mm 
 
 m i !; 
 
 IKE
 
 IN TRUST; 
 
 DR. BERTEAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 
 
 BY 
 
 AMANDA M. DOUGLASS. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 
 LEE AND SHEPARD, PUBLISHERS. 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 LEE, SHEPARD & DILLINGHAM, 40 GREENE STREET. 
 1872.
 
 Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year I860, by 
 
 LEE & SHEPARD, 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.
 
 DEDICATION. 
 
 IN MEMORY OF DREAMS LONG CHERISHED; 
 
 IN MEMORY OF PLEASANT WALKS AND PLEASANT TALKS, 
 
 AND YEARS OF TRUEST AFFECTION, 
 
 I DEDICATE THIS BOOK TO 
 
 3$g $)r0%r wit mg J&bier. 
 
 205M
 
 IN TRUST; 
 
 OB, 
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 I see tbee sitting crowned with good, 
 A central warmth diffusing bliss 
 In glance and smile, and clasp and kiss, 
 
 On all the branches of thy blood. 
 
 TENNYSON. 
 
 Out of the day and night 
 A joy has taken its flight. 
 
 SHELLEY. 
 
 " IT'S all settled, then, Richard ? " 
 
 ** With your approval, yes. Ada liked the plan as much 
 as I did. She was disappointed at not going to Europe last 
 year with her uncle." 
 
 " But she will enjoy it better, now, eh ? " and Dr. Bertrand 
 looked up with a roguish twinkle in his merry hazel eye. 
 " Well, you must not devote all your time to love ; use your 
 eyes and ears to some purpose, and come back with increased 
 wisdom and experience. A young man may gain many a 
 useful hint from those London and Paris physicians. And, 
 Dick " 
 
 Dr. Bertrand's pause was so long that Richard turned 
 around, and found his father's eyes fixed steadily on the 
 carpet. Presently he began: 
 
 1* (>
 
 6 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 "I was about to remark, Dick, that Ada's fortune has 
 been attended to. I suppose it is all settled on herself? " 
 
 A warm color flushed the young man's face as he an- 
 swered, " Yes, I insisted upon her retaining undisputed 
 possession of it, although she thought it unnecessary." 
 
 " Right. I want no one to call Dr. Bertrand's son a for- 
 tune-hunter. I've arranged yours so there'll be no trouble. 
 Marchand & Co. will attend to it here and at Paris. Don't 
 give yourself a moment's uneasiness for the next two years. 
 When you return, I shall divide my practice ; it's too large 
 for me now. I want to make a little money for the other 
 children, and then " 
 
 " We shall all be grown up and settled around you, striv- 
 ing to make you the happiest of fathers." 
 
 " A long while to look forward," Dr. Bertrand exclaimed, 
 musingly. " In any event, Dick, you will have the consola- 
 tion that you have been a dutiful son a comfort and a 
 blessing. You'll remember this if you should come back, 
 and " 
 
 " Don't," interrupted Richard, suddenly. 
 
 Dr. Bertrand laughed, raised himself to his full height, 
 swelled out his broad chest by a deep inspiration, and 
 brought his fat, dimpled hand down on his son's shoulder. 
 " No," he said, laughingly ; " I don't look much like ' the 
 retired physician whose sands of life have nearly run out ; ' 
 yet the Master warned us always to be ready. Twenty-six 
 years ago ! I was thinking it over just as you came in : 
 how happy we were that night, she singing those sweet 
 old Scotch ballads until the room rang with her melody, 
 and how I picked her up in my arms, and carried her off to 
 her room ; yet before dawn she had kissed me for the last 
 time, and gone home with the angels. But God has recon- 
 ciled me to it through my boy's unselfish affection, and his 
 high, unerring sense of honor. You have never cost me an 
 hour's anxiety, Richard : you have been kind and obedient to 
 her who took your mother's place, and a fond brother to the
 
 DX. BEBTRAND S HOUSEHOLD. 7 
 
 rest. In the new life opening before you, though you'll 
 never forget us, another is to share your love ; children will 
 grow up around you, increasing your cares and interest; 
 and God grant they may be as faithful to you as you have 
 been to me." 
 
 Dr. Bertrand resumed his seat, and leaned his head on 
 his hand, while there fell between them a deep and touching 
 silence, broken at length by Richard, who said, in a full, ten- 
 der tone, " Thank you a hundred times for your praise and 
 your priceless love, and believe me I shall never think of you 
 otherwise than as the best and dearest friend I ever had." 
 
 Dr. Bertrand pulled out his watch, and, with an attempt 
 at gayety, exclaimed, " Eight o'clock, Richard ; Ada will 
 wonder if her lover means to turn truant." 
 
 He crimsoned visibly, picked up his gloves from the desk, 
 then came back a step, and, leaning over his father, kissed the 
 broad, white forehead that had always been his admiration. 
 In a moment the doctor's arms were around his neck, and if 
 in that clasp of truest love some tears came, who shall dare 
 to call them weak ? Perhaps both were wondering if they 
 should meet and love in this same fashion, when the years 
 with their changes had gone by. Then Dick raised his head, 
 said in a soft whisper, " Good night," and walked gently out 
 of the room. 
 
 His father fell into deep musing. In fancy he lived over 
 the bright, brief past, read again the entrancing pages of that 
 sweet first love, when he had blushed, and trembled, and 
 feared to woo the fair girl who showed in so many ways her 
 regard for him. And that country wedding, with its old-time 
 music and dancing ! It made his heart bound now when he 
 heard, " Money Musk," " Irish Washerwoman," or " Miss 
 McLeod's Reel," for it took him back to that night of all 
 nights, and the year of bliss following. He had been a poor 
 young doctor, not so old as Richard was now ; yet poverty 
 had no stings for them. It was like a glimpse of fairy land, 
 until the strange, fearful night, burned by passionate grief
 
 8 IK TRUST, OR 
 
 to a depth beyond forgetfulness, when he kissed the snicill 
 mouth, no longer warm and rosy, with the despairing fervor 
 we give to the dead in the first moments of anguish, and 
 took his little motherless boy in his arms, conscious that 
 some golden thread of the life just gone up among the 
 angels ran through it. 
 
 He had overlived his grief, removed to the city, prospered 
 in his calling, and married again. Other baby faces had 
 learned to smile on him, and the new mother never failed to 
 care tenderly for her husband's first born. When his grand- 
 father left Kichard a small legacy, she was first to propose 
 setting it aside until his majority. She, too, had gone to 
 the better land, but her memory in Richard's heart was a 
 pleasant one. He was now possessor of ten thousand dol- 
 lars, a fine education, and a prospect before him of a good 
 marriage, besides several years of foreign travel. 
 
 The children's voices in the room above broke up Dr. 
 Bertrand's reverie. The gay, ringing laughs were irresisti- 
 ble, and a moment later he was on his way up stairs to join 
 the merriment. Opening the door, he saw his youngest, 
 blindfolded, stretching out her dimpled arms in the vain 
 endeavor to catch somebody ; while the others, with aston- 
 ishingly long steps, went from corner to corner, as if tread- 
 ing on eggs, and their fingers to their lips, imploring silence 
 in a most pathetic manner. 
 
 " 0, Tessy, it's papa ! Now's your chance ; catch him ! " 
 
 Tessy stood uncertain, as if considering the whereabouts 
 of the door, then made a sudden plunge in the opposite 
 direction. 
 
 " What a little goose you are, Tess ! Come here, and let 
 me feel for some feathers. She has caught every chair and 
 table in the room, papa," exclaimed Archie. 
 
 The doctor made such a pretence of getting out of the 
 
 I way, they all laughed more heartily than before, and Tessy 
 
 soon began to distinguish his step. Presently he marched 
 
 into an unlucky corner, which she blockaded, and in another
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 9 
 
 moment had him safe and fast. " Papa, papa ! " she ex- 
 claimed, triumphantly, " Archie said I could not catch any 
 one if I was blinded all night." 
 
 " We'll soon pay up Master Archie, I think," said her 
 father, kissing her fondly. 
 
 " 0, won't you all have to look out ! " cried Lilian, dancing 
 around. " There'll be lively scampering ; and I do hope 
 papa will lay violent hands on Archie the very first thing." 
 
 " Pooh ! " was Master Archie's retort. 
 
 Tessy blindfolded her father, and held up her small fin- 
 gers for him to count, laughing with delight when he said 
 thirteen. Then she led him to the middle of the room, and 
 they did indeed have to " scamper." Round and round 
 went the doctor, his long arms reaching everywhere ; yet, 
 strange to say, they all managed to scramble off, and, when 
 one achieved a remarkably close escape, the rest shouted 
 with triumph. A knock at the door caused a lull in the 
 merriment. Mabel opened it. 
 
 "If you please, doctor " 
 
 " What is it, Martin ? " and Dr. Bertrand freed his eyes. 
 
 " Mr. Bridges has just come up, and Mr. Smalley sends 
 for you. He's had another bad turn. Will you go, sir ? " 
 
 " I suppose I must," was the rather reluctant answer. 
 
 " I wouldn't stir a step. It's beginning to storm, and 
 you'll take the journey for nothing. Next year, this time, 
 you'll hear the same story." 
 
 " I think I had better go. Get up the horse, Martin." 
 
 "Let me drive, sir; it's a lonesome looking night." 
 
 " It is not worth while. I may have to remain some 
 time." 
 
 Off went Martin, grumbling, " Why couldn't people die, 
 and have done with it, when they alarmed the whole neigh- 
 borhood ! Mr. Smalley was good for twenty years yet, if he 
 was an old man. There was no sense in a doctor's posting 
 off such a night as this, unless the case was critical, or he 
 was courting," Martin put in, as he remembered Mr. Richard.
 
 10 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 The children lamented more loudly, but in a different 
 strain. It was too bad to have their fun spoiled. Why 
 wouldn't morning do as well ? and they rang choruses on 
 the key note, until Martin called out from the hall below, 
 " Eeady, doctor." 
 
 "You must be in bed and asleep before I come back ; so 
 good night," he said, kissing them all round. Mabel, nearly 
 sixteen, tall and pretty ; Lilian, wild and eager for play as a 
 kitten, with the fine gold of thirteen summers in her cluster- 
 ing curls ; Archie, next in order, bright and rosy-cheeked ; 
 and darling little Tessy, the household baby, who had not 
 yet outgrown her trick of sitting in every one's lap. Now 
 she clasped her arms around her father's neck, and declared 
 he should not go. 
 
 *' Mabel must put you to bed immediately, or to-morrow 
 your eyes will be green, instead of blue. Come, kiss me 
 once more, and send me off." 
 
 But he had to unclasp the little hands himself; and as he 
 went out into the dark night, her laughing face, with its 
 straggling rings of shining hair, seemed to light the way. 
 How lovely and charming they all were ! It was almost a 
 pity to have them grow up men and women. 
 
 He drove rapidly through the drizzling rain, and soon 
 reached his destination. The tidy housekeeper answered 
 his summons, and he said, " Well ? " inquiringly. 
 
 "Poor Mr. Smalley's just gone, sir. He dropped off 
 quietly at the last. I always thought it would be sudden, 
 but we had no such idea when Mr. Bridges left." 
 
 " When was he taken ? " 
 
 " At five, sir. He was comfortable all the afternoon ; 
 then his old trouble about breathing came on. It was nearly 
 seven when Mr. Bridges called, and he fancied he saw a 
 change ; so he said he would send you down." 
 
 " I started as soon as I received the message, but I could 
 not have saved him, I suppose. When did he die ? " 
 
 ** Fifteen minutes or so ago," said the woman, lowering
 
 I>B. BERTH AND'S HOUSEHOLD. 11 
 
 her voice; for they had reached the apartment of death, 
 " He just breathed shorter and shorter, and did not seem to 
 suffer much." 
 
 Dr. Bertrand advanced to the bedside. The peculiar 
 pallor of the countenance told him life was extinct. A few 
 neighbors had gathered in consultation, but there was no 
 wife or children to break the silence with passionate sobbing. 
 How lonely the house seemed ! No one to care for the dead 
 man with tenderest hands ! Servants and strangers sur- 
 rounded him ; a few careless relatives would come on the 
 morrow, glad to inherit his wealth ; but with the most it 
 would be, " Only an old man dead ! " 
 
 Dr. Bertrand remained some time, discussing the prepara- 
 tions, and writing a few messages. The darkness was in- 
 tense as he turned his horse homeward ; but he thought of 
 his cheerful house and loving children, his heart rising to 
 God in thanksgiving for Such blessings. Then the wind 
 brought a noisy, roistering sound of bacchanalian glee, 
 which caused him to start a little, listen, and hold the reins 
 firmly. The party was evidently nearing him; he could 
 hear the plunge of the horses, and the drunken oaths of the 
 driver, who seemed to be fiercely urging them on. There 
 was a sudden dash. He sat quite still, and shouted, " To 
 the right ! keep to the right ! " then a violent concussion, at 
 which his own horse reared ; he felt himself unseated, thrown, 
 and striking ^against something with a crash that rendered 
 him senseless. The other party, righting themselves a lit- 
 tle, went on their way, too far gone to even dream of the 
 harm they had done.
 
 12 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 The thread I held has slipped from out my hand; 
 
 In this dark labyrinth, without a clew, 
 Groping for guidance, stricken blind, I stand, 
 
 A helpless child that knows not what to do. 
 
 BAYAKIJ TAYLOK. 
 
 " WHAT can be the matter ? The doctor is driving like 
 Jehu ! " exclaimed Martin, taking up his lantern and walking 
 to the stable. There stood the panting horse, the reins 
 trailing, and fragments of the broken traces hanging to him. 
 " Poor Robin, poor Robin, wha has happened ? " and he 
 stroked the terrified animal, trying meanwhile to gather his 
 wits together, as he phrased it. An accident was evident, 
 but that the doctor might be seriously injured did not occur 
 to him for some moments. He unharnessed the horse and 
 led him to his stall, then considered what had better be 
 done. To alarm the house would be folly ; the only sensible 
 suggestion seemed to be to find Mr. Richard at once ; so, 
 lantern in hand, he sallied into the street. Proceeding a few 
 steps, he met a watchman. , 
 
 "Was that Dr. Bertrand's horse?" was the quick ques- 
 tion. 
 
 " Yes. I'm afraid the doctor's been thrown." 
 
 " The horse came racing up Broad Street. Was the car- 
 riage out, and where had the doctor been ? " 
 
 "Down to old Mr. Smalley's, on the Elizabethtown 
 road. I'm going after the young doctor. We must have a 
 search" 
 
 " I'll send some one to help you. Mr. Smalley's, you said ? 
 I hope it's nothing serious."
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 13 
 
 Martin had a sort of obstinate faith that it was " nothing 
 serious," but he trudged rapidly along through the rain, which 
 had by this time become drenching. He was not long in 
 reaching his destination. Richard obeyed the summons, and 
 listened to Martin's brief story. 
 
 " My father ! I mustgo immediately ; " and with a hurried, 
 nervous kiss he left his betrothed, to follow Martin. 
 
 " Do you think anything can have happened, Mr. Richard ? 
 The doctor couldn't have come home as fast as the horse, 
 and the carriage might have been broken, but " 
 
 " We'll hope for the best," said Richard, reassuringly. 
 " When we reach Broad Street, you can take one side, and I 
 the other. We may meet him." 
 
 The streets in the quiet city of Newark were dark and 
 deserted ; few cared to be out on such a night. When he 
 parted from Martin a strange sense of fear stole into Rich- 
 ard's heart. But no, he would not believe anything fatal 
 could happen ; Dr. Bertrand might be injured by the fall ; 
 good care would soon restore him to health. There were 
 many happy years yet for that kind, tender father, when his 
 grandchildren should climb his knees, and his own sons and 
 daughters smile proudly over his white hair. Then a chill 
 presentiment shivered through his frame, as he thought of 
 that evening's conversation. Terror quickened his pace. 
 He soon overtook the watchman, and found it a relief to talk. 
 On they went, narrowly inspecting every cart or wagon, lis- 
 tening to the infrequent footsteps, and pausing at the slight- 
 est sound. On, and on. 
 
 " If he's been hurt they've taken him in somewhere," said 
 the man. " It could not have been far from Mr. Smalley's." 
 
 " We shall find the carriage, at all events," responded 
 Richard. 
 
 The rain poured in torrents. The lantern served only to 
 ehow how dark it really was. Presently they heard a call, 
 and crossing the street, they found Martin surveying a broken 
 vehicle. 
 
 2
 
 14 IN TRUST, OB 
 
 " A pretty good smash. It's been run against by some- 
 thing. You're sure you know it ? " 
 
 " I think I ought to," said Martin, with some contempt for 
 the question. 
 
 Richard took up a lantern, and went on silently, a great 
 wave of desolation rushing over his heart. He did not need 
 to go far. Something lay beside a large stone a dark 
 mass, thoroughly saturated with rain. The outline bespoke 
 it a human being. He could not look at the face, but with 
 frantic eagerness tore open the clothing, and felt for the 
 heart. The body was warm ; that was the only sign of life to 
 be found. The others came up, and were uttering exclama- 
 tions of pity and surprise. 
 
 " Some one go for a carriage ; quick ! There is no time 
 to be lost. Any person will assist in such an extremity ; " 
 and Richard lifted the body, so the head might rest on his 
 shoulder. 
 
 A conveyance was soon procured, and, as they drove along, 
 the fond son chafed the cold hands he held so tenderly in 
 his. He paused once to despatch Martin for a skilful physi- 
 cian, and then scarcely breathed until they reached the fa- 
 miliar mansion, whose lights were still cheerfully shining out 
 on the dreary night. He opened the door with his latch-key, 
 and the men carried in their burden, depositing it on the 
 office sofa. Richard went to summon the housekeeper, and 
 ask for some dry clothes. Returning, a white face confronted 
 him in the hall. 
 
 " What is the matter ? " Mabel asked, fear fairly shivering 
 in her tones. " Papa ? " 
 
 " Has met with an accident. G-o up stairs, dear ; you can- 
 not see him now." 
 
 " He is not dead ! Only tell me that." 
 
 " I will tell you all by and by. Here comes Dr. D ." 
 
 She clung to his arm : " Richard, if I must give him one 
 last kiss."
 
 PR. BKRTKAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 15, 
 
 " You shall. I will let you know in half an hour. Do 
 not disturb the others ; " and he put her gently away. 
 
 The poor frightened girl crept up to the room where they 
 had been so merry two short hours before. She could not 
 shut her eyes to that terrible, haunting fear! She heard the 
 stir in the room below, and" watched her half hour breath- 
 lessly. Then she crept out on the stairway, for she could 
 no longer endure the torturing suspense in that apartment 
 where his last good night seemed yet sounding. Once she 
 stole down to the office door, but she could distinguish 
 nothing in the confused hum of voices. 
 
 Within, medical skill was doing its utmost to recall the 
 injured man to consciousness, if only for a few moments. 
 Lying in the wet and cold had thoroughly chilled him ; yet 
 they did not quite despair, although their hearts were heavy. 
 At length a sigh of returning animation rewarded them. 
 Dr. Bertrand opened his eyes, gazed around in an uncertain 
 manner, and then closed them. Richard threw himself be- 
 side the couch, and seizing his father's hand, pressed it to 
 his trembling lips. As if the action recalled the feeble mind 
 to a sense of life, he murmured faintly, 
 
 " To the right I told them so, but it was dark, and 1 
 couldn't see. Where am I?" and rested his wandering 
 glance on his son. 
 
 Dr. D advanced, and taking his other hand, said, 
 
 " You are at home, Dr. Bertrand. You were thrown from 
 your carriage, and picked up insensible. Can you remember 
 any of the circumstances ? " 
 
 The question had the desired effect. A shade of thought 
 passed over the pallid countenance, and with some difficulty 
 he returned, " I think it was a drunken party. I tried to 
 keep out of their way, but I suppose they ran into me. Am 
 I seriously injured ? " He tried to raise himself, but fell 
 back with a gasp. 
 
 There was a solemn stillness. Richard's breath came
 
 16 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 freighted with agony. Dr. D surveyed his friend a 
 
 moment, then said, in a low, distinct tone, 
 
 " There may be a little hope, but we fear the worst." 
 The first expression of Dr. Bertrand's face was one of 
 intense pain, as if the summons had come too soon. Pres- 
 ently it vanished, and in its place came resignation, a calm, 
 holy peace, comforting the beholders. Sudden as the call 
 was, in this last dread hour he knew in whom he had trusted, 
 who had said, "My strength is sufficient for thee." For 
 Borne moments the ticking of the clock on the mantel-piece 
 was the only sound ; then, opening his eyes, he asked, faintly, 
 "How long?" 
 
 Dr. D felt his pulse, and answered, " Two hours, 
 
 perhaps." 
 
 " Let me see them all, Richard, for the last time." 
 Richard went to summon the children. At the foot 
 of the stairs Mabel sprang into his arms. He tried to 
 kiss some courage into the pale, despairing face ; but the 
 tears that fell on her cheek told that the worst had indeed 
 come. 
 
 " He has asked to see you all ; " and Richard half carried, 
 half led her up stairs. She could frame no questions ; her 
 very breath seemed strangling her. They hurriedly awoke 
 Lilian and Archie from childhood's peaceful slumber, too 
 much stunned by the announcement even for tears. Then 
 Richard lingered a moment by Tessy's crib. Fast asleep 
 lay the little darling, her golden curls making a dividing line 
 between her fair face and the pillow ; the red lips slightly 
 parted, displaying the pearly teeth, and a flush of ripe crim- 
 son on her soft cheek. He caught up a shawl lying near by, 
 and took her in his arms, scarcely disturbing her ; only the 
 small mouth started into a smile as she murmured that 
 dearest of all words to her " Papa." But the grief of the 
 others soon startled her, for when they entered the apart- 
 ment of death, her lovely eyes were wide open with a child's
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 17 
 
 bewilderment ; and following out her first impulse, she 
 stretched forth her arms to embrace her father, then looked 
 terrified at the still, pale face. 
 
 It was evident he was sinking rapidly. This new grief of 
 parting, eager, frantic kisses from his children's lips, and 
 Bobs of anguish, made his face more ashen than before. 
 Mute caresses were all he could give ; the blessing he essayed 
 to speak died away unuttered. But when Tessy's quick, 
 sharp cry of terror ran through the room, as she began to 
 
 understand the sad truth, it unnerved them all. Dr. D , 
 
 etooping over Mabel, hurriedly whispered^ " You had bet- 
 ter remove them ; there may be some business " 
 
 His ear caught the sound. " Business," he murmured 
 faintly ; " yes, I wanted to live a little longer for their sakes ; 
 but you'll be kind to them, Richard love them as I have 
 loved you. Don't let them miss me too much. Poor things ! 
 no father, no mother ; you won't desert them, Richard ? " 
 and he glanced up imploringly. 
 
 Richard Bertrand knelt beside his father, and clasping the 
 cold hands, said slowly, " God helping me, I will be a faith- 
 ful brother, and love them with my whole heart." 
 
 " Give Robert my kiss and blessing. I cannot see him 
 now. I shall meet her, Richard, your mother ; and I will 
 tell her what the little child she loved has been to me. God 
 bless you again, and again. Don't leave me," and he sank 
 back exhausted. 
 
 The physician held a restorative to his lips, while Mabel 
 led away the weeping children. When he did rally again, it 
 was only to murmur incoherently, and" gaze about with dull, 
 bewildered glances. They noted the minutes as they were 
 told off, and the hue of death that was gradually settling on 
 the noble face before them. Once he roused a little, and 
 whispered with difficulty, 
 
 "I meant to tell you about the house. Don't blame 
 him, Richard ; he was sadly unfortunate. I couldn't refuse 
 2*
 
 18 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 him lie had your mother's eyes; but I wronged the chil- 
 dren. I meant to make' it all good ; yet Grod knew best. 
 You'll be a friend to them. Some time it will come back 
 a Benjamin's portion for you. Read something, Richard 
 the prayer. I think I am dying." 
 
 Richard opened the little prayer book that was his constant 
 companion, and in a choking voice read the commendatory 
 prayer. A look of peace overspread his father's face, com- 
 forting him in this bitter hour. The white lips murmured 
 part of the prayer ; then followed a long silence. Afterwards 
 he bent over to patch the last words "the children 
 Richard, I love you my first-born." The breath came 
 fainter, then gaspingly. Richard hid his face on the broad 
 shoulder, until the last agony was over. 
 
 Mabel had gone back to the sitting-room, and was trying 
 to comfort the younger ones, though she could give them 
 little besides tears. She listened with painfully acute senses, 
 and when the hall door shut, and two persons walked away, 
 a thrill of terror sped through every vein. Then she heard 
 voices in earnest consultation, and Mrs. Hall came up to her 
 father's room. Afterwards Richard entered, and clasped his 
 arms around the little group clinging so closely together, 
 mingling his tears with theirs. 
 
 " You had better all retire," he said, when he could trust 
 his voice. " We shall need some strength for to-morrow. 
 Henceforth I must try to fill his place to you ; only, it can 
 never be he ; but I will do my best." 
 
 " 0, Richard ! Richard ! " What a bitter cry it was ! 
 He kissed them tenderly, little wet faces and quivering 
 lips, and carried Tessy back to her crib. Lily crept in with 
 her, and Archie, wrapping himself in a blanket, lay down on 
 the lounge. There was no sleep for Mabel ; she went quiet- 
 ly about, taking care of books and playthings that had been 
 neglected a few hours before, when all were so happy. Only 
 four years had elapsed since her mother's death ; but she waa
 
 DR. BEKTRAKD S HOUSEHOLD. 1 9 
 
 younger then, and had not felt the sorrow so keenly : per- 
 haps, too, she had clung more closely to her father since that 
 time, and now understood the full force of the blow. Never 
 again to hear him speak, never to look in his genial, loving 
 eyes, or be kissed by the fond lips ! Never to waylay him in 
 the hall, and ask little favors, or spring for the first embrace 
 as he entered the house. Never again ! ah, there was the 
 sting.
 
 20 IN TRUST; OK 
 
 CHAPTEE III. 
 
 Through the long, weary day, 
 
 I walk o'ershadowed by vain dreams of him. 
 
 MRS. 
 
 Even by means of our sorrows we belong to the Eternal Plan. 
 
 HCMBOLDT, 
 
 DATMGHT came at last. Mabel had not slept at all, and 
 as soon as she heard Mrs. Hall astir, stole down to the 
 library, where she found Richard. The children had cried 
 themselves into heavy slumbers ; so it was late when they 
 made their appearance at breakfast. The meal had scarcely 
 ended before the undertaker came, and they all went to take 
 a view of the dear face. How sweet and calm that last ex- 
 pression was ! They gazed wonderingly, and without tears, 
 it was so like a peaceful sleep. 
 
 " I must telegraph for Robert immediately," Richard said, 
 when they were again in the hall ; " and, Mabel, you had 
 better get all that you and the children will need. Let 
 nothing be put off until the last day." 
 
 "And that will be " 
 
 " Saturday afternoon, I think. I will order the carriage 
 for you. Perhaps you had better take Mrs. Hall." 
 
 She came up at Richard's request ; but Mabel decided to 
 go alone ; a sudden sense of responsibility had come upon 
 her, and she took it up with patient, sorrowful gravity. 
 
 " It's a sore, sore trial," the housekeeper said. " No one 
 but Grod can comfort you ; " and then she turned away with 
 tearful eyes. Words seemed so useless ! 
 
 It was a harder task than Mabel had imagined. How 
 pitiful the fair little faces looked in their black bonnets !
 
 DR. BERTRAND S HOUSEHOLD. 21 
 
 So it is we never become accustomed to death, but every 
 time it seems new in its sombre belongings. The dress- 
 maker took her orders with a quiet air, that was really 
 sympathizing ; but Mabel was glad to return to the silent 
 house, and be again under the roof that covered her great 
 grief. Richard had been very busy, and did not return until 
 dinner. 
 
 The storm of the preceding night had ceased, yet the day 
 had been cold and cloudy, just relieved, late in the afternoon, 
 by a little sunshine. They clustered in the familiar sitting- 
 room, where Richard tried to talk away the first strangeness 
 of their grief; not by bringing up other subjects, but speak- 
 ing of the dead father, who lay below, as one whose new life 
 had already commenced in Paradise ; who was looking down 
 on them with the same loving heart and fond eyes that had 
 been their comfort here. He had entered into the blissful 
 rest of the redeemed, and now they were to strive to meet 
 him at the last day. The low, gentle voice charmed away 
 their grief; the sobs came at longer intervals as the twilight 
 closed in around them. Tessy had crept up into Richard's 
 lap, and the three elder ones were clasped in each other's 
 arms. 
 
 " I hoped Robert would be at home before this. I ought 
 to go out a little while," Richard said. 
 
 " Don't ; " and Tessy, reaching up, clasped her arms 
 around his neck. " Please don't ; we have no papa but 
 you, now." 
 
 He kissed her, and thought a moment, saying, " I will 
 make a note answer. Light the gas, Mabel, and bring me 
 your writing desk." 
 
 Turning the burner towards him, she lingered a moment 
 with the desk in her hand, and then said, gently, " Get 
 down, Tessy." 
 
 The child moved slowly, her large eyes filling with tears ; 
 but Richard changed her to one knee, and took the desk 
 upon the other. " I think we can manage it," was his hopeful
 
 22 IN TRUST, OK 
 
 reply ; " I only want to write a few words." So Tessy 
 kept her seat, as she would have done on her father's lap. 
 
 The note was not very brief, after all ; but when he had 
 sealed and directed it to Miss Ada Townley, and asked 
 Mabel to. send it immediately by Martin, he clasped his little 
 sister to his heart again, and rocked slowly backwards and 
 forwards, thinking of the life that lay before him. And it 
 was something to think of. He was within a fortnight of his 
 wedding day. He had given his father a most solemn assur- 
 ance that he would love and care for these orphaned ones. 
 Would not something need to be relinquished ? His trip 
 abroad, perhaps ; and the bridal must be delayed. But 
 when he described that death scene to Ada, he knew 
 Bhe would feel as he did that his duty lay here, for the 
 present. She would not refuse to come and share it with 
 him, perhaps ; and in spite of his grief, a proud smile grew 
 up in his face. Was it possible to doubt her ? No, indeed. 
 Disappointed she could not fail to be, for the trip to Europe 
 had been one ef her promised joys ; but for his sake she 
 would be content. 
 
 .A quick ring at the door startled them all, and an instant 
 later Robert was in their midst. Many tears were mingled 
 with their kisses, and the silence spoke of tender grief more 
 eloquently than words. 
 
 " Come here, Tessy," Robert said, as he sat down. 
 
 She clung timidly to the elder brother, with a child's naive 
 preference, and climbing into his lap again, said slowly, 
 " Richard's papa now." 
 
 Robert Bertrand was past eighteen, tall, well developed, 
 and unmistakably handsome. His eyes were nearly black, 
 proud, sparkling, and defiant; very unlike Richard's, which 
 were a soft, liquid brown. His forehead was high and 
 fair, less broad than his brother's, and clustered about 
 with rings of shining hair. His chin was girlishly round, 
 and dimpled ; his lips beautifully curved, red, and somewhat 
 full. When he set them firmly together, they shadowed out
 
 DK. BEKTKAND S HOUSEHOLD. 2 3 
 
 an unpleasant meaning, that, as years passed on, might be 
 both selfish and cruel ; now it was ease-loving and indiffer- 
 ent. His face was full of restless force the index to a 
 nature hard to govern, and extremely self-indulgent. There 
 was a great contrast between the two. Richard's face was 
 essentially good, not wanting in harmony and nobleness. It 
 was trusty, where Robert's was proud ; tender and affec- 
 tionate, yet with none of that indecision often mistaken for 
 good nature. There was a fibre of almost womanly love for 
 all who were weak and suffering running through his heart ; 
 he could be patient to the last degree, and self-denying, but 
 every thought was marked by conscious rectitude. Once 
 committed to a cause he knew to be right, there was no 
 swerving with him. 
 
 As a family they had lived in perfect harmony, uncon- 
 scious of any discordant elements. Mrs. Bertrand had loved 
 Richard sincerely ; and though the doctor's sense of justice 
 had been too correct to admit of favoritism, Richard's 
 seniority had made him companionable, while the others 
 were too young. Robert had occasionally chafed a little, 
 but always yielded ; now, however, he seemed to take his 
 place at once as an equal. He listened, with evident 
 emotion, to the sad story ; but his questions and comments 
 jarred a little on Mabel's bruised heart. She could not 
 recur to the sad event without tearful eyes, and frequently 
 Richard's voice seemed tremulous with sobs ; yet she checked 
 herself by the thought, " He was not here ; he did not 
 see it all." And when they kissed Richard " good night," 
 she clung to him with something of the feeling of depen- 
 dence she had hitherto held for her father alone. 
 
 The next day was quite eventful. The children's aunt 
 came, and there were various consultations, that broke in 
 upon the sacred solitude of grief. Aunt Sophia was too 
 deeply touched not to refrain from adding to their tears; so 
 she reserved her questions for Mrs. Hall. Indeed, it seemed 
 as if the business of life must be gone through with, even if 
 hearts did break.
 
 24 IN TKUST, OR 
 
 Late in the afternoon Richard went to call on his be- 
 trothed. The meeting could not be otherwise than sorrow- 
 ful. The sudden shock, coming at an important period of 
 their lives, rendered them both grave. It brought their 
 whole existence more plainly before them ; led them to see 
 the thorns in every path, the wounds that must bleed, despite 
 the love that so eagerly sought to bind up the bruised heart ; 
 taught them anew on what frail tenure all human hopes were 
 held. Nearly an hour passed in comforting assurances on 
 Ada's part, before he gained courage to say, 
 
 " Dearest, our marriage will have to be delayed. There 
 must be some new plans for the future, and weeks may elapse 
 before we can make definite arrangements." 
 
 " I know," she answered, soothingly. " I will wait pa- 
 tiently and willingly until fall, and in the mean while, if I can 
 be of any assistance to you or yours, command me to the 
 utmost. It is surely not too much for me to say that your 
 sorrow and joy are alike mine." 
 
 " Thank you." The pressure of the hand said still more 
 that no trouble or grief could long cloud their way with 
 this perfect faith between them. 
 
 The funeral had been appointed for two o'clock on Satur- 
 day. Quite early Dr. Bertrand was placed in his coffin, 
 dressed so naturally that it seemed impossible to think of 
 him otherwise than as asleep. There was a slight discolora- 
 tion on one temple, but the face was fair and placid a face 
 to linger over in the tenderest passion of grief. The chil- 
 dren gathered in the large parlor, to which the body had 
 been removed, and watched for the last time. The violence 
 of grief had spent itself; tears were not needed in this 
 saintly presence. Looking on him there, it seemed as if he 
 must awake at length, and clasp them to his heart again 
 the children he loved so well. Richard passed quietly in 
 and out until the friends began to assemble, when he and 
 Robert took their places beside the others. How vividly 
 every word and look of that last evening came before him !
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 25 
 
 How comforting the assurance he had received ! how sacred 
 the promise he had given a few hours later ! 
 
 It was Tessy's hand that took the fragrant wreath from 
 the coffin, and laid it inside, on her father's breast. The 
 last kisses and last tears were given, and they were led 
 out of the apartment. The rest was like a painful d?eam : 
 the ride to the church, and from thence to the graveyard ; 
 the solemn burial service, the lowered coffin, and the last sad 
 rite " Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust, looking 
 for the general resurrection at the last day." Thank God 
 for that hope, amid so much darkness. 
 
 An hour later the family assembled in the doctor's office, 
 and listened to the reading of the will. Lawyer Gruilford, 
 an old and tried friend, performed this duty with grave 
 kindliness. After a few preliminaries, it gave to Richard all 
 medical books and instruments, while the house, and all other 
 such property as the doctor might die possessed of, was to 
 be equally divided among the five younger children when 
 Tessy reached her majority. If deemed advisable, the house 
 could be sold at any time, and the money placed at interest, 
 the income devoted to the maintenance and education of the 
 children. After this followed a special remembrance to 
 every one, a small gift to each of the three servants, and the 
 appointment of Richard and Mr. Guilford as executors and 
 guardians. 
 
 The house was large, with a hall through the centre ; 
 on one side, a parlor ; opposite, two rooms ; the front one 
 an office, the other a sort of study, library, and general de- 
 partment. Opening the door of this, the lawyer beckoned 
 hither the elder sons, and unlocking a desk, remarked 
 quietly, " You will find all necessary papers here ; but I 
 wish to say a word before I leave you. Were you aware the 
 house was mortgaged ? " 
 
 "No ! " exclaimed the brothers, in a breath of astonishment. 
 
 " I have some explanations to make, then. A short time 
 ago, when your father was setting apart your fortune," he 
 3
 
 26 IN TBUST, OB 
 
 bowed to Richard, "he thought it better to make a new 
 will, as the other had been drawn up prior to Mrs. Bertrand's 
 death. He told me then, that, several years before, he had 
 indorsed for a dear friend, who proved sadly unfortunate ; 
 and having at that period no ready money, he had mortgaged 
 his house for five thousand dollars. He had paid one thou- 
 sand since, and intended, as soon as possible, to clear it en- 
 tirely. Thia plan has been frustrated ; but I think, after all 
 claims are settled, you may have enough perhaps to liquidate 
 this debt, if you choose to do it. Any suggestion I can 
 offer will be freely given." 
 
 " Thank you," Richard said, mechanically, while Robert 
 asked, in a more eager tone, if he knew who the friend 
 was. 
 
 " I do not. Allow me a few more words. It may sur- 
 prise some that Dr. Bertrand died possessed of no greater 
 wealth ; but he has left an honorable name, and was a most 
 benevolent man. A family like this, with no mother's econ- 
 omy, must necessarily be expensive. Doubtless you can 
 make important retrenchments. Take plenty of time for the 
 matter, and believe that I shall always have my friend's in- 
 terest at heart. I think you will find your own business all 
 correct, Mr. Richard ; your father took great pains with it. 
 And now good day, as I suppose you will do nothing further 
 at present." 
 
 The brothers bowed. As the door closed, Robert threw 
 himself on the sofa with an expression of extreme dissatis- 
 faction. " To think how it has ended ! " he began, with a 
 Bcornful curl of the lip. " I supposed father was worth 
 twenty thousand, at least. What is to be done ? " 
 
 " He made no such pretension," Richard said, gravely. 
 " We will wait a while before deciding." 4 
 
 " It's very well for you to talk, Dick. You have had a 
 splendid education out of father, and now can fall back upon 
 your own fortune ; while this is my first year at Yale, and 
 likely to be my last, for anything I can see."
 
 DB. BEBTBAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 27 
 
 "Let us leave the subject now," was Kichard's response. 
 
 " You may go, if you like ; but I don't stir until I have 
 examined some of these papers. Whom do you suppose 
 father could have indorsed for ? " 
 
 " We will talk of it when I return ; " and Richard went t 
 attend to the remaining friends. Having disposed of them, 
 he ran up stairs, and found the resignation of the afternoon 
 had given way to wildest grief. Even aunt Sophy could do 
 nothing but weep. Mabel's firmness had failed entirely. 
 His comforting voice seemed to restore them ; but the sobs 
 had scarcely ceased when the tea bell rang. Mabel lingered 
 to bathe her face and smooth her hair. Coming back to the 
 shelter of his arms, she said, brokenly, 
 
 "Richard, aunt Sophy and I have been talking of what 
 must come presently : do you think we shall be separated, 
 even if you should " and her voice broke down com- 
 pletely. 
 
 He had to make an effort to regain his. " No ; " and he 
 was glad he could say it ; " there will be no parting at 
 present, and I shall not be married until fall." 
 
 Her answer was a convulsive kiss. 
 
 After supper he followed Robert to the library, who began 
 in a triumphant tone, ere they were seated, " Well, I have 
 solved the mystery ! " 
 
 " Who was it ? Some one father must have loved dearly ; " 
 and Richard, bethinking himself of the words spoken that 
 fatal night, "I couldn't refuse him ; he had your mother's 
 eyes," anticipated Robert's reply of, " Your uncle, Richard 
 Aubrey." 
 
 " I found it in father's journal," he continued, opening 
 the book. " It was before mother died. Of course he 
 didn't suppose he would lose it; but then came the fire, 
 when uncle Dick was burned out, his removal to Central 
 America, and his sickness and death there. Still, I do not 
 think it was father's place to pay it." 
 
 " It was any honorable man's duty," Richard answered,
 
 28 IN TRUST ; OR 
 
 warmly. " I am sorry he indorsed; that being done, how- 
 ever, there was only one course." 
 
 Robert moved uneasily in his chair. "Certainly, the law 
 could compel him to pay it. I didn't exactly mean that. 
 The thing is just here, Dick: if it had been my mother's 
 brother I would not say a word ; but we children are five 
 thousand dollars poorer for the speculation, while it doesn't 
 touch you in the slightest. My share of it would take me 
 through college." 
 
 A deep crimson suffused Richard's face, as he replied, 
 hastily, " I understand you, and will see to all college 
 expenses." 
 
 " I will not wrong the others," Robert said, with an as- 
 sumption of justice. " If the matter looks right to you, it 
 may go." 
 
 " None of you shall suffer through my uncle," Richard 
 exclaimed, with a little pride. 
 
 " You see, Dick," Robert began, as if half ashamed of his 
 suggestion, " if we were all grown up, it would be different; 
 but you have had more than any of us in your education, 
 and " 
 
 " I promised father, just before he died, that I would do 
 all I could toward filling his place. No one shall want for 
 anything while I live. I think you can trust me." 
 
 The solemn, yet tender voice sobered Robert a little. 
 '* You were going to be married, Dick," he said. 
 
 " It will not be until fall, and I have given up my trip to 
 Europe." No one knew how hard it was for him to say that. 
 " When you come home for vacation I shall have decided on 
 what it is best to do ; till then, all things will go on as 
 before." 
 
 " There's some railroad stock, and a little money in 
 the bank. What do you suppose the house would bring, 
 Richard?" 
 
 " I hope there will be no necessity of selling it until I can 
 become the purchaser," was the quiet answer. " Since you
 
 DR. BERTH AND' s H or BEHOLD. 2" 
 
 have begun, we may as well go over the papers together;' 
 and he drew his chair towards the desk. 
 
 Everything was in tolerable order letters laid by them 
 selves ; bills and business accounts rightly arranged, ant, 
 the ledger written up to the last day of the doctor's life 
 Then there was a journal-like volume, containing simpl< 
 entries of the day's events, that told more than many 
 lengthy paragraphs. He was too healthy-spirited a man t 
 go into any morbid analysis of thought ; yet it container 
 many touching glimpses of home life. It was here Rober 1 
 had found the particulars of the mortgage, and this was tho 
 only account of his unfortunate indorsing. Richard prom 
 ised himself a sad, sweet pleasure in reading it at some 
 future time. The clock struck ten, and a light tap at the 
 door interrupted them. 
 
 "Let us put these away for to-night," Richard said, open 
 ing the door to Tessy. 
 
 " I came to kiss you. We were all going to bed," war 
 the half-timid exclamation. 
 
 He took the child in his arms, and as she buried her face 
 in his soft beard, she murmured, " Dick, I love you 
 dearly ! dearly ! Do you think God will ever make you 
 die ? " 
 
 For answer he held her tightly, and kissed lip, cheek, and 
 golden hair ; then carried her up stairs, where he said good 
 night to the rest. They all looked up to him now as the 
 head of the family. 
 3*
 
 30 IN TRUST. OB 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The lines of our life may be smooth and strong, 
 
 And our pleasant path may lie 
 Where the stream of affection flows along, 
 
 In the light of a summer sky; 
 But woe for the lights that early wane, 
 
 And the shades that early fall, 
 And the prayer that speaks f the secret pain, 
 
 Though its voice be still and small. 
 
 FRANCES BROWN. 
 
 THE head of the family ! This was what Richard Bertrand 
 thought, as he sat in his room, weary, and yet wakeful. 
 What a change a week had wrought ! Then he had been 
 musing over such visions as young men are wont to dream 
 of; a girlish wife and baby faces growing up in his house- 
 hold, whose helpless, clinging touches give to parents wisdom 
 and patience. Instead, ties not his very own sprang up to 
 fetter him with a double chain of love and duty. It was not 
 such a care-free path as those rambles over the old world, 
 with his chosen wife beside him. What wonder if he 
 glanced at that lost way with sorrowful tenderness ? Already 
 cares and sacrifices began to stare him in the face. Could 
 he make his position harmonize with his affection ? The lit- 
 tle scene with Robert told him he had not a parent's author- 
 ity, and that his rule must be one of love. A fine sense of 
 honor ran like a silver chord through his nature, and he felt 
 it would be right for him to pay off this mortgage with his 
 own fortune, no matter how overstrained the action might 
 appear to others. His father had behaved with scrupulous 
 generosity and delicacy in never mentioning the fact of his 
 having indorsed for Richard's uncle, and it touched him tc
 
 DK. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 31 
 
 the heart. Yes, be would clear the house from debt, and 
 then some provision must be made for the family. His 
 father's practice was extensive ; he would doubtless succeed 
 to a large share of it. If he could keep them all together 
 for a few years ! And then thoughts of Ada arose. Would 
 she be happy here ? 
 
 I think it was well Sunday came in the midst of their grief. 
 It sanctified it, and added a tender solemnity to the memory 
 of the dead, and gave Richard his true position at once the 
 place he was to fill through years of mingled joy and sorrow. 
 He took his father's seat in the church with a feeling of grave 
 awe, and those who looked upon his manly figure and truth- 
 ful face, prophesied it would be worthily filled. 
 
 He hesitated a little whether he should go to Ada that 
 night, then decided to remain at home. They could not 
 sing, as was their usual custom ; but Richard read to them : 
 afterwards they fell into a sweet, sorrowful talk of him who 
 had gone from their midst, and was keeping the eternal rest 
 that remained for the people of God. 
 
 " ' A day which shall be known unto the Lord, not day, nor 
 night ; but it shall come to pass that at evening time it shall 
 be light,' " Mabel said, with her lingering good-night kiss. 
 
 " At evening time," Richard repeated. He did not dream 
 then how often he should have need to comfort himself with 
 the words. 
 
 Monday morning brought the stir of busy life. Robert 
 was called into conference with his brother, and all immedi- 
 ate plans laid before him. There was a sad parting with the 
 girls, and Richard drove him to the depot, offering a few 
 brotherly suggestions that were received with an attentive 
 air. But a feeling of intense relief came in his face when he 
 found himself alone ; and he said, almost audibly, 
 
 " Dick is a good fellow, and I must be careful. Wasn't I 
 lucky to make my peace with the learned and reverend fac- 
 ulty ? Suspension just now would have been well, it 
 didn't come, thanks to fortune ; so there's no use of borrow- 
 ing trouble."
 
 32 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 Then followed aunt Sophia's departure. It was natural 
 she should feel anxious for the children's welfare, as their 
 mother had been her only sister ; and she offered to take the 
 two younger ones, in case they decided to break up the 
 household. 
 
 " You are to be married soon, I believe ? " she said to 
 Richard. 
 
 " Not until fall, and I may remain here then. It is 
 my wish to keep the family together. I think father de- 
 sired it." 
 
 She could not object to this ; but as Mrs. Hall helped her 
 put on her wrappings, the subject was re-discussed. 
 
 " I'm afraid it Avill not work," she said, slowly. " Mabel 
 is growing up, and may want to te mistress in her own house, 
 and Miss Townley won't fe.el disposed to accept of the second 
 position. Then, he is only their half-brother, and we can- 
 not expect him to give up all to them. Poor things, they 
 will never find another friend like their father ! " 
 
 Mrs. Hall sighed and hoped it would end rightly, but was 
 a little doubtful of two families living in perfect peace, when 
 both would have such a strong claim on "Mr. Richard." 
 
 The next event in order was the mortgage. Mr. Grailford 
 was a little surprised at Richard's proposal, but simply said, 
 "I hope you have considered the matter well;" and then 
 went about the business in his ordinary manner. Some days 
 elapsed before it could be finally settled ; but when Richard 
 had freed the house from its encumbrance, and placed a 
 thousand dollars in the lawyer's hands to Robert's credit, a 
 great weight seemed to have fallen from him. Now the 
 question of retrenchment must be seriously considered. 
 
 This was a difficult subject for a young man. The house 
 was large, to be sure, yet it was all needed ; and it was not 
 possible to do with less than the three servants : Mrs. Hall, 
 a sensible, middle-aged woman, who had filled the post of 
 housekeeper since Mrs. Bertrand's death, and was a most 
 excellent manager; Ann, the maid of all work, a good-
 
 DR. BEKTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 33 
 
 natured Irish woman, whose tastes were certainly promiscuous 
 as regarded employment. As a girl she had served appren- 
 ticeship to Mrs. Bertrand, married, and after a brief essay at 
 housekeeping, had come back during the illness of her mis- 
 tress. Her husband having been taken as coachman and 
 gardener, Martin and Ann Burns might well be considered 
 fixtures. Martin was especially valuable, if he did grumble a 
 little now and then, for he was sober, honest, and industrious. 
 None of the servants could be dispensed with while the family 
 remained here. 
 
 And to go away ! It sent a quick pang to Richard's heart. 
 Dr. Bertrand had come here after his second marriage, and 
 this was the scene of Richard's boyish years, as well as his 
 thoughtful, happy manhood. He could remember every im- 
 provement, and how he had sometimes assisted in planning. 
 The house was situated at the northern end of the city, in a 
 quiet, shady street, whose sidewalk was bordered with patri- 
 archal elms. The grounds, though small, were tastefully laid 
 out, a handsome court-yard in front, with miniature lawns, 
 whose dark green Norway pines made a pleasant gloom. 
 The house was double, the pointing roofs over the dormer 
 windows relieving its squareness. To the right, partially 
 hidden by trees, stood the carriage-house and barn. The 
 rear commanded a lovely prospect. It lay on the banks of the 
 Passaic, the slope terraced by a series of steps, the upper 
 ones being devoted to flowers, and the lower to fruit and 
 vegetables ; ending by a thick stone wall at the water's edge. 
 Here was the boat-house, whose building Richard had super- 
 intended, and he could almost feel the thrill of delight with 
 which he had welcomed the dainty "Jessie," his boat. Here 
 were fruit trees he had trained, rose-cuttings bestowed by 
 friends, and a host of flowers he had taken delight in culti- 
 vating. Then the rooms ! there was not a nook or corner 
 but held some pleasant memory for him ; all had been hal- 
 lowed by the presence of that dear father. No, he could 
 never willingly go away.
 
 34 IN TRUST, OK 
 
 He summoned Mrs. Hall, and they took a review of the 
 housekeeping department. He found his father had sup- 
 plied every thing with a most lavish hand, and that Mrs. Hall 
 thought an important reform might be commenced here. She 
 lingered after they had arranged their plans, her face so 
 plainly showing something left unsaid, that he asked, with a 
 pleasant smile, 
 
 " Are there any more suggestions ? I am a new hand at 
 the business, you know, and will take the least hint kindly." 
 
 The little woman's face flushed, and she said, quite hum- 
 My, 
 
 " I should like to speak of one thing, if you wouldn't be 
 oifended, sir. It's not my place ; but I've seen more of life 
 than you, women's lives, I mean, their likes and wants, 
 and sometimes little jealous feelings that make a household 
 miserable. People who love dearly do not always know just 
 how to make each other happy. If it isn't too bold a ques- 
 tion, wasn't you thinking of being married, and bringing 
 your wife here ? " 
 
 " I did think about it; in the fall, perhaps ; " and Richard's 
 color rose a trifle. 
 
 " What I wanted to say, Dr. Richard, was this. Miss 
 Townley, being the youngest of her family, and having such 
 a fortune, never has had anything to try her patience, or 
 any feelings or wishes beside her own to consult. I dare 
 say she loves you very much, and looks forward to a happy 
 life with you, thinking, like most young creatures, that the 
 highest joy is having you all her own. And here are the 
 children, very fond of you, and used to having their father all 
 to themselves, for he was always thinking what he could do 
 for them, and was so indulgent, so patient, with their little 
 tempers and rare disputes. Now they all cling to you ; in- 
 deed, you are filling their father's place ; but when a new 
 claimant for your love comes " 
 
 " You are afraid there might be some trouble," he said ; 
 in the calm tone of a man who felt certain of perfect accord,
 
 DR. BERTEAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 35 
 
 " It's right and natural fen- a wife who loves her husband 
 beyond all else, to wish to be first with him to want all his 
 leisure hours. No one could blame her for it. But the 
 children would have to be put off, and might feel neg- 
 lected. A restraint would come hard at first ; they're so 
 affectionate, and were used to so much freedom with their 
 father. It's trying to a man, when he loves both parties ; 
 and it's difficult for both parties to agree, when they look at 
 the same thing in a different light. You'd be the shield, 
 with one .side gold, and the other side silver." 
 
 " Well," said Richard, cheerfully, " how shall I keep the 
 peace ? " 
 
 " I can't answer that, sir. But if you tried the plan and 
 found it did not prove agreeable, I was thinking, how much 
 pleasanter than sending them among strangers it would be 
 to hire a cheap little cottage, and let me take charge of them. 
 I could do all the work, and make them happy, I think, and 
 you could watch over them. When I remember how much I 
 owe your dear father, I feel as if I ought to spend my very 
 life for his children's happiness. He came to me when my 
 husband lay dying,and my poor baby too ill to go out of my 
 arms, while I was almost wild with poverty and anxiety. 
 0, I can never forget his goodness, and how he comforted 
 me after they were gone, when I came near dying with lone- 
 liness and grief myself. I feel as if I daren't meet him in 
 heaven, unless I do all I can for his ; " and Mrs. Hall broke 
 down in a sobbing fit. 
 
 Richard was moved to the heart. He took her hand 
 kindly, and said, in a voice of emotion, 
 
 *' How much I thank you for this generous offer, I cannot 
 put in words. I honor you, too, for so practical a plan ; and 
 if the time should ever come when such a division seems 
 necessary, I shall gladly avail myself of your suggestions. 
 Believe me, I am eager to do my whole duty by them ; they 
 were my father's last charge." 
 
 " I hope you'll pardon me if I've been over-bold, but I
 
 36 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 couldn't bear to think of their being separated while they're 
 so young. Miss Mabel will grow up a sort of mother to the 
 rest, and I know we can make a pleasant home. They have 
 so few relatives that they'll always cling together. Their 
 aunt'Sophia would do anything ia the world for them, but 
 she has such a large family." 
 
 " If my plan will not work, we must try yours," he said, 
 kindly. 
 
 After Mrs. Hall had left him, he dropped his forehead on 
 his hand, and fell into a reverie. How many difficulties rose 
 in his path ! More than once some slight incident had made 
 him feel his actions would be more severely criticised because 
 he was a half brother to the rest. The suspicions that had 
 been scarcely suggested, wounded his keenly sensitive soul. 
 He understood how this home, delightful as it was, might 
 not be so happy for Ada. He would be compelled to divide 
 his attentions. There were lessons, little troubles, and much 
 demonstrative love, that he could only check by positive cold- 
 ness. How could he teach Tessy the first kiss did not be- 
 long to her ? Would he wish to estrange them ? 
 
 No, indeed ; he loved them too well ;- and he resolved, 
 come what would, to keep, in the truest manner possible, his 
 promise to his dead father. If Mrs. Hall hardly dared meet 
 him in heaven, with an unperformed kindness between them, 
 how much more he, a well-beloved son, in ^whorn his father 
 reposed the highest confidence ! 
 
 Yet it would take the most entire devotion to repay Ada 
 for her disappointment in not going abroad. It was her 
 right to have some voice in a matter that so deeply concerned 
 herself. Suppose she should not wish to come and share 
 her husband's time and love with so many. She was rather 
 exacting. He had hitherto liked the jealous regard that 
 could not spare a word nor caress. But how would it an- 
 swer when they all came to live together ? 
 
 A rush of children through the hall dispersed his troubled 
 thoughts, and he rose to meet them. Fresh from school,
 
 DR. BEETKANP's HOUSEHOLD. 37 
 
 with rosy faces, and somewhat boisterous greetings Archie 
 begging for a little help in his Latin, Lily petitioning for a 
 ride on Saturday ; and Tessy, clasping his arm with both 
 eager hands, hopped beside him, intent on studying locomo- 
 tion on one foot. 
 
 Mabel's voice sounded from the hall above, 
 
 " Come, children, the dinner bell will ring in five minutes, 
 and you are not ready." 
 
 Lily went up the steps two at a time, and Archie made 
 noisy attempts at imitating her. Richard swung Tessy with 
 a sudden force, landing her three steps up. She gave a gay 
 little laugh, and said, in a delighted tone, 
 
 " Dick ! you're as strong as papa ; he used to do 
 that ! "
 
 38 IN TBTTST, OB 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 All as God wills, who wisely heeds 
 
 To give or to withhold, 
 And knowcth more of all my needs 
 
 Than all my prayers have told. 
 
 WHITTIER. 
 
 Two months had elapsed since Dr. Bertrand's death. 
 Changeful childhood rallied and grasped eagerly at the 
 pleasures of life, in order to fill up the chasm of loss. Merry 
 laughs once more woke echoes through the quiet house, and 
 occasionally Lilian broke into a bird-like song. Richard had 
 been very busy. His father's patients had poured in upon 
 him in numbers that could not fail to be gratifying ; yet it 
 rendered the prospect of a long absence unfortunate for his 
 position as a doctor, if not absolutely impossible. The new 
 cares and responsibilities had somewhat broken in upon his 
 devotedness as a lover, though his betrothed had consoled 
 herself with a visit to New York for gayeties she could not 
 well ask Richard to share at home. She had been kind and 
 sympathizing, and borne her share of the grief tranquilly. 
 Still he was anxious for a -more thorough understanding of 
 their future. 
 
 One lovely May evening they went out for a walk. He 
 had a purpose in this, for he wanted to be beyond the chance 
 of interruption. The night air was fragrant with the breath 
 of young trees, and the varied odors of spring. The soft 
 blue sky, with its tender stars, seemed to have a peculiar 
 nearness to human hearts and human wants. The tremulous 
 air brought vague memories of lost joys, dreams unrealized 
 and forgotten, save in such, hours.
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 39 
 
 " How beautiful ! " and Richard paused. They had turned 
 into High Street, and gaining a little eminence, the whole 
 city lay at their very -feet, softened in a flood of silver light, 
 serene as if all in those homes were perfect peace. 
 
 " Yes," Ada answered slowly ; " but think, Richard, what 
 such a night would be in Venice with the songs of gondoliers, 
 or roaming through the palace gardens of the old world. I 
 am longing for fields of olive and figs, and where purple grapes 
 glisten in the long reaches of a still fairer light than this." 
 
 " It would disappoint you very, very much not to go ? " 
 His voice had a touch of winning gentleness in it. 
 
 " 0, I must ! You know what I said about waiting ! By 
 fall you will surely have all family arrangements completed." 
 
 " Matters are very different from what I expected," waa 
 his grave answer. 
 
 " Your father was not so rich as people supposed ? " 
 
 " It is not that alone. I promised my father in his dying 
 moments that I would love the children as he had loved me 
 take care of them befriend them." 
 
 " Of course it is your duty to love them ; but surely there 
 is enough to support them without any effort of yours. May 
 I make a suggestion ? " 
 
 " Certainly, dearest." 
 
 " Could not the house be sold, and the money properly 
 invested ? Would it not make sufficient for the children's 
 support ? " 
 
 " 0, I couldn't give up the house. I should never find 
 another spot in the world so dear ! I hope some day to be 
 able to purchase it, for the girls will doubtless marry and 
 seek other homes. I have half a plan, Ada, if you are 
 willing." 
 
 " Well." Her tone was not at all encouraging. 
 
 " I do not think it will be possible for me to go abroad. 
 I find there is not enough left to support the family without 
 some exertion on my part. I am in a fair way of succeeding 
 to much of my father's practice. If you were willing to
 
 40 IN XKUST, OR 
 
 marry me, and share my lot for a^while, I know I could make 
 you happy. At least, we might try. Will you not come ? " 
 
 " Richard," Ada began slowly, " I may perhaps offend you 
 by what I shall say ; yet I think it my duty. I do not ap- 
 prove of such arrangements. I do not feel capable, or even 
 willing, to take charge of such a household, neither should I 
 be satisfied with a secondary position. I will gladly share 
 what I have with you in travelling, and afterwards in any 
 manner that seems best. Surely there would be no dif- 
 ficulty in reestablishing yourself on our return. Besides, 
 you have a tolerable fortune. I shouldn't starve on it if 
 mine were all gone ; " and she laughed with assumed gayety. 
 
 " It is not so large as it was. I have had occasion to 
 spend half of it." His voice was quietly firm. The truth 
 was best told now. Yet he felt there would be an outbreak, 
 and summoned not only resolution, but tenderness. 
 
 " Five thousand ! What have you been doing, Richard ? " 
 she asked, sharply. 
 
 " My duty, only. After my father's burial I found he had 
 mortgaged the house to enable him to pay two notes he had 
 indorsed for my uncle, my own mother's brother." 
 
 " He left you nothing, and expected you to pay that ! " 
 she said, indignantly. 
 
 " He did leave me a great deal," Richard answered with a 
 little wounded feeling. " A handsome library, and a most 
 complete as well as expensive set of instruments ; besides, jie 
 never spoke of my paying the debt. But in order to have 
 you understand why I have taken these particular views of 
 duty, I must tell you some of my past life. At my mother's 
 death, my uncle and aunt Aubrey took charge of me, keep- 
 ing me until my father's second marriage, and utterly refus- 
 ing the slightest remuneration. My grandfather divided his 
 property equally between uncle Richard and myself. My 
 father never touched one penny of either principal or inter- 
 est; supplying all my wants himself. Uncle Richard was 
 prosperous for a while ; but a disastrous fire, which swept
 
 DB. BEKTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 41 
 
 away nearly all his earnings, was succeeded by a long illness. 
 Afterwards he took his family to Central America, where he 
 seemed to have a fair prospect of redeeming his losses. In 
 several of his letters that I have since found, he expressed 
 the most earnest determination to repay my father at the 
 earliest opportunity. He took a fever 'and died, and aunt 
 and the children went to California. For two years we have 
 heard nothing from them. In my father's last momsnts he 
 pleaded tenderly for uncle Richard, although I did not un- 
 derstand the full import until Robert discovered an acknowl- 
 edgment of the indorsement. He suggested the only course 
 I should have followed ; for it is true I have had more than 
 the others." 
 
 " I do not think it right or fair. Your father did not con- 
 sult you in the matter of security, and you are not bound in 
 the slightest." 
 
 " Only by a sense of honor, and respect for myself." 
 
 " It was unjust for Robert to speak of such a thing. They 
 will never be as generous for you." 
 
 " It was my relative, and not theirs one who had loved 
 me fondly. And if I can repay my father a little for his 
 kindness to me, I ought to make some sacrifice. Besides, I 
 have so much more than they will inherit." 
 
 " If they were your own brothers and sisters, it would look 
 more reasonable for you to spend your life for them." Ada's 
 tone was bitter. 
 
 " I do not believe their mother ever said of me, ' If he 
 had beem my child, I should have felt it my duty to do more 
 for him.' I cannot imagine any one more devoted. I would 
 do a great deal for the sake of the pleasant life I led with 
 her ; indeed, we are as much brothers and sisters as if she 
 had been mother to all." 
 
 " Yet I will protest against your spending your life and 
 your fortune for them ! You belong to me, at least if I have 
 not been crowded out of your heart." 
 
 Both her words and manner pained him ; yet he answered 
 
 gently, " I do not expect to devote my whole time to them, 
 4*
 
 42 IN TRUST, OK 
 
 only just now when they have lost so much ! Think, Ada, 
 how many more years I had him years of tender love and 
 unwearied counsel. God made me a son and a brother be- 
 fore I became a lover, and a little while at this period will 
 surely not detract from my permanent happiness. You must 
 know my love for you is beyond question." 
 
 " A. divided heart," she returned, coldly. 
 
 " No, not divided. I love you no less, and the others no 
 more, than I did three months ago ; but God has placed new 
 duties in my way. I dare not neglect them." 
 
 " You would rather relinquish me ? " 
 
 " Ada ! " The whole strength of his nature came out in his 
 tone, as if there was a bound she might not pass. 
 
 " Forgive me, Richard. I love you dearly, and you try 
 me beyond endurance. I acknowledge you have a sacred 
 duty to perform towards your brothers and sisters. If you 
 invest their property well, and send them to good boarding- 
 schools, what more can any one ask ? " 
 
 " Boarding-school ! " he repeated in surprise. " And 
 Tessy nothing but a baby ! " 
 
 " Sister Mary doesn't consider Clara a baby. She*is about 
 Tessy's age, I believe, and quite womanly." 
 
 " I don't know how they could endure separation and a 
 life among strangers." 
 
 " It would be the best thing you could do for them. They 
 will certainly be spoiled if you go on this way ; and of course 
 every one will blame you." 
 
 He thought of one who never considered them, spoiled, 
 or a trouble ; who never wearied of their caresses ; never 
 frowned when dimpled arms almost strangled him ; when 
 eager feet followed him from house to garden, and childish 
 voices plied him with questions ; or when they sat upon his 
 knee, and buried their soft fingers in his hair. Their love 
 had been so active, never content with a quiet assurance of 
 once for all. Could he be the one to chill their young hearts 
 with lessons of coldness ? Alas ! how hard duty had be- 
 come 1 He summoned courage to say, cheerfully,
 
 DE. BEKTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 43 
 
 " You may think differently of the matter, Ada, when you 
 Lave considered it well." 
 
 " It is useless to hold out false hope," she answered quick- 
 ly. " I could not be happy in the life you have planned. I 
 will wait, therefore, until you have time for me." 
 
 This was the woman he had relied on so confidently ! the 
 one who was to share toils as well as pleasures with him. 
 He was chilled to the heart by her coldness, her want of 
 sympathy, her lack of appreciation for the struggle he was 
 going through. 
 
 They turned down the street in which Ada lived, and no 
 further word was spoken until they reached the house, when 
 she said, " You will come in ? " 
 
 " Thank you, not to-night, dear." His voice was not 
 quite steady, but his kiss as fond as ever. 
 
 " Good night." There was none of the eager persuasion 
 she was so ready to use generally. 
 
 He walked away slowly and sadly, with a sense of pain at 
 his heart. It was well he could not see the flushed face Ada 
 carried up to her sister's room, nor the scornful smile with 
 which she threw herself on the sofa. 
 
 " Where is Richard ? " asked Mrs. Taylor. 
 
 " Gone home to the bosom of his family ! " The reply 
 was bitter enough. 
 
 " Will he never have affairs straight ? " 
 
 " He has called me into council ; " and her eyes sparkled 
 with an angry light. " What do you think of his wishing 
 me to give up Europe, marry him, and assist in the care of 
 the children ? Quite a generous offer, was it not ? " 
 
 " Shall you ? " 
 
 " Wouldn't you advise me to ? " 
 
 " No, Ada, I should not. You are young, and have had 
 no experience with a family. Then they are only his half 
 brothers and sisters ; if they should turn out badly, you and 
 Richard would always be blamed. Their father indulged 
 them beyond everything. In a month's time they would walk
 
 44 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 over you pretty effectually, and there would doubtless be a 
 disagreeable separation. No, it is not a wise or prudent 
 plan." 
 
 " I do mean to go to Europe ; that will settle the ques- 
 tion. It would be a mercy to take him away, for they will 
 make a perfect slave of him. Listen to this " and Ada 
 repeated the story of his paying the mortgage. 
 
 "What quixotism!" and Mrs. Taylor gave a little pro- 
 voked laugh. Her sense of honor had long ago been buried 
 under the dust and rubbish of fashionable life. 
 
 By the time Richard reached home he began to ask him- 
 self if it was absolutely necessary to sacrifice his own happi- 
 ness, if it came to that. Mrs. Hall had spoken truly ; it 
 would be difficult to stand between two interests, and yield 
 the proper share of affection to both parties. He let him- 
 self in with his latch-key, and though he would rather have 
 avoided every one just now, he had fallen so in the habit of 
 running up to the children's sitting-room, that he stood in 
 the doorway before he thought. 
 
 Mabel had a book in her hand, and Tessy was sliding off 
 the lounge, rubbing her eyes. 
 
 " Tessy ! " and his voice had a touch of sharpness in it. 
 " What are you doing up, this time of night ? " 
 
 She sprang to his arms. " I didn't kiss you before you 
 went out, and I could not go to bed. Dear, dear Dick ! " 
 
 " She pleaded to sit up, and I could not refuse her," inter- 
 posed Mabel, gently. 
 
 The touch of the soft face had already disarmed him. 
 Clasping her to his heart, he satisfied her with repentant 
 kisses, and sent her away. Then he took up Mabel's book, 
 a French work she had been studying, and turning the 
 leaves idly, said, with a careless endeavor, 
 
 "Bel, how would you like to go to boarding-school?" 
 
 " Richard ! I couldn't endure it, and now of all times." 
 A white terror crept up in her face. 
 
 "It is not so very dreadful. Some boarding-schools
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 45 
 
 are quite civilized institutions. And if Lily went with 
 you ? " 
 
 " Do you mean it ? Must we go away ? I think it would 
 break my heart to leave home and part with Tessy. 0, 
 please, Richard, do not send me." 
 
 " My darling, don't distress yourself. The idea came into 
 my head, and some girls like it. I did not mean to pain 
 you." He twined his arm around her, and her fair head 
 drooped on his breast. 0, if God would only give him 
 strength to be faithful to the old home affection ! Some day 
 Ada might look upon his high trust in the same light he did. 
 He must " endure to the end." Yet an indefinable influence 
 seemed playing a jarring discord in his soul, with a hand 
 mercilessly cold.
 
 46 IN TRUST, OE 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 And though one wearies by the way, 
 
 And hearts break in the sorrow, 
 We'll sow the golden grains to-day; 
 
 The harvest comes to-morrow. 
 
 GERALD MASSET. 
 
 A SCAMPER through the yard and up the piazza, a mys- 
 terious tiptoing through the hall, and quite a " company " 
 knock at the office door. Richard knew well who the in- 
 vaders were ; their smothered laughs would have betrayed 
 them, as well as their noisy raid up the yard. Entering into 
 the spirit of merriment, he stole behind the door before he 
 said, " Come in." It was opened a little way, and a voice 
 in droll Irish inquired, " Is the docthor in ? " 
 
 There was no answer. The door was pushed wider, the 
 question repeated, and Tessy's golden head began to make 
 sunbeams. Her wandering eyes opened to their full extent 
 as she exclaimed in a disappointed tone, " He isn't here, 
 Archie." 
 
 " Why, yes, he is ; didn't he say, ' Come in ' ? " and the 
 next instant Tessy gave a cry of delight, as Richard rushed 
 out and caught her in his arms, imitating her voice as he 
 asked, " Was it the docthor you wished to see, darlint ? " 
 
 " Dick, we want to go sailing, after dinner." 
 
 " It's office hours, and some poor Irishwoman might 
 come ; but if Mabel will promise to raise a white flag in 
 case of distress, and you will be sure to see it, I may be in- 
 duced to consent." 
 
 As they walked through the hall, he placed one arm 
 around Lily's neck. She bent to kiss the hand ; and fan-
 
 DK. BEKTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 47 
 
 eying a tear dropped on it, he gazed earnestly at her. The 
 bright eyes were brimming over. 
 
 " I couldn't help it, Dick ; " and her voice trembled. " It 
 was so like what Tie used to do ; and when you laugh, there 
 comes just such a light in your eyes as used to sparkle in 
 his. Dear, dear papa ! " and with a little sob she put both 
 arms around Richard's neck. 
 
 Mabel called them to prepare for dinner. The meal well 
 over, they led him down to the boat-house, and shortly 
 afterwards went skimming up the river, as merry as larks. 
 
 But that evening, when the children were dismissed to 
 .bed, and Lily deep in her lessons, Mabel watched her 
 brother's figure as he paced up and down the garden walk. 
 His head was bowed, his hands clasped behind him, his 
 whole air one of sad thoughtfulness. She stole out to him, 
 and taking his arm, said, beseechingly, " May I walk with 
 you, dear Richard ? " 
 
 " Certainly." 
 
 " I want to talk, too. I have ever so many questions to 
 ask." 
 
 " Well," he said, encouragingly. 
 
 She hesitated a moment, then began slowly : 
 
 " I think I ought to know a little about .our situation, 
 Richard. I am the eldest girl, and will some day manage 
 for the rest. I have been keeping accounts for Mrs. Hall, 
 the past month, and learning what it costs to support a 
 family. How much have we besides the house ? " 
 
 " Two thousand dollars, and a sufficient sum for Robert's 
 education." 
 
 " We could not go on this way, then, unless you were in 
 practice ? " 
 
 " Don't distress yourself about that, dear. If I had pur- 
 chased such a chance, I must have paid a good price for it; 
 succeeding to it, I ought certainly to share the profits with 
 the others. You must look upon it as a debt due the estate. 
 It's so much pleasanter than sitting on the watch for patients,
 
 48 IN TRUST, OK 
 
 and wondering when one will get established ; and it is a 
 great comfort to go among those who loved him." 
 
 " Every one did," was her fond rejoinder. 
 
 " My highest ambition is to be such a man. I often think 
 of this, in connection with him ' being dead, yet speaketh.' 
 We must love one another the better for his sake." 
 
 This strengthened Mabel for what she most wished to 
 say. 
 
 "Before that night, Richard," her voice was very low, 
 " you were to be married. I have thought much about 
 it lately. It does not seem right to take your time and 
 affection from what should be the great hope of your life. 
 Yet if you support us " 
 
 " I am young, and can wait," he exclaimed, hopefully. 
 
 "I don't want you to wait; that is what troubles me. 
 And, Richard, I wonder if there could not be some com- 
 promise, such as marrying Ada, and bringing her here? 
 The house is large enough, and we should all love her so 
 dearly. I would try to keep the children from annoying 
 her, and do what I could for her happiness. Will you not 
 ask her, please ? " 
 
 He mastered his emotion with an effort, for he had a trial 
 in store for her. " My darling," he said, " have you con- 
 sidered the subject thoroughly ? Wives are not exactly 
 like sisters. I suppose a man learns to love his wife so 
 well that he prefers her to all the world. Would you like 
 me to be taken from you, even though we lived in the same 
 house ? " 
 
 There was no moon ; but the light from the window sent 
 a long ray over their path, and by this he scanned her face 
 eagerly. She did not know how much he had at stake. 
 Looking up with the proud nobleness of entire truth, she 
 answered, 
 
 " Richard ! did you think I could be selfish when you 
 were doing so much for us ? It would be right to have you 
 love her best. I could not be satisfied unless I saw it so ;
 
 DK. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 49 
 
 but what we lost in you we should gain in her. She would 
 be so much to me." 
 
 Do not blame the lover too severely, if, at that moment, 
 he contrasted the two women he had known most intimately; 
 for it seemed as if Mabel had suddenly blossomed into 
 maturity, and was worthy of a place in the front rank. He 
 remembered the sweet unselfishness of her childhood, her 
 readiness to sacrifice herself for another's enjoyment. If Ada 
 were here, might she not learn to be tender and considerate, 
 not for him, he could trust her love there, but for his, 
 the children so sacredly bequeathed to him ? 
 
 " Will you tell her," Mabel continued, " that we are long- 
 ing to love her and call her sister, and that, if she will only 
 come and try us, we will be forever grateful ? I think we 
 could not miss of being happy." 
 
 " Thank you," he said from his full heart ; but it was sorely 
 troubled as he recalled Ada's words and manner when they 
 had discussed the same subject. He comforted Mabel, and 
 determined, after waiting patiently a while, to make one 
 more effort. 
 
 There are natures at once exacting and self-renouncing, 
 feeling keenly any drop that is withheld from the measure 
 they receive, yet desiring others to be satisfied with what it 
 pleases them to give. Ada would have yielded her fortune 
 willingly to Richard, been content to devote her whole time 
 to him ; but she must do it in her own way. If he had been 
 left alone in the world, he would have found no more faith- 
 ful and loving friend. She had never learned to study 
 another's happinest. Her life had been passed at boarding- 
 school and the homes of her two sisters, both married to 
 prosperous, indulgent men, and seeking their happiness in 
 mere worldly pleasures. With these specimens of conjugal 
 ease before her, Ada had planned her own. Amid the de- 
 lights of a foreign tour, they would doubtless have assimi- 
 lated more readily ; for Richard would have been devoted, 
 and she radiant with an excitement that often cunningly 
 5
 
 50 IN TRUST, OK 
 
 puts on the guise of love. When the quiet of every-day 
 life came, he might have missed and longed for some old 
 dreams, and understood how much too late it was to expect 
 them. 
 
 Now, Ada felt herself wronged. She said, a hundred 
 times, she was willing to give up all for him to positively 
 forget sisters aH friends, if need be ; but, in return, she 
 wanted him wholly. His family must be quite a secondary 
 consideration. He might manage their property, send them 
 to school, or see they had a home somewhere, and his duty 
 would be done. Of course, when they visited her, she ex- 
 pected to kiss them fondly, and treat them in a familiar, 
 sisterly fashion, only they must not be troublesome. 
 
 Both parties delayed a new discussion. Ada mistook 
 Richard's fear of giving pain for indecision. She deter- 
 mined to gain her point by a little feminine strategy, and 
 that fond appealing to his love which so often wins its way 
 through the firmest heart. Susceptible as he was to impres- 
 sions from those he loved, he was rarely mastered by im- 
 pulse. He couldrnot forget the first sacsed ties of life at 
 another's bidding, no matter how well loved that other 
 might be. Unconsciously to both, they were drifting apart. 
 Richard resolved, after much sorrowful consideration, to 
 postpone the union for a while, if Ada resolutely refused to 
 share his present home. 
 
 Summer came on radiantly. One grave blossomed in 
 beauty ; one household learned what it was to have " treas- 
 ures in heaven." The duties and pleasures of life came to 
 them as they come to all, and were taken up cheerfully. 
 Grief does not always mean weakness. 
 
 Aunt Sophy had petitioned for a good long visit from 
 "the children." Ada and her two sisters were going to the 
 White Mountains, and Richard had promised to devote a 
 brief period to them. At this juncture Robert returned. 
 
 Hitherto they had been united by similar affections and 
 tastes, as if one soul pervaded the household. But it was
 
 DK. BEKTBAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 51 
 
 evident Robert began to indulge some new traits. He was 
 full of fun and frolic, petted the younger ones, but avoided 
 both Richard and Mabel, and seemed coolly indifferent to 
 their regard. He sauntered into the library, one morning, 
 where Richard was writing letters, and threw himself at full 
 length on the sofa, watching the gliding of the pen, until 
 his eyebrows contracted impatiently, and fitful flashes of 
 light escaped through the jetty lashes. 
 
 " Dick, my dear fellow," he said at length, " do you mean 
 to write all the morning ? I want a little conversation 
 with you." 
 
 " I can attend to you, also," was the reply. " What 
 is it ? " 
 
 " There's a party of my college chums going to Lake 
 George, to have a capital time boating, fishing, and camping 
 out. They are to start on Monday next, and I've promised 
 to join them." 
 
 The tone was carelessly independent. 
 
 " Is there to be any reliable person in the party ? " 
 
 " Frank Conway's uncle lives there ; he's old and steady 
 enough, I suppose, and will keep an eye over us." 
 
 " How long will they stay ? and have you any idea of the 
 expense ? " 
 
 " Six weeks or so. A hundred dollars will do me, I 
 fancy." 
 
 Richard turned towards him, and said, slowly, " I do not 
 ^approve of the plan. Suppose you go* to aunt Sophy's in- 
 stead ; you enjoyed yourself there last summer." 
 
 " Cape May ! " was the disdainful ejaculation. " It's 
 good enough for the children ; yet there is a possibility of 
 such a delightful scene palling on the senses after a while. 
 No, Dick ; nothing short of Lake Greorge for me this sum- 
 mer." There was a resolute line above the eyebrows, and 
 the lips shut determinedly. 
 
 To persuade was useless. With good-natured firmness, 
 Richard said, " I think it too extravagant just now ; espe-
 
 52 LN TBUST, OB 
 
 cially as you spent sixty dollars more than your allowance 
 last term." 
 
 " I only want my own. You need not trouble yourself to 
 heard up money for me," was the rather sulky answer. 
 
 " A thousand dollars will not do everything, Robert. You 
 have made an unfortunate beginning." 
 
 " Well, if I choose to spend my own, that's my affair. 
 Hermit-living isn't at all to my taste ; so don't make me 
 angry by preaching on the text economy. I'm bound to go ; 
 and I'll raise the money some way." The fire that sparkled 
 in his eyes was not pleasant to contemplate. 
 
 Richard was sorely puzzled. He could not exercise a 
 father's authority over this young man, although he felt he 
 was beginning a dangerous course. Sealing his letters, he 
 said, gravely, " I'll see Mr. G-uilford." 
 
 Robert lighted his cigar as he returned, " Well, I've given 
 you fair warning. I know I can borrow the money." 
 
 Richard spent two hours in calls, before he drove to the 
 lawyer's office. The clerk was alone. 
 
 " Where is Mr. Guilford ? " he asked. 
 
 " Dr. Bertrand ! I supposed you knew he was ill. He 
 went home yesterday noon, and has not been down since." 
 
 He drove to the house immediately. Mrs. Guilford met 
 him with an anxious face. 
 
 " I am so glad you have come," she began. " I wanted 
 Mr. Gruilford to send for you yesterday ; and this morning, 
 when James went down, you were out. He is seriously ill, . 
 I fear, and has been slightly delirious for an hour or two." 
 
 The sick man started as they entered his room. His face 
 was flushed, his eyes sunken and wild. At Mrs. Guilford' s 
 announcement, he rallied a little, and held out his hand, 
 saying, " doctor ! I believe I was half asleep." 
 
 Dr. Bertrand made his examination, and asked a few 
 necessary questions. Mr. Guilford collected his thoughts 
 with an effort, and answered slowly, 
 
 " I have not felt perfectly well for a week, but the weather
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 53 
 
 has been very warm, and I was so busy, I thought it came 
 from overwork. Yesterday I rose with a most excruciating 
 headache, and felt too weak to stir. I spent a couple of 
 hours at the office, and then came home, thinking a good 
 rest would set me up ; but I had a high fever all night. 
 However, I dare say your skill can bring me around in a 
 day or two." 
 
