in art, 
 but, in what is of far more importance, in breadth of thought and 
 intellectual grasp." — Westminster Review. " This drama is 
 a ?nanifestation of high dramatic power on the part of the gifted 
 writer, and entitled to our warmest admiration, as a worthy piece 
 of work." — Standard. 
 YU-PE-YA'S LUTE. A Chinese Tale in English Verse. Extra 
 fcap. 8vo. 2> s - &d- 
 
 "A very charming tale, charmingly told in dainty verse, with 
 occasional lyrics of tender beauty." — Standard. " We close the 
 book with the renewed conviction that in Mrs. Webster we have a 
 profound and original poet. The book is marked not by mere 
 sweetness of melody — rare as that gift is — but by the infinitely 
 I rarer gifts of dramatic power, of passion, and sympathetic insight." 
 
 — Westminster Review. 
 
 When I was a Little Girl, stories for children. 
 
 By the Author of "St. Olave's." Fourth Edition. Extra fcap. 
 
 8vo. 4s. 6d. With Eight Illustrations by L. Frolich. 
 
 "At the head, and a long way ahead, of all books'^ for girls, we 
 place ' When I was a Little Girl.' " — Times. " It is one of the 
 choicest morsels of child-biography which we have met with." — 
 Nonconformist. 
 
 White.— RHYMES BY WALTER WHITE. 8vo. >]s. 6d. 
 
 Whittier.— JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER'S POETICAL 
 WORKS. Complete Edition, with Portrait engraved by C. H. 
 Jeens. i8mo. 4J. 6d,
 
 24 BELLES LETTRES. 
 
 " Mr. Whittier has all the smooth melody and the pathos of the author 
 of 'Hiawatha* with a greater nicety of description and a 
 quainter fancy."— Graphic. 
 
 Willoughby.— FAIRY GUARDIANS. A Book for the Young. 
 By F. Willoughby. Illustrated. Crown 8vo. gilt. 5j. 
 
 Wolf.— THE LIFE AND HABITS OF WILD ANIMALS. 
 
 Twenty Illustrations by Joseph Wolf, engraved by J. W. and E. 
 
 Whymper. With descriptive Letter-press, by D. G. Elliot, 
 
 F.L.S. Super royal 4to, cloth extra, gilt edges. 2\s. 
 
 This is the last series of drawings which will be made by Mr. Wolf, 
 either upon wood or stone. The Pall Mall Gazette says: 
 " The fierce, untameable side of brute nature has never received a 
 more robust and vigorous interpretation, and the various incidents 
 in which particular character is shown are set forth zaith rare dra- 
 matic power. Tor excellence that will endure, we incline to place 
 this very near the top of the list of Christmas books.'" And the 
 Art Journal observes, "Tardy, if ever, have we seen animal 
 life more forcibly and beautifully depicted than in this really 
 splendid volume. " 
 Also, an Edition in royal folio, handsomely bound in Morocco 
 
 elegant, Proofs before Letters, each Proof signed by the Engravers. 
 
 Wollaston. — LYRA DEVONIENSIS. ByT. V. Wollaston, 
 M.A. Fcap. 8vo. 3-r. 6d. 
 
 "It is the work of a man of refined taste, of deep religious sentiment, 
 a true artist, and a good Christian." — Church Times. 
 
 Woolner. — MY BEAUTIFUL LADY. By Thomas Woolner. 
 
 With a Vignette by Arthur Hughes. Third Edition. Fcap. 
 
 8vo. 5-y. 
 
 " No matt can read this poe?n without being struck by the fitness and 
 finish of the workmanship, so to speak, as well as by the chastened 
 and unpretending loftiness of thought which pervades the whole." 
 — Globe. 
 
 Words from the Poets. Selected by the Editor of " Rays 
 of Sunlight." With a Vignette and Frontispiece. l8mo. limp., u. 
 " The selection aims at popularity, and deserves it." — Guardian. 
 
 Yonge (C. M.) — Works by Charlotte M. Yonge. 
 
 THE HEIR OF REDCLYFFE. Twenty-first Edition. With Illus- 
 trations. Crown 8vo. 6s. 
 
 HEARTSEASE. Thirteenth Edition. With Illustrations. Crown 
 8vo. 6s. 
 
