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THE ELLWOODS. 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
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NOTICES FROM THE ENGLISH PRESS. 
 
 THE ELLWOODS. A Novel By Dr. Charles 
 Stuart Welles. Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, 
 Kent &Co. , Ltd., London. Morgan M. Renner, 
 II Broadway, New York. 
 
 The Times. — "This novel, with a preface on the survival 
 of the spirit of prophecy, has a prolonged love affair but 
 expounds views on marriage, religion and other subjects." 
 
 Belfast Northern Whig. — "No one will deny this author 
 a high ethical purpose and a cultured and scholarly style, 
 whether his subject be forgotten philosophies or the financial 
 question." 
 
 Nottingham Guardian.— "The love-story is told in a very 
 interesting way, and we get some picturesque descriptions of 
 the scenes on the north coast of Devonshire, amid which the 
 romance is brought to a climax." 
 
 Scotsman.—" The Ell woods' has a high moral tone through- 
 out — but the author is not always didactic, and he can tell 
 a pretty love-story. Most of the characters, indeed, in Dr. 
 Welles's pages, are drawn with life-like touch." 
 
 Literary World. — "This scholarly and interesting book — 
 an intellectual treat! The author's idea of thus reaching the 
 unthinking public is, in a sense, justifiable; for big questions 
 are dealt with in a most able manner." 
 
 Athenaeum.— ''Dr. Welles holds that Christianity is but 
 little understood; that religion is based upon a most perfect 
 conception of the marriage state, and that when this is properly 
 understood we shall arrive at the Millennium," 
 
 Cardiff Western Mail. — "The Ellwoods' is a novel with a 
 purpose, the Jm being to indicate the way to the elevation 
 of national . Is. It is a remarkable book in many respects, 
 and deserves a cordial reception from the reformer." 
 
 Shef Id Telegraph.— "The title of The Ellwoods' affords 
 no ic.. of the drift of the author, whose desire is cheifly to 
 indicate the most glaring obstructions in the paths of reform — 
 but there is much that is interesting in the book besides 
 political theories." 
 
Liverpool Courier. — "Dr. Welles writes with great force 
 and clearness, and also with a wide knowledge of the topics 
 he discusses. Indeed, some of his arguments on social and 
 economic questions are luminous and instructive ; and they 
 are the more attractive from their distinct originality." 
 
 Aberdeen Free Press. — " 'The Ellwoods' has all the elements 
 which go to constitute a good story. It has variety of charac- 
 ter and picturesqueness of well-defined personalities. It has 
 action and reaction and progresses through antagonisms, with 
 convergence of action towards a definite and desirable end." 
 
 Glasgow Herald. — *'Dr. Welles has original views on many 
 subjects. He has written an extremely interesting book, if 
 not a brilliant tale. The reader is carried in spirit in many 
 directions. In the multitude of points, the reader is apt to 
 ignore the writer's wide knowledge and marked capacity for 
 generating theories." 
 
 Daily Telegraph. — "Writers have given us religious, political, 
 and socialistic novels, novels with a moral, a legal, and even 
 an economic purpose ; but Dr. Welles's romance aims at being 
 all these in one. The great factor in the regeneration of 
 human kind is to be a change in the existing monogamic laws ; 
 for the doctor asserts that 'no polygamous history affords a 
 parallel in vice to the secret side of modern monogamy.' " 
 
 Paris-American. — "The author proposes a new code of laws, 
 under present social conditions, in order to realize ultimately 
 a higher plane of morality for society. Anyone who reads 
 The Ellwoods' carefully will come to the conclusion that the 
 justifiable protection of illegitimate children and the weapon 
 of certain claims upon men, which the author would place in 
 the hands of many unfortunate women, so far from disin- 
 tegrating society and the family circle, will act as an enormous 
 check upon the vices and corruption of the present age." 
 
 Liverpool Mercury. — "Dr. Welles has, at all events, the 
 courage of his convictions. And they are so forcibly put and 
 so trenchantly advanced, that they invariably stimulate thought. 
 Once the obstructions to reform are removed, he believes 
 'that the purification of society and the revival of learning 
 will ensue ; that those virtues and graces which animated the 
 ancients will be revived.' The Millennium ! Let it be said 
 again, that the tenets which Dr. Welles advances are worthy 
 the respect and scrutiny of thinking men. All the opinions 
 are argued out in ample detail, and the views advanced 
 resolutely and without heat of expression. One lays the book 
 aside with the conviction that Dr. Welles has no worse 
 purpose to serve than that of his day and generation." 
 
THE ELLWOODS 
 
 BY 
 
 CHARLES STUART WELLES, M.D. 
 
 
 LONDON! 
 
 Simpkm, Marshall, Hamilton 
 Kent & Co*, L'td* 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 Morgan M, Rennet 
 
 it Bfoadway 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1901, by 
 Charles Stuart Welles, in the office of the Librarian of 
 Congress at Washington. 
 
 Entered at Stationers Hall, London, England, in the year 1904. 
 
 t'i' 
 
 [All rights reserved.] 
 
augu 
 9 Rolani 
 
 Londa 
 
Entered according 
 Charles Stua J 
 Congress at \ 
 
 Entered at Stationi 
 
 • t 
 
 [All rights reserved,] 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 SHOULD some apology be necessary for introduc- 
 ing within these pages various social, legal and re- 
 ligious theories, the author points to the simple fact that 
 the novel and the drama have, in many countries, of late 
 years become the teachers of that portion of the public 
 which cannot give its time to special study. 
 
 That the present work is a novel with a social and 
 political purpose it is useless to disguise; but it must 
 be understood that it has been the author's desire simply 
 to indicate the most glaring obstructions in the paths of 
 reform. These barriers once broken down, there then 
 may be avenues opened for the elevation of national 
 ideals and for the purification of society. The age of the 
 revival of learning will be at hand. Those virtues and 
 graces and that physical and metaphysical development 
 which animated the ancients will be revived; but on a 
 more world-wide scale. The brotherly love of Christi- 
 anity will become the burden of legislation, instead of 
 greed and fratricidal strife. Empires will no longer be 
 upheld upon the points of millions of bayonets ; but that 
 grand Commonwealth of peace on earth and good will 
 towards men, heralded by Christ, will have been in- 
 augurated. 
 
 9 Roland Gardens. 
 
 London, England. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PART I. 
 
 I. Introductory 11 
 
 II. The Ellwoods 16 
 
 III. Esther 21 
 
 IV. Home Life 27 
 
 V. The Doctor Discourses 3-i 
 
 VI. The New Marriage 40 
 
 VII. The Light of the World 48 
 
 VIII. Two Types 56 
 
 IX. Eepublican Ideals 63 
 
 X. A New Constitution 72 
 
 XI. The Voyage 84 
 
 PART II. 
 
 XII. The Thorntons 91 
 
 XIII. Eobert Thornton 98 
 
 XIV. The Garden Party 109 
 
 XV. The Henley Eegatta 116 
 
 XVL Lynmouth 122 
 
 XVII. Eomance 127 
 
 XVIII. The Engagement 134 
 
 XIX. A Court Ceremony 142 
 
 XX. The Higher Life 149 
 
 XXL Separation 157 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 XXII. 
 
 XXIII. 
 
 XXIV. 
 
 XXV. 
 
 XXVI. 
 
 XXVII. 
 
 XXVIII. 
 
 XXIX. 
 
 XXX. 
 
 XXXI. 
 
 XXXII. 
 
 XXXIII. 
 
 XXXIV. 
 
 XXXV. 
 
 XXXVI. 
 
 XXXVII. 
 
 XXXVIII. 
 
 XXXIX. 
 
 XL. 
 
 XLI. 
 
 XLII. 
 
 XLIII. 
 
 XLIV. 
 
 PART III. 
 
 First Moves 167 
 
 Eobert at Oxford 171 
 
 A Forgotten Philosophy 178 
 
 The Financial Question 188 
 
 A Dream 196 
 
 The Wisdom of Esther 204 
 
 A Pilgrimage 210 
 
 A Curious Coincidence 216 
 
 Devonshire Again 228 
 
 An Old Fashioned Nook 233 
 
 Eobert^s Decision 239 
 
 PART IV. 
 
 The New Life 251 
 
 A Change of Scene 257 
 
 An Interesting Visitor 264 
 
 A Chance Discovery 271 
 
 An Anxious Moment 277 
 
 An Unexpected Benefactor 285 
 
 Darkness and Light 294 
 
 Days of Doubt and Waiting 305 
 
 Accepted 313 
 
 Triumph 322 
 
 Preparation 332 
 
 L'Envoi 341 
 
PART I. 
 
,THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 SOME twenty-five years ago there happened, in a 
 far-removed corner of the Eastern world, a series of 
 strange events which, in addition to enriching humanity 
 with a fresh store of knowledge on the ways of men and 
 women in the olden time, gave considerable impetus to a 
 spiritual movement which had arisen almost simultane- 
 ously in the most modern and progressive of Western 
 nations. In Egypt, land of eternal mystery, strange dis- 
 coveries had been made. The great mummy pits had 
 delivered up their royal dead, every day some fresh light 
 was being thrown on the social life of the nation under 
 the rule of the Pharaoh.^, ^fiiile on the banks of the Nile 
 there swarmed armies of explorers, tourists, and treasure- 
 hunters. All this is well within the memory of most of 
 those living to-day, and if there should be a tendency to 
 forget, London and New York, at all events, possess con- 
 tinual though silent witnesses in the shape of the 
 celebrated obelisks, which were at that time removed 
 from Alexandria and set up in these cities. It is, how- 
 ever, the author's intention, after having recalled to the 
 mind of the reader the main incidents of this event, to 
 dwell only on the one important discovery that bears 
 directly upon this narrative. 
 
 The great temples of Egypt, by far the most remark- 
 able relics of the ancient order of things, had always up 
 
 111 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 to this time been the subject of much controversy. Ar- 
 chaeologists, although unanimous in praise of the high 
 architectural skill displayed in the construction of these 
 ancient buildings, had widely differed as to the precise 
 uses to which many of them had been devoted. The 
 simplest and most obvious theory is that they were in- 
 tended for religious worship. 
 
 But this is not all. Scientific investigation has been 
 successful in proving beyond doubt that, besides this, 
 the temples were formerly given up to the widely-culti- 
 vated study of astronomy. The truth of this having been 
 clearly established, it was but one step farther to assert 
 that with the ancient Egyptians religion and astronomy 
 were ever closely connected, each wielding an influence 
 over the other. This hypothesis provided the starting- 
 point for an extensive inquiry into the religious habits 
 of those neighbouring nations which had at some time 
 or other been under the influence of Egyptian civiliza- 
 tion. Once more were the ancient writings taken down 
 from their shelves, and once more men traversed the old 
 path of research; but this time it was with a new idea 
 to direct their steps. Light came from a familiar 
 quarter. 
 
 The Bible — that wonderful book to which so many 
 through ages have gone for advice and inspiration — 
 proved to be the keystone of this particular quest. The 
 Bible abounds in allusions and phrases which are in 
 themselves obscure and often meaningless, but a very 
 large number of these passages contain astronomical 
 allusions, and if examined and treated from such a basis 
 of thought, their meaning can be clearly appreciated. 
 One point which cannot fail to attract notice is that 
 these passages generally occur either in the accounts of 
 
 12 
 
INTKODUCTOKY. 
 
 miracles and supernatural events, or proceed from the 
 mouths of the prophets. In the former case, by the ap- 
 plication of this astronomic principle, a great many of 
 the supposed miraculous occurrences have been shown 
 to be nowise inconsistent with natural laws, and there- 
 fore within the bounds of possibility and reason. But 
 this branch of research has been already exhaustively- 
 treated by many well-known writers, and does not to 
 any great extent enter into the author's scheme of argu- 
 ment. What he wishes to impress upon the reader is, 
 that the prophets of Israel were familiar with and 
 utilized the lore of Egypt and Chaldea. 
 
 What then is the great conclusion to be drawn from 
 this train of reasoning? Simply this: the inspired 
 utterances of the ancient seers were guided and controlled 
 by fixed principles of a mathematical and unchangeable 
 nature. VMwed in this light, there can be discerned ir 
 the apparently dissociated fragments of biblical pro- 
 phecy, a homogeneity of design, a subtly woven but 
 clearly marked thread of connected meaning. The out- 
 pourings of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel no longer ap- 
 pear to be simply sublime utterances of despair or con- 
 solation. Beneath the beauty of the rhetoric can be felt 
 a mighty and consistent spirit, the spirit of true and 
 living prophecy. The attention of scientific men began 
 to be drawn toward the subject. Gradually a revival of 
 interest in the whole question of prophecy grew and 
 developed, and a small band of earnest truth-seekers set 
 themselves to probe the matter to its depths. They 
 argued that if the spirit of prophecy was, in times gone 
 by, a powerful and vital force, guided by a rational 
 system of scientific thought, that spirit must still be a 
 possession of the human race, lying somewhere in the 
 
 13 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 world, latent and unsuspected. Why should it not be 
 summoned once more into existence, openly recognized 
 as a divinely-bestowed faculty, and those who were in 
 true and unmistakable possession of it numbered among 
 the noblest of the children of God ? With the searching 
 light of modern science to illumine their path, truth 
 could easily be distinguished from falsehood. 
 
 At the time of the beginning of this spiritual move- 
 ment, there were living in the city of New York a young 
 wedded couple of the name of Ellwood, recently blessed 
 with an infant girl who had been christened Esther. 
 The head of this little family practised as a physician, 
 and was moreover one of the foremost among the already- 
 mentioned group of sincere inquirers into the nature and 
 essence of prophecy. Dr Ellwood, however, possessed 
 for his purposes in this quest of truth decided advantages 
 over the majority of his fellow workers, as will be seen. 
 The fact was that he had the opportunity of investigating 
 the entire subject without quitting the threshold of his 
 own house. His young wife Eleanor was a remarkable 
 personality, endowed with many rare and striking gifts. 
 Most conspicuous among these were an intuitive power, 
 marvellous to a degree, and a faculty of foresight and 
 clear vision that can be described only by the term 
 prophetic. The repeated fulfilment of many of her ut- 
 terances completely convinced her husband that in her 
 were revealed a mind and spirit differing nowise in 
 formation and character from those of the seers of old. 
 Yet, and the author cannot emphasize this point too 
 strongly, there was nothing unusual oj* eccentric about 
 Eleanor. Gracious and natural in manner, sane and 
 practical in her daily habits and duties, and of an open 
 and guileless temperament, her whole nature was a per- 
 
 14 
 
INTEODUCTOKY. 
 
 fectly tuned instnunent, played upon without jar or 
 discord of any kind by the unseen forces of the spiritual 
 world. 
 
 This union of mental and spiritual attributes had 
 combined to produce a temperament, of which the pos- 
 sessor might justly merit the appellation — a child of 
 light; for that human being who, endowed with the 
 greatest of the Creator's gifts, divine inspiration, can 
 alone claim a perfectly balanced intellectual organism to 
 order and control, is a type of character whose sweet- 
 ening influence diffuses around it radiance and content. 
 This is the type that will appear most frequently in these 
 pages, a type that the author loves to dwell upon and 
 will attempt to illustrate fully: men and women, in 
 short, whose lives and actions are, in these days, oftener 
 read of and spoken about than lived and emulated. 
 
 16 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 11. 
 
 T^HE astute reader may now divine that our inten- 
 •*■ tion has been thus briefly to direct attention to 
 the real nature of many of the ancient prophecies, inas- 
 much as part of our narrative should go far to dispel the 
 conventional idea that divine inspiration is a thing apart 
 from mortals and from our daily lives ; for a remarkable 
 phase of the birth of our heroine, Esther Ellwood, was 
 that she also came in accordance with prophecy. Long 
 before her birth, her gentle mother, endowed with the 
 divine gift of inspiration, had described the expected 
 stranger, and had even gone so far as to have decided 
 upon her name. A beautifully framed copy of the Ma- 
 donna di San Sisto had been presented to Mrs. Ellwood 
 by Dr. Ellwood, as a marriage present. Upon regarding 
 it one day, Mrs. Ellwood had said to some visitors, "My 
 little daughter will look like the infant in the Madonna^s 
 arms." And surely enough a more perfect counterpart 
 of the picture of the Christ-child, with its wise frown 
 and wistful eyes penetrating the future, it would have 
 been difficult to conceive. 
 
 The exact extent of the effect of the surroundiags of 
 the mother upon the development of posterity is now 
 being elaborated into a science; but whether the attempts 
 to account for such remarkable results and coincidences 
 can be said to form, so far, an established science, it is 
 
 16 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 difficult to say ; yet certain it is that the divine, all-seeing 
 plan permits ns to recognize these signs as evidences that 
 God is actually, through his spiritual agencies, directing 
 the affairs of men. To admit that the prescient or 
 susceptive faculty exists, and that we see and feel events 
 which will occur in the future, implies agencies to pro- 
 duce these results; and this also implies other spiritual 
 agencies to bring other forces into action, to accomplish 
 them. The argument thus extends itself until we realize 
 that these agencies are the spiritual essence of those who 
 have lived before, and that this essence is our heavenly 
 existence. We have thus soul within us, heaven about 
 us, and the spirit of God pervading all things. This is 
 the only tenable theory of biblical writings and the only 
 intelligent explanation of Christianity and of true re- 
 ligion. 
 
 No particular incident served to herald or to mark 
 the advent of the infant Esther, excepting perhaps in- 
 cidents of a negative kind. There had been great family 
 excitement, to be sure, attendant upon the sudden ac- 
 quaintance of the parents and their ultimate marriage, 
 under circumstances which helped largely in the forma- 
 tion of the character and destiny of Esther. 
 
 The gradual unfolding of the lives of both Dr. and 
 Mrs. Ellwood prior to their meeting, would alone con- 
 stitute a volume; but some details of the extraordinary 
 manner of their union are both interesting and neces- 
 sary to the comprehension of their characters. They 
 illustrate, moreover, how, by a slight impression upon 
 the human mind, an all-seeing Providence may mould 
 us to its will and direct our footsteps and our desires to 
 its own purpose. 
 
 Dr. Ellwood, as may be readily understood, even in 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 those early days was no ordinary character. He was 
 descended from a long line of English ancestry, his 
 remote progenitors hailing from Northamptonshire, 
 whence they had gone out with Lord Saye and Sele's 
 colonists to New England, then a wilderness. In the 
 formation of the state of Connecticut, Dr. Ellwood^s 
 direct ancestor became so important a factor that he 
 was elected Governor of that state; and all along his 
 line of descent there were governors, generals, and states- 
 men in the family. 
 
 The Doctor's father was one of those masterful men, 
 who build and lead. As a boy, the Doctor was brought 
 up in the midst of railway building, shipping and 
 waterworks; he became acquainted with stocks and 
 bonds, and the wide range of knowledge so necessary to 
 great enterprises. In this way a vast fund of useful in- 
 formation and a considerable legal experience had been 
 acquired by the time he had determined to go into 
 medicine. 
 
 It is thus easy to divine that the young doctor was 
 not likely to be the dupe of designing persons. Practical 
 to a degree, he was yet sensitive to refined and spiritual 
 influences. As a student he had, moreover, already 
 acquired a not inconsiderable experience in psychological 
 matters, having been associated with a celebrated Dr. 
 Ferguson in a series of mesmeric and hypnotic experi- 
 ments, with a view to ascertaining their value in the 
 treatment of diseases. 
 
 Dr. Ellwood had already settled in his mind that, 
 generally speaking, persons susceptible to the influences 
 of the hypnotist, might be likewise a prey to other in- 
 fluences ; so that he had come to regard the mental exal- 
 tation of the clairvoyant, betraying a normal gift withiu 
 
 18 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 the subject itself, as a natural attribute of intuition and 
 not as an abnormal state. 
 
 It cannot, therefore, be wondered at, that when the 
 studious young doctor became acquainted with this sen- 
 sitive girl, so modest in demeanour, so beautiful in per- 
 son and so spiritual withal, his heart went out to her as 
 to a being of another world, a being more rare than 
 natural. Dr. Ellwood had been already familiar with 
 this sensitive type of individual, so that, on meeting 
 with Eleanor, he was not so much surprised at her won- 
 derful intuition, as at such a striking confirmation of 
 the truth of human impressibility; he had, moreover, a 
 conviction that a divine power directs and controls the 
 destinies of human beings, imperfect and irresponsible 
 as they may be. 
 
 When the young doctor had been professionally called 
 to the bedside of the future Mrs. Ellwood, he had in- 
 stantly become imbued with a passionate sentiment for 
 the fair invalid. This had resulted in establishing their 
 permanent affinity for each other; but unfortunately 
 the union was objected to by both families of the two 
 thus drawn spiritually together. 
 
 Iramediate opposition to the sudden marriage of the 
 young people was begun upon the part of his family 
 connections, the same tactics being adopted by the 
 relatives of his young wife ; all of this had only the effect 
 of making the young couple unhappy, and life, with its 
 serious labours, came hard upon them. 
 
 It was such experience in his early life, akin to the 
 manifold experiences of others, observed by him in his 
 medical daily routine, where all phases of humanity are 
 Been from dawning life to death itself, that awoke the 
 thoughtful mind of the young physician to the recurring 
 
 19 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 phases of huinaii development, until certain tmtlis be- 
 came fixed within his cognizance; truths to him from 
 experience and from recurrence, not truths to those who 
 cannot know what they have not experienced. 
 
 In the quiet hours of repose at night and sometimes 
 also in the broad daytime, visions would come to Mrs. 
 Ellwood, supplementing the one great event in the Doc- 
 tor's life, the day he first met Eleanor, when, relapsing 
 into a trance or dream-like state, she had unfolded unto 
 him certain truths and descriptions of persons and 
 things that were unmistakably beyond human ken. These 
 were conveyed to his mind by this young woman, who, 
 until that moment, had been absolutely an entire 
 stranger; for it was quite by an accident that he had 
 happened to be summoned to attend her. 
 
 The reader will thus comprehend from these circum- 
 stances that certain influences bring chosen persons to- 
 gether for a time, yet hold them tenderly apart, until, 
 in their own good time, the proper affinities are united 
 suddenly or slowly as the case may be. 
 
 It has been remarked that the relatives of the Doctor 
 made violent opposition to the union, both before and 
 afterwards; but this had only the effect of cementing 
 the bond more tightly. Persecution is thus oftentimes 
 the greatest promoter of reform and progress, both in 
 personal and in general affairs. 
 
 It was sufficient for the Doctor and for Eleanor to 
 know that a divine power was leading them, and that 
 all things worked together for their good. They 
 marched boldly along the pathway of life together, con- 
 fronting every obstacle and surmounting all trials, and 
 it was in the course of this love-bond of fidelity and 
 fortitude that Esther was born to the happy couple. 
 
 20 
 
ESTHER 
 III. 
 
 GOD teaches the world by experience and example; 
 and the lesson of the lives of the Ellwoods is the 
 elevation of womanhood. In the ancient days, in 
 the early customs, the only possible Saviour of the world 
 was man. It has been saved for war and pollution. Only 
 woman's virtue and purity, only woman's gentle re- 
 monstrance with selfishness and greed can save it now. 
 God gave to man the nobility and the courage, rightly 
 counselled, to act; but to woman he gave the impressi- 
 bility to feel, the sensitiveness to divine. Perfect love 
 casteth out fear, and the hero who follows implicitly the 
 counsels of wisdom can alone expect to attain perfection. 
 The lives of Doctor and Mrs. Ellwood are the counter- 
 part of those of other men and other women who are 
 being led, through example, to higher and higher walks 
 in life. 
 
 A very interesting phase of Eleanor's character was 
 her constancy. She showed this as a child by her at- 
 tachment to her favourite aunt Esther up to the very 
 last hours of the latter; after whom, too, her little girl 
 was named. Moreover, during the dream-like states 
 into which Eleanor would sometimes relapse, she would 
 seem to converse with her aunt Esther : 
 
 "Esther Ellwood you must call your little girl," she 
 said. So it came about that Esther was duly installed in 
 
 21 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 the nurse's lap, a rosy, bouncing baby, just as aunt 
 Esther had wished it and Eleanor had said it, and as the 
 Doctor believed it would be. 
 
 How much of this was fanciful, and how much 
 prophetic, must be left to the reader to judge at the 
 close of Esther's history. Soon after this interesting 
 event, a remarkable change came over the lives of the 
 parents ; for, within a few months, the Doctor's energetic 
 mother-in-law had got him packed and labelled for 
 London, with wife and baby sitting in the midst of vari- 
 ous boxes and bundles, numerous enough to prognosti- 
 cate a lengthy voyage. 
 
 Before little Esther's first birthday had arrived, she 
 had completed an ocean voyage to London, the great 
 capital of the Old World, and was snugly ensconced in 
 the town residence of an aunt, who, a few years previ- 
 ously, had married the celebrated Lord Reginald Blake, 
 a veritable Briton of the old school. Besides his town 
 house, Lord Reginald had long inhabited a semi-country 
 seat at Parliament Hill, overlooking Hampstead Heath, 
 and possessing one of the most extended and famous 
 landscape views to be seen near London. It was with this 
 uncle and aunt that Esther's parents stayed for a time. 
 Just prior to this trip one of those sudden premonitions 
 had occurred to which Eleanor was subject. In this she 
 had seemed to see again into the far distant future, and 
 had remarked to the Doctor : 
 
 "We shall some day remove to London suddenly, in 
 the midst of complications, just as if our whole house 
 was lifted up and set down in another place. This present 
 voyage to London is only a passing visit, for aunt Fanny 
 wants to see little Esther. We will return again soon to 
 America, and later on we will revisit England, and, as 
 
 22 
 
ESTHEK. 
 
 I have told you, it will be in my fortieth year. I see 
 also the Queen, the Court, and the long white trains of 
 the ladies' dresses/' 
 
 The visit of the Ellwoods was, in truth, somewhat 
 curtailed, and they returned to take up the battle of life 
 again in the States, where the Doctor settled down seri- 
 ously to his regular professional life. It was during 
 these years that the extraordinary character of Dr. Ell- 
 wood manifested itself. By sheer endeavour he found 
 means for the exercise of his many talents; for, in his 
 young and affluent days, he had neglected no opportunity 
 of self -culture. 
 
 While travelling in different countries he had learned 
 their languages. While studying medicine at Paris he 
 had employed his spare hours and vacation periods, dur- 
 ing several years, in the art schools, so that his paintings 
 were above the average of amateur's work. Being some- 
 what embarrassed by Eleanor's peculiarities of charac- 
 ter, she being subject to these occasional trance states, 
 during which she would sometimes relapse into tempo- 
 rary unconsciousness, he was obliged to cut out his work 
 BO as to devote a large part of his time to work which 
 kept him near home. Thus he wrote poetry and essays, 
 did occasional small paintings, gave lectures on art, 
 travel and scientific subjects, in the schools and lyceum 
 courses, and he also cultivated a growing medical prac- 
 tice, which after a time became very lucrative. 
 
 During these years little Esther grew apace, her mind 
 gradually becoming awakened to the responsibilities of 
 life; and, one after another, came two little brothers. 
 By the time she was thirteen or fourteen years of age, 
 she had become almost a woman; and a very motherly 
 little body she was, industrious about the house, attentive 
 
 23 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 to her studies, and thoughtful beyond her years. The 
 relatives of the Doctor, hearing of the gentle nature and 
 high character of Eleanor, finally decided to make over- 
 tures of peace, and the family became again united. 
 
 When these years of struggle had finally passed by, 
 and a new order of things bade fair to supervene, the 
 consequent reaction caused considerable prostration to 
 Eleanor, who, during so many long years of trial, had 
 faithfully nursed her baby girl, and then successively 
 her two sturdy boys. 
 
 i!^o pen can picture the anxieties and the keen agonies 
 which are endured by virtuous and gentle minds, under 
 the persecutions which purse-proud or unfeeling relatives 
 can perpetrate; and certainly no form of intolerance is 
 so acrimonious, or so unfeeling, as that of elder for 
 younger women. 
 
 From her acute observations of human nature, Eleanor 
 was wont to say that if she were called upon to promul- 
 gate a charity, she could think of nothing more deserving 
 than a Society for the Promotion of Virtue among Mar- 
 ried People, and especially among young couples whose 
 characters are forming for life. 
 
 How many a gentle home, how many a tender tie could 
 be preserved, if, when the hard pinch of poverty was 
 felt, there existed some sort of benevolent society to 
 which they might appeal! Shall the sensitive and re- 
 fined person beg of the coarse and brutal? Must the 
 pure and beautiful girl sell herself to a bestial passion? 
 Must the penniless but proud man sacrifice the natural 
 aflOnity of the girl of his choice for a wealthy partner? 
 
 Eleanor spoke feelingly upon these topics because it 
 is customary nowadays to deal with social subjects with 
 frankness — to go direct to the point. In the midst of 
 
 U 
 
ESTHEB. 
 
 so much that is written, involved arguments miss their 
 intention; and, besides, in Eleanor's trials, none were 
 so insidious as those which were due to the intrigues of 
 certain evil-minded relatives, who constantly attempted 
 to impose upon Eleanor^s innocent and childlike nature. 
 Is not this characteristic of life ? The innocent believe 
 that good is uppermost, and look constantly towards the 
 light; the plotting mind, upon the other hand, always 
 morbid, revengeful, seeks only to defile the beautiful 
 flower of fidelity, or to use the prostrate form of friend- 
 ship as a stepping-stone to wealth and position. 
 