 Richard studied the symptoms thoughtfully, and then 
 asked, in a calm tone, " Have you any objections to my call- 
 ing in Dr. D ." 
 
 " Dick, my boy, what is it ? " and Mr. Guilford started 
 up. " Your father never shirked a truth, and I always hon- 
 ored him for it. If you fear anything serious, I ought to 
 know before my mind gives out. I've had hard work to 
 keep straight this morning." He fixed his eyes keenly on 
 the young man, whose face changed a trifle under the scru- 
 tiny. 
 
 " You have every indication of typhoid, I think," was the 
 grave answer ; " and though my skill might be sufficient, I 
 should feel safer to rely on Dr. D 's greater experi- 
 ence." 
 
 " As you like ; although I have as much confidence in 
 you. I am aware there are some things beyond a physi- 
 cian's reach. Does it promise to be severe ? " 
 
 " I think it does. I wish I had seen you sooner." 
 
 Mr. Guilford sank back with an expression of exhaustion. 
 After a long pause, he said, " There is a little business I 
 must attend to." 
 
 Richard hesitated. He knew how necessary extreme 
 quiet was ; he also knew there was a chance of his never 
 being better able to finish any earthly task, and consented. 
 
 " Stop at the office, and send Jarvis up, please." 
 
 Something besides directions struggled through the young 
 physician's mind a remembrance of his father's death, 
 and. the blessed consolation that he had been among those 
 who " die in the Lord." Was there not a duty owing to
 
 54 IN TEUST, OK 
 
 the soul as well as the body ? He leaned over the bed with 
 an earnest face, and said, in the gentlest of tones, 
 " Dear friend, is it well with you in either event ? " 
 A weak, helpless light in the sick man's eyes, with an im- 
 ploring gesture of the hands, was the only answer. Richard 
 left the apartment quietly. His own perplexity he must 
 bear alone. Eobert must go, and risk all improper associa- 
 tions. He would be powerless to restrain him.
 
 DK. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 55 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Sorrow and silence are strong, and patient endurance is Godlike, 
 Therefore accomplish thy labor of love till the heart is made Godlike. 
 
 EVANGELINE. 
 
 NOT finding Dr. D at home, he remembered an en 
 
 gagement with Ada, and drove at once to Mrs. Taylor's. 
 His betrothed met him with a bright face, and said gayly, as 
 she ushered him into the drawing-room, 
 
 " How good of you to come just when one wants you ! 
 We have made our final decisions. But how grave you look ! 
 What new trouble has been added to your list ? " 
 
 The flippant tone pained him, yet he answered pleasantly, 
 " Never mind me. What are the arrangements ? " 
 
 "We are going earlier than we thought next Tuesday. 
 Mr. Taylor can stay only two weeks, as his partner is going 
 to California. The party will consist of Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, 
 Mrs. Ashley, you, and myself. In ten or twelve days Mr. 
 Ashley will rejoin us, and you, like a good child, will remain 
 with us until we return." 
 
 He thought of Mr. Gruilford, and was silent. 
 
 " You shall not make any excuse," she began, with girlish 
 petulance. " For once I am resolved to have my own way." 
 
 " Listen, Ada." There was some authority in his tone. 
 "Mr. Guilford, my father's cherished friend as well as my 
 own, is seriously ill with typhoid fever. At that period he 
 will have reached the worst. No physician would leave a 
 patient, at such a moment, to go on a pleasure tour. Affec- 
 tion as well as honor binds me." 
 
 " You can never do anything I ask of you ! I think some- 
 times that you have not the slightest regard for the tio
 
 56 IN TRUST, OK 
 
 between us; that where I go, and what I do, arc alike indif- 
 ferent to you. I'm not sure you would have felt at all hurt 
 if I had left you without a word." 
 
 " Ada, you are ungenerous. You know I have been looking 
 forward to this journey as a great pleasure ; but could you 
 counsel me to leave Mr. Guilford at such a time ? " 
 
 " Doubtless there are as skilful physicians in the city as 
 yourself," was the cold reply. 
 
 " If I did not value my reputation, common gratitude 
 would bid me remain. If the tour could be delayed a 
 week " 
 
 " It cannot. We are all ready, and shall go with or with- 
 out you. I confess to some mortification in owning to my 
 sisters that my lover puts his duty to others on a much higher 
 round than his duty to me. When it is your pleasure to at- 
 tend to me, I shall be happy to know the fact." Her tone 
 was bitter, her face flushed and haughty. 
 
 " I will join you at the earliest day possible. If you 
 think, Ada, that, in giving you pain, / do not suffer any, you 
 are mistaken." 
 
 She would not unbend. " I have no more favors to ask of 
 you. When your duty leads you in this direction, come." 
 
 " You are angry." 
 
 " I am hurt wounded to the quick. Your whole manner 
 has changed towards me. If you are tired of of " and 
 her rapid breath compelled her to pause. 
 
 He rose and stood before her with much authoritative 
 pride in his manner, and his tone was almost stern, as he 
 said, 
 
 "Ada, this is child's play; nay, worse. It is wicked. 
 We two, who expect to be nearest and dearest through life, 
 have no right to torment each other with it. You know I 
 love you that my heart has never wandered for an hour. I 
 am confident you would despise a man who could be weakly 
 tempted to forget duty and honor. If I neglected others, 
 what safeguard would you have ? "
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 57 
 
 " Please yourself. We will not quarrel about it." Her 
 tone was provokingly complaisant. 
 
 He rose to go. Her chilling manner never relaxed, and 
 their adieux were coldly spoken. With a heavy heart ho 
 sought Dr. D , and the two proceeded on their errand. 
 
 Mr. Gruilford was rapidly growing worse. He did nol 
 recognize either of them, when they aroused him from hia 
 stupor. 
 
 "You are doing the best that can be done," said Dr. 
 
 D . " The disease has so much the start of you that it 
 
 will be difficult to manage. Poor Guilford ! What a pity 
 he did not ask advice earlier ; but that is ever the way with 
 these strong, hearty men. They think themselves invul- 
 nerable." 
 
 " And your opinion is " 
 
 " That it's a serious case. Steady nerves and a cool brain 
 are what you must bring to the trial, my young friend. Guil- 
 ford has a strong constitution, and is a temperate man ; that's 
 in his favor. But the hot weather is against him, and his 
 delirium will doubtless be very exhausting. But we will 
 hope for the best. Come to me in any doubt." 
 
 " Thank you." fle could not think calmly when the life 
 of a dear friend was in jeopardy. 
 
 He hurried home for a little rest and quiet ; but as he was 
 hanging up his hat in the hall, an angry, boyish voice caught 
 his ear. 
 
 " You're mean and hateful, Rob Bertrand, that's what you 
 are ! I wish you'd go off again, for you plague me to death, 
 and I don't like you one bit ! " 
 
 He walked to the piazza and surveyed the scene Robert 
 cool and tantalizing, Archie flushed and tearful. He held 
 out his hand to the child, and said, sorrowfully, 
 
 " Who is angry and rude ? " 
 
 " 0, Dick ! but you don't know how he torments me ! " 
 
 " What a little fool you are, Archie ! " and Robert saun. 
 tered down the steps.
 
 58 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 Richard led the child to the library, and spent his leisure 
 in listening patiently to the story. The dispute had been 
 trifling enough in the beginning, but Archie was passionate, 
 and smarted under a sense of injustice he could fed better 
 than explain. It was no light task to conquer him with 
 kindly patience, to convince the child he was not to sin, even 
 under provocation. Just as the dinner-bell rang, Archie 
 clasped his arms around his brother's neck, and said, in a 
 voice that was still humble with sobs, " 0, Dick, you are 
 the best man in the world ! I love you almost as I used to 
 love papa." 
 
 When they took their seats at the table, he passed quietly 
 around to Robert's place, and said low, but frankly, as he 
 held out his hand, " I am sorry I was so rude to you." 
 
 Robert gave the hand a little pinch, and laughed. 
 
 After dinner Richard walked in the garden with the chil- 
 dren. He was surprised to find how soon a wrong example 
 was beginning to bring forth fruit. Robert's brilliancy was 
 so captivating that the insidious poison took a broad sweep 
 before it declared itself. Would he be strong enough to 
 counteract the influence it might have on Archie ? More 
 keenly than ever he felt the responsibility laid upon him by 
 his father's death. With silent fervor he prayed for guid- 
 ance, for patience, and a hopeful heart. 
 
 How full of pain that bright, beautiful summer day had 
 been to him ! Where he had looked for roses, thorns had 
 pricked him. Where he had gone for strength, he had found 
 weakness. But there was one never-failing Friend, and in 
 this hour of perplexity he went to Him who had said, 
 " My grace is sufficient for thee." 
 
 Robert had lighted his cigar immediately after dinner, 
 and strolled out. It was late when he returned, and Richard, 
 lying wearily on the sofa, was thankful not to be disturbed. 
 
 After breakfast the next morning, he summoned his 
 brother to the library. As Robert noticed the grave, de- 
 termined face, he fortified himself with some arguments he
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 59 
 
 had been running over in his mind ; but the precautions were 
 needless. 
 
 " I could not discuss your proposed trip with Mr. Guilford 
 yesterday," Richard began in a kindly manner, " for I found 
 him very ill. I have therefore concluded to let you go under 
 protest. I do not approve of the plan. I think, with you! 
 means, it is extravagant ; yet I feel myself unable to make 
 any other arrangement that would satisfy you. I do not ex- 
 pect to have a father's authority over you, but I want to feel 
 assured, Robert, that there is a cordial brotherly affection be- 
 tween us. I want to have confidence enough in you to trust 
 you anywhere, and believe you are doing nothing you would 
 be ashamed to have our father know. I want you to think that 
 however much my judgment may differ from yours, I have 
 your interest and happiness at heart. Will you do this ? " 
 
 " You're a good fellow, Dick, but I wasn't made after your 
 pattern. There's different blood running in my veins, and I 
 cannot get along in this humdrum style. You need not feel 
 afraid, though. I can take care of myself;" and Robert 
 glanced around with a proud air of self-sufficiency. 
 
 " You are young, and of a nature that meets temptation 
 half way ; but 0, Robert, for our dead father's sake be care- 
 ful. Remember, we are to* strive worthily to meet him at 
 the last." 
 
 " Don't preach to me, Dick ! It always stirs up my blood, 
 and just now I don't want to say anything cross to you. I'm 
 not any worse than other young men, although being a saint 
 does not run in the list of my accomplishments." 
 
 Richard wrote him out a check. " Do not forget," he 
 said, " that this lessens the money for your education. 
 Think before you spend it." 
 
 " I have thought, and ' my heart's in the highlands.' 
 Thank you for all, Dick ; " and taking the check, he bowed 
 himself gracefully out of the room. 
 
 Richard wrote some letters, and then proceeded to his 
 daily duties. Mr. Guilford was much worse ; but besides this
 
 60 IN THUST ; OR 
 
 he had no very severe cases. He was glad of a spare half 
 hour before dinner to devote to Ada, for he had experienced 
 a strange uneasiness since their parting. 
 
 " Miss Townley had gone to New York," the servant said, 
 briefly ; but, before he could turn away, Mrs. Taylor fluttered 
 through the hall, and in the most solicitous of tones, in- 
 quired for Mr. G-uilford. 
 
 " We are all so sorry, and feel greatly disappointed at 
 your not being able to join our party, but of course a friend 
 like Mr. G-uilford demands your first attention. You must 
 follow us as soon as you can." 
 
 Her cordial tone quite reassured him, and he answered, 
 " You cannot regret the interruption more than I do. As 
 soon as it is possible for me to leave Mr. Guilford, I shall 
 come. When will Ada return ? " 
 
 " On Saturday. Mr. Taylor brought her a note last night 
 from Mrs. Ashley. There's some shopping to finish, I be- 
 lieve." 
 
 He left her with a lighter heart. Anger had not been the 
 cause of Ada's sudden departure, and it was evident Mrs. 
 Taylor did not blame him very severely. 
 
 He came home to find the scene of Archie's late quarrel 
 in pleasant confusion, and the two brothers agreeing capital- 
 ly. Robert was displaying some handsome fishing tackle, 
 and a box of flies that interested Archie wonderfully. His 
 rifle, powder-flask, a dainty hunting suit, and a wide-brimmed 
 Straw hat, had all undergone inspection. Tessy was water- 
 ing the jasmine with his drinking-cup, an ingenious affair 
 that afforded her much amusement. Robert was in a charm- 
 ing mood, and after dinner romped with the children, and 
 sang them a host of droll college songs, making most gro- 
 tesque faces to accompany them. Tessy seemed to be de 
 lighted with 
 
 '? Old mother Scraggins couldn't go to meetin', 
 'Cause she hadn't two shoes for to put her feet in j 
 
 Meetin', Meetin', 
 Couldn't go to Meetin', 
 'Cause she hadn't two shoes for to put her feet in."
 
 DR. BERTRAND' s HOUSEHOLD. 61 
 
 The week ended and a new one began. Robert started 
 off iu the highest of spirits. Caution and advice were so 
 evidently useless, that Richard did not proffer them ; but his 
 heart yearned over the handsome, wayward boy. 
 
 On the following day he went to New York with his be- 
 trothed's party. He felt that Ada had not quite forgiven 
 him ; and as visions of the pleasant tour rose before him, 
 the sacrifice seemed almost too great. Under a mask of 
 careless good humor, Ada managed to give -him many a 
 stinging wound, and at the last, while the bell was ringing, 
 in the midst of his assurance that he would rejoin her at the 
 earliest possible day, she whispered, " I have half a mind 
 to fall sick. When I am married, I shall be ill all the time, 
 for the sake of keeping you attentive." 
 
 His glance was reproachful. They had never parted in so 
 indifferent a manner. For the first time there entered into 
 his heart a doubt, not of her constancy, not of her devotion, 
 but whether he had chosen the woman who would care fot 
 his happiness above all things. 
 6
 
 62 IN TRUST. OR 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 A strange, sweet path formed day by day, 
 How, when, and wherefore, we cannot say; 
 No more than our own life paths we know, 
 Whither they lead us, why we go. 
 
 Miss MULOCH. 
 
 WITH an anxious, prayerful heart, Dr. Richard Bertrand 
 awaited the issue of his friend Guilford's case. It was the 
 first real responsibility since his father's death, and that event 
 had made him pitiful and tender. He felt keenly for the 
 loving wife and young children who would need the careful 
 guidance of such a parent for years to come. Through the 
 fearful crisis he never left him. Taking his station at the 
 bedside, he noted every stage of the waning delirium until 
 it became incoherent mutterings. The terrible fever strength 
 began to subside ; the wild, eager eyes grew dull ; the hands 
 fell like dead weights ; there was a lingering transition into 
 heavy slumber, marked by spasmodic gasps and stertorous 
 breathing. Midnight passed ; the gray dawn came up in the 
 east. Mr. G-uilford's pulse grew weaker, and his face as- 
 sumed a pallid hue. The fever had gone, but whether life 
 would not follow it, seemed a doubtful question. He de- 
 spatched a servant for Dr. D as soon as he heard the 
 
 household astir. 
 
 All that human knowledge could suggest had been done. 
 For an hour the two watched ; then they rioted a faint change ; 
 the pulse revived, a calmer sleep succeeded. 
 
 "If he has strength for a day or two, he will come out 
 safe. It has been a severe case, and, Bertrand, you deserve 
 great credit," said Dr. D .
 
 DR. BERTRAXD'S HOUSEHOLD. 63 
 
 " I never felt before how entirely in the hands of God the 
 issues of life are," Richard replied, solemnly. " When our 
 best is done, we have to wait for His fiat." 
 
 " True, true ; but a less cautious man might have killed 
 him in three days. Didn't I hear something about your 
 going abroad ? " 
 
 " My father's death prevented it ; " and a little flush rose 
 to Richard's pale cheeks. 
 
 "If you will take an old man's advice, and your father had 
 some faith in me, you will not leave this path until you have 
 made your mark. The next ten years here will be invalu- 
 able to you, if you expect to stay in the practice. I predict 
 a fair future." 
 
 " Thank you ; " and Richard bowed his adieu. 
 
 All that Mr. Guilford would need for several hours was 
 extremest quiet. After seeing Mrs. G-uilford take her station 
 in the darkened room, he departed. The fresh summery air 
 seemed strange as it blew in his face ; indeed, so tensely had 
 his nervous system been wrought upon, he could scarcely 
 realize for the first few minutes where he was. He took a 
 long, brisk walk, and reached home mentally refreshed, but 
 physically tired. 
 
 " How pale and weary you look, but not despairing," was 
 Mabel's greeting. " There is hope for Mr. Goulford." 
 
 " A little. It was a terrible night ; but I am thankful I 
 remained. And now, Bel, I'm going to sleep an hour or 
 two ; do not let me be disturbed." 
 
 He bathed his hands and face, and was just settling him- 
 self on the sofa when Mabel entered the library. 
 
 " I've made you a nice cup of tea," she said, with a 
 smile. 
 
 " Your face tempts me to try it," was his response. 
 
 She arranged his pillows, shut out the sunshine, and sat 
 down by him with a book in her hand. 
 
 " What's that for ? " and an arch light crossed his face. 
 
 "I'm going to read you to sleep, as I used to papa,
 
 64 IN TRUST, OB 
 
 when he was fagged out ; and you like ' In Meraoriara ' so 
 much." 
 
 He closed his eyes, and listened to the clear, liquid voice, 
 until the room floated away, and in its stead came dim pic- 
 tures of meadow greens, with the tender ripple of silvery 
 brooks, the murmur of forest trees rocking in the breeze, de- 
 licious fragments of music, and remembrances of fragrant 
 airs, steeped in odorous summer blossoms. A vague sense 
 of beauty and comfort stole over him. Two hours later he 
 awoke refreshed, and found himself alone. 
 
 He ran up stairs to Mabel, and exclaimed, laughingly, 
 
 " What a charming nurse you are ! I'm afraid you have 
 not a very high opinion of my endurance, when you see how 
 one night's work used me up ; but I shall take matters easier 
 another time. Now I must hurry off, and finish up my calls 
 before dinner. There's your pay ; " and he kissed the rosy 
 mouth. 
 
 By Saturday there was a fair hope of Mr. Gruilford's re- 
 covery. Richard was discussing this, and their own plans, 
 as they sat on the balcony, in the star-lit evening. 
 
 " And so, Bel," he said, " if you can be ready by Tues- 
 day, I'll take you all down to aunt Sophy's, and stay one 
 night ; then on Thursday I shall start for the White Moun- 
 tains." 
 
 " 0, please, Dick," cried Lily, " put it off until Wednes- 
 day. Lucy Ogden's birthday party is on Tuesday, and we 
 are all invited. They're to have a splendid time, with a 
 supper on the lawn, and the fireworks Lucy couldn't have 
 Fourth of July because she was sick. I wouldn't miss it for 
 anything ! " 
 
 " Wednesday, then," said Richard. And on Monday one 
 letter was despatched to Cape May, and another to the White 
 Mountains. 
 
 Everything went on prosperously. Tuesday morning 
 Mabel spent in looking over the children's clothes, and mak- 
 ing preparations for the journey. Lily and Archie inter-
 
 BE. BEKTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 65 
 
 spersed their dinner with glowing anticipations of the party. 
 Tessy's plate was sent away nearly untouched, and she only 
 played with her dessert of pine-apple. Richard noticed this, 
 and also her flushed face and sparkling eyes. 
 
 " You have been playing too hard this morning," he said. 
 
 " 0, I didn't play at all ; I went to sleep on the sofa." 
 
 He drew her to his knee, and took the little hands in his. 
 They were feverish ; so he said, gently, 
 
 " Suppose you take a ride with me, and then come home 
 to Mabel. It will be better for you than going to the 
 party." 
 
 " Dick ! " She drew a long, quivering sigh, and her 
 eyes filled with tears. " Please do let me g^> ; I'm not sick." 
 
 He had been studying fever symptoms so long, that he 
 fancied he must have grown nervous over them. He looked 
 at her earnestly ; but the beseeching face was too much for 
 him. 
 
 " Never mind, pet ; don't cry. You may go if you will 
 promise not to run too much, or eat up all the candies ; and 
 do not get frightened at the fireworks." 
 
 She kissed Richard with convulsive fondness, but in a few 
 moments was laughing gayly at some of Archie's nonsense. 
 
 A sudden summons for Dr. Bertrand interrupted the after- 
 dinner conversation, and he hurried away. Mabel dressed 
 the children, and Martin took them in the carriage. Tessy 
 looked so bright and pretty that she dismissed the fears 
 Richard's words had calleM up. It was only a child's in- 
 tense way of anticipating pleasure. 
 
 Richard was busy until quite late in the evening. He felt 
 rather disappointed, as he had intended to have a nice long 
 talk with Mabel, before their separation. Letting himself 
 in with his latch-key, he encountered her at the foot of the 
 etairs ; and even in that subdued light her white face star- 
 tled him. 
 
 " Tessy ! " he exclaimed, at a thought. 
 
 "I am so glad you have come;" and Mabel clung to him 
 6*
 
 66 IN TRUST, OH 
 
 with a frightened grasp. " Mrs. Ogden's nurse brought her 
 back just at dusk. She had complained of a headache, and 
 at last cried to come home. I bathed her and put her in her 
 crib, and she fell asleep for a little while, but awoke so wild 
 that I had to call in Mrs. Hall." 
 
 By this time they had reached the apartment. In her little 
 bed lay the child, talking, laughing, and crying, in a breath ; 
 her face crimsoned with fever, her eyes staring vacantly 
 around. Richard took the hot hands in his, smoothed away 
 the golden curls, and tried to calm her. 
 
 " It's brother Dick," he said, soothingly. " Tessy re- 
 members brother Dick ? " 
 
 She made an effort, as if to recall her wandering senses ; 
 but it was useless. 
 
 " She has not recognized me since she woke," Mabel said, 
 choking down the fear at her heart. 
 
 Mrs. Hall was very anxious, and obeyed Richard's orders 
 with speed and quiet. The carriage drove into the yard, 
 and the gay voices floated up through the open window. 
 
 " Bel," Richard said, quickly, " go down and keep them 
 as still as you can. They must not come in here ; I want 
 Lily to sleep elsewhere, for I shall stay with Tessy." 
 
 She ran down and managed to allay their apprehensions, 
 mingled as they were with bits of pleasure accounts of the 
 fireworks, the lawn full of colored lanterns, and sorrow that 
 Tessy could not have seen it all. It was some time before 
 she could quiet them sufficiently for sleep, and then she re- 
 turned to Richard. Tessy lay dozing now ; but her eyes 
 were half open. She looked into her brother's face with a 
 feeling of awe, and said, just under her breath, 
 
 " Is it typhoid ? " 
 
 " No, not that. We will see what it proves in the morn- 
 ing. And now, dear, I want you to go to sleep, for to-mor- 
 row you may have to play nurse, and overstrained nerves 
 won't do." 
 
 He kissed away her half-tearful pleading, and led her to
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 67 
 
 the door. Through those long hours of the night he thought 
 not only of the danger, but the new disappointment that had 
 befallen him. 
 
 At early dawn Mabel was down again. Richard had fallen 
 into a light doze. Tessy moaned uneasily, but was not rest- 
 less. Even in that pale light she could see the scarlet face 
 and arms in strong relief against the white pillow and night- 
 dress. Like a flash the truth thrilled through her, leaving 
 her cold, but calm and strong. When Richard stirred she 
 went to the sofa. 
 
 " Mabel ! I did not mean you should come in the room 
 until 
 
 " It is scarlet fever," she said, in a steady voice. " I am 
 not afraid." 
 
 He drew her down beside him, asking, 
 
 " Do you want to take care of her ? " 
 
 " As if I could give her up to any one else ! Our precious 
 baby papa loved so well." 
 
 " I would rather have you; and there is no danger if you 
 are careful. If you are to take office under me, you must 
 learn first not to be wasteful of your strength. I want you 
 to have your breakfast every morning before you do much 
 around her ; and you must walk in the garden for fresh 
 air. I will see if Mrs. Parkhurst cannot take Archie and 
 Lilian for a week ; it will make less care for you, and we 
 shall be able to keep the house quieter." 
 
 "Do you think " and Mabel's tears finished the sen- 
 tence. 
 
 " I have a good deal of hope, dearest. My experience of 
 the last fortnight has taught me much. Yet we can judge 
 nothing for the present. She is very ill, with a most dan- 
 gerous disease. Get your prayer-book, Mabel, and let us 
 read together." 
 
 It was the twenty-seventh of the month. Among the 
 psalms for that day was the one hundred and twenty-first 
 How comfortingly these sentences fell :
 
 68 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 " Behold lie that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor 
 sleep. The Lord himself is thy keeper ; the Lord is thy de- 
 fence upon thy right hand. 
 
 " So that the sun shall not burn thee by day, neither the 
 tnoon by night." 
 
 Ah, yes, here was the stay and support. When human 
 love grew weak and fearful, the everlasting arms of divine 
 strength were folded about it. They were to be kept from 
 all evil, watched over by One who could never know weari- 
 ness. Mabel gathered courage, and looked steadily on the 
 way before her. 
 
 Opening the window blinds, the fragrant air rushed in, 
 heavy with night dew that had lain for hours steeping in 
 honeysuckle and roses, and the odorous dampness of the 
 river. Tiny threads of vapor curled upward, clinging ten- 
 dril-like to the shore. Afar, the horizon seemed studded with 
 bars of sapphire and emerald, while faint, arrowy streaks of 
 gold shot up, and were lost in the filmy blue overhead. Then 
 the glory of day burst slowly through the crimson and pur- 
 ple veils ; tree and shrub were burnished with the glowing 
 tints, save where in shadow lurked a weir-d, fleecy mist. As 
 drifts of rosy cloud floated across the sky, the very air grew 
 tremulous with radiated heat ; the freshness turned into lan- 
 guor, and the promise of a long, hot summer day dawned 
 upon them. But Mabel knew who had said, " So that the 
 sun shall not burn thee by day." 
 
 A solemn awe fell upon the household. Instead of Ann's 
 lively repartee and gay laugh, she went about with a great 
 weight on her heart. Mrs. Hall sat up stairs and sewed, so 
 as to be within call. Mabel was grave, and her eyes had a 
 startled look in them, as if she could not quite reconcile her- 
 self to the sense of danger. It took her back to those sor- 
 rowful days whose shadow had only lightened, not departed. 
 The little sufferer lay moaning and tossing, restlessly, with 
 no light of recognition in her eyes. As Mabel watched, thia 
 Beemed the hardest of all.
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 09 
 
 The day was an almost stifling one. Even as the sun went 
 westward, the flickering currents of air seemed to shake out 
 rays of molten gold. There was no breeze stirring, and all 
 nature drooped exhausted. Tessy's fever raged terribly. 
 As Kichard stood gazing at the burning face, he said, 
 slowly, 
 
 " Mabel, do you think you could cut her hair ? It is so 
 warm, clinging about her face." 
 
 She brought the scissors, and with a trembling hand slowly 
 severed the shining rings that were fast becoming matted by 
 heat and restlessness, one by one, and laid them in a box of 
 keepsakes. How would they be taken out ? As little golden 
 remembrances of one gone to heaven, or to be smiled over 
 at some happy reunion, when the child's voice was again 
 the gayest of all? Only God could tell. Her tears fell 
 silently upon them. 0, how powerless poor human love 
 was at its best estate ! It was well that faith could believe, 
 through all the blinding agony, that God was a Father who 
 remembered mercy. 
 
 Late in the evening Mabel was dismissed, with injunctions 
 to go to sleep as soon as possible, and Richard watched 
 through the quiet night alone. It was not strange, perhaps, 
 that something besides Tessy should linger in his thoughts. 
 In two days he had hoped to see Ada. How would she bear 
 this new disappointment ? Was there some strange fatal- 
 ity between them ? He brought his writing desk, and 
 began a letter to her ; yet, disguise the fact with never so 
 much love, he felt he could not lead Ada to look upon his 
 duties in the same light that he did. He could not open his 
 whole heart to her. Alas for love, when there must be res- 
 ervations and fears ! Its divine essence is gone, its electric 
 chord is weakened. More sacred than ever seemed his 
 promise now, and looking down the future, he felt the years, 
 only, could release him. No wonder such a conscience 
 should shrink "and tremble with tender, yearning pain.
 
 70 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 Another and another day of heat, blinding sunshine, and 
 the agony of dread. The little sufferer lost some of her 
 wildness, and sank into pitiful moans, as she tossed her arms 
 about, or lay with her eyes half open, regardless of the faces 
 pleading in wordless pathos for one gleam of recognition. 
 Then there came a time when they counted hours, moments, 
 and prayed as they only pray, who stand shivering at the 
 entrance of the dark valley, for one beloved ; when they 
 scarcely breathed, and learned how little they had hoped, 
 when they came back from utter despair, and glanced in each 
 other's faces, with a low cry of relief. 
 
 After this Mabel had much more to do. With returning 
 consciousness Tessy's wants increased ; and the childish rest- 
 lessness, the petulant, humorsome fancies, might have tried 
 any other than a loving heart. There were no traces of 
 weariness in her face, no impatience in her tones ; indeed, 
 her thorough gratitude gave her strength for all demands. 
 Richard used to watch this assiduous tenderness with a curi- 
 ously strange feeling. Was it inherent in all women, or 
 could Mabel be a higher type of her sex ? 
 
 Lilian and Archie came home. Familiar voices floated 
 on the summer air, and rang through the house so lately 
 silent with the chill of apprehension. Tessy, pillowed on a 
 corner of the lounge, or nestling in Mabel's arms, listening 
 to the sweet old songs she loved so dearly, her face reduced 
 to baby proportions, her scanty locks just waving around her 
 head, her thin little hands too weak to grasp anything, was 
 the central attraction. How happy they all were ! And one 
 Sunday, when Richard carried her down to the parlor, so 
 Mabel might play their evening hymn while they all sang, 
 their satisfaction was complete. Could he be the one to 
 break up this pleasant home circle ? 
 
 Aunt Sophy had written for them as soon as Tessy could 
 bear the journey. Mabel was very willing to go, and sin- 
 cerely sorry that Richard's trip had been delayed.
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 71 
 
 " When will it be safe to start ? " she asked. 
 
 " Next week, I think. The sea air and a little bathing 
 will soon bring the roses to Tessy's cheeks." 
 
 " O," laughed Lily, " half a wave would carry her to 
 Europe, and a breaker land her in the China Sea." Tessy's 
 recent efforts at walking had amused the two younger ones 
 greatly. 
 
 The child made rapid progress. Richard took her out for 
 short rides, Archie petted her when she was restless, and 
 Lily arranged dolls, dishes, and toys to her liking, twenty 
 times an hour. Then, when the weary eyes were turned to 
 Mabel, she was soothed into refreshing slumbers, and nature 
 wrought for her with silent power. 
 
 Again the packing commenced. This time there was no 
 interruption. Mr. Guilford came to say good by, and was 
 delighted with their bright faces. Since his illness he had 
 loved Richard like a son.
 
 72 IN TRUST. OB 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 The man ia the spirit he worked in; not what he did, but what he became. 
 
 With self-renunciation begins life. 
 
 CARLTLE. 
 
 THE day was bright and clear, and there was a fresh 
 breeze as they steamed down the bay. The purple hills of 
 Staten Island gleamed with the peculiar golden bronze of the 
 later summer, and the low-lying Jersey shore was bathed in 
 a mist of dun amber. The waves crept slowly shoreward, 
 drifting into fantastic shapes, whose -foamy crest pranced 
 along, and then, breaking, scattered the pearly spray far up 
 on the land. As they left the city behind them, the distant 
 ships looked like flocks of sea-birds, outlined against the 
 blue sky. 
 
 Tessy sat in Richard's lap, her pale little face and his 
 devotion attracting more than a casual attention from the 
 passengers. She watched Archie and Lilian in their eager 
 enjoyment, glanced at the places Richard pointed out to 
 them, and was presently lulled to sleep by the motion and 
 the monotonous music. More than one mother's face kin- 
 dled into a sweet smile over the picture they made. 
 
 At the end of their sail, aunt Sophy came to meet them 
 in a large family carriage, and bestowed upon them the 
 warmest of welcomes. 
 
 "Poor baby," she said, taking Tessy's wasted hand. "If 
 it had been any other season of the year, I should have 
 come as soon as I received your letter. Nearly every one 
 is alarmed about scarlet fever. I don't see how you man- 
 aged so well, my dear ; " and she gave Mabel a fond smile. 
 
 " Mabel proved a most excellent nurse," Richard rejoined.
 
 DR. BERTH AND' s HOUSEHOLD. 73 
 
 " And you know I had a physician always at hand," was 
 Mabel's arch answer. 
 
 While aunt Sophy listened to the story, Archie amused 
 himself with attempts at driving. Presently they reached a 
 large country-house, whose numerous additions were more 
 suggestive of comfort than architectural beauty. Two bois- 
 terous cousins nearly smothered Archie and Lily with kisses. 
 Aunt Sophy led the way up stairs to a spacious apartment, 
 whose white curtains, checked matting, and maple chairs 
 looked cool and inviting. 
 
 " This is the best I can do for you," she exclaimed, 
 glancing at Mabel. " Lily must share Dora's room, and 
 Tom can take Archie in charge. I've been crowded with 
 boarders this summer, but I've kept this room in spite of 
 all. Now I'll go and send your trunk up. Wouldn't you 
 like to have supper here this first night ? " 
 
 " A very delightful proposal. But think of the trouble." 
 
 She answered Richard's look with a laugh. " Trouble ! 
 No, indeed. I'm only too glad to have you all down here ; " 
 and she bustled off in her cheery fashion. 
 
 Mabel refreshed herself and the children with a plentiful 
 ablution, and by the time she had them all in order, aunt 
 Sophy reappeared with the tea-tray. Lily gayly proceeded 
 to arrange the table. Such nice creamy biscuits, such dishes 
 of fruit, and for Tessy a little broiled bird. Aunt Sophy 
 took the head of the table, and soon made them all feel at 
 home. Her warm heart and cordial manner were wonder- 
 fully enjoyable. 
 
 The next morning Richard left them, though not without 
 many charges -concerning Tessy and the two others, who 
 seemed disposed to run wild. 
 
 " Never you mind," said aunt Sophy. " I've managed 
 them many a time before. As for Tessy, she'll be so plump 
 and rosy on your return that you will hardly know her. 
 And now, little ones, kiss brother Dick good by, and come 
 down to the kitchen with me." 
 7
 
 74 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 After his duty was fairly performed, and no pleading eyea 
 met his at every turn, Richard was all impatience. Delay 
 and disappointment had strengthened his desire for Ada. 
 Now that he had a right to shut out every other thought, he 
 was almost surprised to find her so dear, so well beloved. 
 
 The party had gone to Newport. It was late in the after- 
 noon when he arrived, and just allowing himself time for 
 the briefest toilet, he hurried down to the spacious hotel 
 parlor. Summoning a servant, he despatched him with a 
 message for Miss Townley. 
 
 The reply was that Miss Townley had gone out, but Mrs. 
 Taylor would be down presently. 
 
 Ada had not received his letter, then, or she would surely 
 have been the first to greet him. He paced impatiently up 
 and down the room, glanced at the gay groups among the 
 shrubbery, and found it hard work to restrain himself. 
 After what seemed to him an interminable while, Mrs. Tay- 
 lor entered, and greeted him cordially, yet with perceptible 
 constraint. 
 
 " I am so sorry Ada is out ; but Mrs. Ashley was anxious 
 for some sea-coast views, and the day was so fine for visiting 
 them, they thought it best not to wait." 
 
 " Do you know if she heard from me this morning ? " 
 
 " I was out until nearly noon. I do not think she ex- 
 pected you to-day," was Mrs. Taylor's non-committal reply. 
 
 It was some comfort for Richard to believe tnfc mails at 
 fault. He walked up and down the balcony with Mrs. Tay- 
 lor, and as the best means of quieting his mind, related the 
 events of the last few weeks, and questioned her concerning 
 their White Mountain trip. Then Mr. Ashley came saun- 
 tering towards them, and Richard's first eager question was, 
 " Where did you leave the ladies ? " 
 
 " Me ? 0, I have not seen them since about four. They 
 have quite deserted me, I assure you ; won by a fast horse ; " 
 and Mr. Ashley laughed with the easy grace of a man of the 
 world.
 
 DE. BEBTBAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 75 
 
 "Mr. Livingston, an old friend, has taken them out," 
 explained Mrs. Taylor. 
 
 Richard's disappointment deepened almost to disapproval. 
 
 "Don't look so sober, doctor," began Mr. Ashley. 
 " When you see those magnificent grays, you will not won- 
 der. Everybody is frantic about Livingston's turn-out, 
 especially the women." 
 
 At this juncture the supper bell rang. " Since we have 
 to play the roll of the deserted, we may as well do it with a 
 good grace," said Mr. Ashley, gayly. " Accept my arm, 
 Mary. Come, doctor." 
 
 " Perhaps we had better wait," suggested Mrs. Taylor, as 
 she noticed the expression of Richard's face. 
 
 " Nonsense. You remember Mr. Livingston's description 
 of the beach by moonlight, and Ada's saying the only time 
 to ride there was after sundown. They will not be back 
 these three hours. Don't look so disconsolate, doctor ; this 
 Newport bewitches the women." 
 
 Richard followed them reluctantly, wondering if there 
 could ever come a time when he would be so indifferent to 
 his wife's absence. Mr. and Mrs. Ashley were certainly a 
 most fashionably independent couple. Each placed implicit 
 confidence in the other, and neither was jealously inclined. 
 Perhaps, too, love had some powerful rivals in both hearts, 
 and kept uncomplainingly in the background. Mrs. Ashley 
 was careful of her own and her husband's honor; Mr. Ash- 
 ley was proud of having his wife admired, and not peculiarly 
 sensitive in any respect. 
 
 The moments after supper seemed intolerably long. De- 
 clining Mr. Ashley's invitation to a game of billiards, he 
 watched the throngs promenading the walks, half listened 
 to the music, and at length, weary of the gay scene, wan- 
 dered down the avenue, taking one of the paths leading to 
 the beach. Disappointed and restless, he was anxious for 
 the time to pass ; and never did seconds seem more leaden. 
 He walked on in a vague hope of meeting the carriage, and
 
 76 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 when he turned to retrace his steps, found he had gone 
 much farther than he intended. 
 
 He came up to the long balcony, flushed and anxious ; but 
 the first sight that met his eyes restored immediate com- 
 posure. There stood Ada Townley in the beauty and bril- 
 liancy of an exquisite evening dress, her round, white arms 
 gleaming with costly bracelets, her face one dazzle of anima- 
 tion. No sign of expectation or longing, no glance down 
 the walks for the coming of some one dearer than all these. 
 Was he dearer ? If so, how could she stand, there in care- 
 less grace, and talk to that tall, handsome man, who did not 
 attempt to conceal his admiration ? A fiery-pointed pain 
 shot through Richard's heart ; jealousy first, then dreary 
 despair. 
 
 He was almost beside her before she raised her eyes. 
 There was a light in them he did not like. She held out 
 her hand, and said, cordially enough, 
 
 " Dr. Bertrand ! Mrs. Taylor was quite distressed 
 about your sudden disappearance. I think I have been 
 home nearly an hour is it not ? " and turning, she intro- 
 duced her companion. 
 
 Richard responded courteously ; then, in a low but author- 
 itative tone, said, " May I ask the favor of your company a 
 few moments ? " 
 
 She seemed irresolute at first, but the pressure of his 
 hand upon her arm was not to be mistaken. "Excuse me," 
 she said in an undertone, meant only for Mr. Livingston ; 
 " old friends have a claim on one's indulgence ; " but softly 
 breathed as it was, Richard's quick ear caught it. His in- 
 tuitions were in an electric state, and biting his lips to keep 
 back the rush of anger, he led her down the walk. For 
 some time neither spoke. 
 
 "Did you receive a letter from me yesterday or this 
 morning ? " he demanded at length. 
 
 " Yes, last night." Her manner was cool and careless. 
 
 " You must have expected me then. Ada ! "
 
 DK. BERTRAND'S nor BEHOLD. 77 
 
 "No, I confess I did not. You have disappointed me 
 too often, of late, for me to believe until I saw you. I was 
 not sure but some one would conveniently fall ill at the last 
 moment." 
 
 Her heartlessness roused him, and he said,' rather 
 sternly, 
 
 " Do you imply that I sought an excuse for not joining 
 you earlier ? " 
 
 " I don't imply anything. I know that no request of 
 mine has found favor in your sight for a long while. Every 
 one seems to have a stronger claim on you than I ? " 
 
 A new fire sprang up in the soft hazel eyes, and outraged 
 love asserted itself. In a tone steady with deep power, he 
 said, 
 
 " Since you think me capable of subterfuge or wilful de- 
 ceit, and can no longer depend on my affection, you cannot 
 wish to marry a man so lost to honor and truth. I release 
 you from a promise that must have grown irksome." 
 
 It was foolish, doubtless, but he expected even then to 
 see her disclaim these cruel assertions, look up with implor- 
 ing eyes, and give some sign of love. Vain hope ! Care- 
 lessly beautiful, indifferent to any past memory, she an- 
 swered, with a haughty inclination of the head, " As you 
 please." 
 
 He led her to the balcony, wished her good night, and 
 turned away, feeling she was already half won by Howard 
 Livingston. In that first moment he thought calmly of her 
 being another's. He pitied himself as if it had been a third 
 person, so little did he realize the great shadow ^fallen upon 
 him. 
 
 Ada turned to Mr. Livingston with an easy grac, and 
 as if some explanation was needed, said, nonchalantly, 
 
 " For two years I have been engaged to Dr. Bertrand 
 a girlish fancy that I have outlived in the last six months. 
 We have just dissolved the bond." 
 
 He bowed with a pleased look. There was nothing for 
 7*
 
 78 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 her to regret in the exchange. Of late, she had felt tho 
 position Dr. Bertrand's wife must fill was very little to her 
 liking. Here was a man to whom she would be first always, 
 superior to her old lover in those points she cared most for. 
 She could retain her position in society; no troublesome 
 domestic details would ever be forced upon her, and life 
 would prove a perfect round of pleasure. Although she 
 inwardly congratulated herself on her improved prospects, 
 she gave a pitying thought to Richard, and said to her- 
 self, " I could have made him very happy if he had not been 
 so set upon those foolish whims." She was relieved to learn 
 that he left early the next morning. 
 
 Mrs. Ashley congratulated her openly. She had never 
 cordially approved of Dr. Bertrand, her theory being that 
 it was much more sensible to love a rich man than a poor 
 one. Since affairs had proved so obstinate, she had been 
 secretly favoring Mr. Livingston, quite determined to have 
 him for a brother-in-law. 
 
 Mrs. Taylor kissed her, and said, 
 
 " I am heartily glad, my dear. You never could have 
 given satisfaction in such a family. It would have been 
 worse than marrying a widower." 
 
 Two weeks later Ada Townley went home the affianced 
 of Howard Livingston. 
 
 In the mean while the party at Cape May were well eared 
 for. It took but one day for Lilian and Archie to recom- 
 mence the old life laid down the preceding autumn. To 
 them there seemed no change, except the few strange 
 boarders, and the inches Tom and Dora had grown in a 
 year. Aunt Sophy took entire charge of them, and Mabel 
 v/*as left to the undisturbed care of Tessy. She felt keenly 
 the alteration her father's death had made, and would con- 
 tinue to make all the coming years. She had grown older 
 in those brief months. Care came to her not as a burden, 
 but a portion of life that it was her duty to accept willingly. 
 She missed Richard sadly, and tried to resign him with the
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 79 
 
 pure unselfishness of her nature, knowing the time must 
 soon come when another would be first and best to him. 
 
 Tessy's days had been rounded into perfection by a ride 
 down to the steamboat landing. But on Saturday both 
 horses had gone out with the large carriage, and Mr. Shel- 
 don's pony, which Tom often drove, was busy also. The 
 child's eyes filled with tears of disappointment. 
 
 " Why, we don't expect any one," Mabel said, cheerily. 
 
 " I know it, but it seems like a little piece of Dick to see 
 the steamboat and all the people. Bel ! can't we walk." 
 
 " No, darling, not that distance. Richard would scold us 
 for such a crazy step." 
 
 " What is the matter, Snowdrop ? " said stout, good- 
 natured Mrs. Chesterton, coming up the steps, and patting 
 Tessy's head. Mabel briefly explained the difficulty. 
 
 " Mr. Chesterton has had Mr. Grey's old Hero and the 
 little wagon. I do not believe he has taken them back, and 
 you may as well use them as not," the lady said. 
 
 Mabel thanked her, but declined. Tessy's eyes over- 
 flowed. Mrs. Chesterton found her husband, and brought 
 him to the balcony. 
 
 " Why, yes, Miss Bertrand ; take them by all means. I 
 told Mr. Grey I'd be home about dusk ; so he won't expect 
 his horse until that time. He's so lazy you need not feel a 
 bit afraid. He couldn't run if he tried." 
 
 Aunt Sophy insisted as well. Bell and Tessy were lifted 
 in, and drove off in triumph, the little one's face full of 
 intense satisfaction. The eager eyes and flushed cheeks 
 gave Mabel a strange presentiment of something like evil. 
 She begged to go faster, that they might be in time to see 
 the passengers land. 
 
 " What is the matter, Tessy ? Don't get so excited ; no 
 friend of ours is coming," Mabel said, gently. 
 
 " But some day Richard will come." Then, after a long 
 pause, in which her eyes wandered over the crowd, she gave 
 a rapturous cry, and grasping her sister's hand, exclaimed,
 
 80 IN TKTJST, OR 
 
 " He Jias come ! Look ! there he is, our own very Dick ! 
 He is waving his handkerchief," and Tessy nodded in 
 reply. 
 
 " Why, I don't see him," returned Mabel, slowly. " Tessy, 
 you must be dreaming." 
 
 " He is leaning over the eflge of the rail. There, now 
 he's gone." 
 
 " I have not had a glimpse of him." 
 
 Tessy's eyes wandered over the throng in curious expec- 
 tancy, and grew perceptibly grave. Then the whole face 
 was overspread with sunshine, and following her glance, 
 Mabel saw Richard. 
 
 He pushed through the mass, and came forward, his eyes 
 bright with earnest affection. Tessy reached out her arms 
 to him, and was kissed again and again. 
 
 " Why did you think of coming for me?" he asked, in 
 surprise. 
 
 " 0, we do every day," was Tessy's joyous answer. 
 
 " Because you expect me ? " and he laughed. 
 
 " Not quite. And Bel didn't want to come to-day, 
 but " 
 
 "You made her, I suppose, little tyrant. You look im- 
 proved already. Are you not going to offer me a seat ? or 
 do you purpose to have me walk r " 
 
 She sprang up, and as soon as he was settled, nestled in 
 his lap. Mabel bestowed wondering glances on him, and 
 asked for the third or fourth time if he was well. 
 
 " Entirely so." He put the reins in Tessy's hands, hold- 
 ing his own over them, and bending down, whispered, " I 
 was not wanted at Newport. I have come back to be all 
 yours." 
 
 The words gave her a pang as she took in their full 
 meaning. Yet she hardly knew what an aching heart the 
 tender manner to Tessy covered. 
 
 They were all overjoyed to have him back so unexpect- 
 edly. Lily and Archie had quantities of adventures to re-
 
 J)R. EEKTRAXn's HOUSEHOLD. 81 
 
 late. Indeed, Mabel scarcely had a look at him until they 
 were all sent off to bed, after he had, as a special favor, 
 sung Tessy to sleep. Then he bade Mabel find a shawl, 
 and come to walk on the beach with him. 
 
 The tide was going out, leaving the shining sand smooth 
 as a floor. The dim and lonely reaches of the broad ocean 
 flowed onward with a sad, mighty pulsation, the slow, regu- 
 lar swells breaking into a rhythmic melody a grand chant 
 of ceaseless sorrow. Along the western sky sailed fleecy 
 islands in a sea of wondrous azure. Above them were hosts 
 of golden stars, the crown of the summer night. It was 
 just the hour for a fond confidence, and Richard opened his 
 heart to the fair girl blossoming into pure and lovely 
 womanhood. Her tender sympathy soothed him immeasu- 
 rably. He said calmly, but not in despair, that his dream 
 of love was over. Henceforth he was to fill the position of 
 elder brother in its truest, widest sense. There was nothing 
 to come between him and his duty now ; no temptation to 
 lure him from that precious household. 
 
 It was well, perhaps, that Mabel did not see all. Alone 
 in his room, with the sorrowful midnight stars for watchers, 
 he laid aside the mask from his heart, and glanced at it, as 
 he only might do for many a weary day to come. He did 
 not so much regret Ada ; he seemed to understand now the 
 wants and trivialities of her nature, the petty trials to which 
 she would have continually subjected him. He was content 
 to have her choose another. But the keen sense of desola- 
 tion after he had shrouded the corse of a sweet first love, 
 and silently borne it to a place of sepulture, was what re- 
 mained with him, and left a nameless pain. As in death no 
 faults are remembered, so he recalled the earlier days of 
 their acquaintance, when love was haloed with the rose-hue 
 of newness. Could any after passion be so sweet? He 
 said then for him there could be no second spring. The 
 grave in his heart could never outgrow its greenness. He 
 felt how truly, how tenderly, he had loved.
 
 82 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 And so came one of life's sorest lessons to Richard Ber- 
 trand. Was it to teach him patience, forbearance ? He 
 took it in that wise, quite humbly, as a little child. He re- 
 membered who had said, " All things shall work together 
 for good." Others had walked in shaded pathways, and 
 found rest at last. And for him, hereafter, love and duty 
 would be as one word.
 
 T>R. BEKTUAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 83 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 So many feet that day by day 
 Still wander from the fold astray. 
 
 GOLDEN LEGEND. 
 
 As it was impossible for Richard to remain at Cape May, 
 he compromised with the children by promising to come 
 once a week during their stay. Tessy improved as if by 
 magic. When September arrived, aunt Sophy begged for 
 another month, but Mabel longed to be again at home. Mrs. 
 Hall and Ann were delighted with their return. Robert 
 came back in a high state of satisfaction, and had plenty 
 of adventures to relate to the younger ones. Yet there was 
 something in his light-heartedness that rather pained than 
 pleased. Excitement and enjoyment appeared to be his 
 continual study. He possessed the brilliant and dangerous 
 qualities that make 'men favorites of society and slaves to 
 temptation. Easy and generous they are called, yet many 
 a weary burden do they lay upon others. 
 
 Richard could only pray for him when they separated. 
 And in his frequent letters he strove to keep up an interest 
 in home affairs for the absent one. Mabel, who had given 
 up school, devoted herself assiduously to the household, and 
 endeavored to make all around her happy. Love reigned 
 perfect among them. 
 
 It was a quiet, uneventful winter. Christmas brought 
 aunt Sophy and the cousins. Yet the day was not gone 
 through without tears. There was a missing voice, a place 
 unfilled memories infinitely tender and infinitely sad. 
 
 Ada Townley's marriage occurred at this period. It as-
 
 84 IK TUUST, OR 
 
 sistcd Richard to recover his mental tone somewhat. He 
 no longer asked himself, in weak moments, if he had not 
 been hasty or unjust. No good, faithful, affectionate man 
 can easily tear up the tendrils that have twined around his 
 very life. He will not in a moment forget the hope that was 
 to have made glad all his future years. He may say, "I 
 will dream no more," but in lonely hours 
 
 " The spirit that no exorcism can bind " 
 
 will rise from the deepest grave. But Richard's sorrow 
 strengthened and ennobled him. He did not look on the 
 passion dreams of his young summer with hard, scornful re- 
 gret. Duty and sacrifice were no self-scourging bonds whose 
 chain clanked with every movement. He had been " wounded 
 in the house of a friend," but he did not forget there were 
 others to heal. Glancing down the days yet to come, he saw 
 himself the ready helper, the comforter in trouble, and the 
 sharer of others' joys. He would bless their marriage vows 
 when the birdlings left the old home nest. And if, at tne 
 last, he was left alone by the fireside, he would be content 
 with whatever God should send him. 
 
 They went on evenly again until one March night. In the 
 very room where their father had gayly frolicked with them 
 that last dear evening, and kissed them with tenderest affec- 
 tion, they sat recounting incidents of his love, words they 
 treasured up like fine gold, caresses 
 
 " Dear as remembered kisses after death." 
 
 There was no storm now. For several days it had been 
 lovely and spring-like, an earnest of the country beyond, 
 where he had gone to be " forever with the Lord." And 
 time, which sanctifies all griefs, would soften this. By and by 
 they would come back to this night as a precious remem- 
 brance. 
 
 The golden sun of May streamed into the breakfast-room, 
 where they were all congregated one pleasant morning.
 
 DR. BERTRAXD'S HOUSEHOLD. 85 
 
 The nicial was about over. Richard sat studying his mem- 
 orandum-book, and as Ann brought in the paper, Mabel took 
 it until he should be ready. 
 
 " 0, Richard ! " she exclaimed, with a sudden cry of 
 pain, while her bright face faded into ashy paleness. 
 
 " What is it, Bel ? " and Richard started up in alarm. 
 
 "It's so terrible! But it can't be true. There must be 
 some mistake ; " and her trembling finger pointed out the 
 paragraph. 
 
 Richard's brow contracted with more than sorrow, with 
 shame, and a flush of indignation, as he read an account of 
 a disgraceful riot in New Haven, in which several students 
 had been concerned. Foremost among them, indeed, the 
 most daring and lawless, was Robert Bertrand. He had 
 even discharged a pistol, and slightly wounded the policeman 
 who arrested him. No wonder Richard shivered. The hand 
 of Providence alone had kept his brother from being a mur- 
 derer. And Robert in a prison cell, a criminal ! 
 
 " It surely cannot be so bad," he said, at length, loth to 
 believe such an account, and longing to comfort Mabel. " I 
 must go to New Haven immediately." 
 
 " Is Robert ill ? " asked Lily, looking up from the remnant 
 of her toast, in wide-eyed wonder. 
 
 " No, but in serious trouble. Perhaps it will be best not 
 to discuss it until we know all the circumstances. So you 
 must be good children, and not fret Mabel with idle ques- 
 tions while I am gone." 
 
 Mabel rose and tried to regain her composure. Mrs. Hall's 
 entrance checked Archie's exclamations. Lily took up her 
 neglected French, and went out on the balcony to study. 
 
 " When will you go ? " Mabel inquired, following Richard 
 to the office. 
 
 " Just as soon as I can. There is a train at noon, I think." 
 
 " I wonder what will be done." 
 
 " Robert will be expelled, if nothing worse. I must bring 
 him home." There was a little tremble in Richard's voice. 
 8
 
 86 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 " And we thought he was doing so nicely. 0, how could 
 he!" 
 
 " I ought to have looked after him more closely. There 
 are so many temptations for such a nature as his." 
 
 Mabel went to prepare the children for school. In answer 
 to their questions, she bade them be patient, and kissed the 
 shadowed faces with strange tenderness. Then she sought 
 refuge in her daily duties. Richard made a few necessary 
 calls, and ran in to say good by. At sight of his troubled 
 face, her firmness gave way. 
 
 " Don't cry, dearest," he said, gently. 
 
 She wanted to ask him to be tender with Robert ; but it 
 seemed so like a reflection on the kind heart that was always 
 merciful, that she could not utter it. When he was gone, 
 she almost persuaded herself it was a troubled dream. 
 
 It was sharp enough reality to Richard the more bitter 
 because he had hoped much for his brother of late. Robert 
 had spent the Christmas holidays with some friends, but his 
 letters had been regular, his demands for money moderate, 
 and his progress, as he had recorded it, very commendable. 
 But Richard knew the fatal tendency of Robert's mind to 
 evade any disagreeable truth ; and a chill foreboding filled 
 his heart. Alas ! his worst fears were more than realized. 
 
 Robert was still in confinement, sullen and uncommunica- 
 tive. Shame added to his reticence. His face was haggard, 
 and retained traces of his late debauch. It was plainly evi- 
 dent that intoxication had been one cause. As nothing could 
 be elicited in his present state, Richard determined to go to 
 the college authorities. 
 
 The president received him with unaffected sympathy and 
 respect. His own career in that institution had been highly 
 satisfactory, and gained him many warm friends. Condemn- 
 ing his brother was a blow they all felt most sorry to inflict. 
 It was a sad story. The party had been drinking and gam- 
 bling until a late hour, when, sallying forth with boisterous 
 merriment, they committed several acts of wanton mischief,
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 87 
 
 ending l>y assaulting one of the officers who attempted to 
 arrest them. 
 
 " I confess," said the kind-hearted president, " Robert's 
 course has never been praiseworthy. His abilities are of the 
 highest order. If he chose he could distance any one in his 
 class. But from the first he has allied himself with the in- 
 dolent and insubordinate. I'm not sure but suspending him 
 last spring would have been a good lesson. But he was so 
 very penitent, that, under the circumstances, we concluded 
 to forgive him." 
 
 "Last spring?" gasped Richard. " Then this is not his 
 first offence ? " 
 
 " Nor the second," was the rejoinder. " He had been rep- 
 rimanded before last March, when he committed an act of 
 such flagrant disobedience, it was judged best to suspend 
 him for a while. I was writing to your father when the an- 
 nouncement of his death reached us. After a long conver- 
 sation with Robert, we concluded to try him again. I thought 
 him a good deal improved after his return, and hoped his 
 grief would prove a permanent benefit. Your father possessed 
 my entire esteem and confidence, and for the sake of his 
 family I trusted Robert had decided on a better course. 
 Up to Christmas of the present year his conduct appeared 
 very satisfactory, but I am afraid it was a superficial refor- 
 mation. Many depredations have been committed to which 
 it seemed impossible to find a clew ; but it appears now that 
 Robert headed this party. I spare you details ; it is sufficient 
 to know in what it has culminated. Believe, my dear young 
 friend, that you have my warmest sympathy." 
 
 Richard felt sick at heart. The long-continued deceit that 
 had unblushingly braved a dead father, and while running 
 at riot had preserved a semblance of honor, filled him with 
 dismay. How could one so young in years, and with Robert's 
 home associations, become so perfect an adept in duplicity ? 
 
 " It will be better for him to leave the city," suggested 
 the president, kindly. " His associates are bad, his habits
 
 88 IN TRUST, OB 
 
 expensive and irregular. He needs an entire change of life 
 and pursuits. If you could lead him to turn his attention to 
 some active mercantile business, he might do better." 
 
 Richard went away sorrowfully, stunned by the sad story. 
 Could lie have been more watchful ? The attempts to gain 
 his brother's confidence had been met with specious false- 
 hoods ; even the dear father's trust wickedly betrayed. How 
 dark the future looked ! He hardly dared hope, but he prayed 
 fervently for strength to perform his whole duty. 
 
 The next morning he visited Robert again. Kindly, but 
 firmly, he demanded the whole truth, and a list of Robert's 
 debts, stating his intention of paying them immediately, so 
 that his departure might be honorable in this respect. No 
 reproaches passed his lips, less for fear of exasperating 
 Robert than from pity for his own sore heart. 
 
 Robert paced the small room in silent attention, his mind 
 divided between a desire to openly defy Richard, and shake 
 off all authority, and the benefit of a partial concession. 
 Penitent he certainly was not, and was more angry at having 
 his misdeeds brought to light, than ashamed of committing 
 them. Of the trouble and disgrace he had brought upon 
 the family he scarcely thought. 
 
 " To remain here is simply impossible," Richard said, 
 when he found his brother in no haste to reply, " Give me 
 your assistance therefore, and let us finish as speedily as 
 we can." 
 
 " It's my own money," was the ungracious answer. " If 
 I choose to spend it, it's no one's business." 
 
 " It's some one's business to see it paid," was the grave 
 rejoinder. 
 
 " Don't grudge a fellow what belongs to him. You suc- 
 ceeded to a ready-made practice, so you can't complain." 
 
 " Not wholly for myself, either. You know there was not 
 sufficient income to support the family without sacrificing the 
 house." 
 
 " What should you consider its value ? " and Robert paused 
 in his walk.
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 89 
 
 " It is worth from twelve to fifteen thousand, I suppose ; 
 but in regard, I rate it more highly than that. Every year 
 it will go on increasing in value." 
 
 " I've a proposition to make. Will you buy me out ? " 
 
 Richard thought a moment. It would assuredly lessen 
 \ : s trouble and anxiety ; he could foresee there would hardly 
 la a peaceful moment until Robert had wasted his inherit- 
 ance. On the other hand it would be snapping the link that 
 gave him the only remaining power over his brother. Could 
 it be right to purchase his ease by a prospect of greater 
 temptation for Robert ? 0, how he longed for strength and 
 wisdom ! 
 
 " No," he answered, slowly, " not until you are nearly or 
 quite of age." 
 
 An angry light shot up in Robert's eyes, but he found 
 himself mastered. Sinking into his former sullen apathy, 
 he tossed some notes across the table. Bills for oyster sup- 
 pers, champagne, and cigars, carriage hire, and a schedule 
 of various sums of borrowed money. Richard looked at the 
 aggregate in dismay, and then asked if there could possibly 
 be any more. 
 
 "A trifle perhaps fifty dollars or so." 
 
 " Robert ! How could you be so foolishly, wickedly 
 extravagant ? " ft was the first indignant outburst Richard 
 had uttered. 
 
 " I'm not asking you to pay it," was the harsh rejoinder. 
 *' Young men might have lived on nothing in your day, and 
 enjoyed it ; but it's not my style. Don't make a fuss : it is 
 not necessary for me to go through college ; so what I spend 
 in one way I shall save in another ; " -and he gave a heart- 
 less laugh. 
 
 Further conversation was useless. Richard went about 
 the business in hand with a depressed soul, yet was relieved 
 to have it finished. He settled the fine with which Robert's 
 misdemeanor had been punished, and then turned his steps 
 homeward, taking with him the sympathy of many true hearts. 
 8*
 
 90 IN TRUST ; OR 
 
 More than once he asked himself what was to be done with 
 his brother. As he glanced at the face still handsome, de- 
 spite its moody expression, and thought of talents that might 
 make him an honor to his family, he felt that he could not 
 give him up without an effort. He must be more watchful, 
 more prayerful, and strive to fulfil the duty laid upon him. 
 Alas ! thorns beset the path in too many directions.
 
 DB. BEBTBAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 91 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 And if along with these should come 
 
 The man I held as half divine, 
 
 Should strike a sudden hand in mine, 
 And ask a thousand things of home. 
 
 TENKYSON. 
 
 THEY were nearing New York, when Robert started from 
 his indifferent mood, saying, suddenly, 
 
 " I'm not going home, Dick." 
 
 " Not going home ?" was the astonished rejoinder. 
 
 " No ; my nerves are not equal to facing Guilford just 
 now, to say nothing of an eager and excited crowd of friends, 
 all anxious to learn the cause of my sudden arrival in their 
 midst ; " and in spite of his nonchalance, a deep flush crossed 
 his face. 
 
 " I would rather have you." 
 
 " No, Dick ; you'll be more comfortable without me. Let 
 me go to aunt Sophy's ; otherwise I shall stay in New York 
 and try my luck." 
 
 The relief it promised made Richard doubt its propriety ; 
 but he found Robert was determined not to meet Mr. Ghiil- 
 ford at present. Cape May, at this season, had fewer temp- 
 tations than a city ; so he acquiesced, and the brothers 
 parted with some semblance of affection. 
 
 Richard went to Mr. Guilford immediately, and relat- 
 ed the whole story. The lawyer was not much surprised, 
 and, after discussing the matter, proposed to visit Robert 
 at his aunt's, and learn what course of life he intended to 
 pursue.
 
 92 IN TBUST, OR 
 
 " If you only would," the young man said, gratefully. 
 
 " I will not believe any son of your father can go so utterly 
 astray. We may save him yet." 
 
 " Thank you ; " and Richard wrung his hand warmly. 
 
 A gloom fell over the household at the knowledge of 
 Robert's misconduct. 
 
 " It seems almost as if some one was dead," Lily said, in 
 a hushed voice ; and the two younger ones clung to Mabel, 
 as if she could shield them from any like danger. To Rich- 
 ard she was more considerate than ever, striving in daily 
 kindnesses to bear a part of his burden. 
 
 If Richard cherished a hope of Mr. Gruilford's influence, 
 it was completely crushed on that gentleman's return. He 
 found Robert haughty and unmanageable, alike insensible 
 to threats or remonstrances. What step to take next per- 
 plexed them both ; but Robert fortunately solved the diffi- 
 culty by falling in with the captain of a trading vessel, who 
 needed a clerk, and shipping immediately. The voyage would 
 last four months. 
 
 By degrees they settled to their former pleasant life. The 
 garden was a source of unfailing interest to Bel and Lily, 
 and Richard took up botany with them. Mabel's tastes were 
 mostly domestic ; but Lily flew hither and thither with the 
 airy grace of a humming-bird. Richard laughingly declared 
 it was a marvel she ever knew anything perfectly. And so, 
 while the elder trained the flowers, the younger stood over 
 them with her book. 
 
 . " Office hours," as the children termed the lime from din- 
 ner until evening, were a great delight to them all. When 
 Richard was not occupied with patients, they claimed him 
 relentlessly. He enjoyed it also. In the midst of the merry 
 group he seemed to quaff the sweet reward of his labors, and 
 forget the cares. 
 
 They were on the lowest terrace, one July afternoon, 
 watching Archie's attempt at managing a pretty sail-boat. 
 He was to acquit himself creditably before Richard's eyes,
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 93 
 
 on a short voyage, ere he could be allowed to " dare the 
 treacherous ocean," as Lily drolly termed it. They laughed 
 at his mishaps in tacking, and cheered him when successful ; 
 but bringing the boat safely into port was a rather difficult 
 achievement for the young navigator. He had barely suc- 
 ceeded, when a frank, hearty voice, just above them, ex- 
 claimed, 
 
 " ' Come and see for yourself how I manage at the head 
 of a family, and partake of an old chum's hospitality.' 
 Wasn't that the invitation?" 
 
 They all turned, and saw a fine-looking man, about Rich- 
 ard's age, with a genial face, now crossed by a mirthful smile 
 at the astonishment his unlooked-for appearance created. 
 To the elder ones he was not quite a stranger. 
 
 " Why, Philip Gregory ! If it wasn't a faultlessly clear 
 day, I should suppose you rained down ; " and Richard shook 
 his friend's hand warmly. 
 
 " No, there's nothing supernatural or unnatural about me. 
 I came like a Christian, and a citizen of the nineteenth cen- 
 tury, rang at your hall door, and was ushered in by a 
 servant ; deposited my travelling-bag on the floor ; and when 
 she said you were all down here, watching Master Archie try 
 his new boat, I thought I would treat you to a surprise. If 
 you don't believe me, go and look at my little black bag, 
 marked P. Gr., in white letters." 
 
 Lilian laughed outright, and then blushed. 
 
 " My dear Philip, a thousand welcomes ! Where have you 
 come from ? and are you not tired ? " 
 
 " So tired I long to throw myself under that tree yonder,", 
 was the answer, in an affectation of breathless fatigue. " But 
 first, please do the honors of a householder, and introduce 
 me to your family. This surely isn't little Bel ? " and he 
 held out his hand, as if quite convinced of her identity, not- 
 withstanding his implied doubt. 
 
 " Even so. And this is Lilian ; and this, the baby of 
 your day, though they have all been babies in your day, I
 
 94 IN TRUST, OB 
 
 think ; " and Richard folded his hands around Tessy's soft 
 face. 
 
 " Six years since I have seen one of you ! And Dick, old 
 friend, don't you feel quite venerable, with two such tall, 
 blooming daughters by your side ? " 
 
 Mabel blushed this time. Indeed, Mr. Gregory's glance 
 expressed as much admiration as it was possible for a look 
 to reveal. 
 
 "Don't I do credit to the whole race as paterfamilias'?" 
 asked Richard, straightening up. " Shall we go to the 
 house ? " 
 
 " Not if you'll let me have that seat I mentioned away 
 back at the beginning of our conversation ; " and with an 
 easy grace he threw himself on the grass, leaning his shoul- 
 der against the old elm tree. 
 
 A call from the youthful sailor attracted Richard a mo- 
 ment. . Returning, he seated himself by his friend, and drew 
 Tessy down on his knee. 
 
 " I'm afraid I'm in some one's place," said Mr. Gregory, 
 picking up a book. " Here's Kane's Expedition, miles and 
 miles away from the Polar Sea. Who is so frosty-minded 
 this weather ? " 
 
 " I was reading it," rejoined Lily. " It is a good cool 
 book for a hot day." 
 
 " Then I suppose at midwinter you regale yourself with 
 Central Africa, the Tropics, or Mount Vesuvius." 
 
 They all laughed. 
 
 " I can hardly realize it, Richard," his friend began, in a 
 Softened tone. " After rambling from land to land, it is de- 
 lightful to sit down in the shade of the tree where one talked 
 life over with his first friend. I never had any home in those 
 days, or in any days, save when I came here;" and he sighed 
 a little. 
 
 Archie advanced on the scene of action, or rather repose, 
 dressed in a pretty sailor's suit of blue and white, fashioned 
 by Mabel's dainty fingers, and underwent the honors of an 
 introduction with commendable self-possession.
 
 DB. BEBTBAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 95 
 
 "How well I remember my first vacation here!." Mr. 
 Gregory said, with animation. " Richard used to take me 
 out on the river, and taught me to row and manage a sail, 
 though I was much older than this young man. I considered 
 them marvellous exploits." 
 
 " Where has your memory gone ? " laughed Richard. 
 " You were fifteen, I think, and Archie is past twelve." 
 
 " I have the remembrance of being an awkward, over- 
 grown boy, frightened half to death by the appearance of 
 two little girls in white dresses. I had an idea this was a 
 sort of Aladdin's palace, and would vanish if I spoke a loud 
 word." 
 
 " And how mother petted you into courage," Richard 
 added. 
 
 " Yes, and the happy summers, until six years ago, the 
 last dear time I made one of your number. And do you rec- 
 ollect, Mabel, Miss Bertrand, I mean, how I took you 
 out sailing one evening, and staid so long that everybody 
 thought we were wrecked ? " 
 
 Mabel knew what the sudden pause and the " everybody" 
 meant the picture of her father, standing on the lowest 
 step, and gazing up the river ; the fervent ejaculation and 
 fond kiss. That name was a sweet note in their home mu- 
 sic ; so she filled up the pause with tenderness, saying, 
 
 " And how glad papa was to find us safe ! " 
 
 He knew by the tone that he would be allowed his old 
 place in the household, and to share their sorrowful memories, 
 as he had in past days partaken of their joys. His voice 
 was low with emotion, as he answered, 
 
 " He was so good and kind. Not only then, but all times." 
 
 " Yes," Richard rejoined. " Each day we learn what we 
 lost with him." 
 
 " You hardly let us miss him," Lily said, in a soft whisper, 
 as her fingers crept through Richard's hair. 
 
 It seemed so natural then to go over those sad days with 
 one who had loved their cherished dead ! As Mabel listened
 
 96 IN TKUST, OR 
 
 to the sympathy that partook of divine trust., as well as 
 earthly affection, her heart warmed strangely towards Philip 
 Gregory. 
 
 Afterwards, when she and the children had gone to the 
 house, the friends took up the years that had fallen between 
 since they last saw each other's faces. At school and col- 
 lege they had been chosen friends ; but Philip's long absence 
 in Europe, attending an invalid and querulous grandfather, 
 had broken in upon their intimacy. Letters had missed, 
 rendering correspondence uncertain ; and though Philip had 
 mentioned his return a year previous, this was their first 
 meeting. Richard related the circumstances of his father's 
 death in simple, earnest language, that showed his deep 
 feeling. 
 
 " This was why you gave up the journey to Europe ? " 
 Philip's eyes asked another question, for his friend had once 
 announced his intended marriage, with all a lover's ardor. 
 
 " Yes." And Richard briefly went over the episode of 
 the past summer. He felt the fond clasp of the hand, more 
 truly comforting than words could haye been just then. 
 
 " And now your story ? " he said, when he had finished. 
 
 The childhood that had been happy to Richard was spent 
 by his friend in a lonely house, with a morose, unsocial 
 old man. The first visit to Dr. Bertrand's opened Philip's 
 heart to a new and wonderful world. Not only friendship, 
 but religion, had come to him like a revelation. In this 
 house he had learned to know God : under this very tree he 
 had chosen to enter his Master's vineyard as a worker. 
 When his grandfather heard of this resolve, his anger was 
 fierce and deep. The boy should not throw himself away. 
 He would have no canting parson among his descendants. 
 Immediately after Philip had graduated, he declared his in- 
 tention of taking him to Europe. In this extremity the 
 young . man applied to Dr. Bertrand for advice. It was 
 simple and straightforward. His grandfather had reared and 
 educated him ; he was the only near relative the poor old
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 97 
 
 man had. To leave him now would be ingratitude. His 
 duty was in " that state of life to which it pleased God to 
 call him." So Philip Gregory took up his cross ; left behind 
 him dear friends and sweet hopes ; bore patiently with 
 fretful complainings, real and imaginary illnesses ; looking 
 steadily forward to the answer of a good conscience as his 
 reward, until God should set him free, and open the way for 
 a higher service. 
 
 Philip recounted his wanderings in lands rendered sacred 
 by song and story. He made no hardship of those exiled 
 years. 
 
 " But I thought you were to inherit his fortune ? " Richard 
 said, with a little astonishment. 
 
 A warm color suffused Philip's face, as he answered, in a 
 low tone, " I could not submit to the conditions." 
 
 " What were they ? " The tone was not curious, but 
 pleasantly authoritative. 
 
 " We never agreed on religious subjects, you know. It 
 was the one bitter point between us ; and at last he said, if 
 I was resolved to become a clergyman after his death, I 
 should never have one penny of his to waste on such nar- 
 row, bigoted notions. One day he angrily made a will, dis- 
 inheriting me ; and then held it before me, promising to 
 destroy it if I would give up my folly. Many a time after- 
 wards he placed the temptation before me. Don't think me 
 miserably weak, Richard, if I confess there were moments 
 when I almost yielded. I used to fancy how much good I 
 could do with such a fortune ; but the denunciation rang in 
 my ears, ' Woe is me if I preach not the gospel.' I could 
 not sell my birthright for a mess of pottage, even if I was 
 fainting on the highway. After a while the subject dropped. 
 Sometimes he would threaten to send me away, but in his 
 weak state he was too much at the mercy of servants. Yet 
 the last days were very pleasant. He always regarded me 
 with a sort of tyrannical idolatry, much as he had treated my 
 poor mother. During the winter at Florence he behaved 
 9
 
 98 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 with more consideration, and sometimes would follow me 
 about with strange, wistful eyes, that seemed to have a ten- 
 der regret in their depths. One afternoon he asked me to 
 read whatever pleased me. Occasionally I had taken up the 
 Bible ; he used at times to like its grand imagery. I turned 
 to Isaiah now, and read quite a while. Presently he put out 
 his hand, saying he was sleepy. I don't know how long I 
 held it. I was watching one of those glorious sunsets, and 
 thinking of the country beyond this glowing sea of purple 
 and amethyst. When I turned he looked very peaceful, and 
 laying his hand gently down, .1 went to give some directions 
 to the servants. After the physician came I ordered lights. 
 He had not stirred from the position in which I left him ; but 
 the soul had fle d. What passed at the final moment is known 
 only to God. No one dreamed of its being so sudden ; but 
 I was more than thankful he had died at peace with me." 
 
 There was a silence of some moments. The shadows un- 
 der the tree were lengthening, and crimson, instead of gold, 
 was sifted through the leaves. 
 
 " He was buried at Florence," Philip resumed. " Balti- 
 more, his native city, profited by his wealth. I have only 
 the small portion my father left me ; but it will be more than 
 sufficient for my present purposes. I am thankful no duty 
 towards him was left undone." 
 
 Richard's clasp of his friend's hand tightened. How full, 
 how compassionate it was, both understood. "You have 
 done nobly," he said. 
 
 " Don't praise me. I have often doubted my own faith, 
 my love to Christ. How many times I longed for a good 
 talk with your father to set me right ! I meant to come 
 to you immediately ; but I met Mr. Chaloner, the old Hilton 
 clergyman, in Baltimore, and he persuaded me to begin at 
 once. I had not a day to lose ; so I went to studying with 
 an earnest purpose, knowing well your faith could trust me 
 for all it was impossible to convey in letters. O Dick, my 
 friend, how pleasant it is to be here again, and find you un- 
 changed amid so many changes ! "
 
 DB. BEKTKAND S HOUSEHOLD. 99 
 
 " And you have begun your true life now," Richard said, 
 with a grave smile. " May God prosper you in it." 
 
 " Amen." The young man's tone was deep and rever- 
 ential. 
 
 " Where is Mr. Chaloner ? " Richard asked, presently. 
 
 " At Rothelan, up the Hudson. The dear old man con- 
 siders it an earthly paradise, and has spoken for my vacation ; 
 but first love had an earlier claim." 
 
 The dying sun was leaving behind him seas of amber and 
 crimson, and a fine white fog came creeping down the river, 
 stretching out threads of filmy beauty to catch the rays of 
 opaline splendor, and weave them in a thousand fantastic 
 shapes. The friends rose, and walked slowly up the garden 
 path. Tessy was coming to meet them. 
 
 " Mabel said I should call you to supper," she began, shyly, 
 looking at Philip from under her long lashes. "And it's 
 on the balcony." 
 
 . He put out his hand, but she clung to her brother. 
 Glancing up, his eyes took in a charming picture. The bal- 
 cony almost hidden, and fragrant with honeysuckle blooms ; 
 the table with its snowy drapery, pure white china, and 
 cut glass ; two vases of flowers, brilliant and artistically 
 arranged ; dishes of luscious fruit ; a plate of choice biscuits, 
 just tinged with richest brown, and some dainty cream-cakes. 
 
 This little feast was in special honor of their guest, as the 
 late dinner rendered such a meal unnecessary. Richard was 
 compelled to leave them shortly afterwards, and Mabel ac- 
 cepted her position as hostess with a quiet ease and dignity. 
 She had some difficulty in restraining Lily's high spirits, as 
 Mr. Gregory's lively sallies brought her out almost too 
 rapidly. 
 
 They were engrossed with music when Richard returned, 
 held captive by Mr. Gregory's fine performance. His mas- 
 terly hand evoked a strange pathos from the full, deep chords, 
 or broke into soft, faint murmurs, that floated out on the night 
 air, to die amid summer sweetness.
 
 100 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 Presently he found a well-worn copy of Handel's " How 
 beautiful are their feet," and persuaded them into singing it 
 with him. Mabel's voice was soft and clear, like the ripple 
 of a forest brook ; Lilian's contralto, rich and deep. As the 
 grand melody swelled out in notes of exquisite beauty, Tessy 
 crept up on Richard's knee, and twining her arms around 
 his neck, said, with a quivering sob in her voice, 
 
 " It seems just like Heaven doesn't it ? Dick, if 
 the clouds could only open, so we might see papa for a 
 moment ! "
 
 DK. BERTRAND'S HOL'SEHO:L:D. 101 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 But who could have expected this, 
 
 When we two drew together first, 
 Just for the obvious human bliss, 
 
 To satisfy life's daily thirst , 
 
 With a thing men seldom miss ? 
 
 ROBERT BROWNING. 
 
 IT would have been impossible for a guest like Philip 
 Gregory not to fraternize thoroughly with the Bertrands, 
 even if there had been no old remembrances to fall back 
 upon. But now there was a charm in those boyish recollec- 
 tions that roused Richard from his too literal present. 
 There were many elements in both natures that would have 
 harmonized under any circumstances ; but with the griefs 
 and experiences of the past, and a sense of brotherly love 
 that had outlived years of separation, came a still stronger 
 regard the superstructure of a lasting friendship, built on 
 an imperishable foundation. To Richard, an intimate friend 
 of his own age, viewing things youngly, and enjoying with 
 the ardor and keenness of a rich, overflowing nature, was 
 indeed a luxury. Both had made some painful sacrifices, 
 had been strengthened with the same faith, and taken up a 
 future widely different from their fair, first dreams. Richard 
 was grave and rather calm of temperament one of those 
 souls that accumulate gradually, and wait for a strong central 
 fire to rouse their highest emotions. Unselfish in a great 
 degree, it was invariably his custom to hope first for others, 
 and in some cases take no note of himself one of those 
 spirits oftenest misunderstood. Philip would have been as 
 ready for sacrifice or noble deed ; but in him there was a 
 certain warmth and desire, a faculty of seizing the golden 
 9*
 
 102 IN TRUST, OB 
 
 time of enjoyment, of taking present happiness with almost 
 boyish ardor. Richard needed a salient influence like this 
 to start anew the hopes of his heart. 
 
 In another way he was very attractive to Mabel. He had 
 been a visitor in the house when her mother was the presid- 
 ing genius ; he remembered the old songs she had sung, the 
 flowers she had worn in her hair, and books she used to 
 read little trifles that came back with a forceful ten- 
 derness to the girl's heart. Besides Richard, no one ever 
 talked of her mother. To the younger children, their father 
 had so thoroughly supplied her place, they rarely looked 
 back with the longing regret common to motherless chil- 
 dren ; so the peculiar nearness of the relation had been felt 
 more exclusively by Mabel. Philip seemed intuitively to 
 understand this, and was never at fault with the shy girl. 
 
 Indeed, he seemed almost to have the gift of ubiquity. 
 He romped with Tessy, sailed in Archie's boat, talked, sang, 
 went out with Richard, and indulged Lily's never-failing 
 inquiries about the countries and curiosities he had met 
 with. For one so apparently thoughtless, she evinced a 
 strange fondness for descriptions of travel or natural scenery. 
 Everything on this point was devoured with avidity. She 
 soon became absorbed in Philip's brilliant word-pictures. 
 He was terse and vigorous, possessing the rare faculty of 
 transporting his hearers to the scenes that moved his elo- 
 quence, until they fairly beheld with his vision. And when 
 he lingered in the glowing orient, or sailed slowly over 
 tropical seas, his very voice sank into summer ease and 
 indolence, until Lily laughingly declared if she was not so 
 deeply interested she should certainly go to sleep. 
 
 Richard insisted that she resembled the skipper's wife in 
 Eothen, " who had an inquiring mind and an irresistible ten- 
 dency to impart her own opinions, and looked upon her 
 guests as a piece of waste intellect, to be carefully tilled," 
 which seemed to amuse Philip exceedingly. 
 