 THE DAISY CHAIN. Twelfth Edition. With {Illustrations. 
 Crown 8vo. 6s. 
 
 THE TRIAL: MORE LINKS OF THE DAISY CHAIN. 
 Thirteenth Edition. With Illustrations. Crown 8vo. 6s. 
 
 DYNEVOR TERRACE. Seventh Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s. 
 
 HOPES AND FEARS. Fifth Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s. 
 
 THE YOUNG STEPMOTHER. Sixth Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s.
 
 BELLES LETTRES. 25 
 
 Yonge (C. M.) — continued. 
 CLEVER WOMAN OF THE FAMILY. Fourth Edition. 
 
 Crown 8vo. 6s. 
 THE DOVE IN THE EAGLE'S NEST. Fifth Edition. 
 Crown 8vo. 6s. 
 
 ' ' We think the authoress of ' The Heir of Redely ffe ' has surpassed 
 her previous efforts in this illuminated chronicle of the olden time.'''' 
 — British Quarterly. 
 THE CAGED LION. Illustrated. Third Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s. 
 ' ' Prettily and tenderly w)-itten, and will with young people especially 
 be a great favourite." — Daily News. " Everybody should read 
 this." — Literary Churchman. 
 
 THE CHAPLET OF PEARLS; or, THE WHITE AND 
 BLACK RIBAUMONT. Crown 8vo. 6s. Fourth Edition. 
 " Miss Yonge has brought a lofty aim as well as high art to the con- 
 struction of a story which may claim a place ar?iong the best efforts 
 in historical romance." — Morning Post. " The plot, hi truth, 
 is of the -very first order of merit." — Spectator. " We have 
 seldom read a more charming story." — Guardian. 
 
 THE PRINCE AND THE PAGE. A Tale of the Last Crusade. 
 Illustrated. i8mo. 2s. 6d. 
 
 " A tale which, we are sure, will give pleasure to many others besides 
 the young people for whom it is specially intended. . . . This 
 extremely prettily-told story does not require the guarantee afforded 
 by the name of the author of ' The Heir of Redclyffe ' on the title- 
 page to ensure its becoming a universal favourite." — Dublin 
 Evening Mail. 
 THE LANCES OF LYNWOOD. New Edition, with Coloured 
 Illustrations. i8mo. 4*. 6d. 
 
 " The illustrations are very spirited and rich in colour, and the 
 story can hardly fail to charm the youthful reader.'" — Manchester 
 Examiner. 
 THE LITTLE DUKE : RICHARD THE FEARLESS. New 
 Edition. Illustrated. l8mo. 2s. 6d. 
 
 A STOREHOUSE OF STORIES. First and Second Series. 
 Glebe 8vo. 3^. 6d. each. 
 
 Contents of First Series : — History of Philip Quarll — 
 Goody Twoshoes — The Governess — Jemima Placid — The Perambu- 
 lations of a Mouse — The Village School — The Little Queen — 
 History of Little Jack. 
 " Miss Yonge has done great service to the infantry of this generation 
 
 by putting these eleven stories of sage simplicity within their reach." 
 
 — British Quarterly Review. 
 
 Contents of Second Series : — Family Stories — Elements of 
 Morality — A Puzzle for a Curious Girl — Blossoms of Morality. 
 
 A BOOK OF GOLDEN DEEDS OF ALL TIMES AND ALL 
 COUNTRIES. Gathered and Narrated Anew. New Edition, 
 with Twenty Illustrations by Frolich. Crown 8vo. cloth gilt. 6s.
 
 26 BELLES LETTERS. 
 
 Yonge (C. M.)— continued.* 
 
 (See also Golden Treasury Series). Cheap Edition, is. 
 " We have seen no prettier gift-book for a long time, and none which, 
 both for its cheapness and the spirit in which it has been compiled, 
 is more deserving of praise." — Athenaeum. 
 
 LITTLE LUCY'S WONDERFUL GLOBE. Pictured by 
 Frolich, and narrated by Charlotte M. Yonge. Second 
 Edition. Crown 4to. cloth gilt. 6s. 
 " ' Lucy's Wonderful Globe ' is capital, and will give its youthful 
 
 readers more idea op foreign countries and customs than any number 
 
 of books of geography or travel." — Graphic. 
 