 The question is frequently raised in discussions con- 
 cerning inspiration: Why is it that the subjects are so 
 frequently unable to foresee events which affect them- 
 selves, and so avoid the dangers about to confront them ? 
 This important psychological question admits, of course, 
 of but one answer. 
 
 Did we know or could we see all things, we should be 
 as gods, knowing good and evil. It is apparently in the 
 present imperfect state of the world, only intended by 
 the invisible powers to allow us to see a little into the 
 future, in order to give us faith; consequently, if we 
 follow the dictates of conscience and act accordingly, we 
 are sure to come right in the end. We are sometimes 
 enabled to see evidences of the intervention of spiritual 
 powers, in order to give us faith in a spiritual state and 
 to encourage us to do right; and these spiritual powers 
 may upon the one hand aid, or upon the other destroy us. 
 
 The patient reader must understand that these few 
 suggestions of Eleanor^s impressibility are introduced 
 into our story for the purpose of illustrating how these 
 impressions occur in natural life, in a spontaneous man- 
 ner, and, that while they may or may not be susceptible 
 
 25 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 of scientific demonstration as prophecies, they yet satisfy 
 us of a spiritual state. Few there are indeed, of a highly 
 sensitive organization, who have not some inkling of 
 this sense of intuition. These at least, it is hoped, will 
 comprehend the theory of life and the deductions to be 
 drawn from the aspirations and lives of the Ellwoods. 
 
 26 
 
HOME LIFE. 
 IV. 
 
 yKE Ellwood household was one worthy of the sacred 
 name of home. As the younger members of the 
 family grew up, they shared with their parents a real 
 friendship^ founded not only upon respect and obedience, 
 but confidence and comradeship, and, under this lo\dng 
 personal supervision, they developed swiftly and surely 
 in mind and stature. Not here was to be seen that cold 
 indifference and neglect, so often to be found in the 
 mansions of the wealthy, that complete and final relega- 
 tion of the young to the conveniently distant nursery, 
 where the mother but rarely ventures, in order to inquire 
 after the welfare of her own. Here, where the parents 
 went, there also went their children: joys, sorrows, suc- 
 cesses, reverses, were alike shared by every comprehend- 
 ing member of this little family of five, so that they be- 
 came firmly knit together by every conceivable bond of 
 sympathy. In play, as in work, it was the same; and 
 there was no rollicking pastime in which the Doctor did 
 not willingly join his boys and revive again for himself 
 the careless, golden hours of his youthful days. 
 
 This is the true essence and poetry of home-life; 
 for there are no memories like these, so tenderly 
 reminiscent to him who has been one of such a happy 
 family. Dr. Ellwood had always spoken tenderly of this 
 idyllic existence, and, being a poet by expression as 
 
 27 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 well as by nature, had often sung of its joys, believing, 
 like his illustrious predecessor in the craft, that 
 "To make a happy fireside clime, to weans and wife. 
 That's the true pathos and sublime of human life.'' 
 Just about the time of his first meeting with Eleanor, 
 he had been on the point of publishing a small volume 
 of verse, which was delayed only by a curious iaability 
 on his part to finish the last canto of the final poem. 
 This composition pictured the indecision and vaia 
 longing in the mind of the wanderer, upon whom true 
 love has never dawned, and the subsequent joy and 
 awakened emotion, on the actual appearance of the 
 long looked-for ideal in the shape of the beloved. He 
 had been thus strangely and fittingly held back from 
 completing the poem, until the declaration of his love 
 for Eleanor, when he and she together put the seal on 
 this all but finished labour of both poetry and pre- 
 diction. It was not long afterwards, therefore, that 
 the book made its appearance, and he was able to take 
 to Eleanor the first copy with her name inscribed on 
 the page of dedication, and "The Lute" added to the 
 little collection: 
 
 THE LUTE. 
 I. 
 
 I sing of beauty as the birds 
 Awake in gladness and rejoice 
 That Grod has given each a voice 
 
 To sing their joy, though not in words. 
 
 Not song nor strain that ear has heard 
 Another to his mate impart; 
 
 28 
 
HOME LIFE. 
 
 But melodies which fill my heart. 
 As warbles each untutored bird. 
 
 I sing a heart-felt happiness — 
 The glad contentment of the soul 
 When joy breaks forth beyond control 
 
 And utters more than words express. 
 
 II. 
 
 How shall I then my gladness hide. 
 As down the drift of life I roam? 
 All nature is my boundless home; 
 
 And love my only perfect guide. 
 
 Her light illumes my destiaed way. 
 And ever points my course aright; 
 Hers is the brilliance of my night. 
 
 She is the magnet of my day. 
 
 For ere she came my sky was dark. 
 
 What though the day was sometimes fair. 
 As often starless night was there. 
 
 Which held no compass to my bark. 
 
 IV. 
 
 The day and night one joy became; 
 
 My song no longer sanli in doubt. 
 
 But day or night rang boldly out 
 And sang all joy in beauty's name. 
 
 V. 
 
 lute ! wilt guide my voice to tell 
 
 The wondrous spell which round her weaves. 
 What rapturous joy my bosom heaves 
 
 To sing the love I love so well? 
 
 29 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 The love that grew to mate with mine, 
 The perfect flower -upon the tree. 
 The one fair blossom, blown for me 
 
 By law of earth and love divine. 
 
 Whose life unfolded as a flower. 
 But in whose bosom grew the seed 
 Of love immortal ; for what heed 
 
 Of bloom that f adeth in the hour ! 
 
 Whose life began in blush of spring. 
 What time the love-star shone at night. 
 Pervading earth with fadeless light. 
 
 That lives in her whose love I sing. 
 
 Who taught me this result of love: 
 That in its knowledge is content — 
 The sweet, surpassing complement 
 
 Whereto the lives of mortals move. 
 
 VI. 
 
 Sing, lute, the harmony of peace. 
 Whose stately music brings sweet sense 
 Of sorrow-soothing recompense 
 
 That youth^s impassioned discords cease. 
 
 Sing, lute, the wondrous peace of night, 
 Where night no longer shadows day. 
 But merges in the broader way 
 
 Beyond the small eclipse of light. 
 
 VII. 
 
 Come sing, my lute, the gladsome song 
 Of starry night beyond the cloud. 
 Where souls on souls immortal crowd 
 
 30 
 
HOME LIFE. 
 
 To join fair God's angelic throng. 
 
 Sing joyful songs the angels sing. 
 Whose one ecstatic sense is light, 
 Who from their love-entranced height 
 
 Look down on earth's minutest thing. 
 
 Sing heavenly peace that lendeth light 
 Unto the wanderer here below. 
 To pierce the clouds of doubt and woe 
 
 That make the darkness of his night. 
 
 Eeveal to him who walks the way 
 Of selfish solitude and doubt, 
 Thy light to lure the wanderer out 
 
 Unto the sense of broader day, 
 
 That thus he may ascend to see 
 
 The constant joy of heavenly things. 
 When love descends on angel wings 
 
 To greet his soul in ecstasy. 
 
 Though during the years immediately following 
 their marriage, that period of family troubles and 
 struggle for existence, the Doctor had not so frequent 
 an opportunity of courting the Muse, yet his lute had 
 been by no means idle. It was in this atmosphere 
 of domestic calm, of religious faith, and of poetic aspi- 
 ration, with Eleanor for their moral and their father 
 for their intellectual guide, that the younger Ellwoods 
 passed the early years of their lives. Dr. Ellwood 
 wisely left to his wife a large portion of the training 
 of their children; for Eleanor, with her attractive gifts 
 
 31 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 and penetration into things unknown, was of a nature 
 more calculated to charm young people and lead them 
 along the straight and narrow path of worship. Her 
 husband was wont to look upon her as the early 
 Eomans regarded the virgin Sibyls, who were sup- 
 posed to receive communications from the Gods. The 
 whole tenor of his life, almost his religion, in fact, 
 seemed to be based upon a realization of Eleanor's 
 wonderful prescience and susceptibility. 
 
 Dr. Ellwood had many times held long arguments 
 upon this theory of religion — ^that inspiration is the 
 soul of religion. He insisted that to have it impressed 
 upon one in advance that events would occur, implied 
 two things: firstly, the existence of spiritual powers, 
 cognisant of the events of the future; and, secondly, 
 the operation of intelligent agents to cause these events 
 to occur. Having observed that this gift of impres- 
 sibility was more generally existent in women than 
 in men, he often sought for an explanation of it. The 
 only satisfactory conclusion he came to was this. In 
 olden times, it is an acknowledged fact that second 
 sight existed among people addicted to a chaste and 
 natural mode of living. The Highlanders of Scotland, 
 for example, lived a hardy, simple, open-air existence, 
 communed much with nature, and were able to pry 
 into the hidden workings of an unseen world and 
 receive its messages. They came into closer contact 
 with a natural and consequently spiritual life and its 
 laws. Woman, by reason of her supreme and holy 
 function in the universe, is brought nearer to this 
 world of nature and the spirit, and so understands 
 and sees things concealed from the eye of man. 
 
 Dr. Ellwood, some seven or eight years after his 
 
HOME LIFE. 
 
 marriage, entered the arena of political action. His 
 many well-known writings on social and national 
 questions procured for him a ready welcome from the 
 party to which he attached himself, and his simple 
 republicanism, although far removed from that of a 
 demagogue, rendered him popular with the masses. 
 During the next five or six years, he rose higher 
 and higher in the esteem and confidence of his party, 
 and was looked upon as a man for whom no post was 
 too lofty. His watchword was "Reform," and his 
 guiding principle "Democracy." His system of phil- 
 osophy aimed at the existence of a state where a prac- 
 ticable application of divine and human laws united, 
 would be rendered possible. 
 
 33 
 
THE DOCTOR DISCOURSES. 
 V. 
 
 DR. ELLWOOD was accustomed to receive at his 
 humble abode, at stated intervals, a few select 
 friends, kindred spirits, who courted the Doctor's 
 many-sided nature, and who also highly valued the 
 spiritual enthusiasm of his gentle wife. Upon these 
 occasions no debater could successfully oppose his direct 
 intelligence, which seemed equally at home upon many 
 subjects. 
 
 An argument of the Doctor which was most par- 
 ticularly prized by advanced thinkers, pertained to the 
 relationship existing between marriage and Christi- 
 anity. The Doctor maintained that the chief idea 
 which dominated the Bible was marriage itself. That 
 marriage and all collateral questions which grow out 
 of the marriage relation are the burden of religion. 
 That, if religion is practical, it relates to the family; 
 and that the Bible recognizes this. The Doctor would 
 quote Disraeli, who said: "True religion is the worship 
 of the beautiful, if the beautiful consists, as I believe, 
 in the elevation of the passions, in the sentiment of 
 repose and in the avoidance in all things of excess." 
 
 "That would be an elegant way of putting it," said 
 Dr. Ellwood, "if it did not presuppose agreement 
 upon his interpretation of elevation of the passions, of 
 repose and of excess." 
 
 34 
 
THE DOCTOR DISCOTJESES. 
 
 "But religion, as generally iinderstood among ad- 
 vanced nations, is the Christian faith/' alleged Deacon 
 Penfold, a regular visitor and a keen debater. 
 
 Dr. Ellwood, however, when pressed to an argu- 
 ment upon this, his favourite topic, would ask his 
 listeners to consider what Christianity really was. 
 
 "The subject,^' he would say, ^Tias become so per- 
 verted that some of you may not realize the importance 
 of investigating Christianity, unless you consider the 
 short sermon which I provide for you. You will re- 
 member the story told of Dr. Franklin and the Paris- 
 ians, whose late hours and consequently great waste of 
 light attracted the attention of this early riser. He 
 informed them that the sun rose fully two hours earlier 
 khan many of the Parisians supposed. The informa- 
 tion was seemingly unnecessary, yet many, very many, 
 knew nothing of the glory and the grace of the early 
 morning. Christianity is based upon an all-powerful 
 idea; but its spirit has, however, been so lost sight of 
 in the necessity for holding together the Church Politic 
 that Christianity is not Christianity, and, even as Dr. 
 Franklin appealed to the Parisians, so would I appeal 
 to my hearers, to consider the early redeeming grace 
 of the spiritual sun of civilization." 
 
 "But does it not seem somewhat paradoxical to 
 state that Christianity is not Christianity?" observed 
 the Deacon. 
 
 "Not when you consider both the spirit and the 
 letter of religion," replied Dr. Ellwood. "At the time 
 of Moses and of the other biblical writers, humanity 
 had apparently reached a high state of spiritual im- 
 pressibility. By this I mean that the human mind 
 had become susceptible to intelligent direction from 
 
 35 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 divine sources. These impressions were recorded and 
 gathered together, forming a part of the collection 
 known as the Bible. Doubtless every progressive 
 thought is the result of inspiration from some spiritual 
 source, sustaining and elaborating humanity; but 
 the precise nature of this spiritual entity has yet to 
 be made known. This much, however, is to be rec- 
 ognized, that there are whisperings of unseen voices, 
 felt rather than heard, leading the human race to a 
 higher physical plane and to a more sensitive spiritual 
 sympathy. Some of the phenomena of human impres- 
 sibility, especially the clairvoyant faculty, are, to a 
 certain extent, evidence of this sympathy between the 
 supernatural world and the natural. To those who 
 have experienced startling sympathetic utterances from 
 persons possessing this remarkable faculty, the evidence 
 of supernatural interest in the natural is conclusive. 
 I speak only of instances of prophetic utterances, liter- 
 ally fulfilled long afterwards, and not produced by im- 
 posture or spiritualistic trickery." 
 
 "Now, Brother Ellwood," the Deacon broke in, "is 
 it true that you have actually had any reliable evidence 
 of prophecy being fulfilled?'' 
 
 "Beyond any doubt. And these evidences come to 
 all who have the least atom of faith. Viewing the 
 whole Bible, then, as a record of spiritual intelligence, 
 making itself powerful to influence human progression, 
 it must be examined as an entity, which is a view that 
 the Christian is either unwilling or too ignorant to 
 take. The Bible is either a work of inspiration con- 
 taining a grand phenomenon of spiritual impression, or 
 it is an ordinary compilation of peculiar writings. 
 It is either a great entity, the basis of the Christian 
 
 36 
 
THE DOCTOR DISCOURSES. 
 
 religion, or simply a book. If you will regard the 
 Bible from its spiritual standpoint, you must divest it 
 of the phraseology of the translator, and, to a certain 
 extent, ignore the personality of the early writers, 
 and receive and translate the Bible in the light of the 
 language and of the epoch in which we live, if it^ intel- 
 ligence, and not its imperfections, are to benefit or 
 interest us. But the very idiom of the ancient Hebrew 
 language is frequently important in interpreting the 
 Bible as an entity. Thus the use of symbols pervades 
 the Bible from beginning to end; in fact, symbolism 
 is the key uniting the parts into an entity. The story 
 of Cain (a word meaning ^spear' or "^lance^) going 
 into the land of Nod (meaning simply Vandering') 
 must be' truly a symbolic story, meaning that there 
 was internal dissension in the early civilization, and 
 that that part of the so-called family of people went to 
 the eastward, where they founded Enoch, the first city, 
 and thence populated India and China. So Seth after- 
 wards settled towards the west, and his posterity in 
 time peopled Europe. 
 
 "The Bible, thus, is a compendium of the history, 
 practice, and prophecy of Life, and the spiritual, or 
 Christian element is the natural complement of the 
 physical plane. The allegory of Revelation itself is 
 the natural complement of the suggestive allegory of 
 the beginning of Scripture, for j^ou may follow the 
 Tree of Life from Eden to Revelation (Chap, xxii) : 
 
 13. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the 
 end, the first and the last. 
 
 14. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that 
 they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter 
 in through the gates into the city. 
 
 37 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 The connection is apparent. So the termination of 
 the Bible in the symbolism of the marriage of the 
 Bride and the Lamb^, is a fitting seqnel to the begin- 
 ning of the Bible in Eden, which was marriage with- 
 out education, barbaric lawlessness." 
 
 "I had no idea/' admitted the Deacon frankly, 
 "that there was so much meaning in those parts of the 
 Bible. I supposed such things were not intended by 
 the Almighty to be understood." 
 
 "That is the common mistake," replied the Doctor. 
 "Do you not remember the maxim, ^Search the scrip- 
 tures'? The marriage question is to the Bible what 
 marriage law is to the commonwealth — the funda- 
 mental law; and the pages of the Bible are largely 
 devoted to the various experiences of the people in 
 this fundamental law, showing the misery accruing 
 from lustfulness and licentiousness. If we examine 
 the New Testament, we shall here also find due im- 
 portance attached to this same perplexing question. 
 Jesus made no remarks which could be construed into 
 support of any particular marriage system, excepting 
 that he endorsed the authority of Moses; and when the 
 subject was broached to him, he invariably ^called little 
 children to him,' and exclaimed, *^0f such is the kingdom 
 of heaven.' 
 
 "There is an important symbolism also in this. He 
 would seem to advocate legitimacy of all children, 
 whatever marriage system prevailed. The whole sym- 
 bolism of Jesus, in fact, seems to turn upon this very 
 mystery of marriage. He was himself born of Mary 
 without wedlock, and was given a legal father in the 
 person of Joseph; and from such despised and lowly 
 surroundings Jesus is to be lifted up that he may be- 
 
THE DOCTOE DISCOUESES. 
 
 come a light in the mystery of life. Jesus stands thus 
 as a symbol of the legitimacy of all children; so that 
 in the solution of the marriage laws, through a uniform 
 system, there will follow a solution of all other laws, 
 and order and justice will prevail throughout the world. 
 "To comprehend thus the Bible as an entity, it is 
 necessary to study its symbolism as intelligent and 
 connected, and also to view it in the light of a vast 
 inspiration having a practical policy. I maintain that 
 the Bible is more than an inspired volume with vague, 
 subtle prophecies partially fulfilled; the whole work is 
 historical and prophetic of political history. Its ful- 
 filment will only have been achieved when the Saviour 
 returns in the person of a King of Kings, who shall 
 preside over a central government of the nations of the 
 world, just as the President does over the associated 
 American Union. This, of course, can only occur 
 when laws are made sufficiently operative to be cap- 
 able of adoption by all nations harmoniously. But 
 I offer this as my suggestion only, in explanation of 
 the Millennium, and rounding out the apparent policy 
 of the Bible. That Christianity is a power and hns a 
 policy I am assured; but Christianity has as yet been 
 imperfectly understood, even by its votaries.^' 
 
 39 
 
THE NEW MARRIAGE 
 
 VI. 
 
 I HE Deacon was, in a way, very strict as a dis- 
 ■^ ciplinarian, but yet quite open to conviction 
 upon the principles and tenets of faith. Between 
 him and the Doctor there soon sprang up a close 
 friendship, and many were the discussions between them 
 upon the all-engrossing topic of religion. Dr. Ell- 
 wood was not what might be called a Churchman, yet 
 no one was more deeply imbued than he with the spirit 
 of truth. 
 
 "Truth is the very essence of faith, my dear Deacon: 
 it is the truth, therefore, which the world wants. It 
 is truly surprising to me, sometimes, how even those 
 who should seem to be most anxious for the truth, from 
 the nature of their professions, yet seem to throw most 
 obstacles in the way of the popular spread of knowl- 
 edge.^' 
 
 "But, Doctor Ell wood, do you think that the com- 
 mon people are intelligent enough to follow your teach- 
 ings as to the practical meaning of many of the allu- 
 sions in the Bible? And would not the effect of re- 
 ligion, its awe, its very solemnity, be lost upon them, 
 by too great familiarity with the subject ?'' 
 
 "Not at all. That has been the idea put forward 
 by the priesthood from earliest times. Believed of per- 
 sonal responsibilities by the teachings that their souls 
 
 40 
 
THE NEW MAEEIAGE. 
 
 may be saved by the priest or parson, the masses put 
 oft inquiry into the nature of religion itself. Even the 
 clergy seem strangely unfamiliar with the practical 
 truths of biblical import/^ 
 
 "But," interrupted the Deacon, "do not the clergy 
 feel that they must accept the statements of the Bible 
 as truths and not attempt to question them?" 
 
 "Quite so, indeed; but upon the other hand, the 
 Bible also enjoins the great truth upon us that ^God 
 60 loved the world, that he gave his only begotton Son, 
 that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but 
 have everlasting life. . .' Now, in order to believe 
 in him, are we not bound to ask how God sent him, 
 what he represented, what he taught, how he died, what 
 he died for, why he arose again; in fact, question the 
 whole symbolism?" 
 
 "That certainly is a rational view, I must admit," 
 responded the Deacon. 
 
 "Then let us consider carefully the attributes of 
 Jesus. From the meagre record of the four evangel- 
 ists, no theory or system of education seems to have 
 operated upon Jesus, while from his childhood he was 
 positive in utterance. The only theory, therefore, re- 
 garding his astonishing intelligence, is what is com- 
 monly known as inspiration. Inspiration becomes, 
 hence, his real quality of divinity. What is inspiration ? 
 Inspiration is an unseen, spiritual influence, operating 
 through man. This spiritual influence is deity or di- 
 vinity. Man is therefore divine in proportion as he is 
 inspired. The inspiration of Jesus as of other inspired 
 men or women, becomes, in this way, palpably compar- 
 ative; for if it were not so, how could other men em- 
 ulate the example of Jesus? The fact that his com- 
 
 41 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 ing kad been prophesied, and that the prophecy had 
 been fulfilled, indeed, makes Jesus the central figure 
 of spirituality, or revealed religion; yet it does not, 
 I think, make him the object of material worship, for 
 Jesus expressly commands us in Eevelation, not to 
 worship him, but to worship God. Until the present 
 day spirituality has been subject to persecution. When 
 the world shall accept 'The Christ,^ as typifying in- 
 spiration or intelligence, not fanaticism, in conjunc- 
 tion with human affairs, then will society move har- 
 moniously and the millennium appear. This era of 
 human intelligence is described in Scripture as the 
 second coming of Christ! To analyse, then, the true 
 position which Jesus assumes, it is necessary to con- 
 sider practically the language of his biographers in 
 connection with the narrative of the preceding pro- 
 phets, in connection with the apostles who succeeded 
 him, and with Revelation.^^ 
 
 "This is a very great study, my dear Doctor, and 
 yet your statement of the real nature of inspiration or 
 divinity, must simplify the subject of religion very 
 much indeed.^' 
 
 "This is my endeavour, and I shall hope to convey 
 to you, in the simplest manner, the broad teachings, as 
 well as the nature of the prophecy of Jesus. To this 
 end, I propose now, in illuminating the symbol of the 
 serpent, to extend such a study generally throughout 
 the Bible, and throw a new light upon the Christian 
 doctrine. Jesus himself gives the key to thk study : 
 
 As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even 
 so must the Son of Man be lifted up : 
 
 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish 
 but have everlasting life. St. John, iii. 14, 15. 
 
 42 
 
THE NEW MARRIAGE. 
 
 ^'This reference to Moses may be found in Numbers, 
 xxi. 8, 9 as follows: 
 
 And the Lord said unto Moses, make thee a fiery ser- 
 pent and set it upon a pole; and it shall come to pass, 
 that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, 
 shall live. 
 
 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon 
 a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten 
 any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. 
 
 *^*^Certainly this does not signify the deification of 
 Jesus, — being lifted up as a serpent; but how does it 
 typify the attitude of Jesus before the world? Not in 
 honour, certainly; but as a base thing, which was, how- 
 ever, afterwards to heal the very sting, or bite of its 
 kind. For did not Jesus say (St. John, xxi. 32) : 
 
 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all 
 men unto me. 
 
 "How, then, in the light of such expressions, shall we 
 consider the life of Jesus other than that of the ser- 
 pent, despised, but yet a life, if viewed properly, to 
 heal the diseases of men P 
 
 "How very simple the whole subject thus appears, 
 when put in a practical light," admitted the Deacon. 
 "The serpent, verily, becomes a most important sym- 
 bolism in interpreting the Bible." 
 
 "Temptation is the serpent, and religion teaches that 
 the appetites of humanity should be curbed to a nor- 
 mal standard by intelligence. Moses introduces this 
 element of the serpent in the very outset of his his- 
 tory, and Jesus quotes Moses as an example of its sig- 
 nificance. Now, considering that these inspirations of 
 Moses were to be considered a foundation, each suc- 
 ceeding stage of human progress, in biblical history, 
 
 a 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 becomes likewise marked by a sign or symbol. The 
 world in Moses' time was small; and, with every step 
 it advanced, the Hebrew race has been symbolic of the 
 world's history. Even now the Jews are to be still 
 found as a symbol in each nation of the world, instead 
 of a small collected people. They are the remnant; and 
 like the Saviour, they and the nations with them are 
 still to ''move on,' under the curses prophesied by Moses, 
 until that time when the whole world shall have be- 
 come sufficiently peopled with nations, for a confed- 
 eration of nations to be established under a supreme 
 king, the second Christ, the true Eedeemer of the Jews 
 and the nations, Svhen he shall have put down all rule 
 and all authority and power.' Erom his long despised 
 condition, rejected of men, he is suddenly to become 
 a cure, or salvation in the subject which is attracting 
 the attention of the world. This is the marriage ques- 
 tion. From being the curse, a subject to be despised, 
 marriage, the union of two individuals to reproduce 
 other individuals, is become a factor of the most vital 
 importance in the elevation of the race. The laws reg- 
 ulating such marriage have become an all-important 
 subject in the eyes of society. It must be remembered 
 that it is out of the most despised truths that the great- 
 est reformations have sprung. It should be, then, quite 
 palpable that the whole biblical question seems to turn 
 upon this marriage mystery." 
 
 "Then what is your solution of the mystery?" de- 
 manded the Deacon, now intensely interested. 
 
 "The mystery seems to centre about St. Paul, who 
 was the propounder of the Church monogamic marriage. 
 Paul himself personally symbolises the mystery of the 
 subject. There is mystery whether Paul intended to 
 
 44 
 
THE NEW MAKKIAGE. 
 
 teach monogamy or not, and whether Eevelation sym- 
 bolises polygamy or not. Paul says (1 Cor. vii) : 
 
 2. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man 
 have his own wife and let every woman have her own 
 husband. 
 
 "This statement is the foundation of monogamy in 
 the Church. The mystery is whether Paul meant to 
 institute monogamy as the new system of marriage, 
 or whether he meant that to avoid adultery, each man 
 or woman should have his or her own spouse, under 
 the ordinary marriage laws of the time. These laws 
 permitted polygamy. Paul, however, again says (Ephe- 
 sians, v.) : 
 
 31. For this cause shall a man leave his father and 
 his mother, and shall be joined unto his wife and they 
 two shall be one flesh. 
 
 32. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning 
 Christ and the Church. 
 
 "Mystery is, you will remember, the very appella- 
 tion which the Angel gives to the great prostitute Baby- 
 lon in Revelation. Mystery is thus typical both of the 
 Church monogamic marriage according to Paul, and of 
 prostitution in Revelation. How shall we then study to 
 correlate the Church marriage with the marriage nat- 
 ural? What course will reconcile the allegories of Rev- 
 elation with PauFs remarkable utterances? 
 
 "If mystery is typical both of the Church mono- 
 gamic marriage and of prostitution, the explanation is 
 simple. Prostitution is the natural concomitant of mon- 
 ogamy; and monogamic institutions regard it as such." 
 
 "Your rendering of this grand subject is so very ex- 
 traordinary, my dear Doctor, that I cannot understand 
 why it is that these simple and practical truths have 
 
 45 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 never been expounded before. Not that we do not know 
 these things to be true, but the lucid manner in which 
 you show them to be the practical teachings of Chris- 
 tianity cannot but elicit admiration/^ 
 
 ^^And yet there is much m.ore behind it. The Angel 
 of Jesus Christ says (L'cv. xxii.) : 
 
 16. I, Jesus, have sect mine angel to testify unto you 
 these things in the churc ies. I am the root and the off- 
 spring of David, and the bright and morning star. 
 
 17. And the Spirit and the bride say. Come. And 
 let him that heareth say. Come. And let him that is 
 athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the 
 water of life freely. 
 
 'Tn this final reference of Revelation to marriage, 
 Jesus declares himself ^the root and the offspring of 
 David,^ whose kingdom was synonymous with poly- 
 gamy. The message is also to the Churches especially, 
 and the Church, as we have seen, is itself a spiritual 
 S3rmbol of marriage — mystery ending in mystery! 
 
 "Moreover, the circle of prophecy is completed in a 
 return to the Mosaic dispensation, symbolized directly 
 by the return of the children of Israel to the land of 
 Canaan; symbolized in the return of the modem Jews 
 to the New Jerusalem; symbolized in the return of the 
 prodigal son, or the second coming of Christ; sym- 
 bolized in the Church, the circle — the ring itself, that 
 world-wide symbol of marriage and uniformity !'' 
 