 A week passed rapidly. They had done absolutely
 
 DK. BEKTEANDS HOUSEHOLD. 103 
 
 nothing, and unanimously declared that Philip must remain 
 longer to be entertained. They would sail up the river, and 
 spend a day in the woods ; they would go to Passaic Falls, 
 and take rides to Eagle Rock, and all places of interest in 
 the surrounding country ; and he consented without requir- 
 ing much persuasion. Their dinner in the woods was a 
 decided success, and their rides wonderfully enjoyable. 
 They had not been so happy since their father's death. 
 Richard expanded into new life. , 
 
 Philip entered the parlor one evening where Mabel sat 
 amusing herself with some old-time ballads. She glanced 
 up in surprise. 
 
 " I thought you had gone with Richard," she said. 
 
 " There was a medical association on hand, I believe ; so 
 I concluded to return. Where are the children ? " 
 
 " Tessy, tired out, is asleep ; the others are in Mrs. Charl- 
 ton's, playing tableaux. Shall we follow them ? " 
 
 "It is too fine a night to remain in doors. What do you 
 say to a moonlight row ? It will be niy last chance, for I 
 must go to-morrow." 
 
 " Well," she said ; and running up stairs for her shawl, 
 paused a moment to inform the housekeeper. Mr. Gregory 
 was waiting for her on the balcony, and they walked slowly 
 down the path, drinking in the intense loveliness of the 
 night. The moon was at its full. Great golden stars seemed 
 melting into blue ether, and white, weird drifts, like phantom 
 fleets, floated across the sky. Every tree and shrub seemed 
 frosted with liquid silver, and each wave of the river tipped 
 with a diamond crest, while the reflexes trembled in pearl 
 and azure. The air was fragrant with late roses, honey- 
 suckle, and the aromatic odor of the trees. 
 
 Assisting Mabel into the boat, he pushed out so as to 
 clear the shallow shore. He liked to linger in these green 
 glooms at the river's edge, and watch the slender spires of 
 shrubbery, that, waving to the slightest breeze, sent troops 
 jf dancing images over the tremulous reaches of water.
 
 104 IX TRUST, OR 
 
 Slow, faint swells of the outgoing tide, rhythmical plashes of 
 oars, the voice of a flute, and the far-off echoes of some 
 singers, filled all the air with melody. It was as if the drift- 
 ing motion carried them to the very verge of fairy-land. 
 
 Did they know whither they were hastening ? that in their 
 very midst, bounded neither by shining river or shadowy 
 shore, lay a land of bliss more potent than those magic realms 
 of eld, and he who treads them is a captive as secure as if 
 fay Vivien's chain had wound him three times about ? No ; 
 the full pulsation of both hearts was too new to be inter- 
 preted. Philip Gregory's thoughts had not deepened into 
 desire. In coming back to the Bertrands, he fancied he 
 took up the old life, and was content. 
 
 During that brief fortnight, a change had come over 
 Mabel. The roses, the summer, and herself, all blossomed 
 together. She drank in large draughts of quiet, measureless 
 joy ; her intuitions became refined, her whole being perme- 
 ated with a glow of emotion at once tender and profound. 
 Fearlessly she left behind the golden glory of girlhood's 
 untroubled sea, and became a woman. No lingering regret, 
 no troublous misgiving concerning the future ! the bless- 
 edness of faith that comes to many with their first love ! 
 Let us take courage, and thank God that it is so. 
 
 They went far off for a subject of conversation. Some- 
 thing about the Nile, clustering palms, fragrant waxen lotus 
 blooms, wild Egyptian or Arab melodies that left Shelley's 
 sweet song ringing through her brain : 
 
 " The wandering airs, they faint 
 
 On the dark, the silent stream ; 
 The champak's odors fall 
 
 Like sweet thoughts in a dream; 
 The nightingale's complaint, 
 
 It dies upon her heart ." 
 
 After Philip Gregory turned the boat, an exquisite silence 
 fell over them. His heart took in the picture Mabel made, 
 to the minutest detail. The willowy form, the stately head,
 
 DR. BERTRAND's HOUSEHOLD. 10? 
 
 with its luxuriant bands of soft-brown hair rising out of the 
 snowy, fleecy wrappings that fell loosely around her shoul- 
 ders, the fair face, with tender, drooping eyes, the slender 
 hands folded in her lap, how lovely it all was ! 
 
 Floating on in this idle manner, neither noticed a sail-boat 
 that, from dilatory management and lack of favorable wind, 
 was making eccentric tacks across the river. Impelled by 
 a vigorous hand, it flew shoreward, and met Philip's bark 
 with a violent concussion. Mabel sprang up, and with the 
 cry of affright there was a flutter of a shadowy dress across 
 his vision, a scream from the opposite party ; and obeying 
 the first impulse, Philip found himself reaching through the 
 water with strong arms for something dearer than life. 
 
 " See what you've done now, Jem ! " said a coarse, but 
 not unkindly voice. " Didn't I tell you to leave that sail 
 alone ? " 
 
 " Who thought of a boat being here ? I never saw them 
 until we struck," was the rejoinder. 
 
 The first speaker brought Philip's boat around, and sprang 
 into it, with instructions to his companion to " hold on for 
 life." As Philip reached the surface, he cried, cheerily, 
 " Here ! " and stretched out his arms for the burden. There 
 was no alternative ; so Philip resigned it, and scrambled in 
 himself. 
 
 " I'm awful sorry," said the man ; " but it's darkish right 
 along here, and we never saw you. I wouldn't 'a done it for 
 a mint of money. Think the young lady's hurt ? " 
 
 " No, she has only fainted." 
 
 " Perhaps we better help you," said one of the girls, 
 leaning over the side of the boat. 
 
 " No, thank you ; we shall soon be home ; " and seizing the 
 oars, He sent the boat along with vigorous strokes, hardly 
 daring to breathe until he came in sight of the house. 
 Then he raised the fair head, and rested it against his knee. 
 There was a languid flutter of the eyelids, a faint movement 
 of the lips, and he clasped her to the heart that still quivered
 
 106 IX TRUST, OR 
 
 with intense emotion. Murmuring in a low, convulsive tone, 
 " 0, my darling ! my darling ! " he covered the face with 
 passionate kisses. 
 
 She Jay quite still, encircled with one arm, while with the 
 other he brought the boat around, and fastened the chain. 
 Lifting her tenderly out on the coping, he found her able to 
 stand. When he would have taken her in his arms again, 
 her girlish bashfulness protested. " I can walk," she ex- 
 claimed. " I am not hurt." 
 
 " Thank God ! " was all he said. Then she felt herself 
 borne up the terrace steps, and through the garden, as if she 
 had been thistle-down. Releasing her in the hall, where the 
 gaslight sent shadowy rays through its globe of ground glass, 
 he glanced earnestly in her face a moment. It required an 
 effort to deny himself the words he most wished to say, but 
 her paleness gave him strength. " Shall I call Ann ?" he 
 asked, instead. 
 
 She was trembling violently, partly from fright, and partly 
 from flashes of feeling that ran over her like seas of fire one 
 instant, and the next chilled her with keen frostiness. She 
 was glad to lean on his shoulder, and said, with childish en- 
 treaty, " Take me up stairs first." 
 
 The confidence evinced by her request thrilled him with 
 joy. He bore her to the sitting-room, and had just laid her 
 on the lounge, when Ann emerged from an opposite apart- 
 ment. 
 
 " Miss Mabel ! " and she held up both hands. 
 
 " Hush, Ann ; it was only a slight accident. Not a word 
 to any one to-night. Mr. Gregory is wet through also." 
 
 " Yes, I must leave you," he said, in a lingering tone, as 
 if it pained him to go. Then he pressed her hand to his 
 lips. She flushed redly. 
 
 " And the doctor not in ! " ejaculated Ann, recovering a 
 little from her surprise. 
 
 " Well, I don't need him ; " and Mabel laughed at the ludi- 
 crous aspect of affairs. " He wouldn't know where to find
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 107 
 
 me any dry clothes all I want just now. Will you get 
 them ? " 
 
 As thanks for her assistance, Mabel briefly went over her 
 adventure, trying to keep her voice steady, and her face 
 from that troublesome crimson. Lily came flying up stairs, 
 and the sisters began to prepare for bed, for Mabel felt 
 anxious to hide herself from everybody. It seemed as if 
 they were all going to demand her secret immediately. 
 
 Half an hour later Philip tapped lightly at the door. 
 "How is Miss Mabel?" he asked, in a low tone. 
 
 " 0, she's comfortable, and in bed. Didn't she come near 
 getting drowned, Mr. Gregory ? Are you quite sure ? " 
 
 " Yes ; " and he laughed a little. " I should not have let 
 her drown. We were in no great danger, though. Good 
 night ; " and he was off, for he heard Richard at the hall 
 door. He had no wish to take any person into his confidence 
 that night, but he spent a long while in prayer, thanking God 
 for more than one blessing. 
 
 It was not very early when he came down the next day. 
 Pausing in the hall, he caught a glimpse of a white morning 
 dress, with violet trimmings. Obeying his first impulse, he 
 entered the parlor. Mabel paused in her work, laid down 
 her gay feather duster, and glanced up with a beseeching 
 look, her face all one rosy flush. 
 
 " Are you quite well ? " he asked, hurriedly, " and recov- 
 ered from last night ? I don't know what I am to say for 
 being so careless : we were so in the shade that I was more 
 to blame than the other party. I should have kept better 
 watch." 
 
 " And I should not have started up. It was partly my 
 fault." 
 
 There -vas a long silence. They stood by the open win- 
 dow, their hearts beating audibly. Then he drew her gently 
 towards him, and without questioning the face, pressed his 
 lips to hers. A faint, tremulous motion answered him her 
 first kiss; and in that mute caress the. soul of her girlhood 
 oassed into Philip's keeping.
 
 108 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 " I have hardly any right to say this," he commenced 
 slowly, " beginning my life over again, as I am ; but when 
 I perilled your safety last night, I learned how dear you were 
 to me. Can you wait, Mabel, for what I hope to offer you 
 by and by ? " 
 
 She hid her face on his shoulder with the abandonment of 
 perfect trust. 
 
 " The sweetest of all answers," he said, raising it and 
 kissing the quivering lips. " You love me even as I love 
 you." 
 
 Richard looked in at the door. " ! " he exclaimed, 
 turning away. 
 
 " Come here, Richard ; we want you ; " and Philip held 
 out his hand, adding, with a little heightened color, "the 
 usual reward of hospitality." 
 
 Richard grasped the extended hand warmly. In his face 
 was fullest approbation. 
 
 " Don't answer until you have heard my story," Philip said, 
 with frank ingenuousness. " You may not feel like trusting 
 me with any of your treasures ; " and in a voice that had to be 
 governed a little to keep it calm, he related the events of the 
 preceding evening, not so much to excuse what might seem 
 a hasty proposal, as to satisfy his own frank nature. Mabel 
 listened with downcast eyes, and crimson face, as Philip went 
 over the still incomprehensible moment when love had so 
 suddenly surprised both hearts. Richard read the expres- 
 sion perfectly. 
 
 "My dear Philip," he began, in a full tone, "you can 
 hardly understand my satisfaction. Had the power been in 
 my own hands, I could not have chosen more wisely for her. 
 I know I am right in saying the position you will have to 
 offer her will be more in consonance with her own tastes 
 than mere worldly aims. As for the years of waiting, if 
 your love is true, the real fine gold of life, it will be un- 
 changeable. If not, it is best to learn the fact before the 
 irrevocable word is spoken."
 
 DR. BEKTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 109 
 
 " As if it could change or fail ! " and Philip Gregory 
 passed his arm proudly over Mabel's shoulder, while she 
 half unconsciously placed her hand in his. 
 
 Was it strange a pang of desolation should pierce Rich- 
 ard's heart at sight of this perfect faith ? A waft of mem- 
 ory swept a furrow through the waving grass, and disclosed 
 the ruined temple in his soul. 
 
 " No, no," he returned, hurriedly, " I have no fear for 
 you, and Mabel's heart is truth itself." Bending down he 
 kissed the fair face. 
 
 She clasped her arms around his neck, and exclaimed, in 
 a self-reproachful tone, " Richard ! I ought not to love 
 any one better than you ; " yet the lingering cadence con- 
 fessed that she did. 
 
 " If it was any one but Philip, I might not consent so 
 readily," he replied, gayly, as the breakfast bell rang. 
 
 She ran away to cool her cheeks ; but Archie upset all 
 composure a moment afterwards, by crying out, " She didn't 
 look a bit like a drowned girl ! " 
 
 They were barely seated, when Lilian began a lamentation 
 about this being Philip's last day, declaring it was positively 
 cruel in him to leave them with so many promises yet unful- 
 filled. 
 
 *' I'm not quite as hard and unpersuadable as the Rock of 
 Gibraltar," he said, gravely ; " so, Lily, if you will make out 
 a very tempting programme for another week, I may take in 
 Newark on my way back." 
 
 Thus encouraged, Lily began to count up the books there 
 were still to read, the places that absolutely ought to be 
 visited, and made such a formidable list, that Philip declared 
 himself quite vanquished. 
 
 " There ! " she exclaimed, triumphantly, and with charm- 
 ing naivete, "you were wishing yesterday, Bel, that he 
 would stay, and I dare say you never thought of coaxing 
 him." 
 
 Lily's keen eyes might have discovered that there was a 
 10
 
 110 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 secret, if Richard had not rushed to the rescue. On leaving 
 the breakfast-room she carried Philip off in triumph, but was 
 vexed to leai*n, a while later, just as she finished a little favor 
 for Richard, that he had gone to walk with Mabel ; and it was 
 nearly dinner time when they returned. The parting was 
 brief and full of hope for all. 
 
 That evening Mabel came to Richard of her own accord, 
 as if she needed the seal of his words to assure herself all 
 was right. There was no mother to soothe the blushing 
 cheeks arid palpitant nerves, no girlish friend, in whose fond 
 bosom she could confide her trembling joy ; but he made 
 amends for all, with his tender thoughtfulness and wise 
 counsel. 
 
 And thus Richard Bertrand made another essay in his 
 position as head of the family. Unconsciously he had come 
 to lean on Mabel since the stay of his own heart had been 
 wrenched away. The nobleness and purity of her character 
 attracted him strongly. But instead of keeping her for a 
 friend all the future years, he was suddenly called upon to 
 yield his claim for one that must inevitably grow dearer and 
 more absorbing. There was a little pain, but no jealousy ; 
 he loved Philip too sincerely for that. 
 
 One by one they would go to other homes those happy, 
 loving children ! He could not quite banish the lost dream 
 of his own past the hope that should have made fadeless 
 sunshine for all time. As he grew older and graver, amid 
 cares and duties, fair young girls, with fresh, eager hearts, 
 would pass him by. Yet he did not regret Ada, nor think 
 impatiently of the charge so solemnly given him. He re- 
 membered a wise hand had written, "It is good for a man 
 that he bear the yoke in his youth." Far better than a 
 weightsome cross in after life.
 
 DB. BERTKAND'S HOUSEHOLD. Ill 
 
 CH-APTER XIII. 
 
 "God sets some lives in shade, alone; 
 They have no daylight of their own; 
 Only in lives of happier ones 
 They see the shine of distant suns." 
 
 THE annual visit to Cape May, that had been thrown into 
 the background by Mr. Gregory's unexpected arrival, was 
 now discussed. To Lily's surprise, she found Mabel quite 
 disinclined for the journey; and as Richard .did not press 
 the matter, the number of travellers dwindled one half. 
 But Archie had no fancy for giving up his anticipated pleas- 
 ure, and Lily gravely announced the fact " that she could 
 have all the fun she wanted at aunt Sophy's, and be back by 
 the time Mr. Gregory came." 
 
 As for Mabel, she hardly dared take a comprehensive 
 view of her own happiness until the house was quiet, and no 
 curious eyes remained to come upon her suddenly at some 
 defenceless moment. In the long days that followed she 
 had plenty of time for thought. Her first feeling was one 
 of surprise. Her own estimate of herself was lowly ; she 
 wondered how a man, brilliant and talented as Philip 
 Gregory, could have dreamed of choosing her. And then 
 the life he had marked out for himself, could she ever 
 become a fitting companion for such a man and such a 
 destiny ? 
 
 Her communings might have been more troubled than 
 pleasant but for Richard. He smoothed out the tangled 
 path of difficulty, restored the drooping courage, and was, 
 as Mabel afterwards told Philip, a perfect Mr. Great Heart.
 
 1 1 2 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 He understood readily the charm such a pure nature held 
 for a man of quick resolution, refined and enthusiastic, yet 
 continually occupied and excited by human interest. Philip 
 could mould it, with his force of character, into whatsoever 
 shape he liked. She was gentle, but not weak ; yielding, 
 yet not indolently passive. Her high, true faith, her gen- 
 erosity, tempered by a fine sense of justice, would be excel- 
 lent qualities in her new life. She also possessed that 
 graceful dignity which was winning in itself, and demanded 
 from others a certain respect. E\jen the very obtuse would 
 not be likely to trample on her. 
 
 During that brief separation she received two letters 
 from Philip. With a delicacy only the highest mind could 
 have evinced, he startled her with no rapturous declarations 
 of love, and asked for no answers until he came himself. 
 The weeks flew by rapidly. Indeed, she was hardly ready 
 when the frank, electric voice greeted her, and the earnest 
 eyes demanded their full meed of affection. 
 
 They had one delightful day to themselves a day in 
 which they sat under the old elm, and, as Philip said, " be- 
 came acquainted with each other." It was an odd state for 
 Mabel, who had never yet dreamed of a lover. 
 
 " How little I thought, a few weeks ago, that, before I 
 went back to college, two new and blessed hopes would be 
 added to my life, that for years had looked so solitary," Philip 
 said, musingly. " In Mr. Chaloner, I have found a more 
 than friend a father. Mabel, I wish you could see 
 that little nest among the hills ! The village proper is back 
 a short distance from the river's edge, the old gray stone 
 church and vine-embowered rectory forming a sort of con- 
 necting link. To the right, all along the river, the scene is 
 beautiful, and varied by numberless charming summer resi- 
 dences some standing on hills with sloping lawns, some 
 hidden among rocks and trees. There is scarcely anything 
 in all Italy more lovely. Mr. Chaloner has been at Rothelan 
 nine years, and the people love him devotedly. His long,
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 113 
 
 white beard, and the flowing hair that clusters about his 
 temples in loose waves, give him a benign, patriarchal ap- 
 pearance. He is nearing seventy, yet he is earnest and 
 vigorous in all good works, patient with poverty and ignor- 
 ance, and 0, so kind to the little ones ! Three years ago 
 he lost his only son, who was shortly to take holy orders, 
 and become his father's assistant." 
 
 " How sad ! " Mabel returned, in a tone of truest pity. 
 
 " Yes.; I wonder it did not entirely break him down. Hia 
 faith and resignation are beautiful in the extreme. And 
 now, my darling, I come to something that concerns you, or 
 must at least have your assent." 
 
 " Concerns me ? " was the wondering rejoinder. 
 
 " Yes ; are you not linked in with every thought of my 
 future life ? " and he drew the fair form nearer to him. 
 " Before I left Mr. Chaloner, he made me an offer that was 
 at once generous and affectionate. He will need an assist- 
 ant ; indeed, he ought to have one now, but the place seems 
 sacred to him, because it was destined for his son. Judge 
 of my surprise when he asked me if I would be willing to 
 come by and by." 
 
 "And you will," she said, in a tone scarcely less sweet 
 than the south wind that went whispering above them. 
 
 " Would you like a country life ? Mr. Chaloner wishes to 
 be rector at Rothelan while he is able to toil in the vineyard. 
 He has a small income of his own, but, at best, the salary 
 of the assistant would not be very large. Then the two 
 families would have to make one at least, that is his idea. 
 The rectory is roomy enough, and in addition to this, he 
 gave me a word of advice, especially relating to you." 
 
 Mubel colored, but looked incredulous. 
 
 " He suggested I should marry, and bring my wife there ; ' ! 
 and Philip raised the sweet face to note the effect of his 
 communication. " I might do better, you know," he said, 
 Kith a smile, " and you may prefer something grander." 
 
 " Philip ! " The tone was tenderly reproachful. 
 
 My darling ! " 
 
 10 *
 
 114 IN TttTIST, OH 
 
 " It must be as you wish," she said, with quiet determina- 
 tion. " If I trust 'you with my heart, can I not trust you 
 with all things else : And Mr. Chaloner has been your 
 friend so long." 
 
 He could not forbear kissing her. 
 
 "Yes," he went on ; "to Mr. Chaloner and your father I 
 owe all that is and will be truly good in my life. He was 
 the clergyman at Hilton, where I first met Richard at board- 
 ing-school. And now from Richard's hands I take one gift, 
 and from his I am offered another. Everything seems to 
 come to me, when a few years ago I used to think I had 
 given up everything." 
 
 " All things shall work together for the good of those 
 who love HIM," Mabel said, with sweet seriousness. 
 
 " It seems a long while to look forward, yet two years 
 will pass quickly. I have much to do in that time." 
 
 " And I, also. Philip ! you must help me to grow 
 strong, that I may be fit for my station. It is such a great 
 and holy work, that I tremble lest I shall fail you when you 
 most need help and comfort." 
 
 " We will remember who ' giveth liberally, and upbraideth 
 not.' He must be our perpetual guide." And in the quiet 
 of that summer afternoon, both hearts cried unto Him. 
 
 The next day Lily returned, bright, vivacious, and co- 
 quettish. Richard, however, proved himself equal to the 
 situation. He planned nicely for the lovers, and so en- 
 grossed Lily that more than once she excused herself to 
 Philip with an important air. The week flew on rosy 
 wings. 
 
 " I shall not be so generous at college," Philip whispered, 
 . an hour before his departure. " You must send me good 
 long answers to my letters, and if it is possible, I may make 
 you a flying visit at Christmas." 
 
 Mabel remembered, just then, she had never written to 
 any one except her father and Lily. She trembled at the 
 prospect before her. 
 
 A little later Robert came home, taller and handsomer
 
 DK. BEKTKAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 115 
 
 than ever ; the brown hue of his complexion imparting a 
 foreign look. He had gained a jaunty swagger that cer- 
 tainly sat well upon him, the only thing that could be said 
 in its favor. His trip had not greatly improved him, neither 
 had it increased his taste for business. He slept late in the 
 morning, was imperious and sulky over his solitary breakfast, 
 lounged and smoked through the day, and was frequently 
 out until midnight. His influence on the children was any- 
 thing but desirable. In his ill-tempered moods he fretted 
 them beyond endurance, and at other times indulged them 
 and interfered with everything like order. He did not seek 
 to conceal his habits, but talked of drinking, gaming, and 
 fast horses with the easy insouciance of a man of the world. 
 Richard tried patience and love, ably seconded by Mabel ; 
 and though no words were spoken, their troubled glances 
 mutually confessed each attempt a failure. 
 
 Another trait in Robert's character was likely to prove a 
 serious source of trouble: He was indolent as well as self- 
 ish. When he had spent the wages of his trip at sea, he 
 evinced not the slightest desire to seek a position that 
 would give him independence, but applied unhesitatingly to 
 Richard for money. There was not a thought of jealousy 
 or self-interest in Richard's heart; yet he knew it was ne- 
 cessary to take a firm stand, or he would be answerable in 
 some degree for his brother's ruin. 
 
 To this followed angry taunts. " He was not born a 
 miserly old skinflint ; he wanted to take the comforts of life, 
 and he meant to have them. He wasn't spending any one's 
 money but his own." And to out-general Richard, he had 
 recourse to the old trick of borrowing. On making this 
 discovery, Richard called in Mr. Gruilford. 
 
 " The best plan for you," said the guardian, " will be to 
 obtain some regular employment. I will interest myself in 
 anything you prefer, for I desire to see you settled. You 
 are well aware, that at your present rate of expenditure, you 
 would waste your portion before you came of age."
 
 116 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 " That's my own affair," was the haughty reply. " All I 
 ask of Richard is to buy out my share of the house. He 
 may as well do it now as a year hence." 
 
 Mr. G-uilford candidly stated his objections to such a plan, 
 and tried to rouse the young man to a sense of duty, but 
 only succeeded in making him extremely angry. 
 
 " Very well," he said, with flashing eyes, " since you 
 are both determined to send me adrift, so be it ; " and he 
 marched out of the office in high indignation. 
 
 " Let him go ! " exclaimed Mr. Guilford, in answer to 
 Richard's perplexed and sorrowful look. " It is time he 
 was thrown on his own resources. With his abilities it is a 
 shame for him to be idling and keeping the company he 
 does." 
 
 " If one could only be sure of the right course with him ; " 
 and Richard sighed. 
 
 " My dear friend, you have tried gentle means until the 
 very verge of weak indulgence has been reached. Few 
 brothers would have done as much. Had your father lived, 
 he would have found governing Robert no easy task. I 
 wonder the shock of his death did not sober him. It only 
 proves how deeply rooted the evil is." 
 
 The interview left Richard greatly disheartened. To fail 
 with the first-born of the family he had promised to watch 
 over was a painful thought. His heart cried out, from its 
 inmost core, " How shall I give thee up, Ephraim ?" 
 
 For a fortnight nothing was heard of Robert. Then he 
 made his appearance, in his usual easy, off-hand manner, 
 and announced that he had secured a situation in a broker's 
 office in Wall Street, and also a boarding-place. Richard 
 demurred a little at the latter arrangement. 
 
 " You ought to be glad to rid the house of me on any 
 terms," he returned, rather bitterly. " And as for me, I've 
 had enough of governing. You may keep your superfluous 
 care for the girls." 
 
 " At least," Richard answered, " I want you to feel that
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 117 
 
 this is still your father's house the place where his chil- 
 dren will ever be welcome. I want you to come and go as 
 you choose ; we, at least, shall never forget how tender a 
 claim you have on our love." 
 
 The bold eyes sank under the clear, fearless gaze they 
 encountered. Conscience woke for a moment, and warned 
 Robert the path he was in would lead to shame and destruc- 
 tion. But self-indulgence was strong upon him ; desire, so 
 often gratified, hurried him from thoughts of repentance. 
 
 Mr. Guilford made some inquiries, and found Robert had 
 told the truth respecting his new situation. He was not 
 favorably impressed with either member of the firm ; and 
 when he found how small the salary was, he felt assured a 
 young man with Robert's fondness for society, and expensive 
 habits, could not live on it in such a place as New York. 
 He deemed it his duty, however, to warn the employers not 
 to let him draw on them for a larger amount, as he did not 
 care to have the property entangled in such a manner. 
 
 Robert soon learned this, and his passion knew no bounds. 
 He wrote angrily to Richard that he would have no more of 
 this spying and interference. " I offered to sell out to you 
 once, and you refused ; now I want you to understand, once 
 for all, that I shall raise money in any manner I please. I 
 can do it, if I am under age." 
 
 This threat decided Richard. He answered to Robert 
 that he would find a sum placed in Mr. G-uilford's care, on 
 which he would be at full liberty to draw at any time. 
 
 It was nearly Christmas when this troublesome affair was 
 settled. Yet, through all the perplexity, Richard did not 
 forget Mabel's young hopes. His delicate tenderness, his 
 thorough knowledge of Philip, and perhaps, too, his own 
 costly experience, enabled him to guide, where her timidity 
 might have betrayed her into some false step. Her letters 
 came always under cover to him ; thus she was spared ques- 
 tioning and embarrassment. There were hours when he 
 took comfort from the pure, perfect affection ripening before 
 him.
 
 118 IN TRUST, Ott 
 
 Mabel tried to understand that in accepting Philip's love 
 she had also accepted his life, and endeavored to fit herself 
 for her new sphere. She went at housekeeping with re- 
 markable ardor, studied her music indefatigably, and amused 
 Richard by various attempts at solid reading. Yet she did 
 not neglect the duties nearest her. The sisters, so well 
 loved, demanded and received their full share of attention. 
 Archie clung to her with fond, boyish pride, compounded of 
 love and admiration. Only one had remained proof against 
 her sweetness and affection, and yet even he had paid her a 
 curious sort of respect. 
 
 Philip's visit was brief, and made general by the festivities 
 of the season hardly satisfactory to so ardent a lover as he 
 had become ; but he bore the disappointment with becoming 
 equanimity, and looked forward to summer. 
 
 Another spring shone and blossomed over them. They 
 were all very happy. Even Robert forgot his anger, and 
 paid them flying visits. He had changed his situation for a 
 better one, and, all things considered, had not been immod- 
 erate in his demands on Mr. Gruilford. Richard ventured to 
 indulge in a little hope. 
 
 At the commencement of vacation Richard sent the three 
 younger children to aunt Sophy's, declaring he could not 
 spare Mabel for a full fortnight yet. She blushed a little 
 consciously over this ; but before the kisses of separation 
 had grown cold upon her lips, new and blessed ones min- 
 gled with them ; and in the quiet of those pleasant days 
 Philip had no rival. 
 
 It was their first real love-making. Hitherto she had been 
 shy, and passively acquiescent. Philip had paid homage to 
 youth and innocence ; but now the man's strong, ardent, and 
 not easily satisfied nature demanded a return. Once fully 
 opening her heart, even she was surprised at its depth and 
 capacity. She grew brave enough to connect every day and 
 hour of the coming time with him for whom she should spend 
 it. And he pictured visions of their years together of the
 
 DR: BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 119 
 
 work they would do, of the hopes that would blossom and 
 unfold before them ; sweet days, when he should take her 
 into his own keeping ; when their two lives would blend into 
 one perfect soul union. Her tender gravity would restrain 
 his impetuous spirit, his exuberance counteract the tendency 
 to pensiveness that the events of her early life had given. 
 As Richard watched them, he inwardly gave thanks that the 
 two, so evidently formed for each other, should thus meet 
 on the bridge of life. 
 
 So they walked through shadowy twilights, talked, read, 
 sang, or gave themselves up to blissful dreams, that have 
 survived Eden, and blossom in as dewy freshness for all as 
 for the first mother. To Mabel's care had been committed 
 a loving, loyal heart, that must evermore thrill at her lightest 
 smile, and sorrow over her smallest grief. When wearied 
 by painful discords and rude cares, it would come to her for 
 rest, comfort. No longer her own ! She knew now what 
 Richard had hoped ; she dimly guessed what he had suf- 
 fered. 
 
 Then she went to rejoin the children. When Richard 
 came for them, he was accompanied by " Mr. Gregory." 
 Of course it was impossible to keep the secret. Lily was 
 surprised, piqued, and pleased. Aunt Sophy was delighted, 
 kissed Mabel, and cried over her, and predicted a bright 
 future. As for Philip, he enjoyed his position of acknowl- 
 edged lover immensely. 
 
 The last night of their stay they went to walk on the 
 beach, where, two years before, she had paced the sands 
 with her brother. But the murmurous sea kept time to 
 happy heart-beats now, and the stars glorified their pleasant 
 way. Philip was more than ever in love with Rothelan, and 
 built his castle in spare corners of the rectory, which seemed 
 equally as absorbing as Spain. 
 
 " He was so kind and fatherly," was the remark, after a 
 long dissertation on Mr. Chaloner, "that I couldn't help 
 telling him how sweet a hope my life held. And, dear, he
 
 120 IN TBUST, OR 
 
 was so pleased ! He has made me promise to come to him 
 just as soon as I am ordained, and thinks, as I do, there is 
 no need of delaying the marriage. Can it, shall it be, my 
 darling ? " 
 
 She started, and all the pulses of her heart sent their 
 crimson blood to her face. She was thankful for the night, 
 for the purple darkness. His wife ! It had seemed like a 
 distant dream to her ; she could not bring it to this peaceful 
 present. It was too strange, too exciting. 
 
 He misunderstood her emotion. " Will you not like to 
 go ? " he asked. 
 
 " Thy people shall be my people." The fair face grew 
 sweeter and tenderer beneath the soft stars of the summer 
 night. 
 
 " This will be the most blessed year of my whole life, 
 because at its close, if it please Grod, I shall realize my two 
 best hopes. darling, how good God has been to me, 
 to u ! "
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 121 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 In a valiant suffering for others, not in a slothful making others suffer for us, 
 did nobleness ever lie. Every noble crown is, and on earth will ever be, a 
 crown Of thorns. 
 
 CARLTLE. 
 
 THE September sun, with its ripening tints of umber, lay 
 warm and golden on walk, terrace, and river. All that love- 
 ly day the Bertrand mansion had presented a picture of still 
 life in exquisite detail. The children at school, Mabel alter- 
 nately musing and sewing some dainty trifle, and even Rich- 
 ard being pleasantly idle, with leisure to look over accounts, 
 and read some choice books. A spirit of peace brooded in 
 the very atmosphere. He remembered long afterwards the 
 sweet, restful calm of this day. It was as if he had turned 
 out of the hot, wearisome highway of life, and lingered a 
 while in some cool valley. 
 
 Just as they were summoned to dinner, Robert made his 
 appearance. They welcomed him warmly, although a little 
 surprised at his coming. His manner was cordial, and full 
 of that easy grace always distinguishing him ; but Richard 
 fancied the lines about his mouth were tense, and his brow 
 more than once was knit by some sudden and unpleasant 
 thought. Therefore he was not surprised when Robert took 
 his arm and led him down the garden walk, 
 
 " Dick," he said, at length, " I want you to grant me a 
 favor." 
 
 "You are in trouble again," was the sad rejoinder. 
 
 " Yes, and no. I want to turn over a new leaf in good 
 faith, Dick. I confess I've fallen into company and habits 
 11
 
 122 IN TRUST, OE 
 
 that are rather troublesome and expensive, and I can't seem 
 to make a new beginning here. I have a chance in Cali- 
 fornia, with a large shipping firm, of a good salary ; so I 
 want you to buy out my share of the house, and let me go." 
 
 " To California ! And you are sure there is nothing else 
 no difficulty ? I must have the whole truth before I take 
 one step ; " and, as Richard's steady eyes confronted the 
 handsome face, it flushed and grew uneasy, as with an air 
 of bravado he answered, 
 
 " My dear fellow, how dramatic you are ! I haven't mur- 
 dered, nor forged, nor stolen. I am considerably in debt, 
 for somehow I hate to ask Guilford for money. It makes 
 me feel as if he was paying my debts gratuitously. But 
 when I take a new start it shall all be different." 
 
 " When do you want to go ? " 
 
 " Saturday, by the Northern Light. The person whose 
 situation I am to take, expects to come home in about a 
 month. He's tired of the place, I believe, and I'm tired of 
 this ; so we're even." 
 
 " It's very sudden," Richard said, slowly, not at all con- 
 vinced that this was the real reason. 
 
 " So, if you'll let me have all my money, it will make 
 affairs easier for me. I want to straighten up everything 
 before I go." 
 
 Richard knew by past experience that asking direct ques- 
 tions was useless ; so they discussed the journey and the 
 separation. Robert seemed really grateful and appreciative ; 
 so he felt that it might be the best step that could be taken. 
 California was not the place of all others he would have 
 chosen, but to oppose would gain him nothing at all. 
 Presently they returned to the sitting-room, and announced 
 the coming departure. There was a great outcry of aston- 
 ishment at first ; then Robert quieted and interested the 
 younger ones with descriptions of the golden land, until 
 the pleasant talk quite took the edge off their sorrow.. 
 
 Mabel was thoughtful, and sought opportunity to whisper,
 
 DE. BEBTKAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 123 
 
 *' What sends him away so suddenly ? " 
 
 " I don't know anything more than he has told," Richard 
 replied. 
 
 The following morning the brothers went to Lawyer Guil- 
 ford's. Richard saw him alone, and explained the matter in 
 hand. 
 
 " It's rather irregular, you know, Robert being under age. 
 He may cause you trouble hereafter." 
 
 " I think he means to act in good faith. We want the 
 house valued, and I am to lend him the amount, taking his 
 part as security. He has promised to sign off as soon as 
 his birthday comes. But I want everything securely ar- 
 ranged, so that he will not be able to dispute any point, in 
 event of my death." 
 
 Since Dr. Bertrand's death the place had increased in 
 value somewhat, and*Richard was too honorable to defraud 
 his brother of a penny. Robert appeared to be in a most 
 amicable mood, and acceded willingly to every suggestion. 
 His extravagances since leaving college were deducted from 
 his part, and the remainder was left subject to his order. 
 
 " Give me a check for a thousand," he said. " I want to 
 engage my passage and make a few purchases." 
 
 Richard filled it out and handed it to him. He just paused 
 to say, " I shall be home this evening," and bowing to both 
 gentlemen, walked off in his jaunty, independent fashion. 
 
 " I am glad for your sake that this troublesome business 
 will soon be over," Mr. Guilford remarked. 
 
 Richard sighed. He was thinking just then of another 
 prodigal, who took his portion and went into a strange 
 country. He could not feel quite at ease. 
 
 It was midnight ere Robert returned. The next morning 
 found him in charming spirits. He scarcely left Mabel's 
 side, and evinced the warmest interest in her future. In- 
 deed, he won her over completely ; and after school he rowed 
 the children a long way up the river, amusing them with 
 songs and stories. And on Friday, his last day home, there
 
 124 IN TEUST, OR 
 
 was a menagerie in the city, and a very fine concert to be 
 given in the evening ; so he persuaded Richard to allow him 
 to take the children to both. They were wild with delight. 
 The grave elder brother looked after them as they set off. 
 What bright, happy faces ! Even Robert's was glad and 
 smiling, and he felt self-condemned at having unjustly sus- 
 pected him of wrong doing. 
 
 " 0, is that you, Doctor Richard ? " Ann asked, as he let 
 himself in with his latch-key. " Will you have dinner now, 
 or wait until the children come ? " 
 
 " Wait, by all means ; I'm in no hurry. Any calls ? " 
 
 " There are two people in the office, who have been wait- 
 ing this hour to see you and Master Robert." 
 
 He drew off his gloves deliberately, entered the library, 
 and walked through to the office. The " two people " were 
 a stout, business-looking man, and a tall, hard-featured 
 woman, whose face indicated shrewdness and determination. 
 Neither was very prepossessing. He merely gave them a 
 glance, and said, courteously, " You wished to see me ? 
 Doctor Bertrand." 
 
 " Yes," responded the woman. " Your brother's goin' to 
 Californy isn't he ? " 
 
 " He expects to." 
 
 The woman gave her companion a significant nod, and 
 then said, "He sails to-morrow doesn't he ?" 
 
 The answer was in the affirmative. 
 
 " I want to see you both together, when he comes in," the 
 woman said, settling herself back in her chair. 
 
 More puzzled than he cared to show, he rang the bell, and 
 ordered Robert to be sent to him as soon as he returned ; 
 then took up a paper, and from behind it cast furtive glances 
 at his visitors. The woman was undeniably coarse and mas- 
 culine, her dress a strange mixture of ill-taste and glaring 
 color. She had a rough, weather-beaten look, yet did not 
 Beem old, although her black hair was slightly grizzled. 
 What could she want of them both?
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 125 
 
 Presently a host of gay voices sounded in the hall. Rober* 
 opened the door with, " What did you want of me, Dick ? " 
 and before his brother could reply, the woman confronted 
 him. He sank into the nearest chair, the brilliant face fad- 
 ing into pale ashen gray, while a quick gleam of fear and 
 hate shot out of the astonished eyes. 
 
 " So, my fine bird, you hav.en't slipped out of my hands 
 as easy as you thought for ! " 
 
 The taunt seemed to reanimate him. A blazing ray of 
 passion brought the color back to his face, and he ground 
 his white teeth together with a half-suppressed oath, as he 
 demanded, " What in the fiend's name brought you here ?" 
 
 She laughed triumphantly, took a cool survey of the face, 
 absolutely distorted with rage at having been thus foiled in 
 his schemes, and said, in a tantalizing tone, 
 
 " Keep your temper, my young gentleman ! There's lots 
 of business to be settled afore I stir out of this house. You 
 w? goin' to dodge me all so fast, but you've found I could 
 be right spry when I started. You ain't in Californy yet ! " 
 
 Robert was too angry and excited to speak. Richard 
 turned to him, saying, calmly, " What does this woman want 
 with you ? If she has claims upon you, settle them imme- 
 diately." 
 
 She turned her eyes steadily upon him, and exclaimed in 
 a high, shrill tone, 
 
 " Yes, I've got claims upon him, and I ain't goin' to be 
 bullied out of 'em either. You rich folks think you're lords 
 of the world, and kin do what you like ; but you won't do it 
 here. I'm bound to have satisfaction ! I've got law on my 
 side, and some money that I ain't afeard of spendin'. Mebbe 
 your young man 'd rather tell his own story, though." 
 
 " Tell it yourself. Your tongue is glib enough," was the 
 sullen rejoinder ; and Robert buried his face in his hands. 
 If he could have spared Richard the coming pang, he would 
 have undergone any torture at that moment. Shame, anger, 
 and a bitter sense of defeat rankled in his heart. 
 11*
 
 126 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 "He married my gal last Feb'uary, or at least pretended 
 go ; and now he's goin' off without leavin' a dollar for her or 
 the baby that's to come. My friend here's an officer, and 
 you'll pay han'somely for this piece of work, or you'll go to 
 jail. That's the long and the short of it." 
 
 The dinner bell rang at this juncture. Richard opened 
 the door, and bade Mabel not wait for them, then shut it 
 carefully, and closed the window. " Now," said he, with 
 quiet authority, " I am ready for your story. Tell it briefly 
 as possible." 
 
 " You needn't be so uppish ! " and the woman bridled 
 angrily at his calmness. " I shall tell the truth, which is 
 more 'n he's in the habit of doin', I guess ; " and she nodded 
 her head towards Robert. " He'd been comin' to my place 
 a spell, with a lot of young bloods, when one night he saw 
 my gal. He took to followin' her home from school, and 
 bein' mighty pleasant with her. I didn't put her in his way, 
 nor ask him to fall in love with her ; but he kept hangin' 
 round, sendin' her books and sich, until I see she begun to 
 like him. The gal was too young, and innocent, and pretty, 
 to be fooled with. So I told him, plump and plain, if he 
 wanted to marry her he might keep on, but if not, to make 
 tracks, 'cause I wasn't goin' to have any trouble. He kept 
 away a week or so ; then he told me he wanted to marry the 
 gal, but he wasn't of age, and his folks would oppose it, 
 'cause they was rich, but if I'd let 'em be married privately, 
 he'd take care on her until he got his fortin. And he 
 wanted a friend of his to marry 'em, so when he come to 
 confess, the minister could smooth things out a little for 
 him. Well, I got my neighbor here, Mr. Garrick, to find 
 out how things stood, and he said he guessed the story was 
 about straight ; so I consented, for my gal thought as much 
 of him as if he'd been made out of gold." 
 
 " You were ready enough to have me marry your decoy 
 duck," sneered Robert. 
 
 " She wasn't no decoy duck ! " snapped the woman, an-
 
 DK. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 127 
 
 grily. " You know she never 'tended shop ; and you waa 
 crazy about her you needn't deny it ! Well, they was mar- 
 ried, and he used to stay to my house a good deal. Mar- 
 g'ret and he was happy as birds. After a while, 'long in the 
 summer, he begun to slack up comin' ; but the gal believed 
 his excuses, and as he took care of her, and wasn't ugly, I 
 thought I wouldn't find fault. But when he staid away a 
 week or two at a time, I see she grieved about it, and asked 
 him what he meant. He was pretty lordly, and wouldn't give 
 me much satisfaction, but finally said, if I'd wait until he was 
 of age, I'd see what he meant to do. He didn't come near 
 Marg'ret after that ; so Monday I marched down to his office, 
 and asked him if he wanted to break his wife's heart by neg- 
 lect. He jest give a little laugh, and asked me to prove he 
 had a wife, and he'd promise to be devoted to her. I was 
 awful mad, I tell you ; but I kept quiet. When I got home, 
 I found he'd taken away Marg'ret's certificate. So I come 
 over to Jersey, to find the Mr. Fields who married 'em. 
 He wasn't the man at all, and he said he could swear he'd 
 never married any such persons. Then I knew we'd been 
 tricked ; and when I found he'd left his office, I put Mr. 
 Garrick on the scent, and he soon -learned my gentleman was 
 makin' off for Californy. He's got a warrant in his pocket, 
 and can take the rascal off to the Tombs ; but I'll give you 
 both a chance to act fair. I can make him marry the gal, or 
 send him to State Prison ! " and she gave an exultant chuckle. 
 
 " Will you walk in the adjoining room a moment ? " Rich- 
 ard said to the woman and her companion. 
 
 " Look here now," she said, turning on him ; " there's 
 to be no conniving between you two. I won't be hard on 
 the young scamp, nuther ; I'll give him off, if he'll provide 
 for the gal and her child. She'll do better without him, if 
 he don't care for her." 
 
 Richard motioned them peremptorily away, and closed the 
 door. A deathly silence ensued. It was broken at length 
 by his saying, hoarsely, 
 
 " Is that woman's story true, Robert?"
 
 1 28 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 " God knows, Dick, if I could have taken myself out of 
 the way before this came out, I would gladly have given 
 every dollar I possess. I meant to have spared you this 
 trouble ; but it's my luck. Nothing ever does go right with 
 me ! " and Robert absolutely sobbed. 
 
 " ' The way of the transgressor is hard.' 0, how could 
 you have fallen into such a sin ? " 
 
 " I didn't think how it would end. And you know, Dick, 
 hundreds of young men do the same thing." 
 
 Richard could have spurned his brother for this weak jus- 
 tification. 
 
 " What is to be done ? " he asked, coldly. 
 
 " Buy them off, I suppose, for I'm sick of the girl, and 
 can't marry her. I don't think I would have gone so far if 
 it hadn't been for George Townley. He planned it all, and 
 personated the clergyman. 0, I could kill myself for being 
 such a fool ! " 
 
 There was no real sorrow in all this. The whole affair 
 was utterly revolting to Richard, and a sense of shame over- 
 whelmed him. 
 
 " Who are they ? " he asked presently. 
 
 " This old Mother Davis keeps a drinking and gambling 
 saloon, up on Third Avenue. Last winter I went there with 
 some fellows ; and one night we had been sleigh-riding, and 
 stopped there for supper. The boys used to talk about a 
 pretty Dutch girl there ; but this evening we saw Margaret. 
 George Townley was crazy about her ; but she wouldn't even 
 look at him. Then I met her in the street : she was shy 
 enough at first ; but I soon found out the little fool liked me. 
 I believe I was infatuated, Dick ; and then the old woman 
 was so pressing ! Townley said it would be a good joke, and 
 the girl wouldn't care a bit when she grew tired of me." 
 
 Richard half suppressed a groan of anguish. 
 
 " They were as much to blame as I," Robert said, quickly, 
 u for the old woman fairly inveigled me into it. And I dare 
 say the girl will play the same game over twenty times."
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 129 
 
 " Is she like her mother ? " 
 
 " Not a bit. I believe she isn't really her child. She's a 
 pretty little milk-and-water thing ; her face bewitched me at 
 first ; but I'm sick and tired of her now." 
 
 In spite of his hardihood, Robert's face was crimson with 
 shame. He understood Richard too well to attempt any 
 special justification ; but he was determined the mother and 
 daughter should take their full share of blame. 
 
 Richard considered the matter in silence. While he could 
 not excuse his brother's sin, he felt something might be 
 due to the schemes of a designing woman. What kind of a 
 mother could she be to fancy money would make amends for 
 such an irremediable blight ! How base and grovelling her 
 soul ! Richard was not at all prepared to receive such an 
 addition to the family, even if he could have persuaded his 
 brother into marrying the girl. Indeed, reason said, a mar- 
 riage so evidently unwise when sanctioned by love, would be 
 doubly so when the brief passion had settled into distaste. 
 If money could heal the wrong, perhaps it would be best to 
 accept the woman's offer. 
 
 " Why did you not tell the girl ? " he asked, anxious to 
 note the effect of his remark. 
 
 Robert started as if he had been stung. 
 
 " No, I couldn't, Dick ; I couldn't ; I would have gone to 
 jail first ; " and the crimson mounted to his brow. At a later 
 day Richard understood these words ; but now he took it 
 as an evidence that his brother was not utterly lost to self- 
 respect. 
 
 " Well," he resumed, with a dreary sigh, " let us settle it 
 the easiest way, since she will be satisfied with money." 
 
 " I have fourteen hundred dollars still coming. I must 
 have at least two hundred. The rest she may take. It's 
 hard, but I'm thankful to be well out of the scrape." 
 
 They summoned Mrs. Davis and her attendant. The 
 coarse, hard face disgusted Richard more than ever. After 
 an embarwssing silence of some moments he began,
 
 130 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 " It would be useless to desire two people to marry who 
 have ceased to care for each other " 
 
 " It's a lie if he said so ! " flung out the woman, angrily. 
 "Marg'ret worships him, and he knows it. There isn't a 
 thought in her heart but of him. I ain't pertikerlar about his 
 marryin' her, though. Likely he'd be ugly, and some time 
 leave her again. When she gets over her sorrow now, she'll 
 be free a blessed good thing, in my opinion ! " 
 
 " There only remains one point, then : what compensation 
 is required ? " 
 
 The woman glanced eagerly from one to the other, as 
 if studying her ground, then said, with slow, decided em- 
 phasis, 
 
 " Five thousand dollars ! " 
 
 " Five' thousand ! " they both echoed, in consternation. 
 
 " Yes ; people who dance must expect to pay the piper. 
 That's lettin' you off easy, when I have it all in my own 
 hands." 
 
 Her voice and manner were so resolute that it seemed as 
 if she delighted in the extortion. Most contradictory emo- 
 tions flashed through Richard's mind. While his high and 
 keen sense of right shrank from shielding so terrible a sin, 
 his brotherly affection, and a belief that justice would in any 
 case be perverted, if dealt out by this woman, rendered him 
 cautious. 
 
 Robert broke the silence with a cool sullenness. 
 
 " I can't go that, and I won't marry the girl ; so send me 
 to prison as fast as you like. You'll have a little revenge, 
 and no money, and the satisfaction of breaking Margaret's 
 heart." Then he settled himself in his chair, and scowled 
 defiantly at her. 
 
 Richard's face was impassible. She read nothing in it to 
 encourage her ; but she was not a woman to yield at the 
 first blow. 
 
 " Well," she said, " seeing you don't mind the disgrace " 
 
 "I'll tell you what I will do," interrupted Robert; "I
 
 DR. BERTRAXD'S HOUSEHOLD. 131 
 
 have twelve hundred dollars still left of my share of the 
 estate. She may take that, or I'll marry her to-morrow 
 morning, and go to California to-morrow afternoon. There 
 is no law to keep me Aere, if I provide for my wife s before I 
 go ; " and a smile of triumph lit the haughty face. 
 
 " Twelve hundred dollars won't take care of her and a 
 child a great many years," suggested the woman, in a lower 
 tone. * 
 
 " Then she can stand behind the bar with her pretty face. 
 She'll soon get a new husband," was the sneering rejoinder. 
 
 The woman took a step forward, as if she would have 
 struck him to the ground. The bitter contempt of her na- 
 ture seemed thoroughly roused. Richard fairly shivered, 
 as he listened to her withering denunciations. Not until 
 her breath was gone did she pause. Then Richard stepped 
 forward with a dignity not to be misunderstood. 
 
 " We have had enough recrimination," he said, in a clear, 
 cold tone. " Take what my brother has to offer you, and 
 for ten years I will add one hundred dollars annually to it. 
 That is all I will do." 
 
 Mrs. Davis did not seem disposed to assent at first ; but 
 when she became convinced that Robert was very much 
 poorer than she had anticipated, and his brother fully deter- 
 mined to go no farther than his first proposal, she reluctantly 
 yielded. Richard wrote out the necessary notes, and Mr. 
 Garrick affixed his name as witness. He would have been 
 better satisfied at seeing the law take its course, but had 
 promised to do Mrs. Davis's bidding in either event. Robert 
 preserved a sulky silence, and only stared at the woman's 
 parting anathema. Then the troublesome visitors withdrew, 
 and the brothers were left alone. 
 
 Robert was first to break the silence. 
 
 " Dick," he began, in a low tone, " if I should be pros- 
 pered, I will pay every cent of that money. You shall 
 nt)t be the loser through your great kindness. You see now 
 it is best for me to go away."
 
 132 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 " Yes ; " and Richard sighed wearily, adding, " Go now ; 
 if you still desire to take the children out, I have no objec- 
 tion to make. It may be the last time. And your secret is 
 safe with me." 
 
 Robert moved noiselessly away, awed by the sad, patient 
 face, so full of woe. He hated himself for having caused it, 
 and made all manner of good resolves for the future.
 
 DK. BERTBAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 183 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 waly, waly, gin love be bonny, 
 A little time while it is new ; 
 
 But when it's auld, it waxeth cauld, 
 And fades away like morning dew. 
 
 1 leaned my back unto an aik ; 
 
 I thought it was a trusty tree; 
 But first it bowed, and syn it brake, 
 And sac did my fause love to me. 
 
 OLD BALLAD. 
 
 ROBEBT ate his dinner in silence, and in answer to Tessy's 
 questions, said he had been vexed about some money mat- 
 ters, but they were all going out, as this was his last night. 
 The concert was really fine ; and listening to the delightful 
 music, he half forgot the peril he had been in. Alas, that 
 remorse in such natures should invariably be short-lived ! It 
 was not absolute insincerity, but the result of a temperament 
 too pleasure -loving to concentrate itself strongly on any 
 painful idea, and too selfish to follow out the picture of 
 another's suffering. He blamed himself deeply now not 
 for innocence betrayed, or a sense of forfeited honor, but 
 because he had calculated wrongly, and at the eleventh hour 
 the disgraceful secret had made itself known. It was not 
 the sin, but the disclosure. " I was a feol to talk to the 
 woman as I did," was his angry self-condemnation. " I 
 ought to have gone off quietly, and kept good friends with 
 her until the last moment. But it's all over now, and can't 
 be helped ! " 
 
 It is true that those who sin do not always suffer the most. 
 Richard, with his high, fine, honorable nature, his conscious 
 rectitude and blameless life, sat crushed and trembling under 
 12
 
 134 IN TRUST, OB 
 
 the blow. He could not meet the familiar faces ; it seemed 
 as if they would all read the terrible story in his. As soon, 
 therefore, as he could command himself a little, he took his 
 hat and walked out. There were no urgent calls on his list, 
 but he wanted to see some suffering that he could try to 
 lighten ; for only God could lift the cloud overshadowing 
 him. When he returned the house was solitary. 
 
 They all kept up their spirits wonderfully the next morn- 
 ing. Little keepsakes were exchanged ; and Archie de- 
 lighted himself with the idea that when he grew up he would 
 go and make Robert a long visit, and have a splendid time. 
 Then there was the bustle of their getting ready to accom- 
 pany him to the city, to " see him off." 
 
 Nothing beyond commonplace kindnesses had passed 
 between the elder ones. Richard felt utterly unable to say 
 anything wiser or better than he had said many times before. 
 That had all proved useless. It might be his forbearance 
 touched Robert. Certainly the tone was humble and earnest, 
 with which he said, 
 
 " Dear Dick, when I am gone, don't quite hate me. I 
 know I've tried your patience beyond forgiveness, but I will 
 endeavor to be more worthy of your love in the future." 
 
 " God give you strength to keep the resolve,-" Richard 
 responded, fervently. " And when you think of the old 
 home, remember there is not one heart but would ache at 
 your misconduct, or rejoice over the slightest improvement. 
 Think of the pure sisters growing up to womanhood ; of 
 our dear, dead father ; and, above all, of the God whom we 
 shall meet at the last day." 
 
 There were tears and kisses ; and as the steamer glided 
 out of her dock, they all remembered the handsome face 
 nodding a last adieu bright in spite of the sorrow, spar- 
 kling for all its tears. They were content to be grave and 
 silent, and for once Richard had no words of comfort. He 
 was thinking of another Saturday, when one had been taken 
 from among them, and said to himself, " Weep not for the
 
 I)K. BERTRAM)' S HOUSEHOLD. 135 
 
 dead, but weep rather for him who goeth into a far country." 
 There were no lamentations to be made for him who was at 
 rest in heaven, wisely taken from the evil to come. 
 
 And so the first birdling went out of the home nest. If 
 Richard had failed in any duty, he humbly prayed God to 
 forgive him. 
 
 With childish elasticity the younger ones soon recovered 
 their spirits. California wasn't quite out of the world, and 
 Robert had promised to write by the first steamer. Lily 
 collected a huge pile of books, and went to studying the 
 topography of the golden land, declaring she had half a 
 mind to go to California for a husband when she wanted one, 
 as women were esteemed a luxury there. 
 
 Several days passed before Richard could summon suffi- 
 cient courage to go over the late distasteful events. Recon- 
 sidering the subject, he was sorry he had not paid Mrs; 
 Davis the whole sum at once, instead of thus giving her a 
 claim upon him. In case of his death, discovery would be 
 inevitable. It was best, therefore, to remedy the mistake 
 as soon as possible. He shrank from a personal interview, 
 but there was no other course ; so to New York he went. 
 
 The place was easily found a two and a half story brick 
 house, unpainted and dingy looking ; the lower front win- 
 dows decorated with sundry tokens of what one might expect 
 within ; a door whose sash of glass was rendered impene- 
 trable to curious eyes by a faded red curtain, and a rather 
 more respectable side entrance. He opened the shop door, 
 however, ascertaining by a glance that there were no cus- 
 tomers on hand. 
 
 It was an ordinary drinking saloon, with a beer counter 
 and bar on one side, and several small tables ranged on the 
 other, one of which contained the daily papers and a pack 
 of soiled cards. There was an unpleasant odor of beer and 
 tobacco ; but the floor was freshly sanded, everything in 
 tolerable order, and the mistress attired in much better taste 
 than at the preceding interview. Her clean calico dress and
 
 136 IN TRUST, OB 
 
 apron, and her smoothly arranged hair, improved her won- 
 derfully. 
 
 " 0, Dr. Bertrand ! Good mornin', sir ; " *and then she 
 paused from surprise, adding, presently, " walk in here, 
 sir ; I hope you're well, and there's nothing wrong." 
 
 " A slight matter of business merely. If you do not 
 object, I think I would rather pay you the thousand dollars 
 I became responsible for, and have the matter entirely 
 settled." 
 
 She assented readily. Indeed, her eagerness for money dis- 
 gusted him. While she was looking for the papers, he took 
 a survey of the apartment. It was large and scrupulously 
 clean ; but its old-fashioned furniture was eked out by some 
 chalky plaster vases, with red and yellow fruit, and sundry 
 pictures of fast horses, presidents, and female faces in 
 various stages of beauty. 
 
 " She's gone out to walk," Mrs. Davis said, as if she con- 
 sidered some conversation necessary. " He told her she 
 oughter, and his word always was law to her; but you'll 
 wait and see her." 
 
 Richard knew very well for whom the pronouns stood, and 
 was thankful to be spared the interview. 
 
 " Of course she understands all connection with my brother 
 is ended. You told her " 
 
 " No, I hain't told her ; I couldn't," the woman interrupted. 
 " She knows he's gone to Californy, but she's too good and 
 too innocent to guess the rest. I wish to Heaven she'd 
 never seen your brother ! Money won't do everything ; " 
 and Mrs. Davis rocked to and fro in a despairing passion. 
 
 Richard glanced up in surprise at this outburst, and said, 
 calmly, " I wish her to be made aware of the fact. She has 
 no further claims upon us now ; " and handing Mrs. Davis a 
 check, he took up his own note. 
 
 " I wish you'd stop and tell her yourself, if you think it 
 so easy. He hadn't the courage to ! 0, if she hadn't loved 
 him, and been so happy with him ! There she comes now."
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 137 
 
 Richard sat out of range of the door. Something like 
 pride lighted the woman's hard face, as a small, slight figure, 
 clothed in a dress and mantle of soft brown, that fell around 
 her in graceful folds, entered the apartment. 
 
 " Mar'gret, this is Dr. Bertrand," was the brief introduction. 
 
 She turned her head. The bonnet that framed in the face 
 was mostly white, with a few drooping pale pink buds, and 
 strings of the same color tied underneath the exquisitely 
 rounded chin. He had been used to fair, refined girls all 
 his life. In his fancy he had entertained a coarse, florid 
 idea, with bold, handsome black eyes, red cheeks, and a 
 saucy, piquant air, as belonging to this one. For a moment 
 he held his breath. 
 
 It was not a lofty, classic face, like Mabel's ; nor arch, 
 dazzling, and regular, like Lily's. The features were child- 
 ishly delicate, yet clearly cut ; the forehead broad, with 
 eyebrows that might have been pencilled by an artist ; large, 
 soft, luminous eyes, with rays like a coming sunrise prisoned 
 in their brown depths ; a transparent complexion, just re- 
 lieved by the faintest peach bloom in the cheeks, and the 
 ripe, red, beautifully curved mouth. There was a high-bred 
 air about it that would not have shamed a princess of royal 
 blood ; and yet so gentle, so beseeching and resistless, that 
 it went to Richard's heart at once. 
 
 She glanced at him first in shy surprise ; then her lip 
 quivered, her eyes drooped until the lashes made a long, 
 rich fringe upon her cheeks, that were struggling with alter- 
 nate paleness and flushing. He rose and took her hand with 
 that courtesy natural to him, and then he remarked how 
 small and faultlessly gloved it was, and that every article of 
 her attire seemed to be a part of herself. 
 
 The entrance of a customer caused Mrs. Davis's hasty re 
 f.eat. She closed the door carefully behind her. 
 
 Richard stood quite still, as if in a trance. Then he 
 noticed how the slight figure trembled as she said, depre- 
 catingly, 
 
 12*
 
 138 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 " Are you very, very angry ? " 
 
 The supplicating voice had a peculiar girlish ring and 
 richness. It made one think of wafts of meadow wind, 
 freighted with the drowsy, musical hum of bird and bee, as 
 they float homeward in purple twilight. 
 
 " Angry ? " he repeated, as if making a confused and 
 ineffectual effort to remember how she had sinned against 
 him. 
 
 " I did not know then how wrong it was for him to marry 
 me. I could only think how dearly we loved one another ; 
 but it has all failed he does not care for me now ; " and 
 the sigh with which the words ended beaded the golden- 
 brown lashes with tears. 
 
 He forgot his just indignation, his distaste of her sur- 
 roundings. Truth and honor were written on that broad, 
 white forehead the nobleness of an unstained soul. 
 
 " My poor, poor child ! it is you who are the injured 
 one ; " and he drew her tenderly to a seat beside him on 
 the wooden settle. 
 
 " Mother said you were so displeased ; and I suppose 
 I was not good enough for Robert." The sweet voice sank 
 to a desolate pathos. 
 
 " Not good enough ! child ! if he had been as pure 
 and true ! It is you who have been sinned against, not he." 
 
 She suffered her mantle to fall loosely around her shoul- 
 ders, and laid her bonnet entirely aside, displaying an abun- 
 dance of satin smooth brown hair, gathered at the back in a 
 coil of braids. 
 
 He wanted to hear her voice again ; therefore said, kindly, 
 " Will you tell me your own. story ? " 
 
 She glanced up in his face with a little shiver, mistaking 
 its gravity for sternness. Robert had inspired her with u 
 fear of this all-potent elder brother, and Mrs. Davis's account 
 of him was not of a nature to allay her apprehensions. But 
 the thought that he had a right to know gave her courage ; 
 so she began, tremulously :
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 139 
 
 " Last winter, one evening, a sleigh-riding party cama 
 here for supper. Barbara Chrisler, the girl who used to 
 assist mother evenings, was ill, and had to go home ; so I 
 came down stairs to wait upon them. There were only four, 
 and they had their supper in here. I liked Robert best, 
 because he didn't stare at me, and was less boisterous. 
 When they came to cards and wine I went away. A few 
 days after this, as I was coming from school, Robert met 
 me. He was so pleasant I could not help talking ; and 
 when we came in, mother seemed real pleased. She is not 
 my own mother, but has always been so good to me only 
 when she wanted me to stay in the shop, I couldn't;" and 
 a deep flush overspread the fair face. " At Christmas he 
 sent me some beautiful books ; and as I sat in this room, 
 generally, evenings, studying my lessons, he used to come 
 in. It was very delightful. He wanted to take me out, but 
 mother would not let him. I did not care, though ; I was so 
 happy I did not want anything more. I don't know how it 
 came, but after a while we loved one another. It was so 
 sweet ! No one had ever loved me before. I had been so 
 solitary, for mother was always busy with the shop, and 
 Barbara used to tease me, and the school-girls laughed 
 about my living in a beer-shop. I couldn't seem to help 
 giving my whole heart to Robert." 
 
 A tender, satisfied light came into her eyes, as, drawing a 
 long breath, she paused. There was a beauteous, vivid life 
 in every lineament, a womanly depth and consciousness, that 
 thrilled him as not even Mabel's half-whispered confidences 
 had done. 
 
 " He wanted to be married," she continued, as a warm 
 crimson flushed her face. " He and mother talked it all 
 over. He said his family were rich and proud, and would 
 try to keep him from marrying any one who was poor. He 
 wasn't but little over twenty, and said he couldn't wait a 
 year for the right to call me all his, and have me constantly 
 with him ; so mother consented to a private marriage. She
 
 140 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 let me have one of the rooms up stairs, and we had such a 
 nice time settling furniture and arranging everything ! We 
 were married the last of February. I couldn't think of any- 
 thing, only that Robert loved me. I was to be his always 
 to be petted and caressed, and feel safe beside him. I liked 
 belonging to him. "Was it very wrong ? " 
 
 SLe glanced up fearfully. He took the small hand in his, 
 and said, with deep feeling, " No ; it was not wrong for you 
 to give your whole heart to your husband." 
 
 " All the spring we were so happy ! He used to take me 
 out walking and driving, and when summer came, we went 
 to the country for brief journeys that were very delightful. 
 He couldn't live here all the time, you know ; and I used to 
 count the hours when he was away with such a strange feel- 
 ing ! It was all like a poem or a story, until he began to 
 bring his friends up stairs to play cards. Sometimes they 
 would stay until midnight. At first I used to leave them, 
 for I didn't like to hear their conversation ; but when I 
 found it vexed Robert, I remained in the room and read, 
 with my face turned from them. 
 
 " Then he took to staying away for days together. I 
 used to cry at first, I felt so lonesome ; and he would pet me, 
 and try to laugh rne out of my foolishness, as he called it. 
 Afterwards he grew stern, and frightened me by his strange 
 ways. One night he told me I was a troublesome baby, and 
 no comfort to him ; so I tried very hard then not to cry, 
 and always to be pleasant. Mother said men seldom loved 
 their wives so well when it grew to be an old story. It 
 seems hard, for we love them better and better every 
 day. I did not tell mother when he was cross to me. I 
 felt as if I could not have any one know it ; but at last she 
 guessed, and they had a quarrel. He was very angry when 
 he came up stairs, swore at me, and said ' he was a fool to 
 *,ake me ; that he might have known I would hang to him 
 forever, and there would be no getting rid of me.' The 
 words rang in my ears after he went away, I could not
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 141 
 
 Bleep ; I could only pray that, if he was really tired of me, I 
 might die. 
 
 " He was very good when he came next time. I couldn't 
 help loving him, but somehow it did not seem the glad 
 old love. I trembled when he spoke hastily to me, and 
 felt afraid all the time. I could see he was wearying 
 of me, and my heart grew sick with intense pain. He 
 brought me no more fruit or pretty gifts, and seemed impa- 
 tient to get away, but was never so cross again. Sunday, 
 a week ago, was the last time I saw him. He was kind and 
 gentJe, and said he had business that would take him off 
 for several weeks. I must not get lonesome in his absence, 
 but read, and walk, and keep cheerful. I had been so de- 
 pressed and miserable that even this failed to touch me. I 
 felt no more solitary at the thought of his going quite away 
 than I had with his brief, hurried visits of late. My heart 
 was so cold I could not hope for anything. Mother came 
 up afterwards, and asked me what he had said ; so I told 
 her. She was angry at him, but I begged her not to do 
 any rash thing. Since she could not make him love me 
 again, all the rest was useless. 
 
 " Saturday of that week she told me he had deserted me, 
 and gone to California ; that it wasn't at all likely I should 
 ever see him again, but he had made some provision for 
 me. She spoke of her visit to you. I felt then all was 
 over ; that love, and happiness, and bright dreams could 
 never be mine again. 0, if I could have known this before 
 I married him ! " 
 
 How utterly dreary and despairing was the pathos of her 
 voice ! The radiant light that had made her face so en- 
 chanting, a short time before, had faded into gray ashiness. 
 The very features sharpened over thoughts of heart-sick 
 agony that she could not repeat even to this kind listener. 
 
 He wanted to gather the trembling little figure to his 
 heart, to shelter her, comfort her, take her to some place of 
 rest where peaceful days might shut out the memory of thia
 
 142 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 miserable past. Not any older than Lily, perhaps ; and he 
 shivered at the thought of his sister's passing through such 
 a fearful ordeal. She was not less refined and sensitive, 
 for all her surroundings had been hard and coarse to vul- 
 garity. She had passed through the fire unharmed. Look- 
 ing in her pure face, where there was not a thought to 
 conceal, or the ability so to do, he mentally reoolved to 
 shield her from all future ill. 
 
 " My poor little girl," he said, with the grand tenderness 
 the children at home knew so well, " your summer has been 
 brief indeed. I want you to forget all that passed between 
 your mother and myself. I did not know the whole story 
 then, and judged hastily. I cannot make you entirely happy, 
 but I can share some of your burdens be a brother to you. 
 Will you trust me ? " 
 
 She could not instantly divest herself of fear. His prac- 
 tised eye detected the feverish expectation of rebuke, sweep- 
 ing through her veins with its poisonous thrill of distrust. 
 Her cheeks glittered with an unwholesome scarlet, and the 
 little hands he took in his were hot with painfully throb- 
 bing pulses. 
 
 " You must trust me," he resumed, in a low, assuring 
 tone. " I will strive to do what I can for you. Life will 
 be sad enough at the best, and you need a true friend sorely, 
 v^ould you like to go away from here ? " he asked, with a 
 sudden thought. 
 
 " 0, so much ! But where could I go ? " she responded, 
 wearily. 
 
 "I may find some pleasant place. You are tired, and 
 must not talk any more. I shall come again soon, and we 
 will plan a little for the future. Will you try to be cheerful ? " 
 
 " Thank you ; you are so kind ! " and her eyes filled with 
 tears. 
 
 He had some comfort to give with his farewell some 
 words of peace to soothe her troubled soul. Then he 
 walked slowly out into the shop.
 
 DR. BEETBAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 143 
 
 CHAPTER XYI. 
 
 Yet, O yet thyself deceive not ; 
 
 Love may sink by slow decay; 
 But by sudden wrench believe not 
 
 Hearts can thus be torn away. 
 
 BYRON. 
 
 MRS. DAVIS was leaning on her elbows, gazing into va- 
 cancy. She raised her eyes when Richard approached, and 
 said, with a significant sneer, " Well, did you tell her ? " 
 
 In spite of his effort for mastery, his face flushed, as he 
 answered with a negative motion, instead of speaking. 
 
 " I thought you couldn't. She ain't like other folks. I 
 used to think her the queerest child when she wouldn't play 
 with anybody, and kept to her high notions in spite of all I 
 could do. She's good to the back-bone, too good for a place 
 like this. I wasn't goin' to stand by and see your brother 
 fool her, though I'll bet he couldn't. But it's a sorry, sorry 
 thing that she ever listened to him at all ; and careful as I 
 was, the scamp outwitted me. I've about made up my mind 
 to say nothin' now ; mebbe her child won't live ; and when 
 she's older, 'n don't care so much for him, it won't come so 
 hard." 
 
 There was some vulgar wisdom in this. But Dr. Bertrand 
 caught at another fact. " She's not your own child," he 
 said, with a blessed sense of relief. 
 
 " No, but I'd fight for her jest as soon as if she was. I 
 don't believe any child of mine could have been so good or 
 90 han'some. A long spell ago I loved her father. If you 
 ain't in a hurry I'll tell you how I come to have her."
 
 144 IN TRUST, OB 
 
 He seated himself, and motioned her to proceed, feeling a 
 deeper interest in the story than he would have cared to own. 
 
 " You see, when I was a gal., we lived at Yarmouth, on 
 Barnstable shore. I hadn't any father 'n mother, and spun 
 for a livin'. I was young and high steppin', good lookin' 
 too, folks said, for my skin was white, and my cheeks red, 
 and my hair black and shiny as satin. I used to go to all 
 the frolics and dances ; could keep up all night, and do my 
 stint next day without a bit o' blinkin'. 
 
 " There was a young man used to go off fishin' every 
 year, that I set great store by. His name was Seth Tre- 
 maine, and his mother used to keep house alone when he 
 was gone. Mis' Tremaine and I never quite hitched horses ; 
 she was kinder religious, and thought me hity-tity, and all 
 that; but I didn't mind, long as Seth liked me. One fall 
 there was a wreck on the coast, and Seth saved a gal about 
 like her," nodding to the adjoining apartment. " All her 
 friends was lost, and no one wanted her ; so Mis' Tremaine 
 took her. She hadn't any child but Seth, and 'twas wonder- 
 ful how she loved that gal. She was a pale little thing, with 
 yellow hair, and jest sich skin as Mar'gret's. Her hands 'n 
 feet wasn't bigger than a baby's, and her talkin' was jest 
 like other folks singin'. Mar'gret's got a good deal of her 
 voice. 
 
 " Next spring Seth and me began to talk o' gettin' mar- 
 ried. I wasn't willin' to go live with Mis' Tremaine ; so Seth, 
 he went off agin, to get enough money, with what he had, to 
 build a house. I worked like a bee that summer, and was 
 chipper as a cricket ; ruther gay too, for I was fond o' com- 
 pany, and didn't see any sense in mopin', because I couldn't 
 have Seth always at my elbow. 
 
 " Next winter, somehow, Seth and me didn't get along so 
 well. He was jealous and bossy, and I was too high strung 
 to let any man trample on me. But the worst of it come 
 one night at a frolic. I'd been spinnin' for Mis' Brown, and 
 her son Hiram was cuttin' round after me. It made Seth
 
 DR. BJSBTRANI/S HOUSEHOLD. 145 
 
 mad to see him dancin' and enjoyin' himself with me ; so he 
 said, kinder short, ' he was tired of the foolin', and wanted 
 to take me home.' I told him I could have company any 
 time, and wasn't goin' till the fun was over. He spunked 
 right up, and we had a reg'lar quarrel, and he told me I 
 might take Hi, and keep him, for there was an end of all 
 between us. 
 
 " I knew Seth loved me, and thought he'd come round all 
 right afore long, so I wasn't down-hearted. He started off 
 to Nantucket to his uncle's, and I went to the north side to 
 spin ; so I never see him for three weeks, an' then it was 
 Sunday, when he come in church with his mother an' Elfy. 
 
 " I declare ! I thought I should 'a turned into stone that 
 mornin'. The parson read the banns between Elfy Howard 
 and Seth Tremaine. I'd never dreamed o' sich a thing ! 
 But I held out, and was as high-headed as you please till I 
 got home, when I had a good cry. I felt as if I couldn't 
 have it so ; I was willin' then to say anything, if 'twould 'a 
 brought him back. But I wasn't going to be laughed at ; so 
 I acted afore folks jest as though I didn't care. 
 
 " Between daylight and dark one night, I run into a sick 
 neighbor's to tidy up the house a little. Seth Tremaine come 
 with some things his marm had sent. I couldn't say much, 
 and waited a spell for him to go ; but when I found he didn't, 
 I started myself. Jest as if he'd been waitin' for that, he 
 got up and offered to see me home. I told him 'twasn't 
 wuth while ; but he put my arm in his, as if I hadn't spoken 
 a word, and we walked together silent as the grave. I 
 couldn't help thinkin' that next Sunday he was to be mar- 
 ried to that pale little thing of an Elfy. So, as we was part- 
 in' at the gate, I said, I hoped he would be happy ; but the 
 words a'most choked me, and I couldn't keep the tears from 
 my eyes. He turned my face round suddenly ; it was moon- 
 light, and he couldn't help seein' all ! 
 
 " ' Marg'ret,' says he, and his Voice had a strange, cold 
 sound, ' why didn't you have some tears ready a month ago ? 
 13
 
 146 IN TBTTST, OB 
 
 Why didn't you say then you loved me ? 'T would 'a saved 
 us both a world of trouble.' 
 
 " After a little, he went on to tell me how he come to ask 
 Elfy. His mother never 'd like me very much, and was so 
 bound up in Elfy, she coaxed him to marry her. He found 
 out too that the gal loved him, and somehow it all come 
 round, and his mother set a weddin' day right off. He 
 didn't say he loved me best, but I knew it without any tellin'. 
 He wasn't a man to go back from his word, though ; so on 
 Sunday they was married, and the next night his mother 
 give 'em a great weddin'. 
 
 " I couldn't stay at Yarmouth ; so I come to New York to 
 visit an uncle I had here. He was sick and kinder cross- 
 grained, and aunt was glad enough to have me stay and help 
 take care of him. She was always on the go with a son she'd 
 had by her first marriage, and I felt sorry for the poor old 
 man. After a spell he grew so fond b' me, he didn't want 
 any one else to come near him ; and when he died, he left me 
 five hundred dollars. I'd been with him four years. Aunt 
 wanted me to marry her son ; but he was a poor coot, and 
 fond o' drink in the bargain. I didn't like him, and wouldn't 
 have him ; so we had a spat, and I felt I must look out for a 
 new home. That very evenin' a gentleman called to see me. 
 I went down to the parlor, wonderin' who it could be, and 
 was clear beat to find Seth Tremaine. 
 
 " He was dreadful thin and pale. I knowed right off some- 
 thing 'd happened. He told me he'd seen lots of trouble. 
 A year before, his house had took fire and burned down in 
 the dead of winter, and they'd all jest escaped with their 
 lives. His inarm died a fortnight afterwards ; his little boy 
 took cold, but lingered along until spring, when he died too. 
 Elfy had a baby a few weeks old at the time of the fire, and 
 she'd never been right smart ; but after the death of the little 
 boy, she pined away, and for two months Seth had been 
 alone with his little gal, who was called Mar'gret, after me. 
 I couldn't help feelin' kind towards Elfy when I heard that.
 
 DR. BERTBAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 141 
 
 'Tain't every woman that would 'a named a child after her 
 husband's old love ! 
 
 " Seth was goin' to China now, for three years, as first 
 mate. The ship was layin' at New York, and wouldn't be 
 ready under a fortnight ; so he thought he'd hunt me up, as 
 he knew my uncle's name. We had a good long talk, and 
 then he come agin the next day, and told me he wished I'd 
 take his little gal and keep her till he got back. He said it 
 wasn't no time to talk of marryin' now, with Elfy hardly 
 cold in her grave ; but that we was the ones that should 'a 
 been together from the first, and if God spared him to come 
 back, I should be his wife. I was glad, I tell you ! It 
 seemed like the old times comin', for you see I'd never loved 
 any one but Seth. 
 
 " While he was gone after his baby, I thought I'd hunt up 
 a quiet boardin' place. Aunt was mad as a March hare when 
 she heard what I was goin' to do, and called me all the fools 
 in the world. Round the corner from our house there was 
 a little shop kept by an old woman everybody called Aunty 
 Dean. She was a good, clever soul, and I went to see if she 
 knew of any place that might suit me. She said she had a 
 spare room, and would be glad to take me in for company ; 
 so I picked up my traps and went there ; and when Seth 
 come back with his baby, he was real glad to find me so com- 
 fortable. He would make me take some money, and prom- 
 ised to send more when he wrote. I felt mightily pleased 
 to see him lookin' so cheerful before he went away. 
 
 " Marg'ret was jest like a little doll. She never cried, 
 and soon got fond of me and Aunty Dean. I was happy as 
 a bird all them two years, gettin' letters now and then, and 
 helpin' 'tend shop and sewin'. Then I began to count on 
 Seth's comin' home. I didn't get any letter for a long while, 
 but I knew he was true as steel, and kept from frettin'. 
 The baby was a great comfort to me. I believe I was fond 
 of it as if it had been my own. One day as I was wonderin', 
 Aunty Dean said,
 
 148 IN TKUST, OB 
 
 " ' I'd go to the shippin' house, if I was you, and see if 
 they'd heard anything.' 
 
 " I started off. It was a bright, shiny day, and I couldn't 
 believe there was bad news in store for me ; so I asked up, 
 chipper as you please. The men looked at each other, and 
 one of 'em said, 
 
 " ' Why, didn't you know Seth Tremaine was lost when the 
 Argos was wrecked ? ' 
 
 " The whole world went round for a minute. I seemed 
 stone blind. Then he went on to say that, three months be- 
 fore, the Argos had been wrecked, an' most all on board 
 were lost. Some one saw the cap'n an' the mate go down 
 together. It didn't seem a bit true at first, and I went on 
 watchin' for him ; but when three years and four years was 
 gone, I gave up, and got low-spirited. I couldn't care for 
 anything. Then Aunty Dean took sick, and I nursed her for 
 a long while, keepin' house and shop ; but Marg'ret was such 
 a handy little thing, she helped more'n she hindered. When 
 Aunty Dean died, she left me five hundred dollars ; and then 
 I begun to think over agin what I must do, for you see I had 
 Marg'ret to take care of an' eddicate. Her father had put all 
 his money in the ship, and that was lost as well as him. So 
 I come up here, and found this house for sale cheap, and 
 bought it. There wasn't anything I could do besides keep 
 shop, and the woman who lived up stairs advised me to sell 
 liquor, as it was a good deal better business than thread and 
 needles. 
 
 " Marg'ret was eight years old then. I don't know what 
 come over the child. She was smart enough, and minded 
 all I told her ; but if any one in the shop chucked her under 
 the chin, or called her han'som, she'd cry as if her heart was 
 broken. She seemed too good for common folks ; and when 
 I scolded her, she'd look up with jest sich eyes as her father's, 
 and I couldn't say a word. But it was an awful bother to 
 me, for I couldn't stir a step without gettin' some one to 
 come in an' stay ; and I found she wasn't goin' to be the slight-
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 149 
 
 est help to me as she grew up, she was so 'fraid of bein' 
 looked at. All she cared for was her books. So when she 
 and your brother fell so desputly in love, I thought mebbe 
 the best thing I could do would be to let 'em marry. She 
 was good enough for any man, if she wasn't rich." 
 