 CAMEOS FROM ENGLISH HISTORY. From Rollo to 
 Edward II. Extra fcap. 8vo. $s. Third Edition, enlarged. 5*. 
 
 A Second Series. THE WARS IN FRANCE. Third Edition. 
 Extra fcap, 8vo. 5^ 
 
 '''■Instead oj dry details" says the Nonconformist, "we have 
 living pictures, faithful, vivid, and striking." 
 
 P's and Q's ; OR, THE QUESTION OF PUTTING UPON. 
 
 With Illustrations by C. O. Murray. Second Edition. Globe 
 
 8vo. cloth gilt. 4-f. 6d. 
 
 " One of her most successful little pieces .... just what a narrative 
 should be, each incident simply and naturally related, no preaching 
 or moralizing, and yet the moral coming out most powerfully, and 
 the whole story not too long, or with the least appearance of being 
 spun out." — Literary Churchman. 
 
 THE PILLARS OF THE HOUSE; or, UNDER WODE, 
 UNDER RODE. Cheaper Edition. Two vols, crown 8vo. \zs. 
 ' ' A domestic story oj English professional life, which for sweetness 
 of tone and absorbing interest from first to last has never been 
 rivalled." — Standard. " Miss Yonge has certainly added to 
 her already high reputation by this charming book, which, keeps the 
 reader's attention fixed to the end. Indeed we are only sorry there is 
 not another volume to come, and part with the Underwood family 
 with sincere regret." — Court Circular. 
 
 LADY HESTER; or, URSULA'S NARRATIVE. Second 
 Edition. Crown 8vo. 6s. 
 
 " We shall not anticipate the interest by epitomizing the plot, but we 
 shall only say that readers will find in it all the gracefulness, right 
 feeling, and delicate perception which they have been long accustomed 
 to look for in Miss Yonge's writings." — Guardian. 
 
 MY YOUNG ALCIDES; or, A FADED PHOTOGRAPH. 
 Crown 8vo.
 
 GOLDEN TREASURY SERIES. 27 
 
 MACMILLAN'S GOLDEN TREASURY SERIES. 
 
 Uniformly printed in i8mo., with Vignette Titles by Sir 
 Noel Paton, T. Woolner, W. Holman Hunt, J. E. 
 Millais, Arthur Hughes, &c. Engraved on Steel by 
 Jeens. Bound in extra cloth, 4s. 6d. each volume. Also 
 kept in morocco and calf bindings. 
 
 " Messrs. Macmillan have, in their Golden Treasury Series, especially 
 provided editions of standard works, volumes of selected poetry, and 
 original compositions, which entitle this series to be called classical. 
 Nothing can be better than the literary execution, nothing more 
 elegant than the material workmanship." — British Quarterly 
 Review. 
 
 The Golden Treasury of the Best Songs and 
 
 LYRICAL POEMS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. 
 
 Selected and arranged, with Notes, by Francis Turner 
 
 Palgrave. 
 
 " This delightful little volume, the Golden Treasury, which contains 
 many of the best original lyrical pieces and songs in our language, 
 grouped with care and skill, so as to illustrate each other like the 
 pictures in a well-arranged gallery.'''' — Quarterly Review. 
 
 The Children's Garland from the best Poets. 
 
 Selected and arranged by Coventry Patmore. 
 
 " It includes specimens of all the great masters in the art of poetry, 
 selected with the matured judgment of a man concentrated on 
 obtaining insight into the feelings and tastes of childhood, and 
 desirous to awaken its finest impulses, to cultivate its keenest sensi- 
 bilities." — Morning Post. 
 
 The Book Of Praise. From the Best English Hymn Writers. 
 Selected and arranged by Lord Selbourne. A New and En- 
 larged Edition. 
 
 " All previous compilatiofis of this kind must undeniably for the 
 preseitt give place to the Book of Praise. . . . The selection has 
 been made throughout with sound judgment and critical taste. The 
 pains involved in this compilation must have been immense, em- 
 bracing, as it does, every writer of note in this special province oj 
 English literature, and ranging over the most widely divergent 
 tracks of religious thought." — Saturday Review. 
 