 'TBut, Dr. Ellwood,'' interrupted the Deacon, "all 
 these similes and quotations from the Bible, while in- 
 ,teresting in themselves, really prove nothing; they 
 have no cohesion, in fact, as applied to governments; 
 and, of course, we know that as regards the Bible be- 
 ing an authority, its teachings are very similar to those 
 
THE NEW MAEKIAGE. 
 
 of Manu of India, so that we might as well go to the 
 fountain-head itself/^ 
 
 "All that may be true, and true it is, also, that the 
 religion of Christ, as it is said, has brought war and 
 bloodshed upon the world; but even this fulfils the 
 prophecy of the Bible. Did Christ not say that he 
 came to bring not peace but the sword? Then was 
 he a true prophet. But he also said that he would 
 come again, and would put down all rule, all authority, 
 and all power. This will be accomplished, as we have 
 seen, when a universal code of laws is promulgated by 
 a central government of the world." 
 
 47 
 
THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. 
 
 VII. 
 
 j HE good Deacon was not long in seeking out 
 
 ^ Dr. Ellwood for a still further exposition of his 
 views upon this momentous question. Accordingly, 
 he questioned the policy of debating such a social ques- 
 tion upon biblical grounds, unless, indeed. Dr. Ellwood 
 should be able to provide a remedy for the evils preva- 
 lent. 
 
 "But that is the object," replied the Doctor. "Cer- 
 tainly no one could expect so great a chain of human 
 experiments as has prevailed for ages in the marriage 
 laws, without at least making progress towards some 
 definite goal. The monogamous statutes, imperfect as 
 they are, tend to the elevation of womanhood. It is the 
 ideal marriage. But the point in these marriage laws is 
 how to enforce them." 
 
 "Then the issue before the world is simply a ques- 
 tion of enforcing laws which are nearly right?" 
 
 "That is the crux of the matter; for it is in the ap- 
 plication of a theory that its truth becomes manifest. 
 My own elucidation, therefore, of the whole mystery 
 of the Bible and this marriage key, is that Scripture 
 foretells an era when humanity shall be capable of self- 
 government, just as it is now, when civil laws have 
 generally obtained possession and control over man- 
 kind. The application of the marriage key would be 
 
 48 
 
THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. 
 
 in a marriage law which would form a basis for a sys- 
 tem of modified laws on all subjects. Uniformity in 
 the marriage laws would lead to uniformity in other 
 laws and to a more perfect system of laws all over the 
 world. Moreover, as the marriage law is the only pos- 
 itive law which affects every individual of both sexes in 
 every state in the world, it very properly becomes the 
 key in all senses. 
 
 "Physical marriage will then cease to be a Church 
 mystery when we shall have evolved its proper natural 
 system. We must not make marriage simply a written 
 human contract, to be broken at will, hut we must en- 
 force it, and thereby make it more in harmony with 
 other laws. It resolves itself then into a question of 
 monogamy or polygamy; or it is in the comparison or 
 marriage of these two principles that '^the nations which 
 are saved shall walk in the light of it!' For this 'Re- 
 ductio ad absurdum' — this union or marriage of oppo- 
 site principles illuminates prophecy itself." 
 
 "It is like an application of the electric light," dry- 
 ly remarked the Deacon. "You bring the two lines to- 
 gether and you get the spark of intelligence." 
 
 "Quite so, indeed," said the Doctor, meditatively, 
 somewhat startled by the apt illustration of the alert 
 Deacon. "But consider the examples: 
 
 "We have now a monogamic law which says that 
 when a man who is already judicially married, marries 
 again, the second marriage becomes void — ^nullity ! And 
 the woman is a nullity for ever afterwards. Such a law 
 is wrong. Reverse it, that when a man marries in any 
 manner a second wife, that marriage also becomes valid, 
 and the husband is as much bound to protect his two 
 wives and their children, as he is the first. This may 
 
 49 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 be the other extreme, but it nevertheless fixes the legal 
 responsibility where it belongs. This much can be said 
 with regard to polygamy as a principle in law and with 
 regard to an unenforced monogamy; that by legalizing 
 plural marriages you put a weapon into the hands of 
 woman herself to enforce the laws. By making hus- 
 bands responsible to each adulterous wife, and for the 
 results of such secret marriages, you restrain men 
 through that responsibility; and by recognizing plural 
 wives, you lend to the law an instrument to enforce the 
 responsibility. 
 
 "The chief obstacle in monogamy is that it has cut 
 off from the law its principal weapon; for behind the 
 barrier of the one-wife statute, fraud and adultery are 
 mysteriously protected, and within the semblance of 
 monogamy itself is hidden the monster of prostitution.^' 
 
 "Does it not, in fact. Doctor EUwood, resolve itself 
 into the question whether monogamy can be enforced 
 or not?" 
 
 "That is the exact point! It is a question whether 
 the incentive to secrecy is not strong enough to over- 
 come the practical enforcement of the law. Whereas, 
 would not the fact that a second woman has something 
 to gain by claiming the husband, produce in the end 
 more monogamy than the monogamic laws themselves ?" 
 
 "Then,'' said the Deacon, "I can see that the ques- 
 tion is one simply of intelligent operation." 
 
 "The point is, dear Deacon, whether some polygam- 
 ous principle is not necessary to enforce the responsi- 
 bility of a father to his children, to all his children, 
 whether by one marriage or more. This is the legal 
 point of our argument, and I present it plainly with 
 the object of attractirig more attention than the judges 
 
 50 
 
THE LIGHT OF THE WOELD. 
 
 and the legislatures are willing to give to the present 
 status of marriage law! The law should either pro- 
 tect an innocent woman from a bigamist, polygamist or 
 adulterer, through his fear of certain punishment, or 
 proceed at least to make him support and legitimatize 
 all his families. The state legislature should either 
 make it bigamy to commit adultery, or to marry twice 
 under any form of marriage, or else it should make both 
 wives legal wives/' 
 
 'TBut do you think that you can secure evidence to 
 effect all of these ends. Doctor Ellwood ?" 
 
 'Tossibly not. But I am convinced that holding 
 men responsible for second wives, or responsible at least 
 for the legitimacy of all children, is the only operative 
 method to secure publicity, and any law which is not 
 publicly operative must prove ineffective. I maintain 
 that such a polygamous principle would not increase 
 polygamy, but would restrict secret evils. The knowl- 
 edge of this responsibility would alone prove a restraint, 
 and those who have polygamous instincts need no change 
 in the present laws to accommodate them. The present 
 balance-wheel of monogamy is the social evil, which is 
 polluting, both morally and physically, and it is wide- 
 spread in its hold upon our social life. No polygamous 
 history, ancient or modern, affords a parallel in vice to 
 the secret side of modem monogamy. 
 
 ^'A proper marriage system should, therefore, legiti- 
 matize provable children, provable during the lifetime 
 of each parent. Such a legal system would thus have 
 the effect of making the progeny of unmarried mothers 
 heirs both of herself and of the male parent, and would 
 enable them to bear hlf name and inherit equally with 
 any legitimate children he might have; but, of course, 
 
 51! 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 not to inherit from the other mother to the injury of 
 her progeny." 
 
 "You must let me congratulate you, my dear Doc- 
 tor, upon your courage and your clear penetration in 
 solving these great principles underlying all religion 
 and all society. I confess that the clearness of the sub- 
 ject is a great relief to my mind, so why not to that of 
 others ? The time is ripe for the truth, as you say." 
 
 "And yet, my dear Deacon, you do not know all. 
 You have in a way grasped the personal symbolism of 
 Jesus Christ, but I vnll illustrate it more fully, for we 
 must not forget the future promise, as given by John, 
 i. 17: 
 
 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth 
 came by Jesus Christ. 
 
 "Motherhood therefore must cease to be a nullity! 
 This trifling with the subject of marriage and mother- 
 hood must cease! Instead of treating woman as the 
 second thing in the order of creation, she becomes the 
 salvation of man himself. Such is the new mother! 
 Such is the Bride, the new Jerusalem, which is to 
 come down as God out of heaven! We must approach 
 the marriage question as the vital subject of the ages, 
 and as the means of future regeneration. We must 
 cease to despise that subject which has already become 
 the corner stone, so long rejected by the builders. We 
 must keep in view the Saviour conceived at ISTazareth, 
 who has already become ^that weak thing of the world 
 to confound the things which are mighty.' " 
 
 "How do you then apply this parable?" 
 
 "It is the beautiful light of the whole problem. It 
 
 62 
 
THE LIGHT OF THE WOKLD. 
 
 is briefly this, that Jesus Christ stands as a practical 
 Saviour of humanity, in that he is to be lifted up, as 
 was the serpent in the wilderness, so that all may look 
 upon him as an illegitimate love child of light, made 
 legitimate through Joseph taking Mary afterwards to 
 be his wife. Legitimacy, that weak thing of the world, 
 becomes the corner stone not only of the fabric of law 
 but of society. Motherhood becoming more and more 
 respected, regeneration of the world begins. Jesus was 
 himself bom the despised Son of Mary, and yet to him 
 was given a legal father in the person of Joseph. From 
 such despised and lowly surroundings Jesus, symbolis- 
 ing intelligence, is to be lifted up that he may become a 
 Light in the mystery of Life: 
 
 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am 
 the light of the world, he that followeth me shall not 
 walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. — St. 
 John, viii. 12. 
 
 "The symbolism of Jesus is the lesson of responsi- 
 bility. There is no justice in laws which tolerate pro- 
 miscuous adultery, and refuse to recognize the innocent 
 offspring of even proved and undisputed parentage. 
 There is something wrong with marriage law^ which 
 persecute innocent children, who were no party to the 
 illegitimate marriage, and you must lift up yoar Saviour 
 to suppress this persecution of illegit-matc children. 
 
 "Whenever the marriage laws were propounded to 
 Jesus, did he not in an instant call little children to 
 him, saying: 
 
 Suffer little children to come unto me and forbid them 
 not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven? 
 
 53 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 ''This is the symbolism of Jesus, that he becomes a 
 Light to every child that cometh into the world. 
 
 John said (Chap. i. 5, 8 and 9) : 
 
 And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness 
 comprehendeth it not. 
 
 He was not that Light, but was sent to baar witness 
 of that Light. 
 
 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man 
 that cometh into the world. 
 
 "Doctor Ellwood, you have not only invested the 
 study of this glorious Eedeemer of mankind with human 
 interest, but you have illuminated the great truth of re- 
 generation. It shall be my endeavour to aid in the 
 spread of such a religion with renewed zeal." 
 
 ''Then may I recommend to you as a further proof 
 of this view of the subject, that wonderful sermon of 
 the divine Jesus to his disciples, in Matthew, xviii. 1-7 : 
 
 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, say- 
 ing. Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? 
 
 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him 
 in the midst of them. 
 
 And said, Verily I say unto you. Except ye be con- 
 verted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter 
 into the kingdom of heaven. 
 
 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this lit- 
 tle child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 
 
 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my 
 name receiveth me. 
 
 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which 
 believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone 
 
 64 
 
THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. 
 
 were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned 
 in the depth of the sea. 
 
 Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must 
 needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by 
 whom the offence cometh!'' 
 
 55 
 
TWO TYPES. 
 
 YIII. 
 
 "RTfANY new conditions now presented themselves, 
 ■'•''* changing the literary life and the philanthropic 
 aspirations of the Ellwood family in America into other 
 directions. The current of their lives caused them to 
 drift to England, and a great part of their future ex- 
 istence was afterwards spent there. 
 
 Upon learning that a government appointment 
 abroad had been offered to Dr. Ellwood, an invitation 
 had come from Lord and Lady Blake to stay with them 
 for a time, on their arrival in London. The Doctor had 
 consented that Eleanor should go in advance and con- 
 eider the advisability of accepting the appointment and 
 removing to London, in the face of the loss of the large 
 medical practice which he had built up in the States 
 with so great industry. 
 
 Another incentive also had promoted the idea of the 
 removal. A cousin of Mrs. Ellwood had married, many 
 years previously, a Mr. Thornton, an English gentle- 
 man of wealth and influence, who resided in the Mid- 
 lands of England. On one of his numerous visits to 
 New York, he had, at the request of Mrs. Thornton, 
 called upon the Ellwoods, and shortly before the period 
 of Eleanor's visit to England, he had lived for a time 
 with Dr. Ellwood in order to undergo a slight opera- 
 tion. In the course of this treatment, the opportunity 
 
 56 
 
TWO TYPES. 
 
 presented itself for a close friendship and for a better 
 knowledge of one another's qualities. 
 
 Mr. Thornton was in many respects a very remark- 
 able character. Interested as he was in commercial 
 pursuits and being a prominent shareholder in various 
 corporate concerns, he could not but be attracted into 
 the political sphere of commerce. He became one of 
 the types whose ambition it is to weld into consoli- 
 dated interest the larger corporations, forming trusts, 
 those gigantic monopolies which of themselves consti- 
 tute tyrannous oligarchies. The real rulers of the world 
 are, indeed, these gigantic combinations. Controlling 
 the parliaments and law-making bodies, they dictate to 
 the governments, and thus the power of money is made 
 manifest. Thornton stood as the political exponent of 
 monopolies and trusts. Dr. Ellwood, upon the other 
 hand, while appreciating the necessity of consolidating 
 many means of production for purposes of supplying 
 the markets, yet represented that republican idea which 
 holds it the duty of governments to see that this facil- 
 ity of production is not safeguarded into a monopoly to 
 control the supply. 
 
 Thornton, from the character of his pursuits, neces- 
 sarily developed the spirit of selfishness, while Ellwood 
 lived in a certain spiritual environment, which, from 
 its native self-abnegation, rendered him an apostle of 
 the higher life. Many arguments, as might be ex- 
 pected, arose between Thornton and Ellwood, by which 
 each gentleman was compelled to admire the honesty 
 of the convictions the other held regarding political 
 and social affairs, and it was not without sincerity that 
 Thornton proffered his congratulations upon Dr. Ell- 
 wood's appointment abroad, to represent the United 
 
 57 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 States in England, in certain matters of economic and 
 political inquiry. Mr. Thornton made much of Dr. 
 Ellwood^s medical services to himself, and, some time 
 before Eleanor's preliminary visit to the Blakes, he 
 placed his daughter Dorothy, who had up to this time 
 been visiting her friends in America, under charge of 
 Dr. Ellwood for medical treatment. A genuine friend- 
 ship had sprung up between Esther and Dorothy, and 
 Mr. Thornton had consented to his daughter's remain- 
 ing with the Ellwoods upon his return to England, on 
 the understanding that she should follow with the Ell- 
 woods, if the Doctor accepted the appointment. 
 
 Esther had by this time become quite a young wo- 
 man. She was now nearly eighteen years of age, and 
 remarkably advanced in her studies. She had finished 
 the course at the Public School, which is the usual ed- 
 ucation in the States, and, through continued associa- 
 tion with her parents, she had become so imbued with 
 the injustice which prevailed throughout the world, 
 that she had decided on taking a course in law. In 
 order to enter regularly upon the official course in law, 
 a preliminary examination has to be passed. At the 
 same time, one can take the first year's course and pass 
 that examination together with the preliminary, and 
 thus save a year. Esther did this, and about the time 
 Mr. Thornton returned to England, she completed her 
 first course, which entitled her to wear the cap and 
 gown. 
 
 More than this, her keen legal mind had pierced the 
 injustice and inequality of the law all through the so- 
 cial structure; she had not only witnessed the diffi- 
 culties which had surrounded her parents, difficulties 
 which the wealthy can always put in the way of their 
 
 68 
 
TWO TYPES. 
 
 less fortunate kindred, but she fully realized, young 
 as she was, the fearful power which wealth holds every- 
 where to overcome the good and the virtuous. She 
 knew full well that only the quick genius of her father 
 had protected his family; and, at the same time, her 
 heart felt sore for those forlorn women whom no good 
 fortune gave a man as protector. 
 
 She would be a solicitor then; she would be the rock 
 to which women should cling, and she would carry on 
 the noble work of her father, who had put aside all 
 temptations and had fought for his wife and her moth- 
 er, until the world had recognized her worth. Esther 
 herself, the love-child of light, the offspring of truth 
 and of virtue, had that same tiger-like courage born of 
 despair, yet illuminated by the fire of inspiration, which 
 both her father and mother had shown in their glorious 
 tenacity of purpose. But a new condition of affairs 
 just now supervened, which changed the immediate 
 course of Esther^s aspirations. 
 
 When Eleanor and Dorothy arrived in England, and 
 wired urging them to remove immediately to London, 
 Dr. Ellwood and Esther consulted together. They 
 seemed somewhat adrift without Eleanor to confer with 
 them ; but finally Esther, in her quiet way, said : 
 
 ''Father, don't you think it is the hand of God? 
 You know that we have all along been thinking of go- 
 ing to England, accepting the appointment, and now 
 that the way seems opened by our friends, too, do you 
 not think it must be destiny or what you so often call 
 a 'coincidence T '' 
 
 Dr. Ellwood smiled. He had for a long time noticed 
 these intuitions of his little daughter, and she had been 
 to him an interesting study in heredity. 
 
 59 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 Dr. Ellwood had always claimed that like causes pro- 
 duce like results, and that this principle is as applic- 
 able to the human race as to all other animals. The 
 difference between the breeding of domestic animals 
 and human beings lies chiefly in the fact that the en- 
 vironment of humanity varies always with the indi- 
 vidual, and the attributes engendered by inherited dis- 
 eases are so uncertain, that we are apt to be misled. 
 Considering the purity of the lives of Dr. and Mrs. 
 Ellwood, purity was to be expected in their children. 
 The prescient faculty, likewise, being so developed in 
 both parents, prescience was a natural legacy to the chil- 
 dren. Esther, moreover, being the first-born and femi- 
 nine, and more in sympathy with the parents, was the 
 more sure and practical in her intuitions. It was, there- 
 fore, quite natural for Esther to think correctly. 
 
 Esther therefore decided the matter and her view 
 was re-echoed by both Walter and Harold, who, at this 
 time, were two studious boys of ten and twelve years 
 of age. Dr. and Mrs. Ellwood had always made com- 
 panions of their children, and many were the bright 
 and spontaneous perceptions of these little ones. Above 
 all else they knew right from wrong, largely from the 
 effect of the teachings of Eleanor, who brought up her 
 children from the standpoint of honour and not of 
 greed. Beyond this they perceived naturally the equity 
 of things. Eleanor's favourite motto was: "Do right 
 because it is right," and so her children abhorred a 
 wrong as nature abhors a vacuum. 
 
 Such children suffer in the cause of right, both from 
 denying themselves that which they could obtain through 
 fraud, and because it gave them pain to see others de- 
 nied life's patrimony. They do not attempt to philos- 
 
 60 
 
TWO TYPES. 
 
 ophize as older persons do when they consider the ec- 
 centricities of life or the obstructions in the path of 
 justice, but they simply suffer from innate sensibility. 
 
 "The great question/^ Dr. Ellwood would say, "is 
 this: Shall the sensitiveness of the Christ-power in 
 the world expire before the all-absorbing greed of the 
 Herodians? Shall Christ again be persecuted by those 
 who seek from him materials for his own accusation? 
 The balance of social law is so fine, that, while the 
 Christ-power is able to see the sins of humanity, it is 
 not yet able to overcome them. Yet by training the 
 young as soon as they can distinguish right from wrong- 
 to recognize these sins, it will be possible to breed out 
 diseases and to breed in love children, the children of 
 light. Until enough people are ready to act together, 
 to constitute a working majority, no successful action 
 can be taken. Much more, therefore, depends upon 
 love-marriages, or those that are made in heaven, than is 
 supposed, and thus we see why marriage is made the 
 fundamental law of the Bible. 
 
 "]^ow, consider the battle between the powers of 
 light and of darkness ! It is proverbial that the course 
 of true love never did run smooth. The beast, Baby- 
 lon, is the enemy of mankind and the high priestess 
 of Satan. 'Where two or three are gathered together 
 in my name, there am I in the midst of them,^ has 
 deeper significance than the edicts of kings. It is the 
 love bond, the sensitiveness to perceive the simple jus- 
 tice of human rights. This justice begins with the in- 
 nocent child in the cradle; and were the child declared 
 always legitimate, however born, and his mother, the 
 divine Mary, given power to defend the Christ-child^s 
 birthright, the wrongs of the world would be righted. 
 
 61 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 This is the corner-stone, the stone which the builders 
 rejected. Well has it been said: ^He came among his 
 own and his own received him not, but to those who 
 did receive him he gave them the power to become 
 God^s children V Thus we have a corner-stone in the com- 
 mon law to build upon. The only question is if the 
 *^time' is now come when the stone which the builders 
 rejected has become the head of the corner.'^ 
 
 62 
 
REPUBLICAN IDEALS. 
 IX. 
 
 T^HE last meeting of Dr. Ellwood with his circle 
 ■*■ of friends was somewhat pathetic; for it will 
 readily be seen, from the diverse and fundamental sub- 
 jects upon which the Doctor had discoursed, that he 
 was the principal figure in the little social gatherings. 
 
 "Before you are lost in the great pool of London, ]et 
 us come to some understanding regarding your future 
 attitude towards America," remarked Mr. Slocum, a law- 
 yer of decidedly democratic ideas. "We know that you 
 are leaving the States with faint hope of the permanence 
 of republican institutions." 
 
 "I cannot deny," replied Dr. Ellwood, "my extreme 
 solicitude for the future of my country. Since the days 
 of Abraham Lincoln, who reunited the great States into 
 brotherhood once more, I have lived to see one link after 
 another forged in the chain of bondage for America. 
 First began the creation of trusts to solidify commercial 
 interests. Then came the third-term agitation, which 
 resulted in a solid phalanx of 306 Imperialists in the 
 convention nominating Grant for the third term. This 
 was the first serious attempt to subvert the Eepublic. 
 from inside. Then came the intriguing from foreign 
 governments to establish the single gold standard in 
 America and to demonetize silver. This resulted in 
 Cleveland's well-nigh fatal thrusts, culminating in the 
 
 63 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 repeal of the silver purchasing clause^ which, together 
 with his final blow at his party^s doctrine of State Eights^, 
 consummated his political treachery. 
 
 "This subversion of State Eights culminated in his 
 action regarding the State of Illinois, in sending the 
 national army there upon a specious pretence. The pre- 
 tence was to protect the government postal service, but, 
 as a matter of fact, it was to protect a railway corpora- 
 tion. These corporations had practically become the 
 government. European gold had also captured the cor- 
 porations. Not that I would decry the right of adoption 
 of this European standard of values to protect invest- 
 ments made by capitalists," said Dr. Ellwood, "^^ut I 
 speak of the trend of events and the gravitation of the 
 United States into the comity of nations." 
 
 "Then you do not speak from the standpoint of re- 
 publicanism yourself. Dr. Ellwood?" asked Mr. Slocum. 
 
 "Yes and no," he replied. "I am a Eepublican, and I 
 hope that I always shall be one, and I believe in taking 
 into consideration the voice of the people, as you very 
 well know. An oligarchy militates against the aspira- 
 tion to rise and curtails the ideals of liberty. But an oli- 
 garchy of rumsellers and railway magnates may be worse 
 than an aristocracy with responsibilities; for there is 
 little responsibility in our legislative lobbies." 
 
 "Then you think that republican institutions, in a 
 way, are a fallacy?" 
 
 "Quite so," said Dr. Ellwood. "As the American 
 people are hoodwinked in their elections, the voice of 
 the people is no longer heard; it is the croaking of po- 
 litical ravens. The local societies control the large 
 cities, and, for local purposes, they bargain with the 
 Eepublicans to keep control of the cities by giving the 
 
 64 
 
KEPUBLICAlSr IDEALS. 
 
 national vote to the Eepublicans in control of the general 
 elections. In the main, liberty is stifled and the Repub- 
 lic is purely figurative." 
 
 "But you think the republican principle would sur- 
 vive, if left to the people?" 
 
 "Certainly/' said Dr. Ellwood, "and there is a way 
 to restore the power to the people, just as I have shown 
 you a way to restore practical Christianity, in properly 
 interpreting the prophecy of the Bible. In the election 
 laws the people have been fooled to the top of their bent, 
 and only by public voting can the deals between parties 
 in the counting of votes be prevented." 
 
 "Then you propose a general remedy?" 
 
 "Certainly I do. The great aim of all jurisprudence 
 is, without doubt, toward national and international 
 codes of laws. On this account, two leading principles 
 are to be borne constantly in mind ; one is the necessity 
 of simplifying laws and legal complications between 
 the different states or nations, and the other is the ne- 
 cessity of having these laws adopted." 
 
 "But as to remedial measures, how are we to propose 
 reforms when the very basis of government and the 
 means of reform are controlled by systematic party cor- 
 ruptionists ?" asked Slocum. 
 
 "That is the great question. Of course, the great 
 difficulty is to get existing parties to pass laws which 
 will permit other parties to be organized, who may take 
 to themselves the political power. The present parties, 
 therefore, wish to keep the voting machines as they exist 
 at present, so that only machine candidates can be elect- 
 ed. It is thus difficult to create a new party which 
 might introduce reforms. I will say, then, that, in or- 
 der to effect any change in the world^s conditions, new 
 
 65 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 methods of procedure must be indicated/' 
 
 Mr. Slocum was so much impressed with the correct- 
 ness of many of Dr. Ellwood^s suggestions that he made 
 it his duty to ask for a special interview prior to his de- 
 parture for England. Dr. Ellwood was not at all averse 
 to being interviewed upon these questions of public in- 
 terest, and accordingly, in greeting Mr. Slocum cordial- 
 ly, the Doctor expressed his regret that he could not re- 
 main upon the field of action in America, where so much 
 was to be effected on behalf of human progress; but he 
 promised that his friends should not be forgotten, and 
 that, from time to time, as events progressed, he would 
 communicate with them. 
 
 "You will probably be able to draw some conclusions 
 from observation of English laws and English customs, 
 which may be of benefit to the United States," remarked 
 Slocum. 
 
 "That is quite possible, my good friend, although 
 criticism would come with exceedingly poor grace from 
 one who accepts the hospitalities of another government. 
 Strangely enough, some of the proposals that I have put 
 forward for reform in America are practically in active 
 operation in England." 
 
 "But you do not pretend to say that the very basis 
 of republican institutions, namely the ballot, is more 
 prized in monarchical England than in America ?" 
 
 "It is so ; but it must be noted that in England only 
 persons who have certain qualifications have the right 
 of suffrage, as against every man in the States. And 
 when the votes are cast in England the candidates ac- 
 tually receive the votes that are given them, and are 
 not counted out by conniving inspectors of election." 
 
 66 
 
EEPUBLICAN IDEALS. 
 
 "But why cannot inspectors connive in England as 
 well as in America ?" 
 
 "Because, when an election is held in England, can- 
 vassing is so thorough that a fairly accurate idea of the 
 result can be arrived at, before the votes are counted." 
 
 "Then the Australian and other systems of secret vot- 
 ing are, in your opinion, failures T^ 
 
 "In every sense. They throw the entire vote into the 
 hands of inspectors, and encourage deals between the po- 
 litical parties ; moreover, they are contrary to republican 
 principles and subversive of American manhood." 
 
 "Your view is surprising, Dr. Ellwood, for we sup- 
 posed that we were doing wonderful things in adopting 
 this splendid system by which the American workman 
 was to be protected from his employers." 
 
 "The American workman, from his confidence and 
 trust, is easily fooled by the claptrap argument that his 
 interest is being protected by a secret ballot. But when 
 he awakens he will inaugurate reforms which will as- 
 tonish his employers." 
 
 "Then tell me. Dr. Ellwood, how would you proceed 
 to awaken this public interest in the cause of reform? 
 You will remember that in a former suggestion you 
 thought that some new method of procedure must be 
 indicated." 
 
 "Quite true," said Dr. Ellwood. "We cannot expect 
 success till concerted action is taken. For example, 
 nothing, except the creation of an absolute monarchy, 
 can give power to a single person to change all these 
 things, so that the Republic is dependent upon a gen- 
 eral awakening of the journals to expound these prac- 
 tical reforms. As soon as the general outline of reform 
 I am indicating is taken up seriously by the American 
 
 67 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 papers, and the public grasp the simplicity and justice 
 of it, a new era will set in." 
 
 "But all this implies new senators and congressmen 
 to vote for these reforms, and, consequently, a new 
 party must be created." 
 
 "That is essential. Anything else at this juncture 
 would be like putting new servants into disordered man- 
 sions to learn the tricks of the old regime. The whole 
 situation is exemplified in the methods of our Ambas- 
 sadors, who go abroad, falling into the old snares, in- 
 stead of infusing new principles into diplomacy. You 
 must understand that I admit the Americans have much 
 to learn from foreign governments, but our officials 
 should learn it from official sources and not sacrifice 
 their country by toadying to wealth and working for 
 social preferment. It is the pernicious influence which 
 these things exert upon republican principles that di- 
 vests the Eepublic of all dignity, just as the incongruity 
 of our interstate laws renders the name ^United' States 
 an absurdity." 
 
 "You were saying. Dr. Ellwood, that, under the 
 present form of government, improvement must begin 
 with a general awakening of the newspapers?" 
 
 "Yes ! All reforms begin by agitation in some 
 form. But first agitate to remove the obstructions to 
 reform throughout the United States, for it is only by 
 national effort that great reform is practicable. Three 
 important reforms, especially, suggest themselves to my 
 mind as furnishing a basis for a new order of govern- 
 ment. First, we must reform the imperfect system of 
 voting for public officials; secondly, the imperfect rep- 
 resentation of the citizens at the polls; and thirdly, the 
 
 68 
 
EEPUBLICAN IDEALS. 
 
 imperfect operation of laws between the states of our 
 common country. 
 