 Dr. Bertrand understood what she would have been 
 ashamed to put in words that she had begun to consider 
 Margaret a burden. Yet she had dealt nobly with her rival's 
 child, simply because she was a link between her old lover 
 and herself ; for there could be no true assimilation between 
 such widely different characters. As the romance of her early 
 womanhood became blunted by coarse contact with the world, 
 her nature had hardened, lost its innate consciousness of 
 better things, while the child had increased in refinement 
 and purity. Yet it was like finding a dove in the nest of a 
 hawk. 
 
 " Would you be willing to part with her if you kniw she 
 was well taken care of?" he asked. 
 
 " I've been thinkin' about boardin' her away somewhere. 
 This ain't jest the place for her, and she don't like it; besides, 
 I can't take care of a family. I'm goin' to get a gal to 'tend 
 shop, and her mother wants that room up stairs ; so I think 
 you'd be doin' a kindness to take her away. But I'm bound 
 to see her well treated, for she's got money enough to last 
 a while, anyhow." 
 
 " I will call again in a few days," was his abrupt an- 
 nouncement. " In the mean while, say nothing about her 
 unfortunate marriage. G-ood morning ; " and he turned into 
 the street. 
 
 A sensation of relief stole over him, a mingled emotion 
 of pleasure and pain ; and then, as his thoughts recurred to 
 Robert, a total revulsion of feeling swept over him. He had 
 considered him foolishly wicked before ; now it was the 
 blackest treachery. The woman's unwise haste to rid her- 
 self of Margaret had made the path easier ; but what must 
 he be who could betray this innocent child so cruelly, when 
 13*
 
 150 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 she had laid her heart at his feet in all the. honor and truth 
 of pure womanhood ? 
 
 He was thankful she did not love Robert with the absorb- 
 ing passion of her first dreams. She would suffer less in the 
 dreary desolation that lay before her. She was still a child. 
 What might have proved a strong and lasting regard had 
 been checked by coldness and neglect ; and when the thor- 
 ough woman in her woke to active being, her heart would 
 have some blighted leaves in its unfolding, but nothing that 
 would need hold her back from any new joy God might send. 
 He could not tell why this should comfort him ; he only knew 
 it did, and accepted the fact unquestioningly. Yet, as he 
 walked slowly down Broadway, revolving these thoughts in 
 his mind, he did not feel quite conscience-clear. He had 
 been weak, hasty, and partial glad to think money could 
 absolve Robert from all claims. Unwittingly he had helped 
 the betrayer against the betrayed. His heart smote him 
 bitterly. Was it indeed too late ? 0, if he could persuade 
 Robert to return for one brief act of justice ! 
 
 Under any circumstances Mother Davis's was no proper 
 place for Margaret. He must provide a new home with some 
 one whose kindness and discretion were undoubted out of 
 the reach of idle gossip, yet not too far from him. He could 
 not yield her entirely to stranger hands. Who would take 
 a motherly interest in this poor, friendless child ? 
 
 For several days he revolved the perplexing subject. Mabel 
 wondered to see him so entirely pre-occupied. But he had 
 never been tenderer to the children. 
 
 Some conversation he was holding with a patient one day 
 concerning a nurse, recalled to his mind a lady his father had 
 placed great confidence in a childless widow, who had for- 
 merly supported herself by attending the sick. About the 
 time of Dr. Bertrand's death she had removed to a pretty 
 country place, in order to take care of her father-in-law, who 
 had been left entirely alone by the death of his last daughter. 
 She possessed one of those full, cheerful natures that invari-
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 151 
 
 ably carry sunshine with them at every step. He had called 
 occasionally at the little cottage, when business took him in 
 that direction, for Mr. Wilcox was both old and infirm. He 
 knew, too, that the daughter-in-law eked out her small in- 
 come by taking a boarder or two in the summer. The season 
 would be over now, and he might persuade her to take charge 
 of Margaret. She would be trusty and kind ; the place waa 
 secluded, yet with Mrs. Wilcox one could hardly be lone- 
 some. It was worth trying, at all events.
 
 152 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 O sweet, pale Margaret ! 
 
 O rare, pale Margaret ! 
 What lit your eyes with tearful power, 
 Like moonlight on a falling shower? 
 Who lent you, love, your mortal dower ? 
 
 TENNYSON. 
 
 THE sun was going westward as Dr. Bertrand rode 
 through the main street of the pretty town of Orange, 
 turned to the right, and passed Llewellyn Park, whose 
 short, crisp grass and groups of beautiful trees were tinted 
 with the tawny hues of an autumn sunset. The bright yel- 
 lows and flaming reds of the ripening leaves gave a warm 
 coloring to the lovely landscape. He only glanced at it ; in 
 his heart rang an echo of cool, sweet tones, more musical 
 than this plashing wayside brook ; and the vision of a sad, 
 tender face came between him and this dreamy beauty. 
 
 He turned down a by-road, and soon paused before a lit- 
 tle tasteful cottage, almost hidden by two giant sycamores, 
 through which you caught glimpses of a pointed roof and a 
 vine-covered porch. There was a small front yard, gay 
 with late flowers of brilliant beauty ; and a wide piazza at 
 the side, with two entrances one nearly in the centre, the 
 other at the farther end. 
 
 He fastened his horse, and walked up the path, bordered 
 with scarlet geraniums. Old Mr. Wilcox sat in the hall, 
 his withered hands clasped over the head of his cane. His 
 face was placid, and his kind blue eyes still shone with 
 human interest, though the silver of nearly fourscore years 
 rested on his straggling locks. 
 
 " Good evening, Dr. Bertram!. I'm glad to see you
 
 DK. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 153 
 
 once again ; " and he shook hands, warmly, calling, a mo- 
 ment after, " Mary ! " 
 
 Mrs. Wilcox answered the summons. Fair, rosy, and 
 well kept, with a genial face and hearty, pleasing voice. 
 
 " Why, Dr. Bertrand, what a surprise ! You are a great 
 stranger ; " and she placed a chair for him. 
 
 There was some general conversation, which happened to 
 turn at length on the fine season it had been for fruit ; and 
 Mr. Wilcox proposed Mary should take the doctor through 
 the garden, and see if she could not find a peach or a pear 
 for him. He rose with alacrity. 
 
 " Father is childish about the garden," she exclaimed, 
 with a smile. " But we have done remarkably well with it 
 this summer." 
 
 " I am obliged to him for sending us out," Richard re- 
 turned. " I wanted to see you particularly, and ask a great 
 favor." 
 
 " A favor ? " she repeated, in surprise. 
 
 " Yes ; are your boarders gone ? " 
 
 " They leave next week. Old Mrs. McLean is very fee- 
 ble. I doubt if she ever comes again." 
 
 " Would you object to having any one through the winter ?" 
 
 " dear, no. Winter is a lonely time with me. I can't 
 leave father, except to run into the nearest neighbor's, and 
 sometimes I feel quite lost. My old life used to be so 
 busy ! " 
 
 " I must tell my story first, and then trust your kindness. 
 There is scarcely any one else I could apply to, except a 
 perfect stranger." Then, after a long pause, he simply 
 said, " Robert was privately married last February," and 
 gave the main incidents of neglect and desertion. He spoke 
 touchingly of Margaret her youth, her friendlessness, 
 her unfavorable surroundings, ^and the urgent necessity of 
 her being in good hands ; ending with, " It would be utterly 
 impossible for me to take her home at this juncture, even if 
 1 wanted to."
 
 154 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 "Even if he wanted to ! " That, to Mrs. Wilcox, impli'ed 
 his unwillingness. She fancied she understood Dr. Ber- 
 trand's feelings. Robert's wife was not just the woman he 
 cared to have on an equality with his sisters, but his gener- 
 ous disposition would not allow him to act in the heartless 
 manner Robert had. Her pity was deeply stirred, and after 
 a few perplexing revolutions of her mind, she said, 
 
 " Yes ; I think I could take her." 
 
 The expression of relief in Richard's face repaid her. 
 
 " Thank you a thousand times ! " he exclaimed, warmly. 
 " I wish you could see her first ; but, believe me, it will be 
 quite impossible not to take her to your heart at once." 
 
 " Your recommendation is amply sufficient. I only hope 
 she will be satisfied." 
 
 " I can answer for her. When may she come ? " 
 
 " The 1st of October, if she pleases. And your frequent 
 visits will be a decided comfort. Indeed," she continued, 
 wanning with her subject, since she had resolved upon it, 
 " you may set your heart entirely at rest about the secret. 
 Her coming from New York will cover all questions ; and I 
 have no very curious acquaintances here." 
 
 " You have done me an invaluable kindness," Richard 
 said, in a heartfelt tone. " You are sharing a great bur- 
 den with me." 
 
 So the next morning he went to New York with a lighter 
 heart. His impatience to see Margaret was so great that 
 he could hardly endure settling the preliminaries with Mrs. 
 Davis, though she readily relinquished Margaret to his care. 
 
 He hurried up stairs to the child's room. How neat and 
 faultless its appointments were ! The daintily flowered car- 
 pet, the light, graceful chairs, a red and white willow work- 
 stand, books and pictures ; nothing very costly, but all things 
 evincing true and elegant taste. And there was Margaret, 
 robed in a French print, with pale tinted ground and minut- 
 est flowers in lovely coloring. At the throat and wrists it 
 was relieved with soft ruffles, and instead of a brooch, she
 
 DK. BEBTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 155 
 
 wofe a deep, velvety rose and bud. Her hair was smooth 
 and glossy ; her feet, in tiny resetted slippers, seemed the 
 extreme of neatness. There was such a regard for finish in 
 detail about her, that Richard wondered how she had man- 
 aged to retain her love of order and beauty in this place. 
 
 She was shy and distant this morning. Indeed, she could 
 not divest herself of a feeling that Dr. Bertrand was dis- 
 pleased, and justly so, at her imprudent marriage with his 
 brother. Mrs. Davis's present haste to consign her to other 
 hands wounded her deeply. From the grave face before 
 her she judged every duty would be steadfastly performed, 
 and having brought this sorrow and care upon him, all she 
 could do was to acquiesce in his arrangements. She listened 
 with quiet deference, and passively assented, without imagin- 
 ing regard as well as duty actuated him. It was not pos- 
 sible, she thought, for him to do more than forgive her ; so, 
 wrapping herself in the garment of humiliation, she took up 
 her cross in silence, the pathetic wail of another burdened 
 soul floating through hers with the pitiful cry, 
 
 " O, do whate'er thou wilt ! I will be silent." 
 
 Dr. Bertrand misunderstood her resignation, and felt a 
 little disappointed. She, too, failed to read in his grave 
 face the almost boundless kindness of his heart. So the 
 interview was not as pleasant as the former one. But he 
 was more than ever anxious to have her under Mrs. Wil- 
 cox's care. 
 
 The brief interval before her departure always seemed 
 like a dream to Margaret. She scarcely crossed the thresh- 
 old 'of the room where she had learned those strange, 
 terrible lessons love, trust betrayed, hopes blighted and 
 broken ; the solitary anguish of the soul that cries through 
 black, bitter midnight, receiving no response ; the cruel, 
 lingering death of the heart's first sweet bliss. For she felt 
 love was indeed dead. Stranger hands would take him out 
 to his burial when she left this room ; yet, until then, she
 
 156 IN XEUST, OR 
 
 could cast regretful glances in the narrow coffin. She 
 neither longed for, nor expected, Robert's return. As she 
 took down the pictures, she remembered the white, firm 
 hands that had hung them, soft fingers that had threaded 
 her hair, or held captive her little face until she kissed her 
 way out to freedom. And here he had written in her books, 
 " Margaret," " Maggie," " Madge." How beautifully clear 
 and bold the letters were ! It was like looking over relics 
 of the dead ; and when they were all packed, she experi- 
 enced the desolate sensation of one after a funeral. 
 
 Mrs. Davis was to accompany them to Orange. Much as 
 Dr. Bertrand disliked it, he considered it a duty, and re- 
 solved to perform his part pleasantly. But his brow con- 
 tracted when she attired herself in a light gay-colored shawl, 
 whose glaring flowers startled him. 
 
 As if Margaret read the thought, she remarked, quietly, 
 
 " I think I would wear the brown one, mother"; it is a 
 chilly day, and that will not be warm enough." 
 
 " La, child, how you do like that dull old thing ! This 
 is a sight han'somer ; " but nevertheless she made the ex- 
 change. 
 
 Margaret was unexceptionable. Her paleness showed 
 through her veil, and her voice sounded unnatural ; but her 
 step did not waver. Mrs. Davis was chief conversationalist, 
 and Richard felt thankful the journey was not long, and that 
 he met no acquaintances. 
 
 Mrs. Wilcox's flower-garden was still in bloom, but the 
 path rustled with fallen leaves. Some tempting purple 
 clusters remained on the grape-vine, and a hardy scarlet- 
 runner clung to the porch in all its glory of bright berries. 
 The mistress met them on the piazza, and was too well-bred 
 to make any distinction in her greeting. She had Marga- 
 ret's trunks sent immediately to her room, and ushering the 
 others into the parlor, said, in a low tone, to her, " Would 
 you like to take a glimpse of your new abode while you are 
 laying off your bonnet and cloak ? "
 
 mi. BERTEAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 157 
 
 Margaret followed her guide. The room was large, with 
 two windows fronting the street, and two overlooking the 
 porch, and from thence the garden below. The walls were 
 covered with tasteful paper, the snowy curtains drawn back 
 by crimson cords : a pretty lounge in daniask, a low rocking 
 chair, and the French bedstead, with its pure white belong- 
 ings, first attracted her glance. The door of the little stove 
 was partially open, and the ruddy glow of coals shone out 
 warmly, giving a sense of home-like comfort. 
 
 " Let me assist you," Mrs. Wilcox exclaimed, anxious for 
 a nearer view of the face hidden behind the veil. " I hope 
 you will like your new home. I shall do everything in my 
 power to make it happy for you." 
 
 " Thank you. You are very kind," Margaret managed 
 to say, as she raised her pleading, timid eyes, swimming in 
 tears, in spite of her efforts at self-control. 
 
 " My poor child ! " Mrs. Wilcox's sympathy rushed out 
 with the fond, motherly clasp, that pillowed Margaret's 
 throbbing temples on her bosom. "You are tired and 
 frightened. Presently we'll have a cup of tea, and a nice, 
 cheerful talk. Then, if you like, I'll help you unpack. I 
 want to be your friend as much for your own sake as for 
 Dr. Bertrand's, though I have known him many a long 
 year." 
 
 Margaret pressed a yearning, convulsive kiss on the hands 
 that enfolded her. Mrs. Wilcox substituted her warm face 
 instead, and returned the caress fondly. 
 
 " Now, I will show you about a little," she said, cheerily, 
 as she remarked the almost hysteric sob that half strangled 
 Margaret. "-Here is your wardrobe ; and here," opening 
 the door to another closet, "you will find all washing con- 
 veniences. I suppose we may as well leave everything until 
 your friends are gone, however." 
 
 Dr. Bertrand would have been surprised had he seen 
 the effort .of Margaret's mental nature to rule the physical. 
 A stratum of subtle strength ran through this fine soul, like 
 14
 
 158 IN TRUST, OK 
 
 flame coior in an opal, visible only in certain lights. It 
 was susceptibility, and not weakness, that made her choose 
 silence ; a knowledge that the external breakdown would be 
 more painful to her tense nerves, than this inward anguish 
 that was torturing her soul with inquisitorial pangs. Her 
 deepest feelings shrank from witnesses. 
 
 " Will you please send Mrs. Davis up," she asked, when 
 she could steady her voice. " I think it would gratify her 
 to see my room ; and they have only a few moments, as they 
 wish to catch the return train." 
 
 Mrs. Wilcox obeyed her behest immediately. 
 
 " Well, I declare ! " and the voice sounded coarser than 
 ever, amid these quiet surroundings, as Mrs. Davis took a 
 survey ; " you've got everything nice and slick hain't you ? 
 and your landlady seems a proper clever creetur. It's 
 enough sight nicer than the shop ; that never did seem the 
 place for you ! I hope you'll be contented. But, Marg'ret, 
 if things don't go straight, or Dr. Bertrand gets offish, 
 you can come back any time ; it's your home when you want 
 it. I've tried to be a mother to you, but we wasn't made 
 alike." 
 
 ** You have been very kind, I am sure." 
 
 " If your father 'd lived, 'twould all 'a been different. I 
 shouldn't worked so hard, and might 'a had time to smart 
 up, and be a lady. But land ! it's all spilt milk. And here's 
 suthin' for you the money Dr. Bertrand give me. You 
 hold on to it, child ; it's two thousand dollars and over." 
 
 Margaret drew back, and said, with loftiness, " Give it 
 back to him,' 9 
 
 " He hain't no business whatever with it. It's best to 
 keep a close watch over your own. Nobody knows jest 
 what's before 'em ; " and she crowded the money into Mar- 
 garet's hand. 
 
 " I s'pose it's about time for us to start. Now, keep chip- 
 per, and don't get humsick ; and if you want anything o' me, 
 jest write a line."
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 159 
 
 " Thank you. And you must come to see me." 
 
 " It's kinder hard for me to get away, you know; but I'll 
 come in a minute if you send for me." 
 
 They went down stairs together. Richard looked quite 
 cheerful. Mrs. Wilcox's account had been better than he 
 hoped for, and very satisfactory. The farewells were neces- 
 sarily brief. 
 
 As they were riding back to the depot, Mrs. Davis re- 
 lieved her mind of its last charges. Glad as she was to shift 
 her burden into other hands, her conscience demanded full- 
 est satisfaction from Margaret's new protector, and it was 
 cheerfully given. 
 
 Margaret lingered at the window long after the sound of 
 wheels had died away. Her pale face drooped and grew 
 inexpressibly mournful, as the new sense of desolation stole 
 over her. Every tie of past life had been rudely broken. 
 She was among strangers, and the existence lying before 
 her must of necessity be different from anything her narrow 
 experience had yet met with. She appeared floating out on 
 a dim, uncertain sea, with no guide. 
 
 Mrs. Wilcox came in with some fragrant tea. It was her 
 great panacea. Then she proposed they should go at the 
 unpacking, and bustled about with good-natured solicitude, 
 just sufficient to keep Margaret from relapsing into entire 
 silence. The trunks were emptied and consigned to a closet, 
 the dresses hung up, the bureau filled, the books and pic- 
 tures laid on the lounge. Then she went for a pretty set of 
 swinging shelves, which she hung up in a recess. 
 
 " How nice ! " Margaret exclaimed ; and an air of interest 
 began to blossom faintly in her face, as she arranged her 
 books. Then she placed her cologne bottles of Bohemian 
 glass on the bureau, and stood her bouquet-holders on the 
 mantel-piece. Already the room began to wear a familiar 
 look. These inanimate friends had no tendrils to be severed 
 by removal ; they smiled as familiarly here as in the place
 
 160 IN TKUST, OK 
 
 where they had been added one by one to form a group of 
 household treasures. 
 
 " Now I must go down and prepare supper," Mrs. Wilcox 
 said, cheerfully, " and afterwards we will attend to the pic- 
 tures. When the bell rings, you will know I am ready for 
 you ; " and, as she passed out, she dropped a tender kiss on 
 Margaret's forehead. 
 
 The child sat down before the stove, and mused in the 
 falling twilight. Yet it was not so much thought, as that 
 quiet abstraction from all thought a contented idleness. 
 The tinkle of the bell -gave her a sudden pang, as if it had 
 come too soon. 
 
 She found Mrs. Wilcox in the hall, and was ushered into 
 a pleasant apartment, glowing with lamp-light. The table 
 was neatly arranged, and Mr. Wilcox already seated in his 
 arm-chair. He bowed his white head, and held out his fee- 
 ble hand to the new comer, with a gracious welcome. 
 
 Margaret was too tired to eat, but she thawed out of her 
 shyness a little at the sound of the motherly voice, so solicit- 
 ous for her comfort. She remained down stairs until the tea 
 things were put away. Then Mr. Wilcox read in a trembling 
 voice the evening psalms, and offered a brief prayer. It 
 was at once new and soothing to Margaret, and seemed to 
 relieve the weary, desolate oppression. After bestowing 
 him safely in bed, Mrs. Wilcox fastened doors and windows, 
 and they went up stairs again. 
 
 " I'm going to show you the place," Mrs. Wilcox said, as 
 she went on, lamp in hand, opening the door into a wide 
 passage, at one end of which stood a bedstead and a few 
 chairs, and at the other a door. " This is our back stair- 
 way, and leads down to the kitchen ; and here's my room. 
 You see we can leave the doors open between, if you like," 
 and then I can hear you if you speak. There's only one 
 sleeping-room down stairs, and it is more convenient for 
 father. I had this hole cut in the floor, so that I could listen
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 161 
 
 whenever I woke, to see if he was safe. He always keeps 
 a little bell on his table, in case he wants anything during 
 the night. You see I can keep good watch over you both ; 
 and, my dear, I hope you'll soon feel at home ; I want you 
 to go around wherever you like. You'll never disturb me 
 by coming down, when I'm busy in the kitchen. Indeed, 
 you seem so like a child, I can hardly realize that you are 
 married." 
 
 After that tour of inspection, the pictures were hung, and 
 they sat down to a chatty conversation, which, being about 
 Dr. Bertrand's family, was deeply interesting to Margaret. 
 Mrs. Wilcox had known them a long while, but never 
 very intimately. The circumstances attending the death of 
 the father, and the noble conduct of the son, were eloquent 
 themes to her. Richard would have been amused if he had 
 heard himself described as such a hero. 
 
 " The old doctor was not so rich as people supposed," 
 Mrs. Wilcox went on. " Richard decided to assist in taking 
 care of the children ; and the lady he was engaged to marry 
 an heiress, by the by -was so offended, that she broke 
 with him, and married a richer person. I don't know what 
 kind of" a heart she could have had. I would have waited 
 years for any one so noble and generous. Indeed, if she 
 had loved him truly, it would have been quite impossible for 
 her ever to love another." 
 
 Margaret was glad to hear these details. She understood 
 now why his face was grave, his voice unconsciously sad. 
 He knew the bitter pain of desertion, renunciation. His 
 heart had been wounded by neglect and coldness. She felt 
 herself irresistibly drawn towards him, more deeply than if 
 he had been perfectly happy ; and she almost envied his 
 sisters the blessed privilege of comforting him. 
 
 Afterwards, when she was nestled among the snowy pil- 
 lows, watching the moon as it stole slantwise through the 
 low windows, she thought of his kindness to her, and how, 
 14*
 
 162 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 unwittingly, she had helped to increase his burdens. She 
 tried to believe the stormy scene described by Mrs. Davis 
 much exaggerated. She could fancy him grieved, sorrowful, 
 almost heart-broken, but not angry. 0, would she ever be 
 able to express the gratitude welling up in her heart like 
 a royal flood, drowning out distrust, coldness, and want 
 of faith ? And then she thought, with Mrs. Wilcox, that 
 the woman who once truly loved him could never love 
 another. 
 
 And what were Richard's reveries ? Now that the excite- 
 ment was in some degree over, and he began to feel satisfied 
 with Margaret's surroundings, he looked the future straight 
 in the face, and asked himself, for the first time, if he had done 
 wisely. A curious sort of fate had urged him on ; indeed, 
 the merely common impulses of a humanity generous as his 
 could not but have given rise to the tenderest pity for one 
 situated as Margaret was. With him all nobler feelings lived 
 a full, active life. He could never pass by on the other side, 
 whether the case were trivial, or of urgent need ; and now he 
 had committed himself irrevocably to a labyrinthine path, 
 where circumstances only could be his guide. He pondered 
 the subject earnestly. There was one more step he really 
 owed Margaret for his hasty verdict against her. Opening 
 his desk, he drew forth some paper, and began a letter to 
 Robert a strong, earnest plea in behalf of the wronged girl. 
 After detailing the steps he had taken, and expressing his 
 deepest regret that in a hasty moment he had been per- 
 suaded to espouse so flagrant a wrong, he implored Robert 
 to hasten home, and offer the only reparation in his power. 
 It was eloquent with truest, tenderest pleading. As he 
 wrote, desire became faith with him; he must have it so. 
 Living, burning words thronged to his pen, such as one uses 
 only in the great exigencies of life. 
 
 Weeks must elapse before it could be sent ; yet it was a 
 relief to have it done. Then he could resign himself to 
 dreams of the sweet face
 
 DE. BERTBAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 163 
 
 " like twilight fair, 
 Like twilight too her dusky hair." 
 
 Nothing that bewildered with Murillo coloring, or stood 
 out with the force of 'carven stone. It was a face one 
 longed to see at a pleasant fireside, smiling with rare, quiet 
 happiness. It seemed the more lovely because memory 
 was unable to portray it with salient points, and shrouded it 
 in shadowy indistinctness.
 
 164 IN TBTJST, OK 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Blest softness ! little hand and little cheek ! 
 This is a touch so sweet, a blessed touch ; 
 There is love in it love that will not change 
 JOANNA I 
 
 O, let my weakness have an end ; 
 Give unto me, made lowly wise, 
 The spirit of self-sacrifice. 
 
 WORDSWORTH. 
 
 IT was a bleak, dreary afternoon in early December. 
 Little, hard pellets of snow drove in fitful gusts through a 
 biting air, that did not in the least encourage their descent. 
 The fierce wind rattled the leafless branches together, or 
 whirled the dry leaves in little eddies before scattering them, 
 and the rocky ground gave back the clatter of wagon wheels. 
 
 Margaret's room was warm and cheerful, even in its solemn 
 stillness. Most of the shutters were closed, and the fire 
 gleam made a grateful, rosy twilight. The air had an 
 aromatic smell, as of powerful restoratives, and on the 
 pillow lay a thin, white face, framed in with clustering 
 brown hair. The blue-veined lids were closed, and the 
 golden-fringed lashes rayed orer cheeks of marble. The 
 small, stirless mouth had lost its ripe hue. The repose 
 looked painfully like death. 
 
 Dr. Bertrand bent over her noiselessly ; but by an acute 
 intuition her languid eyes unclosed. 
 
 " I must leave you now," he said, in a voice sorrowfully 
 sweet. " You must be very good and quiet, and not worry 
 about anything. I shall be up again on Thursday."
 
 BB. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 165 
 
 He passed his cool hand over her forehead, and then took 
 her passive fingers in a clasp gentle, but tenderly strong. 
 ^He had been fighting with death for her, and she knew what 
 that clasp expressed. A peaceful light stole over her face, 
 a trust that told each had fathomed the depths of the other's 
 heart. 
 
 He went out quietly. She listened to the last footfall, 
 then weakly and weariedly turned a little. She could not 
 see the soft, pinky flesh her hand lingered over with a thrill 
 of deliciousness ; she only knew it was hers a part of her 
 own life. She cried gently, in a transport of love, pity, and 
 grief. 
 
 " baby," she said, in murmurous, broken tones, " how 
 kind, how good he is ! And yet, I almost wish we had died. 
 We should have had each other in heaven, and God would 
 have loved us, poor and weak as we are. For, my darling, 
 papa, with his handsome face and bright eyes, will never 
 come back to us. He has ceased to care for us ; and it's so 
 dreary, dreary ! But I am crying, when I promised to be 
 good and quiet ! baby, you can never know how Dr. 
 Bertrand has comforted me ; if papa had only been like 
 him ! " 
 
 She found the baby's hand, and was holding it with cling- 
 ing tenderness, when Mrs. Wilcox came up. The kind- 
 hearted woman did not question the traces of tears she 
 found on her patient's face, but bathed them away with 
 fragrant water, and took her place as nurse and watcher. 
 
 Dr. Bertrand pursued his homeward way through the 
 chilly gray air, musing on the new link that should have 
 bound his brother to Margaret. They had heard once from 
 the wanderer a gay, chatty epistle, describing his voyage, 
 the new home, and his situation, which was quite to his 
 liking. Not a word that could be construed into regret for 
 the past. "Don't distress yourself for me, dear Dick, best 
 brother in the world," were its concluding words. 
 
 Richard had despatched his letter immediately, leaving
 
 166 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 the children to write at their leisure ; and now he was 
 anxiously awaiting a reply. 
 
 More than anxiously. A sick, impatient feverishness waa 
 stealing through his veins. If he had desired a reconcilia- 
 tion at first, how much more now, when he had fathomed 
 the depth of Margaret's nature, its exceeding purity, its 
 affluent tenderness ! He wanted the tie between them rightly 
 established, in order that he might bring the fond sisters to 
 her side, and give her a place in the household. 
 
 And then he wondered if Margaret loved his brother. 
 Since the day on which she had so simply and truthfully con- 
 fided to him the story of her brief, bright dream, no moan 
 of desolation, no imploring prayer, had reached him. Indeed, 
 she rarely spoke of Robert. In her first moment of moth- 
 erly pride and love, she had said, tremulously, " You will 
 write to him for baby's sake ; " but she had no prayer for 
 herself. A subtle pride, like minute steely points, kept 
 guard around her heart, and forbade her to kneel where she 
 had once been spurned. 
 
 The lights were burning brightly in his own happy home. 
 Mabel met him with an eager caress. She did not know why 
 he held her so tightly in his arms, kissing her again and 
 again, and never releasing her until he stood in the library, 
 contemplating his dressing-gown and slippers. 
 
 " I was so afraid you wouldn't come ! Are you very 
 tired ? Shall I bring your dinner and a cup of fresh tea in 
 here ? " 
 
 " If you please." He glanced at her with a restless long- 
 ing. 0, what a comfort it would be to share his secret with 
 her ! 
 
 The children came in, uttering pathetic complaints of how 
 much they had missed him. When the dishes were sent 
 away, Tessy slipped into her old place on his knee, and 
 leaned her soft, peachy cheek against his. 
 
 " It begins to snow terrifically ! " exclaimed Archie ; 
 " and, Dick, for a wonder, there's but two calls on the ofiice 
 slate."
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 16V 
 
 " But you won't go out again ? " Mabel entreated, in her 
 soft voice. 
 
 " No ; I shall shelter myself in the bosom of my/amily 
 for this night, unless something extremely urgent comes." 
 
 For once there did not. They sang, talked, and relapsed 
 into contented silence. Kichard put a new face among them, 
 and smiled inwardly over its spiritual loveliness, that dis- 
 armed criticism, and made a picture finer and higher than 
 mere physical beauty. 
 
 Margaret recovered slowly. The baby was strong, healthy, 
 and occasionally tried his lungs in a manner that quite fright- 
 ened his mother ; but he was amenable to Mrs. Wilcox's 
 magic. Richard could not think of giving up regular visits, 
 and he was pleased with the color that fluttered in Marga- 
 ret's face when he promised to come twice a week hereafter. 
 Mrs. Wilcox was fairly absorbed in her charge, and never 
 weary of praising the pale young mother, so like a child 
 herself. 
 
 . Christmas passed in happy festivities. Then letters from 
 Robert, a great thick packet, " worth waiting for," as Martin 
 declared. 
 
 " Dear Robin," Lily said, proudly. " Isn't he a good boy 
 to write to us all ? " 
 
 Richard took his into the office for a quiet perusal. His 
 anxiety respecting it had grown almost insupportable. He 
 read, 
 
 " Dear, tender-hearted Dick ! It's a shame that old hag 
 of a Mother Davis could not have let you alone. I ought 
 to have stipulated that you shouldn't go near them, for I 
 might have known you would fall among thieves. That girl 
 has bewitched you ! We did splendidly by them better 
 than they had any right to expect ; and now to have her 
 saddled upon you is unendurable. Yet you were foolishly 
 quixotic and hasty. What a sermon you wrote, though ! 
 Did you really think I would ' fly on the wings of the wind 
 and kneel at the feet of my charmer in penitential attitude ?
 
 168 .IN T&UST, OK 
 
 No, Dick, that boyish folly has cost me too much already. I 
 cannot consent to sacrifice my life to it. 
 
 " I am very sorry you thought it necessary to change her 
 residence. Mother Davis would have managed better, and 
 soon have taken the squeamish notions out of her. As it is, 
 you have placed yourself in a pretty predicament. The girl 
 has not the slightest legal claim on me, you well know. 
 I'm not sure but she was leagued with Mother Davis to 
 entrap me ; for they thought me made of money. I feel 
 perfectly free to marry, and bring my true wife home any 
 time ; so don't put that thing in the way, or I shall feel 
 bound to take matters in rny own hands immediately. 
 
 " I'll confess I was infatuated about Margaret at first ; and 
 the old woman's thwarting me, and holding out marriage 
 continually, made me fool enough to run my head in a noose. 
 But I soon grew sick of the whole affair ; and I tell you 
 truly, Dick, if I was tied to such a baby for life, I should 
 hate the very sight of her. So consider yourself answered. 
 I never can and never will marry her." 
 
 There was more in a similar strain. I think Richard 
 could have forgiven angry denunciations better than this 
 easy, cruel heartlessness. No regret for the pure life he had 
 blighted ! Only a boyish folly ! He pressed his hands to 
 his throbbing temples, to stay the tide of indignant blood. 
 The great passions of life rushed through his soul like lava 
 streams, scorching, withering his regard for his brother. 
 He knew now what made men duellists and bitter misan- 
 thropes. Then he paused suddenly, amazed to see whither 
 this whirl of feeling had led him. Could he forgive ? Could 
 he love his brother, " whoai he had seen " ? Could he be 
 merciful ? 
 
 There was a great struggle within the man ; but his better 
 nature, or God speaking through that nature, gave him 
 strength. 
 
 He was humbled and saddened. He prayed for patience, 
 for wisdom, and, above all, for charity. He would have much
 
 DR. EERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 1(50 
 
 need of them all. He must take up his burden alone. 
 Whether rightly or wrongly, he had accepted it, and could 
 see no escape, without bringing upon Margaret an agony of 
 humiliation. He did not realize until now how strongly he 
 had hoped Robert would accept his view of the matter. 
 The keen, bitter disappointment tore his soul with anguish. 
 
 Lily tapped 'at the door, and asked, " May we come in, 
 Dick?" 
 
 " Not now, dear. We'll look over the letters in the 
 morning." How forced and hollow his voice sounded, even 
 to himself! 
 
 By the next steamer Robert sent again. He had signed 
 the deed relinquishing all further right to his father's prop- 
 erty, and also enclosed a check for a hundred dollars, ex- 
 plaining it with these words : " I told you, Dick, that your 
 generosity should not be forgotten by me, and I mean to 
 keep my word. But my advice to you is, to get rid of Mar- 
 garet as soon as possible. It maddens me to think what a 
 fool you have been." 
 
 Give up Margaret ! No, no. Secrecy and suffering first. 
 "Sufficient for the day was. the evil thereof." He would 
 borrow no more trouble, but trust in God to make this 
 crooked path straight. If he had sinned in not telling the 
 whole truth, it was for another's sake. 
 
 " Mrs. Bertrand has been down stairs," was Mrs. Wilcox's 
 greeting to Richard*, one bright January morning. " She 
 begins to look quite like herself. And father is delighted 
 with the baby he absolutely has learned to smile ; " which 
 was a great accomplishment for such a grave-looking baby. 
 
 Richard ran up to Margaret's room. She sat in a low 
 chair, dressed in a pretty crimson wrapper, the color lending 
 a pinky glow to her face. Baby was perched on her knee, 
 though it required both arms to steady him. He certainly 
 gave promise of rare beauty Margaret's face in a bold, de- 
 cided style. He had the expression and development of a 
 much older child ; a skin of marble-like whiteness, and a 
 15
 
 170 IN TKUST, OK 
 
 high, broad forehead, with deep, soft eyes, that seemed able 
 to penetrate futurity, and wrest from it the secrets of coming 
 life. And now, as Richard took him from his mother, he 
 glanced up into the manly face with mute, urgent question- 
 ing. Did he read any secret there ? More than once Rich- 
 ard had thrilled at this strange appeal ; and now, in spite of 
 his efforts, a color rose in his face. 
 
 " So, you have been visiting ? " he said gayly to Margaret, 
 as a cover for his confusion. 
 
 " Yes, we went down to dinner yesterday, and we are go- 
 ing out of doors soon." 
 
 " I have half a mind to take you out in my sleigh. There's 
 scarcely a breath of air, and it's just twelve, the warmest 
 part of the day. Would you like it ? " 
 
 " 0, so much ! " Her eyes were luminous. 
 
 " We will call up Mrs. Wilcox, and have her verdict. It 
 cannot possibly injure you." 
 
 The lady came, and was of the same opinion. So baby was 
 laid in his cradle, while Mrs. Wilcox wrapped Margaret in a 
 thick shawl, and wound a white, fleecy cloud around her head. 
 How like a snow-drift she looked ! Richard insisted on 
 carrying her down stairs, in spite of her blushing objections, 
 and packed her in the sleigh, drawing the robe snugly up 
 around her. Then at a word the horse started. 
 
 It was indeed a lovely day, with a sky cloudless as sum- 
 mer. The air was clear and cold, but with no bitter sharp- 
 ness. The bells rang out joyful little peals, as if rejoicing 
 in unison with her heart. She was glad sfye had lived, the 
 world seemed such a bright, blessed place to her just now. 
 They took a quiet country road, not driving very fast. 
 
 " When you are strong enough to go to church," Dr. Ber- 
 trand said, " I think baby ought to be christened. Have you 
 chosen any name for him ? " 
 
 " No, unless if you didn't mind my calling him Richard," 
 was her timid reply. 
 
 Richard ! How sweetly musical the name fell from her
 
 DB. BEBTBAND'S -HOUSEHOLD. 171 
 
 Ifps ! It lingered in his heart long after the sound of her 
 voice died away. And then an inexplicable feeling rose up, 
 not pride, not any dislike of the child ; for his heart warmed 
 towards the hapless little being, but some subtle reason 
 that utterly refused to be analyzed. His name to be the 
 connecting link between her and Robert's child ; his name to 
 be murmured with caresses and endearments to another ! 
 
 " You don't like it," she said, disappointedly. 
 
 *' Do you think it pretty for a baby ? " he asked, with a 
 touch of embarrassment. " I am so fond of household di- 
 minutives; and however well 'Dick' might sound for a boy, it 
 doesn't seem just the thing for a baby. Then ' Richard ' is 
 so grand and stately ! " 
 
 " That is why you never use my name," she said, mus- 
 ingly- 
 
 " Do I not ? " and then he remembered he never had. " I 
 like Margaret," he went on. "It has a royal ring to it, 
 such as a princess needs ; but it seems too long and queenly 
 for every-day wear. Tennyson wedded it to sweetest music 
 
 when he said, 
 
 ' O sweet, pale Margaret, 
 O rare, pale Margaret.' " 
 
 "Robert used to call me Maggie, and Madge," she re 
 marked, in a low tone. 
 
 " Maggie would suit a bold, black-eyed romp, and Madge, 
 though pretty, sounds weird and elfish. May I give you a 
 pet name ? " 
 
 " 0, if you would!" 
 
 " A sweet, dainty, French and English compound 
 Daisy ! " 
 
 She raised her eyes with that rare, beautiful sunrise glow 
 in them, but only said, 
 
 " Thank you." 
 
 He went on with " pale Margaret," repeating, slowly, 
 
 " ' From all things outward you have won 
 A tearful grace, as though you stood 
 Between the rainbow and the sun.' "
 
 172 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 f 
 
 Presently he turned the horse, and they rode back in 
 silence. Baby was asleep when they reached home. Dr. 
 Bertrand leaned over the cradle, and touched by a vague 
 sense of sorrow at the sight of Margaret's mournful face, he 
 drew her gently towards him, and said, 
 
 " If you like the name of Bichard, let him be called that." 
 
 " I think he never will be anything but ' baby ' to me. 
 I cannot tell why, but I never fancy him a large boy, or 
 growing up. And some little tender pet name might suit 
 him best." 
 
 Dr. Bertrand looked intently at her as she stooped to 
 kiss the small waxen hands. No, there was nothing like fear 
 in those most loving eyes. Unconsciously she had touched 
 upon a thought that had thrilled him more than once as he 
 had gazed at the transparent, blue- veined face. What if the 
 little darling's life should be bounded by that one dear word, 
 baby ! 
 
 " I brought you ' The Heir of Bedclyffe,' " he said, wishing 
 to change the current of his fancies. "My sisters, still cry 
 over its hero. I have seldom met with anything so lovely 
 in the whole range of fiction as Gruy Morville's brief marriage. 
 You will like it, I know." 
 
 She thanked him gratefully. He took her hands in his a 
 moment, and called her " Daisy," which brought the warm 
 blood to her face. 
 
 At his next visit she spoke of the christening herself. 
 
 " Have you decided upon a name ? " asked Bichard, trying 
 to shake off the feeling that annoyed him. 
 
 "Yes. We have discussed all our story heroes. Mrs. 
 Wilcox wanted Herbert ; I chose Charlie. I have a fancy 
 his life will be quiet and peaceful. And I wanted to ask 
 you if you thought me good enough " 
 
 Her faltering voice died away in faint sweetness, and a 
 timid color fluttered up to her forehead. 
 
 " For what?" His tone was low, and he took her hand 
 in his.
 
 DB. BEKTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 173 
 
 " To be baptized with baby. If he is to be brought up a 
 Christian child, I ought to be a Christian mother. You know 
 I wasn't educated to think much of these things ; but all my 
 life here has been so different ! And when one has been in 
 great peril, near to death, one casts about for some anchor 
 of sure and steadfast hope. I used to say my prayers night 
 and morning, but I never looked upon the Saviour as a 
 friend always near, giving strength and comfort, and helping 
 us bear our burdens. I did pray to die at first, but Mrs. 
 Wilcox talked so sweetly to me that I began to long for her 
 faith. The utter desolation almost crushed my heart. 
 
 " 0, it was a weary, weary time ! And then the light 
 came. I think baby helped me, too. He was so pure and 
 sweet that I knew Grod loved him, and I wanted to have a 
 share in the heaven he beheld with his beautiful, unclouded 
 eyes. For it does seem at times as if, like St. Stephen, he 
 saw the heavens opened." 
 
 She answered Richard's questions in her simple, reverent 
 fashion. Her life had been so guileless, her nature so pure, 
 that faith had little to struggle with. Old Mr. Wilcox had 
 given her the benefit of his experience, but her baby first led 
 her to God. In all docility she had sat down at His feet, 
 and learned of Him. 
 
 " Mrs. Wilcox's clergyman was here yesterday," she con- 
 tinued. " It will soon be the Feast of the Purification ; he 
 thought it had better take place then." 
 
 " Yes, I like these festivals for spiritual birthdays. I will 
 stand for the baby and you," he remarked, gently. 
 
 " ! " Her upraised eyes were like a noonday sunshine. 
 
 Then they went back to the baby. Was there some subtle 
 chain of thought between them respecting this young life ? 
 It was as if they were preparing themselves for a separation. 
 Yet Margaret remained quite unconscious of the chill her 
 words gave him. 
 
 " I am glad his name pleases you," she said, in a gratified 
 tone. 
 
 15*
 
 174 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 " Yes, I like it. But I had no right to object to ' Rich- 
 ard,' as I did the other day. Forgive me if I pained you." 
 He had thoroughly conquered the feeling now. 
 
 They glanced up in each other's eyes, and were mutually 
 satisfied. Then, just under her breath, she whispered, 
 
 " You have written to Robert about his child ! " 
 
 " Yes." Further answer he could not make. 
 
 " baby ! baby ! if there was no G-od to help us bear this 
 cross, we should die." 
 
 The pent-up agony of months was in that blended cry of 
 hopeless love and pitiful despair. It was the only lament 
 Richard had heard since the day he listened to her story 
 that first sad, sweet interview. And in all the time that 
 came afterwards, he never heard another. With that pang 
 love expired. 
 
 Margaret began her new life with touching faith and resig- 
 nation. Her strength surprised even Richard. Baby throve 
 finely, and his two little teeth were like a mine of jewels to 
 his mother. But the far-off look never faded from his eyes. 
 It was as if they were fixed on some unseen glory, that quite 
 satisfied him. Mrs. Wilcox would have been better pleased 
 with a boisterous, frolicsome child ; but Margaret liked him 
 to sit quietly on her knee, and listen to the sad, tender talk 
 that was ever lingering on her lips. She had no thought in 
 life beyond him. 
 
 Yet she never drooped or grew discouraged with her 
 lonely lot. Indeed, except for a brief while, it had never 
 been so happy. The lovely country home, the flowers, the 
 birds singing above her, were unfailing joys. Richard kept 
 her supplied with choice books, and occasionally took her 
 for a pleasant drive. Under these genial, fostering influ- 
 ences, the petals of girlhood blossomed sweetly, displaying 
 the woman's heart within, pure and sacred. The inscrip- 
 tion on its pages sank unconsciously into Richard's inmost 
 pool.
 
 DE. BEETRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 175 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 O God ! I am so young, so young ! 
 
 I am not used to bear 
 
 Hard thoughts of death. The earth doth cover 
 No face from me of friend or lover; 
 And must the first who teaches me, 
 My own first-born beloved be ? 
 
 MRS. BROWNING. 
 
 THE old elm tree in Dr.'Bertrand's garden waved its 
 wide-spread branches in the summer sunshine. Birds came 
 and sang to it, drowsy bees hummed through the leaves, 
 and bright-winged butterflies hovered around it. The fra- 
 grant south wind loaded it with perfume, rifled from some 
 far country, and the whispering river murmured forever at 
 its feet, like a lover. Philip Gregory and Mabel Bertrand 
 sat in its shade, his head resting in her lap. 
 
 " What a long, delicious day ! " he remarked. 
 
 " A long, lazy day ! Doesn't your conscience trouble you, 
 Philip, my king ' ? " 
 
 ** If you will repeat that beautiful poem of Miss Muloch's 
 again, I promise not to have an atom of conscience left." 
 
 " It is infinitesimal now. I dare not lessen it ; " and her 
 low laugh rippled musically. 
 
 " Remember how I have worked and waited for two years, 
 and be merciful. But I shall soon take you ' to have and 
 to hold,' in a literal sense. Confess, now, that the prospect 
 is inviting ! " and he glanced mischievously into the face he 
 had crimsoned. 
 
 " It is well we are to have some useful, rational employ- 
 ment, or you would be ruined past redemption."
 
 176 IN TRUST, OH 
 
 " You see I am making the most of iny brief holiday. 
 After that, a month of loneliness. Bel, you must write 
 every day. For the remainder of my life I'll be princely 
 generous, and excuse you." 
 
 " Will you r " Mabel fell into a fit of musing. 
 
 " Doesn't the future appear too bright, too blessed, darling ? 
 I almost tremble as T think of it. How little did I dream 
 of this termination when I found you all in this very spot 
 two years ago, and I a lonely wanderer ! God has been so 
 good ! " His face was gravely tender, his voice full of emotion. 
 
 " ' Freely ye have receive'd,' " Mabel said. 
 
 " Yes ; we will remember it in the life so soon to begin 
 our true life. There will be plenty of work to do. And, 
 dearest, I am glad you have taken up my wishes so readily. 
 While, on some accounts, a home by ourselves would be 
 more delightful, I seem to owe Mr. Chaloner the duty of a 
 son ; and our coming will be such a pleasure to him." 
 
 " I had rather go," was the quick rejoinder. " We shall 
 not live quite so much for ourselves." 
 
 " Bel, one would think selfishness your besetting sin, 
 whereas I expect to take pattern by your generosity." 
 
 " There is no need ; yours will be sufficient." 
 
 " You don't know." He rose up on his elbow. " Bel, I 
 thought of pleading for marriage immediately after iny or- 
 dination. And I confess it was a sacrifice to give it up." 
 
 " And so, instead, you insisted on Mr. Chaloner's taking 
 a month's vacation, by way of penance to you, I mean." 
 
 " He had such a fine opportunity to go with friends and 
 he would have been so disappointed not to chaperon you 
 and several other good reasons." Philip laughed off his 
 
 rising color. 
 
 " Rebels within and foes without 
 Will snatch at thy crown." 
 
 " Don't, Bel ; " and his hand, passing over her lips, inter- 
 rupted the lines she was repeating. 
 
 " I think I can trust you," was her quiet commendation.
 
 DE. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 177 
 
 " After my month's solitude, perhaps. Who but Richard, 
 that treasure to lovers, would have thought of sending the 
 children away, so I could have you to myself this whole 
 fortnight ? " 
 
 " The children always go to aunt Sophy's in the summer," 
 was Mabel's demure rejoinder. 
 
 " No ; Richard shall have the credit. He manages splen- 
 didly. Dear fellow ! I wonder if the romance of life is all 
 over with him. Ho is just the man one longs to see fondly 
 loved by a wife, and with little children dinging to his 
 knees. My cup of joy will not be quite full unless his brims 
 over. Bel ! I'm afraid I never could have been so brave 
 and unselfish. There comes the carriage." 
 
 Philip gave a short, boyish whistle, and waved his hand- 
 kerchief. Richard caught the signal, and hastened down to 
 them. Standing on the upper terrace, he took in the scene 
 at a glance, and laughingly asked if the day was appointed. 
 
 " The 1st of September. Thursday, is it not ? " 
 
 " I said the last" was Mabel's quick rejoinder. 
 
 " A most unimportant difference. Do I not deserve a 
 slight reward for my patience, and the remarkable fortitude 
 with which I take upon myself a month's lonely exile ? " 
 
 " You do, indeed ; " and Richard threw himself on the 
 grass. " Tennyson, too ; " and he picked Tip the book, 
 laughingly. " First, I suppose, you said, 
 
 ' Come into the garden, Maud; ' 
 And then, 
 
 1 Go not, happy day, 
 
 From the shining fields; 
 Go not, happy day, 
 Till the maiden yields.' " 
 
 " Exactly ! And there's nothing left for you but the part 
 of the tragedy father, who says, ' Come to my arms, my 
 children, and be happy.' " 
 
 " ' There sounds the distant bell ; ' " and Mabel sprang up
 
 178 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 in a statuesque attitude. " ' I must away to the halls of my 
 ancestors.'" 
 
 " Very creditably rendered, Miss Bertrand ; " and Philip 
 bowed low in mock politeness. 
 
 Mabel ran off, the gentlemen following slowly, arm in 
 arm. Philip had just remarked, " We mean to keep you 
 prisoner for the remainder of the day and evening," when 
 Ann came down the walk. 
 
 " Here is a note for you^ doctor, and the boy is waiting at 
 the door for an answer." 
 
 He tore it open with a startling rush of apprehension, for 
 he knew the handwriting. It contained these words : 
 
 " DEAR DB. BERTRAND : Baby is very, very ill ; please 
 come immediately. DAISY." 
 
 He went to the hall door, and found Frank Dawson, one 
 of Mrs. Wilcox's neighbors. " I was to take you up, right 
 away," the b.oy said. 
 
 There was no time for delay. He just turned to Philip, 
 saying, " I have been called to a very urgent case. Tell 
 Mabel I could not wait for dinner, and I may not be back 
 to-night. I am sorry to disappoint you ; " and he wrung 
 his friend's hand warmly ; then^ gathering a few important 
 remedies, sprang into the wagon beside the boy, and was 
 soon out of sight. Indeed, they fairly flew along the 
 road. Richard learned from the boy that his mother had 
 been over to Mrs. Bertrand's, and that the baby was very 
 sick. Another physician had been called. Frank was to 
 be in Newark at four, exactly, as Dr. Bertrand would then 
 be home ; but he had no idea what the disease might be. 
 
 Richard scarcely needed telling. The child's teething 
 had been accompanied by spells of languor and restlessness, 
 but no tangible illness. Margaret's inexperience had ren- 
 dered her timid and easily alarmed, and Richard could not 
 find it in his heart to add to her fears. On his last visit she
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 179 
 
 had been unusually anxious ; but the baby appeared very 
 well that day, laughing, cooing out soft, gurgling sounds, 
 and raising his little arms to show how large he was. His 
 mother had brought him to the gate for a last adieu, and 
 the strange, baunting eyes followed Richard for hours after- 
 wards. He had not expected the blow so soon. 
 
 " Faster, Frank ! " he exclaimed, with a thrill of intense 
 pain ; and the horse was urged to its utmost. They passed 
 familiar places, shady gardens, and turned the well-known 
 corner. The cottage was before them. 
 
 Mrs. Wilcox met him at the door. Her eyes still showed 
 traces of tears as she said, in a hurried tone, " doctor ! 
 I'm afraid it is too late. He has changed so since noon. I 
 think he is dying." 
 
 Dr. Bertrand went up three steps at a time, and entered 
 the open door. Beside the bed, in a low chair, sat the 
 young mother with her babe in her lap. She glanced up 
 with a cry of relief, while her eyes of unquestioning faith 
 said more plainly than language, "At a word from you, 
 danger will fold her shadowy wings, and flee away." 
 
 Alas ! sweet, tender, confident eyes. Already they be- 
 gan to show their vigil. When he noted the tense lines 
 around the mouth, and the deadly pallor of the face, he 
 knew what fears she had been striving against. He sat 
 down beside them, and took the child's passive hand in his. 
 The pulse was slow and feeble. Dark purplish shadows had 
 settled under his eyes, and around the mouth were hues of 
 ashen gray. The colorless lips were parted, showing his 
 little pearly teeth. Only the broad forehead retained its 
 transparency ; it was deathly white, with crimson stains in 
 the temples. 
 
 " When was he taken ? " Richard asked, in an under- 
 breath. 
 
 " You remember what I told you on Saturday about those 
 strange attacks he had ? He was so bright then ; but all 
 night he kept starting in his sleep and moaning. Sunday
 
 180 TN TKUST, OR 
 
 we put him in a warm bath, and after his nap he was so good ! 
 I took him down stairs, and he sat a long time on father 
 Wilcox's knee, laughing and crowing ; and all day Monday 
 he appeared perfectly well, and so sweet it seemed as if my 
 whole soul went out in love to him. Then he fretted all 
 night again, and yesterday acted as he did before his teeth 
 came in. First I thought I would send for you ; but he grew 
 quiet, and slept till late this morning. Mrs. Wilcox consid- 
 ered him better ; but at ten he was taken severely, crying 
 with sudden bursts of pain, and rolling his head. His eyes 
 frightened me with their wildness. Mrs. Dawson went for 
 Dr. Ward. I was afraid you might be out. He put leeches 
 on baby's temples, and ordered baths. I'm afraid it wasn't 
 right, for he has lain this way ever since, and doesn't appear 
 to know even me." Drawing a long breath, she glanced up 
 questioningly. 
 
 " It was the best thing to try." There was a death-like 
 pause. How could he tell her the rest ? 
 
 " Well," she returned, in a voice of assured faith, " what 
 can I do next ? You will give him something ? " 
 
 " Daisy," he said, with rarest tenderness, " my dear child, 
 we can only wait." 
 
 " How long ? " Her tone showed her utter unconscious- 
 ness of the final ending. 
 
 " Let me lay him on the bed ; he will be easier ; " and 
 with a little gentle authority he took up the child. 
 
 " Poor baby ! Poor Charlie ! Do you think he suffers 
 much ? I tried to make him drink, but he wouldn't. Do 
 you know what it is ? 0, when will he be better ? " 
 
 Dr. Bertrand gathered the slight, trembling figure to his 
 heart. She was quite still, as if the rest brought a blessed 
 sense of relief. After many seconds of silence, he said, 
 with low, tender solemnity, 
 
 "All pain and anguish will be over in. a few hours. 
 Charlie will soon be resting in the bosom of the Saviour. 
 Dear, dear Daisy ! "
 
 BE. BERTKAND'S HOUSEHOLD. " 181 
 
 She did not faint, or cry. Her senses were stunned, be- 
 wildered. She stood silent in his clasp, her heart beating 
 with great, frightened bounds, as if it would burst its prison, 
 her eyes looking steadfastly into vacancy. Then she said, 
 vnth terrible calmness, the quiet of utter incredulity, 
 
 " You will save him. God has so many little children in 
 heaven, and I have only him." 
 
 " My poor darling, human skill is of no avail. I could 
 not have saved him yesterday ; even if I could keep him 
 a few hours longer, it would only lengthen his sufferings. 
 Think of the blessed rest in heaven, where there is no more 
 pain. Remember who said, ' Suffer little children to come 
 unto me.'" 
 
 Then a wild, pathetic cry broke from the pale lips, and 
 she struggled to throw herself beside the child. It seemed 
 cruel to keep her there. Every pulse in Richard's frame 
 quivered with intensest pain, and the strong arms were 
 tender in their clasp, as if she had been a baby. 
 
 He sat down, still holding her. " Daisy, my child, listen 
 to me." His voice was full of that deep, electric power 
 which rarely fails to attract attention. Taking her Bible 
 from the stand near by, in faltering tones he read that most 
 touching of all stories, the love and agony of the Shuna- 
 mite woman, ending with these words: "Did I desire a 
 son of my lord ? Did I not say, Do not deceive me ? " 
 
 Some hard, dry sobs strangled in her throat, but her eyes 
 were tearless, and her breath came in quick, painful gasps, 
 as she said, 
 
 " But he is my all. Grod never gave me any brothers, or 
 Bisters, or parents to love.. My life was like a desert waste 
 till Robert came. It seemed as if G-od sent me the baby so 
 I might forgive him. And now, to be left all desolate, to 
 have no one to love ! No, I can't bear it ; let me die with 
 my child ; " and she struggled passionately. 
 
 " Daisy, do not compel me to be cruel! I cannotrbear 
 to have his sufferings increased by your wild, unavailing 
 16
 
 182 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 woe. You may sit by him and watch him if you will only 
 be calm. Dear child, if I could restore him, as the prophet 
 did ! But you will not even let me help you bear it." 
 
 She ceased her frantic efforts, and answered, wearily, 
 " You have been so good to me always ! only now yes, 
 I will be calm." 
 
 In answer to her imploring eyes, he seated her on the side 
 of the bed, but still retained her hand. 
 
 " Please talk to me," she said. 
 
 He began in that low, sympathizing voice whose tender 
 inflections were so well calculated to soothe and enchain the 
 listener. He did not repeat the trite truisms about resigna- 
 tion ; he knew just now she could not believe them. Instead, 
 he talked of life and its many trials, of heaven and its 
 perfect rest, of God who is always wise, and sees farther 
 than our weak, faithless eyes. He spoke of the evil to 
 come, of the bitter weaknesses that beset man at his best 
 estate. 
 
 " 0, no ! " she exclaimed, with the earnest incredulity of 
 love ; "it couldn't have been for him. I should have watched 
 over him so carefully ! I had nothing else to do, you know ; 
 nothing to take my love from him. I would have guarded 
 him so watchfully, kept him from the slightest sin." 
 
 " Perhaps Grod has some new duty for you. When Robert 
 went away, you know He sent baby to comfort you. Can you 
 not trust Him again ? " 
 
 " It's so hard so hard. And then to be left alone ! " 
 She buried her face in her hands. 
 
 Mrs. Wilcox came up. One glance at Margaret's despair- 
 ing attitude told her all. " Had you not better lie down, 
 now that the doctor is here ? " she asked, kindly. 
 
 An almost apathetical movement of the head was the only 
 answer. For a long while the three watched. Then she 
 went for some biscuits and tea. Margaret would have re- 
 fused", but Richard held the cup before her, and she drank 
 mechanically. All this time the baby had been very quiet ;
 
 DK. BEKTEAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 183 
 
 now ho began to move uneasily, and purple lines settled 
 rapidly about his mouth. 
 
 " You had better go down with Mrs. Wilcox," Richard 
 said, hurriedly. 
 
 The look of alarm in her eyes asked the wordless ques- 
 tion. 
 
 " Not now," was the whispered reply. 
 
 "How long?" An irrepressible shudder tore her frame. 
 
 " Not before midnight ; perhaps later. But I do not like 
 to have you witness this." 
 
 " Please let me stay." 
 
 The convulsion came on slowly, and though not of the 
 severest type, racked the young mother's heart with agony. 
 Richard used all the means at his command to alleviate the 
 little innocent's suffering. More than once he bent closely 
 over him to hide the writhing face. When the parqxysm 
 passed, and he lay white and rigid, Margaret's fearful cry 
 rang through the room. 
 
 " 0, he is dead ! dead ! My precious, precious baby-! " 
 and she flung herself on the bed beside him. 
 
 Not dead. There were feeble flutterings, faint indications 
 of returning life. 
 
 " He may be thus for hours. Would you not rather go 
 away ? " 
 
 " no ! no ! I will be quiet. But it is so terrible ! " 
 And she clung to Richard with mute agony, as if he could 
 give her strength for this fiery trial. He had never been so 
 deeply moved by another's woe, and he longed, with wild 
 intensity, to be able to shield her from these pangs. 
 
 Father Wilcox came up for one last look of the beautiful 
 boy so near heaven. He laid his trembling hand on the 
 bowed head of the mother, and prayed that God would sus- 
 tain her. Then the twilight fell softly over them, and in the 
 midst of gray dusk the lamps were brought in. Still they 
 watched. The convulsions returned at intervals until mid- 
 night. Slowly the little life was drifting heavenward. The
 
 184 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 clock told off its seconds in deathly silence. Suddenly the 
 baby lifted his arms and stretched them out wildly, as if 
 searching for some familiar clasp. There was a little, fright- 
 ened cry as Margaret clasped him to her heart, and kissed 
 him with the last anguish of despairing love. A great awe 
 fell uj on them. Then were the heavens opened, and the 
 angels of God entered the golden gateway with a ransomed 
 eoul. 
 
 Richard took him from her, and laid him down, saying, 
 brokenly, " ' I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.' " 
 
 Her head drooped on his breast. For the first time he 
 kissed her, and in that moment took her to his heart entirely. 
 Her face was pale and cold, her heavy-lidded eyes closed 
 and tearless. He remembered that after a while he sum- 
 moned Mrs. Wilcox, and wrapping a shawl carefully around 
 the passive little figure, led her down stairs. She did not 
 even moan, or make any outward sign of grief. 
 
 The morning was breaking in the eastern skies. Clouds 
 of opal and amethyst rayed off from the crimson spires, shoot- 
 ing upward from the golden chariot of day. The odorous 
 wind sobbed tremulously through the dewy trees, as if 
 shadowy night wept tears of pain as she trailed her garments 
 over the hill tops, to make room for a brighter visitant. 
 The vines on the porch shook out showers of fragrance, 
 grateful to the weary ones who paced up and down under 
 their blossoms, in a silence too sorrowful to be broken by 
 words. 
 
 At length Margaret looked up, with weary, wistful eyes, 
 and he led her back to the house, pausing in the parlor to 
 open the shutters, and seat her on the sofa. " Wait here," 
 he said, " while I go for a pillow." 
 
 He brought not only the pillow, but a composing draught. 
 She drank it at his bidding, and allowed him to cover her. 
 He glanced at the dry, glittering eyes, and continued, with 
 quiet authority, 
 
 " Now you must go to sleep. I shall sit here a while,
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 185 
 
 arid comfort you with the promises .God keeps for hia 
 children." 
 
 He took the chill hands in his, and chafed them tenderly, 
 as he repeated verses from Holy Writ the glowing beauty 
 of Revelations, and the blessed promises of Isaiah. At first 
 she listened hopelessly, then -with senses sharpened by her 
 keen suffering ; and the weary look became almost grateful. 
 Presently the wide-open eyes drooped a little, the rigid 
 lines of pain began to relax, and sleep asserted her power ; 
 but rebellious nature gave sharp, nervous starts, and refused 
 to be conquered. But the potent draught began to work, 
 and the restless nerves succumbed. He watched her for 
 a while with the tenderest pity ; then pressed his lips upon 
 the white forehead, shut out the light, and left her to a 
 slumber he knew must last several hours. 
 
 Mrs. Wilcox had put Margaret's room in order, and 
 washed the baby. He lay in his cradle, a sweet, natural 
 look taking the place of pain. 
 
 " doctor," Mrs. Wilcox exclaimed, " how will she en- 
 dure it ! He has grown into her very life. They were 
 scarcely ever separated for an hour, and she idolized him. 
 Those so dearly loved are always taken first." 
 
 " May it not be rather that love receives some divine pre- 
 sentiment of its brief stay on earth, and develops more 
 rapidly into completeness ? Dear baby ! His life work is 
 done ; why it was so soon ended we cannot question. Grod, 
 who took him, knows best." 
 
 " Is she asleep ? " 
 
 " Yes. The slumber may be heavy, she is so completely 
 worn out. I must go now, and will stop on my way to send 
 an undertaker. I shall be up this afternoon to make furthei 
 arrangements." 
 
 16*
 
 18fi IN TRUST, OT? 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 So ; closer wind that tender arm. . . . How the hot tears fall ! Do not weep, 
 Beloved, but let your smile stay warm about me. " In the Lord they sleep." 
 
 OWEN MEREDITH. 
 
 My heart still feels the weight of that remembered chain. 
 
 MRS. NORTON. 
 
 RICHARD paused at the parlor door with a strange longing 
 to gaze once more on that face, still sweet, through all its 
 grief and weary vigils. He listened to the heavy breathing 
 of utter exhaustion, and then passed on with emotions that 
 utterly refused to be analyzed. He was glad to be again in 
 the fresh air of early morn ; he had much to think of. The 
 future staring him in the face was not such a guest as men 
 love to meet. 
 
 Yet now there was no evading it. Daisy needed some 
 friend in this cruel strait ; and who so appropriate as Mabel ? 
 It would tend to arouse Mrs. Wilcox's suspicion if he kept 
 them all away at a time like this. But if he brought Mabel 
 there was a. painful duty before him ; he must tell her the 
 truth. And then he sighed at the possibility of Daisy learn- 
 ing it. 
 
 When he reached home Ann was sweeping the sidewalk, 
 and gave him a cheerful good morning. He went directly 
 to the office, and throwing open the window, leaned on the 
 sill, inhaling the sweetness of the honeysuckles. 0, how 
 fervently he prayed God to strengthen him for the bitter 
 task ! He could not put away this cup. 
 
 Martin came shuffling up from the stable. He fumbled 
 in every pocket, and at last produced a letter.
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 187 
 
 " Good mornin', doctor. I've something here that camf 
 in last night's mail. I didn't let Miss Mabel see it, for fear. 
 It's from California, and belike there's bad news." 
 
 A shiver thrilled Richard's heart as he saw the strange 
 handwriting and insignia of mourning. He broke it open 
 hastily. 
 
 " Master Robert ? " Martin inquired after a long pause. 
 
 " Yes, he is dead," was the low, solemn reply. " I will 
 tell you the particulars presently ; " and falling into the near- 
 est chair, he pressed his hands to his forehead, as if utterly 
 unable to take in the fact. That bright, buoyant, vigorous 
 nature ; that proud, handsome face ! Oould it be the earth 
 had shut it forever from human sight ? 
 
 There followed an overwhelming sensation of relief. 
 The weary, heart-corroding care, the burden that at times 
 had seemed insupportable, rolled away. A thrill of free- 
 dom sped along his veins. Then he checked himself. 
 His ease and comfort purchased at such a price ! To this 
 succeeded thoughts of Daisy. The secret that might one 
 day blight her pure soul had been taken into wiser keeping 
 than his. No fear of it now. God had chosen that Robert 
 should atone for his treacherous sin by an early death. It 
 was no longer his to bear, to pray over, and to fear. He 
 could bring the poor, stricken child into their loving house- 
 hold, to take Robert's place. He could give her sisters, 
 brothers, and a name. 
 
 He had merely glanced over the letter ; now he began to 
 read it carefully. Its contents were these : 
 
 " SAN FRANCISCO, June 10, 18. 
 
 " DR. BERTRAND : I suppose, my dear sir, that, by the 
 papers of the last steamer, you received an account of the 
 sad occurrence which resulted in the death of your brother. 
 He died too late to allow me to write in time for the mail. 
 No one can deplore the event more deeply than myself and 
 Mrs. Cummings, and we offer you our warmest and most heart-
 
 188 IN TKTTST, OR 
 
 felt sympathy. The newspaper paragraph was substantially 
 correct. Mrs. Cummings had been calling on some friends 
 quite beyond the city limits, and on her return, being rather 
 late, had taken an unfrequented path on account of its being 
 nearer. Here she was beset by two drunken ruffians ; and 
 I shudder to think of her possible fate, if your brother had 
 not, attracted by her cries, rushed to her rescue. He suc- 
 ceeded in disabling both of the miscreants, wounding one 
 slightly, and the other severely ; but received a mortal blow 
 himself. 
 
 " He was brought immediately to my residence, and every- 
 thing medical skill could suggest, done for his recovery, but 
 alas ! in vain. He lingered three days, and expired amid 
 the universal regret of his friends. My joy at my wife's es- 
 cape is therefore tempered with keenest sorrow, that it should 
 have been purchased at such a price. Yet I cannot refrain 
 from congratulating you on once possessing a brother so 
 fearless and chivalrous ; endeared to a large circle of friends 
 here ; for his winning manners rendered him a favorite with 
 almost every one he met. And I have no doubt that at home 
 he will be equally regretted. The wretches who committed 
 so unprovoked a murder are both in custody, and will, no 
 doubt, pay the penalty of their crimes. 
 
 " Your brother has been buried in our finest cemetery. 
 If you particularly desire it, I will see to sending his remains 
 home ; but if you and yours could decide to leave him to his 
 final slumber in this far country, Mrs. Cummings and myself 
 would take it as a great favor to us. Indeed, it is my wi;h 
 to erect a monument both suitable and handsome, as a token 
 of my appreciation of the inestimable benefit he conferred on 
 both of us ; and it will be a work of love to watch over his 
 grave. 
 
 " You will be glad to know that his sufferings were not 
 very intense, and also that he had every care it was possible 
 for Mrs. Cummings to bestow. How deeply we deplofe hia 
 loss, words are inadequate to express.
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. ' 189 
 
 "If there is anything amongst his effects you desire, ] 
 shall be glad to take any trouble in forwarding it. Mrs. 
 Cummings joins me in sympathy, regret, and the highest 
 regard for your deceased brother. 
 
 "Hoping to hear from you as to the final disposition of 
 his remains, 
 
 " I am, very sincerely, yours, 
 
 "E. A. CUMMINGS." 
 
 A thanksgiving surged up in Richard's heart, that his 
 brother's death, if sudden, was in the highest degree hon- 
 orable. He had expiated his sin towards one woman by 
 the salvation of another. He forgave Robert every wrong 
 fully and freely. The sneering allusions to Margaret had 
 never stung any heart save his own. And he tried to be- 
 lieve, that in those last moments, with another world opening 
 on his view, Robert had repented, and would fain have re- 
 paired the wrong to the poor child. 
 
 He had shrunk with intense pain from making Margaret 
 an object of pity for any other cause than her own grief. 
 Now, although there might be much wondering, the story 
 could be told. Margaret could take the place in the house- 
 hold he had so often longed to give her. He could hardly 
 realize that the " constant anguish of patience " was indeed 
 ended. 
 
 Presently there was a little stir in the house. From the 
 parlor opposite, he heard Mabel's sweet voice, as she went 
 about her morning's work, 
 
 " ' Then with my waking thoughts 
 
 Bright in thy praise, 
 Out of my stony griefs 
 
 Bethel I'll raise ; 
 So by my woes to be 
 Nearer, my God, to Thee, 
 
 Nearer to Thee.' " 
 
 The words soothed him greatly. He called to her, and 
 she entered with a cheerful " good morning." 
 He kissed her tenderly.
 
 190 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 " What is the matter, Richard ? You look tired and ill 
 Was last night unusually fatiguing ? " 
 
 He drew her down beside him, and replied in an unsteady 
 voice, 
 
 " It was a night of agony. Sorrows have multiplied upon 
 us, my darling. I have a long, sad story to tell ; but first 
 you must read this letter. Martin handed it to me when I 
 came home." 
 
 Her eyes wandered over a few lines, and were raised in" 
 utter incredulity. Then she said, ' 
 
 " It is not true, surely. Do you believe Robert is dead ? " 
 
 " No one would write such a letter unless the story was 
 beyond all question. You see it refers to papers, by the last 
 steamer, that we missed. You remember we wondered a 
 little at not hearing." 
 
 " I can't believe it. And, Richard, why do you look so 
 strangely ? . Are there still worse tidings ? " 
 
 " Last night I watched the soul go out of Robert's little 
 baby. He is in heaven with the a.ngels now ; but the poor, 
 stricken mother, a fair, fragile girl, scarcely older than Lily, 
 is crushed by her unspeakable anguish. For nearly a year 
 she has known herself a deserted wife, never hearing of her 
 husband save through me." 
 
 " I knew some fresh misfortune had occurred when he left 
 us so suddenly," Mabel resumed slowly; " but to be married 
 to be dead I cannot realize it at all, Richard." 
 
 " Let me tell you the story." He paused a moment for 
 strength, and clasped his arm fondly about her, commencing 
 with, " It was a hasty passion on his part, a child's love on 
 hers. He tired of her, and refused to support or live with 
 her, when the girl's adopted mother interfered. It was she 
 who came over here the day before he went away." He con- 
 fessed his readiness to have Robert leave for California ; his 
 fear lest he had been the dupe of a designing woman, and 
 her too facile instrument; and his dislike of the whole affair. 
 Then he described his first interview with Margaret, the
 
 DR. BEBTBAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 191 
 
 total change in his feelings, and all those after days of pity 
 and sympathy ; her desolation, her sweetness and patience, 
 and her absorbing love for her child. As he went through 
 the woe of the last few hours, his voice was choked with 
 emotion. 
 
 Mabel was weeping long before he had ended. Now she 
 threw herself on his bosom, exclaiming through her sobs, 
 
 " dear, brave, generous Dick ! What a burden you 
 have borne for him ! How patient you have been ! how good 
 to us all, sacrificing your own comfort and advancement 
 everywhere ! Papa could have loved us no better." 
 
 " It was what I promised him, dear ; and I am thankful 
 God has enabled me to perform my trust." 
 
 " I seem to forget Robert in that poor, lonely wife. If I 
 might go to her " 
 
 " Thank you. It was what I longed to suggest. She has 
 no friend of her own age to comfort her. But what a sad 
 termination for your bright holiday ! " 
 
 " Richard ! when my life has been so happy and blessed, 
 I should be worse than selfish to shut my heart from her. 
 Poor Robert ! 0, why did he not bring her here ? She 
 must come now." 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 The breakfast bell overtook them in the midst of their 
 planning. Philip stood ready to banter them on their seclu- 
 sion ; but when he saw the grave, tearful faces, he took their 
 hands in quiet sympathy. After they were seated at the 
 table, Richard repeated the sad history, and announced his 
 brother's death. Philip was both surprised and shocked. 
 He felt how utterly cruel the heart must have been that 
 could condemn a mere child to such a destiny as Margaret's ; 
 and, in his straightforward way, he looked upon Robert's 
 death as a direct punishment for his sin. 
 
 " You will bury the baby here ? " Mabel said, as they rose. 
 
 " I had hardly thought ; " and Richard's pale face flushed 
 as he remembered the secrecy he had considered necessary, 
 and for which there was now no occasion.
 
 192 IN TSUST, OB 
 
 " I want liim to lie in the cemetery with the rest ; and if 
 Robert should never be brought home, it will seem to be a 
 memory of him.'.' Mabel forced down some sobs, and con- 
 tinued : " Does it not appear most suitable to have the fu- 
 neral from this house ? It will announce the principal facts 
 at once, and leave less room for questions." 
 
 " I believe you are right," Richard answered, thoughtfully. 
 
 " And the children must be here. It will be a better 
 welcome for her." 
 
 " I am fearful they could not receive the word in time." 
 
 "I will go for them," Philip said. 
 
 Mabel's gratified smile was ample reward. 
 
 Richard had some unavoidable calls on his list. While 
 he was out Mabel wrote a brief note to Lilian and aunt So- 
 phy, and saw Philip started on his journey. Robert's death 
 appeared much more real when the sei'vants came to add 
 their sorrow. Yet her visions were of a sweet young face, 
 desolately mourning a sadder loss than this. 
 
 It was past noon when Richard and Mabel started for 
 Orange. The day was not oppressively warm, and the fine 
 breeze rendered the ride a very comfortable one. Their 
 conversation could not be otherwise than sad, yet it was 
 tempered with many feelings besides grief. To Mabel, 
 standing on the threshold of a new life, these events were 
 of deep importance. Her girlhood had passed so quietly, 
 been so blessed and satisfying, that she had scarcely dreamed 
 of woes or wants beyond, save in the desultory manner com- 
 mon to young hearts. She needed not to go into the world 
 to learn her first sad lesson. A cruel thrust had entered 
 even that beloved home circle. And Richard had carried 
 the cross for them all. 0, could they in any after days ever 
 recompense him ! 
 
 When Mrs. Wilcox received Dr. Bertrand and his sister, 
 her face betrayed traces of recent tears. As she ushered 
 them into the parlor, his eye caught a glimpse of pillow and 
 shawl. It seemed ages since he brought them there.
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 193 
 
 " Mrs. Bertrand is in her room," Mrs. Wilcox said. 
 " She slept a long while, and was quite refreshed. But 0, 
 doctor, what can be done for the poor child ? She doesn't 
 shed a tear. Her white and stony face frightens me. It is 
 so hard ! She did not think her baby could die." 
 
 " I will go for her ; " and Richard started. 
 
 He found Margaret standing by the partially closed win- 
 dow, gazing vacantly over houses and gardens bright with 
 summer sunshine. How pitiless the cloudless sky looked ! 
 What a mockery all this beauty was ! 
 
 She turned a little at his step. The weary, hopeless face 
 chilled his heart. The heavy eyes were questioning the far 
 depths of space for some ray of consolation ; there was an 
 urgent want in them for which human speech had no utter- 
 ance. How she had changed ! The complexion was gray, 
 the whole face thin and pinched, as if weeks of suffering 
 had passed over it. 
 
 He drew her tenderly to his heart, and kissed the fore- 
 head almost as cold as death. How natural the caress 
 seemed ! He thought it was her sorrow that rendered her 
 so dear to him, and the sense of freedom after long re- 
 straint. 
 
 " Little sister Daisy ! " 
 
 The words seemed to thrill her strangely. She nestled 
 closer, as if fearful of losing the new place he had given her 
 with that name. Then he went on, in a low tone, telling 
 her how Mabel had desired to come, and what a warm, shel- 
 tered corner she should find in their household. She was 
 to be no longer a stranger or an alien. 
 
 At any other time she must have shrunk from Mabel's 
 stately figure and the dignity that with strangers passed 
 for reserve. She only noticed that the voice that welcomed 
 her had a lingering touch of Richard's sweetness in it, and 
 the clasp enfolding her was tender and fond. She did not 
 even glance up at the face, satisfied to take all on trust. 
 
 He judged rightly that they would make friends sooner if 
 17
 
 19-1 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 left entirely to themselves ; so, after a little talk with fatlu.r 
 Wilcox, bade them an affectionate good by. He had in- 
 trusted to Mabel's discretion the tidings of Robert's death, 
 and the arrangements for the baby's burial. 
 
 That evening's paper contained the following announce- 
 ments : 
 
 " Married in New York, February 24, 18 , Robert Ber- 
 trand, of Newark, to Miss Margaret Tremaine, of the former 
 place." 
 
 "Died, suddenly, at San Francisco, Cal., Robert, second 
 son of the late Dr. Bertrand, of Newark. 
 
 "At Orange, July 18, Charlie, infant son of Robert, de- 
 ceased, and Margaret Tremaine Bertrand, aged six months 
 and fourteen days. The friends of the family are invited to 
 attend his funeral on Friday, at four P. M., at the residence 
 of his uncle, Dr. Richard A. Bertrand." 
 
 The little coffin that stood in the Bertrands' parlor that 
 Friday afternoon was almost covered with flowers. The 
 lovely child looked as if he were in sweetest slumber. The 
 younger members of the family gazed with mingled awe and 
 grief, and the neighbors were subdued by a sincere pity. It 
 seemed more like a funeral sacred to Robert's memory than 
 the tiny being whose birth and death had been announced in 
 the same words. Philip read the burial service in calm, 
 soothing tones. Mabel never left Daisy for an instant. 
 The strain on her delicate nature had begun to tell fearfully. 
 More than once she had lain fainting in the arms of her new- 
 found sister ; but she nerved herself for this last hour with a 
 more than human strength. Her thick veil hid her face 
 from curious eyes ; and though an occasional convulsive 
 shiver shook her slight frame, she made no outward demon- 
 stration. 
 
 She could not trust herself to gaze again on that dear 
 face. If she took no formal farewell, it seemed as if her
 
 DB. BEETBAND'S HOI BEHOLD. 195 
 
 baby must come back. Yet he lacked neither tears nor 
 kisses. Many regretful glances were cast on the beautifully- 
 moulded clay. He looked too fair, too perfect, to be laid 
 away in the darkness of the grave. 
 
 Afterwards it came to Daisy with what reverent hands 
 Richard and Archie had sprinkled the first earth on the 
 baby's breast, and the generous consideration with which 
 they all received her, a stranger, whose entrance into the 
 family had been marked with trouble from its first date. 
 They vied with each other in kindest attentions ; but Tessy, 
 whose face was so like Richard's, found a way to her heart 
 immediately.
 
 196 IN TKUST, OB 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 One troop of duplicated Hours sped on, 
 And one trode out the moments lingeringly, 
 So distant seemed the lonely dawn from me; 
 But all was well. 
 
 BAYARD TAYLOR. 
 
 When fainting hearts forget their fears, 
 And in the poorest life's salt cup 
 Some rare wine runs, and Hope builds up 
 
 Her rainbow over memory's tears. 
 
 GERALD MASSEY. 
 
 BY common consent they all yielded Richard to Daisy. 
 Mabel expected to see her sink entirely after the funeral ; 
 but instead she appeared quite composed. She rested on 
 the sofa a long while, until the summer twilight waned. 
 Tessy's little fingers found their way to hers, as they all 
 clustered about her, talking of the days to come, when her 
 home should be among them. Poor, weary dove ! A strong 
 hand reached out through the troublous waves, and drew 
 her into the ark, where she might remain forevermore. 
 
 After her removal hither had been arranged, Richard men- 
 tioned the request concerning Robert, and left the decision 
 to Daisy. 
 
 " Please don't think me cold or ungrateful," she replied, 
 brokenly. " I am afraid I do not feel as I should about 
 him. I forgave him all he made me suffer ; but I can never, 
 never forget his cruel neglect of baby. He might have sent 
 one little word of love to him, even if he was tired of me. 
 And I think, if he had his choice, he would not care to sleep 
 beside baby. And perhaps it would fret him if he could 
 know how often I should visit the spot. Am I very, very 
 wicked ? "
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 197 
 
 " No, my poor child ; I do not wonder at your state of 
 feeling. Since Mr. and Mrs. Cummings desire it so much, 1 
 think we had better let him remain there." 
 