 The Fairy Book ; the Best Popular Fairy Stories. Selected 
 and rendered anew by the Author of " John Halifax, 
 Gentleman." 
 
 "A delightful selection, in a delightful external fortn ; pull op the 
 physical splendour and vast opulence of proper fairy tales"— 
 Spectator. 
 
 The Ballad Book. A Selection of the Choicest British Ballads. 
 Edited by William Allingham.
 
 28 GOLDEN TREASURY SERIES. 
 
 ' ' His taste as a judge of old poetry will be found, by all acquainted with 
 the various readings of old English ballads, true eno7igh to justify 
 his undertaking so critical a task." — Saturday Review. 
 
 The Jest Book. The Choicest Anecdotes and Sayings. Selected 
 and arranged by Mark Lemon. 
 
 " The fullest and best jest book that has yet appeared." — Saturday 
 Review. 
 
 Bacon's Essays and Colours of Good and Evil. 
 
 With Notes and Glossarial Index. By W. Aldis Wright, 
 
 M.A. 
 
 " The beautiful little edition of Bacon' 's Essays, now before us, does 
 credit to the taste and scholarship of Mr. Aldis Wright. . . . Is 
 puts the reader in possession of all the essential literary facts and 
 chronology necessary for reading the Essays in connection with 
 Bacon's life and times." — SPECTATOR. 
 
 The Pilgrim's Progress from this World to that which is to 
 come. By John Bunyan. 
 •' A beautiful and scholarly reprint." — SPECTATOR. 
 
 The Sunday Book of Poetry for the Young. 
 
 Selected and arranged by C. F. Alexander. 
 
 " A well-selected volume of Sacred Poetry." — Spectator. 
 
 A Book of Golden Deeds of All Times and All Countries 
 Gathered and narrated anew. By the Author of "The Heir of 
 Redclyffe." 
 
 "... To the young, J or whojn it is especially intended, as a most 
 interesting collection of thrilling tales well told ; and to their elders, 
 as a useful handbook of reference, and a pleasant one to take up 
 when their wish is to while away a weary half hour. We have 
 seen no prettier gift-book for a longtime." — Athenaeum. 
 
 The Poetical Works of Robert Burns. Edited, with 
 
 Biographical Memoir, Notes, and Glossary, by Alexander 
 Smith. Two Vols. 
 
 " Beyond all question this is the most beautiful edition of Burns 
 yet out."— Edinburgh Daily Review. 
 
 The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe. Edited from 
 the Original Edition by J. W. Clark, M.A. Fellow of Trinity 
 College, Cambridge. 
 
 " Mutilated and modified editions of this English classic are so much 
 the rule, that a cheap and pretty copy of it, rigidly exact to the 
 original, will be a prize to many book-buyers." — Examiner. 
 
 The Republic of Plato. Translated into English, with 
 Notes by J. LI. Davies, M.A. and D. J. Vaughan, M.A. 
 "A dainty and cheap little edition." — Examiner. 
 
 The Song Book. Words and Tunes from the best Poets and 
 Musicians. Selected and arranged by John Hullah, Professor 
 of Vocal Music in King's College, London.
 
 GOLDEN TREASURY SERIES. 29 
 
 " A choice collection of the sterling songs of England, Scotland, and 
 Ireland, with the music of each prefixed to the Words. How much 
 true wholesome pleasure such a book can diffuse, and will diffuse, 
 we trust through many thousand families." — Examiner. 
 
 La Lyre Francaise. Selected and arranged, with Notes, by 
 GUSTAVE Masson, French Master in Harrow School. 
 A selection of the best French songs and lyrical pieces. 
 
 Tom Brown's School Days. By An Old Boy. 
 
 " A perfect gem of a book. The best and most healthy book about 
 boys Jor boys that ever was written." — Illustrated Times. 
 
 A Book Of Worthies. Gathered from the Old Histories and 
 written anew by the Author of " The Heir of Redclyffe." 
 "With Vignette. 
 
 " An admirable addition to an admirable series." — Westminster 
 Review. 
 