 "The most direct criticism upon our prevailing in- 
 stitutions I shall designate as obstructive legislation and 
 obstructive laws. What I mean by this is, that the ne- 
 cessity for bolstering up complicated political systems 
 gives rise to the enactment of so much law that the very 
 spirit of law and justice is nullified by legal safeguards, 
 which become, by their technicalities, obstructive." 
 
 "I follow you; there is so much law that it is in the 
 way." 
 
 "Yes ! Applying this criticism to our system of elec- 
 tions, it will be seen that the enactment of printed ballots 
 themselves becomes obstructive; and all the safeguards 
 of the Australian or other technicalities only render 
 the original wrong more positive. By necessitating that 
 any particular ballot must be voted, you place power in 
 the hands of a few to direct the votes of the people into 
 particular channels; so that, in order to create any new 
 party of strength enough to overcome a political ring at 
 the polls, the present system necessitates great expense 
 of printing ballots and getting them distributed into 
 the hands of voters — that is to say, another political 
 machine must be organized to fight the first." 
 
 "And then you get a return to the old conditions ; for 
 the new party, created by this great expense, must neces- 
 sarily get its money back from the public treasury," said 
 Slocum. 
 
 "Yes," continued the Doctor, "in a free country, based 
 upon popular and active justice, these machines must 
 be overcome by simpler systems. In order to do this, 
 the obstructive enactments must be done away with. 
 Not that I would do away with law, for simple and 
 
 69 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 just laws are the science of government; but I would 
 direct legislation so broadly as not to defeat itself. For 
 example, as applied to the ballot, the law should specify 
 that, for the purpose of rendering it convenient to de- 
 posit and count ballots, they should be of a certain size 
 of white paper, folded twice lengthwise, so as to go into 
 the ballot boxes; upon the outside should be written or 
 printed the name of the office voted for, and upon the 
 inside the name of the candidate should be written or 
 printed. Have you not here the spirit of the law ? Now 
 to improve upon this simple ballot is to obstruct its use/' 
 
 "It is so simple, that, once understood, the public will 
 demand it!" exclaimed Slocum, enthusiastically. 
 
 "It is claimed that all kinds of things might happen 
 — that the voters could not write, that they could not 
 spell the names exactly, that there might be too many 
 candidates voted for; and the great cry is for a secret 
 ballot. This is the grand plea for a complicated ballot 
 — that no party or employer should know how the em- 
 ployes would vote, in order to stop the purchase and 
 control of votes, and so prevent the intimidation of the 
 workman. It means that, in order to protect a few 
 voters, the mass must be compelled to vote for particular 
 machine candidates ! Wliich is to say, that to enable 
 voters to vote secretly for machine candidates, who may 
 also be counted in falsely by machine inspectors of elec- 
 tion, other independent candidates must have no means 
 of knowing how many votes they receive, by publicity. 
 Now, I contend that even the secret ballot is wrong of 
 itself — not to refer again to its being in its very nature 
 obstructive — for look what a check upon ring rule and 
 control of elections would be the very publicity of every 
 person calling aloud their votes as cast. At every poll 
 
 70 
 
EEPUBLICAN IDEALS. 
 
 could be newspaper reporters checking votes as cast, and 
 at night every candidate would know his vote, without 
 waiting for the official count, which could not then be 
 doctored by the inspectors within. Or, if secrecy is de- 
 sirable, the voters might sign their votes for identifica- 
 tion and to prevent fraudulent counting. Now look at 
 the vast advantage to the public of beinsr able to form a 
 party over night to overthrow a political ring!'^ 
 
 "Fancy being able to form a party over night to over- 
 throw a political ring ! But might not such a power be 
 put to bad uses ?'^ insisted Mr. Slocum. 
 
 "Yes, if you think that the whole American people 
 could be made enthusiastic, even by the papers, to do a 
 wrong thing. But if they did, the power w^ould then 
 rest with the people to right the wrong; while now the 
 wrong perpetually exists. Suppose, for instance, that 
 a great reform movement was inaugurated upon the eve 
 of an election, suddenly, by an orator of profound views 
 proposing new issues, and the press should proclaim his 
 doctrines, and the people say, let us vote for that man 
 and overthrow corruption! There would be no time to 
 organize all over the United States with printed ballots 
 for particular State electors ; but the people should have 
 the power to write a ballot for that man direct in every 
 district all over the land; and so for all candidates. This. 
 is what the people want. This is Freedom. Anything 
 else is obstructive and against the ideals of Liberty.'^ 
 
 71 
 
A NEW CONSTITUTION- 
 
 i 
 
 X. 
 
 KOM this lengthy discussion with the Doctor, Mr. 
 Slocum had much food for reflection. He 
 thought, however, of the illiterate population writing 
 ballots and of the possibility of their being persuaded 
 to vote en masse for some revolutionary candidate on 
 the eve of an election, which so impressed him that he 
 decided to have the argument out with Dr. Ellwood at 
 the first opportunity. This soon arrived, as it became 
 necessary, prior to his departure for England, for the 
 Doctor to execute certain legal documents at Slocum's 
 law offices. These affairs having been attended to, Slo- 
 cum challenged Dr. Ellwood's theory of the ballot, by 
 remarking that he feared the great masses might not 
 vote as intelligently as was anticipated, if given so free 
 a hand as the written ballot; he thought also that some 
 safeguard must be kept to restrict, at least, the number 
 of candidates for office. 
 
 "I think you wrong the masses, Slocum, by such a 
 suspicion of their intelligence; but my feeling is, in 
 reply to this objection, that the ballot should be re- 
 stricted to such individuals as hav^ an actual interest in 
 the government. We should apply the same system of 
 criticism to the right of suffrage as we have to the ballot 
 itself." 
 
 "Is there anything, then, to be corrected in regard to 
 
 72 
 
A NEW CONSTITUTION. 
 
 suffrage in the United States?'^ asked Slociun, now al- 
 most alarmed. 
 
 "There is much yet to be said upon both sides of the 
 suffrage question. The first principle of liberty is the 
 right of representation. The very rebellion of the origi- 
 nal states themselves was based upon the right of tax- 
 payers being represented in Parliament; no taxation 
 without representation! And yet all through the his- 
 tory of these United States, efforts have been made to 
 restrain from representation at the polls not only the 
 slaves who contribute to the wealth of the nation, but 
 women, heavily taxed, and subject to all the liabilities 
 of the laws and of citizenship; and this upon the sole 
 excuse of colour or sex. What has sex or colour to do with 
 citizenship, or with persons subject to law and contrib- 
 uting by taxation to the revenue of the state? I doubt 
 if there be any other gauge of the right to vote than tax- 
 ation, and I question if any one should be esteemed a 
 citizen who is not taxed in some manner. Certainly 
 there is no justice in allowing a vote to a foreigner, who 
 has recently been naturalized, and who has never con- 
 tributed to the support of the state, and in denying that 
 right to a slave, who has contributed labour, or to a 
 woman who has contributed a home to the husband, and 
 who, in the event of his decease, has still, as the head 
 of the family, to contribute taxes to the state. To my 
 mind, laws which, upon technical grounds, deny the 
 right of suffrage to all eligible citizens, male or female, 
 are obstructive; and some eligible system of taxation 
 should be the sole broad ground upon which to base a 
 perfect representation of all citizens at the polls. The 
 right of suffrage might exist where even a poll tax was 
 paid ; for certainly it were better that a man should pay 
 
 73 ^ . ■ 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 two dollars per year for the right to vote, than that he 
 should be paid two dollars by a candidate to obtain his 
 vote." 
 
 "Certainly there must be system in permitting the 
 right of suffrage;, just as there must be system in de- 
 positing the ballot/^ admitted Slocum; ^"'but what one 
 has to decide is, just how much law or how much system 
 is necessary, and not to permit of so much system that 
 by its very unnecessary enactments the operation of the 
 law defeats itself." 
 
 "Yes, that is it, and in regard to your fear of a multi- 
 plicity of candidates, there are several systems by which 
 this jjopular vote may be cast," replied the Doctor; ^^3iit, 
 as you say, what we wish to discover is that system which 
 offers the least objection. If we propose, for example, 
 to continue the Electoral College, there is this serious 
 objection, that, in selecting the list of electors in each 
 State, particular industries, say manufactures, might 
 put forward a preponderance of electors, who would 
 elect officers representing a national policy of high pro- 
 tective tariff, as we have now in the government of the 
 Republican party." 
 
 "Then what is the exact system which you would 
 propose?" asked Slocum. 
 
 "You agree that the object of popular suffrage is to 
 express the voice of the people. In this case you must 
 begin with the township. The vote in each township 
 could be polled and the county official could then regis- 
 ter, at the county seat, the name of the candidate re- 
 ceiving the largest vote in each township ; for reference, 
 each locality should also preserve its original list of per- 
 sons voted for, with their full vote. Each county could 
 then send, in like manner, the name of the candidate 
 
 74 
 
A NEW CONSTITUTIOlSr. 
 
 receiving the highest vote in the county, to be registered 
 in the capital of each state. When the lists from the 
 counties are compared at Washington, in the congres- 
 sional body, it would be seen at a glance what names 
 were general throughout the states, and then the principal 
 test would begin. The exact vote for each of these gen- 
 eral candidates could then be traced back to all town- 
 ships, and the largest popular vote would elect. By this 
 method you do away with all party nominations, except 
 such candidates as may be popularly put forward.^^ 
 
 "Such a system seems much simpler than anyone 
 would suppose,'^ said Slocum, "and, from this stand- 
 point, it is quite evident that there should be need for 
 but one Electoral College to sit in Congress at Wash- 
 ington.^^ 
 
 "That is the college which must engage our earnest 
 attention," said the Doctor. "We look to these lavvyer? 
 to set the pace for the future. We need a set of laws to 
 correct and restrain abuses; not to permit or to palliate 
 them. We need schools instead of prisons. We need 
 workshops instead of arsenals. We need comforts in- 
 stead of the treadmills of ceaseless labour. We need 
 beautiful and healthful children to build up the race of 
 the future." 
 
 "Then, Doctor," interrupted Slocum, "it seems that 
 the difficulty will be chiefly to get the old college out 
 and the new college in." 
 
 "ISTow you have it, Slocum. The question is: 'Who 
 shall brave the lion in his den?^ How spread the tid- 
 ings of reform, when even the principal journals of 
 America are controlled by capitalists, whose interests 
 will be affected by any reform? The organized auto- 
 crats of industry must necessarily be jealous of their 
 
 78 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 prerogatives. Specious arguments will be advanced to 
 substantiate the existing order of things, but it seems 
 only necessary to attract attention to the symmetry of 
 these wholesale measures, which are now rendered im- 
 perative to effect reforms, in order to have them 
 adopted." 
 
 "But to dispense with the Electoral College would 
 necessitate constitutional amendments in order to pro- 
 vide another system of electing the President," said 
 Slocum. 
 
 "The Constitution must, sooner or later, be amended 
 making provisions quite different from those which ex« 
 ist, and, if we amend the Constitution, why not amend 
 it in every way that will conduce to a more perfect Grov- 
 ernment, effecting uniform laws throughout the stataj 
 as well as securing less cumbersome machinery than the 
 Electoral College, for electing the President and Vice- 
 President. The object of the present electoral system 
 was that each state should have a voice, as a sta"f"e, in 
 electing the presidential officers; but no matter how 
 large may be the majority of votes for one candidate 
 over another in each separate state, and no matter if 
 these majorities be added together, so that one candi'latc 
 is elected by this total popular majority, still another 
 candidate may be elected by the votes of the spates. The 
 electors number the same as the congressmen and sena- 
 tors of the states. Therefore, we have in the Ehctoral 
 College another Congress — a duplicate machine, in fact, 
 for the sole purpose of electing one of the rival candi- 
 dates of these gigantic political party machines." 
 
 "But your object is to get the direct vote of the people 
 for these candidates ?" 
 
 "Yes, like the vote for the regular members of the 
 
 76 
 
A NEW CONSTITUTION. 
 
 House of Eepresentatives, although two senators are 
 sent to Congress from each state, elected by the legis- 
 latures. These congressmen might elect the President 
 and Vice-President, otherwise, we must hold an election 
 direct for them in some such way as I have indicated in 
 the township plan. A popular election, say every six 
 years, would be wiser, as Congress has already sujQ&cient 
 duties to perform, and, besides, the members are elected 
 at different times, so that we would not get as complete 
 an expression of the popular will as would result froxn 
 a general election. Then, again, the opportunity ot a 
 coalition among the majority in Congress to perpetuate a 
 ruler or party in power would be prevented.^' 
 
 "Your belief in the people is unbounded,^^ said Slo- 
 cum. 
 
 "It is, and upon this theory of the voice of the people 
 we come also to the consideration of direct legislation in 
 Congress upon all general laws affecting personal and 
 business relations. Certainly there is no occcision for the 
 diversity of interstate legal complications which exist, 
 and uniform laws would be at once the solution of the 
 conflicts between the state courts, as well as a bond of 
 sympathy between the whole people of the United States. 
 Legislation must then become centralized in Congress, 
 and the state legislatures must become guardians solely 
 of the public properties and improvements within their 
 borders. The question thence as to tariff and taxation 
 would be much simplified, for it is palpable that the 
 states would tax or lease their properties and franchises 
 to the people, and that the central government would 
 issue general taxes, regulating the tariff according to 
 policy, but not for revenue.^^ 
 
 "You spoke. Doctor, of a third important reform. Is 
 
 77 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 it of as generic a nature as the casting of the ballot and 
 the right of suffrage ?'' 
 
 "It concerns the imperfect operation of the laws be- 
 tween the individual states and different nations. But 
 from this subject having been so much discussed, it may 
 be sufficient here to state simply that the diversity of 
 laws, especially those pertaining to marriage and divorce, 
 between the separate states, is in its very nature ob- 
 structive. To accomplish, therefore, judicial reforms 
 within states, it is palpably necessary to consider the 
 subject from a national standpoint. We are, then, met 
 at the very outset with the great questions of centrali- 
 zation and of constitutionality. When we discover that 
 the Constitution of the United States gives Congress 
 power to legislate only upon the subjects of naturaliza- 
 tion and bankruptcy, the question of securing uniform 
 laws throughout the states arises.^' 
 
 '^Evidently new amendments must be made to the 
 Constitution authorizing Congress to enact uniform 
 laws ; for the only protection of the states for and against 
 each other seems to me to lie in intrusting to Congress 
 power to legislate upon those social subjects which affect 
 all persons alike. But this presupposes that intelligent 
 legislators have been elected who will enact laws for the 
 people and not for politicians and lawyers,'^ interposed 
 Slocum. 
 
 ''But the questions of centralization and of constitu- 
 tionality are involved. Shall the government resign its 
 revenue from tariff and internal revenue and demand 
 from each state tribute, or shall the Government levy 
 general taxes, thus centralizing revenue receipts? Will 
 the Constitution of the United States be stretched, or, 
 upon the other hand, can there be any reform in the 
 
 79 
 
A NEW CON'STITUTIO:^. 
 
 United States without stretching the Constitution? But 
 no matter what may be the merits or demerits of the 
 Constitution ^er se, no one for a moment supposes that 
 the Constitution can enforce itself any more than the 
 state statutes or other laws can enforce themselves. The 
 great point, then, is to draft the clauses so that all will 
 have personal or selfish interests to induce them to 
 strive for justice, and so enforce the laws. It is just 
 this point that I desire to emphasize in my recommend- 
 ations. The political situation has, in fact, become so 
 anomalous that we find ourselves, upon principle, endors- 
 ing the theory of State Rights, upon which, in fact, the 
 Union was based, to prevent centralization of power; 
 and again we find it necessary to unify general regula- 
 tions for the operation of interstate concerns. It must 
 necessarily end in state and congressional enactments, 
 in which the state shall legislate upon what is confined 
 within the state, and Congress shall legislate upon 
 what concerns two or more states. A coal mine, for ex- 
 ample, would be subject to the laws of the state wherein 
 it lies, whether the mine be worked under a company 
 formed in another state or not, but a railroad running 
 through several states should be subject to the national 
 courts, and its charter should be granted only in the 
 District of Columbia, but ratified by the states through 
 which the railway passes. This principle should also 
 define the operations of Trusts upon the one hand and 
 Labour Unions upon the other. If labour shall require 
 concerted action throughout the country, then it and or- 
 ganized capital should come under the same national 
 courts at Washington, thus rendering a sort of arbitra- 
 tion possible. Such are basic formulae for conditions 
 as they exist; as new conditions, however, will gradually 
 
 79 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 arise through new legislators, untrammelled by party- 
 machinery, being elected, renewed confidence will be 
 created in national legislation, and less necessity will 
 exist for elaborate legislation within the states them- 
 selves. But the maintenance of State Eights, under 
 present conditions, is the bulwark against the aggres- 
 sion of capital and the concentration of wealth in the 
 hands of the few.'^ 
 
 "Your three reforms, I see, my dear Doctor, are com- 
 prehensive and far-reaching,'^ remarked Slocum. 
 
 "To comprehend the real benefits which an intelligent 
 and non-obstructive system of laws would bestow, it is 
 necessary to understand the present inefl:ectiveness of 
 many laws, in their non-operation. In the first place, 
 there is no standard of honesty or morality because of the 
 difficulty of enforcing any law, and because of the diffi- 
 culty of one's keeping free from litigation. The theory 
 that every one is entitled to secresy in his business man- 
 agement is largely the cause of present poverty and 
 immorality. The smart class, trading upon the cre- 
 dulity of others under the cloak of respectability and 
 credit, fleece the public, so that, in business circles at 
 least, every one is regarded as a knave until proved to 
 be honest. Placing the responsibility of public im- 
 provements in the hands of a few monopolists is not only 
 an unfair bestowal of public rights, but it is an incentive 
 to all kinds of public bribery and far-spreading political 
 misdoing. In an era which has produced such wonders 
 as the cotton gin, the planing machine, the mower and 
 reaper, the rotary printing press, navigation by steam, 
 the hot-air engine, the sewing machine, the India rubber 
 industry, the machine manufacture of horseshoes, the 
 sand blast for carving, the gauge lathe, the grain ele- 
 
 80 
 
A NEW COlSrSTITUTTON. 
 
 vator, artificial ice-making on a large scale, the electric 
 magnet and its practical application, and the telephone, 
 not to mention medical and other scientific discoveries, 
 it is certainly time that we invented sensible laws, or 
 that we ceased, in the name of law, to permit any part 
 of our citizens to persecute, degrade or destroy whole 
 masses of citizens and families." 
 
 "I cannot tell you. Doctor Ellwood, with what solici- 
 tude we shall watch for future developments. The time 
 is surely coming when the people will rise suddenly to 
 these issues, if they be not gradually lead. America ap- 
 proaches that crisis towards which all Republics gravitate 
 until, robbed of lands and rights by the very laws which 
 should protect them, the people rise in their might and 
 turn to a dictator to rid them cf an oligarchy of finan- 
 ciers. Let us hope that the gradual dissemination of 
 intelligence may bring about harmony among the great 
 states of America, as you suggest!" 
 
 "I look not only for harmony among the United States, 
 but among all nations. It is the only explanation of 
 prophecy," said Dr. Ellwood. 
 
 "You would, then, go further than to establish uni- 
 form laws in America?" asked Mr. Slocum. 
 
 "Most assuredly I would. Not only on the ground 
 that laws would operate easier, but upon biblical grounds. 
 An international code of laws is the natural sequence of 
 the American Union, for if a body of states could exist 
 with necessary local laws under a general government, 
 then a confederation of the different nations of the 
 world is possible upon general lines." 
 
 "And you really think that such a project would be 
 soon practicable?" queried Slocum, incredulously. 
 
 "To prove that an international central government 
 
 81 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 is not only practicable, but eminently desirable, I have 
 drafted a Constitution of the United States of the World. 
 Its articles deal with the duties of the ojBficials of this 
 Congress, providing that delegates from America and 
 the European nations should be in proportion to popu- 
 lation. Among the chief powers of such a Congress 
 should be to coin money, to fix its value, and to fix the 
 standard of weights and measures for the world ; to pro- 
 mote the progress of science and the useful arts, provid- 
 ing copyrights or other suitable rewards; to define and 
 punish piracies and felonies against the laws of nations, 
 and lastly, all international disputes would come under 
 it as a court of arbitration.^' 
 
 "A most desirable consummation, devoutly to be 
 wished for," said Slocum. "We shall look with the 
 greatest interest upon your efforts in the great cause of 
 reform and the triumph of true Christianity." 
 
 "It will come, and perhaps sooner than many imag- 
 ine ; for has not nation risen against nation ? and has not 
 the Jew been afflicted and hated of all nations ?" 
 
 Now learn a parable of the fig tree ; when his branch 
 is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that 
 summer is nigh. 
 
 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, 
 know that it is near, even at the doors. 
 
 Watch therefore, for ye know not what hour your 
 Lord doth come. Matt. xxiv. 32, 33. 
 
 "The adoption of a universal code of laws w^ould be 
 the climax of spiritual history and a material fulfihnent 
 of the prophecy of Jesus. Making the marriage laws 
 the example of uniformity, harmony would follow in all 
 laws, and the long-looked-for millennium would be an 
 actual fact. Thus, in some practical solution of the mar- 
 
 82 
 
A KEW CONSTITUTION. 
 
 riage mystery, let us hope that the sjrmbol of the serpent 
 shall cease to be a sign of the world's martyrdom, and 
 become a symbol which shall attract all men, and, like 
 Moses, lead the wanderers out of the wilderness, or dark- 
 ness, again into God's paradise, still eastward in Eden — 
 towards the light and happiness." 
 
 83 
 
THE VOYAGE. 
 
 XI. 
 
 "PVR. ELLWOOD was visibly affected at parting with 
 ^-^ his compatriots. 
 
 "It is a serious thing," he said to the Deacon, "to leave 
 your native land behind you. All fond reminiscences 
 glide into the dimness of the past. Your thoughts revert 
 to the little country graveyard under the hill, where 
 your ancestors all came home to rest. The old country 
 mansion where your father and grandfather lived and to 
 which, although it may perhaps have passed into other 
 hands through misfortune or through time's natural 
 changes, your memory fondly reverts, and you have the 
 natural wish that the family name which you bear should 
 always be associated with it. Perhaps you expect some 
 day to retire to that historic locality, where your ances- 
 tors struggled for the family foothold in years gone by.'' 
 
 "These thoughts are quite natural," replied the good 
 old Deacon, who had known Dr. Ellwood as a boy in 
 their little country village on the banks of the Susque- 
 hanna, and who well appreciated the sentiments that 
 clung about the Ellwood name. "But you will return 
 some day, when you will have fulfilled that destiny 
 which takes you to England. There, too, you will ap- 
 preciate that love of the old, and that reverence for the 
 family traditions. And you will not find the English 
 people unfriendly to their American cousins." 
 
 84 
 
THE VOYAGE. 
 
 "No, they are foes no more. All races are amalgamat- 
 ing in America ; so much so, that when yon go to foreign 
 parts you do not seem a total stranger. This is, in truth, 
 a happy portent in the broadening natures of true Amer- 
 icans. But it is the caddishness of republicans abroad 
 which frightens one, as the lavish adulation of titled 
 wanderers in America exposes us to ridicule." 
 
 "Yet," said the Deacon, "these may be only the excep- 
 tions, although it is quite true that such straws prognos- 
 ticate the political drift.'' 
 
 "Yes, I fear for my country. The man on horseback 
 approaches the White House. The armies of Europe 
 have escorted America to the open door of the Orient. 
 Gold is king! The golden calf is the idol of creation 
 which the nations worship. Must America worship the 
 golden calf? For what was the sojourn of our fathers 
 in the wilderness? For what was the Wyoming mas- 
 sacre? For what, indeed, the struggle for independ- 
 ence ?" 
 
 "And yet, my good Doctor, you say you have faith in 
 destiny and the working out of the Divine will ?" 
 
 "Quite true ; but it is the expression of the truth that 
 urges us to action. This is why I must speak plainly. 
 America has been the John the Baptist of nations. It 
 was as ^the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make 
 straight the way of the Lord.' But the fair land is a 
 babel of tongues, a motley of laws, and a jester in the 
 court of nations. The cities of the great Kepublic are 
 as the daughters of Babylon. Their streets are full of 
 harlots ; their markets are dens of thieves ; their churches 
 are filled with money changers ; the broad territories are 
 given over to lobbyists, whose railways clutch the conti- 
 nent like a giant octopus ; and the councils of the Capitol 
 
 86 
 
THE ELLWOODS. ' 
 
 are plotting for empire ! What think ye I hope for my 
 country? What tears we shed for a Lincoln or for a 
 Garfield are all vanished ; and our lamentation now is for 
 the people who slew them. Yet onr ways are not as 
 God's ways, and we can but wonder." 
 
 It was indeed with a heavy heart that the Ellwoods 
 bade farewell to their native land.- But yet Esther, with 
 her bright and hopeful disposition, encouraged her 
 father. Always impressible, yet always practical, Esther 
 foresaw a wider horizon before them. 
 
 She said to her parent, "Father, dear, can't you see 
 that we have got into a rut through these various associ- 
 ations and that we need a change of conditions, new 
 friends, new scenery, new thoughts? Do you know, I 
 feel that we shall travel a great deal amid beautiful 
 scenery and pleasant surroundings. I had a dream, too, 
 of a beautiful place where there are mountains and sea 
 together. I saw such high hills, green with foliage, 
 close to the ocean, and a brook running down through 
 a quaint village and past a lighthouse, into the sea." 
 
 This pretty picture was afterwards verified, with a 
 slight addition ; but I forestall my story. 
 
 It took just two weeks to pack up the furniture. 
 Special care was bestowed upon the Doctor's particular 
 pets, his pictures. Eleanor had a great fondness for his 
 paintings, and particular selections from his studies had 
 been handsomely framed; and these, because Eleanor 
 loved them, had been packed with especial care. It was 
 altogether an unusual experience, and very busily worked 
 the Doctor, with his able lieutenants, Walter and Harold, 
 at the huge boxes, in which they aided the packers to 
 stow away all sorts of household utensils, ornaments, 
 books and all the numerous small articles that accumu- 
 
THE VOYAGE. 
 
 late about a residence. Esther superintended the linen 
 and clothing departments; and trunk after trunk, as 
 bureau after bureau, were packed and locked, prepara- 
 tory to being sent up to the great storehouse, where these 
 smaller packages were again crated or placed in larger 
 cases for shipment. 
 
 The result of it all was, that a number of immense 
 boxes were carted from the warehouse and placed upon 
 the steamship docks, from which they were lifted by 
 great cranes to the steamer^s deck and lowered down into 
 the hold. Among these boxes was one containing the 
 family carriage, which had been taken apart and packed, 
 while the faithful horse "Bob" was led on board the 
 steamer and placed in a narrow stall, just wide enough 
 to stand in, for horses do not lie down, at sea, except upon 
 lengthy voyages. 
 
 When the little party went on board of the staunch 
 old "Mohawk," bound direct for the London docks, they 
 experienced a strange sensation at feeling that they, with 
 all of their household goods, their horse, and even "Vet," 
 Esther's famous Eussian blue kitten, were floating out 
 upon the stormy ocean. It was some comfort, however, 
 to think that if an accident should happen, Eleanor, to 
 say the least, was on the other side of the sea. An in- 
 teresting feature of this ocean trip was the lookout for 
 warships. This voyage of the "Mohawk" occurred just 
 as war was declared between the United States and 
 Spain. Great excitement prevailed as to the possibility 
 of the steamer "Paris" being caught by one of the Span- 
 ish cruisers. As they neared the English waters constant 
 observation was kept for the cruisers, and the passengers 
 were on the tiptoe of expectation when the pilot came on 
 board with the English newspapers. 
 
 87 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 The tourists who come abroad from the United States, 
 eager for a fast trip to Liverpool or Southampton, miss 
 both the benefit of a day or two longer of ocean air and 
 the interesting scenery of the Channel coast, and also the 
 trip up the Thames, with which the passenger to London 
 is entertained. But our voyagers were not sorry when 
 they were swung into the Victoria Docks, to see Eleanor 
 standing upon the pier with her handkerchief waving. 
 Neither was the poor horse "Bob" sorry to be renioved 
 from between the boards, against which he had leaned 
 for nearly two weeks now, and to take a comfortable rest 
 in the dock stables, prior to being driven over to Hamp- 
 stead. 
 
 Thus again were the dear ones all reunited, and a 
 happy evening was passed in the quaint old mansion 
 at Hampstead Heath. Lord Eeginald could scarcely 
 realize that Esther was the same little sweetheart that 
 went to America in the red hood and jacket so many 
 years ago, now returning almost a woman grown. 
 
 The Doctor was soon informed of the house which 
 had been selected, and into which the furniture upon the 
 docks could now be at once transported. This was a 
 bright, cheerful home for London, situated in Kings 
 Gardens, and quite ready for their reception. Thus, 
 with the packing, the time spent upon the ocean and 
 landing the household effects, hardly a month had 
 elapsed, during which had been accomplished the taking 
 up and setting down again of the Doctor's lionie in an- 
 other place, just as Eleanor had prophesied. 
 
 88 
 
PART n. 
 
THE THORNTONS. 
 
 XII. 
 