 " I am glad he found friends there to love him. He was 
 so handsome, and he could be so tender, so fond. Since he 
 could not love me, it is a comfort to know he was never 
 wholly desolate." 
 
 The dreary cadence of the last words pained Richard. 
 |iterly forlorn she had been, he gathered more from 
 occasional sentences, than from her manner in the 
 3 of their early acquaintance. Thank God, it was 
 low ! He breathed the thought with fervent emo- 
 Looking down the days to come, the slight figure of 
 , with her soft brown hair and luminous eyes, glorified 
 all. 
 
 ter in the evening he held a conference with Mabel, 
 fying her with Daisy's entire assent to their arrange- 
 ts. 
 
 " Richard, best and dearest brother, how much you 
 have done for us ! Philip and I both think it right to put off 
 our marriage another year, if you would like to have me at 
 home. Some one ought to repay you." 
 
 " My darling ! No, I couldn't entertain such a proposition. 
 Not only Philip, but Mr. Chaloner also, is looking forward 
 to a time when a bright young face shall make glad their 
 home. I must not grow selfish when I have a new treasure 
 added to my circle. May be no one will ever be quite as 
 thoughtful for me as you ; but it is time I was getting out of 
 these spoiled ways." 
 
 " Selfish ! I do not believe it is anywhere in you, Dick," 
 she replied, with proud earnestness. 
 
 " Well, for my sake, you must be married at the time 
 appointed. I don't like delayed weddings. And my bird- 
 ling must go care-free to her new home ; there will bo 
 enough left to render me the most whimsical old bacheloi 
 you ever saw." 
 
 17*
 
 198 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 " No, Dick," she said, resolutely, " you deserve a better 
 fate." 
 
 " I think then God will send it to me," was his low re- 
 sponse. 
 
 A few days after, Philip said his last lover's good by, as 
 he told Lily. His parting with Daisy was very tender. He 
 had been trying to point her to the true source of all com- 
 fort, and found her gentle, humble, and child-like. It was 
 impossible not to love her. 
 
 When he had gone, Mabel and she were inseparable. To 
 the poor child who had never known the delights of a true 
 home, nor the sweetness of family ties, this spot seemed a 
 radiant heaven. It was with her grief as it had been with 
 theirs : instead of banishing it -to the relief of lonely tears, 
 they all shared it. After a little she found herself repeating 
 scenes that had made the brief happiness of her summer 
 baby endearments and answering smiles ; tender mother- 
 joys forever gone. Lingering over these fond remem- 
 brances, her heart grew warmly human again. 
 
 There was one break in her month with Mabel a duty to 
 be performed before Daisy could settle in her new home, and 
 accept her new life. Richard had proposed that she and Mabel 
 should go up to Mrs. Wilcox's for a day only ; but her plead- 
 ing eyes disarmed him. 
 
 " I would rather go alone," she said, quietly. " I think 
 Mrs. Wilcox will want me to stay. She has been so kind." 
 
 "I mean you shall go up often," he returned. " But just 
 now a visit might not be prudent." 
 
 " Please let me go." Her lip quivered like that of an 
 entreating child. 
 
 " My dear Daisy, you shall do as you will. Only remem- 
 ber, you belong to us now." 
 
 She laid her cheek on his hand with a mute caress that 
 was both fond and grateful. 
 
 He took her up one morning, and at an appointed day 
 came for her. How she spent the vigil, in that room where
 
 DR. EERTRAND' s HOUSEHOLD. 190 
 
 the baby died, he dimly guessed. What hours of anguish, 
 what prayers for divine grace, went up to the great white 
 throne, and what angels came and ministered to her, he also 
 fancied, for she was never out of his mind a moment. 
 
 He thought when she came down the garden path to meet 
 him, that lovely August afternoon, he had never seen her 
 look sweeter in her days of comparative content. She was 
 pale and thin ; her lips had lost their bright coloring ; but the 
 holy calm on her countenance fairly transfigured her. He 
 remembered observing just such saintly expressions in the 
 baby's face at times. She was glad to see him ; the faint 
 flush in her cheek confessed it at his first words. 
 
 Mrs. Wilcox assisted her in packing. Less than a year 
 before, she had helped her find places for these books and 
 pictures, and welcomed her with moth'erly fondness. Now 
 she paused to say, amid a gush of tears, 
 
 " Mrs. Bertrand ! I don't know what I shall do without 
 you ! " 
 
 Father Wilcox was equally pained at relinquishing her. 
 She had spent hours leaning her fair head on his knee, weep- 
 ing silent tears, and listening to the tremulous tones, dearer 
 to her than ever, for she knew he might soon be with her 
 lost darling. All summer he had been growing feebler, and 
 was looking daily for the hour when he should " depart and 
 be with Christ." 
 
 " Dr. Bertrand said I might come and see you often," she 
 exclaimed, with her farewell. " Shall it be every week ? " 
 
 The old gentleman's eyes lighted with sudden jcy. She 
 turned to Richard for approbation. 
 
 " Yes," he answered, " I will bring you up every week." 
 
 " Thank you." The tone was very sweet. 
 
 The trunks were to be sent down the next day. That 
 evening, after the joyful welcomes were over, there was an 
 animated discussion as to which room should be Daisy's. 
 The three girls had shared the large apartment adjoining 
 their sitting-room, while the smaller one was claimed by
 
 200 IN TRUST, OK 
 
 Archie. Besides Richard's there was only one other 
 " papa's room." 
 
 " Not where papa died, or mamma either," said Lily ; " and 
 it's delightful." 
 
 " Suppose we make a sitting-room of that," was Richard's 
 proposition, " and give Daisy the present one. You will all 
 be nearer together then. And I heard Archie talking quite 
 largely of a study ; he might take one of the upper rooms, 
 and turn his into a sanctum." 
 
 " Capital ! " exclaimed Archie, delightedly. " You plan 
 admirably, Dick. The girls are nowhere in comparison. 
 We will have a gay time to-morrow." 
 
 So the next day there was quite a revolution in affairs. 
 Archie insisted on hanging Daisy's pictures, and brought up 
 a little etegere that he declared he had heard Richard pro- 
 nounce a nuisance in the office. Tessy filled her vases with 
 lovely flowers, and the fresh, fragrant room looked supremely 
 inviting. But Daisy persuaded Mabel to share it with her 
 during the remainder of her stay. 
 
 The busy days that followed served to draw her from the 
 solitude of intense sorrow. She was greatly interested in 
 the happy, honorable love before her, so different from her 
 own hasty wooing and ill-starred marriage. Philip had ac- 
 cepted the position of assistant rector with Mr. Chaloner, 
 and persuaded his friend to take immediate advantage of it, 
 in joining a party of clerical brethren on a tour to the White 
 Mountains. Lily counted up the days for Mabel, and in 
 apite of the grief that had fallen upon them, managed to 
 throw her own peculiar brightness around every one. 
 
 Mabel had too true an estimate of the love offered her to 
 foe weakly despondent at leaving her childhood's home. In- 
 deed, she would have been outwardly cheerful for Richard's 
 sake, if her own serene nature had not sustained her. 
 Philip's visits had been so infrequent, that her evenings, 
 And a large portion of her attention, had been devoted ex- 
 clusively to her brothers and sisters. More than once she
 
 DK. BEBTEAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 201 
 
 had sighed over the prospect of leaving Richard to the keep- 
 ing of one so thoughtless and eager for her own enjoyment 
 as Lily. But God had sent this dear little Daisy, with will- 
 ing hands and fondest heart, to supply her place. Young, 
 and slight almost to childishness, there lingered about her a 
 certain subtle power. Her intuitions were fine, and she pos- 
 sessed the rare intelligence which divines and harmonizes 
 with a mood electrically. Her sense of right was so perfect 
 that it was not possible her coming among them would be 
 marked by any misunderstandings. Mabel was satisfied to 
 leave her treasures in such hands. 
 
 Philip's arrival diffused a pleasant atmosphere throughout 
 the house. Bridal gifts were inspected, packing undertaken 
 in a very important manner ; past remembrances and future 
 hopes were blended in sad, yet happy talks. For, after all, 
 it was no light thing to part thus, to give up all claim to the 
 dear old home. 
 
 That the wedding should be quiet surprised no one. The 
 day was cloudless, with a touch of summer in the air a ten- 
 der regret over the dying flowers. They were all satisfied 
 to have no gay rejoicings. Indeed, the memory of Robert's 
 departure, and his recent death, came up too forcibly. Lin- 
 gering kisses, unbidden tears that fell softly, and fond clasp- 
 ing of hands, were mingled in their bridal joy. Mabel was 
 to travel a while, and then proceed direct to Rothelan. 
 
 " Two vacant places," mused Richard, when the calls and 
 congratulations were over. Then his eye wandered down to 
 the petite figure draped in black, with satin-smooth hair, and 
 deep, sorrowful eyes a treasure that had come to him out 
 of a great ruin ; a pearl stranded on the shore from some con- 
 vulsion of the natural order of things. He felt she was his 
 in a peculiar sense. 
 
 He so far overcame his dislike of Mrs. Davis as to pay her 
 another visit. She had accepted their separation as inevita- 
 ble ; indeed she was well satisfied to find her charge in good 
 hands hands too strong ever to relinquish her. He detailed
 
 202 IN TRUST, OU 
 
 the recent sad occurrences, and his arrangements for the 
 future, claiming her most solemn promise never to divulge 
 a word of that painful past. 
 
 Daisy's weekly calls on Mrs. Wilcox were a source of great 
 interest to both. Occasionally they were extended to the 
 whole day. Mr. Wilcox had failed rapidly, and was no 
 longer able to sit up, except for a few moments. 
 
 " I think," she said one day to Richard, " I ought to stay, 
 if you are willing." 
 
 He rather liked the odd, timid way she had of deferring to 
 him. He could not refuse the pleading face, irresistible 
 with the light of its tender brown eyes, although he said, 
 lingeringly, 
 
 " I am afraid you will overtask your strength." 
 
 " There isn't anything to do ; besides, Mrs. Wilcox is so 
 very careful of me." 
 
 She was thankful ever afterwards that she went, and re- 
 mained until the last sad moment. 
 
 " I don't know what I should have done without her ! " 
 was Mrs. Wilcox's exclamation. " After father grew too 
 feeble to speak, she always understood just what he wanted. 
 She would sit for hours smoothing his hair or holding his 
 hands, and repeating passages of Scripture. And at the last 
 I shall never forget the look and tone with which she said, 
 ' Who shall separate us from the love of Christ ? ' He gave 
 her a heavenly smile, closed his eyes, and never stirred 
 again. She would not even unclasp his hand until he had 
 been dead many minutes. Dr. Bertrand, if there ever 
 was an angel in this world, that child is one. I can't see 
 why life had to be so hard and painful to her ; but she bears 
 it all with the patience of a saint. There doesn't seem any- 
 thing earthly about her." 
 
 Richard was not selfish, yet he felt glad no tie beyond the 
 family held her now. She was all theirs.
 
 DH. BEKTBAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 203 
 
 'CHAPTEK XXII. 
 
 She la like a harp the winds do play upon ; mark her well. She shall tell yon 
 what she dreams unwittingly, for her face is a mask nothing but a veil, and 
 uitder it you shall see her heart beat. OLD PLAY. 
 
 LILY sat playing the Henrietta waltz, while Archie and 
 Tessy whirled up and down the long parlor in graceful 
 evolutions. On a low ottoman, by the window, Daisy half 
 reclined, dividing her attention between the dancers and 
 the gray, sullen skies. The day had been very unprom- 
 ising ; and now a fine rain began to fall. 
 
 " How is the weather, Daisy ? " And Archie kissed his 
 hand to her as he neared the corner. 
 
 " It rains a little," she answered, hesitatingly. 
 
 " ! " and the dancers came to a full pause. " Do you 
 believe they will come, Lily ? " 
 
 Lily glanced at her watch. " Yes," she returned, " they 
 will be here in five minutes. It didn't rain when they started, 
 you know, and clergymen, like doctors, are not afraid of a 
 little storm." 
 
 " And Bel said, almost the last word, that she would 
 surely be home at Thanksgiving ! " exclaimed Archie ; " so 
 go on with the music." And they took another turn. 
 
 A carriage stopped, and before Daisy could announce it 
 they all rushed to the hall door. There were Philip and 
 Mabel, sure enough ; the hardly three months' wife rosy and 
 smiling, with the fondest of caresses for every one. Dur- 
 ing the first few moments they all talked and laughed in 
 chorus. 
 
 " Now you may go up stairs," said Lily. " Daisy has
 
 204 IN TKUST, OK 
 
 arranged her room for you, and, Bel, Mrs. Charlton sent 
 in a real bridal bouquet ! " 
 
 The apartment was fragrant with the spicy, Oriental odor 
 of tuberoses, and as neat as tasteful hands could render it. 
 The three self-elected maids of honor hovered around their 
 fair queen, assisted in removing her travelling habiliments, 
 and were so attentive that Philip declared himself jealous, 
 and insisted on Tessy coming to brush his hair. 
 
 " There's the doctor," said a quiet voice. 
 
 Mabel ran away from her maids, and in a moment was 
 clasped to Kichard's heart. There was only the merest 
 space of time for conversation before the dinner bell rang. 
 
 When they entered the dining-room a general halt oc- 
 curred among the three girls. Daisy's face flushed, and 
 she glanced inquiringly at Lilian. 
 
 " 0, Mabel is company now," Lily responded, with a 
 laugh ; " so, Mrs. Bertrand, you may keep your place. You 
 see we have promoted Daisy to the head of the table, in 
 consideration of her great age ! " 
 
 " Yes, / have forfeited all right to the old place," was 
 Mabel's smiling rejoinder. 
 
 " Besides," said Lily, gayly, " Philip couldn't sit at the 
 corner of the table, and I dare say the most trivial separa- 
 tion would be considered cruel." 
 
 " That's only during the honeymoon, Lily," Philip ex- 
 claimed. " We have come to the second stage." 
 
 " In which Mabel cries to have her own way, I suppose," 
 Lily retorted, saucily. 
 
 "And I, in my superior wisdom, beg her to set a good 
 example for her sister," was Philip's rejoinder. 
 
 Lily was not to be worsted in this sort of light skirmish- 
 ing ; she kept them all laughing at the readiness with which 
 she parried or subverted Philip's logic. It was a most 
 pleasant reunion. Mabel had been a prompt and generous 
 correspondent; but the girls were nbt satisfied until they 
 had carried her off for a nice talk, in which the particulars
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 205 
 
 of her bridal trip and home coming at Rothelan were 
 described. 
 
 " It was all most delightful," she said. " Mr. Chaloner 
 and Philip love each other like father and son ; he is the 
 dearest old man in the world. I think I like him better 
 because he doesn't in the slightest remind me of papa. His 
 hair is nearly all white, and his face, though wrinkled, is 
 fair and calm ; a little sad, perhaps, but so pleasant. Then 
 the rectory is the oddest, cosiest nook in the world, standing 
 back from the main road, up an avenue bordered by wide- 
 spreading elms. It is rough gray stone, nearly covered 
 with ivy. My rooms are all on the second floor. Philip's 
 study and our sitting-room have folding doors between ; 
 then we have a large sleeping apartment, bath-room, and 
 hosts of closets. On the opposite side of the hall are three 
 handsome spare chambers ; so you see I can accommodate 
 you all. Mr. Chaloner has rooms down stairs just like 
 Philip's, except that the sitting-room is used for family pur- 
 poses ; and there is a parlor full of lovely pictures, and a 
 piano. Mrs. Brown is housekeeper, and Peggy, an old col- 
 ored woman, comes in to help occasionally. I don't have 
 anything to do but play and sing, and read aloud when the 
 clergy come in tired with their labors. All the city families 
 have gone home; so the congregation is quite small. It 
 seems like living in an enchanted palace." 
 
 " You have certainly fallen upon the days of Haroun Al- 
 raschid. But wait a while until you are made president of 
 the sewing and charitable societies, or some parishioner 
 calls you up in the middle of the night to make a little 
 broth for her sick children." 
 
 " O Lily ! I think, instead, they'll all spoil me. I did 
 make some vinegar toast one day for an old lady who is ill, 
 and very fanciful, and she will not believe any one else can 
 make it as good. I like most of those old-fashioned country 
 people. We have been out to tea a great man^ times, and 
 I always feel sorry I cannot eat any more ; for they provide 
 18
 
 206 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 BO bountifully, and always seem disappointed if you do not 
 taste of everything." 
 
 " Bravo ! " said Archie, laughing. " That last remark is 
 worthy of Lily." 
 
 " And, Archie, one of the farmers sent me some beautiful 
 white Spanish fowls, and Philip had a gallon of currant wine 
 and several bushels of splendid apples given him, and hosts 
 of little things. There are two sisters, maiden ladies, 
 quilting me the most beautiful white spread you ever saw. 
 They are ready to love Philip on Mr. Chaloner's account, 
 but I hope he will prove worthy of their affection on his 
 own." 
 
 " Very modest indeed," said Lily. " I hope they will 
 love Mrs. Philip. If they fail to, we shall bring her home 
 again." 
 
 Mabel held up her wedding-ring finger. 
 
 " Zenobia, with golden chains," laughed Lily. 
 
 " Think of a better simile ; for O, Miss Lily, I shall take 
 you into training some day. Philip has proposed that, after 
 Christmas, you make me a nice long visit; he thinks by 
 that time I shall have a longing for home faces. If we live 
 until next summer, I want you all. The drives down the 
 river are so lovely ! And there are West Point, the Catskills, 
 and ever so many places of interest." 
 
 " And I shall be so well trained that I can begin to set 
 Tessy an example," Lily said, demurely. 
 
 Richard and Philip, having finished their cigars, joined the 
 party. They were wonderfully happy, even to Daisy, who 
 said little, but smiled in her pleasant fashion. It was a 
 delightful family group. 
 
 " Are they not charming ? " Lily asked of Daisy, as they 
 were preparing for slumber. " I never saw a couple more 
 nicely matched. Philip is attentive and affectionate, yet has 
 that little touch of authority one likes to see in a husband ; 
 and Mabel Is so sweet and deferential. They are just like 
 story-book people. Why are you smiling ? "
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 207 
 
 " I was thinking what a certain young lady said this morn- 
 ing concerning a husband's authority." 
 
 " 0, well, these things set elegantly on Mabel, but I 
 could not stand them." 
 
 " Wait until your time of loving comes." 
 
 " I think I could love the hero of my choice a great deal ; 
 but if there was a chain, I should fret at it. I should always 
 be trying my power with his. It would never do for him to 
 be ' weaker than his task,' as Carlyle says, for I couldn't 
 respect him; and if he was the stronger " 
 
 " You will only think, in that day, how you can best pour 
 out the treasures of your heart. You will want to give con- 
 tinually. I think all women do." 
 
 " You are such a darling ! I shall never be half as good. 
 But I mean to have some fun before I promise to obey ; " 
 and Lily kissed her fondly. 
 
 The next day was Thanksgiving. Then followed Friday ; 
 and on Saturday Mr. and Mrs. Gregory, as Archie styled 
 them, started for home. The visit had been one of thorough 
 enjoyment, and already the younger members of the family 
 began to count on the coming summer. 
 
 By the time the holidays were well over, Richard learned 
 the second daughter of his house and heart was likely to 
 prove a much greater charge than Mabel with her one ad- 
 mirer. She was certainly handsome. Tall, slender, with 
 that subtle rounding of form that renders every movement 
 graceful ; a small, proudly-poised head, with its wealth of 
 golden hair, whose reflexes caught that glittering bronze 
 tinge painters love, drooping in silken soft ringlets ; a 
 complexion of purest blonde, through which the varying 
 emotions spoke in pale pink or carnation hues ; straight and 
 rather haughty features, and deep, dark eyes, that seemed 
 always changing from purple to black, or back again. The 
 arch of the brow was done in richest brown ; the long lashes 
 were just thaged with gold ; but above the loveliness of face, 
 expression held perfect sway. She was bright, dazzling,
 
 208 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 imperious, defiant, and tender by turns. She loved with a 
 passionate eagerness that thrilled one ; yet it was seldom 
 she seemed to strike upon a vein of affection ; so she laughed, 
 teased, was demure or tantalizing, as the whim took her. 
 Affluent in spirits, easy and fascinating in her manners, and 
 possessing abilities of a high order, she might have queened 
 it in a much larger circle. Richard had disapproved of her 
 going into society this winter, as much on account of her 
 youth as Robert's death ; yet the young people were not long 
 in ignorance of the attraction at Dr. Bertrand's. If she 
 could not go to parties, there were concerts and lectures, 
 and long evenings at home, with music for an excuse. 
 
 It must be confessed she developed a decided taste for 
 flirting. She laughed over jealous rivalries, and adroitly 
 managed to evade ill consequences. Richard's gentle re- 
 monstrances were taken kindly, but he could see they had 
 no effect upon her. He dreaded restriction. There was 
 something in her eye that recalled Robert a dangerous, 
 luminous light, that might burst into flame, and scatter red- 
 hot rays far and wide. It would be idle to set Daisy at man- 
 aging her ; indeed, utterly impossible. He did insist that 
 they should walk together, though he made this appear as 
 solicitude for Daisy. Yet he felt wonderfully relieved when 
 Philip, being in New York on business, came over for Lily 
 to accompany him home to Rothelan. 
 
 How quiet the house seemed afterwards ! The parlor was 
 deserted, and Tessy's practising the only music Richard 
 heard. Thinking this over one evening, he proposed that 
 Daisy should commence learning. 
 
 " When they all go away," he said, smilingly, " I shall 
 have only you left to make the house bright, and music is 
 one of my luxuries ; I cannot give it up. I never remember 
 a time when some one did not play and sing. I have seen 
 mother sit, with a baby in her lap, learning a new song 
 father had brought her. You see we have all been greatly 
 indulged."
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 209 
 
 ' "0, if I could be any comfort to you, after all you have 
 done for me ! " Daisy returned, with a sudden gush of emo- 
 tion. " I think sometimes I must have died, if it had not 
 been for you ; " and she shivered at the remembrance of the 
 desolation that had yawned before her when he came. 
 
 "Yes," he said, in a gravely sweet tone, "you can be a 
 comfort to me during the comirrg years. It appears but 
 yesterday that the house was full of wee, toddling things ; 
 now Bel is married, and Tessy nearly ten, and in the ceme- 
 tery there is more than one green grave belonging to us. 
 It seems as if God had sent you to fill some vacant place." 
 
 She glanced up with tender, tearful eyes. In such words 
 as his she found her dearest home welcome. 
 
 Daisy had a quick ear and much natural love for music. 
 Kichard's desire was sufficient to set her to work in good 
 earnest. Her voice had no great power or depth ; it was 
 low, with a mournful chord running through it, specially 
 adapting it to those old ballads of love and despair. More 
 than once Richard had listened to her singing " Bonny 
 Doon," as she sat at her sewing, until its infinite pathos 
 made his heart ache, it seemed so like her own sad life. 
 Did some dim presentiment ally her with sorrow ? 
 
 Lily's letters were great sources of enjoyment. Her ready 
 sense of the ludicrous, her droll, piquant descriptive powers, 
 and the merry exaggeration that seemed a part of her nature, 
 were not likely to suffer from dearth. Richard thought her 
 fate surely followed her as he listened to the accounts of 
 tea-drinkings given in her honor, and how the farmers' sons 
 insisted upon bringing her home in an independent sleigh. 
 There was a Mr. Joslyn, who soon gained sufficient courage 
 to come to the rectory, and inquire for Miss Bertrand, and 
 who walked home from church with her, and was quite de- 
 voted considered, indeed, the " catch " of the village, 
 and Lily gravely wondered what sort of a farmer's wife she 
 would make. 
 
 But when she had been at Rothelan about six weeks, an 
 18*
 
 210 IN BUST, OR 
 
 extraordinary event happened, which she chronicled at length 
 for Daisy's perusal. After a little ordinary chat, she began 
 with, 
 
 " And now, Pet, I have a most romantic incident to relate 
 quite a story-book affair, indeed. Four days ago we were 
 all down in the sitting-room, Mabel sewing in true matronly 
 fashion, dear old Mr. Chaloner, suffering from a severe cold, 
 pillowed on the sofa, and I reading aloud. Philip was out 
 making calls in Mr. Joslyn's sleigh, which that young man 
 had very thoughtfully sent over. All the afternoon there had 
 been a succession of equipages passing dainty cutters, and 
 great family sleighs, freighted with the beauty and fashion of 
 the city. A residence some distance above here, belonging 
 to a wealthy New York merchant, was to be opened that 
 night for a grand birthday dinner and reunion. The rush 
 was over at last, and as it was growing dusky, I closed my 
 book. Mabel had just remarked on the stillness, when there 
 was a sudden whirr, and a horse, dashing up the carriage 
 road, ran the sleigh against the large sycamore, breaking it 
 to fragments, and hurling its occupant some distance in the 
 snow, while the horse, wheeling suddenly round, started off 
 again at a frantic rate. Mabel screamed, certain it was 
 Philip ; but in another instant I saw the driver, who had 
 sprung out as the sleigh turned, and the sight of a strange 
 face gave me hope. We were almost paralyzed, though ; 
 and I can't tell you what a welcome sight it was to see 
 Philip ride up the lane unharmed. 
 
 " He assisted the driver in bringing in the poor fellow. 
 Philip went for a surgeon immediately, while Mrs. Brown 
 applied some temporary bandages, and tried to restore him 
 to consciousness. I waited impatiently for Philip's return. 
 The gentleman appeared to suffer excruciatingly. We learned 
 his shoulder was dislocated, his arm broken, his head slightly 
 cut, and that he had sustained numerous severe bruises. 
 He managed to make Philip understand that he was Mrs. 
 Suydam's brother, and had just returned unexpectedly from
 
 DB. BEKTKAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 211 
 
 Europe. On learning his sister was here, he came up with 
 the train, intending to surprise his friends by appearing at 
 the party. He had some difficulty in procuring a conveyance, 
 and was forced to accept of a rather unmanageable horse, 
 and, as events proved, an ignorant driver. 
 
 " He would not allow any word to be sent to his sister 
 that night ; but the next morning Philip drove over for her. 
 She was almost wild at first, and insisted on having him 
 removed where she could be with him constantly ; but the 
 surgeon said it would be at the risk of his life. She re- 
 mained until this morning, and has now gone to New York 
 for a trusty nurse, as she considers the extra care quite 
 dreadful for us. Indeed, the alarm did affect Mabel somewhat. 
 
 " I am installed as chief attendant, though there is noth- 
 ing to do but turn my patient's head tenderly when he is 
 tired of having it in one position, and give him a drink at 
 rare intervals. Philip watches with him at night. 
 
 " As I am writing from my post of honor, I suppose a 
 description of my hero will not come amiss. His name is 
 Ulric Auchester, and for several years he has been connected 
 with some of our first-class journals. Think of my stumbling 
 over a genius ! One can see that his sister is wonderfully 
 proud of him. He is as tall as Philip, and much handsomer, 
 which is saying a great deal, I am aware. His forehead is 
 broad and high, edged with loose, jetty rings of hair, fine 
 and soft enough for a girl. His eyes are perfect in their 
 surroundings. I have not seen them fairly open yet, but 
 imagine them black. For the rest, he is ' bearded like a 
 pard,' and displays a row of white, even teeth, through a 
 line of pale blue that will doubtless be ' ripe scarlet ' some 
 day. In short, one of the novel heroes who are proud, 
 stern, tender, unreasonable, savage, and yet perfection. 
 
 " And now, little Daisy-flower, I expect you will not hear 
 anything from me except ' Mr. Auchester ' for a month to 
 come, as the surgeon declares he cannot be removed before 
 that time. I shall give up my rustic admirers, and take to
 
 212 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 nursing for the sake of the grateful looks he bestows upon 
 me. Pray that I don't lose my heart, in the mean while." 
 
 Richard laughed, and then a perplexed look crossed his 
 brow. Daisy noticed it, and said, quickly, 
 
 "You must not mind all Lily's nonsense. She is so 
 young that she thinks only of amusement ; and yet she has 
 a great deal of real good sense." 
 
 " But she is so ready to make the most of her attractions, 
 and not in the least ignorant of her power. What is girlish 
 trifling now may be something serious hereafter." 
 
 " Lily is so pretty, though, that people cannot help ad- 
 miring her. She is too good to trifle with any one who 
 really loved her." 
 
 " And you are a precious little champion," he said, with 
 a fond smile. " I only hope she will be as happy in the end 
 as Mabel." 
 
 There was hardly a letter that came afterwards in which 
 Daisy did not skip certain passages that would have in- 
 creased Richard's fears. The nurse was sent up to Rothe- 
 lan ; yet Lily appeared to be continually needed in the sick 
 room. Mr. Auchester became a favorite with the whole 
 household. Philip wrote letters for him, Mr. Chaloner paid 
 him frequent visits, and his improvement was as rapid as 
 one could expect. But Lily was not slow in learning that 
 she could give their guest both pleasure and pain, and she 
 did not hesitate to vary the treatment. 
 
 Mrs. Suydam came up often, and was delighted with the 
 care bestowed upon her brother. Mabel, in one of her epis- 
 tles, said, 
 
 " I don't know but Lily will have her head turned by Mrs. 
 Suydam's admiration. Being dark herself, she thinks blonde 
 beauty the only true loveliness. I like her exceedingly, and 
 she is a great favorite of Mr. Chaloner's ; but it would sur- 
 prise you to see how she takes to Lily. They are very 
 wealthy, and she goes in a great deal of society. Her 
 description of the party at her house was enchanting."
 
 DK. BERTKAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 213 
 
 Richard's first thought was to send for Lily. He had au 
 uneasy presentiment of danger that he could not banish. 
 Daisy looked so disappointed when he broached it, and 
 knowing the feeling was solely for Lily, he had not the cour- 
 age to insist upon her recall. Surely Mabel would see if 
 anything went amiss, and if Lily grew too much elated by 
 the attentions of her new friends, their departure, perhaps, 
 would work the best cure. Yet perhaps Richard was more 
 strictly conscientious because he felt that he did not really 
 need her at home.
 
 214 IN TRUST, OH 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 So doth the shipwrecked mariner at last 
 Cling to the rock whereon the vessel struck. 
 
 'GOETHB. 
 
 Henceforth 
 
 The course of life that seemed so flowery to me, 
 "With you for guide aad master, only you, 
 Becomes the sea cliff's pathway, broken short, 
 And ending iu a ruin. 
 
 IDYLS OF THE KING. 
 
 DAISY ran into the library one morning to dust and put the 
 place in order. Of late they had taken to sitting here in the 
 evening. After she had finished, she emptied the basket of 
 waste paper into her apron, and was gathering up the cor- 
 ners when a fragment in firm, elegant penmanship, caught 
 her eye. 
 
 She knew it so well ; and it gave her a pang of regret to 
 think Robert's memory was passing so far out of his brother's 
 heart, that he no longer cared to keep mementos of him. 
 She fondled the paper with regretful tenderness, as she 
 thought of him leagues away, sleeping among strangers. 
 She had never yet brought herself to destroy one of the 
 notes he had sent her in the old, happy days, and she 
 scanned this with a feeling that an indignity had been of- 
 fered to the dead. 
 
 What was there in it to transfix her so to bring a white 
 stony terror into her face ? The very floor seemed sliding 
 from under her, and voices rang in her ears, as if the whole 
 world was .crying out a fearful secret. Like characters of 
 living flame these words danced before her eyes : " The 
 girl has not the slightest legal claim on me, you well know ;
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 215 
 
 I'm not sure but she was leagued with Mother Davis to en- 
 trap me', for they thought I was made of money. I feel 
 perfectly free to marry, and bring my true wife home, at any 
 time " 
 
 There was no mistaking the person to whom this referred. 
 Like a sudden revelation the events of her married life 
 flashed over her Robert's mysterious language, that she 
 had failed to explain satisfactorily to herself; Mrs. Davis's 
 anger at his sudden journey, and the power with which she 
 had compelled him to make some provision for the wife he 
 was about.to desert ; his utter silence concerning herself and 
 the baby afterwards ; and many deeds of Richard's, that she 
 had allowed to pass without suspicion at the time, because 
 occupied wholly with her child. He had not acknowledged 
 her marriage publicly until after Robert's death ! 
 
 She looked for some other fragment of the letter, but in 
 vain. A sickening agony sped through every pulse. Her 
 temples throbbed in great bounds, her breath came in pain- 
 ful gasps ; and when, at last, she threw the papers back in the 
 basket, and dragged herself up to her room, her very limbs 
 seemed chilled with anguish. Who could tell her the truth ? 
 Not Mrs. Wilcox not Richard she could never ask him ; 
 but Mrs. Davis must know. Did Robert ever think she was 
 leagued with that woman to entrap him ! 
 
 God ! why had she not died with her baby ? Why had 
 such a beautiful life opened before her ? Why had such love 
 come to soothe her hungry, desolate heart ? If not Robert's 
 lawful wife, what right had she in this household or to her 
 very name ? Better some far desert, or days of distasteful, 
 wearisome toil, than this pleasant existence held on such a 
 tenure. How could she bear the burden ? How could she 
 stay here ? 
 
 Mechanically she rose, her step unsteady, her fingers 
 trembling so that she could scarcely use them, and, as if urged 
 by some irresistible impulse, began to dress. When the 
 simple toilet had been languidly performed, she put on het
 
 216 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 cloak and bonnet, the thick mourning veil effectually hiding 
 her face. Then she walked slowly down stairs, calling to 
 Ann that she was going out for a while. 
 
 The keen, biting air of early March brought out a latent 
 strength. She met no familiar face in her walk to the de- 
 pot ; and the cars were just starting. Not until she saw the 
 houses fairly whirling past did she dare to look her spectral 
 errand in the face. She was going to Mrs. Davis, deter- 
 mined to learn the whole truth. Perhaps she had been 
 wrong in so readily giving up her first friend, and God was 
 punishing her in this manner sending her back to the life 
 she had shrunk from. Crushed and humiliated, she scarcely 
 knew whither to turn. 
 
 She had never seen Mrs. Davis since the day of their 
 parting at Orange. Her delicate intuitions warned her that 
 Bichard preferred to have the acquaintance die out ; and it 
 was not a pleasurable one to her. She shivered a little now, 
 as, leaving the stage, she walked through the dirty street. 
 The house appeared dingier and coarser than ever, and the 
 blear-eyed stragglers, entering and leaving, filled her with 
 dismay. Taking the private entrance, she knocked at the 
 door of the back room. Mrs. Davis opened it, starting back 
 in astonishment. 
 
 " Land sakes ! What upon earth sent you here, child ? 
 You look as if you was just raised from the dead. Do take 
 a cheer, and thaw out a little ; you look a'most froze. Be you 
 well ? " 
 
 Margaret dropped into the chair. Her torture was too 
 tense for words at the first moment. 
 
 " Nothin's happened to you has it ? .You look kind o' 
 skeery and ghost-like in them black cloze. Dr. Bertrand 
 nor any on em' hain't been ugly have they ? " 
 
 " No, mother." It seemed right to use the old term now. 
 " But I came to ask you a question : why was I not Robert 
 Bertrand's lawful wife ? " 
 
 Mrs. Davis's face lighted up with an angry flush, as she
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 217 
 
 said, in a quick, excited tone, " Has that man, has Dr. Ber- 
 trand, dared to tell you this, after all his promises ? " 
 
 Her great tenderness for Richard overcame her. Even in 
 this agony she could not have him unjustly blamed, and she 
 replied, with sobs that sounded in her voice only, 
 
 " No ; he has been all that is kind and noble. He does 
 not know that I have discovered his secret, or that I came 
 here to-day. And now I want to know all, all, if it should 
 kill me dead on the spot." 
 
 There was a strange, terrible power in her eyes and voice. 
 Mrs. Davis shrunk away, crying, 
 
 " For Heaven's sake, Marg'ret, are you crazy ? " 
 
 " No, but I think I shall be if you keep me waiting. 
 Quick, quick ! you torture me to death ! " 
 
 Mrs. Davis could not resist the imperious demand. In a 
 hesitating tone, as if she feared she was doing wrong, she 
 supplied the missing links in Margaret's history, softening 
 to her honor be it said the terrible truth she was forced 
 to reveal. 
 
 The poor young thing listened with dry,, glittering eyes, 
 and pulses that seemed to send a liquid fire of pain through 
 her ice-cold frame. Long after it was finished, she sat like 
 a statue. Frightened at her calmness, Mrs. Davis spoke 
 again, kindly. 
 
 A terrible cry broke from her white lips. She threw her- 
 self at Mrs. Davis's feet, exclaiming, hoarsely, 
 
 " Mother, please take me back. I will be satisfied with 
 the old life. I will tend. in the shop, do anything you desire, 
 only take me back ! I am nothing to the Bertrands. I 
 have no right to their home, their love ! " 
 
 There was a sense of justice and fitness in that rough 
 woman's heart. She said, with a blunt earnestness that was 
 almost tender, 
 
 " You've the best right there, child, and Dr. Bertrand feels 
 BO. He's a proud man, and wouldn't have done as he has, 
 if his conscience hadn't led him just that way. He knows 
 19
 
 218 IN TKUST, OR 
 
 Robert acted shamefully. After the baby died, he come over 
 here and fairly swore me to secrecy. He said he'd took you 
 home, and that you never should leave them ; he won't hear 
 to your goin' I can tell you that ! " 
 
 " I cannot stay, I cannot stay," she moaned, crouching 
 still lower. 
 
 " Listen, child. You know this ain't any place for you. 
 You're a sight too han'some to tend bar unless you liked the 
 talk and fun. You don't ; you've tried it enough to know. 
 I can feel you ain't my kind. God made you nicer and 
 finer. I don't say this because you put on airs it's all 
 nat'ral as the breath you draw. There ain't no company for 
 you here. You want somethin' more than bread to eat, and 
 you can have it at the Bertrands. They love you ; they're 
 companions for you. Marg'ret, you'd die here." 
 
 The poor girl wrung her hands. 
 
 " Will you tell me how you found this all out ? " Mrs. 
 Davis asked, after another long pause. 
 
 Margaret related the incidents of the morning. 
 
 " If I'd 'a known that first, you'd never got a word out o' 
 me. You see Dr. Bertrand's been keepin' this from every- 
 body, and tryin' his best to make you happy. There ain't 
 nothin' for him to find out and twit you with. If he could, 
 he'd call Robert out of his grave, and make him marry you ; 
 and to leave him don't seem just the right kind of pay, when 
 he's been so gen'rous. I know you ain't ungrateful, Mar- 
 g'ret." 
 
 Her forced strength gave way in a flood of tears. Mrs. 
 Davis followed up the, impression, setting the truths of the case 
 very clearly before her. If Margaret had related one unkind 
 incident, her heart and home would have opened at once to 
 the desolate one. But Dr. Bertrand would be deeply pained 
 if she persisted in leaving them, and the explanation neces- 
 sary for such a step could not fail to embarrass him. It was 
 from this view that Margaret assented with shivering reluc- 
 tance. She could not resolve to wound one so dear as Dr.
 
 DK. BERTRAND' s HOUSEHOLD. 219 
 
 Bertrand, in this painful manner. For many moments she 
 sat in deep thought. 
 
 " You'll stay and have some dinner ? " Mrs. Davis said, 
 seeing her rise as if to depart. 
 
 " No. If I must go back, it had better be immediately. 
 I suppose it is best, for the present." Her tone was dreary 
 in the extreme. It touched her listener. 
 
 " Marg'ret," she said, holding the trembling form to her 
 heart in an almost motherly clasp, " it is right. He meant, 
 all along, to make you happy. But if you cant stay, come 
 here, and I'll do my best for you. You shall go to school 
 again till you're able to teach. Grod knows I'm sorry for 
 you. I hate the day Robert Bertrand came in this house." 
 
 There was a sad, clinging caress ; then, gathering her 
 cloak about her, the poor child turned to leave the room 
 with that touch of dignity always characterizing her. The 
 clouds were lowering, the wind fiercer than ever. Uncon- 
 sciously she said to herself, 
 
 " ' My life is cold, and dark, and dreary.' " 
 
 For the first few steps her limbs almost refused to support 
 her. It seemed as if she must sink to the earth. Rallying 
 a little, she tried to pray for strength to take up this cross, 
 and bear it even to the Mount of Calvary, if need be. 
 
 She was glad to reach home before Tessy. Changing her 
 dress, she threw herself on her knees, and remained there 
 until she heard a sweet, childish voice call, 
 
 " Daisy, where are you ? " 
 
 " In my room." She summoned all her endurance. 
 
 " Daisy, darling, how cold you are ! You don't look a bit 
 ' crimson tipped,' unless it's the end of your nose. Where 
 have you been ? " 
 
 " I went out of an errand." It was all she could do to 
 manage her voice. 
 
 " And you just returned in time. There's a wretched 
 storm beginning fine, cutting sleet. Let us go to the
 
 220 IN TRUST, OB 
 
 sitting-room, and play chess while we get nicely warm, as 
 Dick and the dinner are not within our reach." 
 
 She felt glad to grant the child's request. Tessy was try- 
 ing to learn the game systematically, without talking, and 
 the play seemed to promise a rest. To her the pieces had 
 heretofore appeared like human beings ; but now she had no 
 heart for the mimic warfare. And, by association, Robert's 
 face and form rose before her the first bright dreams she 
 had cherished, the terrible reality. Could she endure to the 
 end ? And what would the end be ? 
 
 Richard sprang up the steps with a bound. Taking in 
 the situation, he congratulated Tessy. Another move, and 
 the child laughingly exclaimed, " Checkmate ! " 
 
 " What a bitter storm ! " Daisy said, walking towards the 
 window. 
 
 " Yes ; and I'm compelled to tramp out again. I found 
 a slate full down stairs. My head aches, and I feel wonder- 
 fully like staying at home, and being petted." 
 
 Tessy sprang to his side, and began to administer. Then 
 Archie entered with a merry greeting, and presently the 
 dinner bell rang. 
 
 The grayness of the day rendered Daisy's paleness less 
 noticeable. She rarely had any color, save when excited. 
 Archie sustained the principal part of the conversation, 
 having some school troubles to relate ; so her silence passed 
 unremarked. When Richard went out, they all repaired to 
 the library, and, after it grew too dark to study, clustered 
 together in the twilight to have a good talk, as Archie 
 phrased it. 
 
 " What should we do without Daisy ! " was Tessy's fervent 
 exclamation. " Lily considers us a nuisance in the evening, 
 and if she visits Bel twice a year, and stays six months each 
 time, she won't be of much moment to us. And likely 
 some time she'll be getting married. But, Daisy, you don't 
 ever mean to have another lover do you ?" 
 
 " No, dear." The tone was infinitely solemn and sweet.
 
 DR. BEBTRAND'S Hor~sEHOij>. 221 
 
 " I'm so glad ! It will be seven years before -I am as old 
 as Lily, and it would break my heart if there wasn't some 
 one at home to love me all that time ! " 
 
 " You don't consider me of the slightest account," bristled 
 up Archie. 
 
 " 0, you will have to go to college pretty soon, and then 
 you will fall in love, and be married. I'll promise to like 
 your wife some, but there can never be any one quite so dear 
 as Daisy. You're such a little darling ! " and a rain of kisses 
 covered the quiet face. 
 
 " When you are grown, Tessy, you may stay at home, and 
 take care of Dick. I'll build a pretty house, and Daisy 
 shall come and live with me." 
 
 " No, you won't, Master Archie ! Dick will never let 
 Daisy go away," was the confident reply. 
 
 " Daisy isn't bound to obey him ! " said Archie, loftily. 
 He had a great, boyish fondness for Daisy, and, with the 
 romance of scarce fifteen years, thought it possible, when he 
 grew to man's estate, to persuade her to fill the dearest 
 position in that enchanted castle a dream of the future. 
 
 " Would you go away, Daisy, unless Richard gave you 
 leave ? " and, with a triumphant faith, Tessy glanced up ; 
 but the twilight was pitiful, and hid the death-like face of 
 agony. Reaching out to kiss it, the child exclaimed, in 
 surprise, 
 
 " Why, Daisy, you are crying ! What is the matter ? " 
 
 " Nothing, nothing, only " and a convulsive sob tore 
 up from her very heart. " I love you all so dearly, so 
 dearly ! 0, how could I go away ! " 
 
 " You never will," was Tessy's positive and consoling reply. 
 
 A ring at the door startled them. It was Freddy Charl- 
 ton. His cousins had come from Bloomfield, and they were 
 to have out their magic lantern. His mother would play 
 quadrilles for them afterwards, but they wanted Tessy and 
 Archie to complete the set. The resolute little fellow would 
 take no denial. He even begged Mrs. Bertrand to come. 
 19*
 
 222 IN TETJST, OB 
 
 "No," Daisy replied, with a great effort at cheerfulness. 
 " The doctor will be home presently. I shall not be lone- 
 some in this little while." 
 
 They went rather reluctantly. Now that the restraint was 
 removed, Daisy lowered the light, and crept shiveringly to 
 the corner of the hearth, by the register. A bitter, dreary 
 sense of suffering stole over her. How many times, in her 
 short life, she had longed for love ! Now it was proving 
 itself a subtle torture. She had no claim on these generous 
 hearts. Nay, more, she felt as if she had been forced upon 
 them from the beginning. There was a wild desire to go 
 away, to put such a distance between them that even visiting 
 would be out of the question. Or if she could die ! 
 
 She did not cry, or make the, faintest moan; but every 
 nerve felt sore and strained, as if she had been on the rack. 
 She thought of her little baby*with sorrowful gratitude. He 
 was safe in heaven, as Dr. Bertrand had said that fearful 
 night, " taken from the evil to come." Ah, how blind she 
 had been ! God, who knew best, was most kind in that ter- 
 rible stroke. How could she endure the days yet to be ? 
 What must she do ? 
 
 She sat in that passionless despair until she heard Richard 
 opening the door, when she rose, and went slowly out to 
 meet him. It was a tender fashion with Bel and Lily ; of 
 late it had failen to her. 
 
 " The storm increases does it not ? " she asked, keeping 
 her face well In the shade. 
 
 " Yes ; it is a bitter night. I have half a mind to say 
 neither love nor money, hardly duty, will tempt me to face 
 it again. What a rosy, cheerful warmth there is through 
 this house ! I am so glad to be at home." 
 
 " And your headache ? " 
 
 "It is no better. I have probably taken a severe cold. 
 This March wind runs through a person like a knife, and, to 
 use an exaggeration, ' I'm absolutely tired to death ! ' ' 
 
 He had taken off his coat while saying this, and now,
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 223 
 
 passing his arm over Daisy's shoulder, entered the library 
 to resume dressing-gown and slippers, and asked where the 
 children were. 
 
 She gaVe the desired information. 
 
 " Haven't you been lonesome, little bird ? Yet I'm rather 
 glad of a nice quiet time, for I want you to try your skill in 
 exorcism. You ought to have profited by Lily's instruc- 
 tions." 
 
 " Shall I read to you ? " Her heart sank within her at 
 thought of the effort. 
 
 " No ; I want to be comforted in some other manner as 
 you pet up Archie occasionally. Suppose you take the cor- 
 ner of the sofa, and hold the pillow for me." 
 
 She arranged it to his liking ; and stretching himself out 
 indolently, he rested his head in her lap. There was a soft, 
 pleasant light in the room ; but they heard the wailing of 
 the storm without, and the sleet crackling under the feet 
 of the few who were compelled to be abroad. The wind 
 moaned in the chimney like some forlorn human voice. 
 
 " How delightfully cool your hands are !" he said, passing 
 them over his throbbing temples. " Think how lonely I 
 should be without you, Daisy, when my girls flit from the 
 home nest ! I believe I shall keep you always." 
 
 And she had been planning how to get away ! She 
 crushed down the great rising in her heart ; she tried to 
 steady the trembling fingers that were drawn down to his 
 mouth to be kissed, and then half buried in his soft beard, 
 before they found their way back to his forehead. She 
 compelled herself to listen to him mechanically at first, 
 but by degrees losing that numb, terrible feeling. Rich- 
 ard's weariness led him into a sorrowful vein ; perhaps, too, 
 the memory of an event always fresh in his mind at this 
 season unconsciously saddened him. From his great grief 
 they passed to hers. If Daisy's voice trembled, if her 
 speech grew slow and faltering, it roused no wonder in his 
 heart. He lingered tenderly over those dark days ; indeed,
 
 224 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 all the days that had been precious to him from the time of 
 their first meeting. She felt anew how he had shielded her 
 how he would fain have warded off every sorrow. Would 
 there be any such merciful heart in the desert in which she 
 longed to bury herself ? 
 
 Something inexplicable fell over them both ; though, per- 
 haps, neither dreamed to what boundless realm they were 
 slowly drifting. When he spoke of the future, blending her 
 with every event, no fear or suspicion started in either 
 mind. It was too early to experience any want beyond 
 what their daily intercourse supplied. Now and then they 
 fell into long, delicious silences, when he kissed into the 
 soft hand a secret knowledge he had not owned to himself. 
 
 Thinking this over in her own room, his tender good 
 night lingering like a blessing about her, and the children's 
 kisses the guests of her pillow, the rebellious feeling of the 
 morning died out. She no longer beat helplessly against 
 the prison bars of fate, neither did she droop in utter 
 despondency. B^r cry still was, " All Thy waves and Thy 
 billows are gone over me." She only realized that sh 
 could, after all, bear her trial here better than in any other 
 place, without being able to explain what had wrought the 
 change. She could not go away unless Richard consented. 
 And in the dark day of her life in which he said " yes," 
 there would remain but one place of refuge the grave. 
 
 And so she passed the fearful ordeal, making no sign. 
 Influenced by some unseen, unexplainable strength, that 
 crept through every pulse, and beat off the moments by 
 heart throbs, she ceased to struggle at length, and took up 
 her cross in silence. It was not Dr. Bertrand's fault that 
 in a fatal hour all disguise had slipped away. So she sat 
 patiently down in its shadow, resolved to bide (rod's own 
 time. Her soul was weak, but the most heroic could have 
 done no more.
 
 DE. BEETEAXD'S HOUSEHOLD. 225 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 For love of Him who smote our lives, 
 And woke the chords of joy and pain, 
 
 We said, Sweet Christ ! our hearts bent down, 
 Like violets after rain. 
 
 T. B. ALDRICH. 
 
 Many a green isle there needs must be, 
 In the deep, wide sea of misery; 
 Else the mariner, worn and wan, 
 Never thus could journey on. 
 
 SHELLEY. 
 
 IT was not possible for so fragile a nature to pass through 
 the fire unscathed. The holy children came forth with 
 glorious bodies ; but we, of a later day, bear about with us 
 the marks of the burning. Therefore the ensuing morning 
 found Daisy feverish, and unable to rise. At first she could 
 not remember how she came by the fierce pain surging 
 wildly around her heart ; but presently she laid her head 
 back on the pillow, and prayed fervently for endurance. 
 There was much of life yet before her. She had a vague 
 hope that some day the shadow would be lifted a little. 
 
 Tessy summoned Richard with frantic haste. He looked 
 gravely into the sunken eyes, and noted the marks of in- 
 tense suffering in every feature. If he had not seen her 
 the morning after the baby's death, this change would have 
 alarmed him. 
 
 "My poor, dear child," he began, tenderly, " our conver- 
 sation of last night was too much for you. I don't know 
 how I could have been so selfish and thoughtless. Your 
 system is Completely prostrated."
 
 226 IN TEUST, OR 
 
 " No, it was not that," she returned, with trembling eager- 
 ness, pained to hear him blamed so unjustly. " I was out 
 yesterday, and must have taken cold." 
 
 " Not in the storm, surely ! Where did you go ? " 
 
 " Before the storm. It was very chilly. Do not feel 
 alarmed ; I shall soon be well again ; " and she partly turned 
 her face to avoid his eyes. 
 
 Her pulse was extremely feeble. Indeed, he felt rather at 
 loss, unless he ascribed the symptoms to some strong mental 
 agitation. 'He saw that being questioned gave her pain ; so 
 he wisely forbore. 
 
 " We must have Lily home," he said. " She ought to be 
 a grand nurse by this time." 
 
 " 0, no, please don't send for her. I should be so sorry 
 to spoil her visit ! " and the languid eyes glanced up beseech- 
 ingly- 
 
 He thought a moment, and then gave up his point. " You 
 will have to take Tessy and me," he resumed. 
 
 She put her hand softly in his, as if henceforth he was to 
 be her great rock in a weary land. Without him life would 
 be a blank. 
 
 He came up after breakfast, and remained an hour. Per- 
 haps, as she said, rest and quiet were all she needed. He 
 held the baby hand long enough to count every pulse to the 
 very finger tips. Bending over her, he pressed a kiss to the 
 pale lips a kiss that thrilled his manhood's blood, and left 
 her trembling like an aspen. Familiar as their social rela- 
 tions had been, anything beyond the usual good night was 
 rare between them. The little, light frost of shyness sur- 
 rounding her was too dainty and sacred a thing to break 
 rudely. 
 
 Tessy was delighted to stay at home and play nurse. It 
 was a long, yet not tiresome day. By degrees the throb- 
 bing pain in Daisy's temples subsided, and the heartache 
 became more endurable. She made an attempt to rise 
 before dinner, but found herself too weak. So Tessy brought
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 227 
 
 up some toast, and Richard devoted all his spare time 
 to her. 
 
 When the lights were out, and she was trying to go to 
 sleep, she thought, again and again, how they all loved her ! 
 With a child-like trust she committed her ways unto the 
 Lord ; and though she might never wholly resign her bur- 
 den, these dear ones should not see her faint under it. 
 
 Several days elapsed before she was able to come down 
 stairs ; but after that she gained rapidly. A letter from Lily 
 brought about an event that quite restored her. Mrs. 
 Suydam expected to bring her brother to the city some time 
 during the following week, and had petitioned to take Lily 
 also. The child's heart was in both places. 
 
 " I don't exactly approve of it. I shall have to look after 
 my family a little more closely," Richard said. 
 
 " Mabel speaks very highly of Mrs. Suydam," was Daisy's 
 quiet rejoinder. 
 
 " The brother may make us the trouble ; " and a smile 
 lurked in the corners of his eyes. " See what it is to have 
 a beauty who continually runs into mischief ! " 
 
 " Daisy and I mean to be the comfort of your old age," 
 Tessy said, with an assurance that sat oddly enough upon 
 her. 
 
 " Wait until a handsome young man rescues you from 
 drowning, or breaks his limbs in order to subdue your cruel 
 heart. Upon the whole, I think we must see this hero. 
 What do you say to a trip to Rothelan ? " 
 
 " You are not in earnest, Dick ? " 
 
 " Sober earnest, Miss Tessy. Just now I have no serious 
 cases on hand, and the weather promises to be beautiful. 
 Besides, I think Daisy needs some country air to bring the 
 roses to her cheeks." 
 
 " I never saw Daisy have any roses," the child replied, 
 thoughtfully. 
 
 " We must find a way to make them blossom. What does 
 Daisy say to the" journey ? "
 
 228 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 " It would be delightful ! You are so kind ; " and she 
 gave his hand a little mute caress. 
 
 " He's a magnificent fellow dear old Dick ! He always 
 thinks of the nicest things in the world ; " and Tessy hugged 
 him rapturously. 
 
 " Just one more mouthful of breath before my head comes 
 off; " and be struggled, laughingly, to release himself. 
 
 " We will go on Monday, and take everybody by surprise, 
 and bring Lily home with us the last of the week. Will 
 that do ? " 
 
 " I think Lily will like it as well as any of us," Daisy 
 said, confidently. 
 
 Tessy went waltzing round on the tips of her toes, and 
 finally bestowed herself in Richard's arms. 
 
 Daisy had not read much of her letter to Richard, for she 
 was a little doubtful about the rapid proficiency Lily was 
 making in her art. " You would smile to see me manage Mr. 
 Auchester," she wrote. " I found out, a few days ago, that 
 his imperial lordship had more than one weak point. At 
 first I was very devoted. He could not even reach for a drink 
 on account of his shoulder ; and as his nurse was fond of 
 going to the kitchen for a good gossip with Mrs. Brown, I 
 was always at hand, and I almost believe he preferred me to 
 the nurse. You remember the last storm ? There was enough 
 snow and sleet here to make a little sleighing, and Mr. 
 Joslyn came over for me. He is such a steady-going young 
 man, and belongs to a good family, who are great favorites 
 with Bel ; so she trusts me with him very willingly. The 
 ride was tempting, and I had been rather distant of late ; so 
 I thought I would console him a trifle with the light of my 
 presence. But you should have seen Mr. Auchester's face 
 when I announced the fact ! He said, " 0, please do not 
 go ! " in such a pretty, pleading tone, that my heart almost 
 misgave me. I could not very well break my promise, and I 
 thought maybe a little solitude would be good for Mr. Auches- 
 ter. He coaxed a while, and then was rather eulky, I fancied,
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 229 
 
 and had a hundred wants. I was all amiability, and went 
 off at last with a smiling face. Mr. Joslyn was disappointed 
 that I would not go to tea, and spend the evening with his 
 mother ; but I had a frantic curiosity to know how Mr. 
 Auchester endured my absence. We reached home just at 
 dusk. I had taken off my wrappings, and was running into 
 Bel's room to tell her of my nice ride, when nurse met me, 
 and said, * Please, Miss Bertrand, won't you go sit with Mr. 
 Auchester while I make his toast and tea ? He has asked 
 for you fifty times in the last half hour.' 
 
 " I went to his room radiant, and found him decidedly 
 waspish. He sneered a little at the ride a sort of elegant 
 bitterness, that he makes an admirable weapon of; and then 
 at Mr. Joslyn, who does sometimes treat Lindley Murray 
 rather disrespectfully. So I began to defend Mr. Joslyn, 
 and as nurse lingered, we had a spicy tete-a-tete. It was 
 such fun to see his eyes flash, and rouse him out of his cus- 
 tomary easy nonchalance ! 
 
 '* After supper he sent for me to read to him. Philip had 
 gone out. The two men admire each other extremely, and 
 Philip spends much of his time in Mr. Auchester's room. I 
 read a little while ; but he was cross as a bear, found fault 
 with my emphasis, my rhythm, and finally told me to put up 
 the book. I was a little vexed at first ; but when I found 
 how everything annoyed him, I determined to have my own 
 amusement. He wanted his pillows changed ; he wanted 
 the lamp placed so it wouldn't shine in his eyes ; he wanted 
 a drink, and twenty other things, that kept me on the stir 
 continually ; and then he had the audacity to request me to 
 move quietly, as his nerves were not in quite so robust a 
 state as Mr. Joslyn's ! He said ' good night ' in a sort of 
 martyr fashion when I went away, and the next morning 
 asked me would you believe it ? if I was not sorry for 
 neglecting' him so yesterday ! Since then we have had 
 rather spicy times, and when he is very naughty I play off 
 Mr. Joslyn against him. 
 20
 
 230 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 " He has improved rapidly of late, and Mrs. Suydam ex- 
 pects to take him home next week. I think her a most 
 charming woman. But, Daisy, she wishes me to accompany 
 them, and I never was so puzzled in my life. I want to go, 
 and yet I don't want to. Mabel has written to Richard, but 
 I expect to feel disappointed whichever way he decides. 
 Was ihere ever such an odd girl ? " 
 
 They were all ready for their journey on Mdnday morn- 
 ing. Archie bade them good by with a rueful face, and de- 
 clared he did not know how he could exist in their absence. 
 The day was lovely, and Tessy merry as a bird. She epen 
 infected Richard with her joyous spirits. Daisy was quiet 
 and pale, but much interested in the ride. The Hudson 
 looked beautiful in the bright spring sunshine ; its banks 
 dotted here and there with patches of pale green, suggest- 
 ing verdure ; and then rising in high, frowning cliffs, broken 
 at intervals by mysterious nooks. The girls looked steadily 
 out of the window, and talked Irving until the conductor 
 sang out Rothelan. 
 
 As they supposed, they took the whole family greatly by 
 surprise, but were none the less welcome. Daisy found 
 herself quite an object of interest with her pale face. Lily 
 hovered about her with fond caresses, while Tessy was soon 
 won over to Mr. Chaloner's side. Neither Bel nor Lily had 
 overdrawn the delights of the place. 
 
 Mr. Auchester did not make his appearance until dinner. 
 He was unusually handsome, though still pale, and he carried 
 his arm in a sling. There was nothing in him for Richard 
 to distrust. His face was manly and honorable in the high- 
 est degree, a little imperious, perhaps, but it sat well upon 
 him. A man so self-poised, and used to perfect control, 
 would not be easily mastered by any feeling or passion un- 
 less strictly genuine. 
 
 He was rather quiet at first. Lily bantered him a little 
 on being disappointed. Mr. Suydam's gardener had prom- 
 ised to send him some birds, but had brought chickens.
 
 DE. BERTRAND S HOUSEHOLD. 231 
 
 " Well," said Tessy, " you'll have to comfort yourself as 
 the old lady I once read of did, when she boiled the hedge 
 stake on which the croAv had been sitting, by saying, * It 
 tastes of game, though.' " 
 
 " Extremely philosophical," laughed Mr. Auchester, " and 
 worth remembering, when I am reduced to greater straits 
 than this. Do you think, with your sister, that I look disap- 
 pointed ? "" 
 
 " Not so dreadfully," returned Tessy, slowly. 
 
 Mr. Auchester began to relate to her how he had been 
 treated during his illness. They had put three grains of tea 
 in two quarts of water, for fear of rendering him nervous 
 and unmanageable, and when the nurse made his first soup, 
 she hung a chicken's wing in the sunshine and boiled the 
 shadow. And he had never been able to coax Lily to bring 
 him up any nice little dish without nurse's knowledge. Tessy 
 commiserated him greatly. There was much drollery in her 
 nature. When they adjourned to the parlor, she and Mr. 
 Auchester were fast friends. 
 
 As the afternoon was lovely, he sent over for Mr. Suy- 
 dam's family carriage, and they all went out to ride. Daisy 
 and he were placed on the back seat, well wrapped up, *^to 
 keep the winds of heaven from visiting them too roughly,' 
 Lily said. She, Tessy, and Richard faced them, Philip driv- 
 ing, and Mabel beside him. 
 
 Mr. Auchester made himself very agreeable, talking mostly 
 to Daisy. In the evening he persuaded her to share the 
 sofa with him, while the others were engrossed with music. 
 She remembered afterwards that their conversation was prin- 
 cipally about Lily. The next day was still more charming, 
 as there was less restraint. Daisy's eyes and cheeks bright- 
 ened with pleasurable excitement. A heart less true and 
 honorable than Mabel's might have experienced a jealous 
 pang at finding herself superseded in the old household 
 place ; but she loved Daisy too dearly for such a feeling. 
 
 " I wonder if I am selfish about you" she said to Richard.
 
 232 IN TRUST, OK 
 
 " So many evenings I have thought of you coming home 
 weary in body and mind, and being comforted by Daisy's 
 low, sweet voice, and cheered by the dear face so full of 
 ready sympathy. I should not have dared to keep Lily so 
 long, only I knew you had better care than she would bestow. 
 I am so glad Robert gave her to us." 
 
 Richard remembered one night, that stood out like a 
 star among other pleasant ones, and said, in a fervent 
 tone, 
 
 " She will be a treasure to us all ; I am more than thank- 
 ful to have her." 
 
 Mr. Auchester seemed weary, and retired quite early in 
 the evening ; Mabel was called away by a visitor, and the 
 gentlemen went to the study for a comfortable smoke. Lily 
 carried Daisy off to her room, and bestowing her on a corner 
 of the lounge, said, 
 
 " Now for a nice long talk. I have hardly seen you yet." 
 
 " Well," Daisy exclaimed, after a silence, " do you want 
 me to begin the conversation by asking what you said to Mr. 
 Auchester immediately after supper. It changed his mood, 
 visibly." 
 
 " Did you think so ? It was about not going home with 
 his sister. I am so glad you all came up, and that Richard 
 wants to take me back with him. I would like very much to 
 go to Mrs. Suydam's ; but I am sure it was his proposal. He 
 rules her completely. I want him to see that he is not mas- 
 ter of every one. How do you like him ? " 
 
 " O, very, very much. Are you doing just right, Lily ? 
 for I think he admires you greatly, and if you can pain him 
 so easily " 
 
 " After he tells me what he means, I shall know ; " and 
 Lily laughed. 
 
 " Yet you like him ? " 
 
 " Yes ; that is just the word to use after a five weeks' ac- 
 quaintance. But this may be with him ' pastime 'ere ha 
 goes to town ; ' and you see I can match him."
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 233 
 
 " I do not believe it," Daisy said, with a little crimson 
 flush of indignation. " Or do you prefer Mr. Joslyn ? " 
 
 " He isn't to be mentioned in the same week, although a 
 good deal richer. I had to have some amusement, you know. 
 When I first came up, he was the most eligible, and lately it 
 has been such fun to play them off against each other ! " 
 
 " But, Lily, do you think it right ? Is there no danger to 
 any one ? " 
 
 " 0, you grave little kitten ! If I can take care of my- 
 self, he surely ought to be endowed with as much wisdom ; " 
 and Lily shook back her curls with a brilliant, scornful smile. 
 " After all, it is only child's play. I dare say Mr. Auchester 
 will forget me in a fortnight." 
 
 Daisy started at the change in the bright face. "Was Lily 
 as indifferent as she pretended ? Twining her arm around 
 the beautiful girl, she drew from her many trifling incidents 
 that she would never have dreamed of telling Mabel. And 
 as Daisy recalled Mr. Auchester's frank, honorable face, she 
 felt it could not be all trifling on his part. 
 
 "And now I want to hear about yourself," Lily said. 
 " Have you had a pleasant winter ; and what made you ill ? 
 Didn't you want me just a little ? " 
 
 An irrepressible shiver ran over Daisy ; but quickly re- 
 covering herself, she answered, 
 
 "Dr. Bertrand wanted to send for you ; but he and Tessy 
 were delightful nurses, and I thought Mabel needed you." 
 
 " Mr. Auchester, you mean. I did half propose going 
 home one day, when he was rather lordly. You should have 
 seen how it brought him down from his sublime height. O, 
 it was grand. There comes Bel. Not a word of this to her, 
 or you will frighten her out of her senses." 
 
 At Mabel's entrance the conversation became general. But 
 as Daisy laid her head on the pillow that night, she smiled 
 and sighed; smiled over the tact and ready wit Lily dis- 
 played in managing her admirers, and sighed to think what 
 might be her fate. Dear, bright, beautiful Lily ! 
 20*
 
 234 IN TRUST, OK 
 
 On Wednesday, Mr. and Mrs. Suydam came up. The 
 lady was certainly not handsome, but taste and education 
 rendered her charming. Easy and affable, without the 
 slightest condescension, and really grateful to all who had 
 befriended her brother. He was her junior by three years, 
 the only companion of her childhood, and very dear to her. 
 As Lily had said, his word was her law. 
 
 At first she was deeply disappointed at not being able to 
 take Lily with her, but on second thought declared herself 
 quite reconciled. 
 
 " We are going to give Ulric a party as soon as we can 
 decide on the time," she said ; " and I'll take my week then, 
 Miss Lilian. So remember, you are to be in readiness." 
 
 Mr. Suydam had brought up an elegant set of books for 
 Philip, and a handsomely bound collection of choice music 
 for Mabel. They seemed to consider themselves largely in 
 debt to all at the rectory. 
 
 " Indeed," Mrs. Suydam said, naively, " Ulric is enjoying 
 himself so well, it is a pity to take him home. I'm sure no 
 one ever had a pleasanter convalescence." 
 
 Lily granted him the favor of a walk after dinner, and 
 Daisy was pleased to see him return in such good spirits. 
 Mrs. Suydam's admiration was more outspoken, but his as 
 evident. 
 
 To their departure succeeded a long, quiet evening a 
 regular family party, as Mabel termed it. Daisy and she 
 harmonized as completely now as during the first month of 
 their acquaintance ; perhaps, indeed, there were more points 
 of sympathy. She tried to persuade her to remain ; but 
 although they held a long conference on the subject, it was 
 summarily vetoed by Tessy's appealing to Richard, who said, 
 gravely, " Why, if Daisy desired it very much " but the 
 tone and the pause at the end of the sentence was all-potent. 
 
 " I have the promise of a whole month next summer," 
 Mabel returned, confidently. " You must learn to do with- 
 out her by that time."
 
 DE. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 235 
 
 The week was all too short, though they did manage to 
 go to supper at Mrs. Joslyn's. There were three agreeable 
 young ladies, who appeared to think it their bounden duty 
 to admire Lily ; but the brother was nervous and awkward, 
 appearing to quite a disadvantage in his desire to honor 
 every one, with Lily's eyes upon him. 
 
 The journey, the excitement, and perhaps Lily's exuber- 
 ant spirits, worked a marvellous change in Daisy. The 
 sweet, bland airs of spring, and out-of-door occupation, 
 helping Martin tie up roses and make the garden, brought 
 a soft bloom to her face. Now and then a musical ripple 
 floated in with Lily's clear laugh, rendering the atmosphere 
 of Dr. Bertrand's house joyous and soul-reviving. 
 
 Mrs. Suydam sent Lily the promised invitation, adding, 
 " that she and her brother would drive over for her, and 
 that she must come prepared for the desired visit. TJlric 
 was almost well, and anticipated a great deal of pleasure. 
 He begged the privilege of sending his regards." 
 
 " dear ! " said Lily, disconsolately ; " all the people will 
 look so elegant that I shall be completely thrown in the 
 shade." 
 
 " Not with such a face." 
 
 " Because I look well in white muslin and blue,, ribbons, I 
 suppose I must wear them all my days, comforting myself 
 with ' beauty unadorned,' ' gilding gold, and painting the 
 lily:" 
 
 Daisy laughed. 
 
 " You do need a pretty evening dress, and a new silk," 
 she said. 
 
 " Exactly, my dear. Yet I am afraid Richard would think 
 me dreadfully extravagant if I asked him for a hundred dol- 
 lars. Mabel was such an inexpensive treasure that my own 
 desires shock me by contrast. I'll see how much courage 
 I can summon up between this and bedtime." 
 
 Daisy smiled quietly to herself.
 
 236 IN TKUST, OK 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 Airy, fairy Lilian, 
 
 Flitting, fairy Lilian, 
 When I ask her if she love me, 
 Clasps her tiny hands above me, 
 
 Laughing all she can ; 
 She'll not tell me if she love me, 
 
 Cruel little Lilian. 
 
 TENNYSON. 
 
 COMING in quite early, Richard was waylaid in the hall ; 
 but it was not the rapturous embrace of either Lilian or 
 Tessy. The clasp of these little hands was shy and timid, 
 the face flushed and entreating, and the rosy lips said, 
 softly, 
 
 " doctor ! I want to see you a moment, before any one 
 else. I have a favor to ask." 
 
 " Professional, of course ; " and there was a gay light in 
 his eyes as his strong arm almost lifted instead of leading 
 her to the library. 
 
 " No ; " and the sudden rift of color reminded one of the 
 break in an April sky after a shower. 
 
 " Then I will take the liberty of observing that it is not 
 absolutely necessary to always give me my title in address- 
 ing me," he returned, gravely. " What if you vary the 
 exercises once in a while by saying Richard ? I don't sup- 
 pose you will ever feel well enough acquainted to use Lily's 
 ' dear old Dick ! ' " 
 
 The long lashes drooped over the downcast eyes, and the 
 crimson became painfully deep. In that moment of silence, 
 both remembered the only time she had ever said Richard,
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 237 
 
 and that was not to him. He drew the fair head down on 
 his breast, and said, with deep tenderness, 
 
 " Child, what is it ? " 
 
 " Nothing for myself." 
 
 "If Archie doesn't stop sending you of his errands " 
 
 *' He did not send me, nor any one. I wanted to ask it 
 {"or Lily, she is so kind and sweet to me. Do you not 
 n'hink " and she paused in her embarrassment. 
 
 " I think you are too much afraid of me, Daisy. Am I 
 fiot your brother your dearest friend ? " 
 
 "It was this," she spoke low and hurriedly; "Lily 
 ought to have something new and pretty to wear at Mrs. 
 Suydam's. She is fearful you will consider her extravagant 
 if she asks for it." 
 
 He laughed pleasantly as he replied, 
 
 " So, that is all. Well, if people will admire our family 
 beauty, we must make her elegant accordingly. Will a 
 hundred dollars do ? I don't know how much party dresses 
 cost." 
 
 " Just what she was wishing for ; and she can buy two 
 dresses with it. You are so good ! " 
 
 " Do you feel generous enough to repay me for my ready 
 compliance ? " 
 
 She said, " Richard," in a little underbreath, as if a sum- 
 mer zephyr had wafted the fragrance of a jasmine to him. 
 The shyest grace fluttered like a rosy veil over her coun- 
 tenance. He could not resist giving her one of those rare, 
 tender kisses. 
 
 " Little bird ! " he continued presently. " Suppose we go 
 down to New York, and find some pretty gift for Lily a 
 set of jewelry, for instance ? Wouldn t you like to bestow 
 this upon her ? " 
 
 " It would be delightful ! only I should tell her it was 
 not my gift." Daisy had long ago insisted upon Richard's 
 taking back the money Mrs. Davis had given her. Since 
 she had learned her true situation, she was thankful for
 
 238 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 having done this, though he kept her liberally supplied with 
 funds. 
 
 " Well, you shall choose it, then. Can you get ready in 
 ten minutes ? We might catch the next train." 
 
 " But the dinner ? " 
 
 " Lily will attend to that. As for us, there's a Mr. Tay- 
 lor in New York, an exceedingly obliging man, who will 
 serve you up a dinner at a moment's notice. See if you can 
 dress yourself while I am brushing my hair. Not a word to 
 Lily." 
 
 She ran off eagerly, her face one lovely glow. No inter- 
 ruption came as the deft fingers flew hither and thither like 
 the quick wings of a bird. Her black dress, with its tiny 
 neck and wrist ruffles of soft cambric, was always in order. 
 Fastening her cloak and tying her bonnet, she stepped into 
 the hall just as Richard emerged from his room. 
 
 He took a delighted survey of the sweet, rosy face, and 
 said, smilingly, 
 
 " You are a perfect fairy. I am glad the race is not quite 
 extinct. Shall we find a coach and six out of doors ? and 
 must I bring you home before midnight ? " 
 
 " Don't praise me too soon. I have not my gloves on ; " 
 and she held up her hands. 
 
 He slipped one through his arm, adding, " You can finish 
 in the cars." Then he called, over the baluster, " Mrs. 
 Hall ! " 
 
 " Well," was the reply. 
 
 " Mrs. Bertrand and I are going out, and shall not return 
 until evening. Do not keep dinner waiting for us." 
 
 " Richard ! " a voice cried just as he shut the door. 
 When Lily looked out, they were turning the corner. Mrs. 
 Hall could throw no light whatever on the subject. 
 
 The day was balmy and spring-like, the air fragrant with 
 newly-awakened odors. Richard declared he felt unusually 
 gay for an old man with grown-up daughters. Daisy was 
 radiant and smiling. They soon whirled down to the city, 
 and a convenient stage took them to Ball & Black's.
 
 DB. BERTKAHD'S HOUSEHOLD. 239 
 
 Richard seated Daisy, declaring she had an arduous task 
 before her. The clerk began to spread out jewels. Cameos, 
 mosaic, pearls, rubies, emeralds, and all manner of lovely, 
 sparkling things that quite dazzled her. She looked them 
 over with a child's eager delight, they were so beautiful. 
 
 " I think," she said, after a long pause, " there are only 
 two things I should choose for Lily turquoise or pearls." 
 
 " And which of those ? See if your taste agrees with 
 mine." 
 
 She studied them attentively, answering, 
 
 " I believe I prefer the pearls." 
 
 " I am quite sure I do. Lily is so fair ! How do you 
 like this brooch with an opal in the centre ? " 
 
 " It is exquisite. The changeful hues of the opal light it 
 up like a sunrise. How Lily will admire it ! " 
 
 Then they examined some bracelets. Tasteful and ele- 
 gant, yet not too expensive looking for plain wear. 
 
 " We shall not find anything prettier. While the clerk is 
 putting them up we will take a look at the pictures and 
 bronzes on the next floor ; " and giving his order, he led her 
 up stairs. 
 
 " What lovely, lovely articles ! " she said, pausing in won- 
 dering pleasure. 
 
 " It almost makes one long to be rich, doesn't it, when 
 such elegant gold and silver services stare you in the face ? 
 And to have your house filled with arch Hebe, Ceres laden 
 with ripe burdens, Pomona bearing her luscious fruits, and 
 this sad-eyed Clytie, who drooped and pined in her unfor- 
 tunate love, until her heart's sweetness became the helio- 
 trope ! " 
 
 " They are beautiful and cold," Daisy said, slowly. 
 " I like tender human faces and bright flowers in the place 
 we call home. I am not quite out of conceit with our pov- 
 erty ; " and she smiled archly. 
 
 He gave the little hand a fond pressure. They were a 
 long while examining the choice treasures that spoke of
 
 240 IN TEUST, OK 
 
 nearly every quarter of the globe ; then Kichard proposed 
 they should go for their dinner, concluding with, 
 
 " Afterwards we will take a tour through the Dusseldorf 
 Gallery. Some of the pictures are exceedingly fine by gas- 
 light." 
 
 Daisy thanked him with a smile. He was in a warm, 
 genial mood, and rendered everything delightful to her. 
 Many a week could not boast of the enjoyment crowded into 
 those few holiday hours. 
 
 Again in the cars, she was silent, not so much from 
 fatigue as thought. Richard watched the rosy face and 
 lovely, drooping eyes, and never guessed what was passing 
 in her heart. She shivered a little at the remembrance of 
 her cold, bitter, terrible March journey. Why was it the 
 fatal secret had not darkened her whole life ? From whence 
 came the light, the warmth, the sunshine ? Ah, it was love, 
 both human and divine, that made all so radiant ; and thus 
 the most sorrowful of dead hopes blossomed anew by faith 
 in Grod. It may be it will stand confessed at the last that 
 some of our sorest trials became the off-shoots on which 
 grew steadfast purposes and more noble resolves. 
 
 Lily was at the piano when they entered the house. 
 Richard amused himself a while with her impatient curiosity, 
 and then handed her the little parcel. Opening it, she 
 found not only the jewels, but two fifty-dollar gold pieces. 
 
 " Dick, you are too good for anything ! " she cried, clasp- 
 ing her arms around him. " What little bird told you I 
 wanted a set of pearls and some money to spend ? This 
 was why you whisked Daisy off so unceremoniously." 
 
 Daisy disclaimed all honor of the proceeding, but Richard 
 insisted he couldn't have thought of it alone. Lily tried on 
 her jewels in wildest delight. Their delicate loveliness 
 harmonized admirably with her pure blonde beauty, and, if 
 less showy than colors, suited her better. 
 
 "I have a word more to add," said Richard. " Don't 
 buy dresses too fine for my pearls."
 
 DR. BEKTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 241 
 
 " I'll take Daisy with me to help select them ; so, if you 
 see us flying off without a word of explanation, you will 
 know the cause ; " and she laughed saucily. 
 
 It was growing late ; so they soon separated. An un- 
 spoken wish lingered in the deep eyes resting on Daisy's 
 face. 
 
 " Good night, Richard," she said, softly, with her last kiss, 
 while a fitful color stole into her cheeks. 
 
 Mrs. Suydam and Mr. Auchester drove over according to 
 promise. The gentleman laughingly declared himself as 
 good as new, and ready for another adventure. He was 
 polished, and displayed the ease and grace refined society 
 and careful culture invariably give. Lily was a little shy, 
 but exquisitely charming. After Richard came in, she and 
 Mrs. Suydam went to inspect the dresses. 
 
 The new ones had been a blue silk, chosen, she blushingly 
 admitted to Daisy, because Mr. Auchester thought it her most 
 appropriate color, and a white tissue dotted with miniature 
 bouquets in rich, delicate shades. The pearls elicited Mrs. 
 Suydam's warmest admiration. Dark, and rather brilliant 
 looking, she shared, in common with many brunettes, a pas- 
 sion for blonde beauty. 
 
 Daisy superintended the preparations for lunch. She 
 gave a little odd smile over the simple white china as she 
 thought of the elegant services she had examined with Rich- 
 ard ; yet the table looked very pretty when she arranged 
 some scarlet geraniums in low vases. Was Mrs. Suydam, 
 living in luxury, any happier than they ? A quick heart- 
 beat answered her. 
 
 Lily said her adieus with all the fondness of a warm, un- 
 restrained heart. Her fresh, frank nature won upon Mr. 
 Auchester. He had quick eyes to detect calculated move- 
 ments, and his penetration would soon have solved the 
 depths of insincerity. She did not know how great an in- 
 terest he had in watching her just now. 
 
 Archie threw up his cap, and said they could take a world 
 21
 
 242 IN TKUST, OB 
 
 of comfort with Daisy, now that Lily was out of the way 
 He told Tessy privately he shouldn't at all care if Mr. Au- 
 Chester married Lily, for they could do very well without her. 
 
 The week resolved itself into ten days, before Mr. Auches- 
 ter brought her back. One could readily gather from her 
 face that her visit had been highly satisfactory. He re- 
 mained to spend the evening, and had a long talk with Rich- 
 ard, while they smoked their cigars on the lawn. Tessy 
 kept wide awake, to hear about the " party " afterwards. 
 
 " 0, it was delightful ! " Lily exclaimed, as she sat down 
 on the edge of the bed to brush out her shining hair. 
 " Mrs. Suydam lives in such elegant style ; and they are all 
 charming people. She treated me as if I had been her 
 sister. But everybody is crazy about Mr. Auchester. I 
 didn't expect to find him quite such a hero. People come to 
 see him, and give dinner parties in his honor. His publish- 
 ers like his book immensely. It is ' Travels and Discov- 
 eries ; ' for a year he was with an English scientific party. 
 Some of the proof sheets were sent home while I was there, 
 and we read them together. He is remarkably entertaining, 
 for he writes just as he talks, and some of his descriptions 
 are wondrously beautiful." 
 
 "But the party ! " suggested Tessy. 
 