 A Book of Golden Thoughts. By Henry Attwell, 
 Knight of the Order of the Oak Crown. 
 
 i( Mr. Atlwell has produced a book of rare value . . . - Happily it 
 is small enough to be carried about in the pocket, and of such a com- 
 panion it would be difficult to weary." — Pall Mall Gazette. 
 
 Guesses at Truth. By Two Brothers. New Edition. 
 
 The Cavalier and his Lady. Selections from the Works 
 of the First Duke and Duchess of Newcastle. With an Intro- 
 ductory Essay by Edward Jenkins, Author of "Ginx's Baby," &c, 
 "A charming little volume" — Standard. 
 
 Theologia Germanica. — Which setteth forth many fair Linea- 
 ments of Divine Truth, and saith very lofty and lovely things 
 touching a Perfect Life. Edited by Dr. Pfeiffer, from the only 
 complete manuscript yet known. Translated from the German, 
 by Susanna Winkworth. With a Preface by the Rev. Charles 
 Kingsley, and a Letter ; to the Translator by the Chevalier 
 Bunsen, D.D. 
 
 Milton's Poetical Works. — Edited, with Notes, &c, by 
 Professor Masson. Two vols. i8mo. gs. 
 
 Scottish Song. A Selection of the Choicest Lyrics of Scotland. 
 
 Compiled and arranged, with brief Notes, by Mary Carlyle 
 
 Aitkin. 
 
 "Miss Aitken's exquisite collection of Scottish Song is so alluring, 
 and suggests so many topics, that we find it difficult to lay it down. 
 The book is one that should find a place in every library, we had 
 almost said in every pocket, and the summer tourist who wishes to 
 carry with him into the country a volume of genuine poetry, will 
 find it difficult to select one containing within so small a compass 
 so much of rarest value." — Spectator. 
 
 Deutsche Lyrick. — The Golden Treasury of the best German 
 Lyrical Poems, selected and arranged with Notes and Literary 
 Introduction. By Dr. BUCHHEIM.
 
 3 o GLOBE LIBRARY. 
 
 MACMILLAN'S GLOBE LIBRARY. 
 
 Beautifilly printed on toned paper and bound in clotk extra, gilt 
 edges, price 4s. 6d. each ; in cloth plain, y. 6d. Also kept in a 
 variety oj calf and morocco bindings at moderate, prices. 
 
 Books, Wordsworth says, are 
 
 "the spirit breathed 
 By dead men to their kind ; " 
 
 and the aim of the publishers of the Globe Library has 
 been to make it possible for the universal kin of English- 
 speaking men to hold communion with the loftiest " spirits 
 of the mighty dead ; " to put within the reach of all classes 
 complete and accurate editions, carefully and clearly printed 
 upon the best paper, in a convenient form, at a moderate 
 price, of the works of the master-minds of English 
 Literature, and occasionally of foreign literature in an 
 attractive English dress. 
 
 The Editors, by their scholarship and special study of 
 their authors, are competent to afford every assistance to 
 readers of all kinds : this assistance is rendered by original 
 biographies, glossaries of unusual or obsolete words, and 
 critical and explanatory notes. 
 
 The publishers hope, therefore, that these Globe Editions 
 may prove worthy of acceptance by all classes wherever the 
 English Language is spoken, and by their universal circula- 
 tion justify their distinctive epithet ; while at the same time 
 they spread and nourish a common sympathy with nature's 
 most "finely touched" spirits, and thus help a little to 
 " make the whole world kin." 
 
 The Saturday Review says : " The Globe Editions are admirable 
 for their scholarly editing, their typographical excellence, their com- 
 pendious form, and their cheapness:' The British Quarterly 
 Review says : ' ' In compendiousness, elegance, and scholarliness, 
 the Globe Editions of Messrs. Macmillan surpass any popular series 
 of our classics hitherto given to the public. As near an approach 
 to miniature perfection as has ever been made." 
 
 Shakespeare's Complete Works. Edited by W. G. 
 Clark, M. A., and W. Aldis Wright, M. A., of Trinity College, 
 Cambridge, Editors of the "Cambridge Shakespeare." With 
 Glossary, pp. 1,075. 
 
 77^Athen/eum says this edition is " a marvel of beauty, cheapness, 
 and compactness. . . . For the busy man, above all for the 
 ■working student, this is the best of all existing Shahespeares." 
 
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