 TN a picturesque part of the county of Warwickshire, 
 ^ but within easy distance of Birmingham, was sit- 
 uated the country seat of the Thorntons. Mr. Thorn- 
 ton, whose character and position have been briefly 
 touched upon, spent a considerable portion of his time 
 on this country estate, being himself an enthusiastic gar- 
 dener. It was a quiet home, wholly suggestive of Eng- 
 lish country life, — a roomy old mansion in Jacobean 
 style, overlooking a terraced lawn and flower gardens; 
 further off in the background were a small park, rows 
 of green meadows, farmhouses, and, lastly, the low-lying 
 hills in the distance. 
 
 Mrs. Thornton, who, it will be remembered, was a dis- 
 tant relation of Mrs. Ellwood, was a lady of many ac- 
 complishments and graces of mind. Extremely well 
 read and a delicate musician, she possessed an almost un- 
 erring judgment on matters of taste and a deep insight 
 into many of those smaller affairs that make up the 
 round of life. Naturally sympathetic in temperament, 
 she regarded humanity from an individual standpoint 
 and took a keen interest in the lives and actions of those 
 surrounding her. 
 
 She was thus an admirable foil to her husband, and 
 their contrarieties of nature were fully understood by 
 him and sensibly accounted for. A male companion 
 
 91 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 of Mrs. Thornton's type would have been an irksome 
 restraint on him^ but as a woman, and his wife to boot, 
 she completely filled that vacant half circle in which her 
 husband had no part. 
 
 As a consequence, the Thorntons were social figures 
 of considerable popularity, and their town house was 
 a magnet of attraction for many and varying cliques 
 and circles. 
 
 There were four children of this union, the elder of 
 whom was Miss Dorothy Thornton, who has already 
 been introduced to the reader. This young lady, who 
 at the present time was about twenty-three years of age, 
 inherited many of the masculine traits of her father's 
 character. Fond as most English girls are of outdoor 
 life, she owned a keenly practical intelligence which 
 directed her into the paths of scientific research. She 
 was a student of medicine ; she took an active interest in 
 her father's political conduct, and it was because of this 
 strong bent of mind that she developed such an extreme 
 fancy for Miss Ellwood on hearing of her devotion to 
 legal study. 
 
 The heir to the Thornton family was a young man of 
 about twenty named Eobert. After passing through a 
 public school career he had gone to Oxford, where he 
 had been now for about a year. Differing essentially in 
 character from his sister, he inherited, on the intellectual 
 side, much from his mother, whose marked qualities were 
 her abilities as a musician and litterateur, and keen in- 
 stincts of taste and order. Eobert, although an athlete 
 and a devotee of sport, lived a singularly quiet life at 
 Oxford for a young man of position. His apartments 
 were tastefully furnished, and he lived amongst a small 
 but select circle of friends. Mr. Thornton senior was 
 
 92 
 
THE THORNTONS. 
 
 very fond of his son, and looked forward with confident 
 anticipation to a public career for him. As a boy he 
 had always been a keen student of history and all that 
 pertained to the governing of nations ; and this his father 
 observed with considerable satisfaction, as it was his 
 ambition and desire that his son should enter the field 
 of politics. 
 
 Accordingly, on the entrance of the latter into Oxford 
 he had communicated to him his wishes on this point, 
 and to his joy he found that his son was quite in accord 
 with him. This was somewhat a relief to the mind of 
 Mr. Thornton, as he was fully alive to the fact that his 
 son possessed other capacities which might have led him 
 into an entirely different branch of life. Indeed, by far 
 the most conspicuous side of young Thornton's intellect 
 was his thorough insight into and natural ability for the 
 art of music. This, which he had inherited from his 
 mother, included not only a brilliant executive talent, 
 but a decided gift for composition. Thus Mr. Thorn- 
 ton, who had naturally looked upon this love of music 
 with growing feelings of alarm, was delighted to find his 
 doubts removed by the willing decision of his son. 
 
 The elder Thornton had all his life suffered from a 
 physical infirmity that had rendered impossible his con- 
 tinued appearance in public life; but he had strong po- 
 litical ambitions, and it was well known that he exer- 
 cised a powerful influence on his confreres in Parlia- 
 ment. He aimed at the consolidation of wealth in im- 
 mense amalgamated corporations, and this view he held, 
 not from any selfish, personal motive of gain, but because 
 he sincerely considered it best for the nation to have its 
 financial resources controlled by a few but masterful 
 men. He had endeavoured to fill the mind of his son with 
 
 93 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 these ideas, and, to carry out his plans, he had always 
 surrounded him with companions of similar ideals. He 
 intended, therefore, that when Eobert had completed 
 the four years^ course at college, he should enter at once 
 the arena of political action — to unfurl the Thornton 
 banner, as it were, of political finance. The other chil- 
 den of the Thorntons were Florrie, the second daughter, 
 now about seventeen, and Edwin, a lad of twelve, at 
 school. 
 
 It was about the middle of the Oxford summer term 
 that Miss Dorothy Thornton returned to England, ac- 
 companied by the Ellwood family. Her first step, natu- 
 rally, was to proceed at once homeward, where, after her 
 long absence, she was heartily welcomed by her parents 
 jjnd the whole neighbourhood, particularly the hunting 
 set. Mrs. Thornton was, most of all, interested in news 
 of the Ellwoods, for she had not seen her relatives for 
 many years. Dorothy described her many journeys and 
 sight-seeings in the New World, and finally the Ellwood 
 menage, dwelling especially on the personality of Es- 
 ther, the young law student. She had brought over a 
 large picture of the latter, in her college cap and gown, 
 and Mrs. Thornton was greatly struck by the beauty 
 and intelligence of the countenance, and the resemblance 
 it bore to that of Eleanor, the companion of her girl- 
 hood. Accordingly, when Dorothy suggested it, Mrs. 
 Thornton cordially gave her consent to an invitation for 
 Miss Ellwood to spend a few weeks at Beasley. The in- 
 vitation was intrusted to the care of Mr. Thornton, who 
 happened to be in town at the time, and he, therefore, 
 called upon the Ellwoods at their new house in Eongs 
 Gardens. 
 
 Having been but a week in London, the family were 
 
 94 
 
THE THOENTONS. 
 
 still devoting their energies to the arrangement of their 
 household affairs. For Esther, therefore, to leave them 
 just at the moment was hardly possible, so the visit was 
 fixed for about a fortnight later. Esther herself was 
 delighted at the prospect of visiting Beasley. She had 
 heard and read so much of the old English manor 
 houses, and Dorothy, in their friendly chats, had de- 
 scribed Beasley so many times, that the place was al- 
 ready almost familiar to her. On his return to War- 
 wickshire a day or two later, Thornton reported to his 
 wife and daughter the result of his visit, and the two 
 ladies looked forward eagerly to the coming of their 
 youthful guest. 
 
 Dorothy, since her return, had not yet met her 
 brother, and there was, in fact, very small chance of 
 their seeing much of each other that summer, as, at the 
 end of the term, Eobert had arranged to go on a lengthy 
 tour to Norway with a college friend named Loxley. 
 This was a considerable disappointment to Dorothy, not 
 only because of her attachment to her brother, but be- 
 cause she had especially desired that he should meet 
 Miss Ellwood. However, Eobert and his friend had 
 made their plans some time previous to her return and 
 could not very well be expected to alter them. Indeed, 
 he had not expected the return of his sister for some 
 time yet, but, as we have seen, it was the sudden de- 
 cision of Mrs. Ellwood to cross the ocean that brought 
 Dorothy also back to her native land. On learning of 
 her return, however, he wrote her a long and affectionate 
 letter, expressing his regret and concluding with a sin- 
 cere wish that they might meet soon, when he himself 
 would have the pleasure of becoming known to Miss 
 Ellwood. But "the best laid plans of mice and men 
 
 95 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 gang aft agley," as we are soon to see, for when the 
 fates are bent on weaving their web of destiny, it takes 
 something more than human endeavour to hinder them. 
 
 May passed into June, and it was toward the end of 
 the second week in that delightful month that Esther 
 left her home for Beasley Manor. Though not actually, 
 in point of distance, so very far from London, the jour- 
 ney nevertheless took up a considerable portion of time. 
 First came the long wait in Birmingham for the local 
 train; and then, after the arrival at the small villlage 
 station, came a long drive of several miles. Mr. Thorn- 
 ton himself had gone into Birmingham to meet her, and 
 when the tortoise-like local train had at last deposited 
 them on the platform of the station at Beasley, they 
 found Dorothy awaiting them with a trap. Long after- 
 wards Esther remembered that charming evening drive. 
 The long winding lanes so common in Warwickshire, 
 the droves of sheep met at every corner, the smell of the 
 honeysuckle and the fresh sweet odour of the new- 
 mown hay. They had been ascending a hill for some 
 time, and on arriving at the summit, Dorothy pointed 
 with her whip, saying, "There is Beasley!" Esther 
 looked as she was directed, and was delighted with the 
 old-world appearance of the Thorntons^ home. One 
 side of the house and a portion of the roof were visible 
 through the trees, and on these the rays of the setting 
 sun were reflected, gilding and glorifying the dark 
 brown stone. 
 
 They entered the lodge gates and drove up to the 
 front entrance, where Mrs. Thornton, hearing the sound 
 of carriage wheels, was standing to greet them. Esther, 
 gazing seriously at her, saw a graceful and slender 
 figure of about the average height, clad in a rich but 
 
 96 
 
THE THORNTONS. 
 
 simple gown. The hair and complexion were dark and 
 the features small and finely shaped. Esther could not 
 discern in her any definite resemblance to her own 
 mother, except, perhaps, in the curiously shaped and 
 classic forehead, common to both; but that there was a 
 kinship she could at once have divined. There was the 
 Same softness of manner, the same atmosphere of 
 spirituality in all that she said or did, and her heart 
 went out to Mrs. Thornton at once. The latter lady 
 welcomed her warmly, although a few words only passed 
 between them, as Esther was at once shown up to her 
 room, so that she might dress for dinner. 
 
 Mr. Thornton, after seeing the horse and trap safely 
 in the hands of a groom, returned to the house, at the 
 door of which his wife was still standing; but he now 
 perceived that she held a telegram in her hand. 
 
 "This," she said, "came about an hour ago ; it is from 
 Robert.'^ 
 
 Mr. Thornton anxiously took the missive and read 
 as follows: 
 
 'TLioxley seriously ill. Norway trip abandoned. Ex- 
 pect me home in a few days — Bob.^' 
 
 97 
 
ROBERT THORNTON, 
 
 XIII. 
 
 PSTHEE found the life at Beasley Manor entirely 
 
 •"— ^ congenial to her habits. Hers was a mind that, 
 when not employed in the direction of powerfully active 
 thought, found delight in contemplation and intel- 
 lectual repose. In this she could now indulge to her 
 heart's content, and after all the worry and bustle of 
 the past few months, the change came as a welcome re- 
 lief to her. 
 
 The keenest intelligences are those that, while pos- 
 sessing a groundwork of intuitive knowledge and gen- 
 eral insight, are ever receiving new impressions of men 
 and things, and experiencing fresh sensations. Such 
 minds may be not inaptly likened to perfectly tuned in- 
 struments, from which an infinite variety of tones and 
 harmonies may be drawn by the touch of experience. 
 Of such was Esther Ellwood. Her wonderfis] intuitive 
 power enabled her to look into the very heart of things, 
 and the familiar events and objects of rural life became 
 imbued with a deeper interest and significance^ when 
 considered and explained by her. 
 
 Mrs. Thornton conceived a great liking for the 
 thoughtful and intelligent young girl, and Esther, on 
 her part, fully returned the feeling. In a few days 
 they had become the firmest friends, and had ex- 
 changed endless confidences, as if they had been of 
 
 98 
 
EGBERT THOENTON. 
 
 Fqual age. But this unusual circumstance was not ^- 
 tirely unnatural, and the Thorntons, who were people 
 of knowledge and tact, clearly recognized and acknowl- 
 edged the maturity of Esther's mind. Even Thornton 
 himself derived considerable pleasure from drawing her 
 out on the subjects of law and politics, and some of her 
 opinions, gathered from lengthy conversations with her 
 father, caused him no small amount of wonder and sur- 
 prise. So passed the first few days of Esther's visit. 
 Meanwhile the Oxford term was drawing to an end, and 
 the looked-for arrival of young Thornton drew nearer. 
 
 Of the personal appearance of this young man, Esther, 
 who had not actually seen him in life, was able to judge 
 fairly well from a full-length portrait that hung in the 
 large dining room. This picture, painted some six 
 months prior to her arrival, showed a youth of about 
 twenty years of age, sturdily built, but with dark feat- 
 ures, and long, wavy hair. 
 
 There was nothing in the shape of the forehead or the 
 mouch to command attention, but the eyes were large 
 and expressive, and gave to the countenance a mingled 
 look of earnestness and vivacity. Erom this Esther 
 judged rightly that in character Eobert Thornton bore 
 a considerable resemblance to his mother. 
 
 It was about a week after her arrival at Beasley that, 
 while sitting alone in the library one quiet evening, 
 Esther heard the sound of carriage wheels coming up 
 the long drive, louder and louder, till it ceased in front 
 of the mansion itself, and a few minutes afterwards an 
 extraordinary commotion arose. The house re-echoed 
 with the ringing of bells, the banging of doors, the ex- 
 clamations of voices ; outside, the dogs were heard bark- 
 ing, the grooms and men-servants came hurrying up, 
 
 99 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 and the sentence on the tip of everybody's tongue was, 
 "Mr. Eobert has come home." Mrs. Thornton came 
 hurrying downstairs to embrace her son; Thornton was 
 aroused from his nap in the conservatory; Dorothy 
 rushed in from the garden, and in a few moments the 
 old Manor House, which had been as still and orderly 
 as a tomb, was filled with noise and excitement — all, as 
 Esther merrily thought, over one mortal, and that, too, 
 a very young one. 
 
 Conversation that evening over the dinner-table was 
 consequently more animated than usual, as is often the 
 case when a new-comer arrives on the scene. Esther 
 noticed with curiosity and interest the different effects 
 of Eobert's conversation on his parents. When, for in- 
 stance, he would speak of his successes as a speaker in 
 the Union Debating Society (that nursery of so many 
 great orators), his father's face would be lit by an un- 
 usual expression of interest and satisfaction. When he 
 addressed his mother, it was generally to comment on 
 some concert or artistic function in which he had taken 
 part, and then it was Mrs. Thornton's turn to be all at- 
 tention. 
 
 To Dorothy he spoke mainly of the cricket field, the 
 races and the river. Esther, with whose tastes he was as 
 yet unacquainted, he included in the general conversa- 
 tion. Knowing by this time the radical differences in 
 temperament of Mr. Thornton and his wife, and ob- 
 serving the care with which Robert endeavoured to cater 
 in his remarks to each of them equally, Esther mentally 
 set down as the first quality she had discovered in him 
 that of tact. With regard to his plans for the summer, 
 young Thornton said that as the Norway trip had been 
 abandoned, he had organized a houseboat party for the 
 
 100 
 
KOBEET THORISTTOK 
 
 coining Henley Regatta, which was to take place in 
 about three weeks' time; after that was over, he would 
 return to Beasley, and spend the greater part of the 
 summer vacation there. 
 
 This was welcome news to the family, and especially 
 so to Thornton, who, though he never opposed his son 
 in his pleasures, would have much preferred that Robert 
 should remain at Beasley during that summer. He 
 was anxious for him to meet some of his political friends, 
 whose only convenient opportunity of visiting Warwick- 
 shire was during the summer months. 
 
 The Norway trip had for this reason disappointed the 
 father, and he was secretly delighted when he heard of 
 its abandonment. After dinner, the party adjourned 
 to the billiard-room, where they had coffee and a few 
 games, and then, as Robert felt tired from his journey, 
 they retired for the night. 
 
 The next few days were given up to tennis-parties, 
 fishing excursions, and coach rides to old historical 
 spots. The splendid ruined pile of Kenilworth, stand- 
 ing as it does in a pretty part of the county, made a 
 deep impression on Esther. Its once brilliant associ- 
 ations, its long and successful life as a fortress im- 
 pregnable, the romantic and tragic episodes so indis- 
 solubly connected with its past, and its present con- 
 trasted state of desertion and decay, all appeal strongly 
 to the imagination. To Esther, a daughter of that land 
 "Whose riper times have yet to be ; 
 Where the new regions claim them free 
 From that long dirge of human tears 
 Which people old in tragedy 
 Have left upon the centuried years." ^ 
 ^ Thomas Hardy. 
 
 101 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 it was a novel experience. How often as a child in the 
 old days in America had she dreamed over the pages of 
 Scott's romance, little thinking she would ever visit the 
 actual scenes described therein. It was pleasant to 
 climb the lichen-covered walls, to explore the many 
 dungeons, to descend to where was once the great din- 
 ing-hall, in which Leicester feasted the royal Elizabeth, 
 and where, two hundred years before, had often sat 
 John of Gaunt, "time-honoured Lancaster." 
 
 On these occasions Esther found Eobert Thornton to 
 be an extremely agreeable companion. Possessed of a 
 large fund of historical knowledge, he could discourse 
 at great length on mediaeval topics, and his enthusiasm 
 and imagination were capable of imbuing the bare facts 
 of history with romance and glow. Thrown much to- 
 gether at this time, the two young people, both naturally 
 observant, had plenty of opportunity of studying each 
 other's character. Esther, during the first few days of 
 their acquaintanceship, was somewhat puzzled and in 
 doubt. Eobert Thornton gave the impression of being 
 one who, while appearing to be frank and open, was 
 really reticent and hidden. But this seeming character- 
 istic, quite common in Englishmen, assumed another 
 character on further companionship ; what seemed to be 
 reticence and possible insincerity, was really a delicate 
 sense of caution not to intrude one's opinions and con- 
 victions on another, at the risk of causing them annoy- 
 ance and discomfort. For Robert, when he really 
 touched upon common ground of thought, would sur- 
 prise Esther with a flood of ideas both genuine and sin- 
 cere, quite unexpected from his habitual outward man- 
 ner. Esther grew to value this feature of Robert's char- 
 acter, a feature that would seem to be the result of the 
 
 102 
 
ROBEET THORNTOK 
 
 union of natural tact and good breeding. Extremely 
 well read herself, she found, however, that her com- 
 panion's knowledge outrivalled her own. Knowing that 
 he was destined for a diplomatic career, she sought to 
 draw him out on the subject; and it was while doing so 
 that she came to a curiously significant conclusion. 
 
 Robert Thornton held unusually clear and compre- 
 hensive views on politics, but strangely enough was en- 
 tirely without that party enthusiasm which usually 
 marks the young aspirant for political honours. He 
 seemed to be entering upon a stormy career, not as a 
 giver and partaker of party knocks and blows, but as an 
 unbiased looker-on and critic. Esther was some little 
 time discovering the true cause of this astonishing im- 
 partiality. She found this impartiality a feature of 
 all his views, political and otherwise. 
 
 One day the conversation happened to drift off into a 
 question that was at that time occupying a good deal of 
 space in the newspapers. A celebrated cathedral, or 
 rather its west front, had been pronounced by a well- 
 known architect to be in great danger of falling; an- 
 other equally competent architect held an entirely dif- 
 ferent opinion. The bishop and dean, having taken the 
 advice of the former gentleman, were proceeding to deal 
 with that portion of the cathedral in a manner which 
 many authorities considered was leading to its deface- 
 ment and destruction. It was a revelation to Esther of 
 the character of young Thornton when he began to argue 
 on this apparently unimportant matter. It was not so 
 much his obvious knowledge of the subject that im- 
 pressed her, as the fact that he spoke with such ardour 
 and sincerity. The mind that could discuss with com- 
 plete sangfroid the fate of nations and the vital prin- 
 
 103 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 ciples of great factions, was now aroused to the in- 
 tensest enthusiasm by the doubtful fate of a cathedral 
 west front. From architecture he passed to painting, 
 to literature and to music, displaying an equal amount 
 of affection and delight for each of these arts. But 
 this enthusiasm Esther found to be tempered by a criti- 
 cal faculty quite rare in youth. 
 
 Criticism is something beside the mere judging of the 
 aesthetic value of art works. It is the faculty that is 
 capable of giving to the world an entirely new and truth- 
 ful impression or idea of those works. We may see a 
 play, read a poem, look at a picture a dozen times and 
 yet leave one-half of its beauties unnoticed and un- 
 touched upon. The true critic comes along, shows to 
 us what none of us had seen before and doubles our 
 pleasure. In a word, the true critic gets behind the 
 mere outward appearance of the thing and enters into 
 and possesses himself of some of the spirit of the artist 
 whose work he is criticising. Thus all great criticism 
 gives us pleasure whether it be made on a distinguished 
 or an indifferent object; for we at once recognize its 
 truth and pungency. Of this faculty, as we have said, 
 Eobert Thornton was possessed in no small degree, and 
 to Esther, who was a lover of all art, his remarks were 
 especially enlightening and welcome. But another sur- 
 prise was in store for her. 
 
 It was about the fourth day after Robert's return 
 home, that during the course of dinner Mrs. Thornton 
 said, "Why, Robert, we have had no music from you 
 since you have been with us. Esther has never heard 
 you play; why not let us have some this evening?" 
 
 Robert replied, "I have had so much playing to do 
 these last few weeks at College, in concerts and at sup- 
 
 104 
 
EGBERT THORNTON. 
 
 pers, that I determined on coming home to enjoy a well- 
 earned rest. But if you wish it, and if Miss Ellwood 
 cares about music, I shall be only too pleased." 
 
 "Who doesn't really care about music?" said Esther; 
 "Of course I should love to hear you play." 
 
 As soon, therefore, as dinner was over, they moved 
 into the drawing-room. Robert sat down before the 
 piano and began to play. The result was entirely dif- 
 ferent from what Esther had expected. Instead of the 
 usual colourless, dilettante performance of the average 
 cultured young man, she heard an unusually clear, full- 
 blooded and emotional rendering of some of the best 
 known pianoforte works. Not only was the spirit of 
 each composition fully revealed to the listener, but the 
 player made manifest to the inner eye the outward form 
 or architecture of the work which he was interpreting. 
 Now and then at the close of a movement, Robert would 
 stop to explain to his small audience the poetical con- 
 text of some passage or other; here again Esther found 
 his remarks to be singularly brief but truthful. This 
 last proof of young Thornton's artistic versatility had in- 
 deed convinced her of a fact that was hidden only to 
 the most biased mind. Though up to the present time 
 he had displayed a keen judgment and wide knowledge 
 of all art subjects, yet Esther thought this might be the 
 result of earnest study, of deep reading, and conse- 
 quently an acquired accomplishment. But that even- 
 ing's performance had satisfied her that the artistic side 
 of Robert's character was the true and vital element of 
 his nature, a fundamental, a living and an emotional 
 force, not an intellectual offshoot and an outlet for the 
 mind's superfluous energy. 
 
 That a true appreciation of Robert's gifts was denied 
 
 105 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 to the members of his own family was perfectly clear to 
 Esther, and she felt a certain amount of sympathy for 
 him, estranged as he was by temperament from those 
 dearest to him. The chords of such feelings are subtly 
 communicative,, and it was not long before the young 
 man began to see that in Esther there dwelt a spirit 
 kindred to his own, and a mind in touch with his art 
 ideals. Thus the friendship between Eobert Thornton 
 and Esther Ellwood began to enter on its second stage 
 of development. Beginning in intellectual companion- 
 ship, it had advanced as far as the engendering of emo- 
 tional sympathy, and it is at this point that the lives of 
 men and women take on an intense colour of interest in 
 the eyes of the novelist or historian. 
 
 The next morning Esther received a letter from her 
 parents informing her that a large international garden- 
 party was about to given by Lord and Lady Blake, and 
 consequently her presence was desired. As in a few 
 days her visit would come to an end, and Esther would 
 be returning to town, would Miss Dorothy Thornton 
 accept an invitation to return home again with the Ell- 
 woods to Kings Gardens? There was also inclosed in 
 the letter an invitation card to the garden-party for 
 Mr. Eobert Thornton. 
 
 On making the contents of the letter known to the 
 Thorntons, Dorothy at once accepted the invitation, and 
 Eobert declared that if he could possibly manage it he 
 would certainly put in an appearance. Unfortunately, 
 the date on which it was to take place was the day im- 
 mediately before the Henley Eegatta, and he feared 
 that the two events might clash a little. 
 
 The last few days of Esther's visit passed quickly 
 away. Though she had had but a short time in which 
 
 106 
 
ROBERT THORNIMJX. 
 
 to make herself fully known to the Thorntons, her 
 gentle and winning nature had taken a strong hold on 
 their regard. Everyone about the place, therefore, 
 was unfeignedly sorry when the morning of her de- 
 parture arrived. The trunks were brought out, thrown 
 into the back of the phaeton, the two young ladies (for 
 Dorothy was accompanying Esther) were handed in, the 
 last handshakings were given, future invitations ex- 
 tended, Robert jumped up on to the box, gave the horses 
 a flick with the whip and they were off. As they 
 rounded the corner of the drive which shut them off 
 from a view of the house, they turned in their seats and 
 waved back to the group standing at the front door. 
 The trap then mounted the ascending road that led to 
 the opposite side of the valley, reached the summit of 
 the hill and disappeared on the other side. 
 
 For a short time the party in the vehicle journeyed 
 in silence, but the beauty and freshness of the morning 
 soon had its effect on their spirits, and by the time they 
 had reached the station, they had completely thrown off 
 the feelings of gloom which the sense of parting and the 
 finish of a pleasant time always engender. On handing 
 Esther into the train, Robert earnestly said: 
 
 "I hope, Miss Ellwood, that you have enjoyed your 
 all too brief visit to Beasley, and that we shall soon have 
 the pleasure of seeing you here again.^' 
 
 To which Esther replied, "Thank you very much; I 
 shall never forget the kindness that you have all shown 
 me in the past two weeks; my stay at your delightful 
 old home has been a new experience in my life that I 
 hope one day will repeat itself. If you, Mr. Robert, 
 can manage to attend the garden-party, my father and 
 mother, I know, would be most pleased to see you/^ — 
 
 107 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 then adding simply and unaffectedly, "I am sure that I 
 
 myself would he/' 
 
 As the train steamed out of the station and Eobert 
 Thornton slowly withdrew from the platform, he 
 thought over the parting words of Esther. By the time 
 he had remounted the trap, he had formed a resolution. 
 When he drew up again before the front entrance of 
 Beasley, his resolution was trebly strengthened and con- 
 firmed. It was to attend the garden-party. 
 
 10? 
 
THE GARDEN-PARTY. 
 
 XIY. 
 
 I HE garden-party was a great success. It was an 
 * Anglo-American affair. The lords and ladies 
 of the British Empire were gathered there to meet the 
 commoners of all America. The wide grounds of the 
 Blake mansion were thrown open as for a fete. There 
 were stands erected for music, and stands erected for 
 speech making. There were booths for fortune-telling, 
 and kiosks for refreshments. Inside the house, the 
 large drawing-room was converted into a hall for select 
 music, and the large galleries, filled with noted pictures 
 and costly bijouterie, served a& a grand reception-room 
 and accommodated a gypsy band of stringed instruments. 
 Nothing could be more effective than the picture of 
 Lady Blake and Mrs. Ellwood standing together to re- 
 ceive the guests. Both were dressed alike, with loose 
 accordion-pleated blouses of white chiffon and simple 
 white skirts. They were both almost without orna- 
 ments. Lady Blake, with hair prematurely turned 
 white, but with high colour and with blue eyes, and 
 Eleanor, with her dark madonna face, somewhat re- 
 sembling the portrait of Beatrice, attracted all be- 
 holders. A glimpse of Eleanor's features is never for- 
 gotten. The large lustrous eyes reveal the soul within 
 and the all-generous heart reflects from their depths. 
 There were over three thousand people who came and 
 
 109 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 went at this international fete. Its celebration was 
 hastened by the outburst of American gratitude during 
 the Spanish-American war, when the English lion arose 
 in sympathy with the American eagle and said that the 
 oppression of struggling Cuba must cease. In an ad- 
 dress of welcome to the guests, Dr. Ellwood remarked: 
 
 "In whatever ways the English-speaking nations may 
 differ on questions of government, of money, or of mer- 
 chandise, there is this to be said, that they are intol- 
 erant of intolerance. The Latin coalitions must pale 
 before the broadening precedents of English honour. 
 Whatever America may contend for, whatever destiny 
 may await her as a pioneer of new principles, new 
 monetary systems. Christian truths or prophetic yearn- 
 ings, let her always remain grateful to England, that, in 
 this Spanish-American crisis, England stood firm for 
 friendship with the United States, and formed a union, 
 the strength of which the whole world was compelled to 
 acknowledge.^' 
 
 It was a few days after Dorothy and Esther had left 
 Beasley Manor that the former received a letter from 
 Robert, saying that it was his intention to be present at 
 the garden-party. Towards the later part of the after- 
 noon, therefore, Mr. Eobert Thornton was duly an- 
 nounced, and was accorded a position of honour in the 
 reception circle by the side of Esther, upon the right of 
 Lord Reginald and Lady Blake. Robert's visit to the 
 garden-party, however, could only last a few hours at 
 the utmost, although if he could have remained over- 
 night with Dorothy and the rest of the family, he would 
 have been quite welcome. As a matter of fact he was 
 due the next day at Henley Regatta. 
 