 " 0, yes. Well, the apartments were a blaze of light and 
 beauty isn't that orthodox ? There was a room for card 
 playing, and all those games ; a picture gallery, devoted 
 to conversation and the like ; a dancing-room, with most 
 delicious music. Those waltzes of Strauss are perfectly en- 
 chanting. But the supper-room was magnificent. Such an 
 abundance of lovely cut and tinted glass, and an elegant 
 silver service, that was presented to Mr. Suydam by some 
 Company, to say nothing of flowers in wildest profusion. 
 Everything glittered and sparkled in the brilliant light ; the 
 wines, fruits, and jellies looked beautiful beyond description. 
 I suppose the guests enjoyed themselves immensely ; I ana 
 sure I did.'*
 
 DB. BEBTRANB'S HOUSEHOLD. 243 
 
 " What did you do ? " the child asked. 
 
 " Danced, mostly, and when I was tired, sat still and 
 watched the crowds of elegant people. There were many 
 very richly dressed, but I felt as nice in my tissue and pearls 
 as the best of them. Mr. Auchester made me a lovely 
 bouquet, and put some flowers in my hair. He is passion- 
 ately fond of flowers. It was like a glimpse of Faipy-land. 
 I was full of enjoyment to the very brim. And Mrs. Suydam 
 has taken me twice to the opera ; and I went to one grand 
 dinner, where numbers of the ' literati ' were present ; be- 
 sides rides and calls, and most delightful times at home. 
 Mr. Suydam is a very pleasant host. And now you must go 
 to sleep, Tessy, for it's growing late." 
 
 She had a long, confidential talk with Daisy the next day, 
 as they sat at their sewing. Daisy expressed a desire to 
 know if Mr. Auchester improved on further acquaintance. 
 
 " I hardly know what to say about him ; " and a thoughtful 
 expression crossed Lily's face, as she went on, musingly : 
 " he is splendid ; he pleases, frets, amuses, and almost fas- 
 cinates me. There is such a- sense of power running 
 through his low, rich, flexible voice, that it unconsciously 
 controls every one. Mrs. Suydam takes his word for law ; 
 the children obey him immediately, and even his friends 
 yield to his curious sway. I'm not sure that I like to be 
 ruled in that imperial fashion ! I was so vexed one morn- 
 ing ! I was in the library, reading proofs to him, when 
 Mrs. Suydam entered, and asked me to accompany her and 
 the children on a drive. He merely raised his head, and 
 said, in a cool, authoritative manner, ' She is reading to me.' 
 Mrs. Suydam laughingly nodded her head and disappeared, 
 and I read on. He is so quick and calm about a thing ! He 
 decides for you without giving you time to consider, and 
 there is no going back with him. If you undertake to argue 
 a point where he means you shall yield, he is attentive, 
 patient, polite, but immovable. Don't look so suspicious, 
 Daisy ; I was real good. Being in his sister's house, where
 
 244 IN TRUST, OK 
 
 every one set me a good example, I was as meek as yoa 
 please. But I did want to torment him that night of the 
 party. In the first waltz I had him for a partner ; he had 
 asked for it in the morning. I enjoyed it wonderfully. 
 Then he brought some cream, and we went into a cosy little 
 corner to eat it ; and he asked me, as a special favor, not to 
 waltz with any other gentleman that evening. I very fool- 
 ishly promised. Some time afterwards I had been dancing 
 quadrilles with Mr. Suydam's nephew the band commenced 
 a most inspiriting waltz ; but of course I refused my partner. 
 Whom should I see come floating down the room but Mr. 
 Auchester and a beautiful woman some gentleman's daugh- 
 ter he had met abroad. My first impulse was to spring up ; 
 indeed, I hardly know what restrained me. It would have 
 delighted me to see him flush and frown, and set his lips 
 together in that rigid, self-commanding way. He has no 
 superabundance of patience, I can assure you. I asked him 
 next day why he made such a request, and he answered, in 
 an imperious manner, ' Child, I have peculiar fancies con- 
 cerning some women's waltzing ; ' and, I confess, I really did 
 not dare to question him further." 
 
 " Lily ! don't talk so, please. It is not right to make 
 him angry." 
 
 "My dear, he doesn't get angry now. He used to, at 
 Rothelan. In these later times, he merely shows what he 
 might do if he chose. And I believe it is natural for me to 
 resent authority. The instant any one sets up a law, I ex- 
 perience a strong desire to test my strength against it. Yet 
 I had a most satisfactory visit, and I really do love Mrs. 
 Suydam." 
 
 Mr. Auchester made himself no stranger at the Bertrands. 
 When he learned how fond Daisy was of gardening, he 
 brought her many choice flowers, and interested her greatly 
 in his descriptions of tropic vegetation, and the wonderful 
 gardens of the old world. A fine, electric sympathy sprang 
 up between them ; they seemed to gain an intuitive knowledge
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 245 
 
 of each other's tastes and feelings. Nor was Mrs. Suy- 
 dam at all inclined to relinquish her share of Lily's society. 
 Besides admiring the beauty of the young girl, there was 
 something so winsome and genial in her fresh, sunny moods, 
 while her ready wit rarely wounded, and never exceeded the 
 point of good taste. 
 
 When the time for her annual migration arrived, Mrs. 
 Suydam entreated Richard to allow her to take Lily to 
 Rothelan, but it was Mr. Auchester who supplied the argu- 
 ment that proved effectual. 
 
 " I don't feel at all satisfied about it," Richard said to 
 Daisy, as they walked up and down the garden, after the 
 house had settled into quiet. 
 
 " Why ? I think Mr. Auchester likes Lily." 
 
 " He thinks he loves her ; " and Richard gave a perplexed 
 smile. 
 
 Daisy started in pleasurable surprise. " 0, I am so glad ! 
 But it is quite sudden." 
 
 " He announced his intentions immediately after the party, 
 and asked my sanction. I stipulated that he should say 
 nothing to Lily for at least three months ; but I believe his 
 patience is quite exhausted. The last day he was here he 
 begged me to consent to an engagement." 
 
 " Did you ? " 
 
 " Very reluctantly. I told him what I considered the 
 truth that Lily was a mere child, and likely to be dazzled 
 by the excitement. It is a bitter thing to make idols and 
 iind them clay." 
 
 " You do not like him, and I do, so very much ! " Daisy's 
 fine perception had divined this before. 
 
 " I admire him greatly. He has many estimable qualities, 
 and is a man of the highest honor and delicacy ; yet I can- 
 not take him cordially to my heart, as I did Philip. I have 
 eome painful misgivings about the matter." 
 
 " In what respect ? " 
 
 " Lily is fond of the widest freedom, quite conscious of 
 21*
 
 246 IN TKUST, OK 
 
 her power, impatient of control, and sometimes rather un- 
 reasonable. Mr. Auchester is keenly alive to anything that 
 trenches on his authority. He is exacting, rigid, and mas- 
 terful ; and though royally generous to those who trust him 
 and yield, I can fancy his being very bitter when opposed." 
 
 " I hardly think you do him justice. Besides, he loves 
 Lily." 
 
 " Rather, is fascinated with her. He likes her beauty, and 
 her free, daring nature ; but he means to tame her. Just 
 now he is indulgent ; he wants to accustom her to his guid- 
 ance by degrees. When he gains a right to dictate, Lily 
 may dispute his power. ' How can two walk together 
 except they be agreed ? ' ' 
 
 " 0, Lily would yield ; all women do when they love." 
 
 " Do they ? " He smiled curiously down into her face, 
 which answered with a crimson flush. " If Lily had fallen 
 irrevocably in love, I should have more hopes of her. Per- 
 haps she prefers Mr. Auchester to any gentleman she has 
 ever met. Yet she may love her own will and passionate 
 pride better. Some very worthy women wreck their happi- 
 ness on this rock. Lily is naturally restless and defiant ; 
 her course would be noisily persevering; his, quietly, un- 
 swervingly persistent. I'm afraid she will not readily under- 
 stand the kind of man she has to deal with ; and rebellion, 
 in such a case, would be misery." 
 
 "I believe they will make charming lovers. I cannot 
 allow you to pull down my ' chateau en Espagne' " 
 
 " If they could always be lovers ! " and Richard sighed a 
 little. " Neither has had the slightest discipline. Life has 
 been so pleasant and easy with Mr. Auchester that I am 
 afraid he has not acquired sufficient patience to control and 
 govern such a nature as Lily's." 
 
 " I am sorry you do not like him any better," Daisy said, 
 disappointedly. 
 
 " And yet I do enjoy his society. I think him a man of 
 the highest truth and honor, and generous save in this one
 
 BE. BEKTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 247 
 
 point his authority. Doubtless the force and freshness 
 of Lily's temperament please him ; but she has a peculiar 
 pertinacity, an ease and carelessness under rebuke until it 
 becomes severe, simply because she means to have her own 
 way in the end. Once married, with no avenue of escape, 
 how would she endure a husband's authority, that would be 
 carried to its utmost limit if occasion required ? " 
 
 " You make him out a tyrant," Daisy said. 
 
 " No. In truth, I'm not sure but I would like to have my 
 wife obey me good as I am ; " and Richard tried to laugh 
 gayly, but it was only sad and retrospective. In his lost youth 
 there flamed up the face of a woman who would give up any- 
 thing save her own will. And Lily was not altogether un- 
 like Robert. Love had failed to govern him. After a long 
 pause, he added, " Our only hope is, that all differences may 
 be adjusted while they are lovers, or else that they may find 
 they are really unsuited to each other." 
 
 Daisy resolutely held to her pleasant faith. True, Lily 
 gave it some rude shocks when she mentioned such episodes 
 as her going to tea at Mrs. Joslyn's, and how Mr. Joslyn had 
 attended her home, to the discomfiture of Mr. Auches- 
 ter, who, on calling at the rectory, and finding her out, had 
 come for her, missing them both. " And I kept Mr. Joslyn 
 real late," she added ; " it was such fun to see Mr. Auchester's 
 eyes sparkle, and have him pace up and down the room like 
 a fretted lion. He tried to scold a little, afterwards ; but I 
 acted so unconscious of having committed any offence, that 
 he was forced to yield his point. So, you see, at the rectory 
 I pay him for being on my good behavior at Mrs. Suydam'r, 
 which makes it about even." 
 
 Daisy withheld these confessions from Richard, and con- 
 sidered Mr. Auchester the most indulgent of lovers. With 
 his declaration, Mr. Auchester had also frankly informed 
 Lily of all that had passed between him and her brother. 
 Her quick eye detected the advantage. It was something 
 to govern such a man to tease and perplex; and so Lily
 
 248 IN TRUST, OK 
 
 hesitated a little on the bewitching boundary line. Power 
 and liberty were sweet things to her. She lured him on, 
 now by love, now by a little show of fond submission, and 
 presently an almost childish rush into gayeties that he could 
 chide, conquer, and forgive. It was his first passion ; and 
 however cool and self-reliant he might be about other mat- 
 ters, the newness of this, and its absorbing power, engrossed 
 him entirely.
 
 DB. BEKTKANU'S HOUSEHOLD. 249 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 But springtide blossoms on thy lips, 
 And tears take sunshine from thine eyes. 
 
 COLERIDGE. 
 
 That care and trial seem at last, 
 
 Through memory's sunset air, 
 Like mountain ranges overpast, 
 
 In purple distance fair. 
 
 J. G. WHITTIER. 
 
 DAISY and Lily had changed places. It was Daisy who 
 wrote from Rothelan, and this was part of her epistle : 
 
 " Mabel has the sweetest little darling of a girl you ever 
 saw, with dark violet eyes, just like yours. I wanted to write 
 immediately, but I knew Richard would tell you, and now 
 baby is five days old. She is very good, scarcely cries at 
 all, and Mabel is doing splendidly. Mrs. Suydam went to 
 New York yesterday, and bought a lovely christening robe, 
 a perfect mass of needlework and Valenciennes lace. She is 
 to be one godmother, and baby is to be named Alice for her, 
 and Teresa in remembrance of your dead mother and dear 
 little Tessy. 
 
 " Mr. Auchester accompanied Mrs. Suydam over this 
 morning. I brought out baby, and she opened her eyes so 
 prettily it quite amused him. He said he had thought of 
 buying her a silver cup, but he believed he should have to 
 get a pony instead. Lily, dear, I like him so very, 7ery 
 much ! He will tell you Mrs. Suydam has changed her plans. 
 On account of going West in the fall, with Mr. Suydam, she 
 has given up Saratoga. So she and Mr. Auchester have 
 planned a pleasant trip to the Catskills, as soon as Mabel is
 
 250 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 sufficiently recovered to travel. It is to be a real gay family 
 party. 
 
 " Tell Richard that I am happier than I ever hoped to be. 
 Baby Alice has come to cheer me in this saddest of all sea- 
 sons. G-od has been very good to me." 
 
 Richard gathered from these words Daisy's earnest en- 
 deavor to overlive the memory of the past summer. He did 
 not dream of the greater stroke that had tempered her 
 anguish, and would forever keep her from wishing back her 
 lost darling. It was " well " with the child, and "well" also 
 with her, rejoicing in another's new-born hope. 
 
 How thoughtful and tireless she was ! The cool touch of 
 her fingers, the low, sweet sound of her voice, and her ten- 
 der smile were invaluable in a sick room. Withal, she 
 found time to see that Philip was not neglected, keeping 
 everything in Mabel's fashion, from the box of cravats to the 
 arrangement of the study table, where fresh flowers greeted 
 him every morning. 
 
 On the anniversary of her baby's death a letter came from 
 Richard, containing some flowers gathered from the little 
 grave. She wondered how he could know her heart so well. 
 Was it strange she should live over again that fearful night ? 
 How could she have borne it but for him ! Not even broth- 
 erly necessity had compelled him to be so kind. All had 
 been given from the fulness of his own grand, generous 
 heart. It was pleasant to owe so much to his abundant ten- 
 derness. 
 
 Mabel and baby Alice throve finely. The day for the 
 christening was appointed, and Mr. Auchester brought up 
 Lily and the two younger ones. Tessy was wild over the 
 baby, and begged Daisy not to grow jealous. 
 
 "For, after all," she said, in her odd, womanly fashion, 
 " I love you with a grown-up love, which is much stronger. 
 Only, Alice is so sweet, and can endure so much kissing, 
 that it's a great comfort to have her in the family." 
 
 Mabel was taken to church for the christening. Richard,
 
 DK. BEKTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 251 
 
 Daisy, and Mrs. Suydam stood for the little one. It was a 
 solemn and comforting service to the scarcely more than 
 child, whose heart went back to her own baby's baptism. 
 He had " passed the waves of this troublesome world, and 
 entered the land of everlasting life." Kneeling at the font, 
 she prayed that she might be enabled to do her duty, not 
 only to this child, but to all those loved ones whom God had 
 given her. She had ceased to ask why such heavy trials 
 had fallen to her lot ; content, and trust in a merciful Father, 
 were all she desired. 
 
 Mrs. Suydam and her three children and Mr. Auchester 
 remained to dinner at the rectory. The little ones had a 
 merry time on the lawn with Tessy, afterwards. Lily and 
 her lover strolled away, and Richard, drawing Daisy's arm 
 through his, led her down the shady path until they were 
 lost to sight. 
 
 The day was lovely. A westerly breeze blew wafts of 
 fragrance from the odorous pines and hemlock woods, re- 
 freshed by the late rains. Rifts of quivering sunshine flecked 
 the short grass at their feet, and the birds warbled from 
 leafy coverts. Some fine, electric sense governed each, 
 keeping them quiet a long while, one of those perfect pauses 
 of satisfied silence. Daisy was first to break it. 
 
 " I don't know how to thank you for the letter you sent 
 me. I wanted to answer it, only it seemed so perfect in 
 itself, I knew not what to say." 
 
 Her voice faltered, and the long lashes drooped over her 
 eyes. 
 
 " I am glad it comforted you." He took in his the little 
 hand that rested on his arm, as he went on , 
 
 " How singularly the events of our lives come about ! 
 Does it not seem as if when God was leading us through the 
 darkest paths, He had some pleasant valley of Elim at the 
 end, where we could sit down in the shade of the seventy trees 
 of palm, and forget our griefs ? " 
 
 " Yes. The shade is so good, so grateful, after we have
 
 252 IN TRUST, OK 
 
 been through the desert ! " Then she sighed softly, for she 
 knew all of life must be a little shady to her. 
 
 Richard had been through the desert, and borne some 
 burdens. Not so bitter as hers, but enough to make him enjoy 
 this restful present with the keenest pulse of his being. He 
 could have wandered forever under these trees, holding in 
 his heart a life so full and rich, that for the present it replied 
 to itself in all the blessedness of hope. When she glanced 
 shyly upward, her color deepened no more than usual, and 
 there was the same tenderness in his voice that had como 
 the night of the baby's death. Hitherto there had been no 
 event in their quiet lives sufficient to rouse self-examination. 
 Her grief still rendered her sacred in his eyes. 
 
 When they returned, they found the party gathered on the 
 balcony, earnestly discussing some news the day's mail had 
 brought Mrs. Suydam. The aunt and cousins, who had ex- 
 pected to meet her and Ulric at Saratoga, were deeply disap- 
 pointed at their defection, and proposed making them a visit, 
 if agreeable. 
 
 " They will be quite an addition to our Catskill party," 
 said Mrs. Suydam. " Aunt Auchester is a charming woman ; 
 indeed, she was always a mother to me. Fred and Leonard 
 are great favorites of mine, and Clara bewitches everybody, 
 I believe. But we must make some arrangements. Dr. 
 Bertrand, how soon will Mrs. Gregory be strong enough to 
 travel?" 
 
 " In a fortnight or so, I think. I shall take her under my 
 charge, you know." 
 
 " What a caravan ! " laughed Lily. " Mr. and Mrs. 3reg- 
 ory, child, physician ; three sisters and one brother to ad- 
 mire the baby, and uphold the mother's dignity." 
 
 "And when I add my quota," rejoined Mrs. Suydam 
 " an aunt, three cousins, servant, and little Isabel here, 
 whom Tessy and Ulric have smuggled in." 
 
 Mr. Auchester stooped to kiss his favorite niece, saying, 
 
 " You have left me out altogether."
 
 DK. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 253 
 
 " A great mistake," exclaimed Tessy, counting the party 
 over on her fingers. 
 
 " I must write immediately, and learn what state and 
 condition they are likely to be in at the Mountain House," 
 said Mr. Auchester. " The rush will have lessened some- 
 what, on account of the lateness of the season. But it 
 will suit me much better than these red-hot days. We 
 can have such fine rambles ; and there will be moonlight 
 evenings." 
 
 " Splendid ! " ejaculated Lily and Tessy in a breath. 
 
 Richard glanced at his watch, and remarked, rather 
 regretfully, that his train would be along soon. He had a 
 few last charges for Mabel ; and while they were talking, 
 Mr. Auchester sent Daisy and Lily for their hats, an- 
 nouncing that he intended to drive Dr. Bertrand to the 
 station. 
 
 Tessy's bright face was shadowed with disappointment. 
 
 " Never mind," said Mrs. Suydam. " You shall ride 
 home with me, and they can call for you. I must prepare 
 my little flock for returning. What a dear, delightful day 
 it has been ! There could not be a better baby than my 
 little namesake. I am extremely proud of her." 
 
 There followed a general dispersion. Mabel, obeying her 
 brother's suggestion, went immediately to bed. She was a 
 little tired and excited, but youth and a tranquil mind joon 
 asserted their sway. Baby was laid to sleep in her snowy 
 crib, and the young mother was not long in following so 
 good an example. 
 
 Lily put Daisy and Richard on the back seat, as she 
 wanted to drive. Ulric Auchester leaned lazily against the 
 arm at his side, congratulating himself on being relieved 
 from so much trouble. 
 
 " Richard is precious to me. I cannot have you breaking 
 his neck," retorted Lily, saucily. 
 
 " You ought to be everlastingly grateful to me, Miss Lily, 
 for suffering so much in your behalf. How could you have 
 22
 
 254 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 endured the tedium of a winter in the country if I had not 
 been half crushed to death in order to afford you some 
 interest ? " 
 
 "I'm sure I don't know," returned Lily, with gravity. 
 "I think I must have been homesick. Weren't my letters to 
 you before that period perfect Jeremiads, Daisy ? " 
 
 " And afterwards, Mrs. Bertraud ? " 
 
 Daisy colored in spite of herself, and Lily flushed with 
 tell-tale warmth. Mr. Auch ester enjoyed the confusion he 
 had created, and pinched the round arm that looked so 
 tempting through its white sleeve. 
 
 Though Daisy joined the badinage, her heart was not 
 very gay. As they paused, with the train coming down in 
 sight, she gave words to the thoughts of the last fifteen 
 minutes : 
 
 " I am so sorry to have you go alone ! If there was only 
 some one to welcome you home ! " 
 
 There passed through Richard's mind a vision of the dear, 
 old, lonely home, and no sweet face to meet him as he 
 entered the hall. With rare tenderness in his voice, he 
 said, 
 
 " Thank you. I shall know you are thinking of me." 
 Then he kissed both girls fondly, and stepped into the cars. 
 Another moment the train was winding round the curve, 
 half hidden by the foliage. Daisy's heart went down the 
 beautiful river-side with him. She loved them all dearly, 
 but she could have left the others more easily than remain 
 without him. She did not question her heart. Self-anatomy 
 was not one of her characteristics. She only felt that he 
 had been kind to her beyond any claim her forlorn situation 
 might have had upon him. Knowing her whole history, he 
 had freely given her a regard with no humiliating sense of 
 pity in it. The rest were all untried. The longer she lived 
 with them, the higher and keener her perceptions of honor 
 became. At times she shivered with a strange, intense 
 pain, as if she had been actually guilty, instead of deeply
 
 DR. BEETKAND'S HOtrSBHOXJX 255 
 
 unfortunate. In such moments her heart clung to Richard 
 with hungering, despairing affection. 
 
 They chose the longest route by the river's edge on their 
 return. Lily and Mr. Auchester kept up a gay sparring; so 
 there was little need of her talking. At Mrs. Suydam's 
 they took in Tessy, and by dint of slow driving they made 
 it twilight ere they reached home. 
 
 As Mabel was asleep, Daisy went into the study, and 
 talked a while with Mr. Chaloner. He had grown exceed- 
 ingly fond of her. Indeed, she exercised a subtle influence 
 over all she came in contact with. It was impossible not to 
 love her. 
 
 Lily and Mr. Auchester had the balcony to themselves, 
 where, after teasing him almost beyond endurance, she 
 gave him some rare glimpses of her heart. Her love was 
 such a dainty, delicious thing when she did bestow it upon 
 him. 
 
 Their courtship was anything but a good preparation for 
 the after life they were to spend together. Neither, per- 
 haps, had any clear idea of the responsibility thus accepted. 
 Lily's grace, beauty, and freshness had attracted him singu- 
 larly, while yet an invalid. But for her the nurse would 
 have had an unreasonable patient. He had never been ill 
 a week in his life, and at such a juncture, when old friends 
 stood ready to give a hand of cordial welcome to the young 
 traveller, and his book needed his immediate supervision, 
 it was provoking to waste his days in suffering brought on 
 by another's carelessness. 
 
 At eight and twenty, with his many advantages of society, 
 he considered himself quite an adept in reading women. 
 Had he . met Lily as the centre of some gay group, he 
 would have been ready to suspect artifice and stratagem, 
 because he was convinced, in his own mind, no woman of 
 the world could be free from these vices. But Lily was so 
 frank, so indifferent about pleasing, and enjoyed the ordi- 
 nary events of life with such a thorough zest, that she invari-
 
 256 IN TRUST, OK 
 
 ably brought sunshine into the sick room. As a background 
 to her picture, he beheld Mrs. Gregory, and the happy 
 wedded life of which he had sometimes dreamed. He liked 
 the deference Mrs. Gregory paid her husband, and the high- 
 toned affection evident in each little act, yet never paraded 
 obtrusively. 
 
 He imagined he could mould Lily to his will, since the 
 good substratum of principle was already ingrained in her 
 nature. There were certainly many admirable traits in her 
 character. And perhaps what fascinated Mr. Auchester 
 most was her generous submission when conquered or con- 
 vinced. Although wilful in an eminent degree, there was 
 not a particle of sullen pride about her. He had an impa- 
 tient longing to try his hand at governing the fair, high- 
 spirited girl while he yet lay ill in bed. And it piqued him 
 not a little to be compelled to sue for favors when all his 
 life, hitherto, he had taken them as a right. 
 
 At first, circumstances had conspired to mislead him. At 
 Mrs. Suydam's, when Lily had been in her most charming 
 mood, a slight restraint had surrounded her. And at home, 
 Mr. Auchester's visits had been generally by appointment ; 
 so there was little chance for coquetry. Lily chafed at the 
 authority he assumed, but she was not long in learning her 
 own power a dangerous knowledge for such a nature. 
 Richard had stipulated that there should be no positive 
 engagement between them', as he considered her too young 
 and thoughtless for so momentous a decision. 
 
 Therefore Lily queened it in an exacting, tormenting 
 fashion, and carried it all off with an assumption of igno- 
 rance, that he was won into forgiving even when most deeply 
 vexed. Yet it must be confessed he was not quite satisfied 
 with Lily's manner of loving. The hours in which she 
 seemed all that he could desire were rather the excep- 
 tions. 
 
 It might be that she had not yet come to the full time of 
 love, and was unable to concentrate her feelings in one
 
 DE. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 257 
 
 channel. He accepted the gay, impetuous child in trust for 
 the future woman. He had a large share of both pride and 
 persistency ; and even when most tried with her, his deter- 
 mination for mastery over her heart never failed him. He 
 knew if he questioned her closely about any troublesome 
 matter, she might preserve an obstinate silence, but would 
 never even hint at an untruth. 
 22*
 
 258 IN TRUST. OR 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 LovCj-ihou hast pleasures, and deep hae I loved ; 
 Love, thou hast sorrows, and sair hac I proved. 
 
 BURNS. 
 
 But your red smile was too warm, Sweet, 
 
 And your little heart too cold, 
 And your blue eyes too blue merely, 
 For a strong, sad man to scold, 
 Weep, or scorn you. 
 
 OWEN MEREDITH. 
 
 FOE the % next ten days there was no special excitement at 
 Rothelan. Mabel drove out frequently, and baby appeared 
 to be in the highest state of perfection. Tessy fluctuated 
 between it and the nursery at Mrs. Suydarn's. Daisy was 
 much with Lily, and Mr. Auchester fell into the habit of 
 treating her as the others did with an almost reverent ten- 
 derness. She diffused a cool and tranquil mental atmos- 
 phere wherever she went. 
 
 Mrs. Auchester and her family accepted Mrs. Suydain's 
 invitation with evident pleasure. The day after their arrival 
 she brought the ladies to call at the rectory. Mrs. Auchester 
 was stout and matronly, but with girlish bloom and fresh- 
 ness, and a rich, cheerful voice, that found its way to one's 
 heart immediately. Clara was barely medium height, but 
 graceful, and not absolutely plain, though she paled beside 
 Lily's beauty. Her arch, vivacious manner was extremely 
 winning. 
 
 The baby was brought down for inspection. Clara amused 
 them with droll descriptions of the only babies she had any 
 chance to admire at home little shining black children,
 
 DK. BEKTKAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 259 
 
 dressed up in immense caps, and brought to *' Missis " for a 
 name ; " except when my sister comes," she added, " who 
 has the grace not to present herself without bringing a baby, 
 solely to gratify my fancy." 
 
 Then she began to descant on " cousin Ulric." Both 
 Mrs. Suydam and her brother had spent much of their 
 young life in Virginia, with this aunt and uncle, having 
 been early left orphans. 
 
 " You can't think how vexed I was because Ulr^e did not 
 come to Saratoga. I was absolutely counting on it. And 
 we had not seen him for five years. Now and then, some 
 lady we met would speak of him, and half envy me my 
 cousinship ; great good it did me. But last night I gave 
 him a lecture, I assure you." 
 
 Lily colored a little. For, after all, Mabel's objection to 
 her becoming one of the Saratoga party had decided Mr. 
 Auchester in remaining at home. 
 
 " He has changed so much !" Clara went on. " Do you 
 know I felt quite afraid of him at first ! He is as stately as a 
 prince. I shall tease him out of his new-found dignity. 
 But his book is charming. He will be spoiled by so much 
 adulation." 
 
 " I think he bears his honors well," said Daisy. 
 
 " He's a darling," laughed Clara. " I think seriously of 
 spending next winter in New York on his account. Fancy 
 the sensation of being introduced as Mr. Auchester's cousin ! " 
 
 Mrs. Suydam begged Lily and Daisy to accompany her 
 home. Daisy declined, but Lily compromised by promising 
 to come in time for supper, and spend the evening. 
 
 " You may as well begin visiting me at once," Clara ex- 
 claimed, " for if you do not I shall come to the rectory 
 every day. Cousin Alice has said so much about you all, 
 fliat I feel remarkably well acquainted." 
 
 " Clara ! " said her mother, reprovingly. 
 
 " 0, I haven't frightened them a bit, mamma. Perhaps 
 it wouldn't be bad to threaten a call before breakfast."
 
 260 IN TEUST, OR 
 
 They all laughed. " The only obstacle would be your dis- 
 like of early rising," remarked Mrs. Suydam. 
 
 Philip walked over with Lily about mid afternoon. Clara 
 was waiting impatiently, and carried her off at once to her 
 own room, where she made her repeat the story of Ulric's 
 accident, and describe the party in New York. They, did 
 not come down stairs until the tea bell rang, when Lily was 
 introduced to the gentlemen. 
 
 Leonard Auchester resembled Clara a great deal, and was 
 still boyish at twenty. Fred, six years his senior, was much 
 in the style of his cousin Ulric. He set about rendering 
 himself agreeable to Lily, for Clara quite monopolized Ulric. 
 Her gayety was contagious ; and, as her sharp sallies rarely 
 degenerated into sarcasm, every one enjoyed them. 
 
 They walked up and down the long balcony, in the sum- 
 mer twilight a happy group, bright with youth and hope. 
 Just inside the window Mrs. Suydam sat playing. Pres- 
 ently her fingers ran into the Olga. 
 
 " 0, that sweet, delicious waltz ! How it reminds me of 
 old times, when mamma used to play it for us children ! 
 Come, Ulric ! " and the next instant Clara had him whirling 
 down the balcony to the wave-like motion. 
 
 They were passing up, when Fred exclaimed, 
 
 " It's a shame for them to have all the enjoyment. Miss 
 Bertrand, grant me the favor, please ; " and he extended his 
 hand. 
 
 Lily raised her eyes to Ulric with a beseeching glance. 
 He bit his lip in vexation, then answered with one of reluc- 
 tant acquiescence. Waltzing with any one besides him had 
 been interdicted since he became her lover. Fred saw the 
 exchange of looks, and smiled internally. He had consid- 
 erable vanity, and was in the habit of appropriating the 
 pleasant things of life, whether they were his by right 
 or not. 
 
 They floated down the open space, fragrant with snowy 
 stems of Madeira vines, that nodded from every column, aa
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 261 
 
 if keeping time to " twinkling feet." Waltzing with Lily 
 was certainly the poetry of motion. The lovely face with 
 eyes downcast, the shining golden ringlets that fell and 
 floated around her, the exquisite shoulders and arms out- 
 lined through the flowing drapery, gave her a weird, Undine- 
 like beauty. Ulric Auchester experienced a nervous, un- 
 comfortable sensation, akin to jealousy. He tried to strangle 
 it, but it proved too great for him. Could he have refused 
 permission without appearing ungenerous ? Since he had 
 unwittingly set the bad example, he must abide by the result. 
 Yet a moment or an hour could not change Lily's allegiance. 
 Still, the white, slender hand drooping over Fred's shoulder 
 would give him a pang. 
 
 He took advantage of a half sigh from Clara to wheel her 
 around into a seat, and exclaim, 
 
 " You are tired ! " 
 
 " 0, no, indeed ! I could waltz all night. You surely are 
 not going to give up ? " 
 
 " It's too warm for such work ! " he said, decisively. 
 
 Clara found a fan, and began plying it. She paused, sud- 
 denly, to say, involuntarily, 
 
 " How perfectly lovely Miss Bertrand is ! And such 
 dancing ! Wouldn't she bewilder the hosts at Saratoga, 
 or any other watering-place ? " 
 
 A chill crept over Ulric, in spite of the summer night. He 
 tried to catch Lily's eye ; he put out his foot so she must 
 brush past it. Both were useless. The hot, angry blood 
 surged to his heart in torrents, and his eyes darkened with a 
 new and fierce light. Never before had his passionate nature 
 been so profoundly stirred. The depth of jealous regard 
 startled even himself. By a strong effort he restrained the 
 feeling, and kept a calm exterior over these raging fires. 
 But in those brief moments he had a startling foretaste of 
 anguish and despair. 
 
 Lily paused at length, flushed, radiant, full of royal beauty 
 and brightness. Sitting down by Ulric, she disarmed him
 
 262 IX TRUST, OK 
 
 with a trustful glance, that seemed to thank him for the in- 
 dulgence he had granted. But to him she appeared just 
 snatched from a great danger. With a total revulsion of 
 feeling he bent his proud head a ti'ifle, and smiled upon her. 
 The little fingers crept caressingly over his, thrilling him 
 with keenest enjoyment. He had hardly dreamed before 
 how dear she was to him. 
 
 Fred sauntered towards them a little puzzled perhaps, 
 too, a little piqued. Mrs. Suydam sent for some cream, and 
 in the general conversation that ensued, they planned a ride 
 for the following morning. Clara had never visited her cous- 
 in's country house before, and was anxious to see its sur- 
 roundings. 
 
 Lily and Mr. Auchester walked home. There was no 
 moon, but the star-crowned night was none the less lovely. 
 A faint breeze wandered through the hollows in- musical 
 monotones. He fancied he had much to say ; but Lily was 
 changeful and illusive as a butterfly, utterly ignoring the sub- 
 ject to which he wished to lead her. So they stood at the 
 hall door of the rectory, he for once uncertain, and almost 
 powerless. 
 
 " Lily," he began, rather abruptly, " I wish our engage- 
 ment could be announced." 
 
 " It isn't quite an engagement," she returned, archly. 
 " And you promised Richard " 
 
 " Yes, I know." He made an impatient gesture. " Lily, 
 you do love me ? " 
 
 " When you are good to me dearly, dearly ; " and she 
 stopped further questioning by her eager kisses. 
 
 A little surprised by the readiness of her caress, for she 
 was delicately chary in such matters, he could only return 
 it in silence. After some moments he said, with solemn 
 tenderness, 
 
 " I mean always to be good to you, my darling. If on 
 any point I should think differently, will you not trust my 
 wider experience, my more mature judgment ? "
 
 DR. BERTKAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 263 
 
 He could not see the half-amused expression of her face, 
 but her silence seemed to promise faith in him. 
 
 When he had shut the gate, she ran up stairs to Daisy, in 
 an overflow of satisfaction. 
 
 "You have enjoyed yourself," Daisy remarked, glancing 
 at the happy girl. 
 
 " 0, such a gay, delightful time ! The Auchesters are 
 charming. I believe Fred is even handsomer than Ulric." 
 
 She uttered the name with a slight effort. 
 
 " And what else ? " 
 
 " I waltzed with him, Daisy." She laughed in gay au- 
 dacity. 
 
 "OLilyl I thought " 
 
 " Don't distress yourself, dear. His royal highness con- 
 sented. Indeed, he led off by dancing with Clara, and I 
 looked so imploringly he couldn't resist, or did not dare, be- 
 fore so many. I know he wanted to scold me a little on our 
 homeward way, but for once I really managed him." 
 
 " Yet you knew he disapproved of it. Lily, how could 
 you ? " There was a gentle reproach in both voice and eye. 
 
 " I think I ought to have my own way occasionally," Lily 
 began, in a spoiled-child tone. " One gets tired of playing 
 Katharine all the time to so lordly a Petruchio. It frets me 
 to be good and obedient. I want to be equal ; at least, to 
 have my share of the power." 
 
 " After all, Lily, what difference does it make, when one 
 is sure of being loved supremely ? Are not men oftener 
 ruled by affection than by any foolish supremacy on our part ? 
 And Mr. Auchester is older, has seen so much more of life 
 than you." 
 
 " That's just it," returned Lily, petulantly. " He has had 
 his fun and gay times, and I want mine. I was glad to show 
 him to-night that his cousin thought me attractive." 
 
 " Lily ! Lily ! what are you saying ? Do you desira 
 any other man's admiration while you have his love ? " 
 
 Lily's face flushed hotly.
 
 204 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 " I only want to convince him that there are plenty of 
 people in the world who could have liked me." 
 
 "As if he doubted it ! And if they do like you, Lily, 
 what then ? " 
 
 " I suppose I shall love him best of all, some day. Only, 
 I keep wondering how this ' best of all love ' affects one. 
 And I like fun. It gives me a strange satisfaction to 
 tease him. Once in a while the chain grows too heavy, and 
 slipping it aside, I draw in a long breath, and take a good run 
 into some forbidden garden. After that I can endure the 
 chain again. Did you ever feel thus ? " 
 
 " No," Daisy said, slowly. 
 
 " You loved Robert all the time ? " and Lily glanced into 
 the soft eyes with earnest scrutiny. 
 
 " Yes, at first. I couldn't have loved any one else then. 
 And if he had always been fond " 
 
 A singular sensation compelled Daisy to pause. A sus- 
 picion flashed over her that if Robert could come back this 
 night, it would not afford her the highest satisfaction. How 
 had she come to realize there was a more blessed happiness 
 in love than any she had experienced? Philip and Mabel 
 were before her daily, to be sure, but she seemed to have 
 gone to some other source for the knowledge. 
 
 Lily talked away her mutinous spirit, and with fond good- 
 night kisses they went to pleasant slumbers the one who 
 had sorrowed so little, the one who had sorrowed so much. 
 
 The party rode over early the next morning. Mr. Auches- 
 ter brought a horse for Lily, so that Daisy might share their 
 enjoyment; but she shyly declined. He appealed to Mrs. 
 Gregory. 
 
 " I wish she would go," Mabel said. " When my brother 
 was up, he insisted on her taking more exercise in the open 
 air. You haven't obeyed very well, Daisy." 
 
 " Please do," Mr. Auchester resumed. " I wish it very 
 much." He bent his head a little, and their eyes met at the 
 last words. Both understood intuitively. Yet it was not
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 265 
 
 pleasant to be made his confidant, when all he needed was 
 to hint a distrust of Lily, and ask from her a little watchful- 
 ness. She yielded, however, to what Lily had laughingly 
 termed his " evil eye." It did shadow forth a curious power, 
 difficult to dispute or refuse. 
 
 She "went rather unwillingly, though she was the better for 
 her exertion, and nothing occurred to mar their pleasure. 
 Whether Lily felt a trifle repentant, or Fred Auchester made 
 no effort to win her from her allegiance, could hardly be told. 
 After a little he devoted himself to Daisy. He soon dis- 
 pelled the prejudice that had risen in her mind. Indeed, he 
 had made the art of fascination too much of a study to fail 
 easily. 
 
 He kept a little attention to bestow upon Lily and his 
 cousin. He fancied he should be able to determine whether 
 there was anything deeper than friendship between them, 
 but returned home in some doubt. Finding Mrs. Suydam 
 alone, shortly after, he asked, carelessly, 
 
 " Are Ulric and Miss Bertrand engaged, Alice ? " 
 
 Mrs. Suydam colored slightly, between the fear of saying 
 too much and not enough, and answered, reluctantly, 
 
 " Not exactly." 
 
 " I think his seclusion deserves commendation. I had no 
 idea there was so much beauty hidden in this out of the way 
 place. What lovely, sad eyes that little Mrs. Bertrand has ' 
 But such a young widow why, she could hardly have out- 
 grown babyhood at her marriage." 
 
 Mrs. Suydam was glad to leave Ulric' s affairs ; so she des- 
 canted somewhat upon Daisy's history. That there had been 
 any cause for sorrow prior to Robert's death, had never been 
 breathed beyond the family circle. 
 
 Clara became, as she had threatened, a frequent visitor at 
 the rectory. She made royal friends with Tessy, and from 
 thence up to Mr. Chaloner. When baby was awake she trans- 
 formed herself into a most attentive nurse. Alice was a 
 very satisfactory piece of babyhood, plump, white, with ^ilky 
 23
 
 266 IN XKUST, OR 
 
 brown hair half an inch long, and a cunning dimple in her 
 chin. Every day Tessy reported progress on the baby's 
 eyebrows and lashes, the growth of which seemed a perfect 
 marvel to the child. 
 
 Mr. Auchester received word that nearly half of the Moun- 
 tain House would be at the disposal of his party. Richard 
 was heard from also, and the day appointed for their 
 journey. 
 
 Fred Auchester became deeply interested in Lily. Ulrio 
 watched her closely. She would probably have rebelled but 
 for a counteracting influence. This was from Fred, although 
 she supposed it happened naturally. He managed that there 
 should be some moments and some places free from this 
 ceaseless vigilance. Lily enjoyed these opportunities with 
 the zest of a thoughtless child. She did not mean to be dis- 
 honest, she never even fancied there was anything to conceal. 
 
 Fred Auchester would not have deliberately set himself 
 about winning any girl's heart, not so much from a sense of 
 honor, as an ardent love of his own liberty. He was accus- 
 tomed to please himself first of all, without thinking much 
 of the manner in which it was done. Most of the young 
 ladies he had met were ready enough for a flirtation. But 
 Lily's simplicity and purity puzzled him a little. She openly 
 laughed at his flatteries, and held herself above his familiari- 
 ties with a sort of regal dignity. She fretted his vanity by 
 her apparent insensibility, but it made him only the more 
 earnest to succeed. Consequently he manoeuvred for some 
 hours when he could see her alone, or in the presence of 
 Clara, and was rather formal to her in general. 
 
 Ulric was compelled to be absent two days, as he was 
 invited to the city to meet some distinguished gentlemen, 
 among whom were two savans, soon going abroad. Refusal 
 was out of the question, though he went reluctantly. Lily 
 improved the opportunity of regaining a little of her old in- 
 dependence. And so she floated down the sparkling tide 
 unconscious of danger.
 
 DK. BERTKAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 267 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 Alas ! how love can trifle with itself ! 
 
 SHAKSPEARE. 
 
 Why, then, to love and trust 
 Is but to lend a traitor arms wherewith 
 To pierce our souls. 
 
 MBS. HEMASTS. 
 
 THE party at the Catskills brought with them hearts fof 
 the most thorough enjoyment. It was to be a real holiday 
 for all. Even Richard laid aside his cares, and slipped 
 imperceptibly into a mood of indolent enjoyment. Indeed, 
 there was nothing else for him to do. His family seemed 
 inclined to dispose of themselves. Archie took to Philip 
 in a boyish, enthusiastic fashion, shared his walks, and was 
 most happy when he could command his attention for the 
 discussions that were the youth's delight. Tessy flitted from 
 baby Alice to Isabel Suydam, and occasionally strayed off 
 with Leonard Auchester, who appeared to consider himself 
 her special cavalier. The boyish element in his nature 
 found an outlet in these attentions. But Tessy did not 
 develop any flirting propensities. She gravely accepted 
 Leonard's escort and devotion, acknowledged flowers or 
 little favors with a womanly dignity that would have been 
 amusing but for its perfect good faith. There was no undue 
 forwardness to distress Mabel ; so she only looked on with 
 a quiet smile. 
 
 Lily and Clara were inseparables, and sheltered themselves 
 a great deal under Mrs. Auchester's indulgent wing. Fred 
 and Ulric were their attendant shadows. Clara appropriated 
 her cousin when it suited her fancy, as she did every one
 
 268 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 else. It was more difficult to break away from her, because 
 she based her regard and privilege on pure cousinly grounds, 
 and took the latter as a right. 
 
 TJlric found that in some indescribable way he had lost 
 rather than gained with Lily. Not in regard, for in her fit- 
 ful fashion she was more lavish than ever before. Yet it 
 satisfied him less than her chary, piquant coolness. Fred's 
 attentions could not be at all exclusive, for. Lily's beauty 
 and vivacity attracted others to her shrine. Among the 
 lingerers at the Mountain House were several unexception- 
 able gentlemen, who saw in her freshness the same charm 
 that had won Ulric Auchester months before. And this 
 new life fed her desire for power and admiration. She 
 seemed to ripen with a summer warmth, to dazzle with a 
 swift, enchanting grace that stirred the pulses of those she 
 came in contact with. Capricious, versatile, haughty, and 
 gentle, by turns, no one could be sure of her next mood. 
 Her fascination never palled on or satisfied any one. Ulric 
 felt the tide too strong for him to breast, and resolved to 
 wait and watch patiently until they came to quiet sailing. 
 
 The elders matrons of three degrees kept much to- 
 gether. Mabel had visited the mountains shortly after her 
 arrival at Rothelan, and was quite content to miss some of 
 the rides and walks that the girls enlarged upon so raptu- 
 rously. She listened with evident pleasure to all ; indeed, 
 her apartment was considered a kind of headquarters, where 
 every one went to report. 
 
 And Daisy ? Perhaps it was not surprising that Richard 
 should in some degree forget the others. Mabel's fond 
 eyes had already detected the secret unconfessed to himself. 
 Without exciting the slightest suspicion, she managed to 
 give them much of each other's society. To Daisy it was a 
 bright, new world, opened by the magic hand of Love. Her 
 enjoyment rendered the mountains a fairy Alp, the falls 
 a Niagara. The refined enthusiasm that was a part of he* 
 nature, and had met with no vent hitherto, came out now.
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOVSEHOLD. 269 
 
 Her eyes deepened and filled with a tender, joyous light, 
 the old shadow often disappearing entirely. And Richard 
 took a strange delight in wandering alone with her the 
 sweet selfishness of ripening love when it longs to garner up 
 every smile, every word, and to feel them particularly its 
 own. T^hat lovely, enchanting days those were ! He lived 
 in a charmed atmosphere. She felt the new life in every 
 pulse, yet was too innocent to give it a name. And so it 
 happened they often walked or rode happy in silence, save 
 where the beauty of Nature in some of its wild groupings 
 demanded words from the full soul, steeped in its perfect 
 loveliness. They lingered in dusky hollows, where the moist 
 odor of the trees gave out its peculiar fragrance, and the 
 .unceasing melody of the falling waters brought a dim and 
 dreamy satisfaction, as if it was a retrospect of some past 
 existence. 
 
 And when they chose to go nearer, to stand behind 
 the snowy, rushing mass as it came leaping down into its 
 bed of foam for a mere breathing space, and then whirled 
 onward, sparkling in the brilliant sunshine, the scene was 
 wild and enchanting. The rocky crests were dappled with 
 pink and gray, or frost white, save where in some recess it 
 changed suddenly to twilight gloom. Here a clump of trees 
 stood out boldly in burnished green, or a bit of dead limb 
 silvered with the double effect of sun and spray. The 
 crested surge danced gayly along, breaking into richer intri- 
 cacy, until the whole scene glowed in wondrous beauty. 
 Yet what was that to the tender eyes turned full and ear- 
 nestly upon him the low voice whose sweetness found its 
 way to his heart above the din of the roaring, dashing 
 waters ? He liked the timid yet perfect trust with which 
 she clung to him, and dared dangers that made her tremble. 
 Each day brought a new charm, a more delicious knowledge 
 of the pure heart unfolding before him. He shut out the 
 past. He wanted to think her true life dated from this 
 happy present. 
 
 23*
 
 270 IN TRUST, OH 
 
 Lily was delighted with the scenery, also, and enjoyed 
 many a pleasant ramble. But Mr. Auchester rarely had her 
 to himself. Indeed, an intimacy with the boarders at Pine 
 Orchard, a resort a few miles distant, soon sprang up, and 
 called for daily drives back and forth. 
 
 Clara was not idle, nor did she allow herself to be dis- 
 tanced. She made a conquest quite speedily. A Mr. Vin- 
 cent grave, gentlemanly, and immensely wealthy, as Fred 
 soon learned became singularly attracted to the gay girl. 
 Clara laughed over the interviews, and declared she took 
 him into training from pure generosity ; yet it must be con- 
 fessed that she took unusual pains to entertain him, and that 
 he evinced a decided preference for her society. As Lily 
 was constantly with her, much of Mabel's oversight was 
 necessarily relinquished. 
 
 As I said, Mr. Auchester endeavored to be patient. It 
 was a difficult and dangerous struggle. Now and then, 
 when Lily rushed daringly into proscribed indulgences, his 
 eyes flashed and his voice trembled with suppressed passion. 
 She was not wise enough to heed the signs ; while he, aston- 
 ished at his own endurance, rather treasured up than for- 
 gave, not so much from hardness of will as from the fact that 
 she seemed never to think pardon necessary. 
 
 There were many delightful evenings both at the Mountain 
 House and Pine Orchard. The last gayety of the season 
 culminated/ in a hop at the former place. Special pains 
 were taken to make the affair highly agreeable. When 
 Tessy gained permission to spend an hour or two in the 
 dancing-room, her joy was boundless, though sustained with 
 spasmodic assumptions of gravity. 
 
 " And then for home," exclaimed Mr. Auchester. " Truly 
 I shall be glad. Who would have thought we should find so 
 much dissipation in this quiet place ? " 
 
 " It's almost as good as Saratoga. I'm not sure but that 
 I have had more real pleasure," said Clara. 
 
 'It has been charming perfect," responded Lily. "I 
 fihall be sorry to return home."
 
 DK. BEBTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 271 
 
 " Is it really your idea of perfect happiness ? " Mr. Au- 
 Chester asked, while his eyes forced hers to meet them. 
 
 ** Perfect of its kind, certainly." 
 
 " And its kind is very satisfactory, I suppose ? " 
 
 " I should be most ungrateful if it were not, after all the 
 trouble that has been taken for my enjoyment," was Lily's 
 adroit reply. 
 
 "1 think we shall have something different presently," 
 Mr. Auchester said, biting his lip. 
 
 " Anything for a variety," laughed the gay girl. 
 
 But when Mr. Auchester asked her to walk with him, she 
 pleaded her dress, which must be put in order for the evening, 
 and, with one pretence or another, gave him no opportunity 
 to see her alone. After dinner the girls indulged in a 
 refreshing siesta. Then Lily went down lo the balcony, 
 and found Fred and Archie reading. 
 
 "You are too late," Fred exclaimed, mischievously. 
 " Mr. Gregory has taken off my august cousin. If you will 
 allow me to try, I may perhaps be able to give you as good 
 advice." 
 
 " 1 am in an admirable mood ; so proceed," said Lily, 
 archly. 
 
 " Suppose we take a little walk, then, while I collect my 
 scattered thoughts, unless you are afraid of offending his 
 high mightiness." 
 
 He knew it was just the sort of an insinuation to make 
 Lily yield. He was forced to admit to himself that he had 
 not won one victory over this charming girl, and it wounded 
 his vanity considerably. He was not used to being thwarted 
 in this fashion, and it increased his desire. If she would 
 only forget every one else just a moment for him ! 
 
 " You seem to stand a good deal in awe of your cousin," 
 she said, with an arch gayety that quite took off the point of 
 his speech. " And I am ready for the walk. Will you 
 eome, Archie ? " 
 
 No. Archie was too deeply interested in his book.
 
 272 IN TRUST, OB 
 
 Clara watched them sauntering down the path. " What 
 foolish child ! " she said to herself. " She ought to keep her 
 freshness for this evening." 
 
 Lily would have been very well satisfied if Archie had ac- 
 companied them. She did not intend to go far, but in the 
 enjoyment of the walk and their gay conversation she soon 
 forgot her prudent resolves. 
 
 Philip and Mr. Auchester returned presently. The latter 
 lounged about uneasily until invited into Mrs. Gregory's 
 parlor. Clara soon joined them. 
 
 " Where is Lily ? " he asked. 
 
 " I saw her go off with Fred half an hour ago," she 
 answered, with a suggestive little smile. 
 
 He generally ignored her attempts at teasing him, but just 
 now he felt in anything but a tranquil mood. So they had a 
 rather sharp skirmish, ending by his retreat from the field. 
 He went immediately in search of Lily, as the best method 
 of cooling his temper. The calmness of the past fortnight 
 was breaking up like an ice-bound sea. Hard and jagged 
 edges of distrust, suspicion, wounded love and pride, clashed 
 together in his mind. What did the child mean by giving 
 him this burden to carry ? Surely she must love him in a 
 weak, easily satisfied manner, not as he loved her. And the 
 thought that he was not all to her, stung him with a keen 
 pain. 
 
 With eager steps he sought her in familiar haunts, in vain. 
 They must have gone some distance, then. The picture that 
 persistently rose before him was not a pleasant one for a mau 
 in his mental state to linger over. With morbid quickness he 
 recalled every incident since that first evening with Fred. 
 Had they been honorable rivals, each endeavoring to win 
 Lily, he would have regarded his cousin with a certain re- 
 spect. But it was the acknowledged trifling that angered 
 him now that, in spite of himself, gloomed over his heart, 
 and brought a fierce light to his eyes. The luxury of hope, 
 the past enjoyment of bliss, and the solemn surety of a
 
 DR. BEKTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 273 
 
 passion strengthening and deepening with every hour of his 
 existence, turned into a tempest, and raged wildly through 
 his soul. 
 
 Better that the fire had spent itself then, than that he, 
 with one of those strong impulses common to self-centred 
 men, should have smothered it. He said, with a cold, but 
 determined mastery over himself, that he would be calm ; 
 and thus his eyes were blinded to the real crisis by the very 
 feelings he was attempting to control. 
 
 The westward sun was sending lengthening shadows from 
 tree and shrub, when he saw them come in sight, walking 
 slowly, Lily apparently in her gayest mood. Some power 
 impelled him to step aside and let them pass. Fred was 
 carrying a bunch of scarlet salvia. When they paused at 
 the steps, he said, 
 
 " Here are your flowers. You will wear some to-night for 
 my sake, and I promise to consider myself amply repaid for 
 my trouble." 
 
 She flushed a trifle at his glance, and replied, 
 
 "You are the perfection of cavaliers, certainly. I am 
 obliged, and also glad to find you so easily recompensed. 
 They are lovely." And she held out her hand for the 
 bouquet. 
 
 Fred Auchester's first daring impulse was to press the 
 dainty fingers to his lips ; but he had learned a little by ex- 
 perience. He merely bowed, and held the hand in his some 
 seconds longer than was necessary. 
 
 " I am all impatience for to-night ! " he resumed. " The 
 last brilliant affair of the season isn't that aufait? And 
 a crowd from Pine Orchard to help us make merry. But I 
 think I know who will not be eclipsed." 
 
 " Your own self, for instance," returned Lily, laughing. 
 " Such an event is not down in the almanac. There ia 
 no fear. But we must be late, for I hear the bell. Adieu ! " 
 And she glided through the hall. 
 
 " Where have you been, runaway ? " exclaimed Clara.
 
 274 IX TRUST, OR 
 
 *' Ulric went to look for you an hour ago. The young man 
 is evidently on the ' rampage.' And, Lily, if he should ever 
 become your lord and master, I think you would stand a fair 
 chance of being ' brought up by hand.' " 
 
 Lily's eyes sparkled with a light compounded of pride and 
 amusement. 
 
 " And those splendid flowers ! " continued Clara. " Can't 
 you spare me a stem or two for my adornment ? Where in 
 the world did you find them ? " 
 
 " You may have as many as you wish," said Lily, arran- 
 ging them in a vase of water. 
 
 "You 'had better hurry!" Mrs. Auchester exclaimed, as 
 she entered the girls' apartment. " The supper bell will 
 ring soon." 
 
 Lily gathered her shining curls in a net, changed her dress, 
 and was presentable by the time the summons reached them. 
 In the hall Mr. Auchester rose before her like a phantom, 
 and drew her hand through his arm. Fred, coming a moment 
 later, bit his lip in vexation. 
 
 " Where have you been ? " Ulric demanded, in a cool, 
 stern whisper. 
 
 " Rambling, like the river in the poem, ' at my own sweet 
 will,' " she answered, carelessly. " I must take my fill of 
 beauty, for our stay draws to its close." 
 
 " I am thankful," was his almost involuntary announce- 
 ment. 
 
 " Why ? It is so lovely here ! " and she glanced up with 
 the childish abandon that had so often disarmed him. 
 " Remember, I have not seen the whole world and all its 
 delights. Daisy and I make Niagara, Switzerland, and the 
 Alps out of it. I dare say, as I grow older and wiser, I 
 shall smile over this enthusiasm ; but now it is everything 
 to me." 
 
 " Everything to you ! " he repeated, with a bitter intona- 
 tion. But it was lost upon her, for some one appealed to 
 her decision in a trifling matter ; and with a suppressed sigb
 
 DR. BEKTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 275 
 
 he held his peace, and listened to the merry badinage. All 
 at their end of the table was complete enjoyment. 
 
 Lily might have lingered awhile with Mr. Auchester, but 
 she pleaded dressing as an excuse for hastening away. He 
 could not speak of the flowers without betraying a closer 
 knowledge of their conversation than he cared to reveal just 
 now ; so, thinking if he procured some others it would keep 
 her from wearing Fred's, he left her the more readily. 
 
 Something in his eyes and voice started a faint suspicion 
 in Lily's mind. But she was too careless to heed it. She 
 wanted her full liberty this night, and meant, if possible, to 
 evade any opportunity for restriction. 
 
 Clara and she commenced the task of adorning with ready 
 fingers. And yet, somehow, Lily dallied unconsciously. 
 She brushed her shining hair until it was smooth as satin, 
 and rolled off coils of golden ringlets. Early in the day 
 'she had decided on wearing white ; so there was no discus- 
 sion on dress. Daisy and Tessy flitted in and out, the child 
 wide-eyed in wondering pleasure. Lily was in a generous 
 mood, and nothing annoyed her. 
 
 ** The music ! " exclaimed Mrs. Auchester, as the band 
 began their discord of tuning up, breaking now and then 
 into snatches of inspiriting melody. " Lily, child, how slow 
 you are ! Clara is ready." 
 
 " All but my flowers. Lily promised to share her spoils 
 with me. I should have had a tnight sufficiently thoughtful 
 to send me some sweet token of his regard. Come, divide 
 your scarlet glory." 
 
 There was a light tap at the door, which Mrs. Auchester 
 answered. 
 
 " Miss Lily ? " It was Ulric's voice. 
 
 " Is to remain invisible full fifteen minutes longer," 
 laughed Clara, cautiously peeping out. " What is your 
 pleasure, my august cousin ? I will undertake to convey 
 any message to her chrysalis state." 
 
 Ulric smiled. " My pleasure and wishes, since I cannot
 
 276 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 see her, are, that you will give her these flowers, with iny 
 regards, and ask her to wear them to-night. They are my 
 especial favorites. And when may I have the pleasure of 
 escorting you both to Fairy-land ? " 
 
 " I'm glad you did not bring a glass slipper, for we want 
 to stay until after midnight. These flowers are most exqui- 
 site. But some one has been before you." 
 
 " Tell her to wear these," he said, abruptly, turning 
 away. 
 
 " I wonder where he found tuberoses ? " Clara said, as she 
 handed them to Lily. " Mrs. Kinston was frantic for some, 
 and said she had sent everywhere. You'll have to bequeath 
 me all the scarlet, now." 
 
 " No, indeed. I must have a little. Twist this through 
 my curls will you ? " And taking some of the moss-buds 
 from the edge of the bouquet, she substituted the salvia. 
 
 " That improves it," exclaimed Clara. " I don't like so 
 much dead white." 
 
 Lily fastened another spray of salvia and a rose-bud in 
 her dress at the throat. She did indeed look lovely. The 
 beauty of her shoulders was enhanced, not hidden, by the 
 dress of India mull, delicate as cambric. Her arms were bare, 
 but clasped with Richard's gift, the pearls. The gleam of 
 the scarlet flowers heightened the effect ; yet in her secret 
 heart she felt a little condemned for wearing them. 
 
 " You are perfect," said Clara. " You will charm every 
 one." 
 
 " Even Mr. Vincent ? " 
 
 " Poach on my manor at your peril ! And now make me 
 equally beautiful." Clara turned away her face to hide its 
 uncomfortable warmth. 
 
 She was robed in a thin, gauzy fabric, whose black back- 
 ground sparkled with tiny golden wheat heads, clustered 
 about with small, brilliant flowers. Her jewels were rubies, 
 and with trailing stems of salvia in her hair, she looked 
 bright and radiant.
 
 DR. BERTH AND' 8 HOUSEHOLD. 277 
 
 Then they went to Mabel's room to be admired. They 
 all felt the power of Lily's beauty. Daisy kissed her with 
 a sudden impulse of affection. 
 
 " You do your family great credit," remarked Richard, 
 with a bow of mock politeness. 
 
 Mabel had some charges to give concerning Tessy, who 
 was to be allowed a brief glimpse of the gay scene, in com- 
 pany with Isabel Suydam. Fred Auchester made his appear- 
 ance, announcing that the Pine Orchard party had arrived. 
 
 " And where's my little princess ? " inquired Leonard. 
 
 The "little princess" was as grave and important as if 
 she expected to undergo a court presentation. 
 
 Lily stood quite still until the rest had passed, for she saw 
 Mr. Auchester waiting in the hall. They fell somewhat 
 behind the others, and instead of bestowing a word of com- 
 mendation upon her, as was his general custom, he asked, 
 rather sharply, though in a low tone, 
 
 " Where did you get those red flowers ? I thought I sent 
 you enough to wear." 
 
 " Thanks for yours ; they are lovely. But I liked these, 
 and Clara said they improved me greatly." 
 
 " And doubtless some one else will say it." Since you are 
 not striving to please me, why should it matter ? " 
 
 She glanced furtively at his face. It was simply impas- 
 sible. It was too late for him to look hurt or annoyed. As 
 they reached the ball-room just then, she evaded a reply. 
 24
 
 278 IN TRUST, OB 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 Then go ! the promptings of thy heart obey; 
 Despise the voice of reason and good counsel; 
 Be quite the woman, swayed by each desire, 
 That bridleless impels her to and fro. 
 
 GOETHE'S IPHIGEWTA. 
 
 THE large apartment had been tastefully ornamented with 
 evergreens and clusters of bright berries, with here and 
 there a knot of brilliant wild flowers. The glamour of lights 
 and music, the beautiful dresses that fluttered and settled 
 themselves into a changeful, undulating sea, and the radiant 
 faces, formed a most enchanting picture. To Daisy, as well 
 as Tessy, it did seem veritable Fairy-land. She walked 
 around with Richard, half bewildered by the sights and 
 sounds. The waves of melody throbbing on the night air 
 moved her strangely. The undertone of nearly all music is 
 unconsciously sad. So she listened with a yearning heart to 
 the violin's clear strain, the French horn blowing out deli- 
 ciously tender notes, and the great clang when the heavier 
 instruments came in grandly. 
 
 " You like it ? " Richard commented, smiling down into 
 the sweet face. 
 
 " 0, so much ! " 
 
 He was glad to see her thus happy. Indeed, the scene 
 interested him not a little. Yet it seemed a long while since 
 he had made one of such a gay company. 
 
 But when the quadrilles began, when the sea of beauty 
 ebbed to and fro, when eyes deepened with enjoyment, she 
 found it still more enchanting. Tessy's cup of happiness 
 was full when Leonard led her out on the floor. And then
 
 DR. BERTRAND S HOUSEHOLD. 279 
 
 to have Fred, Ulric, and Archie by turns, quite completed 
 the little lady's delight. Before supper she and Isabel with- 
 drew, well satisfied to go to pleasant slumbers. 
 
 Clara was quite elated by being sought out in a special 
 manner by Mr. Vincent. She seemed to care little for dis- 
 puting triumphs with Lily, who grew more bewildering every 
 moment. A latent summer, warm and regal, blossomed in 
 her. Mr. Auchester resigned himself to what appeared in- 
 evitable. He was proud of Lily. He danced several times, 
 but only with her, and for the rest, walked with Daisy and 
 Richard, or watched the calm face that, amid this scene of 
 excitement, refreshed him like a cool shade. Some power- 
 ful feeling drew him to Daisy this night. 
 
 Quadrilles, waltzes, and promenades vied with each other 
 until supper was announced. Ulric would fain have per- 
 suaded Lily to retire, but she was in a most^ resolute mood, 
 so he crowded down his fast-rising displeasure. The flowers 
 on her breast rankled in his heart. Daisy had disappeared ; 
 so there was nothing to soothe his chafed mind. 
 
 Again " viol, flute, and bassoon " filled the air with melody. 
 Again dainty feet twinkled up and down the floor, and young 
 hearts beat time to the happy present. Then a lull, broken 
 by a faint, quivering thread, that stole along like the ripple 
 of a forest brook ; another stronger and deeper ; and then a 
 broad, full chord of melody trembled on the air. Those who 
 did not care to dance listened breathlessly to the Zamora. 
 Several couples floated down the room, and the whole place 
 seemed pulsating with the wonderful rhythm. Standing op- 
 posite, Mr. Auchester saw Fred bend over Lily with an out- 
 stretched hand. She rose lingeringly, as if hardly resolved ; 
 yet her eyes did not wander to his vicinity. She had no as- 
 sent to require as she stepped into the charmed circle. 
 
 He watched her with curious attention. The slender 
 figure, the snowy dress clinging about her like a floating 
 cloud, the shining hair rippling over her shoulders, cheeks 
 of summer bloom, lips of summer ripeness, drooping eyes
 
 280 IN TRUST, OK 
 
 with a slumberous fire prisoned in their depths, how it all 
 thrilled him ! He thought of the night he had first seen her 
 waltz with his cousin. Why was he not angry now ? What 
 did this cold, bland mood presage ? Had she wearied him 
 utterly with this trifljng ? For he seemed slowly turning 
 into ice, or marble. The lights, the figures in the room, 
 and the music drifted away as in a dream. Whither ? 
 
 The crash of music ceased. The faint flutes blew out a 
 lingering cadence. Fred led Lily partly around the room 
 to a door, and into the hall. The buds in her dress had be- 
 come loosened, and fell to the floor. Fred stooped for them. 
 Ulric could see the pantomime, and his senses, electrically 
 keen, translated it into words. Fred threw away the salvia, 
 it was withered, and transferred the rose-bud to his vest. 
 Lily held up one white hand with a playfully imploring ges- 
 ture, and Ulric's eyes caught the sparkle of their betrothal 
 ring. Fred was resolute. Lily yielded with a bewitching 
 smile. 
 
 A moment before Ulric had thought himself all ice ; now 
 he was all fire. A blaze of jealous white heat sublimed every 
 feature ; his eyes darkened with a fierce and subtle power ; 
 his lips were compressed with bitter scorn. This was the 
 one on whom he had lavished his manhood's proud, generous 
 love a foolish girl, who had no thought beyond admiration. 
 He despised himself for being so easily blinded he, who had 
 always relied on his judgment so rarely been mistaken. 
 He hurried to them heard Lily's false laugh. Stung to 
 the heart, he turned at bay. 
 
 " May I ask you to finish your walk with me, Miss Ber- 
 trand ?" he said, in a calm, cold tone. 
 
 Fred bowed politely and relinquished her. He gave Ulrio 
 a sharp glance, but read nothing in the impassible face. 
 
 Lily's heart beat rapidly as they walked up and down, in 
 silence. She knew he was angry by the portentous quiet, 
 and fortified herself with arguments and excuses. At length 
 she said, with daring recklessness,
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 281 
 
 " What is your pleasure ? " 
 
 He paused suddenly, recalled to himself, and returned, 
 icily, 
 
 " My pleasure is, that you decide this night to whom you 
 owe allegiance. I am tired of this child's play. You cannot 
 serve two masters when I am one of them ! " 
 
 Every pulse of resistance. within her mutinied, and shu 
 retorted scornfully, 
 
 " Perhaps I shall not choose to serve any master. I con- 
 fess the role of a slave is quite distasteful to me." 
 
 " Or that of a woman, either ; or anything but a vain, silly 
 child. I could have endured your wearing Fred's flowers, 
 but that you should allow him to keep mine, as a memento 
 of this happy evening, is too bitter. And I suppose he is 
 ready to endow you with the love he has bestowed on every 
 woman he has met. It is a most generous heart, truly ! " 
 
 " You are unjust, ungentlemanly. He has never spoken 
 one word of love to me ! " 
 
 " Love ! as if he knew its meaning ! " and Ulric made a 
 gesture of contempt. " I am done with trifling. I have 
 borne all that it is possible for a true man to bear. I have 
 been mistaken in you. Dr. Bertrand was quite right we 
 are not suited to each other. And since you so evidently 
 prefer your liberty to any regard I can bestow upon you, 
 which must necessarily abridge your power, I yield my 
 claim." 
 
 His tone had been rapid, strong in intense bitterness. 
 And standing in the doorway, with the light full upon him, 
 she could see how stern and cold his face was. She sue to 
 him ! 
 
 " Very well." 
 
 Her voice had a prompt ring in it, that matched his own 
 for firmness. She flashed back her curls in superb disdain. 
 
 He merely touched her hand, as he returned with her to 
 the room, too courteous at heart to allow any one to triumph 
 over her. The smiling faces mocked him in the blinding 
 24*
 
 282 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 glare of light. A subtle pride chained him beside her until 
 the last bowing was over in the Lancers. Fred kept aloof ; 
 but Leonard sauntered up, and after a few moments' con- 
 versation, exclaimed, with boyish entreaty, 
 
 " There's that inspiriting Caledonian. You might dance 
 with me once more to-night, Miss Lily. Can't she, Ulric ? " 
 
 " As Miss Lily pleases," was the quiet rejoinder ; and, as 
 they took their places, he walked away. 
 
 In the hall he met Daisy. His white, rigid face startled 
 her. Indeed, the control of the last few moments was 
 avenging itself. 
 
 " What is the matter ? " she asked, with sudden fear. 
 
 He paused to glance into the peaceful face, the tender, 
 pitying eyes. Like the rush of a wild flood his loneliness 
 came over him, and he would have grasped at a straw. 
 Instead, a firm bridge rose before him. He noticed she 
 had a shawl thrown over her shoulders, and with his first 
 impulse, said, huskily, 
 
 " Let us take a turn down the walk, and I will tell you. 
 I need a friend sorely." 
 
 Indeed, his heart and brain were in a whirl of confusion. 
 Wounded love, betrayed trust, jealousy, anger, and a sort 
 of proud disdain, ruled him by turns. And it seemed to 
 him at this moment that the great want, the only blessing, 
 of life was love. He hungered after it with keen intensity, 
 in spite of the grim giant of disbelief that stood ready to 
 clutch him. 
 
 Daisy yielded to the arm placed with gentlest care par- 
 tially around her. She had been walking with Kichard, 
 who had just gone for a final glimpse of Lily and the merry 
 revellers. She suffered herself to be led away, thinking it 
 would be but for a moment. 
 
 " You are so calm, so restful, Mrs. Bertrand," he said at 
 length. " The very atmosphere about you is peace itself. 
 A.nd I am weary, despairing. My cup of life has come to 
 the bitter dregs."
 
 DB. BEBTEAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 283 
 
 The sorrowful pathos of his voice touched her. Pausing 
 suddenly, she read his face in the silver light. Deep lines 
 of suffering were already written upon it, and it displayed 
 a capability of keenest anguish. 
 
 " Lily ! " was her exclamation. " In calmer moments I 
 know she will regret this evening's gayety." 
 
 " Regret will be too late, even if it is possible for her to 
 experience such a feeling. I have given her back the only 
 thing she prizes her liberty." 
 
 " 0, no, no ! Think a little. She is so young, so suscep- 
 tible to outward impressions, and her whole life has been so 
 free from care or discipline. And you love her she loves 
 you." 
 
 There was a pause of some seconds, when he resumed, in 
 a calmer tone, 
 
 " It seems curious, indeed it is quite unusual, for me to 
 give confidences in this fashion ; and yet I think you, Mrs. 
 Bertrand, will understand me. It is mortifying to the pride 
 of almost any man to confess himself mistaken as to the 
 character of the woman he loves. But now. by the light of 
 reason and cooler judgment, I must acknowledge Dr. Ber- 
 trand right. My passion for Lily was the first love of my 
 manhood. Since the foolish dreams and desires of my boy- 
 ish days, I have never cared to call any woman mine until 
 now. I suppose I was blinded by her grace and beauty. 
 And I fancied she did love me. It was such a luxury to 
 quaff the first sweetness of her girlish heart ! I tried to be 
 'indulgent. I yielded points my conscience disapproved of, 
 for I knew Dr. Bertrand feared I might go to the other 
 extreme. He said she did not know her own mind ; that 
 she was wilful, headstrong ; that we were not suited to each 
 other ; and I, blind fool, rushed on all the more madly. For 
 weeks she has shown that she t;ared only for promiscuous 
 admiration. The true love of one man cannot satisfy her. 
 It is well that I discovered the fact so soon." 
 
 " I think you are unjust to Lily. She is true and stead-
 
 284 IN TRUST, OK 
 
 fast in her regards not so fickle as she seems. If you 
 could look into her heart this moment, you would see it 
 filled with love for you." 
 
 " Do not try to comfort me in that manner. I am 
 thoroughly satisfied that she does not care for me at least 
 in the only way I could accept. It is a bitter lesson, but 
 t-morrow I shall be braver. I have shown you a bruised 
 and wounded heart, because I know you, too, have sorrowed, 
 and although pity from most people is unendurable, yours is 
 sweet, sacred. Be my friend." 
 
 He took both hands in his with tender earnestness. 
 
 " Yes," she said, slowly ; " I will be your friend. And 
 your happiness, as well as Lily's, is dear to me. When I ask 
 you to give her an opportunity to express her sorrow for 
 this night's work, I know you will comply, difficult as it 
 may seem ; " and she looked into his face with pleading 
 eyes. 
 
 " Daisy, it is useless." 
 
 " No ; it will not be useless. Why should you two, who 
 love one another dearly, be made forever miserable ? You 
 will find it sweet to forgive. And love is not such a 
 frequent guest that he should be banned and barred out of 
 one's heart." 
 
 " You take her affection for a certainty. No woman who 
 loved could be so careless, so trifling." 
 
 " But an eager, thoughtless girl might. Lily's horror is 
 subjugation. To avoid this, she has sought the widest 
 liberty." 
 
 " And you know, my sweet little friend, there cannot be 
 two kings over one kingdom. No ; the dream is vain. Had 
 she loved me truly, she would have given herself without 
 any question. As it is, I can only regret, not alter." 
 
 A step startled them. Turning, they beheld Richard at a 
 little distance. 
 
 " He is looking for me," Daisy exclaimed, hurriedly. 
 *' For my sake you will try you will forgive her ? "
 
 DB. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 285 
 
 He could not resist the imploring eyes. The pressure of 
 the hand half promised. 
 
 Richard would have retraced his steps, but they soon 
 came up to him. 
 
 " Truant," he said. " I fancied some of the little folk ' 
 had inveigled you into one of their midnight rings, and that 
 you would henceforth be lost to mortal ken." 
 
 " Not so bad as that ; " and she smiled faintly. 
 
 " I was to blame for carrying her off. It was a tempting 
 relief to the scene within," said Mr. Auchester. Yet he did 
 not release Daisy until they reached the steps. 
 
 She went direct to her room.' Richard noted the quiet, 
 almost sad, face, but did not express any curiosity. 
 
 An hour after, Clara and Lily made their appearance. It 
 was too late for conversation, and they were tired enough to 
 go immediately to sleep. Lily's face told no tales. 
 
 They were all rather late at breakfast the next morning. 
 Richard attended both Lily and Daisy. 
 
 Ulric bowed gravely. 
 
 ** What absurd notion do you think this young man has 
 been seized with ? " asked Mrs. Suydam, after the first greet- 
 ings were over. 
 
 "Repentance, after last night's dissipation," said Mr. 
 Gregory. " I thought of prescribing a course for you all." 
 
 " Indeed, he is so little charmed by our society that he is 
 going to New York in the first train. I am positively vexed. 
 We shall all leave in a few days, and I am sure any business 
 could be postponed." 
 
 " Any but mine, perhaps. It is absolutely necessary that 
 I should go. And I think I have proved myself too fond 
 of indulgence to return to business from choice. I may 
 come back." 
 
 Daisy and Lily were the only ones who made no com- 
 ments. Fred bantered his cousin a little, or rather attempted 
 it, when a certain hauteur prevented further intrusion. A 
 dim suspicion crossed Richard's mind.
 
 286 IN TBtJST, OK 
 
 There was not much time to lose after breakfast. Ulri 
 said his adieus lightly, as he should soon meet them in the 
 city. By an accident Lily stood quite apart, playing with a 
 trailing vine that had fallen from its column. He went up 
 to her quietly, standing with his back to the others, and 
 quite hiding her. ' There had been a great conflict in the 
 man's mind. But for Daisy he would not have made even 
 this advance. 
 
 "Have you anything to say to me Lily?" He swal- 
 lowed a good deal of pride as he pronounced the name, 
 sorely tempted as he was to call her Miss Bertrand. 
 
 It was not a tone very inviting to penitence. Lily's face 
 flushed hotly, and her eyes fell beneath his steady gaze. 
 She had persuaded herself that he was selfish and tyrannical. 
 Neither did she feel suflicient need of his love to render her 
 humble. 
 
 "Nothing." The tone was low, but he heard it dis- 
 tinctly. 
 
 " Very well. Perhaps it will be better to make no ex- 
 planations until you return home. I will inform your 
 brother." 
 
 She bowed indifferently. 0, how sweet, how winsome, 
 she was, even now ! A word would have brought him back. 
 She did not utter it, however, although she could not help 
 feeling grateful that he should thus postpone the unpleasant 
 announcement. 
 
 Daisy kept her secret. Lily filled the two succeeding 
 days with all the pleasure that could be crowded in them. 
 She would not think. A bright life was before her, and she 
 resolutely determined not to shadow it by any misgiving. 
 Love was easy to win. And yet she put something in her 
 demeanor towards Fred that made him understand the real 
 distance between them, and that his flatteries were as noth- 
 ing in her eyes. He should not boast that she had broken 
 her engagement on his account.
 
 DB. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 287 
 
 The excursion had heen highly satisfactory, save to Lily 
 and Mr. Auchester. And she proudly persuaded herself 
 that she did not care. He fancied he felt truly thankful 
 that the rupture had come so soon. Since she was un- 
 worthy of his love, this wound, bitter as it was, could be 
 endured, and was to be preferred to a lifetime of uuhappi- 
 ess.
 
 288 IN TBUST, OK 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 O, Love! unconquerable in the fight. Thee shall neither any of the im- 
 mortals escape, nor of men, the creatures of a day. 
 
 SOPHOCLES, Trans. 
 
 So with this. 
 
 The lines have under meanings, and the scene 
 Of self-forgetfulness and indecision 
 Breaks off, not ends. 
 
 FESTUS. 
 
 ON his return to Rothelan, Richard was met by a letter 
 from Mr. Auchester, announcing the fact of the broken 
 engagement. He was too gentlemanly to indulge in any 
 severe animadversions on Lily's conduct, but simply stated 
 the case, and gave Richard full credit for his foresight and 
 good judgment. He allowed, in a most graceful manner, 
 that he had been mistaken in regard to himself, as well as 
 to Lily. 
 
 The thought that he had predicted it afforded Richard 
 small satisfaction. The spirit of Mr. Auchester's letter did 
 not intimate that the disagreement was at all trifling, or to 
 be easily overcome. He undertook to question Lily, but she 
 was haughty, and not disposed to discuss the subject. He 
 could not discern the slightest regret in her manner, and 
 this set him at ease with regard to her. 
 
 " I don't know what I could have been about for the last 
 fortnight, not to see how matters were going," he said, a 
 little self-reproachfully. 
 
 "No, Dick/' Mabel returned, warmly, "you shall not 
 blame yourself for this. If I, who by right should have 
 been most watchful, could not gain her confidence, or
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 289 
 
 influence her, the fault is clearly her own waywardness. Mr. 
 Auchester has acted commendably throughout, and Lily has 
 lost a regard she may never find again. I regret that this 
 sorrow should fall upon him ; but she needs a lesson. She 
 is too thoughtless and trifling." 
 
 Philip took the affair more seriously. Like Daisy, he felt 
 convinced they had loved each other. He held Mr. Auches- 
 ter in the highest esteem, and scolded Lily roundly for 
 coquetry. Yet this did not punish her as did Richard's 
 grave tones, and the implied condemnation in his eyes. 
 
 Philip and Mabel insisted that Lily should remain at 
 Rothelan. Indeed, the former cherished a hope that a 
 reconciliation might yet be effected. Mrs. Suydam had 
 gone directly to New York with the Auchesters, from whence 
 in a few days they were to start for Virginia, while she was 
 to shop, and prepare for the journey with her husband. 
 
 Daisy agreed to the arrangement, for she felt Richard's 
 home would be happier without Lily. Her tender little heart 
 questioned itself as to whether there was anything selfish in 
 desiring his comfort above all else. 
 
 The dear old house at Newark greeted them with a familiar 
 welcome, as inanimate things often touch our hearts more 
 closely than words. Daisy was soon settled in her former 
 quiet life, after the rare holiday summer. Indeed, about ten 
 days later, when Archie left them for a preparatory school, 
 she found it necessary to make some effort to keep them 
 from drifting into absolute loneliness. Yet she had never 
 been happier. Lily's first letter was so gay and good- 
 humored that she read it aloud to Richard. 
 
 She had been at home a fortnight, perhaps, when one even- 
 ing Ann startled her by announcing that " Mr. Auchester 
 was in the parlor, and wished to see her." Richard had 
 gone to pass a few hours with some medical friends ; so 
 his entertainment devolved wholly upon her. With a flush 
 on her face, and not a little nervousness at heart, she went 
 down to him. 
 
 25
 
 290 IN TRUST, OK 
 
 "I am so glad to see you!" was his first exclamation; 
 and taking both hands in his, he held them many seconds. 
 " Believe me that for days I have had an intense longing to 
 see you, and hear your voice. I think I never knew weeks 
 BO long in my whole life." 
 
 She covered her embarrassment by asking after his cousins 
 and Mrs. Suydam. 
 
 The Auchesters had left for Virginia. Mrs. Suydam had 
 that day gone to Rothelan. 
 
 " I did not tell her until this afternoon," he said, abruptly. 
 " We walked up Broadway, and from thence over to the 
 depot, and had a long conversation. I extorted a promise 
 from her not to make Mrs. Gregory miserable by her disap- 
 pointment." 
 