 He had intenrJ^d his visit to Beasley itself to be of 
 
 110 
 
THE GAEDEN PARTY. 
 
 short duration^ his purpose being to return to Oxford, 
 join his friends and go down with them to Henley. His 
 meeting with Esther, however, had slightly altered this 
 plan, and his friends had repaired to the Kegatta with- 
 out him, while he had journeyed down to Hampstead. 
 But as the guests of this houseboat party were not ex- 
 pected till the morning of the next day, his presence 
 was not absolutely necessary. 
 
 A memorable event in both their lives was that party 
 at Hampstead. Esther, clad in a simple white dress, 
 vv^as the brightest ornament of the day's proceedings. 
 Many an eye was directed towards her in admiration as 
 she moved in and out of the throng of guests between 
 Lord Reginald on the one side, and Robert Thornton on 
 the other. 
 
 They sat upon the dais while many well-known fig- 
 ures, including Dr. Ellwood, addressed the assemblage. 
 Lady Blake, with her able lieutenant, Eleanor, superin- 
 tended the indoor arrangements; to Lord Reginald was 
 deputed the direction of the garden. At the conclusion 
 of the speech-making, the audience intermingled again, 
 and Robert and Esther found themselves quite close to 
 one of the refreshment booths. It was here that a 
 charming incident occurred, showing the complete 
 naturalness and unconventional simplicity of the char- 
 acter of these two young people. 
 
 "May I not serve you, Miss Esther,^^ said the young 
 man, "with some strawberries and cream?'' 
 
 "Thank you, if you will, Mr. Robert." 
 
 "Mr. Robert," he echoed slowly, ^Tiow unnecessarily 
 formal that sounds. Why not simply Robert ? Dorothy 
 looks upon you just as a sister; you in return have 
 treated her as one of your own family; why not act 
 
 111 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 towards me in the same way — that is, of course, if you 
 wish tor' 
 
 Esther surveyed him with all the keen vision of her 
 unerring intuitions and answered: "I can see no real 
 objection, and if you desire it, I will do as you wish/' 
 
 "Then, Esther, may I say that nothing could please 
 me better, from Dorothy's long friendship with you all, 
 than to be permitted to be one of the family friends 
 myself T' 
 
 "It is kind of you to say so, and I assure you that we 
 on our part will be only too pleased. As a matter of 
 fact, we all speak of you as Robert, and it is as Eobert 
 only that you have been known to us. And this re- 
 minds me, by the bye, that my father has intrusted me 
 with an invitation for you to return with us to our house 
 this evening; are you able to come?'' 
 
 "I am afraid not," said Robert regretfully, "I must 
 start off, and in a few minutes, too, for the train to 
 Henley; I have definitely promised, you see, to be with 
 my friends to-night." 
 
 "I am very sorry," said Esther, "and my father and 
 mother will be so, too, especially the latter, who is look- 
 ing forward eagerly to hearing you play." 
 
 "Perhaps your father could join our party to-morrow 
 at Henley, then ; the river will be a novel sight to him." 
 
 "There he is, over there now, let us go and ask him," 
 said Esther. 
 
 And so they wended their way through the crowd, the 
 dark, thoughtful young man leading the beautiful child 
 Qf light through the maze of life. When they found 
 Dr. Ell wood he was busy helping some ladies to tea; so 
 they hovered near by, watching the throng. 
 
 After a time, when the Doctor had succeeded in 
 
 112 
 
THE GARDEN PARTY. 
 
 escaping from a circle of ladies, they held a short con- 
 sultation. The result of this was that the Doctor ar- 
 ranged to meet Robert at Henley upon the following 
 day, in time for the afternoon races. 
 
 Robert and Esther then left the Doctor to return to 
 the galleries in search of Mrs. Ellwood and Dorothy, 
 meeting a great many acquaintances on their way, who 
 insisted upon shaking hands and speaking with Esther. 
 It was some time before they discovered the two ladies, 
 who were ultimately found in one of the smaller rooms 
 explaining, to the best of their ability, the beauties of 
 some early Italian paintings to a small circle of not 
 very attentive listeners; Orcagnas and G-iottos are still, 
 unfortunately, caviare to the general. Eleanor and her 
 companion, thus easily able to get rid of their friends, 
 turned to address Esther and Robert. 
 
 It was Eleanor^s first meeting with the latter, and she 
 at once detected his facial resemblance to her old friend 
 and relative, Mrs. Thornton. What, also, was interest- 
 ing to her, was the complete difference in both appear- 
 ance and character between the sister and brother. They 
 remained chatting for some time, until Robert discov- 
 ered that he must hurry to catch his train. Still ac- 
 companied by Esther, he made for the entrance-hall, 
 when, having found his hat and coat, he reluctantly bade 
 his sweet friend good-bye, and hastened to join his com- 
 rades at Henley. 
 
 Dr. Ellwood, on returning to the guests, was soon 
 buttonholed by Sir Edward Gardiner, a member of Par- 
 liament, who, breaking off in the midst of a conversa-* 
 tion, suddenly exclaimed : 
 
 '^Ah ! here comes the Rajah of Punjabar. Your High- 
 ness, this is Dr. Ellwood, an American physician, I 
 
 113 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 prophesy that you will be great friends." 
 
 "If the Eajah will forgive the similarity of names, 
 speaking of philosophy and India, it reminds me of the 
 religion of Eaja-Yoga." 
 
 "Oh, Eaja-Yoga," exclaimed the Indian Prince, seiz- 
 ing the Doctor^s hand, "you know the secret of the 
 Kundalini ?" And then the Prince gazed at the Doctor 
 as though trying to recall his face. 
 
 "Yes, indeed, but surely you do not believe in it as a 
 religion ?" 
 
 "Why not, Dr. Ellwood, when we see its effects ? Cer- 
 tainly the Yogis have the power, and how do they get it, 
 unless there is truth in the teachings of the sect?" 
 
 "T quite agree with you as to the effects and also as to 
 tlie system of training by which they are arrived at ; but 
 I may have a suggestion to make which I think will in- 
 terest you, showing the results arrived at by modern 
 surgery, which clearly prove all may be Yogis in a 
 greater or less degree; but I do not admit that the 
 Yogis of India go beyond hypnotic influences." 
 
 "Ah, Sir Edward, this is very fortunate for me, your 
 introduction of me to Dr. Elhvood. I have already met 
 his beautiful daughter, and I am glad to learn that he 
 comes from America to tell us what he can teach the 
 Yogis of India. I am so much interested; and, Doctor 
 Ellwood, you will promise to visit my home, when we 
 will sit and talk of India and of Yoga." 
 
 "I shall be delighted. Prince, to accept your most kind 
 invitation. We, who love humanity, having once put 
 our hands to the plough, must never turn back. What 
 I may tell you is a mere pebble in the great well of 
 truth; but you will tell me more of the ancient foun- 
 tains of Indian learning." 
 
 114 
 
THE GAEDEN-PARTY. 
 
 Then the Doctor passed on to other guests. But as 
 he walked, the intense regard of this Indian prince 
 seemed to linger in his memory as a reminiscence of by- 
 gone ages. Or, was it but a fancied resemblance to 
 some other person, whom he had met in his varied 
 career? It was impossible that those deep, penetrating 
 eyes could be mistaken for those of another being, nor 
 the haughty type and intellectual face belong to another 
 spirit than that which looked from those piercing eyes. 
 
 "We have met before, and we shall meet again," spoke 
 the Doctor aloud, as he passed on his way. But no one 
 heard him save the infinite spirit who heareth all things. 
 
 lU 
 
THE HENLEY REGATTA. 
 XV. 
 
 THE Henley Eegatta has a charm of its own- 
 There may be boat races upon any stretch of 
 water, but one does not go to Henley for the boat races 
 alone. What exactly is the attraction would be diffi- 
 cult to say, but the hold it has upon the fashionable 
 world is sufficient to prove the strength of the attraction. 
 
 All along the river the banks are fringed with an- 
 chored barges, houseboats, launches and craft of various 
 kinds. Attached to these are smaller boats for moving 
 about, consisting of rowboats, skiffs, punts, or canoes. 
 In addition there are hundreds of small boats and visit- 
 ing launches of every description, so that the whole river 
 is like a vast swarming labyrinth of gala merry-makers. 
 
 Dr. Ellwood was met by Eobert at the inn, and to- 
 gether they walked to the river, where a canoe was await- 
 ing them. Slowly navigating the merry throng of 
 boats, Eobert paddled along to where the steam launch 
 was anchored, which he had chartered for the occasion. 
 Upon its decks were a number of guests, mostly college 
 men and a few ladies. 
 
 After proper introductions and an enjoyable lunch, 
 they all proceeded to enjoy the races; and when these 
 were finished, they immediately proceeded to enjoy 
 themselves. Eoomy punts were requisitioned in which 
 they quickly arranged themselves, some pushing the 
 
 lie 
 
THE HENLEY REGATTA. 
 
 boats, some lounging upon the cushions, in which par- 
 ticular attitude, it must be admitted, the ladies looked 
 especially charming. Possibly no background is more 
 effective than the water for feminine portraits, aided, 
 moreover, by the well-chosen sunshades and cushions of 
 the regatta flotilla; and if one is not charmed by th» 
 brilliant scene af Henley, one must be either ill or 
 C3riiical. 
 
 The scene is particularly beautiful at night, when the 
 river is ablaze with lights, the boats bearing an infinite 
 variety of lanterns, while the launches and houseboats 
 lining the shore are festooned and artistically hung with 
 decorative designs in illumination. 
 
 Down the river gleamed the splendid pageant of craft, 
 covered with flags and streamers; but the only vision 
 that floated before the eyes of the young man that day, 
 was the slight, girlish form, clad in its simple dress, 
 and the face that defied description, so different was it, 
 indeed, in its spiritual beauty from any which he had 
 ever seen or imagined before. 
 
 All day long small bands of minstrels serenaded the 
 party on board the steam launch; but the only sound 
 that rang upon the ears of Robert Thornton was the 
 gentle tones of a voice, soft and low, ^^that excellent 
 thing in woman," replying to his request that he might 
 call her simply "Esther." Esther, in fact, in Robert's 
 estimation, had, since his parting from her, assumed a 
 tremendous importance. In his romantic reverie she 
 appeared to be like some far-off "phantom of delight," 
 standing amid a halo of sacredness and only to be ap- 
 proached with the deepest feelings of reverence and awe. 
 He wondered in his mind how he could ever have had 
 the assurance to ask her to call him Robert. He felt 
 
 117 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 ashamed, abashed, and only plucked up courage a little 
 when he reflected that, after all, his divinity had not 
 seemed to take it so much amiss. 
 
 It was in this wise that our young friend passed his 
 hours at Henley, and it was only because of his naturally 
 undemonstrative manner that his friends there failed 
 to notice anything unusual with him beyond his cus- 
 tomary thoughtful aspect. 
 
 Truly, it was not for nothing that Esther had been 
 led by the fates to visit Beasley Manor, and that Eobert 
 had been inspired to desert his guests for a whole day 
 at Henley and make his hasty journey to Hampstead 
 for the purpose of spending a few short hours at the 
 Blake's, where Esther had borne her part with that 
 simple air of mingled dignity and sweetness which went 
 to the heart of at least one guest with an irresistible ap- 
 peal. For, indeed, all through the remaining days of 
 the Regatta, Eobert had felt as if in a dream. Al- 
 though he had around him many of his oldest friends, 
 and although personally interested in many of the racing 
 events of the day, still all material surroundings seemed 
 to fade into nothingness. 
 
 Thus it was our party thoroughly enjoyed themselves 
 during the short three days of the Regatta. But all 
 happy days must have their ending, and when the time 
 did arrive for parting, the little circle regretfully broke 
 up, but not without first exchanging mutual promises 
 of future visits and meetings. 
 
 The Doctor, accompanied by Robert, journeyed back 
 to London. As the train rushed along by green 
 meadows and pretty slopes and brooks, now crossing and 
 recrossing the historic Thames, it occurred to the 
 younger traveller that his new friend, being a foreigner, 
 
 118 
 
THE HEIl^EY REGATTA. 
 
 might like to take a trip to some of the prettier districts 
 of English scenery. One of the places that naturally 
 entered his mind was Devonshire. He accordingly 
 asked his companion whether he and his family would 
 accept an invitation to spend a week on the coast of 
 North Devon. 
 
 The Doctor replied that he was sure that both he and 
 his family would be only too pleased to make such a 
 journey and to better their acquaintance with the more 
 rural parts of England; but he could not, unfortu- 
 nately, manage to get away at once from London. He 
 asked, however, his young friend to stop at Kings Gar- 
 dens until he and his party should be ready to start. 
 Robert, delighted, eagerly accepted the offer, adding that 
 he considered himself fortunate in having such an op- 
 portunity of enjoying the society of Dr. Ellwood and his 
 family ; but the thought of Esther Ellwood made him all 
 the more ready to accept the invitation. 
 
 Robert's suggestion that they should pay a visit to 
 Devon was greeted with enthusiasm by all, and an early 
 date was fixed for the departure. During the next few 
 days, he and Esther were thrown much together. Every- 
 thing tended toward a perfect companionship. Their 
 ages were nearly the same, and they possessed tastes and 
 aspirations of a very similar nature. As Esther was 
 practically a stranger to many of the sights of London, 
 it became part of Robert's duty to unfold to his fair 
 friend the various treasures of art and antiquity that 
 are to be seen in the wondrous capital. 
 
 With pardonable pride, he would recount the nine 
 hundred years' roll of statesmen, warriors and artists, 
 many of them laid to their last rest within the walls of 
 the majestic St. Paul's Cathedral or within the ven- 
 
 119 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 erable pile of Westminster Abbey. 
 
 One bright summer morning they attended a service 
 at the latter place, and as the solemn chant echoed down 
 the aisles, with the sun glancing through the illu- 
 minated windows, it shone directly upon the place where 
 they were seated. The young man could not but marvel 
 at the picture presented before him. The antique fane, 
 with its glorious host of memories, the beauty of the re- 
 ligious ceremony, the whole fabric of romance that has 
 woven itself about this hallowed spot, and, lastly, by 
 his side, with the light of God's grace shining brightly 
 upon her, the young maiden kneeling, inspired with the 
 true feeling of religion and of reverence for all that is 
 lasting and eternal ! 
 
 Shall we blame Eobert, if he perhaps too often stole a 
 glance at the sweet countenance beside him? Shall we 
 blame him, if under the influence of the time and place, 
 the magic of her gentle spirit sank deeper and deeper 
 into his soul? Shall we chide these youthful hearts 
 that had hitherto only quickened for themselves, if, sud- 
 denly, the great longing for mutual sympathy sprang 
 up in their breasts, and amid the solemn silence heart 
 went out to heart and the divine decree was sealed, bind- 
 ing, as a benediction, their heavenly betrothal in God's 
 dedicated temple? 
 
 "It is an old, old story, yet one that's ever new." So 
 sings the sweetest of lyrical poets, and so indeed for 
 these, also, the old sweet song had begun, springing too, 
 in this sanctified place, as though germinating from the 
 world's great past, with God's word blessing their be- 
 trothal, and before their eyes the wide and fair world, 
 sunlit with joy, whose pathway they would tread with 
 one united mind and heart, and with all the unquench- 
 
 120 
 
THE HENLEY KEGATTA. 
 
 able light of holy love burning within them. 
 
 More than a little of this sentiment had entered the 
 minds both of Eobert and Esther ; for, when the service 
 was ended and the last words of the blessing had been 
 spoken, each arose with a feeling of constraint, very dif- 
 ferent from the easy spirit of comradeship with which 
 they had entered the building. Few words were spoken 
 on either side; their hearts were too full, and they 
 quitted the old Abbey in silence. 
 
 121 
 
LYNMOUTH 
 
 XVI. 
 
 HE long looked-for day at length arrived. The 
 time had come to start upon the trip to Devon- 
 shire, and a ripple of gentle excitement ran through 
 the house. Bags and portmanteaus were safely packed, 
 deposited in the train at Paddington, and, a compart- 
 ment having been reserved for them, the party, with 
 tickets for Ilfracombe, were off on their trip. 
 
 After a most pleasant journey, they arrived safely, 
 late in the afternoon; and, partaking of an appetising 
 dinner, they strolled out along the cliffs, Eobert and 
 Esther leading the way and seeming entirely engrossed 
 in each other's society. The party paused now and 
 again to watch the sinking sun, and to listen to the 
 roar of the great sea, as it dashed against the rocks 
 beneath them. Under the influence of the surround- 
 ings, the Doctor, susceptible to the beauties of nature 
 as to the gentle love-story being enacted before them, 
 repeated to Eleanor a poem which he had produced in 
 his earlier years, entitled "Twilight." 
 
 TWILIGHT. 
 
 The kindly sun beams through the mist 
 
 With features bright. 
 As gallantly he stoops to kiss 
 
 The world good-night; 
 
 122 
 
LYNMOUTH. 
 
 And leaves me in the twilight gray. 
 
 In errant mood — 
 A weary pilgrim, seeking calm 
 
 In solitude ! 
 My heart, so tired within me, seemed 
 
 To plead .for this ; 
 To glide among my favoured haunts 
 
 And know the bliss 
 Of indolence, as in my boat 
 
 I drift and think: 
 How merciful, that wavering souls 
 
 Upon the brink 
 Of sorrow, may thus turn to Thee 
 
 Oh (rod ! — ^heart-calm 
 To seek, reposing at Thy shrines! 
 
 ^ot church with psalm; 
 But at Thy sectless altars, spread 
 
 All o'er the earth. 
 Where all may kneel to bless Thee that 
 
 Thou gav'st them birth ! 
 May bless Thee that 'mid anxious doubts 
 
 And woes they feel, 
 This thing they know, that unto each 
 
 Thou dost reveal 
 Thy love, in earth's minutest charms! 
 
 So, floating on. 
 Past stately pines and cedars tall, 
 
 I see, anon. 
 This weary willow bending down 
 
 To cheer some chill 
 And nestling shrub, for they are friends 
 
 In sadness still. 
 
 123 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 Green ivies, arm in loving arm, 
 
 Strong trees entwine. 
 Sweet violets, in courtship with 
 
 Each languid vine. 
 Upon their soft and mossy bed 
 
 Of love recline. 
 All nature hath her friendships still — 
 
 As I have mine : 
 For newly beautiful life seems 
 
 Now to my soul. 
 Like these scenes, mirrored in the lake — 
 
 A perfect whole. 
 
 The Doctor, it must be understood, although get- 
 ting on in years, was still very susceptible to tender 
 influences, and the natural beauty of this wild scenery 
 and the gradual unfolding of the tender love of Eobert 
 and Esther for one another, affected him; for the very 
 thoughts of the young lovers were open to all. 
 
 They carried him back to his own youth again. He 
 remembered his own sudden meeting with Eleanor, 
 their own romantic courtship, and their lives, so happy 
 through all trials and reverses of fortune. The Doctor 
 and Eleanor believed that marriages were made in 
 heaven, and both he and Eleanor, knowing Dorothy^s 
 loyal and gentle nature, trusted her brother more than 
 +hey would otherwise have done. 
 
 The next morning saw our friends leave by coach 
 for L3rnton and Lynmouth. This drive runs through 
 some of the most beautiful scenery in Devonshire, and 
 though over twenty miles in length, none of the party 
 felt the least weariness when it was over; all experi- 
 enced the liveliest regret at climbing down from the 
 
 124 
 
LYiMOUTH. 
 
 ola-iashioned coach which had transported them thither 
 to Lyninouth. The views all along the route near the 
 ocean were probably never more effective than on that 
 day; for with the slight rain which came up along the 
 cliffs, with the wind blowing, many lovely effects of 
 sun and shower and mist occurred, which might well 
 charm the heart of every artist. 
 
 That evening, at the Lynn Valley Hotel, was de- 
 voted to music; and there Eobert played himself quite 
 into the heart of Esther, who sat like one enchanted, 
 as well as into the affections of the parents. With 
 reason had Dorothy said in the States that although 
 but a boy, she liked his playing better than that of any 
 professional. 
 
 Both Dr. and Mrs. Ellwood had never supposed him 
 other than a boy, and they had been quite unprepared 
 for such a sudden wooing of their little Esther; they 
 had, in fact, never dreamed of marriage for Esther, 
 and certainly never anyone less spiritual and gentle, 
 yet manly than Robert, could ever have won his way 
 to their hearts. 
 
 I write these family records in all their truthfulness. 
 Neither Robert nor Esther possessed natures in which 
 the sordid intrigues or jealousies of the usual romance 
 could form a part. Like the Doctor and his beloved 
 Eleanor, their wooing had nothing of the worldly in 
 it; but rather the drawing together or mutual union 
 of kindred spirits. 
 
 All day long throughout that glorious drive to Lyn- 
 mouth, although all the party had been happy and ex- 
 hilarated beyond measure, each felt that there was some- 
 thing hanging in the air, something that was quickly 
 about to make itself known, something that at present 
 
 125 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 lacked the seal of completion. 
 
 I wonder truly what thoughts were in the busy minds 
 of each one of this loving circle when they retired to 
 rest that night ! The seniors, wise and experienced, no 
 doubt knew exactly how matters would end; but still, 
 even to them, it was a period of the greatest moment, 
 and they could not help feeling some little anxiety as 
 to the ultimate happiness of every one in the matter. 
 But what of the two principal actors in this idyllic epi- 
 sode? Alack! it would need a fairy's eye to glance 
 into the heart of the youthful Esther and chronicle 
 faithfully what it had seen there. No doubt she was 
 filled with the very spirit of happiness at finding her- 
 self in this earthly paradise with her true lover. No 
 doubt the sweetest dreams haunted her that night, and 
 she slept lulled to rest by the gentle music of the faintly 
 murmuring sea. 
 
 Eest softly, gentle Esther ! Dream your bright dream 
 of Elysium; picture yourself wandering among its 
 glorious fields with some dear one by your side, holding 
 your hands in his ! Dream on, happy maiden ; not for 
 you the unsatisfied longing, the crushed hope, and the 
 chilled aft'ection; not for you the coldness and neg- 
 lect of the world, the loveless life, and the repressed 
 aspiration. No, sleep and dream on through the night, 
 and when the morning sun bursts forth in his sovt^reign 
 glory, then wake! wake and with beating heart, look 
 for what the morn will then be bringing. 
 
 126 
 
ROMANCE. 
 
 XVII. 
 
 ALTHOUGH, as I have said, our friends did not 
 ■ seem at all wearied by their long journeys of the 
 two previous days, their slumbers were particularly 
 sound. As they did not arise the next morning until 
 much later than usual, there was consequently little 
 that could be done. A look was taken at the curious 
 ancient watch-tower on the beach, and a casual in- 
 spection made of some of the cottages — one or two of 
 which were extremely quaint and old — inhabited by the 
 fishermen. 
 
 The party met again at lunch time, and all, hungry 
 from the morning's exercise, made a good meal. Then 
 plans were laid for the afternoon's enjoyment. There 
 was some difficulty in deciding what was to be done; 
 some wanted to row, others to drive. Finally it was 
 settled that a long walk should be taken around the 
 cliffs, and that Eobert, who was familiar with the local- 
 ity, should lead the way. He stipulated that he was 
 to have Esther for a companion. To this condition all 
 assented, so a start was made. 
 
 Soon, however, there happened a very curious thing 
 indeed. Whether it was a premeditated affair, worked 
 out in the brain of Eobert Thornton, or whether it 
 was a simple chance of fortune, no one has as yet been 
 able to discover. The young couple took the lead and, 
 
 127 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 leaving the hotel, had walked up the road for a short 
 distance; they then turned to the left;, commencing to 
 ascend the long hill that lay before them. They were 
 followed by the others at a short distance, the elder 
 folks moving a little slowly. The two young people 
 had now gone far ahead, each seeming to be entirely 
 engrossed in the other's society. Presently, after pro- 
 ceeding about a quarter of a mile, they came to an open 
 space, where two paths branched off in opposite di- 
 rections. 
 
 Eobert was about to turn up the right hand path 
 when Esther exclaimed: 
 
 "Stay, the others are quite out of sight; don't you 
 think we had better wait for them here?" 
 
 "Oh no?" said Eobert impatiently, "they're certain 
 to follow all right; they can't possibly mistake the path. 
 See, the other goes on right along th^ cliff." 
 
 Esther did not quite see into the force of this rather 
 curious reasoning, but apparently convinced by her 
 more impetuous companion, and thinking they could 
 call out from higher up the hill, they went on further. 
 It was a glorious summer afternoon, not a cloud in 
 the clear, untroubled sky, hardly a ripple on the blue, 
 transparent water. 
 
 The hills above were clad in robes of variegated 
 hue, and between their lofty heights, running con- 
 tentedly on its way, sped the gurgling rivulet Lynn. 
 Below lay the town, with shafts of sunlight striking 
 some of the exposed roofs of the quaint old houses. 
 Save for the songs of birds in the trees, the valley lay 
 hushed in silence. Nothing could be more serenely 
 beautiful than the landscape which the two lovers gazed 
 upon; in short, the day was perfect, perfect as only 
 
 128 
 
EOMANCE. 
 
 July's most radiant and wondrous days can be. 
 
 On walked the youthful pair, careless of aught else 
 but the beautiful world of nature around them. Now 
 they paused to wonder at the marvellous growth of the 
 old, long, withered roots of trees, fashioned by nature's 
 cunning hand into such variety of curious forms; now 
 they stayed their course, to gaze into the crystal water 
 beneath them, as the path along the hillside sloped 
 gently down to the edge of the brook. Now and then 
 would descend faintly to their ears the sound of distant 
 bells from the heights above them, where flocks of sheep 
 were idly grazing. 
 
 It was during one of these short halts, that Esther, 
 again remembering that the party in the rear mu^t 
 now be a long way behind them, suggested that they 
 should sit down and wait until the others came into 
 view. Eobert was now unable to evade this second re- 
 quest, and so they chose a seat overlooking the whole 
 valley and just within sight of the distant "Waters- 
 meet." Here they remained for some little time, con- 
 templating the scene before them. The minutes flew 
 by; but no party came in sight. Esther began to grow 
 anxious and proposed that they should return a part 
 of the way on which they had come, that by so doing 
 tliey might meet the others. Accordingly they began 
 to retrace their steps along the path by which they 
 imagined they had for the last half hour been walking. 
 But, after proceeding some little way, they found them- 
 selves all at once confronted by the rocky hillsiile and 
 the road came abruptly to an end. 
 
 It was now clear that they were on the wrong path, 
 and so they hurried back again to find the lost scent, 
 only to enter and re-enter a perfect maze of diflerent 
 
 129 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 ways, all apparently leading to nowhere in particular. 
 Worse still, the trees had by this time completely cut 
 off their view of the broad valley, so that even if their 
 friends passed by they could not see them. Eobert 
 halloed and shouted in the hope that some of the party 
 might hear him; but no answer came back, save the 
 echo of his own voice, resounding back from the hills 
 opposite. 
 
 At length, when after some time they managed to 
 find themselves back in the original path, no trace of 
 the others could be found anywhere. It was quite ev- 
 ident that they, too, must have mistaken the path; or 
 they might even have followed the road which ran 
 alongside the cliff and which the two young people had 
 passed an hour before. What was to be done? Esther 
 was in despair. Her parents, she said, would be worried 
 about her and imagine all sorts of things. Robert vvos 
 vehement, almost too much so, in reproaching him- 
 self for his neglect in not keeping a better lookout and 
 for allowing himself to be proved such an incompetent 
 guide. However, the matter was past mending, and 
 it was practically hopeless to continue the search for 
 the others. The better part of the afternoon was still 
 before them; so he suggested that they should continue 
 their walk as far as "Watersmeet," and perhaps they 
 might discover the rest of the party there. 
 
 There was, apparently, no other alternative; to re- 
 turn to the hotel would have been folly, as the day was 
 too superbly beautiful to be lost, and so they went on 
 their way. Our two young friends walked slowly, in 
 meditative mood, along the hillside path, towards the 
 upper end of the brook. Left to themselves thus sud- 
 denly, by the mysterious disappearance of their friends, 
 
 130 
 
ROMANCE. 
 
 the same thought flashed through their minds that this 
 was the first occasion in which they had been alone 
 together, since the morning in Westminster Abbey. 
 
 So extraordinary is the mind in receiving and con- 
 veying silent intelligence, that, although in their walk 
 these two young lovers spoke but a few words, each 
 read the thoughts of the other like an open book. 
 
 Turning a corner suddenly, they came in full sight 
 of the glen, and so entrancing was the view, that both 
 pedestrians stopped simultaneously and uttered excla- 
 mations of surprise and delight. Upon Esther's say- 
 ing that she was a little tired, they sat down together 
 upon a shelving rock. There is by the poet O'Shaugh- 
 nessy, an exquisite poem, written upon this very spot, 
 which had been running in Eobert's head all day; and 
 now, more than ever, the lines came ringing in his 
 ears: 
 
 "And here upon that stone we rest awhile; 
 
 For we can see the lovely river's fall; 
 And wild and sweet the place is to beguile 
 My love, and keep her till I tell her all.'^ 
 
 Wild indeed the place was and sweet beyond any- 
 thing that these two had ever seen before in their 
 travels. Not a human being was stirring up or down 
 the valley; the gentle fall of the river made the softest 
 music in their ears, and the birds from their leafy 
 bowers whispered tender messages of hope and encour- 
 agement to the youthful pair, whose hearts were over- 
 flowing with happiness and emotion. 
 
 What wonder if, with the object of his love at his 
 side, alone with her, the one being essential to his 
 existence and the complement of his as yet imperfect 
 
 131 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 life — ^what wonder if Eobert Thornton felt that the 
 hour of his destiny had come, that now was the time 
 to put his fate to the touch, ^% gain or lose it all!" 
 
 What wonder if the heart of the youthful Esther 
 beat strangely at the sweet dread of listening to a mes- 
 sage which she both longed and yet almost feared to 
 hear! Each sat in silence, hardly daring to look up; 
 but each with a perfect inward knowledge of the other's 
 heart. 
 
 It was a moment to look back upon in after years, 
 a moment full of blissful apprehension of ecstasy but 
 partly delayed; and at that moment, the great angel 
 of Love, that had been hovering around them, now 
 stayed its course directly above them and smiled its 
 blessing into their hearts. 
 
 The wind, that had slightly risen during their walk, 
 had now fallen again; a great and profound silence 
 reigned in the valley and the birds ceased their song 
 as if by magic. The young man raised his head, and 
 glancing quickly at his companion's lovely face, softly 
 took her hand in his. He whispered something into 
 her ear, but what was said we cannot know, for none 
 but Esther heard. But if the rich colour rose to her 
 cheek, it was but the blush of modesty alone which 
 rested there, and if the fair maiden bent her head lower 
 and lower, as her lover poured out his heart's secret, 
 it was but to hide the happy light that now glorified 
 and shone in her beautiful eyes. 
 
 Esther listened in silence to the words of the oldest 
 and sweetest of tales, and when the accents of the 
 strong and tender voice which remained in her ears 
 long after the speaker had ceased had died away, she 
 raised her eyes to those of her lover and with one tender 
 
 132 
 
ROMANCE. 
 
 glance of ineffable love and devotion, silently pressed 
 the hand he held. 
 
 In an instant the woods seemed to burst into song, 
 the birds renewing their hymeneal chant; the river 
 seemed to flow more swiftly on its way than before and 
 the trees shook to and fro in the wind, as if a thrill of 
 joy ran over the bosom of the earth. Then the angel 
 of Love smiled its serene happiness, and, spreading its 
 wings, soared aloft, to record that one more golden bond 
 had been forged in the great chain of human happiness. 
 
 135 
 
THE ENGAGEMENT. 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 As they moved back along the hillside towards 
 ' home, Eobert whispered to Esther: 
 
 "If you will speak to your mother when we get 
 back to the hotel, I will talk with the Doctor in the 
 evening/^ Esther's only reply was a blush; but she 
 kept glancing furtively at him during the whole scram- 
 ble along the pathway home. 
 
 Mrs. Ellwood noticed that something unusual had 
 happened; intuitously she understood almost every 
 thought of her dear children. So much had this been 
 the case, that all through their infancy these children 
 of light had no thoughts apart from their loving par- 
 ents. No amusement was too old that the children 
 could not participate in; no study too tedious that the 
 parents could not assist in. A perfect camaraderie 
 existed between parents and children. 
 
 When, therefore, little Esther would sometimes come 
 and ask her mother: 
 
 "Tell me, mamma, how did you know that I thought 
 this or that?'' Eleanor would reply: 
 
 "Why Esther, God told me." She did not tell her 
 that a little bird told her, nor mystify her children. 
 
 And when these children of light grew older, and 
 Eleanor explained how G-od had told her, Esther knew 
 what it meant to talk with God. And when she read 
 
 134 
 
THE ENGAGEMENT. 
 
 her little Bible she know that Moses did talk with God, 
 that Enoch walked with God, and that when she her- 
 self began by the simplicity of her mind to see clearly 
 and receive impressions, she knew that she was talking 
 with the angels, and she reverenced the light. 
 
 So Eleanor read her very mind, and the gentle yet 
 firm mind of Eobert was to her keen eyes as trans- 
 parent as day. The very nature of his manly mind 
 bespoke at least a mother's love, and so manfully did 
 Eobert Thornton deport himself, that extreme confi- 
 dence in the young man had now become thoroughly 
 grounded in the minds of both Dr. and Mrs. Ellwood; 
 but, of course, the great heart of Dorothy, who flitted 
 about like a fairy genius, had much to do with her 
 brother's suit, even as in the old days her heart went 
 out to Esther Ellwood in her voyage from America, 
 that far-off land now in the remote past and away be- 
 yond the distant sea. 
 
 Thus it was that these two youthful lovers, both 
 old beyond their years and wise beyond ordinary life, 
 became at length united. Who can doubt of the spir- 
 itual law that brought these souls to unite in love? 
 Who can doubt that God is love? Stand steadfast in 
 the faith, pure soul, for love conquers all things. Love 
 is life. Love brightens the darkest depths; love ex- 
 alteth the highest pinnacles ! 
 
 When the afternoon's ramble was over and Mrs. Ell- 
 wood and Esther had had a long confidential talk while 
 preparing for dinner, the party met in the dining room. 
 Dorothy was mischievous and almost unbearable dur- 
 ing the whole meal, which perhaps, on the whole, was 
 most providential; for both the Doctor and Mrs. Ell- 
 wood were naturally somewhat under restraint at try- 
 
 135 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 ing not to appear to understand what everyone knew 
 they understood; and Eobert was assuming an innocent 
 air while thinking of the interview with Dr. Ellwood 
 in the evening. 
 
 After dinner they spent a long time around the 
 piano, which had a most elevating effect upon the 
 spirits of all. Eobert Thornton, with the memory of 
 the afternoon vibrating within him, played with his 
 whole soul. His music was knowledge, and it made 
 itself understood. He interpreted Chopin^s melan- 
 choly, Schubert's sweetness, the piquancy of Grieg, 
 the manliness of Schumann, the universal mood of 
 Beethoven, the delicately moving grace of Mozart, like 
 a true lover of music. Suffice it to say there could be 
 no doubt that a sincere soul burned in the bosom of 
 Robert Thornton, and it needed but recognition and 
 sympathy to light its way to the heart of humanity. 
 
 What wonder, then, that upon parting for the night, 
 when Eobert took the arm of the Doctor, whispering 
 that he would like a word with him before retiring, 
 the Doctor put his arm around him and they walked 
 together in perfect confidence ! 
 
 Upon Eobert frankly stating his wish to be formally 
 recognized as a suitor for Esther's hand. Dr. Ellwood 
 replied : 
 
 "Well, Eobert, there is only one thing I can say, 
 that from what I know both of yourself and of your 
 sister, we could make no objection. It is, of course, 
 for us a matter chiefly of Esther's happiness. We have 
 had no idea of marriage for Esther, and in fact I may 
 say that such an engagement will practically disarrange 
 all our plans for the future. But if it seems to be the 
 will of Providence, then truly we must sacrifice our- 
 
 136 
 
THE ENGAGEMENT. 
 
 selves to her happiness." 
 
 "You will never regret it, Doctor Ellwood, if you 
 will give Esther into my keeping. I have a feeling that 
 this is all just as it should be, and that through my 
 sister we have all been brought together for some great 
 purpose." 
 
 "Then we must leave it all to the will of Him who 
 rules the universe," said Dr. Ellwood, now thoroughly 
 satisfied that it was all part of a destined plan. Dr. 
 Ellwood did not forget the sudden coming together of 
 Eleanor and himself; and although somewhat shocked 
 at the thought of Esther drifting away from his side, 
 he bowed to the heavenly will. 
 
 And then, after various interchanges of thoughts on 
 philosophy and literary topics, for this young student 
 was a man of ideas, Eobert begged Dr. Ellwood to con- 
 sider that instead of losing a daughter he had gained 
 a son; and that for his part he was proud of the posi- 
 tion and could only hope for the Doctor's esteem. 
 
 The next few days were given up to unmixed pleas- 
 ure and enjoyment; for what could more truly delight 
 the heavenly powers than to feel that two souls, both 
 nurtured in the light of the new day, were thus being 
 united? The place chosen, too, for this act of stern 
 life's realities was beautiful beyond description. 
 
 At Lynmouth, in these halcyon summer days, the 
 blue sea rolls up its lambent waves upon a coast pic- 
 turesque at every point; here dashing up over a pebbly 
 beach, which rises away into lofty slopes of purplish 
 hues, and there breaking upon rugged and precipitous 
 cliffs. Down below, at the mouth of the river Lynn, 
 on stormy days, the sea dashes its feathery spray even 
 over the ancient stone lighthouse which caps tlae quav. 
 
 137 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 Sometimes in the afternoons our small party would 
 take a long tramp, high np through Lynton and along 
 through the valley of rocks. There picture after pic- 
 ture unfolded itself before them, until they all agreed 
 that, with such glimpses of water between the rugged 
 cliffs, such ready-made foregrounds of paths and grasses, 
 such variety of colour, and such shifting skies, another 
 visit at a later date must be made, to be devoted to art 
 purposes entirely. 
 
 The few days thus slipped by in this glorious Eden, 
 and the last afternoon was spent at "Watersmeet," 
 where the two mountain brooks come down together 
 and meet on their way to the sea. 
 
 Esther remarked occasionally that it all seemed fa- 
 miliar to her and that they must have been somewhere 
 in America in a scene like it; in fact, the whole place, 
 with its hills, its deep valleys, its wild cliffs rising 
 abruptly from the ocean, and even the square stone 
 lighthouse of the harbour, were all familiar to her. 
 
 "Do you not remember, Esther,^^ said Dr. Ellwood, 
 "that before leaving America, you had the impression 
 of future travels? and the vision you pictured of the 
 place where the mountains and sea came together — 
 that was where you saw it." 
 
 "Oh! now I remember,'^ replied Esther, "this is in- 
 deed the very place. How wonderful are the workings 
 of Providence ! this slight revelation inspires me with 
 a complete trust in the future, and a belief in the sa- 
 credness of the love that has passed between Robert 
 and myself. It is now made clear to me that we have 
 been brought together by a divine hand, and, what- 
 ever may betide us, I shall never cease to look to that 
 same power for counsel and guidance." 
 
 138 
 
THE ENGAGEMENT. 
 
 Upon the minds of Robert and Esther, the discovery 
 of their mutual affection had slightly different results. 
 The latter, who in character, intellect, and in views of 
 life generally, closely resembled her parents, and had 
 always been dominated strongly by their influence, ex- 
 perienced but an emotional change. She felt as if a 
 bright light had suddenly shone upon her, making the 
 earth and all around a hundred-fold more beautiful 
 than it had seemed before ; her heart triumphantly sang 
 of the joy of living, and her power of feeling became at 
 once more intense and complex. A new element had 
 entered into her emotional nature; otherwise, the order 
 of her life remained undisturbed. Her opinions and 
 ambitions were as before; she would tread the same 
 path of action, only with another at her side. 
 
 To Robert, however, it was the complete turning- 
 point in his career, the supreme moment of his destiny. 
 Previous to his meeting with Esther, the vital and gen- 
 uine elements of his character had not been aroused 
 to their full working capacity. The exact path of life 
 in which his lot was to be cast was still unsettled in his 
 mind; he hesitated between the career suggested to 
 him by the love he bore his father, and an occupation 
 more congenial to what he felt was his true and nat- 
 ural temperament; for the last year at Oxford he had 
 struggled within himself, had grown to feel that there 
 was something repellant and unsympathetic in the po- 
 litical side of his father's character, and further, he had 
 become more conscious of the fair world of artistic ideas 
 within himself. 
 
 The appearance of Esther, therefore, on the scene, 
 and the quickening of feeling towards her in Robert's 
 heart, was as the torch applied to the slumbering fuel. 
 
 139 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 It at once illummated his entire life, shook off from 
 him the cloak of indecision, and braced him np to 
 meet the truth and the future. He had won for life's 
 companion a beautiful girl, the very soul of honesty; 
 he could not in all justice to her enter the arena of 
 life with a false garb of action thrown round him. 
 "To thine own self be true" were words that echoed 
 through Robert's brain, and when Esther placed her 
 hand in his and vowed to be true to him for all time, 
 he then inwardly resolved to abandon the phantom of 
 false political ideals which his father was ambitious to 
 see realized, and to devote himself to a calling that he 
 knew would bring out the best in his character, and 
 preserve him from the touch of sordid ideals. 
 
 Frequent discussions on these subjects with Dr. Ell- 
 wood helped to strengthen and confirm Robert in his 
 decision. The two had become firm friends, and the 
 Doctor enjoyed immensely a talk with his younger com- 
 panion, finding him a valuable critic for some philo- 
 sophical pamphlets he was at that time preparing. Dr. 
 Ellwood was, as it happened, more or less ignorant of 
 the elder Thornton's intentions with regard to his son, 
 otherwise he might have felt some scruples in thus 
 frankly advising Robert on subjects likely to be so 
 unwelcome to his father. As it was, he poured out his 
 mind fully on whatever the young man asked him, anx- 
 ious only to set the future husband of his daughter on 
 the right path of life, and not dreaming that his words 
 of counsel might be helping to bring about strife and 
 discord in the future. 
 
 The day at last came for the departure from Lyn- 
 mouth. The drive to Minehead is something to be re- 
 membered. The glorious glimpses of sea and moun- 
 
 140 
 
THE ENGAGEMENT. 
 
 tain, the gorgeous colouring of the downs, the long 
 hill descending to Porlock, and the picturesque views 
 which abound in this land of Lorna Doone, make the 
 drive to Minehead one which lingers ever in the mem- 
 ory. 
 
 The journey back to Kings Gardens was unaccom- 
 panied by unusual incident. Letters were lying there 
 for Eobert and Dorothy from their parents, announcing 
 that many of the guests invited had already arrived. 
 Eobert therefore decided to return to Beasley the fol- 
 lowing day, and as soon as possible lay everything 
 before his father gently but firmly, and Dorothy could 
 follow in a few days^ time. So, early on the morrow, 
 he bade a temporary farewell to Esther and her family, 
 caught the Birmingham train, and towards the latter 
 end of the afternoon found himself once more at the 
 gate of Beasley Manor. 
 
 141 
 
A COURT CEREMONY. 
 
 XIX. 
 
 An event of unusual importance now took place in 
 •*^ the Ellwood family. It was nothing less than 
 being presented at Court. Many years ago Dr. Ellwood, 
 prior to meeting Eleanor, had for a short time occupied 
 a post in the United States Embassy at London. When, 
 therefore, it was known that he was resident in Lon- 
 don, the officials of the Embassy, desirous of extending 
 to the Doctor and his family some courtesy as an Amer- 
 ican physician, expressed a wish to present them at 
 Court. 
 
 The offer had been accepted, and preparations had 
 been put in progress, when the Doctor was attacked 
 by a very severe "grippe." Mrs. Ellwood had been so 
 overcome with anxiety that she decided not to attempt 
 the ceremony; but the elaborate preparations of Es- 
 ther's court-dress were allowed to continue, in the hope 
 of a favourable change in the Doctor's illness. 
 
 It was a creation beautiful to behold. The dress 
 proper was somewhat simply but classically draped, 
 and it had just a touch of ivory tint to its otherwise 
 white and fleckless satin. The trimming was simple 
 white chiffon, becoming a debutante. There hung 
 thence backwards, from the points of the two shoulders, 
 a train of satin some four yards in length, trailing 
 down and lying upon the floor, spreading out slightly 
 
 142 
 
A COURT CEEEMONY. 
 
 like a fan at the end. This also was trimmed with 
 white chiffon, while here and there, adown its length, 
 were nosegays of lilies of the valley; and, at the shoul- 
 der, in front, clustered a bnnch of the same flowers. 
 A shower of lilies of the valley, as a bouquet, com- 
 pleted the arrangement. 
 
 Then there were tite tiny satin slippers, and the 
 marvellous veil and aigrette of the three Prince of 
 Wales^s ostrich feathers, which crowned the hair, which 
 latter was, of course, also arranged in proper court 
 fashion — the whole framing the most girlish figure 
 and spirituelle face probably ever seen in a Queen's 
 Drawing Eoom in any land. 
 
 Custom has decided that the two sexes should be 
 presented separately; the ladies at Buckingham Palace, 
 while the gentlemen attend at St. James's Palace upon 
 the Prince of Wales, who receives them in the name of 
 and by command of the sovereign. At these levees, 
 as they are called, unless having military uniforms of 
 some recognized sort, the gentlemen wear regulation 
 suits of black velvet, having steel buttons, black silk 
 stockings, patent leather pumps adorned with steel 
 buckles, and a cockade hat and steel sword to complete 
 the outfit. 
 
 These events occur upon different days, and are 
 held in the springtime, at the beginning of the London 
 .season. Accordingly, upon the day fixed, just as the 
 Doctor had emerged from the dangers of his illness 
 and was convalescent. Lord Reginald's carriage was 
 requisitioned. The coachman and footman, with hair 
 powdered for the occasion, and in all the glory of white 
 gloves, conspicuous button-holes of lily of the valley, 
 and carefully brushed coats, looked smart and solemn 
 
 143 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 as befitted the great function. Into the glistening 
 equipage were introduced carefully the flowery apparel, 
 with the smiling Esther hidden somewhere within its 
 midst, while upon the opposite seat crept cautiously 
 both Lady Blake and Eleanor; these last, not to take 
 part in the ceremony, but to be in at the finish, as it 
 were. 
 
 Two tickets are given out by the Lord Chamberlain, 
 who superintends most affairs of this nature, one of 
 which is handed to the porter at the Eoyal Palace as 
 each carriage drives up to the gateway, the other being 
 retained by the coachman. This is done so that after 
 the visitor has retired from the Royal presence, vehicles 
 may be telegraphed for in accordance with the ticket, 
 adown the long line of waiting vehicles. After enter- 
 ing the reception rooms, Esther found herself there 
 entirely unattended, in a very great crush of magnifi- 
 cently-dressed and garnished ladies, containing in their 
 number princesses, duchesses, countesses and ladies of 
 rank. Under ordinary circumstances the lady who pre- 
 sents a friend accompanies her, and follows behind her 
 to the steps of the throne. Under Esther's invitation, 
 however, she was presented, as it were, officially by the 
 American nation. So Esther's turn having arrived, she 
 passed the Lord Chamberlain, and handed him her card. 
 He called aloud, it seemed to her in trumpet tones: 
 'TVEiss Ellwood, presented by the United States Em- 
 bassy." 
 
 Esther then started forward, having now dropped 
 her train, but, as she got to the end of it, she seemed 
 to feel something pulling her. As she turned about 
 to see if the train was caught, or if some one was 
 standing upon it, an amused smile lit up the features 
 
 144 
 
A COTJET CEEEMONY. 
 
 of some of the entourage of the Court. Her concern 
 was apparent, and yet she went through the ceremony 
 with a gentle dignity and seriousness that charmed 
 all beholders. She passed first the gentlemen of the 
 Court, then the gentlemen of the Eoyal Family, among 
 whom were the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York, 
 standing by the side of Queen Victoria; then the reg- 
 ulation courtesies began. 
 
 The visitor is expected to courtesy low before each 
 of the three Royal personages who receive. These were 
 usually the Queen, the Princess of Wales, and the Duch- 
 ess of York. As the visitor passes by them, she walks 
 backward a few steps out of respect, passes the ladies 
 of the Court on that side, and then her train is picked 
 up and laid over her arm, when she retires to the ad- 
 joining room. 
 
 Here Esther was received by a member of the Em- 
 bassy, and congratulated upon her successful passage 
 through the perils of the reception, the management of 
 her train, and the nervousness generally of being the 
 cynosure of all eyes. While Esther stood here, one of 
 the ladies who had been presented fainted from the 
 excitement. The fact that she was an American lady 
 naturally caused surprise, for republicans theoretically 
 have not that awe of divinity which doth hedge about a 
 king, like the down-trodden inhabitants of monarchical 
 countries. But the Ellwoods, from their experiences 
 in England, were compelled to admit that no class can 
 importune for social and even royal favours with great- 
 er persistency than the snpposed democrats or dyed-in- 
 the-wool republicans. 
 
 Whilst many old and new acquaintances were press- 
 ing forward to congratulate Esther on her success, a 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 foreign Prince besought an introduction, impelled by 
 her beauty and bearing alone. Very many about the 
 Court had remarked this fair young woman, and among 
 them a tall distinguished-looking Indian gentleman, 
 who kept his gaze riveted upon her. Then he seemed 
 suddenly to recollect her, and he came up to join the 
 little circle. It was the Eajah of Punjabar, whom she 
 had met at the garden-party. 
 
 But such matters did not turn the head of Esther 
 Ellwood. Her mind was the logical mind that had 
 led her to study law at sixteen. She had followed up 
 this study, and during these two years had already 
 mapped out a new course of reading for herself. 
 
 Yet Esther's aims and tastes were not mannish, al- 
 though law appealed to her from her intuitive insight 
 into the principles of justice. Hers was a universal 
 intelligence. Her education had been an all-round one. 
 She had worked hard at her studies and at music. She 
 had playfully taken a brush from her father's hands in 
 his studio, and had given some verve to a head, just 
 as a looker-on can see a move at chess. She was in- 
 cisive in her methods in all things, yet gentle, tender, 
 and persuasive. And yet in view of these manifold 
 sides to her character, she had no aspirations beyond a 
 gentle home life. With her father, she held that there 
 was no greater ambition for woman than home; that 
 it was the destiny of woman to become perfectly de- 
 veloped in brain and body, to bring forth the perfect 
 child of the future. With such a mother, and indeed 
 with such a father, regeneration would be the heritage 
 of future generations. Beyond this she was but a 
 woman, a wee young woman perhaps, but a womanly 
 woman. 
 
 146 
 
A COUET CEEEMOlSrY. 
 
 By the time the day for Dr. Ellwood's "presenta- 
 tion^^ had arrived, which was about a week afterwards, 
 he had recuperated so rapidly under Dr. CaudwelFs 
 friendly care, that he was able to be squeezed into his 
 new velvet suit, to enter the brougham which Lord 
 Reginald had politely offered him, and to be driven in 
 state to St. James's Palace. Here he was penned in 
 with the other notabilities present, grouped in various 
 parcels, and so in due form he passed, somewhat after 
 the manner of Esther, before Royalty. 
 
 At this time, the Prince of Wales being absent, 
 H.R.H. The Duke of York received in his stead, as- 
 sisted by his great-uncle the Duke of Cambridge, and 
 by a Crown Prince of one of the eastern principalities. 
 The chief feature of this occasion, in the mind of the 
 Doctor, was the pleasant smile and friendly bearing 
 of the Duke of York; but whether his pleasant recog- 
 nition of Dr. Ellwood's name as announced: "Dr. Ell- 
 wood, presented by the United States Embassy,'^ was 
 personal, or due to his American birth, he could not 
 say. In any event he believed that His Royal Highness 
 was a good sort, which was enough for anvljody. It w^ns 
 not a Duke's fault that he had been born for kingship, 
 but rather a personal misfortune, if one considers the 
 labours of Royalty, its anxieties and its fears. On his 
 return home the Doctor gladly doffed his velvet livery, 
 which, he said, was stunning for court or fancy dress, 
 but too stiff and too tight to be comfortable. The plain 
 dress suits, such as the United States officials are com- 
 pelled by Congress to wear, are certainly easier to think 
 in and vastly more calculated to aid digestion. From 
 this it must be admitted that the Doctor had utilitarian 
 ideas on the subjects of dress and government. 
 
 147 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 Another idea, and one, too, more relevant to the 
 purposes of this earnest and somewhat historical tale, 
 struck the Doctor that evening at dinner. He said 
 that he had thought of it the day Esther was going to 
 Court, but that he did not mention it for fear of alien- 
 ating fate. He really felt he should wait to see if he 
 himself might pull through the ordeal. But now that 
 he was on deck again as usual, not quite himself, but 
 still there, as the saying goes, he would mention that 
 Mrs. Ellwood was in her fortieth year. 
 
 Eleanor pricked up her ears at this, and seemed to 
 think that it was an imposition for the Doctor to call 
 attention to her advancing years and thinning locks; 
 but suddenly it flashed upon her that the Doctor had 
 referred to her former vision and the wonderful pro- 
 phecy of the appearance of her second self, standing 
 alone amid the splendour and glitter of the Court. 
 There was silence for a few moments around the table, 
 as if the benediction of the deity had descended upon 
 the little circle, stilling their voices and calming their 
 hearts with its holy silence. 
 
 14:8 
 
THE HIGHER LIFE. 
 
 XX. 
 
 ROBEET'S return to Beasley was a source of relief 
 to the mind of the elder Thornton. The latter 
 had become uneasy by reason of his son's protracted 
 stay with the Ellwoods, his anxiety being in no way 
 diminished by receiving from Eobert, while in Devon- 
 shire, a letter eulogistic of the mental attainments and 
 humanitarian principles of Dr. Ellwood. He had read 
 a recently published pamphlet by the Doctor, treating 
 of many political matters in a spirit directly opposed 
 to his own, and while respecting the private character 
 of the author, he felt a growing distrust of the views 
 expressed in his work, and began to fear the possible 
 influence they might have over the mind of his son. 
 
 He was perfectly well acquainted with that side of 
 Robert's nature, which found delight in contemplating 
 men and things from the individualistic standpoint — 
 it is impossible for the artistic temperament to do 
 otherwise. He had, however, been lulled into a sense 
 of security, owing to the evident desire of his son a 
 year before to meet his wishes. But the severe men- 
 tal struggle that the latter had experienced during the 
 past twelve months, and the immense development of 
 his natural gifts were as yet unknown to the elder 
 Thornton. Possibly, if it had not been for the com- 
 ing of E-^tJaer Ellwood, they would never have been re- 
 
 149 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 vealed, and, sacrificing his inner nature on the altar 
 
 of filial affection, Eobert might have successfully hid- 
 den the unfulfilled hopes of the distinguished musi- 
 cian under the guise of the indifferent politician. But, 
 as we have seen, nature and necessity working hand in 
 hand willed otherwise. 
 
 The party of guests whom Thornton had invited to 
 the Manor included Sir Edward Gardiner, who had 
 recently stepped from an Under Secretaryship to an 
 important place in the Cabinet. Sir Edward, it will 
 be remembered, was a personal acquaintance of Dr. 
 Ellwood, for whom he had a sincere liking. In politics, 
 however, he trod the same road as Thornton senior. 
 To this gentleman was given the task of sounding 
 thoroughly young Thornton^s mind, of flattering him by 
 delicate compliment, of awakening in him that party 
 enthusiasm which is necessary in a young politician. 
 Sir Edward essayed his task, but the result was some- 
 what of a surprise, at least to Mr. Thornton and his 
 friends. 
 
 Eobert, during his journey back to Beasley, had been 
 pondering in his mind the best way of making known 
 to his father the important events of the past few days. 
 After much thought, he had decided to act frankly. He 
 would acquaint him with his love for Esther, ask his 
 consent to a forma] engagement, and then, after the 
 completion of his Oxford course, the marriage should 
 follow. His altered decision as to his own career he 
 diplomatically determined to keep in reserve for a 
 little time, until the engagement should be a recognized 
 fact; but the nature of Sir Edward^s conversation with 
 him unfortunately rendered this secrecy impossible. 
 
 In the course of a few exhaustive discussions, Eob- 
 
 150 
 
THE HIGHER LIFE. 
 
 ert Thornton proved himself to the elder man to be 
 an extremely promising specimen of political mate- 
 rial. In order, therefore, to bring Eobert into contact 
 with others of his faction, he proffered him two invita- 
 tions, which to any other young man in a similar posi- 
 tion would have been most seductive and flattering. He 
 invited him to make one of a party visiting the house 
 of his leader, and he also invited him to a week's shoot- 
 ing at the residence of a prominent financier, whose 
 theories were even more extreme than those of Mr. 
 Thornton senior. 
 
 Robert here found himself on the horns of a dilemma. 
 If he accepted the invitations, he would encourage 
 false hopes in many, disappoint others, and generally 
 place himself in an awkward and untenable position. 
 If, on the other hand, he refused, it would at once ex- 
 cite consternation on the part of his father, and he 
 knew^ that a complete avowal of his altered intentions 
 would seriously interfere with the accomplishment of 
 his engagement with Esther. For his father would 
 attribute this change of front in some degree to the 
 influence of the Ellwoods, and naturally, be inclined to 
 repudiate a friendship that was likely to lead his son 
 to oppose his desires. He therefore expressed him- 
 self to Sir Edward as extremely honoured by the in- 
 vitations extended to him, but hinted, however, at pre- 
 vious engagements which he thought he might rear- 
 range, and promised him an answer in a few days' time. 
 
 It was a hard problem for young Thornton to solve, 
 and, rack his brains ever so much, he could find no 
 way out of the difficulty. Worse still, he had no one 
 to advise him, and the forces arrayed against him 
 were subtle and powerful. After much thought he 
 
 151 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 decided that he would go to his father and lay every- 
 thing before him, waiting, however, until the majority 
 of the guests should have departed. It was, therefore, 
 one evening when all the visitors but Sir Edward had 
 left the Manor House, that Eobert sought his father in 
 the library, where he was usually to be found at such 
 a time, and, after some preliminary remarks, plunged 
 into the heart of the matter. 
 