 " Whatever pains you, must cause her sorrow," Daisy 
 said, absently. 
 
 " More than that, I think. It has interfered with her 
 plans for me, and she was remarkably fond of of Lily," 
 he pronounced the name with an effort, " and feels more 
 deeply grieved, perhaps, than the actors in the drama." 
 
 His tone at the last was indifferent. A long silence fell 
 between them. 
 
 " I kept my promise to you," he began, at length. " I 
 did give her an opportunity of making some slight con- 
 cession ; but her manner then convinced me she had never 
 truly loved me." 
 
 Daisy understood the feeling that prompted the use of 
 pronouns. His heart was still sore, disguise it as he might. 
 Her finest sympathies were aroused. She could not withhold 
 them ; in truth she did not wish to. 
 
 " I'm not sure but you will end by thinking me weak and 
 cowardly," he said, with a dreary smile. " I know I ought 
 not to linger over this episode. A brave man would tear 
 it out of his heart at once, and go his way, making no 
 sign. And, though hitherto in all matters I have troubled 
 no one, it is a comfort to come to you when my restlessness 
 becomes unendurable."
 
 DR. BEBTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 291 
 
 "Please believe that I want to be your friend," Daisy 
 Baid, earnestly; "that I desire to share this sorrow with 
 you, and hope " but she had no courage to utter her hope. 
 
 " Not that I shall go back to the old love, Daisy. Every 
 day I realize how unwise it was. I feel astonished at myself 
 for being so easily blinded. More than once, in the past 
 fortnight, I have paused, and asked what strange glamour 
 enchanted the Ulric Auchester of six months ago. For 
 then he was cool, self-reliant, penetrating, and not very apt 
 to err in his judgments." 
 
 " Love ! " Daisy answered, with a rare, sweet intonation. 
 " And why should you be ashamed ? Is not he who loves 
 and suffers, a better man, if he bear his pain rightly, than he 
 who dares not love for very fear ? " 
 
 " Teach me how to bear it, for in your hands I seem a 
 child." 
 
 " I don't know what I can teach you. Only, there are 
 some dark days in every life, I think, when we seem to go 
 down into a sepulchre of doubt, and in despair count the 
 withered stems where we had looked for blossoms. But 
 God's angels roll away the stone at length, and we enter 
 the garden once more. Does He not mean that by going 
 carefully over the path, we may learn a lesson for all time 
 to come ? " 
 
 " Mine has been learned in a sharp, bitter fashion. Ex- 
 perience is indeed a costly teacher. .But 0, the weariness, 
 the ' aching void ' that it leaves behind ! " 
 
 She had passed through this fiery trial. Yet hers had 
 been crude, unreasoning love, not possessing sufficient 
 stamina for development. His was not so. Some electric 
 divination told her he was struggling against the grand pas- 
 sion of his life ; and because he could not conquer it, he 
 shut his eyes to its full force, tried to bury it out of his 
 sight. If he had loved less truly, he might have denied it 
 altogether ; now this was impossible. 
 
 What should she say ? He would not admit the possibility/
 
 292 IN TRTJST, OR 
 
 of depth or truth in Lily. On this point he was wonderfully 
 firm. He seemed to think he could have forgiven deliberate 
 coquetry more easily than this childish trifling and vacilla- 
 tion. And, though Daisy pleaded her cause with a sister's 
 earnestness, he met her arguments with simple truths, that 
 she could not overcome. But it was little comfort to ha^e 
 Lily excused for following the inclinations of her natuie, 
 when that very nature was proved shallow and insincere. 
 Yet he did not so much allege these things against Lily, as 
 imply them ; therefore discussing the point was useless ; and 
 not only that, but it served to strengthen him in his opinion. 
 
 It was quite late when he left her, as for some time he had 
 been making Richard's return an excuse for lingering. As 
 they stood in the hall, she realized the change that had come 
 over him. The glow and vivid life, that had lent such a 
 charm to his fine face, were fast settling into a cold and 
 bitter expression of weariness. Her tender pity shone out 
 of her sweet eyes, and spoke in her soft voice. 
 
 " Remember," he said, " you have redeemed the whole 
 race of women for me ; " and kissing her forehead, he was 
 gone. So profound was her sympathy for him that she saw 
 no danger in the promise of friendship she had given. 
 
 The next morning, at breakfast, Daisy mentioned Mr. 
 Auchester's visit. Richard smiled a little, but made no 
 comment. 
 
 For that, and several succeeding days, Daisy's mind was 
 continually busy with the lovers, as she still considered 
 them. She had too much delicacy to mediate unless her 
 services were absolutely required, and she could think of no 
 emergency likely to arise. She, who had done so much 
 patient waiting for herself, found this a hard burden to bear. 
 
 Daisy was, perhaps, more surprised by Mr. Auchester's 
 second visit than by the first. It was only a few days later, 
 and again he found her alone. Dinner had been finished, 
 Richard called away on sudden business, and Tessy gone 
 to spend a few hours with a schoolmate.
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 293 
 
 "Well," he said, when she had excused them, "I came 
 chiefly to see you ; so I am quite satisfied." 
 
 She colored with some embarrassed feeling. 
 
 " Let us go and walk in the garden," he continued. " The 
 approaching evening is too magnificent to be spent in doors. 
 Such a grand sunset does not always come at one's bidding." 
 
 They walked awhile, conversing pleasantly, and watching 
 the dying day. The peculiar orange-red glow of autumn ; 
 the long, slant rays, like golden arrows tipped with flame ; 
 tree and shrub burnished in bronze ; and the filmy purple 
 dusk, that seemed like an undertone to the picture, lingering 
 in corners and under leafy branches, gave a drowsy, shadowy 
 light. A time for dreams or confidences, for tender talk or 
 tenderer vows. 
 
 They seated themselves on a rustic bench, at length, their 
 hearts steeped in the wondrous beauty of the scene. Pres- 
 ently Mr. Auchester said, 
 
 " I have many things to tell you, grave little ' father con- 
 fessor.' Where shall I begin ? " 
 
 " With the very first." An arch smile lighted up her face 
 as she said, " Once upon a time ; " but her heart beat with 
 unwonted emotion. 
 
 " I am going away to Europe," was his abrupt an- 
 nouncement. 
 
 "0!" 
 
 Something in the voice startled him, and the unfeigned 
 sorrow of her sweet face thrilled him with a blinding sensa- 
 tion, as if a new world had been opened. Thought and feel- 
 ing rushed to a sudden dangerous centralization. 
 
 " Why do you go ? " There was a perceptible cadence of 
 disappointment in her tone. 
 
 " Mostly for the change, I think. I find my summer's ex- 
 perience has bequeathed me some bad habits a restless, 
 impatient dissatisfaction that I cannot dismiss or conquer ; 
 a something that tempts me to dream idle dreams, and seek 
 vain speculations. As Alice will be away for a long while, I 
 25*
 
 294 IN TRUST, OB 
 
 should certainly bore you to death. To save you from 
 trouble, and myself from a desultory, aimless existence, I 
 have accepted the position of private secretary to the Hon. 
 Mr. , minister to Russia." 
 
 " 0, I am so sorry ! " and then Daisy checked herself. 
 
 "Are you? After all, what does it matter?" was his 
 moody reply. 
 
 " When shall you go ? " 
 
 " I do not know yet. Not for some weeks, I fancy. I 
 should not have sought the opportunity, for I came home 
 last winter quite tired of roving. Besides being somewhat 
 acquainted with the new minister, my knowledge of the coun- 
 try and the language has so fitted me for the position, in his 
 estimation, that he insists upon my taking it. The change 
 and the active life will be a great benefit to me." 
 
 Daisy gave words to her thoughts, unconsciously. 
 
 " What will Lily say ? " 
 
 " My dearest friend, dismiss the subject from your mind. 
 Nothing I could do would be of the slightest importance to 
 her. She is perfectly free to follow her inclinations ; so am 
 I. And since mine lead me into exile, so be it who will 
 care ? " 
 
 " I care," Daisy said, bravely. " This faithless, half- 
 scornful manner pains me. It is not worthy of your man- 
 hood." 
 
 He rose and walked up and down the short path before 
 her, his eyes downcast, his arms folded over his breast. 
 What a singular power this child woman possessed ! Her 
 words penetrated to the depths of his being ; roused, calmed, 
 strengthened ; seemed to challenge the very truth of his 
 soul to tear away the veil from every insincere thought. 
 How lovely she was in her pure womanhood, the honor and 
 perfect honesty of her nature ! Surely such companionship 
 would bestow new life ; her truth strengthen his world-weary 
 spirit ; her love revivify the bruised and drooping tendrils 
 of his heart, that stood sorely in need of repose, support.
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 295 
 
 He paused, glanced into the sweet face, and standing with 
 the outward calmness of a statue, the better to sustain hia 
 self-control, he said, slowly, but with deep emphasis, 
 
 " Listen, Daisy. I know what I am about to say will sur- 
 prise you. It surprises me. And yet I shall utter it, feel- 
 ing in my heart that it is a solemn truth. I love you. I 
 think yours is rightly the nature to mate with mine. You 
 are so restful, so patient, gentle without weakness, firm with- 
 out obstinacy, and above all, so true. The feverish passion 
 of the past summer has led me to analyze my own heart more 
 closely. I need a woman who will take the trouble to study 
 me a little. If I am unjust or exacting in requiring this, 
 forgive me. 0, 1 never thought to be such a suppliant ; yet 
 I, a proud man, sue to you willingly, cheerfully, for a little 
 love. It is the great need of my life. One may scoff at the 
 fact, and attempt to disbelieve it, but I think one never does 
 wholly. It is a powerful law of a man's nature to love, to 
 desire to be loved in return. And though you may fancy 
 me weak and fickle, it is not so in reality. I loved an ideal 
 in Lily ; my ideal perished : what remains ? Only the fact 
 of a man's capability of regard, of love in its highest, holiest 
 sense. And so firmly do I believe this, that I only ask you to 
 trust me now. Give me years of probation, if you like ; they 
 will seem to me only as days in the light of my great hope. 
 Daisy, say that you do not despise me ; that in time, when I 
 have redeemed my birthright, you will love me." 
 
 He still stood before her. Although he had not spoken 
 rapidly, interruption on her part would have been quite im- 
 possible. Surprise at first kept her silent, then distress. 
 What should she do ? what could she say ? 
 
 Do not blame him too severely. All the great passions 
 and sacrifices of life are followed by reaction in a greater or 
 less degree. Many a man from pique, wounded love, or 
 honestly thinking himself mistaken in the woman he first 
 Bought, has, in a moment of disappointment, chosen her op- 
 posite. Auchester's first emotion, after the "rupture with
 
 206 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 Lily, had been extreme satisfaction. But the relict was 
 soon followed by a yearning for some hope akin to the one 
 he had lost. He would have been too proud to throw him- 
 self upon any woman's sympathy, even if distrust and really 
 superior penetration had not rendered him a little suspicious. 
 But all through his acquaintance with Lily, he had admired 
 Daisy, and given her a high regard. The confidence, on that 
 unfortunate evening at Catskill, established a still stronger 
 tie between them. And now the desire of having some one 
 to care for him when he would be far away in his new home, 
 operated powerfully upon his feelings. In his present state 
 her regard seemed to promise rest and peace, and it was 
 worth an effort. 
 
 " I have offended you," he said, at length, seeing she did 
 not speak. 
 
 " No, not offended." She motioned him to a seat beside 
 her. Then, clasping her hands in her lap, she went on, with 
 sad earnestness : " But I am sorry you said it. I could be 
 your friend always, yet I cannot love you as you desire. I 
 believe you have made a great mistake. I think you still 
 love Lily that she still loves you:" 
 
 Her fearless manner startled him. Yet he made a little 
 gesture of contempt as he returned, bitterly, 
 
 " Even if you are right, what would it avail ? I cannot sue 
 to Lily. I may have been wrong in many things, hasty at 
 times, but Grod knows how patient I strove to be. I have 
 no word to take back. Since she gave the offence and tri- 
 umphed in it, does it seem likely to you that she will repent ? 
 Humility is not one of her characteristics. And the terms 
 on which we stood were simply unendurable. It would make 
 aie wretched to accept them again. So you see a renewal 
 of the engagement, without a radical change in one or both, 
 would only bring misery. Do not think of it, Daisy ; it can 
 never be." 
 
 " Let us wait," she said, with a little sigh. 
 
 " I am willing to wait. Do not think I ask for your love
 
 DR. EEBT JEtAKl> 8 HOUSEHOLD. 297 
 
 now. I only want some hope to take with me, so that the 
 world will not be quite a desert. When time heals all wounds, 
 and makes the tangled paths straight, I hope to prove myself 
 worthy of you. For the present we will correspond, and you 
 will see I can be both generous and patient. Daisy, love 
 has been bitter to me in the past ; but I firmly believe you 
 can make my future bright. I know you will not fail me ; 
 and in time to come I will answer for myself." 
 
 It was a cruel strait for Daisy. Her unwillingness to give 
 pain, her deep sympathy, the thought that by refusing her 
 friendship she effectually broke the tie between him and 
 Lily, filled her heart with anxious and troubled emotions. 
 More than this, she saw the great risk she ran of being mis- 
 understood. She felt how impossible it was to love him. 
 But she could give no satisfactory reason. It was rather 
 one of those inevitable conclusions which force themselves 
 upon the mind, and flash out of being all logical deductions. 
 
 He took her unresisting hand, and went on pleading his 
 case eloquently. 
 
 " 0, please don't ! " she said, in a voice of pitiful entreaty. 
 " I will be your friend ; I will write, if you desire it ; but 
 more than this I cannot promise. I am sorry to give you 
 pain, but better pain now, than disappointment in the end." 
 
 " I am content to leave the case to the future. Friend- 
 ship is all I ask at present. And now shall I tell you some- 
 thing about my appointment ? " 
 
 She caught at the change eagerly, yet unwittingly she 
 gave him .--, great advantage. 
 
 Still she was troubled about the promise she had given, 
 and, after he left her, waited some time for Richard. She 
 fancied at the moment that she had sufficient courage to ask 
 bis opinion and advice.
 
 98 IN TRUST, OH 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 How bitter a thing it is to look into happiness through another man's eyes ! 
 
 As You LIKE IT. 
 
 I cannot but remember such things were, 
 That were most precious to me. 
 
 MACBETH. 
 
 IP Daisy could have looked into Richard's heart, her light 
 slumber would have been still more disturbed. 
 
 He had returned quite early, and not finding her in the 
 house, sought her in the garden, as it was still light. These 
 quiet hours with her had become an intense delight to him. 
 Not dreaming of a visitor, he hastened down the path. A 
 row of syringas screened the bench on which she and Mr. 
 Auchester sat ; so he caught the sound of their voices before 
 he saw them. He could not mistake the import. Clear 
 and decisive the words rang through his brain : "I know 
 you will not fail me, and in time to come I will answer for 
 myself." He waited in almost deathly silence for her to 
 speak. Above the murmurous voice of the wind, above the 
 rustle of the trees, he heard the beating of his own heart. 
 What was her answer? Basses, caresses, and whispered 
 words ? He turned away sick and faint, and lost what might 
 have comforted him. 
 
 Retracing his steps mechanically, he passed through the 
 hall, the little court-yard, and into the street, hardly noticing 
 whither he went, so long as the place was unfrequented. 
 He wanted to look his future in the face, for he saw clearly 
 how it was with himself. His soul was unveiled. Instead 
 of having buried hope and desire in the .grave of a first dis-
 
 DR. BERTRAM'S HOUSEHOLD. 299 
 
 appointment, he found them here in their eternal freshness, 
 their entire strength. He loved Daisy. How or when thip 
 latter passion had dawned upon him in all the solemn surety 
 of truth, broader, deeper, richer than the other, and com- 
 prehending every want of his life, he could never tell. All 
 minor dreams and affections had been overswept by this. 
 Leaving behind youthful crudeness and evanescent feelings 
 that he had once fancied must be permanent, his heart had 
 reached the point where manhood's love caused it to throb 
 with a pure and steady faith. This had come upon him so 
 gradually that no struggle had occurred, no scruples had 
 disturbed him. Sailing blindly over the summer sea of life, 
 the deep, swift, rushing waters of a " too late " cut him off 
 from the main land, and sent him drifting down a darker 
 stream. Another had garnered the sweet flower he had 
 transplanted from its ungenial soil, and caused to blossom 
 in rare beauty. Another, who had all the world to choose 
 from! 
 
 He was a man, and at first felt wronged, outraged. Jeal- 
 ousy gave a fierce tug at his heart. A certain strength and 
 sense of power lured him on to the resolve of contesting the 
 prize with Mr. Auchester. Surely he had a right to be 
 heard. He could not give her up his all, his second life. 
 Every moment she grew dearer. He had never dreamed of 
 loving in this intense manner, and every pulse quivered with 
 the power of his emotion. 
 
 But what if Daisy loved Mr. Auchester ? He remem- 
 bered how from the very first she had admired and approved 
 of him. He was eminently attractive. And Richard allowed 
 that he had proved himself not unwise by choosing her. If 
 he could win her back, if from any sense of obligation, any 
 thought of gratitude, she gave him her regard, would it 
 Hatisfy him? No, no. He spurned the thought. Love, 
 spontaneous, above all doubt or question, must be his. 
 This only could he place upon the throne in his heart. 
 
 And the future ? He shrank from it with a pain so deep,
 
 300 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 that, strong man as he was, he could hardly refrain from 
 crying out that his burden was greater than he could bear. 
 Wherein had he failed, that to him should continually be 
 given solitary places to walk through, when his heart yearned 
 for home joys, home faces, and tenderest tones ? Every 
 hope was swept away with this, every sweet dream that had 
 unconsciously rendered life so bright. For when he came 
 to disentangle the rosy web that had floated over him for 
 months past, he found every thread was intimately con- 
 nected with Daisy. How cold and gray it looked without 
 her ! 
 
 He rambled on in a vague, purposeless mood, until he 
 heard the city clocks strike the hour of midnight. He could 
 have prayed for the night and darkness to be eternal. Since 
 the sweetest day of life had passed for him, what comfort 
 could a new sunrise bring ? The glory of all time had faded 
 utterly out of his pathway. 
 
 He had said so once before, and proved what? That 
 a new affection could blossom over the ashes of the old. 
 Would it be so again ? Was this faculty of transferring 
 feelings something inherent in a man's nature ? 
 
 Not with such a love as this. He had come to manhood's 
 full tide. Daisy met every want of his nature. The pas- 
 sion was the more absorbing, perhaps, because daily he 
 gathered sweetness and strength from her in some subtle, 
 indescribable manner. She gave continually out of her 
 overflowing heart. She was peace, serenity. This was 
 what he longed for now. Contrasting the two, his first love 
 seemed only to have touched the surface ; this penetrated 
 the holy of holies, and became, as I have said, a part of his 
 very life. 
 
 He came back at last to the shadow of home the home 
 that might have been so happy. How still and desolate ! 
 As if every leafy tree had a presentiment, as if the shadows 
 lying so thickly around robed themselves in a deeper gloom. 
 And going down the empty-handed years, there would at
 
 DR. BEKTKAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 301 
 
 length be no happy voice to bid him welcome no tendei 
 eyes to smile upon him. Already the chill of loneliness 
 made itself felt in every nerve. It seemed as if a fair dead 
 corse was lying there to confront him evermore. 
 
 Richard wrestled till daybreak. It might be that he, too, 
 refused to let the angel go until he blessed him. At all 
 events, he was calm, and his face had a high, saintly look, 
 his voice an inflection of rarest sadness that startled Daisy. 
 In order to strengthen himself, he delicately put a slight, 
 nameless distance between them, resolved to be just to her 
 if every step crushed his own heart. 
 
 Daisy tried to talk a little. She thought she had a great 
 deal to say about Mr. Auchester's proposed departure, but 
 she did not get beyond a few incidents connected with the 
 fact. Drawing a long and desperate breath, she ventured to 
 ask, timidly, 
 
 " How do you suppose Lily will take it ? " 
 
 " Do not distress yourself, lie can never again be any- 
 thing to Lily, you know," he answered, decisively. 
 
 Why should she suddenly thrill with her old fear of Rich- 
 ard ? The solid ground seemed slipping from beneath her 
 feet. Those past days of pain and desolation flashed over 
 her days when she felt he might justly be angry with her. 
 Since then, how deep a tenderness she had discovered in 
 that grave face ! What made it cold, even to sternness, 
 now ? She wanted to grasp him, cling to him ; yet some 
 strong barrier interposed. She was pained to the heart, 
 when at length he rose, and went out silently. 
 
 It was a long, wearisome day. No tangible grievance 
 only when she heard him enter the house, and then leave it 
 without seeking her, she sat still and cold, as if stunned by 
 some unforeseen blow. The day before she would have run 
 down for a kiss. He noticed the omission, and fancied 
 there was only one cause to which it could be ascribed. 
 This gave him courage to proceed with his resolve. . 
 
 Daisy made an effort to appear cheerful at dinner, and he 
 26
 
 302 IN TBUST, OK 
 
 ably assisted her. Tessy's unclouded mood was a relief to 
 both. Afterwards, when she took her sewing, and sat on 
 the balcony, he brought an unfinished book, and read aloud. 
 Once he fancied she was inattentive, and said, 
 
 " Does this weary you ? " 
 
 " 0, no." Then she colored, and looked embarrassed. 
 
 He kissed both girls good night before going out, and 
 Daisy, who had been counting on a few moments alone with 
 him, felt sadly disappointed. 
 
 Yet she was enabled to explain all this satisfactorily to 
 herself the next day, and terrible as the reality was, experi- 
 enced a sense of relief. Richard had been called out quite 
 early in the morning, and breakfast passed without him. A 
 feeling of apprehension almost stifled Daisy. What had she 
 done to offend him ? or was it possible that, in thinking 
 over their relative positions, his heart shrank from giving 
 her so much trust, so much love, and he was about to estab- 
 lish a new order of things ? 
 
 She went to market with Mrs. Hall, and lingered in the 
 stores buying some pretty trifles for Tessy. During her 
 absence Richard had come and gone. Then she tried to 
 interest herself in preparations for dinner ; but everything 
 seemed hard work. 
 
 " What an odd-looking note, to be sure," said Ann, inter- 
 cepting her in the hall. 
 
 Daisy glanced at it. " Why, it is a telegram for the doc- 
 tor. Some one at a distance must be ill," was her exclama- 
 tion. 
 
 Hearing Richard at the door, she advanced to meet him. 
 He smiled, but did not kiss her. 
 
 " This came for you a moment ago," she said, handing 
 him the missive. 
 
 He took it with an absent air, broke the seal, and at the 
 first glance a deep groan escaped him. 
 
 " What is it ? " asked Daisy, in alarm. 
 
 He held it before her without a word. She read,
 
 DB. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 303 
 
 " ROTHELAN, October 10. 
 
 " Lily has been thrown from her horse, and brought home 
 insensible. Come immediately. We fear the worst." 
 
 It seemed so natural then that he should draw Daisy ten- 
 derly to his heart, forget his resolves, and all that he had 
 seen and heard ! She was so glad to pillow her head on its 
 old resting-place, though she trembled violently ! 
 
 " God help us all to bear it," he said, solemnly, after 
 many minutes of silence. " It pains me to leave you alone 
 in such anxiety, but it must be done. I will send you word 
 at every opportunity. Our dear, bright, beautiful Lily ! O, 
 I pray fervently it may not be as Philip expects ! " Then 
 looking at his watch, he continued : " I have scarcely another 
 second to lose." 
 
 He did not release her, however, but walked into the 
 office with his arm over her shoulder. As for her, she 
 seemed to realize, in some indistinct way, that the storm 
 brooding over them had at length broken. It may be that 
 she hardly understood Lily's imminent danger. And yet 
 hers was no selfish sentiment. It only seemed as if for the 
 last twenty-four hours they had expected some terrible 
 event to occur, and its coming had brought a positive relief. 
 The shock restored Richard to his former self, and that was 
 all she could ask at present. His farewell was necessarily 
 brief, and though sad, its tenderness comforted her inex- 
 pressibly. 
 
 When she came to explain the matter to Tessy, she felt it 
 much more keenly. Her voice was choked with sobs. The 
 dinner, the dessert of cream that she had taken so much 
 pains with, passed almost untasted. Tessy clung to her in 
 wildest apprehension, and the two mingled their tears to- 
 gether. 
 
 " Mr. Auchester ! " Ann announced, on her return from 
 answering the door bell. 
 
 Daisy bathed her face and added a few feminine touches
 
 304 IN TRUST, OK 
 
 to her dress, kissed Tessy foiidly, and taking the telegram 
 in her hand, crossed to the parlor. 
 
 Mr. Auchester rose to greet her with a cordial smile. 
 
 " What has occurred ? " he asked suddenly, remarking her 
 paleness and agitation. 
 
 She could not trust her voice, and merely handed him 
 the note. Neither did she look up to watch the effect it 
 produced. 
 
 There was first one of those almost deathly silences. 
 Then he uttered a despairing cry, whose wild pathos un- 
 nerved her. 
 
 " My Grod ! Lily dying ! dead, perhaps ! Never, never 
 again to see her in this life ! " 
 
 A sickening agony, a constriction of throat, of muscles, 
 of very heart, seemed strangling him, and obeying a vehe- 
 ment impulse, he paced the floor hurriedly. Daisy saw that 
 he was moved by the strongest emotion that could possess 
 and conquer a man. It had conquered him. He had met 
 the truth face to face in his path, and he was far too hon- 
 orable to thrust it aside. The mortification it might cause 
 did not now disturb him. It was the most passionate, ten- 
 derefit regret, akin to that of Mary when she said, " Lord, 
 if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died." If he 
 had been there, if he had not relinquished the right of 
 watching over Lily, of guiding in some degree her pleasures, 
 her varying, impetuous moods, there would now remain the 
 kindred right of going to her. Instead, he was barred out. 
 His only privilege would be gazing on her cold, waxen face, 
 when the sweet lips had passed the shore of speech. He 
 knew now how beyond everything he had loved her. 
 
 He came back to Daisy presently, his face rigid and ashy 
 pale. " I don't know what to say," he began, in a husky 
 tone ; " indeed, there is nothing I can say in extenuation of 
 my conduct. For the last fortnight I have been wilfully, 
 perversely blind. And yet, although I have forfeited your 
 respect, I ask, as a favor, that you will believe it was from
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 305 
 
 . ) petty spite or pique that I sought to forget iny attachment 
 Lily in another. For the time, I honestly believed I had 
 eased to care for her. Only some sudden blow like this 
 :ould have startled me into the truth. I have been worse 
 than weak wicked." 
 
 " No, no," she interrupted ; " I absolve you from all wrong 
 intention. I read you better than you knew yourself, and 
 am now, and for all time, your friend." 
 
 " Daisy, you are an angel ! All that is true, and noble, 
 and pure in womanhood, centres in you. I, who have hith- 
 erto been so proud of my strength, my resolves, my cool 
 judgment, stand humbled and rebuked before you. 0, how 
 can I ever atone ? " 
 
 " No atonement is needed," she said, simply. " It was a 
 mistake." 
 
 " I thank God, from the depth of my heart, that you did 
 not give me your love when I pleaded for it. If to the rest 
 was added a consciousness that I had betrayed your kind 
 heart, my burden would be bitter indeed. This exhibition 
 of irrepressible feeling cannot have surprised you more than 
 it surprises myself." 
 
 He took both hands in his, and looked directly into her 
 eyes calm, pitying, not the eyes of love or disappoint- 
 ment. His face crimsoned from a sense of shame. She 
 ended his embarrassment by saying, frankly, 
 
 " I shall not go back from my promise, neither can I 
 allow you. Whatever may be the issue in Lily's case, our 
 friendship remains a fact." 
 
 He shivered with dread at the terrible vision haunting 
 him. When he could command his voice, he answered, 
 
 " Thank you. I do not deserve this consideration at your 
 hands, but how deeply I appreciate it no words of mine can 
 explain. I have suffered much in the past month, and there 
 may be a keener pang in store for me. To think of Lily 
 bright and happy without me, can be borne; but to know 
 she is lying in the cold grave, shut away from the home and 
 26*
 
 306 IN TRUST, OK 
 
 friends she delighted in, mouldering in unconsciousness, 
 while the whole earth is beautiful and joyous, is terrible." 
 
 " G-od may deal tenderly with us," she returned, a confi- 
 dent faith lingering in her tones. She could not believe 
 Lily would die. Whether it was because of the suddenness 
 of the event, so difficult for the mind to take in, or a higher 
 and more triumphant faith, she scarcely knew. As Mr. 
 Auchester listened, he felt comforted, strengthened. His 
 regard for her grew into reverence. 
 
 Another day passed, and another. Lily was still alive, 
 but unconscious. A third with the same dreadful suspense, 
 the same agonizing fear. 0, what prayers went up to 
 heaven for the dear girl, so precious to them all, in spite 
 of her waywardness. Mr. Auchester came every day to 
 hear. Still, he did not indulge in any fallacious hope in 
 regard to Lily. In truth, if he could have at that moment 
 knelt beside her, and asked back her love, it may be that he 
 would not have done it. Forgiveness, tenderness, sympathy, 
 these would have been his offerings ; but love once outraged 
 and trampled upon, held its own way with a kind of royal 
 pride. 
 
 At length came a gleam of hope. The daily telegrams 
 had been necessarily brief; so a letter was quite a luxury to 
 Daisy. There had been, in the first hours of restored con- 
 sciousness, imminent danger of fever ; but, this happily avert- 
 ed, Richard spoke hopefully of the case. Mabel was quite 
 worn down with anxiety ; and as he expected to return the 
 next day, he asked Daisy to come up in the morning, and re- 
 main, until some further improvement took place, with Lily. 
 Mrs. Hall or Martin would accompany her to New York. 
 
 Lily had been riding with Mr. Joslyn on the morning of 
 the accident. Her horse, usually gentle enough, had started 
 suddenly, reared, and thrown her at the instant. The smooth 
 surface of the rock on which her head had struck pro- 
 duced outwardly a severe bruise, and internally an injury, 
 from which the gravest consequences were at first appre-
 
 DB. BEKTEAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 307 
 
 bended. As Richard spoke of the hopeless days and nights 
 they had all endured, when Lily's life seemed hanging on the 
 slenderest thread, Daisy's heart throbbed with the deepest 
 emotion. 
 
 The tidings were grateful to Mr. Auchester. During his 
 evening call, Daisy gave him the letter to read, and deli- 
 cately busied herself with some trifle, that she might not 
 observe how it afiected him. 
 
 " If you will allow me the pleasure of escorting you in 
 the morning, I shall be most happy," he said, when he had 
 finished. 
 
 Daisy signified her willingness. 
 
 " Poor Lily ! " and he sighed. " May she be wiser and 
 happier in time to come. I suppose you have no idea how 
 long you may remain at Rothelan ? " 
 
 " Some weeks, doubtless. You see Dr. Bertrand does not 
 anticipate a very rapid recovery." 
 
 " Will you write to me occasionally, Daisy ? I have no 
 other mode of hearing." 
 
 " With pleasure ; " and Daisy's face brightened. 
 
 He remarked it. " Don't misunderstand me, please," he 
 began, gravely. " While I confess to you that I cannot at 
 present dismiss all interest in Lily, do not care to, in fact, 
 you must accept the situation as it is. I shall go to Europe 
 shortly. Thus sundered by the ocean as well as our own 
 wills, it is hardly likely that we shall ever meet again. It 
 must be my continual study to forget. I am glad human 
 nature is so constituted." 
 
 " Ulric ! " she exclaimed, almost the first time she 
 had used his Christian name, " you tempt me to make my 
 favor conditional. Why should you and Lily, who could 
 be so happy together, shadow each other's lives in this 
 fashion ? " 
 
 " I am not convinced that we could render each other 
 happy," he returned, coldly. 
 
 " And yet you love Lily ? "
 
 308 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 " The time has passed when I could den} such a thing to 
 you, my sweet questioner. But my love is not all that is 
 needed for complete happiness." 
 
 " And if Lily repented, regretted that painful past, loved 
 you what then ? " 
 
 His eyes drooped under her fearless gaze. 
 
 " Daisy, you are wild ! " he said, vehemently. " Your 
 love for us both leads you astray." 
 
 " No, it is rather your blindness. If one word from Lily 
 can restore peace, will you not grant her another opportu- 
 nity ? 0, I beseech you, for her sake, for your own ! " 
 
 He was deeply moved by her earnestness. 
 
 "Lily will not say even that one word. Forgive me, 
 Daisy, if I cannot bring my mind to sue where I have been 
 trifled with, not once, but many times." 
 
 " I shall never ask you to sue to her. She gave the 
 offence, and unless she repents truly, I have no desire to see 
 you take up the old life. But in the days that are to come, 
 when Lily will have long hours for remembrance, her heart 
 may soften. She may discover how much she did love, how 
 much she still loves you. She may be ready to make any 
 concession." 
 
 " Well ? " 
 
 " May I send for you then, if she wishes it ? " 
 
 " Daisy ! " His voice had a quivering sound, as if it came 
 over a sob. - 
 
 " You will grant me this," she pleaded. " Your happiness 
 is so dear to me that I think you may trust me not to ship- 
 wreck it. I shall have better opportunities than any one 
 else of learning the state of Lily's heart. I ask you only to 
 accept your own happiness." 
 
 " 0, child," he said, "you hardly know what you are un- 
 dertaking. I cannot believe. It will never, never be." 
 
 " But if it should come ! If in those hours of solitude 
 Lily's heart should send up a yearning prayer for what she 
 has so heedlessly cast away, you will be pitiful, you will 
 answer ! "
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. H09 
 
 There was a long silence. His breath came rapidly. His 
 whole frame trembled in the powerful contest. The clinched 
 fingers, white and almost bloodless, indented deeply into his 
 hand ; yet he felt no pain. 
 
 " Daisy," he said, at length, in a slow, faltering voice, 
 " you have conquered. I put my heart, my very life in your 
 keeping. I dare not hope, but I will wait. Yet remember, 
 it must be Lily's desire solely. *No influence must be brought 
 to bear upon her. If of her own free will she expresses sor- 
 row, regrets the past, and can so far put aside pride as to 
 acknowledge this to me, I will come. If not, do not grieve 
 unnecessarily for me. I shall bear all the rest with the cour- 
 age of a man, and never again pain you by an unworthy 
 weakness. O, my darling friend, how much you have been 
 to me ! " 
 
 They clasped hands silently at their parting. And on the 
 morrow his deferential tenderness had in it the highest 
 respect, the most perfect confidence. Daisy little guessed, 
 when she left him at the New York depot, how long he stood 
 watching after the cars were in motion.
 
 310 IN TRUST. OR 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 There are inscriptions on our hearts which are never to be seen except it 
 dead low tide. BULWER. 
 
 I thought I held in my hot hand my life crushed up : I could have tost 
 The crumpled riddle from me, and laughed loud to think what I had lost. 
 A bitter strength was in my mind ; like Samson, when she scorned him blind. 
 
 OWEN MEREDITH. 
 
 
 
 IT was a lovely autumn day, and Daisy found no incident 
 to disturb her journey. She had hardly risen from her seat 
 when they arrived at the station, before she caught sight of 
 Richard's face, as it passed the car window. And then she 
 was welcomed with a smile that said so much. 
 
 " You asked Martin to bring you to the depot, I hope ? " 
 he said, as he was handing her into the carriage. 
 
 " No, for a better attendant offered. How is Lily ? " 
 
 *' Very comfortable. If fever doesn't set in, she will do 
 nicely. But the anxiety has told a good deal upon. Bel, 
 though I suppose baby made it worse for her. Alice has 
 thriven beautifully. I am so glad you could come." 
 
 " You have all been so kind to me that it is a pleasure to 
 find myself useful." 
 
 It was gratitude that spoke then, he thought, and a desire 
 to render favor for favor. Then they talked of the accident, 
 and how it had fared with Lily. Richard was pleased to see 
 her looking so bright and well, and though the old pang 
 smote his heart, he put it resolutely away, and was cheerful. 
 She, glad to find him so like the Richard she best loved, and 
 not being pained by coldness, forgot the brief hours that had 
 been so terrible to her.
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 311 
 
 Mabel's welcome was fond and sisterly. Baby Alice had 
 grown almost out of recollection, but soon made friends. The 
 change in Lily was greater than Daisy had dreamed of. At 
 the first glance she did indeed seem dead. Besides the gray 
 pallor, her face had a wan, pinched look ; the lips, always so 
 brilliant and laughing, were rigid and ashen-hued ; and every 
 feature contracted, as if with intense suffering. 
 
 There would not be much to do.* To sit and watch that no 
 change might take place without due observation, give her a 
 little nourishment or medicine, keep the room dark and 
 quiet, were all the instructions Daisy received. Except that 
 for herself she was to spend two hours out of doors every 
 day, and be occasionally relieved by Mabel, so the confine- 
 ment should not become tiresome. 
 
 She could not decide at first whether Lily recognized her 
 or not. The poor child slept almost continually, or looked 
 about with vacant, staring eyes, and seldom uttered a word. 
 Daisy was, if possible, more shocked than by the announce- 
 ment of the accident. Richard left them that afternoon, 
 promising to be up in a few days, or if any change for the 
 worse occurred, he was to be sent for immediately. 
 
 For a week there was not much perceptible improvement 
 in Lily. Yet nature was silently and powerfully awakening 
 the dormant strength and energy. She began to talk a lit- 
 tle, evince a desire for certain dishes of food, and show her 
 pleasure when any one entered the room. Richard made 
 them all joyful by pronouncing her recovery certain. Daisy, 
 watchful and tranquil, kept her place without a sign of fa- 
 tigue. Once in three or four days she wrote to Mr. Auches- 
 ter; but the subject so near both hearts was never touched 
 upon. 
 
 When her amendment became positive, Lily's youth and 
 good constitution made it rapid. They were astonished to 
 see how she gained daily. The deathly paleness vanished ; 
 her eyes grew lustrous ; the old dazzling smile came back ; 
 and little petulances, so like Lily, announced a return of 
 her proper self.
 
 312 IN TBUST, OB 
 
 Mr. Jostyn was most devoted. Choice fruits were sent 
 over, such as could only have been obtained by a journey to 
 the city, Daisy well knew. Rarest flowers, calls, not only 
 from him, but from his mother and sisters, who evinced the 
 warmest interest in Lily. It gave Daisy a strange, painful 
 presentiment. She learned from Mabel that he had been 
 Lily's constant attendant since her return from the Catskills. 
 
 " It has troubled me much," Mabel said ; " but Philip 
 judged wisely, that thwarting her would only make her the 
 more resolute, and perhaps lead her to accept Mr. Joslyn. 
 He insists that she really loves Mr. Auchester." 
 
 Daisy experienced a sudden impulse to confide her secret 
 to Mabel. But she knew that under some circumstances it 
 ought never to pass her lips, and refrained. 
 
 And then one day an unaccountable change came over 
 Lily. She appeared well as usual in the morning, but by 
 noon had grown strangely restless. Daisy questioned her 
 gently, but received most unsatisfactory replies, and for the 
 remainder of the day, Lily bestowed the merest monosyllables 
 upon her attendant. There was, withal, a visible impatience, 
 mixed with a sort of sullen resolve to bear alone whatever 
 oppressed her. It pained Daisy, and gave her no little un- 
 easiness, when she found that Lily had a fever for several 
 hours, and not the slightest desire for her supper. 
 
 " If you would try some of these grapes," suggested 
 Daisy; "or a piece of the pine-apple, which is a great rarity 
 at this season." 
 
 " I wish you would take it all away," said Lily, fretfully. 
 " I'm -not worth that trouble to any one. And if you'll stay 
 down stairs, and let me be quiet, I think I can go to sleep." 
 
 Poor Daisy ! For the last two hours she had been read- 
 ing, and scarcely stirred, lest Lily might feel herself watched. 
 But in spite of the quiet, even at nine in the evening, Lily's 
 voice had a wakeful sound, and her eyes were heavy, with 
 purple shadows underneath. Something had gone wrong. 
 Daisy vainly tried to find a cause for oftence.
 
 DE. BEKl'RAND S HOUSEHOLD. 31b 
 
 Richard came up the next morning. After asking Lily a 
 few questions, he sought Daisy. 
 
 "Were there any visitors in yesterday to see Lily ?" he 
 inquired. 
 
 " No." 
 
 " She sat up too long, or talked too much. I find her 
 feverish, and in a very irritable state." 
 
 " Not from either of those causes," replied Daisy. " She 
 only sat up once yesterday, hardly an hour, and was un- 
 usually quiet. Yet I noticed she had some fever." 
 
 " Strange ! " was Richard's grave remark. " She has the 
 appearance of being strongly excited or annoyed. Has she 
 worried about anything ? " 
 
 " Not outwardly. I tried to learn the cause of her dis- 
 quietude, but in vain." 
 
 *' See if you can win it from her. I am afraid it will re- 
 tard her recovery." 
 
 Then their eyes met, and both colored with a conscious 
 knowledge, though each was wrong as to the cause in the 
 other. 
 
 " Never mind," he continued, hurriedly. " Don't distress 
 yourself. If Lily will indulge in unreasonable moods without 
 the slightest cause, she ought to bear the penalty alone. I 
 am sorry for her, but the fault is not in the slightest degree 
 yours. Have Bel and the baby up here frequently, and don't 
 seem to notice her." 
 
 Even if Daisy had been so minded, she could have learned 
 nothing from Lily, who was, if possible, more reticent, and 
 certainly more miserable, every hour. Her fever increased. 
 
 Late on the following day Mr. Joslyn brought a beautiful 
 bouquet. He kept Daisy for some time in the hall, talking to 
 her. As soon as released, she ran up stairs. 
 
 " Are they not lovely ? " and she held them before Lily. 
 "A Cape jasmine, and some orange blossoms. Will the 
 odor be too strong if I leave them in here a while ? " 
 
 " I don't want them ! Take them away ! And I wish 
 27
 
 314 IN TBUST, OB 
 
 Mr. Joslyn wouldn't bring any more," said Lily, with flushed 
 face and contracted brow. 
 
 " Well," was Daisy's quiet rejoinder. Placing them in 
 the adjoining apartment, she lingered a while. When she 
 returned Lily was in tears. 
 
 "Have I distressed you?" she asked, in a tender tone. 
 
 "No." 
 
 Lily winked away the tears resolutely, and crowded down 
 a great sob, that seemed like a ball of fire in her throat. 
 Then she suddenly turned her face, and said, in a half- 
 smothered, passionate manner, 
 
 " 0, I don't know what to do ! I am so wretched ! Why 
 couldn't I have died in that fearful time ! They had no hope 
 for me, and I shouldn't have suffered any pang of separation. 
 But to live this dreary, dreary life ! " 
 
 " Why should it be dreary, Lily ? " 
 
 " I can't reason ; I never could. I only know it is." 
 
 " When you are well enough to go out, you will feel dif- 
 ferently about it." 
 
 " I don't want to go out. If I could stay here forever, 
 and see no one but you, and Bel, and Richard, it wouldn't be 
 so hard ! " 
 
 " Dear Lily, God has seen fit to bring you through a great 
 peril, and surely He will send nothing that will not be for 
 your good." 
 
 " Do you believe He sends everything ? Doesn't it seem 
 rather as if He sometimes let people go plunging into all 
 sorts of wrong and trouble, until * they stick fast in the mire, 
 where no ground is'? And then everything becomes so 
 dreary, so dreary ! " 
 
 " They cried unto the Lord, in the days of the Psalmist." 
 
 " If that was all, I could find it in my heart to cry con- 
 tinually. But I don't know how to turn in this world. 
 Everywhere a face meets me. I cannot hide away from it. 
 And because I have been so wrong, and find myself all tan- 
 gled up in such a web, if I could go out of life quietly "
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 315 
 
 Daisy's heart beat with high hope. She made an effort to 
 steady her voice, and said, slowly, 
 
 " God has some work for you still to do some happiness 
 for you yet to enjoy. With Him all things are possible." 
 
 " But I can't undo anything. I was so wild, so utterly 
 thoughtless ! I don't know what possessed me, unless it was 
 an evil spirit. But I did not mean " and her voice failed 
 through weeping. 
 
 Daisy kissed her tenderly. 
 
 " Has Mr. Joslyn been here every day ? " she asked, at 
 length. 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 Daisy hesitated a little, not feeling quite sure of her 
 ground. 
 
 " He sent the flowers. I heard him talking to you. And 
 he has sent many things. 0, I wish I had never seen him!". 
 
 Daisy scarcely knew what comment to make. 
 
 ** What has he said about the accident ? " 
 
 " He feels sadly distressed. He told me, one morning, he 
 knew the blame ought all to rest upon him. No one rejoices 
 more at your recovery." 
 
 " He is so good ! But it wasn't his fault. May I tell you, 
 Daisy ? Perhaps I shall feel better after I have talked it 
 over. I don't know how I came to tell him that the affair 
 with with Mr. Auchester was ended. Instead of keeping 
 him away, I let him come. .1 thought I could prevent his 
 caring very much about me. But I suspect that had begun 
 long before. I did stop him several times from saying any- 
 thing pointed, and tried to act so that he would see the inti- 
 macy, on my part, was for mere pleasure. The morning of 
 ' our ride he was real serious. I evaded him carelessly ; but 
 presently he laid his hand on my horse's neck, and said, de- 
 terminedly, ' Miss Lily, I won't be put off in this fashion 
 any longer ! You shall tell me ' I knew what was com- 
 ing, and hit Bess a hard cut with the whip. She started 
 violently. I thought I had the reins in my hand I don't
 
 316 IN TBUST, OB 
 
 know how it ever came, but it was a fragment of iny dress 
 instead. I tried to grasp the bridle, but Bess threw me like 
 a flash. I suppose she was as much frightened as I. If 
 the rock had not been there, I might have escaped seri- 
 ous injury. As it is, I have made you all a great deal of 
 trouble." 
 
 " And you do not love Mr. Joslyn," Daisy said, greatly 
 relieved. 
 
 " Love him ? O, no ! I sometimes wish I did. He is 
 so generous, so warm-hearted ! He hasn't a mean or selfish 
 thought, and his wife would reign a very queen. I am 
 afraid they all like me too well. I did resolve, a few days 
 ago, to -7- please him, but I cannot ; " and Lily shivered 
 violently. 
 
 " Why ? " Daisy was observing her narrowly. 
 
 " Because I cannot make myself love him. Is it not 
 curious that the heart should decide against a person who 
 is in every respect worthy, who would take pleasure in 
 devoting to one his whole life ? Why not love one good 
 man as well as another ? Yet I know I should make him 
 wretched." 
 
 " 0, it would be wrong, wicked, to hold out hope to him," 
 Daisy exclaimed, vehemently. 
 
 " I know it. For even if I promised, I don't think I ever 
 could marry him. But to disappoint him so bitterly ! And 
 yet I suppose I must get wefl, and go through with it all 
 tell him how little I meant, how selfish and heartless I have 
 been. It seems as if good and honorable people will despise 
 me henceforth. I hate myself! It is all 'blackness of 
 darkness.' " 
 
 " ' So when they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, he 
 delivered them out of their distress,' " repeated Daisy. 
 
 " What a comfort you are ! After all, it is best to meet 
 the result of one's wrong-doing fairly and without evasion. 
 And I have been very wrong." 
 
 " Dear Lily, when we have confessed this, God will give 
 us strength for the rest, and peace, and happiness."
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 317 
 
 " No ; I shall never be happy again. I don't mean on 
 account of any one particular event," and Lily colored 
 violently, " but life changes so much. Every bright thing 
 fades away, and leaves you only a cold, gray shadow. May- 
 be it is the autumn and the mournful winds that make me 
 feel so dreary ; but I know there can never be another spring 
 to my life." 
 
 " There is a ripe and glowing summer yet to come. One 
 shadow can never stretch through all time." 
 
 " I think I must be content to sit in the shade, without 
 spring or sunshine. Forgive me, darling, for all the trouble 
 I have caused you. I will try and be a better girl." 
 
 Lily turned away her face, and Daisy felt it -would be 
 unwise to continue the conversation. Although she ex- 
 pressed no special regret for the lost love, Daisy gathered 
 that it was still strong upon her. She had little fear of the 
 final result. And now that the ice had been broken, she 
 could gradually lead Lily to a better state of mind. There 
 was a visible improvement in her on the following morning. 
 She went out to the sitting-room, admired Mr. Joslyn's 
 flowers, and seemed resolved to be rarely good-humored 
 with everything. But though she discussed the gentleman 
 freely, and regretted her behavior towards him with sincere 
 earnestness, she seemed resolutely resolved to date her un- 
 happiness no farther back than that. She did not shun any 
 mention of their stay at the Catskills, but refrained from 
 alluding to the relation that had existed between herself 
 and Mr. Auchester. In vain Daisy tried to lead the con- 
 versation to this point. She fully understood the delicacy 
 of her position, that while attempting to mediate between 
 them, she must in no wise compromise Mr. Auchester's sen- 
 sitive pride. 
 
 Accident brought about the result at last. Lily was gain- 
 ing rapidly again. Richard desired her to be very careful, 
 for the least over-exertion brought on a most distressing 
 headache and a recurrence of the fever. Lily was really 
 27*
 
 318 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 glad to be excused from visitors ; in her present mood she 
 wanted no one but Daisy. She walked about her two rooms, 
 but had not yet ventured down stairs at the commencement 
 of the fourth week. 
 
 She was dressed in a pretty wrapper, and lying on the 
 lounge in the sitting-room, still pale and somewhat thin, but 
 not, as she expressed it, " altogether frightful." Daisy had 
 curled her hair, which Philip declared the greatest improve- 
 ment that could have been made. After reading aloud to 
 her the psalms for the day, Daisy took up a little dress she 
 was embroidering for Alice, and to please Lily, sang some 
 old ballads. This morning it was " Lord Jamie Douglas." 
 She noted the scornful yet approving smile that crossed 
 Lily's face at the verse, 
 
 " I whispered in at my lord's window, 
 
 Yet never a word would lie answer me. 
 Fare ye well, then, Jamie Douglas ; 
 I care as little as ye care for me." 
 
 But at the last, where true love triumphs over all, Lily 
 turned away her face, and presently fell into a light slumber. 
 
 Daisy bethought herself of a letter to Mr. Auchester that 
 she had been prevented from writing the day before. Open- 
 ing her desk that stood on the table, she went rapidly over 
 two pages. Then she began to wonder whether she should 
 ever be able to send him the fruit of her faith in Lily. All 
 this time he had waited patiently, asking no questions ; but 
 soon his departure would put it out of her power to do any- 
 thing for them. Indeed, could she do anything ? 
 
 Lily stirred, opened her eyes, and closed them again. 
 The girls were at opposite sides of the room, the little wood 
 fire on the hearth shining out between them. The atmos- 
 phere without was soft, mellow, and hazy, the sun partially 
 obscured by drifting clouds, only breaking forth now and 
 then, with a rosy orange hue. 
 
 Lily's tone was more careless than curious as she asked, - 
 
 ** What are you writing ? "
 
 DB. BEETBAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 319 
 
 ** A letter," answered Daisy, with a slight flush and hesi- 
 tation. 
 
 "How odd! Is it to Dick? I expect he misses you 
 sadly." 
 
 " No ; it is to Mr. Auchester." 
 
 Lily gave a violent start, and flushed redly. 
 
 *' He is going to Europe shortly," Daisy went on, keeping 
 her voice steadier than the throbbing at her heart. " He 
 has accepted a governmental appointment, and will be ab- 
 sent three years at least." 
 
 ** You have seen him," Lily assumed, faintly. 
 
 " Yes ; he had been over twice before the day of the 
 accident, and after that came regularly. He was very 
 anxious about you, and asked me to write as frequently as I 
 could." 
 
 " Shall you write to him while he is abroad ? " 
 
 " Perhaps." Daisy made an effort to keep her face tran- 
 quil. 
 
 There was a long, long pause. Daisy bit the end of her 
 pen-holder, and considered what to say next. 
 
 Lily spoke. Her voice was low, as if there had been a 
 great struggle, and she was hardly sure of it. 
 
 " I can think how it will end. I am glad you will both be 
 happy. You are the only woman in the world good enough 
 for him." 
 
 " O Lily ! you are quite mistaken. There can never be 
 any sentiment warmer than friendship between us." 
 
 " Why, Daisy ? Is it quite impossible for you to love 
 again ? " 
 
 " You do not consider whether Mr. Auchester's affection 
 can be transferred at a moment's notice." 
 
 " There would be nothing to transfer," she answered, bit- 
 terly. " His fancy for me has perished. I question whether 
 it ever amounted to positive love." 
 
 Lily ! " 
 
 " Yes," Lily raised herself a trifle in her excitement,
 
 320 IN TRUST, OK 
 
 " he thought he loved me, but events proved he had a much 
 higher regard for his own will." 
 
 " And you ! " 
 
 " I couldn't endure being tyrannized over like a baby." 
 
 " And so. you bestow this tyrant on me ? " Daisy could 
 not forbear smiling. 
 
 "I mean " and Lily flushed hotly "I don't know 
 that I can make you understand ; but Mr. Auchester is a 
 really superior man grand in many things, capable of 
 loving with devoted earnestness. He would make some 
 woman entirely happy. I want to do him full justice. But 
 all the sharp points in our natures were forever coming in 
 contact. And so you can see how he needed some one bet- 
 ter and nobler, who would study to please him to whom 
 his wishes would be positive delights. I'm not sure but he 
 would be very indulgent in that case. Instead of derogating 
 from this woman, I acknowledge she would be very much 
 my superior." 
 
 " I question if he would love her as well. It is not, after 
 all, so much what is fit for us as what satisfies us ; and I 
 think, in the majority of cases, one's own heart decides 
 rightly. But if you understood so perfectly what was 
 needed, why did you not conform more to his will ? " 
 
 " Because it isn't in me. I can't be good. I shall always 
 be a trouble to myself and every one else. I shall always 
 rush through brambles and thorns for something that looks 
 bright beyond, and find it only a Dead-Sea apple." 
 
 " Yes, if you depend solely on yourself. But God means 
 we shall look to him in the great straits of life, ask him for 
 strength. He stands ready to lead us out of by and forbid- 
 den places." 
 
 Lily's eyes filled with tears. " You are so sweet," she 
 said ; " so good. And yet somehow God gave you a great 
 deal of sorrow. Isn't it so all through life ? Don't the 
 fragrance and beauty drop out just as one reaches forth a 
 hand to gather the flowers, and one finds withered leaves
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 321 
 
 instead ? And to go on weary, waiting, hungering for wh.it 
 will never come ! " 
 
 Daisy smiled over the perversity and inconsequent reason- 
 ing. She knew there were many places on the green and 
 sunny shore of peace that Lily dared not linger over, but 
 glided lightly by, as one does on broken ice, and that her 
 heart was longing for the ark from whence it had flown. 
 
 " Lily," she said, " why do you not go back, and confess 
 you have been wrong ? You had in your hand all that any 
 woman can have ; you blindly threw it away. You taxed 
 Mr. Auchester's love, and faith, and patience to the utmost, 
 and in one fatal moment it gave way. Is it wise to sit over 
 the ruins, and make them stumbling blocks for all the future 
 years ? You cannot deny to yourself that you loved him. 
 And in some solitary hours, in some spasm of the better 
 nature struggling within you, your heart will refuse the pot- 
 tage, and cry out for its lost birthright." 
 
 " You think me altogether to blame," replied Lily, warmly. 
 " He was often unjust and unreasonable for a mere trifle. 
 And if he knew me at all, he must have known that in my 
 heart I cared for no one but him. Was it pleasant, think 
 you, to be continually watched and suspected ? taken to task 
 for a word or a laugh J Ulric Auchester's jealousy is a very 
 tiger." 
 
 " You must confess, Lily, he bore many things patiently. 
 What proof did you ever give him of your love ? How could 
 he trust, when he knew the beacon liked to dazzle with false 
 lights ? When you showered favors, that he had sued for, on 
 newer faces, and gave him some little fragment, why should 
 he have been content ? You are sorry that your heedlessness 
 has caused and will cause Mr. Joslyn so much suffering ; but 
 have you no thought for the man who had a right to build 
 all his future on your love ? Think, Lily, he should have 
 been your prince your pride and joy. Do you believe, if 
 you had loved as he desired, he would have proved dis- 
 trustful ? "
 
 322 IX TRUST, OR 
 
 Lily was silent. The voice that she had never been wholly 
 able to stifle smote her heart bitterly. 
 
 " Well," said she, wearily, " it is all over. No matter 
 whose the fault, it is done, past recall. The -sooner we for- 
 get, the better for both." 
 
 " No ; there is a wiser course." 
 
 " What ? " Lily glanced up eagerly. Their eyes met, and 
 she read it all without a word. Burying her face in the 
 pillow, her whole frame shook with the effort she made to 
 repress her emotion. She murmured, brokenly, 
 
 " No ; I couldn't, I couldn't, Daisy. And then he doesn't 
 care for me now. It is right and just that he should despise 
 me. He will find some one better." 
 
 " I think the woman a man loves truly is always the best 
 to him. And if her love proved stronger than her pride; 
 if sorrow was deeper than anger ; if she was brave enough 
 to repent, confess " 
 
 " Daisy, he wouldn't forgive me ! He spoke to me the 
 morning he went away. I saw his will in his eyes, and his 
 resolve to be complete master, if anything. It roused all 
 the defiant blood in my nature made me wild. I couldn't 
 have felt sorry then if his glance had killed me. 0, you 
 little know him if you think he would ever humble himself 
 that much again ! His pride is a very giant ! " 
 
 " Lily ! " the voice was solemnly tender, "I have 
 only to write one word in my letter ; I have only to say, 
 4 Come,' and he will be here to listen to forgive, if you 
 ask it." 
 
 Lily choked down her sobs. Now and then one bitter, 
 burning cry tore its way up, and was smothered by sternest 
 resolution. A cold shiver seemed freezing her. Happiness 
 within her reach ! Love at her very door and such love ! 
 The weary desolation of the future, that so terrified her 
 when she glanced out upon its midnight blackness, ex- 
 changed for peace, for blissful rest ! 
 
 " What did he say : " Her voice quivered with anguish.
 
 DR. BEKIBAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 323 
 
 " My darling, what he said to me is a matter of confidence 
 between us alone, which I cannot betray. I can only tell 
 you that if you want him he will come. And there is but 
 one condition^" 
 
 She went on with her letter. Lily's face was hidden ; 
 but Daisy saw the convulsive movements, heard the sobs. 
 She wondered how she could write so calmly when her heart 
 throbbed with a wild tumult of hope and fear. 
 
 " Lily," she asked, presently, " shall I send ? " 
 
 Lily's heart beat audibly. Without moving, she said, low 
 and huskily, 
 
 " No." 
 
 Then Daisy folded her letter, sealed it, and took it down 
 to be sent with Philip's. When she returned, she raised the 
 tearful face, and kissed it again and again. 
 
 " My dearest," she said, " since you have decided, you 
 must be brave to bear the cross you have assumed. For 
 your own sake, for all our sakes, you must not make your- 
 self ill and miserable. There are many happy days yet in 
 store." 
 
 Happy ! What a mockery it seemed ! This man, who 
 should have been the crown and glory of her life, learning 
 slowly to forget her to think her unworthy, incapable of 
 high and generous regard ! How the thought stung her ! 
 She did love him. How his nobleness shamed her ! Never, 
 never to see him again ! never to be held to his heart ! to 
 hear his voice, and yet to live !
 
 324 IN TRUST, OK 
 
 CHAPTEK XXXIII. 
 
 Come back with me to the first of all; 
 
 Let us learn and love it over again 
 Let us forget and then recall, 
 
 Break the rosary in a pearly rain, 
 And gather what we let fall. 
 
 ROBERT BROWNING. 
 
 IT would be difficult to describe the mood that led Lily 
 to reject this last overture of Mr. Auchester's. There 
 was a little wounded feeling that Daisy should have been so 
 preferred in his confidence, and that she should refuse to 
 repeat what had passed between them. Yet when Lily 
 came to reconsider this point, she blushed for her unworthy 
 thoughts. 
 
 Pride was still strong within her. Could she make the 
 thorough acknowledgment he would demand? Her nature 
 was strongly self-centred one of those which refuse utterly 
 at first to be purified by suffering ; which, when evasion is no 
 longer possible, bear on in stoical silence and contempt. It 
 seemed to her now that Mr. Auchester might have taken 
 some kinder way to win her back, as if the grandest and 
 kindest thing in the whole world was not the simple truth. 
 
 A sense of shame had much to do with her resolution. 
 Looking over the past summer, she could not find any place 
 where he had given the provocation. As Daisy said, she had 
 tried his patience until it resolved itself into distrust of her 
 love. She had been wayward, trifling, fond of power, eager 
 for admiration, when, if his would have sufficed, she might 
 have had it in lavish abundance. How many times she had 
 put him off with a little, cold caress, when he had bean ready
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 325 
 
 to lay his whole heart at her feet. Not because she did not 
 love him indeed, she could hardly understand the madness 
 now. He was not a humble man, like Mr. Joslyn. He would 
 grant favors, but he could not be ruled or forced into any 
 step. His manhood, so glorious in its power and integrity, 
 could be depended upon to the uttermost. She had always 
 admired this resolute strength, even when most earnestly 
 contesting it. Yet how could she confess herself altogether 
 in the wrong, and have him smile over her with the stately 
 consciousness of right ! 
 
 Daisy watched the conflict with a sort of breathless calm 
 just as we sit still in the luminous light of some great hope, 
 knowing it is ours, yet hardly daring to believe. With a 
 girl less true and sound at heart than Lily, she might have 
 had some doubts, or even if solitude had not been so strongly 
 in Mr. Auchester's favor. It seemed cruel to stand aloof 
 from the struggle ; yet she knew if Lily fought this battle 
 alone, and conquered self effectually, it would be the begin- 
 ning of a new life for her. One by one the strongholds 
 behind which she had intrenched herself were giving way. 
 She grew more uniformly gentle, and by degrees came to a 
 higher standard of thought and belief. Her affection had in 
 it a vein of sad, yearning tenderness, that one can scarcely 
 refrain from answering with fears. 
 
 A mental contest of this kind could not pass without leav- 
 ing some marks of the fire. Philip began to grow extremely 
 anxious. 
 
 " I cannot bear to see her so wan and sad-eyed. This 
 lovely Indian-summer weather would brace her up, and bring 
 some roses to her cheeks. I have half a mind to take her 
 out, without waiting for Richard's fiat." 
 
 Lily looked wistfully through the golden air, over the hills, 
 to the purple river, and then said, almost sadly, 
 
 " Not to-day." 
 
 " But I'm afraid you'll never get well and blooming. I 
 should like to see the old riotous spirit once more." 
 28
 
 326 IN TRUST, OB 
 
 " No," she returned, softly ; " help me to pray for a better 
 one. First, ' the kingdom of God.' " 
 
 " ' And all these things shall be added unto you,' " he 
 continued, reverently. " My dear child, God often leads us 
 through dark paths, that we may see only the great light 
 surrounding Him. And if we follow, even with fear and 
 trembling, He will accept. But we must do what He bids, 
 suffer what He lays upon us, never doubting but that it will 
 be for the best. We must not question what might have 
 been, or what will be ; but only believe, take up the cross 
 in our way, and find rest in its shadow." 
 
 Daisy wheeled her chair up to the window, an4 stood with 
 her arm around her, a few moments after Philip had left 
 the room. 
 
 Lily was thinking of the cross in her way, that she had 
 stumbled over so many times during the past few days. God 
 meant she should be very happy. If she missed the great 
 joy, it would be only through her own perversity. 
 
 " Daisy ! " The voice was faint a mere breath, as she 
 whispered, " Do you think he would come would for- 
 give ? " 
 
 How the words thrilled her ! She could hardly repress a 
 wild cry of joy. 
 
 " My darling, I know he would." 
 
 The fair face buried itself on her shoulder. There was a 
 low, quivering, but distinct sound the shy entreaty of a 
 child, 
 
 " Will you ask him to come ? " , 
 
 Daisy kissed her for the answer she could not give. She 
 hardly knew how full of tears her own eyes were until she 
 heard Lily's sobs. Smiling through them, she ran away. 
 
 Lily sat in the silence of a great joy, too happy to think. 
 Her crown of thorns had blossomed into roses. She trem- 
 bled in every pulse, she drew her breath gaspingly, and yet 
 she was no longer miserable. The dear old world glittered 
 and was full of rejoicing ; the sky above shone as in other
 
 DK. BEKTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 327 
 
 days. Involuntarily there went through her heart the 
 words, 
 
 ' And yet, perchance O Heaven ! such thing might be, 
 As that one giant joy should come to me, 
 Eclipsing common joys." 
 
 Daisy lingered a moment in the hall, to regain her com- 
 posure. Then she went to the study. Mr. Chaloner safe 
 reading a paper. 
 
 " You are going to New York ? " she said. 
 
 " Yes, in the next train. Can I do anything for you ? " 
 
 " A great favor, if you will." 
 
 She drew some paper towards her, and took up Philip's 
 pen. Her greatest trial for the past week had been to 
 refrain from prematurely startling Mr. Auchester. But she 
 had the gift of rare, exceeding silence. Now she hardly 
 knew what she wrote ; but it was enough to send the shad- 
 ows of unhappiness trooping to their darksome abode. < 
 
 " If you will call at the Metropolitan and leave this note ; 
 or better still, see Mr. Auchester. He might like to send an 
 answer." 
 
 " With pleasure." And Mr. Chaloner gave her one of 
 those courtly bows to which his white hair seemed to add a 
 peculiar grace. 
 
 Philip drove around at that instant. A moment later her 
 messenger of peace was on its way. 
 
 Then she returned to Lily. Both girls flushed with 
 unwonted embarrassment. Lily's eyes still shone with tears. 
 
 "My darling!" Daisy exclaimed, "you deserve much 
 praise for your courage. I wanted to help you, but I had 
 been put under bonds." 
 
 " I feel weak and cowardly enough. My heart faints 
 within me at the thought of meeting him, and yet I long to. 
 I am glad it cannot be until to-morrow." 
 
 Daisy started, but held her peace, and allowed Lily to 
 believe the letter was going by mail. But in her inmost 
 soul she felt that the day and evening would not pass without 
 bringing Mr. Auchester.
 
 328 IN TRUST, OK 
 
 " He won't think it unwomanly will he ? Ho is so par- 
 ticular on some points." 
 
 " Since he gave the permission, you shall not render your- 
 self miserable with vain surmises. What else could have 
 been done ? " 
 
 " If I were only better ! But when I think of all that has 
 occurred since, I am afraid he can never love me again. It 
 is right that he should know." 
 
 " Yes. But he has never ceased to love you ; so there is 
 no need of beginning again. Do not conjure up mountains 
 of unnecessary trouble. Rather wait on the Lord, and .he 
 will bring it to pass." 
 
 Sound, healthy vitality was a component part of Lily's 
 temperament. Repentant she might be, but not morbid. 
 So resilient a nature works its own cure. Her spirits began 
 to rise visibly, for the battle was ended. Never in all her 
 life would she have to fight such a contest over again. 
 
 Daisy read to her a long while. After dinner she bestowed 
 her on the lounge, administered a composing draught, closed 
 the shutters, and gave her strict injunctions to go imme- 
 diately to sleep. Her strained nerves relaxed, yielded to 
 the pleasant influence, and she soon fell into a tranquil 
 slumber. 
 
 A peaceful air seemed brooding over the house. The 
 drone of bees, the chirp of late insects, and the song of 
 birds, had a lazy, monotonous sound, brimmed with the de- 
 liciousness of languor. The spicy air was full of golden 
 films, the tree tops shone in crimson and gold, and wher- 
 ever Daisy's eyes fell, a glowing picture of still life pre- 
 sented itself. You could not connect it with motion. She 
 always remembered this day with wondrous vividness. 
 
 Baby Alice was in a quiet mood also. She lay on a pillow 
 on the floor, while Mabel sewed, now and then turning 
 her wondering eyes gravely to her father, who looked up 
 from his book to chirrup to her occasionally. 
 
 Daisy knew some explanation was needed before Mr,
 
 DR. BERTRANB'S HOUSEHOLD. 329 
 
 Aachester made his appearance. Both Philip and Mabel 
 had delicately refrained from questioning her about the let- 
 ters. Seizing this golden opportunity, she bespoke Philip's 
 attention, and related her story, excepting the episode con- 
 cerning herself, that events had proved manifestly untrue. 
 
 Philip listened in astonishment. 
 
 " My dear Daisy ! " he exclaimed, " you are a most coura- 
 geous little body. You have certainly bearded the lion in 
 his den, and come off more than conqueror. That you 
 should have found the way to Lily's heart, actually made her 
 take the first step towards a reconciliation, surprises me 
 beyond measure." 
 
 " I could not have done it but for her love. That was my 
 most powerful ally." 
 
 " I was sure of it," rejoined Philip, triumphantly. " I 
 knew Lily must have a heart it's a distinctive Bertrand 
 feature. As for Ulric Auchester, he's a splendid fellow, and 
 deserves a better wife ; but I'm thankful he has fallen to 
 Lily's share. I only hope he will keep her in better order 
 than heretofore. She used to vex me last summer. If he 
 had used a ' high hand,' as people say, he would have saved 
 himself much trouble." 
 
 Mabel laughed. " We have all tried at managing Lily, 
 and Daisy has succeeded the best of any. In the depths of 
 my heart I am glad she is to fall into such good keeping. 
 She would drive a weak man to distraction, and make herself 
 miserable. Such a nature is best governed by a superior will." 
 
 " I question if Lily has not more thoroughly subdued her- 
 s<:lf than any one would have been able to subdue her," said 
 Daisy. 
 
 " Auchester will take good care that the volcano doesn't 
 break out again, I think. Daisy, there is no possible adjec- 
 tive that can be bestowed on you to do you justice. Who 
 would have thought, a month ago, that we could all be so 
 happy ? " And Philip caught up Alice, half smothered her 
 with kisses, and held her out at arm's length. 
 28*
 
 830 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 " My little daughter," he continued, with amusing gravity, 
 " if you grow up half as beautiful, and are half as great a 
 fi'rt, as your aunt Lily, you shall be soundly whipped and 
 sent to bed without your supper ! " 
 
 Alice gave a smile that portended she might grow up as 
 pretty. 
 
 Lily slept for three hours. Daisy brushed her hair and 
 put on a dress, announcing her intention of asking Philip 
 and Mabel up to tea. 
 
 " I certainly feel well enough to go down," said Lily. 
 " May I to-morrow ? " 
 
 " If you wish," was the rejoinder. 
 
 The supper was a decided success. Lily received her 
 visitors in great state. She looked bright and charming, 
 and was in excellent spirits. 
 
 " Tessy ought to be here," remarked Philip. " She enjoys 
 anything like this wonderfully, for her grave face is only a 
 mask that covers a fund of inexhaustible drollery. I expect 
 she matronizes Richard in an astonishing degree. You will 
 find him perfection when you return, Daisy." 
 
 " As if he had not always been perfection in Daisy's 
 eyes ! " responded Lily, archly. 
 
 A torrent of brilliant blood rushed to Daisy's face. She 
 could not give the slightest reason for it, and to banish it, 
 joined the laugh against herself. It was well she did not 
 notice the freemasonry of glance between husband and wife, 
 or .she might have blushed again. 
 
 Philip rose and made a speech in his most grandiloquent 
 style, regretting that it was necessary for him to leave the 
 delightful group, but he really was compelled to go to the 
 station after Mr. Chaloner. 
 
 The housekeeper carried away the dishes. Lily sat on 
 the lounge, having a good romp with baby Alice. Mabel 
 and Daisy tried to talk unconcernedly. But when the sound 
 of carriage wheels broke upon them, Daisy's heart gave a 
 great bound. Three men alighted, and there was no mis-
 
 DE. BEBTBAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 331 
 
 taking that tall, handsome third, although the purple dusk 
 was falling fast. 
 
 " Come, my little lady ; " and Mabel took her baby in her 
 arms. " It's bedtime ; so you must make believe kiss aunt 
 Lily, and go." 
 
 " dear'! " said Lily, ruefully. " Don't send me to bed, 
 please. I slept through seven distinct spheres this after- 
 noon, and feel in a most royal state. I have half a mind to 
 go down and surprise Mr. Chaloner." 
 
 " Daisy ! " called Philip. 
 
 Mabel made a pretence of baby " good nights " to cover 
 the retreat. Daisy almost ran over Mr. Chaloner in the 
 hall. He caught her in his arms. 
 
 " Did I bring you home the proper reply ? " he aske'd. 
 " But your smile answers. Is there to be peace in the 
 household ? " 
 
 " I believe so." 
 
 " Thank God, for Lily's sake." And Mr. Auchester is 
 worthy of the highest happiness." 
 
 She entered the open drawing-room door. Both her hands 
 were taken in an earnest clasp. 
 
 " Daisy ! " Mr. Auchester began, in a voice so full and 
 rich that she listened, unconsciously entranced. " How can 
 I believe it ! ' Her own wish,' you said, ' after days of strug- 
 gling.' What a will the child has ! I have read your letter 
 times without number to-day. My precious, precious friend ! 
 Your clear vision and brave heart have saved me pangs of 
 untold anguish. Can I see her soon ? Every moment seems 
 an age ! " 
 
 " Yes," Daisy answered, with a tremulous laugh, " if you 
 will only release my hands, so that I can go and prepare 
 her. She fancied that the letter went by mail, and doesn't 
 expect you until to-morrow." 
 
 " You would be a perfect treasure to a stage manager for 
 surprises ! " he returned, gayly. " You need not put a girdle 
 round the earth in forty minutes, but bring me to happinesa 
 in less time than that, I pray you."
 
 332 IN TRUST, OK 
 
 She was gone. Mabel, on the stairs, gave her a sque*s/e 
 and kiss. She went straight on to Lily, and then stood still 
 in perfect bewilderment. 
 
 " Let me go down stairs," pleaded Lily. 
 
 " No." She drew a long breath, and struggled for com- 
 posure. 
 
 " What is the matter, Daisy ? " Lily glanced in her face 
 with startled eyes. 
 
 " I have word from Mr. Auchester." 
 
 " Daisy ! " and she uttered a wild cry. " Will he come ? 
 No, don't tell me he will not ; it would kill me now." 
 
 "^ My dearest, he is here ! The note went with Mr. 
 Chaloner. Be calm, for I cannot send him up until I am 
 sure of you." 
 
 " Here ! Let me think a moment. I seem blind, and 
 drowned in happiness ! The long, dreary night is to end, 
 the everlasting day has come ! Daisy ! is it all true, 
 true f How good God has been to me ! And how good 
 you have been ! " 
 
 She sat still, quite exhausted. Presently, in a tone that 
 was calm from excess of joy, she said, 
 
 " Go for him, Daisy." 
 
 He was in the hall, and sprang up stairs the instant he 
 heard the door open. Daisy beckoned him in, and passed 
 out herself. The room was in a glow of orange and purple 
 twilight, through which the fire sent arrows of gleaming 
 flame. His eye took in the drooping figure, the shining 
 curls, the sweet face. 
 
 " Lily ! " he said, softly ; and yet it was the man's invol- 
 untary authority that spoke. 
 
 A cry, sad, sweet, touching in -its utter humility, faltered 
 up through quivering sobs. 
 
 " Ulric ! let me come back to my old place in your 
 heart. Do what you will, only love me a little ! " 
 
 " Always, my darling ! Please God, nothing shall ever 
 again come between us."
 
 DB. BERTKAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 333 
 
 '* Never again ! " and she lingered over the words with 
 exceeding tenderness, as if they were sweet to say. 
 
 And then they were content to remain silent through mo- 
 ments of bliss, so pure, so exquisite, that no pen is worthy 
 to describe them. .The true level of both lives had been 
 reached. For them there could be no more doubt, no more 
 coldness. They grew into one heart, one life, as all true 
 love must, she rejoicing to be his, he rejoicing to be hers. 
 He raised the dear face, and kissed away the tears sweeter 
 to him 
 
 " Than all the smiles in Christendom." 
 
 Daisy gave the lovers all the time she dared. She sat in 
 Mabel's room, dreamy and quiet. Both hearts were too 
 full for any talk on the subject so dear and precious, and 
 all others seemed out of place. She allowed two hours to 
 elapse before she went up and tapped lightly at the door. 
 
 " Come in," said Mr. Auchester. What a cheerful ring 
 there was in the voice ! 
 
 " A most unwelcome visitor, I know ; " and Daisy crossed 
 over to be encircled by an arm slender and soft from the 
 one side, strong and manly from the other. " Doubtless 
 you have not the remotest idea how much time has passed. 
 If you have not smoothed out all the crooked paths, I quite 
 despair of you. Being Lily's keeper for the time, I shall 
 have to invite you to relinquish your charge." 
 
 " 0, not quite yet, please." 
 
 " Don't make me cruel," said Daisy. " I shall have to 
 give an account to Dr. Bertrand, and wish to present Lily 
 in good order. She has had enough excitement for the 
 present." 
 
 "We have been talking of of our future lives," con- 
 tinued Mr. Auchester ; and it seemed such a sacred thing to 
 touch upon, that his voice fell to a tender pathos. " And 
 Lily agrees with me that a marriage will be best. She is 
 quite willing to trust my love in all things. But it must be
 
 334 IN TRUST, OK 
 
 BO soon and will Dr. Bertrand consent ? What do you 
 think about it ? " 
 
 Daisy started. Lily to go away for years, perhaps. 
 Then, as her mind took in the whole matter, she answered, 
 slowly, 
 
 " I think he will. I believe it is right and best." 
 
 " Bravo ! " and he gave her hand a little squeeze. 
 
 " I suspect," Lily said, dryly, " that if you asked Richard 
 for the roc's egg, Aladdin's lamp, or the key to the north- 
 west passage, he would give them to you straightway. 
 Ulric, you see, is a little afraid of him." 
 
 " If you think I mean to set Daisy at any more hard 
 work, you are mistaken. And I shouldn't feel surprised if 
 he delivered you over to my keeping without a word." 
 
 " Out of pity, because you will have so many afterwards," 
 annoted Lily, saucily. 
 
 He laughed. " Daisy has trained you so well that the 
 prospect does not alarm me. And since we owe our happi- 
 ness to her, I suppose I must learn how sweet it is to 
 obey." 
 
 He rose with his arm still around Lily. 
 
 " It is best," Daisy replied, with a bright smile. 
 
 " But I mean to have her all day to-morrow. I give you 
 fair warning." 
 
 " I shall resign my commission, I think. Dr. Bertrand 
 will surely come." 
 
 There was a little more tender talk between the lovers, 
 lingering good-night kisses, and Ulric turned away reluc- 
 tantly. 
 
 " Don't you keep Daisy very long," he said. " Think 
 how many weeks I have been without the sight of a dear, 
 familiar face, and be merciful. I want a nice talk with 
 her." 
 
 " Ask what you will. I am in a princely, generous 
 mood." 
 
 He came back for another kiss.
 
 DE. BEETRAND S HOUSEHOLD. 335 
 
 When the door was closed, Lily took Daisy's face between 
 her hands, and looked for many seconds in the deep, un- 
 troubled eyes. 
 
 "Daisy," she began, " Ulric told me all, all what you 
 had never even let me suspect." 
 
 " It was not fair," Daisy said, struggling to get beyond 
 the reach of the watchful gaze. 
 
 " Yes it was fair and right. His nobleness made it so. 
 And, Daisy, we should scorn to have one thought in our 
 hearts that we dared not tell each other. And I hardly 
 feel right about accepting my happiness until you assure 
 me " 
 
 " 0, Lily, Lily ! foolish child ! Not but that he is grand 
 enough for any woman to love only somehow God seems 
 to take care of these things in his own way." 
 
 " You are so simply, almost severely, heroic, one might 
 say, that one hardly knows what sacrifice you are not 
 capable of. But 0, Daisy, if it had been another woman 
 a woman who loved him ! I shudder to think of it. Yet I 
 could never, never have blamed him ! He was much better 
 to me all the time than I deserved." 
 
 " It couldn't have been another woman, Lily. Do not 
 think of anything so terrible. It wasn't with him ' the stern 
 necessity of loving,' but simply ' blind contact.' We had 
 been thrown together so familiarly, and that fateful night we 
 met by merest accident. After he had once opened his 
 heart to me, it was so easy to go on. It was not the desper- 
 ate clutching at straws that led him astray afterwards, but 
 the sense of desolation, the longing for some balm to apply 
 to his wound. With the world, I dare say he was as proud 
 and self-contained as your inmost heart could desire." 
 
 " He does love you, Daisy. I can hardly explain it, but 
 I am happier in the fact." 
 
 " I want to be to both as the dearest of sisters." 
 
 " As you will be, my darling, forevermore." 
 
 Presently she began again :
 
 336 IN TBUST, OK 
 
 " Dais;y ! how could I have lived but for you ! When 
 I think of his true, priceless love, his patience, his peerless 
 honor, I stand quite still, quite still, abashed, and feel like 
 saying with another joyful woman, ' He raised me by love 
 upon the pedestal of his own high thoughts, and I stood 
 there, with downcast eyes, worthy, of his love, for he had 
 made me so.' Life is too short to repay him. And so you 
 need not fear I shall ever hew out broken cisterns for my- 
 self again. I feel safe, secure, triumphant in his love. It 
 is my whole world from henceforth, my glory, my crown of 
 highest womanhood. At last I have come to my inherit- 
 ance ! " 
 
 How lovely she looked ! Was this really Lily ? Daisy 
 felt bewildered. 
 
 " my darling ! " Lily said, with her good-night kiss, 
 " it is such a blessed, blessed thing to be happy ! If it was 
 not for God watching over me continually, I should feel 
 afraid to be alone with it, lest its glory should strike me 
 blind. How do people live who never have this light dawn 
 upon them, but wander continually through cold and dark ? 
 God help them ! And now go to him, Daisy. I couldn't 
 be selfish this night, of all nights in my life."
 
 DH. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 337 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 And lore ; because we then are happiest. 
 We shall lack nothing having love; and we, 
 We must be happy everywhere we two ! 
 For spiritual life is great and clear, 
 And self-continuous as a changeless sea. 
 
 Come to the light, love ! Let me look on thee ! 
 Let me make sure I have thee. Is it thou ? 
 Is this thy hand ? Are these thy velvet lipa 
 Thy lips so lovable? 
 
 FESTUS. 
 
 DAISY went as one in a trance. It seemed to her as if, 
 Bomehow, she was not quite ignorant of this great joy. Had 
 Robert brought it, with his handsome face, his winning voice, 
 his eyes, that could be so deep and tender ? No. Had any 
 stray glance fallen in that brief episode with Ulric Auches- 
 ter ? ! a thousand times, no. Where then ? She trem- 
 bled and dared go no farther. 
 
 A fragrant waft of Habaneros drifted from the balcony. 
 She stole out shyly, as she caught sight of Mabel's dress. 
 She would ^ther have sat down in the deserted study, and 
 dreamed. But one of life's first lessons to Daisy Bertrand 
 had been the grandest part of St. Paul's eighteen-century- 
 old definition of charity. Seeketh not her own. It was more 
 this than any personal energy that gave her the influence 
 every one yielded to without questioning, even enjoying the 
 gentle sway. There was no central point of self with her. 
 She did daily and hourly for others just what her hands found 
 to do ; not in a rigid, duty fashion, but with vital human 
 pleasure. And now she went out on the balcony, because 
 she knew Mr. Auchester was there and wanted to see her. 
 29
 
 338 IN TRUST, OK 
 
 " 0, is that you, Daisy ? " He rose and threw away his 
 cigar. " Are you too tired to walk a little way ? " 
 
 " I am not tired at all." 
 
 " Get a shawl, then. I must begin to copy Dr. Bertrand, 
 for carefulness." 
 
 " Here is mine ; " and Bel wrapped her up in shawl and 
 Nubia, for the autumn nights were rather chilly. Being thus 
 dispossessed, she entered the house ; but Philip remained to 
 finish his cigar. 
 
 Mr. Auchester and Daisy walked down the path silently. 
 He began, at length, by a commonplace. 
 
 " What a lovely night ! " 
 
 " Yes. In every respect." 
 
 " I suppose you think everything is lovely to me at this 
 present moment. Indeed, I'm not sure but it is so. For 
 happiness seems to be the best kind of glasses yet invented. 
 I have so much to say to you, and yet I hardly know where 
 to begin." 
 
 " At the very last," said Daisy, archly. " The subject 
 will read the same both ways." 
 
 " Yes." He drew her closer to him, and in a low voice, 
 that was not quite steady, went on : " From your hands I 
 take my happiness. I cannot find words to thank you. I 
 shall show you best by guarding it sacredly in all time to 
 come. It is such a great and solemn thing to take a loving 
 woman and say, as Robert Browning did, ' Gihis woman's 
 heart, and soul, and brain are mine ; ' and her sweet, pure 
 life, forever. I seem in these last few hours to have grown 
 out of and above my olden self. It has dropped down like 
 a discarded garment. Entering this new and complete world, 
 I tremble, y>t I feel strong. You have opened this sphere 
 to me, Daisy ; you have brought me out of the tangled 
 wilderness into the house Beautiful." 
 
 " 0, no," she rejoined, softly. " You saw it all yourself, 
 long before." . 
 
 " ' Through a glass, darkly.' I should have gone on blind
 
 DK. BEETRAND'S HOI T SEHOLD. 339 
 
 and dumb, until some fatal day of awakening. How many 
 times in the last few weeks I have hated and despised my- 
 self for that unintentional falsehood to you, God only knows.' 
 It has been a rankling thorn, a keen, stinging mortification. 
 Yet to-night I feel thankful that a higher power allowed me 
 to stumble as I did. It has shown me my weakness, or 
 rather my fajse strength. It has brought me down to the 
 level of the most childish thing Lily ever did. And I am 
 glad to be there. She shall not shame me in any noble con- 
 fession ; and 0, Daisy ! what a royal heart the child has ! 
 She has startled me to-night by depths and heights such as 
 one dreams of, but rarely realizes. And the past summer, 
 nay, all my life, I have had a tendency to an egotistical and 
 perhaps selfish indulgence of personal will. It has been ne- 
 cessary for me to command a good deal, and I have slipped 
 into it imperceptibly. Yet this experience will prove a valu- 
 able lesson to me. I shall not again act without considering 
 what the result may be. God mercifully shielded you from 
 any bitter consequences of my impetuous words. And having 
 been under the cloud and through the sea, we shall enjoy 
 our good land of promise with a deeper zest. Let me say, 
 again and again, that under God it is your gift." 
 
 " I am so glad you are happy ! It is not a new love, but 
 the dear old one, strengthened, purified." 
 
 " You are right. I feel now that my affection for Lily is, 
 and ever will be, the one great love of my life. And her 
 happiness shall be my study, my chief delight. Not that I 
 have ceased to believe a man should be master of his own 
 household ; but his authority and dignity are to be tempered 
 by the regard he must ever sustain towards the woman who 
 fills that dearest of all positions wife. And relying on a 
 better strength than my own, I hope to deal wisely and 
 justly, not only with her, but also with myself." 
 
 " ' Who giveth liberally, and upbraideth not,' " subjoined 
 Daisy. 
 
 And then they lapsed into silence. Under this silvery
 
 340 IN TRUST, OB 
 
 light both hearts unconsciously went back two months, to 
 another glorious night. How changed ! What were tree, 
 .and shrub, and moonlight then ? Of all women in the world, 
 she would be next to Lily in his estimation and regard. A 
 weak man may shun a woman to whom he has in some hour 
 of extreme bitterness betrayed himself; but a noble man 
 never, unless she proves unworthy of his confidence. 
 
 A bright morning dawned upon Rothelan. Lily was going 
 down to breakfast a great event. She felt her head swim 
 a little on the stairs, yet the fond arm around her steadied 
 not only her swaying figure, but the palpitant motions of her 
 heart. She felt the touch of that protecting hand through 
 all her nerves ; a master hand it was, but it no longer roused 
 her mutinous blood. She was glad to have it there ; for 
 now, strange even to her own heart, liberty was no longer 
 sweet. 
 
 Mr. Chaloner read the morning prayer for the household. 
 Lily's heart throbbed with deepest emotion at the sentence 
 in the general thanksgiving, " We bless Thee for our crea- 
 tion, preservation, and all the blessings of this life." 
 
 0, how manifold they had been to her! There must be 
 one continual hymn of praise swelling up from her heart lor 
 these many mercies. She began to understand what the 
 apostle meant, when he said, " In everything give thanks." 
 Henceforth it was to be not only duty, but delight. 
 
 Some time after breakfast Mr. Auchester took Lily out for 
 a short drive. She returned radiant, though she confessed 
 to feeling a little tired. He arranged the pillows on the sofa 
 in the drawing-room for her, and sitting down, talked over 
 the time when they first met, and she bad done these little 
 favors for him. And he made her smile, as well as blush, 
 as he spoke of the many times he had felt tempted to catch 
 the pretty white hand and kiss it rapturously. 
 
 She was profoundly thankful that, with all her folly and 
 wilfulness, she had never fallen into the habit of allowing 
 caresses from others. Even Fred, with all his audacity, had
 
 DR. BEKTBAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 341 
 
 stood a trifle aloof. And though there were many things to 
 regret, there were few to actually blush over, with her lover's 
 eyes upon her. 
 
 She took the first occasion to mention one incident of the 
 ride to Daisy. They had met Mr. Joslyn. And so the per- 
 plexing subject was likely to settle itself without any further 
 difficulty. 
 
 She began to develop the possibilities of a magnificent 
 woman. Her very face seemed to acquire, in the dawn of 
 this ripening love, the steadiness and resolve it had heretofore 
 lacked. A bewildering glimpse of sweetness flashed ever 
 and anon out of the deep eyes, or the curves of the mouth, 
 which was rapidly assuming its olden scarlet. She began to 
 realize, with a tender seriousness, what this'visit was doing 
 for her. Giving Mr. Auchester the right, and 'he taking it 
 every hour, of being first with her. In the summer he used to 
 say, 'pleadingly, ' Lily, will you not ? " now he simply said, 
 "You will," as if the matter was beyond doubt or questioning. 
 
 Quite late in the afternoon, as Daisy sat alone by the study 
 window, sewing, a familiar form turned into the path. She 
 ran to the door without waiting a summons, her face aglow 
 with pleasure. All day she had been on the watch for Rich- 
 ard, resolved, if possible, to have the first interview. 
 
 " Well, how are the household ? " he asked, smilingly. 
 
 He did not stoop to kiss her, for he could not bring his 
 feelings to the calm basis of fraternal affection. She re- 
 marked it, and it gave her a sense of pain. 
 
 " Doing splendidly ! to use a Lily-ism. Philip has taken 
 Bel and the baby out, Mr. Chaloner has gone to visit some 
 parishioners, and " 
 
 " Why not go up stairs at once, then?" he asked, as she 
 drew him towards the study door. 
 
 "Because no one is there. I have so much to tell 
 you." 
 
 ** Lily ! " and his countenance expressed alarm. 
 
 ** She came down stairs to-day. You will think her per- 
 29*
 
 342 IN TRUST, OK 
 
 fectly well when you see her. I have been trying a new 
 cure, and succeeded admirably. So sit down and prepare 
 yourself for a good long talk." 
 
 He seated himself, a little amused at her manner. She 
 drew a footstool close to his side, and appropriating it, 
 rested her arm upon his knee. 
 
 " We have been so happy, so very happy ! It seems like 
 a dream, or a page out of a fairy book. Mr. Auchester 
 came last night I sent for him." 
 
 Richard might' have seen it all at once, as she thought he 
 would. Instead, he braced himself for the blow with that 
 mechanical stoicism we use in the great straits of life, when 
 every faculty is stunned. He looked steadily beyond Daisy's 
 face, at the corner of the table. He remembered for years 
 afterwards the peculiar conformation of the black scroll-work 
 and clusters of flowers on the crimson ground of the cover ; 
 and a Church Journal that overhung the edge, so nicely bal- 
 anced that he almost expected to see it fall to the floor with 
 a breath. The blood curdled at his heart, and impelled him 
 to shiver with icy coldness ; but he resisted stoutly. 
 
 She saw his face turning pale. That he could misunder- 
 stand her, appeared so utterly impossible that it never crossed 
 her mind. She could only explain it as displeasure against 
 Mr. Auchester. 
 
 " Richard," she cried, "please don't be angry ! I know 
 you do not think it for the best ; but Lily loved him so, and 
 he was willing to come to forget all the past. It seems 
 so right, so just, to me. Why should two people, who love 
 one another dearly, be kept forever apart, and miserable, for 
 lack of a few words ? " 
 
 " What was it you said ? " 
 
 Richard pressed his hand to his forehead, and shut his 
 eyes, for the whole room whirled round with lightning rapid- 
 ity, and he could no longer think. Was it not Daisy ? Surely 
 he had not heard correctly. 
 
 "Lily and Mr. Auchester " but Daisy's voice sounded 
 far away, fathoms deep under the sea.
 
 DR. BEBTHAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 343 
 
 She was greatly distressed. With a grave, almost tear- 
 iiil earnestness of tone, she made another beginning. 
 
 " I am sorry that you cannot approve. It might not have 
 been quite right to take the matter in my hands, but it had 
 to be done then, if at all. When you see their perfect hap- 
 piness, I think you will forgive me." 
 
 " Their happiness," he repeated, in a confused, absent 
 way. " Lily's and Mr. Auchester's ? " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 He placed his arm around her with a sudden, ungoverna- 
 ble impulse. He gazed into her eyes until the crimson tide 
 of her heart flashed up and drowned the white out of brow 
 and cheek. His again ! O, it was too strange, too sweet ; 
 incredible ! The very glory of assurance blinded him. 
 
 Presently he made a strong effort to calm himself, and 
 asked, 
 
 " What about Lily ? " 
 
 " It was all my doing. Are you very angry ? " 
 
 " Angry with you ? child, Daisy, as if such a thing 
 could ever be ! Tell me the whole story." 
 
 She told it simply, as if she had been a third person, yet 
 withal so beautifully, that he listened as to a romance ; all 
 the while thinking how wondrously she understood human 
 love, and human hearts. 
 
 She brought her story down to the present moment, end- 
 ing with, " They are in the drawing-room." 
 
 " Let me think a moment. And they have really resolved 
 to be good children. Daisy, how dared you meddle with a 
 man like Mr. Auchester ? And am I to go in and give con- 
 sent for the second time ? " 
 
 " Yes," with a happy smile. " But 0, Dr. Bertrand " 
 
 " What ? " he interrupted, with an amused look. 
 
 "Kichard," she corrected, bashfully, "there is another 
 thing I want you to do for my sake." 
 
 " Anything for your sake. On that ground you may 
 dictate terms like a tyrant."
 
 344 IN TRUST, OK 
 
 " Then," joyfully, " I mean to have just my OTTO way. 
 And it's about the marriage. Mr. Auchester doesn't wish to 
 give up going to Europe, and he does want to take Lily with 
 him. I think it much better than a long engagement." 
 
 " Amen to that," said Richard. " Truth to tell, I'm afraid 
 Lily wouldn't be quite safe all that while. And if they do 
 love each other, as now there seems no question about it, 
 I think the wisest course would be marriage, even at this 
 hasty rate." 
 
 " O Richard, you have made me so happy ! " Then she 
 clasped her arms around his neck, and kissed him of her own 
 sweet accord. 
 
 He held the little arms in their place for many seconds, 
 and gave back kisses uncounted. He wanted to tell her the 
 perfect rapture in his heart, but he could find no words. 
 
 " And you are not displeased ? " she murmured, her face 
 all hidden by his. 
 
 " 0, no, no. How could I be, when yon have restored 
 Lily to happiness ? Love is such a dear, precious treasure ! 
 I am afraid I made a little mistake in the beginning. What 
 I intended for carefulness, Lily construed into license. Per- 
 haps the wisest course would have been to have relinquished 
 all authority in the affair, and delivered her at once into Mr. 
 Auchester's keeping. But it's so hard always to do the best 
 thing for the circumstances. Lily needed a mother's thought- 
 ful care ; " and he sighed a little. 
 
 Daisy went off to announce Richard. Obeying Mr. Au- 
 chester's invitation to enter, she caught, in his full, rich 
 voice, the last lines of Coleridge's Love, 
 
 " I calmed her fears, and she was calm, 
 
 And told her love with virgin pride ; 
 And thus I won my Genevieve, 
 My own sweet, smiling bride." 
 
 " After the poets, Daisy," he said, glancing up. 
 " And after Daisy, the doctor," she returned "a sugges- 
 tive alliteration."
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 345 
 
 "Dear old Dick! is he here?" and springing up, Lily 
 ran into the hall, to be clasped to a heart whose warmth and 
 fondness no fault could ever destroy. 
 
 " Dick ! " she began, in a voice that sounded as if it 
 came through waves of tears ; and what she could not say 
 was lost in kisses. 
 
 " I know all, my darling. God sent Daisy to be an angel 
 to us. She always finds the shortest path out to the light." 
 
 " Yes. And I am so happy ! I believe I never knew 
 what happiness was until last night. And, Richard, will 
 you I mean the trouble was all my fault, and he " 
 
 " Shall have his dear, naughty girl, with my blessing, 
 Lily. But one doesn't need two such lessons in a life. I 
 can trust you henceforward ? " And he glanced deeply into 
 her eyes. 
 
 They filled with tears. ** Yes," she answered, quite 
 humbly. 
 
 " Now for Ulric." 
 
 Lily was delighted to hear him use Mr. Auchester's Chris- 
 tian name. There had always been a fine, indescribable 
 formality between the two. 
 
 The gentleman answered for himself, by advancing to 
 meet them. A warm color suffused his noble face, as, 
 reaching out his hand, he said, in a tone that clearly asked 
 a favor, 
 
 " Dr. Bertrand, will you not give me a brother's place in 
 your heart, as well as your household ? " 
 
 " Willingly, joyfully ; " and the two hands rested in a olasp 
 cordially fraternal. 
 
 " If you can trust me, I hope to redeem the past." 
 
 " And I think Lily understands better what she is doing 
 than she did six months ago. We have all made some mis- 
 takes about it except Daisy." 
 
 They entered the room again. The manner in which Lily 
 clung to Richard touched him deeply. The conversation 
 unconsciously fell into a sweet, half sorrowful strain.
 
 346 IN TRUST, OK 
 
 Afterwards Richard and Mr. Auchester discussed the 
 subject by themselves, and arrived at a most amicable con- 
 clusion. 
 
 " I am sorry to go away, on some accounts," Ulric said, 
 "and if the position was offered to me now for the first 
 time, should hardly accept it. But, besides being a per- 
 sonal friend of Hon. Mr. , the opportunity is really too 
 
 fine to be thrown up without just cause. Since Lily is will- 
 ing to go, and has a great desire to travel, I think I can 
 make it very pleasant for her." 
 
 " It will also be better for you to begin your life away 
 from old associations," Richard replied ; and thus consent 
 was given for a marriage at their eai'liest convenience. 
 
 " Auchester is a fine fellow," he admitted to Daisy, after- 
 wards. " I believe I never did him quite justice before." 
 
 Mr. Auchester concluded to go to New York that evening 
 with Richard. He explained to Lily that there must of neces- 
 sity be a great deal to do. 
 
 "And I'll write to Alice this very night, and hurry her 
 home." 
 
 " 0, that would be too bad ! " exclaimed Lily. 
 
 " She would rather come, I know. She would never for- 
 give us if we went on by ourselves. Besides, she is a capi- 
 tal judge of all feminine matters, and will know just where to 
 begin, to make the affair come out straight. You are not 
 strong yet, and I can't have you worried with the thousand 
 and one things that belong to a wedding." 
 
 " How wise you are ! " Lily rejoined, mischievously. 
 
 " Yes ; or, at least, determined. So you have nothing to 
 do but get well and rosy as fast as possible. I shall be up 
 every day or evening until you are strong enough to go 
 home." 
 
 " I think I could do it now. Or shall I try to-morrow ? " 
 
 " Not until Alice returns. Remember how tired you were 
 this morning, and the headaches. I want to show Richard 
 what excellent care I can take of you. And now be a good
 
 DR. BEETBAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 3*7 
 
 child, and obey every word of Daisy's. I appoint her my 
 vicegerent." 
 
 Lily said good by. Yet somehow it came very hard. 
 
 " What if I should never see him again, Daisy ? " she said, 
 solemnly, trying to keep back some foolish tears. " People 
 die suddenly, you know " 
 
 ** Since you have both been so near the grave, and lived, 
 I think you can trust God for the rest." 
 
 "I will," she answered, rebuked for her momentary 
 distrust. 
 
 She went to bed quite early, and soon fell asleep. The 
 excitement and exertion had not injured her any, they all 
 perceived on the following morning. She tried to sew a 
 little, and succeeded very well. 
 
 " I will not be sick a day longer," she said, in a resolute 
 tone. " It is clearly indulging in laziness/'
 
 348 IN TRUST, OH 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 Mine to the core of the heart, my beauty ! 
 Mine all mine, and for love, not duty ; 
 Love given willingly, full, and free; 
 Love for love's sake, as I love thee. 
 
 Duty, a servant, keeps the key; 
 Cut Love, the master, goes in and out 
 Of his goodly chambers, with song and shout, 
 
 Constant and happy, merry and free ! 
 
 Miss MULOCK. 
 
 As Mr. Auchester expected, his sister hastened home, 
 leaving her tour unfinished. She could not wait a day, but 
 went immediately to Kothelan to see Lily, and express her 
 delight. Still she was greatly disappointed to think Ulric 
 was again going abroad. She could not resist saying, 
 
 " I did so hope he would settle down somewhere in quiet, 
 and behave like a reasonable citizen of the United States." 
 
 " I am afraid it is my fault," began Lily, penitently. 
 "If I had not " 
 
 " Well, we will forgive you, since you are to pay for the 
 mistake by years of exile. I am more than glad to have it 
 end even this way, since you have learned how necessary 
 you are to each other's happiness. But Ulric wants to start 
 just as early in December as he can. So you will have only 
 about three weeks in which to prepare." 
 
 " Three weeks ! " said Lily, in dismay. " Why, I believe 
 Bel was a whole year making wedding clothes." 
 
 " The sooner the better, my dear, for it will grow colder 
 every day. It is a bad season for a sea voyage, too ; but 
 since Ulric is so resolutely bent on going, the best thing 
 seems to be to go as soon as possible. He quoted Mr.
 
 DR. BERTRANll's HOUSEHOLD. 349 
 
 Rochester to mejaot an hoar before I started : ' Fine clothes, 
 and all that, are not worth a fillip.' Still you must have a 
 few, I think." 
 
 " I don't know what can be done in that little while," 
 Mabel said. 
 
 " 0, you'll see how much I can accomplish. I mean to 
 be real industrious after this long idleness," rejoined Lily. 
 
 Mrs. Suydam laughed. 
 
 "If you could have heard half the charges Ulric gave me, 
 you would not count on doing very much. ' Don't worry 
 her with troublesome details,' said he ; ' for as soon as she 
 comes home, I shall take her under my wing, and you will 
 hardly catch sight of her.' " 
 
 " Somebody must go out shopping, and all that." 
 
 " Ulric may possibly grant you permission to shop, but it 
 wouldn't surprise me if he bought out a dry-goods' store at 
 auction, and sent it home to you." 
 
 This time it was Lily who laughed. " We will see," she 
 said. 
 
 And they did see. The next day Richard took Daisy and 
 Lily home. Mrs. Suydam and her brother came over to 
 dinner, and afterwards they proceeded to make arrange- 
 ments. Ulric insisted that Lily was not strong enough to 
 be burdened with so onerous a duty, and that Alice should 
 take charge of the trousseau, leaving only the selecting and 
 approval to Lily. Richard allowed her carte blanche in the 
 matter, glad to have Lily so relieved. Mrs. Suydam's wide 
 experience of fashionable life rendered her competent for 
 the undertaking. Her energy, and the cheerful manner in 
 which she went about everything, were good to behold. 
 
 So the next day there was a grand shopping excursion, 
 which included Daisy, Lily, Mrs. Suydam, and, part of the 
 time, Mr. Auchester. After a peculiarly lovely shade of 
 blue silk had been selected, his interest flagged, however. 
 Mrs. Suydam possessed rare delicacy and good judgment. 
 She thought they could fin'd all they needed at Stewart's ; 
 30
 
 350 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 and therefore Lily was not, dragged about^ the city. While 
 she and Daisy went through various departments for minor 
 but still necessary articles, the lovers discussed the relative 
 beauty of white satin and white silk. 
 
 " I believe I like those soft, heavy silks best," Mr. 
 Auchester said. " I don't know which is the more suitable, 
 but I do not ever want to see you in anything stiff, that 
 gives you a dressed-up look. I dislike it." 
 
 " We'll have the silk, then," was Lily's decision. 
 
 Mrs. Suydain did not think it necessary to purchase more 
 than Lily needed at present, for the sake of mere show. 
 Her gift was an elegant velvet cloak, at which the child was 
 surprised and overjoyed. The whole affair was concluded 
 satisfactorily, only Lily whispered to Daisy, " It doesn't 
 seein as if I had half enough ; but then Mrs. Suydam never 
 makes a parade over anything ; so I suppose it's all right." 
 When she had the dresses fitted, Ulric concluded their num- 
 ber was legion. 
 
 Mrs. Suydam carried her point about another matter. 
 She wanted the wedding to take place from her house, and 
 in Trinity Church. 
 
 " Ulric said I was not to insist upon it," she explained to 
 Lily, " because he had to hasten the time in such an un- 
 ceremonious manner. But as you are to leave immediately, 
 this will be the only compliment he can pay his friends. He 
 spoke of it first himself, but he was afraid you would not 
 quite approve." 
 
 Lily thought it made no difference to her, so long as 
 Philip performed the ceremony. Richard would rather have 
 given his birdling his blessing in her dear old home, but he 
 acquiesced, for he could see that it would be more con- 
 venient. And then Mrs. Suydam had taken so much trouble 
 was still giving her whole attention to dress-makers and 
 little details that would have puzzled Lily sorely. Daisy, 
 Mrs. Hall, and the sewing machine made brisk work of it at 
 home. There was a continual going back and forth from
 
 DR. BEKTEAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 351 
 
 city to city. Mr. Auchester was Lily's relentless shadow. 
 He would not listen to such a thing as her sewing, although 
 she declared if she was so idle the marriage would have to 
 be delayed another month. 
 
 Lily's languid state indisposed her for any vigorous men- 
 tal exertion ; and so Ulric found his little rebel very tracta- 
 ble. She was quite content to leave the guidance of her 
 bark in more experienced hands, and drift gently down the 
 stream in measureless content. Yet besides this there were 
 principle and regard. She had reached that point of affec- 
 tion when to inflict pain on one beloved gives the heart a 
 pang. Satisfied to be entirely happy, supremacy of will 
 tortured her no more with its illusive importance. 
 
 Finding no longer a swift current of opposition to his 
 wishes, Ulric Auchester grew unconsciously gentle. As a 
 commander resolved upon besieging a fortress, he was stern 
 and uncompromising ; but after the capitulation, one found 
 him the most clement and considerate of conquerors. Re- 
 lying fearlessly upon his generosity, Lily found she gained 
 more from him than in the early and unsatisfactory days of 
 their engagement. 
 
 " Only," she said, laughingly, to Daisy, " he doesn't want 
 me to be too good. He told me a story last night about 
 Count and Countess Somebody, I've forgotten the name, 
 who were so very amiable and unselfish that each insisted 
 on giving up any point under consideration, and was so in- 
 tent upon doing just what the other wished, that the result 
 was, they could never agree upon pleasures, or journeys, or 
 the commonest events of every-day life. Finally they both 
 became angry over so much goodness, quarrelled, and 
 parted an event we desire to avoid, as it would be exces- 
 sively inconvenient when we are in Russian wilds." 
 
 " Siberia is not far off," suggested Daisy, with a mirthful 
 gleam in her eyes. 
 
 " Daisy, you do not more than half believe in me. I 
 suppose it does seem odd to you that I should find something
 
 852 IN TKUST, OE 
 
 better in the world than iny own ' sweet will ; ' but it is even 
 so. And the matter that once appeared so difficult to me, 
 has resolved itself into the simplest of all elements. I just 
 begin to learn what a pleasure it is to yield. I suspect I 
 have given you all trouble enough, heretofore." 
 
 Daisy could not forbear kissing the sweet mouth, so ready 
 with its concessions. 
 
 Lily astonished Mr. Auchester one day by asking if they 
 could not as well embark at Boston. 
 
 " Certainly ; but why ? " and he looked surprised. 
 
 " I'll tell you why, though you must help me keep it a secret. 
 We all went to see Robert off poor, dear Robin, who never 
 came back. It will remind them so much of that. I want 
 everything to be gay and happy up to the latest moment. 
 It will be sad enough when it is all over. And therefore I 
 want it as little like that parting as we can possibly make it." 
 
 Tears were glittering in her eyes. Touched by her thought- 
 fulness, he replied, 
 
 " My darling, it shall be as you wish. I think it a better 
 arrangement." 
 
 So he announced that he intended to take Lily to Boston, 
 to show her the city. 
 
 " It will not do for her to go abroad without having seen 
 a little of her native land. I only wish there was time for 
 a more extended tour." 
 
 No one questioned or made any comments. And after 
 that, Mr. Auchester kept himself and Lily in the most bril- 
 liant spirits. Everything went on auspiciously. November 
 was remarkably pleasant ; and although it was rather low- 
 ering and cold the last of the month, December came in 
 brightly. Mrs. Suydam was untiring, yet never displayed a 
 sign of fatigue or trouble. When the dresses were done, she 
 packed them, at least, all those Lily would not be likely to 
 want soon. Having travelled much herself, she knew just 
 what was needed, and the best disposition to make of every 
 article. And last of all the wedding dress was finished ; the
 
 DK. BERTKAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 35* 
 
 veil and wreath came home, and some elegant presents were 
 sent in that quite astounded Lily. Nothing remained but 
 the ceremony* 
 
 " If it will only be clear ! " she said, as she laid her head 
 on the pillow in her own room at home the last time she 
 was to be there as Lily Bertrand ! Whether she should ever 
 come again, God only knew. She trembled at the thought 
 of her new life, yet she could not wish it different. Love 
 with her was at full tide. Fear was cast out. She cried 
 humbly to God that his presence might go with her to 
 strengthen and support. 
 
 The morning was most beautiful a clear, crisp air ; a 
 sky of the peculiar frosty blue, seen only on the finest of 
 winter days ; and a sun whose splendor had never been ex- 
 ceeded. Lily was wild with delight. Before breakfast she 
 ran from room to room, saying good by to nooks and cor- 
 ners that held for her dear memories, both pleasant and sad. 
 Here mamma's face seemed to gleam out a sweet, yet in- 
 distinct vision, something that brought a waft of heaven and 
 the angels. And dear, dear papa ! She drew a long, quiv- 
 ering breath. He had carried them up stairs on his broad 
 shoulders, played hide-and-seek with them through rooms 
 and halls. Here they had all laughed with him on that fatal 
 evening.. In the room below they had kissed him for the 
 last time the last time ! and then her tears fell fast in- 
 deed. A little distance above here, in the cemetery, he lay 
 asleep, waiting for the dawn of the resurrection ; beside 
 him, baby Charlie a dream, a strand of Daisy's life woven 
 in with theirs. Here they had laughed and frolicked with 
 Robert ; here Mabel's quiet girlhood had passed, blessed with 
 all that makes life so rich to enjoy. And her own ! 0, the 
 dear old home ! the happy household, dividing, straying off 
 into the keeping of others! 
 
 She came to the table with a smiling countenance. Her 
 resolute will stood her in good stead this day. She kept 
 them all merry by the force of her own gay spirits, fullj 
 30*
 
 354 IN TKUST, OK 
 
 resolved to have her day shadowed by no gloom. Arcluo 
 had returned the night before. After the meal they started 
 for New York. % 
 
 Mr. Auchester met them at the ferry with the family car- 
 riage. As they were riding up, he glanced at his watch, and 
 whispered to Lily, " It is ten. Only three hours more ; " 
 which called a bright color to her face. 
 
 At Mrs. Suydam's they were greeted by the Rothelan 
 household. Little Alice dressed in her beautiful christening 
 robe to do honor to aunt Lily's bridal ; Bel, sweet and fair, 
 in her lavender-colored silk ; Philip, in a sort of merry 
 mood, amusing himself by quoting Katharine and Petruchio 
 to the blushing couple. 
 
 There was no break or awkwardness anywhere. Every- 
 body's apparel, to gloves and handkerchief, was in the most 
 perfect order, and readily found. There was no bustle, no 
 disorder, and plenty of time. Indeed, too much, Mr. Au- 
 chester thought. The moments lingered unconscionably. 
 
 At length the dressing began. Lily's hair, always so 
 beautiful, needed no more artistic hands than Daisy's. The 
 golden ringlets rippled in their silken sheen and softness like 
 a summer sunbeam. And then came the lovely white silk, 
 with its ample, flowing skirt and train, its point lace ; the 
 veil, whose filmy folds seemed like a soft cloud, toning down 
 her dazzling radiance, and shutting within the purity and 
 beauty of girlhood. A wreath of orange blossoms and starry 
 jasmine crowned her. 
 
 There had previously been a little discussion about Daisy. 
 Since her baby's death she had worn mourning steadily. 
 Richard, in his perplexity, had applied to Mrs. Suydam. 
 
 " A deep purple silk will be the prettiest and most suit- 
 able for her," the lady answered readily. " There will be 
 nothing in the color to disturb her. I think she will not 
 object." 
 
 The dress had been a gift from Richard. Mrs. Suydam 
 managed the rest. A tiny ruche of illusion at the neck and
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 355 
 
 wrists, and Daisy was lovely indeed a pleasing contrast 
 to the tall, elegant women fluttering about the apartment. 
 
 Lily went down to the library to be inspected by Mr. Au- 
 chester and Richard. She flushed a little as she thought of 
 the night of the party, when Ulric first twined flowers in her 
 hair, and asked her not to waltz with any one but him. 
 
 Both gentlemen gazed at her in admiration. Indeed, it 
 was impossible to do otherwise. 
 
 " The carriages ! " announced Tessy, running through the 
 hall, bright and childish in her pink silk, and important with 
 the thought of holding Lily's bouquet during the ceremony. 
 
 Lily put her hands upon Richard's shoulders. Her lips 
 moved, but no sound came ; her eyes sparkled with some- 
 thing beside their own lustrousness. 
 
 " I know all," he said, gently. " And whatever of pain 
 there may have been in the past, I want you to remember, 
 when you are far away in your new home, that you have 
 given me much joy, much comfort. And in our dear fa- 
 ther's place, whose duties I have often failed to perform 
 rightly, I say, God bless you, my darling, forevermore. May 
 His face shine upon you continually." 
 
 " Dick ! tender and true. Papa could have been no 
 more patient could have loved me no better." 
 
 He kissed away the tears ready to fall. 
 
 The whole party came trooping down the wide stairs. Mr. 
 Suydam gave orders in his courteous fashion, saw that the 
 ladies were well wrapped in shawls, and marshalled them to 
 the carriages. A niece of his, hardly second to Lily in 
 beauty, was to be bridesmaid. 
 
 " It's a shame to cover up so much white glory," Ulrio 
 said, with a laugh ; " but it won't do to run the risk of hav- 
 ing you shiver with the cold, or look like a ghost." 
 
 They then started. The midday sunshine transfigured the 
 winter scene, and imparted a certain warmth to the atmos- 
 phere. Arriving at the church, the party lingered a few sec- 
 onds to disrobe, and pass under Mrs. Suydam's watchful eye.
 
 856 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 Ulric bent over Lily until cheek and lip touched. 
 
 " The last kiss of girlhood," he said. 
 
 It brought a bright flush to her face, whose rosy hue 
 hardly died away during the ceremony. She was amazed to 
 find herself so tranquil, listening, answering with solemn 
 joy, being given away by Richard, and feeling the ring as it 
 slipped to its place on her finger her golden chain, the 
 signet of another's proprietorship. 
 
 Their pride in Lily was certainly very pardonable. She 
 was indeed most exquisitely beautiful as she stood there, 
 calm, unconscious of self, yet so thoroughly human and wo- 
 manly. Mrs. Suydam was glad to show her to her own and 
 Ulric's friends, dowered in her own right with a peerless 
 loveliness no gold could ever buy. And the crowd who 
 gazed felt its wondrous power. 
 
 Ulric and Lily knelt to receive the blessing, while the rest 
 stood. After this Mr. Chaloner's hands were folded over 
 both heads, and his voice, ripe to tremulousness with age, 
 repeated that most beautiful and tender of all benedictions : 
 " The Lord bless thee and keep thee ; the Lord make his 
 face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee ; the 
 Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace, 
 both now and evermore." 
 
 Before they rose Ulric kissed her. Her husband's first 
 kiss ! Lilian Bertrand's seventeen years of girlhood were 
 ended ; Lilian Auchester's new life begun. They walked 
 slowly out of church in a spirit of great calm and happiness, 
 she trustful, clinging ; he with a certain mdnly grandeur 
 and dignity that enhanced the beauty of his face and figure. 
 
 Mrs. Suydam, with her characteristic delicacy, had for- 
 borne to invite even her most intimate friends to the house. 
 Her own as well as her husband's hospitality was of that 
 high order which never leaves a sense of obligation. And 
 on this last day she gave up the house to them with so cor- 
 dial a sweetness that each one felt entirely at home. So 
 there was a joyous season of kisses and congratulations
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 357 
 
 after their return. All wanted a special look at Lily, and 
 she had to stand with Mr. Auchester as she did in the church. 
 
 "After all," said Tessy, gravely, glancing at Lily, "I 
 think he is fully as handsome as you ; " which frankness was 
 greeted with a peal of laughter. 
 
 " Bravo ! " returned Ulric. " That is the first compliment 
 I have had, after all my efforts to render myself elegant as 
 possible. Tessy, if his High Mightiness, Count Petropo- 
 loswatoski is still unmarried, I will whisper a private word 
 in his ear, and save him for you." 
 
 " I won't have such a name ! " was the child's energetic 
 rejoinder. 
 
 A summons to luncheon interrupted them. Lily took off 
 her veil, and went to the table in her wedding dress, to the 
 great delight of everybody. They had a grand, enjoyable 
 time. Mr. Suydam, as host, was admirable. He drank 
 Lily's health, and showered upon them both wishes grave, 
 gay, and not a few whose comicality elicited much mirth. 
 From the ladies Ulric came in for his full share. 
 
 A little time ^o don travelling attire, to interchange a few 
 of those tender, sisterly words so hard to utter when the 
 heart is full to overflowing. Yet they could hardly realize 
 that Lily was going away for years. It seemed as if in a 
 few weeks she must come back to them. 
 
 A good by to Ann, Martin, and Mrs. Hall, who had 
 come over to witness the wedding. The rest went to the 
 depot at Twenty-seventh Street. And there Ulric found a 
 crowd of literary friends, who had stolen a march upon him 
 friends who shook hands in a heartfelt fashion, breathed 
 wishes that would linger like benisons when the blue ocean 
 rolled between them. They glanced at the bride, in her 
 dress of rich, warm brown, not less elegant or graceful than 
 when in church, her beautiful face framed in with white and 
 scarlet, her golden ringlets gleaming with every movement. 
 Her smiles and responses were enchanting. And both were 
 blessed with a " God speed" from generous hearts.
 
 358 IN TEUST, OR 
 
 Lily nodded from the car window, bright and radiant, as 
 they steamed slowly out of the depot. But the face she 
 turned to her husband was flooded with a rain of tears. 
 
 " And now," exclaimed Philip, when they had returned 
 to the house, " nothing remains but for us to drink skal to 
 each other, and depart in peace. Dear, winsome Lily ! 
 How we shall all miss her ! And yet it is a marriage after my 
 own heart. The right man and the right woman, in spite 
 of trouble and perplexity. Richard, my dear fellow, your 
 family is thinning out." 
 
 " Yes." Both look and tone were a trifle sorrowful. 
 
 " And since we have lost our beautiful Lily," said Mr. 
 Suydam, " I shall lay claim upon this little girl. The chil- 
 dren are wild to have her visit them, and I'll promise 110 
 dangerous young man shall fall in her way." 
 
 "Not quite yet, I hope," subjoined Richard, amused at 
 the idea of such an event in connection with Tessy. 
 
 Daisy and Bel enjoyed a little feminine cry up stairs. 
 Then, much against Mrs. Suydam's entreaties, they began 
 to prepare for a departure. 
 
 " It has been such a delightful day ! " said Mabel. " And 
 you have made it doubly enjoyable to us all." 
 
 " Lily is worthy of, and welcome to, all that I have done. 
 But it is so unsatisfactory to have them go oif in this style ! 
 I am afraid in a few days we shall begin to consider it a 
 dream. And this certainly is the best baby in the world," 
 she continued, tying cloak and hood upon Alice. " When 
 she grows up we will have another bonnie wedding with a 
 fair lassie." 
 
 The most heartfelt adieus were exchanged, and promises 
 of visits not few nor far between. 
 
 " I think, Dick," Archie proposed, " that I had better go 
 right on to school. Then to-morrow will not be a broken 
 day." 
 
 Richard acquiesced. 
 
 " I'm coming home Christmas to have a good time with
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 359 
 
 you, Daisy ; " and he kissed her with boyish fervor. '" Tessy, 
 child, good by." 
 
 " It was such a nice wedding ! " Tcssy said, as they sat 
 over their late supper. " So much prettier than Bel's ! If 
 ever I get married, I shall be dressed in white silk." 
 
 Ilichard bestowed upon her a quiet smile. 
 
 Lily found time during her two days in Boston to write a 
 letter home. It was dated by hours. Every time she came 
 in from a ride or walk she had a few lines to add. The 
 Mall and Mount Auburn were despoiled of much of their 
 glory at this season ; but she went to the top of Bunker 
 Hill Monument, and to many other interesting places. And 
 Ulric was charming beyond any description she could give. 
 
 Richard was glad to have her take up life in this earnest 
 fashion. She had been home so little, of late, that her 
 absence did not seem at all strange. The household had 
 not been much disturbed by these few weeks of pleasant 
 confusion, and soon resolved itself into its former native 
 quiet. Tessy went to school, and being a great favorite 
 with her young friends, was full of engagements. Daisy 
 studied music perseveringly, and attended to Richard's 
 comfort.
 
 360 IN TEtTST. Olt 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 " Come ! If you come not, I can wait ; 
 
 My faith, like life, is long; 
 My will not little, my hope much; 
 The patient are the strong. 
 
 Yet come, ah, come ! The years run fast, 
 
 And hearths grow swiftly cold 
 Hearts, too ; but while blood beats in mine, 
 
 It holds you, and will hold. 
 
 And so before you it lies bare : 
 
 Take it, or let it lie : 
 It is an honest heart, and yours 
 
 To all eternity." 
 
 A WEEK later, perhaps, Richard came home one evening 
 and found Daisy alone in the library, her work-basket on the 
 table, and some trifle of sewing in her hand. 
 
 " This is nice and cosy," he said, with a cheerful smile 
 " to sit under one's own vine and fig tree, or roof tree, if 
 you prefer, seeing the quotation sounds summery, and 
 know there is to be no more marrying or giving in marriage 
 for a month, at least." 
 
 " I think your rejoicing rather premature ; " and Daisy 
 looked amused. " Not an hour ago I had my consent, or at 
 least approval, asked." 
 
 " By whom, indeed ? " His face expressed his astonish- 
 ment. 
 
 " It is quite a story ; so you may as well sit down and lis- 
 ten. Our applicant is Mrs. Hall." 
 
 His quick perception remarked the our in her sentence. 
 
 " Mrs. Hall ! Well, I am surprised ! Not but that she 
 is a worthy woman, and deserves to be happy."
 
 DR. BEBTEAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 361 
 
 " Yes, deserves to be happy. She is good and kind. A 
 very excellent gentleman, I believe, who lost his wife several 
 years ago, has persuaded her to fill the place. He has two 
 daughters, one of whom married last winter, and removed to 
 Chicago. The other has kept house for her father since ; 
 but she longs to visit her sister, and the sister is anxious to 
 have her. Mrs. Hall had promised to marry him in the 
 spring, but this younger girl, Carrie, is all impatience to go 
 West, and begs her father to hasten his marriage. There 
 seems no good reason why Mrs. Hall should refuse. He 
 owns a pleasant little cottage, and has a home all ready for 
 her is a steady, an industrious man. I fancy Mrs. Hall 
 thinks more of him than she cares to show." 
 
 " Well, really ! Of course there is but one thing to say. 
 Only, how shall we replace her ? I am afraid it can never be 
 done." 
 
 " That is just what I want to talk about, Richard ; " and 
 the thoughtful little face was turned from thejieedle-work to 
 him. " As Mrs. Hall says, nearly everything is so different 
 from what it was when she first came here. The children were 
 little, and needed much attention, and the sewing occupied 
 a great deal of her time. Now the sewing-machine makes 
 that easy work ; Archie will be home very little hereafter ; 
 there are only Tessy, you, and I a small family. Cares 
 are greatly lessened, and Mrs. Hall seems to think we can 
 I dispense with her very well. Ann is an excellent cook and 
 manager, and Martin so willing to do anything out of his 
 special province ; so I want you to to " 
 
 Daisy blushed, and became confused. Something in the 
 eyes, bent so earnestly upon her, caused the blood to rush in 
 quick tides to and from her heart. 
 
 " The case is stated very systematically. What shall I 
 do?" 
 
 " I want to be housekeeper," she said, bravely. " I don't 
 seem to have much to do, and, like Ann, I'm afraid I shall 
 soon begin to grumble at the lack of work. I want some- 
 31
 
 362 IN TKUST, OK 
 
 thing to busy my mind about, and give me a pleasant inter- 
 est. I dislike to feel so idle and useless." 
 
 Richard came around behind her chair. He had intended 
 to wait weeks longer before he spoke of his love, for in the 
 last few days he had realized how utterly ignorant she was 
 of any deeper than brotherly feeling on his part. He meant 
 to unfold it by degrees, to draw from her little tokens of re- 
 gard, so that, when the time came, she might know her own 
 heart. But how few plans of life ever can be put into exe- 
 cution ! He felt he must speak now. 
 
 " Will it not be too fatiguing ? I cannot have your mind 
 all occupied with cares and duties to the exclusion of myself. 
 You see I have not arrived at the perfection of unselfish- 
 ness." 
 
 " 0, no. I shouldn't do very much. And it would never 
 take my evenings, for dinner is out of the way so early. I 
 think Mrs. Hall would be better satisfied if we did not need 
 any one immediately, for in her heart there is a little idea 
 of a divided duty. She has devoted herself to your welfare 
 for such a long while. At all events, let me try this winter. 
 I have grown so well and strong now, that you need not be 
 at all afraid." 
 
 " Your eloquence persuades me to try the experiment." 
 
 " 0, thank you ! thank you, a thousand times ! " Her tone 
 was joyous. " You have done so much for me, that I long 
 to repay you a little." 
 
 Bending over her from above, he took the sweet face in 
 his hands. 
 
 " My darling," he said, in that full tone one falls into in- 
 sensibly, in the great moments of life, when one is thrilling 
 with the radiance of hope, happiness. "My darling, you 
 can repay me, and I want to be repaid." 
 
 She struggled to free herself. Her breath came rapidly, 
 and in a sort of blind, confused way, she murmured, 
 
 " Can I ? How can I ? " 
 
 There was a few seconds' silence. He wanted to look on
 
 DK. BERTRANDS HOUSEHOLD. 363 
 
 the beaded cup before he raised it to his lips the spar- 
 kling wine of life ! Then he said, softly and simply, for the 
 grandest truths require but few words, 
 
 " There is a better and dearer position for you to fill, my 
 little Daisy. I love you. I want you to be my wife." 
 
 " Richard ! " The cry was bitter, heart-breaking. " 0, 
 what made you say it ? What made you love me ? I can 
 never, never marry you ! " 
 
 He started aghast. 
 
 "Think a moment, Daisy. Why can you not? Have I 
 been too hasty ? " 
 
 " No, it is not that. But I cannot marry you. It almost 
 kills me to pain you, but the truth is best." 
 
 Her voice was wonderfully, fearfully calm ; cold it sounded 
 to him. He was stunned hurt and faint to the very heart's 
 core. Such a living, burning, despairing anguish as rushed 
 over him, he had never experienced, even when he fancied 
 her lost forever. Her tone seemed to cut him off from hope 
 still more than her words. 
 
 " O, if you had only let me die long ago, Richard ! I 
 think you kept me alive, and this seems like such bitter in- 
 gratitude ; but it is not. Why did God let me live to wound 
 you, my best, my kindest friend ! " 
 
 He tried to recover himself a little. He was still weak, 
 like a man who has been drifting about many days in mid- 
 ocean, under a scorching sun, waiting for some friendly sail to 
 come and rescue him. But her pathetic cry touched him to 
 the quick. 
 
 " No," he returned, " you shall not wish yourself dead for 
 the sake of any pain you have given me. I will be strong 
 and bear it. Yet tell me " 
 
 " No, I cannot ; don't ask it. I am surely, surely right." 
 
 He tried to think of some cause. In that moment there 
 seemed only one that she had loved Robert more than he 
 suspected ; that she did not love him, and was too honorable 
 to mislead in the slightest degree.
 
 364 IN TRUST, OK 
 
 " Richard, Richard, forgive me ! " With that cry she 
 found her way to his arms, and nestled there like a stricken, 
 shivering bird. " If you knew how it breaks my own heart 
 to pain you, you would pity me a little. I will stay here ; I 
 will never go away unless you wish it. I will do all I may 
 for your happiness ; but that one thing I can never do." 
 
 Unconsciously she had appealed to his strongest feeling 
 generosity. Why should he torture her by vain questions ? 
 She appeared so positive, so resolved. If she could not love 
 him, why not accept his fate like a man ? for every pang 
 he caused her to suffer inflicted double pain upon himself. 
 He would always keep her ; and, though no tenderer tie 
 might come between them, hers would be the one face by 
 his hearth. 0, no, it was not quite desolation. 
 
 " Forgive me, forgive me," she pleaded. 
 
 " I do. God above knows how sincerely." 
 
 " Thank you." It was a penitent, half-inarticulate murmur. 
 
 " Daisy, you will stay here always ? " 
 
 He called her by the dear name he had given her, causing 
 her heart to thrill with thankfulness. 
 
 " Yes, always, always ; unless you send me away." 
 
 " I shall never send you away." 
 
 The voice was so sweet, so sorrowful ! All the man's ten- 
 derness, all his grand, true love spoke in it. 
 
 " 0," she said, brokenly, " you are so good ! " 
 
 The wet face touched his. The sweet mouth lingered of 
 its own accord. What passed into her kisses that they should 
 so stir his very soul ? The effect on him was electrical. He 
 was too bewildered to stir or speak. Could it be possible 
 she did love, and was still ignorant of it ? He could not 
 believe her lost to him. There was some mistake. 
 
 Presently how, neither could ever have told 'they took 
 their seats quietly, she pretending to sew, he pretending to 
 read. Ann came for some orders, which she gave in a com- 
 paratively calm tone ; Tessy returned from a neighbor's ; 
 they all said good night, in the ordinary manner, and 
 dispersed.
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 365 
 
 Richard lowered the light, and resting his elbow on the 
 table, dropped his forehead on his hand, and fell into a 
 reverie. His heart gave a great bound as he remembered 
 Daisy had not once said she did not love him. Was it some 
 imaginary duty, or vow to Robert, that bound her ? He looked 
 the matter dispassionately in the face. She was willing to 
 remain ; nay, she evidently seemed to desire it. His regard 
 was so precious to her, that she had pleaded for it. He knew 
 better now than at any time in his past life what love really 
 was, and he understood a woman's nature more clearly. 
 Daisy bore him a deep, tender affection, so akin to love that 
 he hardly knew how to make a distinction. If it were only 
 haste on his part, and surprise on hers, the matter could 
 easily be remedied. Or some duty she fancied she owed the 
 dead he would learn what it might be, and prove to her 
 that God did not require any such sacrifice. He could with 
 a word release her from all bonds ; but he must suffer many 
 tortures indeed before subjecting her to so cruel a humilia- 
 tion. That she knew or suspected the truth, Richard never 
 imagined. 
 
 Well, he would wait. His patience had been taxed so 
 many times that he resigned himself now with scarcely a 
 sigh. If she did love him, she could not altogether hide it. 
 She would not be able always to evade the close watch he 
 meant to keep. Some word, some glance, would betray her. 
 He did not wholly despair. 
 
 Tessy had pleaded so to be Daisy's room-mate, that during 
 these cold nights the two shared the same bed. And Tessy, 
 innocent child, talked in her pleasant, confidential fashion, 
 said her prayers reverently, and burrowed under the soft 
 comfortables, curling herself up in a ball to await Daisy's 
 advent, the golden-crowned head alone being visible on the 
 pillow. 
 
 Daisy tried to read a little, but the words had no meaning, 
 and fell on her brain like lead. She took some geranium 
 leaves out of her hair they were beginning to droop. 
 31*
 
 366 IN TRUST, OB 
 
 Richard had twined them in the soft braids just before dinner. 
 Her fingers trembled over them caressingly ; then she opened 
 her prayer book, and laid them in with touching tenderness. 
 
 " Daisy, hurry to bed. I'm almost asleep." 
 
 It was a very sleepy tone. 
 
 She knelt down to pray. It seemed as if she had so much 
 to ask for ; yet all she could Say was, " God be merciful to 
 me give me strength and courage to save him." Then 
 there was a long break. No matter what else she said, these 
 sad-toned refrains came in continually. Now and then a 
 tear fell, but she did not really weep. Her wet face grew 
 cold ; her whole frame began to shiver irrepressibly. She 
 realized that a sudden chill might lead to sickness, and she 
 could not again endure being questioned by Richard ; so she 
 crept into bed. Tessy was soundly asleep. With the friendly 
 darkness around her, self-control relaxed a little, but she 
 never sobbed audibly. 
 
 It was her extreme humility that led her to save Richard 
 from what she considered a false step one he would surely 
 regret in coming time. At his first word of love, the whole 
 history of her married life rushed over her with one of those 
 vivid lightning glances that pierce to the very depths of 
 the soul. He dared not, could not, acknowledge her mar- 
 riage until after Robert's death. What if Robert had not 
 died ! The thought was too terrible. One other circum- 
 stance fortified her mind strongly, and indeed had, all 
 the evening. She had acquitted Richard hundreds of times 
 for the pain he gave her in not wishing the baby to be called 
 by his name. But this had always seemed the strongest 
 proof to her that in his heart he felt and recognized the 
 peculiarities of her position. There was no anger mingled 
 with this. It was right he should do so ; and now, when he 
 was carelessly forgetting it, she would save him. 
 
 Save him from what ? 
 
 And then, as if the clouds had been opened, a sudden 
 revelation overpowered her. All this time she had been
 
 DB. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD.* 367 
 
 counting on a mere abstract fact her duty in a certain view 
 of life. She had not considered the one great love at all. 
 This glimpse of her heart terrified her. When or how thia 
 new passion had dawned upon her, she could not tell ; but 
 she knew.it was Richard's love that had made all these later 
 months so delicious, and her love for him. This was the 
 glamour that had dazzled her ^eyes. And now what must she 
 do ? If it was right an hour ago not to burden him with a 
 half-blighted life, it was right now. Richard was worthy of 
 the noblest woman in the land. 
 
 And if in time he met and loved this most noble woman ? 
 
 She placed her hand over her mouth, so that she might 
 not be constrained to cry aloud in her anguish. Her eyes 
 throbbed and burned like balls of fire ; her heart beat in 
 high, surging waves ; but her hands were icy cold. Yes, 
 she loved him. And sitting at his table, being his compan- 
 ion through long, quiet evenings, interesting herself in all 
 matters pertaining to his household, yet knowing the one 
 place she could never fill, would be martyrdom. She had a 
 dim presentiment that the struggle would be too great for 
 her, and she must succumb. Yet the end seemed death ; 
 and it would be hard to leave such a bright, happy world. 
 
 She heard the clock strike every hour of the night. Most 
 of the time she lay with wide-open eyes, peering through the 
 darkness for a ray of hope. Once or twice, in childhood's 
 restless love, Tessy flung her soft arms around Daisy's neck. 
 She kissed the dear face, so like Richard's. Then visions 
 of Lily floated by, the time she had said, " It is such a 
 blessed, blessed thing to be happy ! " the time she had stood 
 at the altar and the last sight of her sweet face. After a 
 while morning dawned. 
 
 Six months ago Daisy would have betrayed her vigil. She 
 was a trifle pale, and her eyes had a certain weariness ; but 
 it was noticeable only to the keenest observer. Richard saw 
 it, but let it pass without comment. The breakfast hour was 
 made cheerful by Tessy's animated description of her last
 
 368 IN TKtJST, OB 
 
 evening's entertainment. Then the child had a hunt for her 
 books. Richard was waiting in the hall, for he always drove 
 her to school in the morning. She ran back to kiss Daisy. 
 
 " Good by," said Richard, through the half-open door. 
 
 Daisy swallowed a great sob, and rose from the table with 
 unsteady steps. She had no right to complain of the with- 
 holding of any caress. But she knew, by the experience of 
 those two unforgotten days before Lily's accident, how ter- 
 ribly his coldness could punish her. And, by the same sign, 
 she knew how much she cared for him. She began to con- 
 sider whether she was really right, and found her firm faith 
 of the night before wavering. 
 
 Mrs. Hall had been made happy by an evidence of Rich- 
 ard's interest and approval, and she asked Daisy to go out 
 with her to select her wedding dress. This done, they called 
 on Miss Carrie Bentley, and found her a pleasant as well as 
 pretty girl. 
 
 " She doesn't seem to dread a step-mother very much," 
 Daisy said, afterwards, with a smile. 
 
 " 0, no. And when she is at home, I shall try to make it 
 agreeable for her. Mr. Bentley is fond of his children, 
 and I should be very sorry to come between, and create bad 
 feeling. But I think everything will be right." 
 
 Richard was in and out through the day, as often hap- 
 pened when he did not have to visit patients at a great dis- 
 tance. Daisy's evident discomposure touched him, and, it 
 must be confessed, gave him a secret thrill of joy. But just 
 at dusk, as he was called away by a sudden summon?, the 
 weary face, with its downcast eyes, moved him to pity. He 
 took her hand in his, but checked the rising impulse towards 
 a warmer demonstration. 
 
 " Daisy," he began, quietly, " since we have resolved to 
 Accept the old life, let us take it up bravely, and be as happy 
 as we were before." 
 
 " Yes." She uttered the word mechanically, her whole 
 eoul protesting against the impossibility.
 
 DR. BEBTJKAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 369 
 
 " Kiss me, child. There, we are friends for all time 
 are we not? Mistakes are not irremediable. Kindest good 
 night." 
 
 His manner threw her completely off her guard. She felt 
 pained at the incongruity of his lightheartedness. Not a breath 
 escaped him. He was in that mood of subtle penetration, 
 when one feels empowered to translate the most hidden 
 secret. So he went out into the cool night with a heart 
 throbbing from a sense of pleasure, rather than pain. 
 
 On the whole, Daisy was more at ease after this day. 
 Richard began to manage the case from his premises, ap- 
 pearing blind to the momentary weaknesses that overtook her. 
 Mrs. Hall's approaching marriage interested her. The wed- 
 ding was quite a contrast to Lily's. Mrs. Hall went to church 
 in her plain brown silk dress, and after evening prayers were 
 ended, stood up with Mr. Bentley and said her vows. Then 
 he took her to the new home, where a few friends were wait- 
 ing to congratulate and make her welcome. 
 
 Richard had accepted Philip Gregory's invitation to spend 
 Christmas at Rothelan. Under any other circumstances he 
 would have preferred remaining at home, but he deemed the 
 change advantageous to Daisy. He fancied she was begin- 
 ning to droop a little. Tessy and Archie were more than 
 delighted. Richard went up with them, and enjoyed the 
 pleasant festival, but as he could not stay, came a week later, 
 and brought them home. 
 
 The next excitement was a long, closely-written letter 
 from Lily. She gave a most amusing account of her sea- 
 sickness, and one storm they had encountered. They were 
 likely to spend the coldest part of the winter in Germany, 
 and had already fallen in with some of Mr. Auchester's 
 friends. It was the old, gay Lily in every line. But when 
 she came to Ulric's care and tenderness, Daisy could hardly 
 refrain from tears. These things had a new meaning for her. 
 
 And now their days were indeed rounded by outward calm 
 and quiet. The joyous old house took on an almost lonesome
 
 370 Iff TRUST, OR 
 
 air. " 'Deed, Mrs. Bertrand," said Ann, one day, " it's 
 a pity there are no more childers to grow up after Miss 
 Tessy. It's a bad trick they have of making men and wo- 
 men. A house isn't half so pleasant when there's no one to 
 pet and scold." 
 
 Daisy, who had hitherto been self-reliant to a wonderful 
 degree for so gentle a nature, began to grow strangely dis- 
 trustful. She had not the courage to go over the events of 
 that painful evening again, and tried to satisfy herself with 
 the commendation that she had at least acted honorably. But 
 a point she had not then considered came up to trouble her. 
 If Richard, knowing all her past life, had loved her, and 
 asked her to be his, was it right for her to condemn him to 
 unhappiness ? 
 
 She found it quite impossible to take up the old thread of 
 life, and go on satisfactorily. Knowledge had come in the 
 place of innocent unconsciousness, and knowledge is not 
 necessarily joy. It cast a sombre, reflective shadow. She 
 rarely felt at ease. Sometimes for an hour she forgot the 
 burden ; but when she raised her eyes, it confronted her. 
 Thus it came to pass that the solitary talks with Richard 
 were no longer a delight. A nameless fear crept around her, 
 lest in some unguarded moment she should do wrong, since 
 she could no longer tell what was right. She took Tessy for 
 an intimate companion. A third person had come to be a 
 relief between her and her best friend. 
 
 Richard grew stronger and more resolved each day. That 
 Daisy was restless and disturbed, he could see plainly. 
 That she tried to hide her heart from his scrutiny, he could 
 also divine ; but he ceased to fear. When he again besieged 
 the fortress, he intended it should capitulate unconditionally. 
 He evinced no impatience ; love was becoming too really grand 
 for that. 
 
 The auspicious moment came at last. Tessy had put on 
 her choice pink silk in great state for a birthday party of 
 one of her schoolmates. While Daisy sewed some blonde
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 371 
 
 edging on her blossom-tinted gloves, she fluttered around in 
 childish delight. Richard and Daisy went out to see her 
 safely bestowed in the carriage. 
 
 " I want to stay a good long while. Be sure not to send 
 Martin until after the clock has struck one," she said. 
 
 Richard smiled in amusement. Then he shut the door, 
 and they walked together into the library. For a wonder, 
 Daisy made no excuse to hasten away. His easy chair stood 
 before the table, and sitting down in it, he still kept his arm 
 around her waist. 
 
 She was in an absent mood, and let things go by without 
 any thought. She did not even observe the silence, that 
 lasted several moments. He fancied the face was paler and 
 thinner ; certainly it was sorrowful. 
 
 " Daisy ! " A slight turn of his arm brought her to a seat 
 upon his knee. 
 
 Roused from her abstraction, she glanced up. The eyes 
 that met hers were tranquil, but determined not to be 
 easily evaded. 
 
 " Daisy," and the tone was so natural that she scarcely 
 started, "I want to ask you a few questions. Nearly two 
 months ago we discussed a matter that gave us both much 
 pain. Yet, in thinking it over, I find that I want it settled 
 in a more satisfactory manner. Do you love me, Daisy, as 
 women do those who are always to be first and best ? Is it 
 Yes, or No ? " 
 
 She was bewildered for an instant. She tried to turn her 
 eyes away, but he transfixed them by some subtle magnetism. 
 Her face flushed slowly. 
 
 " I think it is Yes," he went on. " Since that night I have 
 read much of what you have been trying to hide from me. 
 And now, Daisy, as love is clear, what is it that stands be- 
 tween us and happiness ? " 
 
 " O, please " There was a world of entreaty in her 
 voice, and her face began to droop. He allowed it to fall 
 upon his shoulder. Then he continued :
 
 372 IN TRUST, OK 
 
 " But I do not please. You have chanced upon a very 
 tyrant this time. I cannot allow you to make us both mis- 
 erable. I think you will not want to, when all is understood. 
 That night I was hasty to speak, and as hasty in giving up. 
 But I believe I hold all your happiness in my hands, even as 
 you do mine. Speak, Daisy ; is it not so ? I cannot take 
 silence this time." 
 
 To keep him from raising her face, she said, faintly, " Yes." 
 And then the secret of her heart was told. 
 
 " There was some trouble I have never been able to quite 
 understand. Was it because you loved, or fancied you had 
 loved, another ? " 
 
 " No." 
 
 " Whatever we may have thought in those early days, we 
 have learned since that the true love of our lives was its later 
 blossom, not its first; or, at least, that it is not quite im- 
 possible to love again. You will tell me what the difficulty 
 was ? " 
 
 He felt her shiver in his arms, yet she did not offer to stir 
 or go away. 
 
 " I believe I know all the events of your life. There is 
 not one that could in the slightest degree alter my love for 
 you. Can you say the same for me ? And if there should 
 be any word or deed whereby I have pained you, Heaven 
 knows I repent it sorely." 
 
 She knew his love was of the unchangeable. Beating 
 against the tide was simply useless ; she must soon be 
 overborne by the current, swept away from her fancied 
 moorings, and' compelled to face this broad, calm ocean. 
 What matter ? She was weary of struggling, and repose 
 seemed good. She had only to reach out her hand to her 
 guide. 
 
 " You have always been kind noble." 
 
 " That is not sufficient, Daisy. Something is still left 
 unsaid. I love you well enough to trust you with every 
 thought of my life. I want you to do the same. Truth and 
 confidence are the only basis on which we can rest." ,
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 373 
 
 She made a great effort at calmness in this extremity which 
 it was impossible to evade, nay, absolutely wrong. 
 
 "Richard," the voice was faint and slow, and came up 
 through tears, "you said you knew all. And if it had 
 been Mabel, or Lily, whose life " 
 
 " What do you mean ? " There was no longer composure, 
 but alarm. He had never, fancied her hesitancy proceeded 
 from anything deeper than a little sensitive pride ; surely, 
 that fatal secret was locked safely in his own heart. 
 
 " I mean that I know just what you did for me, gave me 
 a home and a name, when I could not have claimed either." 
 
 She felt the arm around her tremble with strong emotion. 
 
 " Good heavens, Daisy ! But it is quite impossible ! Child, 
 let me look into your face ! What terrible thing have you 
 dreamed ? " 
 
 She was the calmer now. The shadow of fear fell away 
 when the brightness of his love shone upon it. The cross 
 she had so blindly borne fell into fragments. Her hand 
 found its way down to his, and clasped itself among willing 
 fingers. 
 
 " I believe you never meant me to know it, you shielded 
 me so carefully. But in an evil hour " 
 
 He was all fire and energy. His voice trembled with sup- 
 pressed anger. 
 
 " Did that wretch dare, after all her solemn promises to 
 me " 
 
 " No one dared. Richard, let me bear my own fault. 
 I learned it by accident. It was so wrong." 
 
 " Daisy," his voice was husky and broken, " tell me 
 the truth, child." 
 
 She repeated the story her finding the torn scraps of 
 Robert's letter, her journey to New York, her resolve to go 
 away, and her utter inability so to do. More than once she 
 faltered, and was compelled to pause, thankful that her face 
 was hidden from him. 
 
 " My poor child ! To endure it in silence so long ! Why 
 32
 
 374 IN TKUST, OR 
 
 did you not come to me trust me ? Is not my love suffi- 
 cient for you now ? " 
 
 That sweet tone conquered the last remnant of pride, 01 
 distrust, or whatever it might have been, making a gulf be- 
 tween them. She had been shielded, not so much by a 
 sense of duty, as by the irresistible power of love. It was 
 all clear now. 
 
 " Richard," she confessed, with most touching humility, 
 " I was wrong that night. I am yours, if my life, if my 
 love, can atone " 
 
 " Daisy ! sweetest flower of the world, won at last ! 
 at last my own ! " 
 
 There was a silence of tender tears, tender kisses. 
 
 By degrees they gained courage to talk over the past. 
 Just as one recalls a half-forgotten song some chance word 
 has suggested, line by line, until it all comes back, Richard 
 traversed the days, until he thought he must have loved her 
 first when she came upon him that morning in Mrs. Davis' s 
 room. To him she had never been Robert's wife. She 
 understood now that it was more from a sense of tender 
 exclusiveness, almost jealousy, and not dislike, that he had 
 spoken when she had proposed the baby's name. He told 
 her, of his own accord, how he had taken himself to task 
 afterwards. And all the incidents of her life, to the episode 
 with Mr. Auchester, which, terrible as it seemed at first, 
 had led to such happy results, betrayed how she had always 
 been, in his heart, 
 
 " best, 
 Loveliest without compare." 
 
 She listened as if in a dream. Was there indeed so 
 blessed a thing in store for her as this tender, ever-present 
 love ! With every word of his she realized it more truly. 
 And she was thankful to give him what he prized so dearly 
 her whole heart. The shadows of the past fell away. 
 This later love, purified by suffering, grown strong amid 
 long, dreary vigils and many tears, stood boldly forth now, 
 and was crowned with a holy, ever-enduring faith.
 
 DR. BERTKAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 375 
 
 Tessy came home flushed and happy. Daisy stole shyly 
 away from her lover. Yes, it had coine to that ! 
 
 There were no differences, no misunderstandings. They 
 went their way peacefully, growing more deeply into each 
 other's hearts with every passing hour. She felt she be- 
 longed to him in a peculiar sense, and he re-read his dream 
 of love this time the blossom of truth, and constancy, and 
 manhood. They could not take life in Lily's joyous, riotous 
 fashion, but they were none the less happy. 
 
 Mabel was their only confidant until the bridal day was 
 appointed. That was for early June a quiet affair, with 
 the same folded hands to bless her that had blessed Lily. 
 She took upon herself her true name Daisy Bertrand, 
 Richard's wife ! It gave her a feeling of sweet, solemn 
 awe. 
 
 Afterwards a grand holiday. Not Europe, as Richard 
 had once dreamed ; not with the woman who had filled out 
 that picture ; but over wonderful lakes and wonderful rivers, 
 through cities that had risen as if by the command of the 
 fabled genii ; over broad, smiling prairie lands, back again 
 to Niagara, to the St. Lawrence with its crown of beauty 
 the Thousand Isles. How happy they were ! how content ! 
 
 Last of all, home. She crossed the threshold, as a blessed 
 wife, whose portals she had passed for the first time with 
 her dead baby. She clung to her husband's arm, and 
 glanced up into hia grave face, and the royal smile that 
 illumined it was her welcome. 
 
 " The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him, 
 and the Lord shall cover him all the day long."
 
 376 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 That more and more a providence 
 
 Of love is understood, 
 ' Making the springs of time and sense 
 Sweet with eternal good ; 
 
 That all the jarring notes of life 
 
 Seem blending in a psalm, 
 And all the angles of its strife 
 
 Slow rounding into calm. 
 
 And so the shadows fall apart, 
 
 And so the west winds play ; 
 And all the windows of my heart 
 
 I open to the day. 
 
 J. GK WHITTIEB. 
 
 Do you care for any more ? Great joy, like great grief, 
 is sufficient unto itself, and needs no translator. Therefore 
 the clasp of happy years must always be Carlyle's " golden 
 silence." Yet joy does not come to every one. Wan 
 and trembling hands reach out for it often but too vainly. 
 Hungry eyes entreat for it with that wordless pathos nothing 
 save, the coffin lid can shut out go blindly down through 
 life, groping for what has dropped out of their cup. Grod 
 pity them ! Do not such worn and weary souls need a 
 heaven far beyond what happy ones require ? 
 
 But of the peaceful years that came to the Bertrands 
 there is not much to say. No shadows, few fears. A steady 
 going on to the life eternal. Days as perfect as ever come 
 to any one. 
 
 Will you look at one more picture a June day in 
 the old garden under the elm tree ? Did you ever pause 
 and examine an elm tree that has grown very old ? It has
 
 DK. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 377 
 
 long, stout arms reaching out hither and thither. When 
 these were younger and shorter, they brought the foliage 
 together with a peculiar density. The sunlight was sifted 
 through in golden grains. For thirty or forty years, mayhap, 
 no new branches have grown, only slender little twigs, wav- 
 ing things that droop like moss, and flutter to the faintest 
 breeze. The long, brown arms are all covered. A cluster 
 of leaves hangs out here and there on so fine a stem that it 
 seems suspended in mid air, or simply painted against the 
 blue sky. And the branches growing farther apart every 
 year, with no new ones to fill up the interstices, the sun- 
 shine falls through in streams. If we could all be sunnier 
 at the last ! 
 
 The family are gathered there, except one who " is not " 
 one to whom Daisy even has learned to give a tender 
 place in memory. The picture is more perfect without him. 
 Alas, that we should say so of any one who has ever been 
 one of a happy home circle ! 
 
 Richard Bertrand is ten years older than wheli his dying 
 father commended these children to his care. His face is 
 still grave, for all its happiness, but so sweet, so full of 
 unutterable kindliness blossoming out with steady beauty ! 
 Behind him, Daisy, who will never outgrow that look of 
 later childhood. Separate her from the rest, and she might 
 sit for a study of dawning girlhood. But her children are 
 here. Aubrey, who will never be called Richard, though 
 that is his name as well, because she keeps it for only one 
 in the world. There is something in his face suggestive of 
 the Charlie who early fell asleep in Christ. It used to trou- 
 ble her at first with a tender, motherly pain. But this Lily, 
 trying to balance herself on her small feet, while her father 
 steadies her with his hand, is the perfect embodiment of 
 laughing babyhood a little romp, a mischief, a darling 
 plague. And beside her uncle, whose favorite she is, stands 
 Alice Gregory, bidding fair to emulate in looks, at least, 
 the Lily of past times. Below them, at a little distance, 
 32*
 
 378 IN TBUST, OR 
 
 Philip and Mabel. In her lap she has the latest born of 
 her household, pink and white perfection ; while her sturdy 
 boy, two years the junior of Alice, tumbles over Archie's 
 shoulder, now and then achieving a fall on the soft grass. 
 They are a little older, but Mabel is still as fair and sweet. 
 Cares do not disturb the serenity of her soul. And Archie, 
 through all these later years, has been a pride and comfort 
 to Richard. He possesses a little of Robert's elegance and 
 winsome manner, but nothing of his disposition. At New 
 York they consider him one of the most promising of the 
 " Seminary boys." He is looking forward to the time when 
 he shall take Holy Orders, and go to Rothelan a young 
 deacon, as Philip once planned under this very tree. 
 
 For Philip is rector at Rothelan. The reaping and 
 gathering angel of the Lord has taken Mr. Chaloner home 
 in the ripe harvest time, after a long and useful life. Philip 
 is greatly beloved, as Mabel once wished, " for his own 
 sake." Rothelan has enlarged her borders on every side. 
 At the river side in beautiful Gothic and Italian villas, down 
 by the Station, in simple cottages, a mill or two, and many 
 new inhabitants. Archie has been planning a chapel for 
 this spot. Philip has some trials, but many joys, and the 
 warmest sympathy of his parishioners in every good 
 word and work. Foremost among his vestrymen, faithful, 
 efficient, ready for any labor of love, stands Wilfred 
 Joslyn. His sisters are married and gone from home. 
 He- and his mother are alone, will always be, save when the 
 daughters come home, bringing their children. It will be a 
 pleasant place for them, and in any want or distress an 
 abiding shelter. He is a great favorite. His horses and 
 carriage, and himself, are at the service of the ladies, and 
 those a little passee, or not abounding in this world's goods, 
 welcome his coming with a frank smile. They can depend 
 on his kind heart for many attentions. But no one counts 
 on marrying him. He shows so plainly in every act, 
 every word, that he has settled himself in the groove
 
 DR. BERTHAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 379 
 
 where he is to bide all the days of his mortal life. No ono 
 fancies that he has been disappointed. But the sun rose over 
 him once. He is content with that morning, though glow- 
 ing midnoon and ripe fragrant evening must come to him 
 only in dreams. But he does not go at once to the night 
 and darkness. 
 
 He knows Mrs. Auchester has come home, richer by two 
 children than when she went away. When she visits Roth- 
 elan, he will take his mother over in a quiet, old-fashioned 
 way, to call upon her; his mother was always fond of 
 Lily Bertrand. If, somewhere in a quiet nook, he should 
 come across her children, straying off with the free daring 
 of babyhood, he may, unperceived, give them the kiss he 
 dared not give their mother, for the sake of the dreamland 
 children who are never to grow up around his fireside. He 
 does not blame Lily. He would much rather have her 
 memory to halo his path, than any other woman's love. Of 
 the many things she has said and done, he recalls one poem 
 she repeated in the shady woods something about sweet 
 white brow, lips of geranium red, and the hair's young gold. 
 Two lines are all he can remember consecutively : 
 
 " But one thing, one, in my soul's full scope, 
 Either I missed, or itself missed me." 
 
 God will forgive him. HE was there, you know, in the 
 hour of the man's bitter agony, when he went down, as 
 many of us have gone, during these eighteen hundred years, 
 into a garden of Gethsemane, and prayed first, " Father, re- 
 move this cup," but afterward, " Thy will be done." Among 
 the souls of heroes you shall not find a nobler one than that 
 of this man, who understands the word only in its common- 
 est acceptation. He is content. 
 
 And on the lowest terrace, crowned with the setting sun, 
 stands Lily Auchester, her husband's arm thrown carelessly 
 around her waist. The same handsome, refined, and stately 
 man, with gracious dignity of carriage, and unstained lofti- 
 ness of soul shining out of his deep eyes.
 
 380 IN TRUST, OR 
 
 But this woman ! A little more than five years ago the 
 girl went away. You have all many times in your lives 
 realized the simile of the bud and the rose. It is trite, but 
 fragrant, and perfect in the way of comparison. For this 
 Lily Auchester is regal. She has been glorified by wife- 
 hood, and glorified again by motherhood. There is something 
 almost sacrjed about her beauty ; it awes you, hushes you 
 into that strange quietude, in which you almost forget to 
 breathe. Tall, rounded with the perfection of symmetry 
 which sculptors adore ; tinted with the coloring painters try 
 for, but rarely succeed in prisoning on the canvas. The 
 expression of the face bewilders you. You feel that she 
 could be haughty, icily cold, hold herself far above the 
 common forms of womanhood, if she chose. But in her 
 own life she had dignified and exalted them. She has 
 lived as if in a happy dream, 
 
 " Ransacked the ages, spoiled the climes," 
 
 lingered over the marvels of the old world, with that best of 
 all guides a man who loved them first for their own sake, 
 and again because they were so precious to the woman he 
 loved best. What days they have had ! so full, so perfect. 
 Love with them is of perpetual growth. He rejoices in her 
 beauty, she has a more than wifely pride in his genius. But 
 above all, shining with pure and steady light, stands affection. 
 
 She smiles a little over admiration now. At St. Peters- 
 burg she had her fill, at Paris a surfeit of it. The emperor 
 remarked the wondrous perfection of that rarest of all types, 
 her pure blonde beauty. In her world there is but one king. 
 loving and loyal subject, " the heart of thy husband doth 
 safely trust in thee ! " 
 
 A rosy-cheeked German girl, whose imperturbable good- 
 nature shines out in every feature, walks up and down with 
 a twenty months' baby in her arms, and a little four years' 
 old at her side. He kicks the gravelly sand with the toe of 
 his pretty slipper, and nurse admonishes him with a gentle
 
 DB. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 381 
 
 shake. It answers for a moment ; then another shower of 
 sand flies before the little feet, and another shake is given. 
 But Master Richard is a sturdy little rebel, and contests a 
 point persistently. Nurse hints something about "papa," 
 and he looks shyly out of his great dark eyes at the tall 
 figure, seeming now the perfect embodiment of ease and in- 
 dulgence. But he has already learned, in his childish fashion, 
 that disputing papa leads to an encounter in which he comes 
 off not second best, or best in any degree so he desists. 
 And yet the child gives his father a most earnest and pas- 
 sionate affection, too profound for his years. Both boys 
 have inherited their father's rather than their mother's 
 beauty. That may be a girl's dower. 
 
 On a rustic seat sits Tessy, and lounging over the back, 
 twining flowers in her hair, is a familiar figure, distinct from 
 the rest, and yet who may one day be numbered among the 
 household. Tessy has Lily's shining hair, but in less wealth 
 of abundance, but not her wondrous beauty, nor even 
 Mabel's classic sweetness. She has an individual sweetness 
 of her own, however, that one instinctively trusts, and is 
 very dear to Daisy. She is a plant of slower growth than 
 the others, but unfolds in daily fragrance. 
 
 Leonard Auchester has hardly reached his full stature 
 not alone as to height and breadth of muscular devel- 
 opment, though that is growing more compact and sym- 
 metrical. But the man's soul is coming up into something 
 grand, that will presently ring out with electric force, and go 
 vibrating down along the years. Wise and powerful states- 
 men are made of this materiel. He has a good face. The 
 boyish crudenesses have been replaced by manhood's firm- 
 ness and dignity. It does not remind you of Fred's dan- 
 gerous beauty, that sensuous Grecian elegance that carries 
 about with it a strand of the old-world heathenism Fred, 
 who is still winning and breaking hearts, and laughing 
 daintily. 
 
 Every summer Leonard comes to while away a few pleas-
 
 382 IN TRUST, OE 
 
 ant weeks in Tessy's vicinity. Nothing has been said, but 
 they can all see the end from the beginning. No one cares 
 to disturb this first bloom of love's young dream. It is too 
 sacred to be rudely broken in upon. 
 
 So they all talk in the desultory fashion of old friends 
 met together. Many blessed associations cluster about this 
 place. Here they learned their first lessons of joy and 
 grief. Here they have laughed and wept. Up stairs, in a 
 drawer, there is a box of shining rings of hair that Richard 
 will keep for a memento, long after Tessy is gladdening 
 another home. Here they saw the first steps of a ladder, 
 not less glorious than that of Bethel remembrance, reaching 
 up to heaven. Some have traversed it already, softly say- 
 ing, " Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me." The rest 
 wait in summer plenitude and hope. 
 
 Philip leans over his wife. " Bel," he begins, in a low 
 tone, " do you remember the time we sat under this tree 
 appointing a wedding day ? I said then that Richard, above 
 all other men, was the one to cherish a loving wife, and 
 have babies prattling at his knee. Look now the picture 
 is filled perfectly." 
 
 She looks. Richard is sitting on a little elevation in grave 
 and tender manliness; Daisy leaning over his shoulder 
 Daisy in that glory of girlhood, that came, as all her best 
 things did, in later life. It is such an earnest, entreating 
 face, so full of humility, so abundant in sweetness and truth. 
 Aubrey has possession of one of papa's hands, lapping the 
 fingers one over the other, until he gets them into a proper 
 position, when he utters a magical " Jack, fly away," at 
 which they all disperse, and resolve into fingers again, to 
 his great amusement. The other arm is around baby Lily. 
 She steadies herself a moment, gives a little gurgling sound 
 of admiration very satisfactory to herself although her lin- 
 gual acquirements are rather limited and perfectly intelli- 
 gible to papa, who smiles as the little soft chin goes down 
 upon his knee, and the dear eye's look up for a commenda- 
 tion that babyhood's unreasoning faith rests in securely.
 
 DR. BERTRAND'S HOUSEHOLD. 383 
 
 And then, by a sort of electrical intuition, Lily turns 
 her eyes upon them. Daisy has a consciousness that they 
 are all thinking of her, and the old, shy, dainty blush 
 another thing she will never outgrow crimsons her face. 
 She leans it down on Richard's shoulder, where it is hidden 
 by his beard as he turns from baby to wife. His lips meet 
 hers. He kisses in the midst of a smile, and feels rather 
 than sees the sunshine ; he also kisses in the midst of tears. 
 They never bring any idea of sorrow to him now. Daisy 
 would be a little less than Daisy without them. 
 
 " Richard," the sweet mouth murmurs. 
 
 " My darling ! " 
 
 He remembers what his father said so long ago. Did the 
 dying eyes, so soon to open on the glory of God, see more 
 clearly ? "A Benjamin's portion." 
 
 It is his.