 "It may surprise you, my dear father," Eobert began, 
 "and no doubt cause you considerable disappointment to 
 hear what I feel it right to tell you. When I first went 
 up to Oxford, nearly eighteen months ago, it was then 
 that you communicated to me what your wishes were 
 for the future. As you know, I fell in with your views, 
 partly becarse my own ideas on the subject were then 
 vague and unformed, but chiefly with the purpose of 
 giving yop pleasure and satisfaction. Since that time I 
 have oft^n thought seriously on the matter, and I feel 
 that thr time has come, especially after my talk with Sir 
 Edward, for a readjustment of my position in your 
 eyes." 
 
 Here Mr. Thornton assumed an attitude of greater 
 attention. 
 
 "So, what I want to say frankly," went on Eobert, "is 
 that after careful self-examination I do not consider my- 
 self fitted for a political career, and would prefer, with 
 your consent, to devote myself to another and more suit- 
 able occupation, which would be more likely to reflect 
 credit on myself, on you, and the whole family." 
 
 To give the reader an adequate idea of the astonish- 
 ment and dismay which Mr. Thornton felt on hearing 
 these words would be quite impossible. However, he 
 concealed his emotion in a really wonderful manner, ap- 
 
 159 
 
THE HIGHEE LIFE. 
 
 peared to be thinking deeply, and then after several 
 minutes broke the silence, saying : 
 
 "Is it because the tenets and ideas of the party you 
 have met many times here are distasteful to you, or be- 
 cause you have an entire disinclination for a public 
 career that you wish to withdraw from it?" 
 
 It was an awkward question, and Eobert considered a 
 little before replying ; finally he said, "For both reasons. 
 I do not and could not feel a genuine enthusiasm for 
 the whole subject, and I confess that I cannot sym- 
 pathize with the aims and opinions possessed by such 
 statesmen as Sir Edward Gardiner and his friends." 
 
 "And consequently by me, too," said his father 
 quickly. 
 
 Eobert had been prepared for this, and he answered 
 at once. "I do not think that my affection and respect 
 for you individually can be affected by reason of my 
 want of s}Tnpathy with the views held by a party of 
 which you are only one of many members." 
 
 "No doubt," said the elder Thornton, disarmed for 
 the moment. Then he added: "This is not then a 
 sudden determination on your part?" 
 
 "No," said his son, "it is, as I have said, a matter that 
 I have been thinking over for some time." 
 
 "Why did you not then mention it to me before now ?" 
 
 This was another difficult query, and Eobert was 
 bound to answer: "I had not before this quite defi- 
 nitely settled on my plans, but having done so, I felt 
 that it would be wrong of me to allow myself to remain 
 in what I consider would be a false position." 
 
 "Have you been guided at all," said Thornton senior, 
 %y the advice of others ?" 
 
 Eobert intuitively felt the meaning of the question, 
 
 153 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 and, slightly colouring, observed: "Nothing that any- 
 one has said has really suggested the course I am tak- 
 ing." 
 
 The careful wording of this reply did not deceive the 
 elder gentleman, who at once divined that Eobert had 
 read the wretched pamphlet and had become imbued 
 with Dr. Ellwood's theories. "This friendship I must 
 make it my business to sever," Thornton said to himself. 
 But he was hardly prepared for what was to come. 
 
 "There is another serious matter," the young man 
 went on, in a more hesitating manner, "that I want to 
 speak to you about. It is this. I should like your con- 
 sent to the recognition of an engagement between my- 
 self and Miss Ellwood; I have proposed to her and she 
 has declared her love for me in return. Of course I do 
 not wish the marriage to take place for some time yet, 
 but I should like the engagement to be announced and 
 to feel that I have your sanction and approval." 
 
 If a thunderbolt had at that moment struck the ancient 
 Manor House of Beasley, levelling it at one stroke to 
 the ground, the elder Thornton could not have been 
 more dumbfounded. This piling of Pelion upon Ossa 
 seemed quite to overcome him. At last he gasped, in his 
 discomfiture : 
 
 "But you have only known Miss Ellwood some two 
 or three weeks." 
 
 "Yet I have been more or less in her company during 
 all that time, especially during the last ten days." 
 
 "That is not very long," said his father, who had by 
 this time recovered his composure, "and matters such 
 as these require much consideration and foresight. I 
 must say that I had not thought of marriage for you 
 just now, or, indeed, for some time to come." 
 
 154 
 
THE HIGHER LIFE. 
 
 ''^ut," said Robert, "it is the engagement, not the 
 marriage, that I desire." 
 
 "That is to be considered just as important a matter, 
 and especially in the present state of circumstances. 
 But what you have said to me this evening I must 
 think over by myself and also discuss with your mother. 
 I am taken by surprise in every way and am as yet in- 
 capable of framing a correct opinion. We will resume 
 our conversation to-morrow, after I have carefully 
 thought over the matter alone." 
 
 Robert accordingly bade his father good-night and left 
 him to his own reflections. Though Thornton had in 
 the presence of his son preserved a wonderfully un- 
 ruffled exterior, his brain was in reality a whirlwind of 
 conflicting emotions. The first announcement of his 
 son that he intended to follow another career had filled 
 him for the moment with a sickening sense of disap- 
 pointment and dismay; yet he had almost immediately 
 formed the idea that Robert might ultimately be talked 
 over, mentally resolving at the same time to keep him 
 as much as possible away from the Ellwoods. The 
 newly-born love between Robert and Esther, however, 
 nipped part of his plan in the bud; for if the young 
 people became engaged, Robert would then have fre- 
 quent access to Kings Gardens, which was expressly 
 what he wished to prevent. On the other hand, he 
 knew that in dealing with his son on such matters he 
 would have to be careful and avoid any display of undue 
 authority. Robert would listen to reason, but would not 
 bend to parental tyranny. So the elder Thornton 
 thought long and deeply that night, and it was not until 
 the morning light began to peep through the blinds of 
 the library that he retired to dream of uncertain wander- 
 
 155 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 ings in fields where every object became a stumbling 
 block. When he awoke it was in no sense as refreshed 
 by the rest of a guileless sleep. 
 
 156 
 
SEPARATION. 
 
 XXI. 
 
 "IVTeXT morning, when his parents came down to 
 ■■■ ^ the breakfast table, Eobert saw at a glance that 
 his mother was as yet ignorant of what had passed be- 
 tween his father and himself. Mr. Thornton had evi- 
 dently, for some reason, thought it best to keep things 
 in the dark for a little time. Nothing, accordingly, was 
 said on the subject during the course of the meal, but 
 after they had finished, the elder man beckoned to his 
 eon, and the latter followed him into the library. After 
 seating themselves, Thornton senior began as follows: 
 "I have carefully considered all that you told me last 
 night. Of course, my whole object is for your personal 
 good and happiness in the future. I must, however, 
 confess my extreme disappointment on hearing your 
 strong desire to renounce that career for which I have 
 done my best to prepare you. But I freely recognize 
 that you have an artistic gift of no mean sort, and I sup- 
 pose that it is music that you would devote yourself to. 
 Of course you must not shut your eyes to the fact that 
 music will offer you a much narrower field for your ca- 
 pacities than politics. With my wealth and influence it 
 would not be long before you attained an enviable po- 
 sition in social life, and then, with the Empire every 
 day growing greater and greater, what possibilities are 
 there not for a young man of wealth, capacity and stand- 
 
 157 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 ing! On the other hand, you know well that musical 
 life in this countr}^ is stagnant, that posts are few and 
 poor, and the recognition tardy. The path, too, is a 
 thorny one, beset with petty animosities and hindrances, 
 the conditions of the life are unknown, and my influ- 
 ence in it is next to nothing. 
 
 "I mention these things to you simply because I wish 
 you to know the true aspect of the case. On the one 
 hand you have a career before you brilliant enough to 
 satisfy any ambition; you will mingle with the highest 
 in the land, enjoy the esteem and confidence of great 
 men, be welcomed with open arms by a powerful party. 
 On the other you will but swell the ranks of an already 
 crowded profession. By very reason of your position, 
 humbler men will regard you as an intruder, and though 
 fawning on you publicly, will do you injury if possible 
 behind your back. Friendships will be rare for you, 
 rivals and enemies numerous enough. However, if you 
 decide to pursue the study of music, there is no reason 
 therefore for your remaining at Oxford and devoting 
 yourself to your present studies. And this brings me 
 to another phase of the whole subject. You tell me 
 that you have conceived a great attachment for Miss 
 Ellwood, have proposed to her and have been accepted. 
 I, personally, think the young lady to be everything that 
 is agreeable and accomplished, but you must remember 
 that she too comes of a family prominent in their way. 
 Do you think that she and her connections would be 
 pleased to hear what you are renouncing and the diffi- 
 cult career upon which you propose to embark? Do 
 you not think that you would be honouring your future 
 bride more by securing for yourself a position which 
 would give to her all those privileges and benefits that a 
 
 158 
 
SEPARATION. 
 
 public career necessarily confers? These are things to 
 be taken into consideration/' 
 
 "I have already put the matter/' said Robert, "clearly 
 before Miss Ellwood and her parents, and they seem to 
 nave no objection. What they apparently desire is 
 solely their daughter's happiness." 
 
 "He has, then, talked with the Ellwoods upon these 
 matters," thought Mr. Thornton. Then, aloud, "I have 
 put everything thus before you and I will now tell you 
 what I think you should do. I will take it for granted 
 that you are serious in your change of mind as regards 
 your career, that you also thoroughly understand the 
 nature of your feelings towards Miss Ellwood. But I 
 cannot lose sight of the fact that you are still young, 
 very young ; at a period in life when every one is apt to 
 make serious mistakes. It is this that I wish to guard 
 against. I think, therefore, that you should not at once 
 make up your mind definitely on these matters, but 
 should, in the first place, continue to remain at Oxford, 
 and then, if after the lapse of a year's time you should 
 still wish to enter a musical career, we will consider it 
 seriously. I cannot approve of your breaking up in a 
 sudden manner your present line of work and rushing 
 into something else without due forethought. With re- 
 gard to Miss Ellwood, this attachment has sprung up 
 so suddenly that I think it will be quite fair on my part 
 if I venture to put it to the test. I think, therefore, 
 that there should be no binding or formal engagement 
 between you, and that during this next year you should 
 consent to a temporary separation between her and your- 
 self, corresponding only at stated intervals. If at the 
 end of this period your present desires should be still as 
 strong with you, then I shall be more satisfied; but at 
 
 159 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 present I am incapable of telling whether the impres- 
 sion made upon you by this young lady is a lasting one 
 or not. I think that considering your youth and the 
 somewhat surprising nature of what has taken place, 
 that it is only fair to me that you should make these 
 concessions on your part and acquiesce in my requests. 
 I will give you plenty of time to think everything over, 
 and as soon as your ideas are formed, then come to me." 
 
 With these last words Mr. Thornton quitted the 
 library, leaving Robert to his own reflections. 
 
 Thinking over all that his father had said, he was 
 bound to admit that there was a good deal of justice in 
 what he had asked. These were serious steps to take, 
 and his mind did appear to have been made up rather 
 too suddenly. He had no objection to returning to col- 
 lege for a year; he would have plenty of time, if he 
 worked hard, both for his music and the other subjects. 
 But what naturally chilled him with apprehension and 
 misgiving was the thought of a lengthy separation from 
 Esther. Not that he had the slightest doubt for him- 
 self, or of the noble girl who had given her love to him. 
 But to all true lovers the prospect of parting is as that 
 of death itself, and upon himself and Esther, more than 
 others, would the blow fall heavily. 
 
 His first idea, which after some thought he proceeded 
 to carry out, was to write to Esther and ask her advice. 
 He told her all that had passed between his father and 
 himself; how the former had seemed anxious to be just 
 and fair, yet had parental misgivings about the wisdom 
 of the plans which he, Robert, had proposed. He spoke 
 of the personal liking of his father and mother for her. 
 They thought, however, both were as yet very young. 
 He concluded with a recital of his father's requests with 
 
 160 
 
SEPAKATIOK 
 
 regard to his returning to college and his separation from 
 her. This he at once sent off to the post, considerably 
 relieved at having done so, and anxiously awaited a reply. 
 
 During the next two days Mr. Thornton's manner 
 towards his son was affectionate and sympathetic. He 
 fully succeeded in convincing his son that all he wished 
 to bring about was the latter's happiness, and that his 
 solicitude was solely and disinterestedly to bring about 
 this end. By this diplomatic attitude he was able to 
 remove entirely from Kobert's mind the slight and 
 natural resentment which the latter felt towards him, as 
 the author of the possible separation between him and 
 his sweetheart. The young man who had expected in 
 his father as the result of his revelations certainly signs 
 of great mortification, possibly anger and display of 
 temper, was delighted to behold this cool and reasonable 
 condition of mind. It was something he had not ex- 
 pected, it threw him completely off his guard, and so Mi. 
 Thornton by judicious praise of the Ellwoods was able 
 in conversation with his son to glean many a useful 
 sheaf of information. 
 
 But behind this mask of seeming ingenuousness lay 
 a very different spirit. Mr. Thornton was by all men 
 recognized as one of the ablest diplomatists, with a most 
 resourceful intelligence. A few minutes' keen glance 
 into the situation had been enough for him to decide 
 what course to adopt. The grand point to be won was 
 to prevent his son drifting into a narrow and ignoble 
 career. He must, therefore, be alienated from those 
 whose influence was adverse, the Ellwoods particularly; 
 the surest way of dealing with this important case was 
 the separation of the two young people, on the score of 
 their youth and the sudden development of their at- 
 tachment. 
 
 161 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 This having been accomplished^ his aim was to irri- 
 tate Dr. Ellwood in every possible way, so that the lat- 
 ter would be aroused to a bellicose attitude and disown 
 the marriage connection. With the severing of the en- 
 gagement and the shattering of his hopes, Robert's mind 
 would turn again to his father for counsel. Then, over- 
 come by a staggering emotional blow, Eobert might con- 
 sent to be guided in the right direction. All this, how- 
 ever, must be brought about in such a manner as to 
 avoid arousing the young man's suspicions. In propor- 
 tion to his estrangement from the Ellwoods must be the 
 increase of sympathy with his father. 
 
 The elder Thornton was not actuated by entirely 
 selfish motives in thus determining the overthrow of his 
 son's chances of happiness. Of course he had the life- 
 long ambition which in him had become almost an in- 
 stinct, and which he had regarded as un fait accompli, 
 that Eobert should become a distinguished public char- 
 acter; but on the other hand he was not really conscious 
 of the value of his son's natural gifts, and he regarded 
 this passion for music and the desire to embrace such 
 an occupation, as the result of some highflown sentiment 
 fostered by the opinions of such idealists as the Ell- 
 woods. It was a youthful enthusiasm which would 
 pass away in a natural manner, but in the meantime 
 all factors calculated to increase that enthusiasm 
 must be carefully kept out of sight. 
 
 The eagerly-awaited letter at last arrived. It is not 
 necessary to reproduce this very long effusion in its en- 
 tirety (it was the first love letter that Robert had re- 
 ceived from Esther), but the tone of it was consoling, 
 confident, and affectionate. 'T have talked over the 
 whole matter," wrote Esther, '%ith my parents, and we 
 
 162 
 
SEPAEATIOK 
 
 all seem to think that there is plenty of good sense and 
 justice in your father's views, hard, even unnecessarily 
 so, as they seem to be. If this year's separation is de- 
 cided upon, and it appears advisable to make this sacri- 
 fice, you may be assured of my constant and unchanging 
 love. Nothing can come between us, and heavy and un- 
 ending as the days will seem while you are away, I shall 
 always have a glimmer of hope in my heart, growing 
 greater and greater as the months go by and as the hour 
 of our meeting draws near.^^ 
 
 These few hopeful words inspired Eobert with cour- 
 age and resolution. Happy in the knowledge of Esther's 
 love and constancy, the year of trial would soon pass by 
 and they would be joyfully reunited. He accordingly 
 went at once to his father, frankly told him of the letter 
 he had received, and said that he was willing to accede 
 to his requests. Severe as the trial of separation would 
 be, he would willingly go through it to prove his af- 
 fection for so worthy an object as Esther. 
 
 Mr. Thornton was naturally delighted, though rather 
 taken aback by his son's confident manner. He praised 
 the judicious decision to which the young people had ar- 
 rived, and assured Eobert of the extreme pleasure given 
 him by the ready way he had acceded to his wishes. 
 
 Eobert then indited a long epistle to Esther, giving 
 her many assurances of his unalterable love and devo- 
 tion, mentioning the friendly feelings of his parents, 
 and his own confidence that all things would result in a 
 happy ending. "At all events," he wrote, "you will be 
 able to correspond with me, and your letters, if they are 
 all like your first one, will be wells of sympathy and en- 
 couragement. The time of our probation will soon be 
 over, and then, dear, think of the happiness of our meet- 
 ing/^ 
 
 163 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 In such a plight we leave for a while our young 
 friends, separated, yet sustained by hope and confidence. 
 Thus far Mr. Thornton has triumphed and has had 
 everything his own way. He holds the cards in his 
 hands and it will be an odd thing, he thinks, if he does 
 not shuffle them aright. 
 
 164 
 
PART m. 
 
FIRST MOVES. 
 
 XXII. 
 
 PERHAPS the most important, certainly the most 
 interesting, period in the lives of all lovers is that 
 which is brought about by the circumstance of separa- 
 tion. It is then that the influence created and wielded 
 by each of the lovers over the other is subjected to its 
 severest ordeal. The invisible silver chain that links 
 absent hearts is but too often strained to the point of 
 breaking;. the rich flame, nursed by the spirits' longing, 
 too often slowly dies down to a burnt-out ember. If 
 minds are not clear and stable, temptations are sure to 
 arise, giving birth to grievous misunderstandings and 
 dangerous pitfalls ; the nerves of those parted are strung 
 to the highest pitch, and the least of chances may un- 
 settle them. 
 
 But for those who have been fortunate in passing 
 without injury through the trial, such a period is even 
 better remembered, and stamps a more lasting impres- 
 sion on the mind than the happiest days spent in sun- 
 shine and joy. For it is in solitude only that we are 
 able to look within ourselves, to concentrate the lens of 
 reason upon our emotions, and to examine with search- 
 ing introspection our innermost natures. If our love is 
 of a kind that has been called into existence by a single 
 sentiment, an appeal to but a small part of our complex 
 organism, if it is shut off by its own limitations from 
 
 16T 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 colouring our entire lives and is nourished by the flame 
 of fancy simply as an exotic, then be sure that the foun- 
 dations of such love are built upon the sand, and when 
 the tempests arise the pleasant house of imagination will 
 dismally tumble to the ground. But if our love is a love 
 which, self-born, has stormed and entered all the secret 
 dwelling-places of the spirit, if it has become the pointed 
 finger of conscience controlling every motive, if all the 
 channels of our life leap in response to its mighty ap- 
 peal, making us look out upon the wondrous world 
 through new glasses of a purer yet richer hue, then may 
 we know that the true immortal love is with us, our 
 spur in conflict, our city of refuge in time of peril, the 
 eternal sanctuary built upon the rock, against which 
 even the powers of hell shall not prevail. 
 
 It was affection possessing such an essence as this that 
 had enabled the Ellwoods to overcome every obstacle 
 encountered by them in the battle of life, and now all 
 eyes were turned upon Eobert and Esther. They in 
 their turn had now to pass through the fire of trial and 
 separation; and opinion as to the outcome of it was 
 somewhat divided. The lovers themselves were, of 
 course, radiantly confident, the Ellwoods scarcely less 
 so; but upon the other hand, Mrs. Thornton was as yet 
 in doubt, and Thornton took an extreme and opposite 
 viev/ in thinking that the engagement would end in 
 nothing. 
 
 The summer months passed by unmarked by events of 
 much interest. Dorothy returned to Beasley Manor 
 soon after the arrival of Eobert's letter to Esther, an- 
 nouncing that he had decided to follow his father's 
 wishes, and the two families speedily settled down to 
 their ordinary routine of life. The Thorntons remained 
 
 168 
 
FIRST MOVES. 
 
 throughout the siimmer on their country estate, while 
 the Ellwoods departed for a short Continental tour. 
 They journeyed by way of Paris, Switzerland, the Rhine 
 and the J^etherlands, returning to London about the be- 
 ginning of October, and a little before the commence- 
 ment of the Oxford Michaelmas Term. It is from this 
 date that we resume the thread of our story. 
 
 Mr. Thornton, as may be supposed, lost no time in 
 initiating his plan of campaign. His first step was to 
 write a long private letter to Dr. Ellwood, in which he 
 stated that, thoiigli be much admired Miss Ellwood per- 
 sonally, he was afraid that an alliance between the two 
 families would be detrimental to the prospects of his 
 son. Eobert, whose temperament was peculiarly re- 
 ceptive, had already shown a strong sympathy with cer- 
 tain views and opinions held by Dr. Ellwood which were 
 directly contrary to those held by Thornton. If Robert, 
 in consequeace, were to renounce the career already 
 mapped out for Mm by his father, it might be to his in- 
 jury in the future as regards his position and social rank. 
 
 Dr. Ellwood wrote a very careful reply to Mr. Thorn- 
 ton, saying that he had certainly no wish to influence 
 the mind of Robert in any direction whatever, and that 
 he would do anything to remove such an unjustifiable 
 impression. But with regard to the engagement itself, 
 all that he himself desired was the happiness of his 
 daughter, and so the young people must settle that mat- 
 ter between themselves. 
 
 In spite of this somewhat inconclusive reply, Mr. 
 Thornton imagined that his letter had slightly affected 
 Dr. Ellwood. The latter had recently been taking an 
 active part in some minor international negotiations, 
 and Thornton saw here a suitable opportunity. At a 
 
 169 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 club gathering he spoke slightingly of the Doctor, and 
 further contrived that his remarks should be conveyed 
 to the latter's notice. Dr. Ellwood was both surprised 
 and pained, on hearing of this. Mr. Thornton had 
 seemed so friendly both in America and on the Ell- 
 woods' first arriving in England, that it was difficult to 
 understand his change of manner. Perhaps in his ig- 
 norance of Mr. Thornton's exact plans for his son, he 
 had spoken with the latter a trifle too openly on the de- 
 batable ground of politics and philosophy. Perhaps 
 young Thornton had been actually affected by his re- 
 marks, and had revealed himself too frankly to his 
 father, who had naturally looked upon his mutability of 
 mind with suspicion and alarm. He began to think 
 that he had been rather unwise in allowing the easy in- 
 tercourse between Robert and Esther, which had re- 
 sulted in their mutual avowal of love, without first as- 
 certaining more precisely Mr. Thornton's plans for his 
 son. But now matters had gone too far for drawing 
 back; his child's happiness was involved, Esther the be- 
 loved of his household. Yet Mr. Thornton's remarks 
 concerning him left a decidedly disagreeable impression 
 on his mind. He began to feel a sense of disappoint- 
 ment mingled with a presentiment of coming trouble; 
 he felt that the delightful dream of the past summer 
 was fading away, and that the autumn clouds were 
 slowly gathering. However, he heard nothing further 
 from Mr. Thornton, and the matter seemed to have 
 blown over. 
 
 170 
 
ROBERT AT OXFORD. 
 
 XXIII. 
 
 "pOR Robert Thornton, the particular kind of life 
 
 ^ he was leading at Oxford had a singular charm. 
 Though the last fifty years have done much to modernize 
 the ancient city and bring it into touch with scientific 
 life, and though it is no longer the Oxford beloved of 
 Matthew Arnold, it still retains much of its old-world 
 atmosphere. It has always been the restraining force 
 in the intellectual life of the country, the cautious hand 
 plucking at the cloak of the discoverer of new paths, the 
 critical, not the creative mind of educated England. 
 
 A product of the latest intellectual culture, young 
 Thornton found the collegiate life too narrow and cir- 
 cumscribed for his needs : the religious dogma of the 
 place appealed but little to his essentially latitudinarian 
 beliefs. Yet it is in this narrowness that lies both the 
 strength and the weakness of Oxford, and from it it is 
 possible to learn many useful lessons. To young Thorn- 
 ton it taught chiefly lessons of reverence and moderation. 
 Reverence for what is noble and beautiful in the past; 
 moderation in the spirit of progress and reform. 
 
 Perhaps Robert Thornton would be called by some a 
 negative force; but this is hardly an adequate or just 
 description. Naturally progressive in spirit, he was 
 fastidious only concerning the means used in the cause 
 of progress. He was an advocate of gradual reform, of 
 
 171 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 a life of reason and calmness, not the restless and 
 neurotic existence common to the present age. He 
 deprecated the rapid acquirement of immense wealth, 
 considering it in most cases detrimental to true work 
 and honest endeavour. Apart from the influence of the 
 Ellwoods, he himself regarded with a fair amount of 
 aversion the view held by his father and others, on the 
 subject of throwing the industries of the country into 
 the hands of a few. He considered that such a process, 
 though it might lead to a temporary material pros- 
 perity, tended ultimately to destroy the individuality of 
 the workman and reduce him to a mere part of a gigantic 
 machine. Euskin, he thought, had placed his finger on 
 the weak spot in modern civilization, and the chief 
 cause of modern unrest, when he said : "The universal 
 outcry against wealth, and against nobility, is not forced 
 from them (the workmen) either by the pressure of 
 famine, or the sting of mortified pride. It is not that 
 men are ill-fed, but that they have no pleasure in the 
 work by which they make their bread, and therefore 
 look to WEALTH as the only means of pleasure." 
 
 Eobert, with reasonable enthusiasm, thought that one 
 of the weapons to be used in the fight against material- 
 ism and sham progress was that of art. The contem- 
 plation of the perfect and beautiful was one of the 
 surest checks on misdirected energy and hasty ambition. 
 And on this subject of the function of art in life, he was 
 never tired of discoursing to his small circle of friends. 
 Too discursive to make a really good orator, Eobert pos- 
 sessed, nevertheless, a certain degree of eloquence sa- 
 vouring more of the pulpit than the forum. 
 
 "The world is moving on," he would often argue, "to 
 the attainment of one supreme end. The nations march 
 
 172 
 
EGBERT AT OXFOED. 
 
 forward, hand in hand, each one endowed with its share 
 of national genius ; but all with the same shining goal in 
 the far future. This is the great consummation that 
 mankind is incessantly working out; and what is the 
 nature of it? The emancipation of the spirit of man, 
 freed from cramping convention, untrammelled by 
 worldly aim, shining forth, glorious as the star of the 
 morning. To urge men onward to this splendid finality, 
 the great spirit power of the world has, from time to 
 time, exhibited tokens and signs of its own existence. 
 Many are the ways in which this world-spirit, the "welt- 
 geist,'^ operates, in order to display the lighted beacon 
 of truth in what would otherwise be a desert of dark- 
 ness. Chief among the civilizing and humanizing in- 
 fluences of this great world-spirit is the love and pur- 
 suit of art. It is almost entirely in art that we look for 
 suggestions of the eternal and illimitable. Observe the 
 poetry and the statuary of the Greeks, the paintings of 
 the great Italians, some of the works of Shakespeare, 
 the compositions of such masters as Beethoven, Schubert 
 or Wagner. Different arts appeal to different tempera- 
 ments ; but few there are, even among the lowest savages, 
 who remain untouched by at least one of the arts. It is, 
 indeed, as Euskin has said: ^Life without industry is 
 guilt and without art is brutality. Without art, the 
 whole world would be one wide wilderness.^ 
 
 "In supreme art we find absolute perfection of form, 
 both in outline and detail, and this is the symbol of 
 those unchanging and mathematical laws of nature that 
 govern the world. Combined with this, we also find 
 complete expression of human emotions, in union with 
 the prophetic light of spiritual grace. It is in the work 
 of the leading exponents of art and literature that at- 
 
 173 
 
THE ELLWOODS 
 
 tributes are to be found, attributes which render their 
 creators immortal, even though the work is often cen- 
 turies in advance of their time. Such is art '^prophetic/ 
 inasmuch as it foreshadows a condition of mind and of 
 spirit strange and unknown to its contemporaries. 
 Again, the work of even the greatest statesmen is, alas, 
 too often ephemeral; the conquests of the strongest war- 
 riors are seldom permanent. The voices of lawgivers 
 and prophets echo but faintly ^down the corridors of 
 time.^ 
 
 "But when we consider the great art works of the 
 world, we find that the world-spirit speaks in not only 
 clear, but often divinely beautiful words. Great art is 
 thus not only unconsciously prophetic, but its message 
 is couched in a form, not only in itself the perfected 
 symbol of eternal law throughout the world, but also 
 containing, within these limits, those attributes which 
 typify human emotion and heavenly inspiration and 
 grace; remaining for thousands and thousands of years 
 for all the world ^things of beauty and joy forever.' The 
 great function of supreme art is to point out to man that 
 state of mind and heart to which he should ever aspire. 
 When, in his progressive march, man, guided by the im- 
 mortal works of the great geniuses, has arrived at the 
 state foreshadowed by these art works, instead of be- 
 coming obsolete, they are of even greater value ; for they 
 tell us that even in those far-off ages were men who 
 'dipped into the future, far as human eye could see,^ 
 and that, from those most primeval periods, were men 
 and women capable of the same thoughts of law and 
 order as are we to-day. And so, when the early history 
 of the world would otherwise seem a wide wilderness of 
 brutality, these art works shed a warm light of beauty 
 
 174 
 
EOBEET AT OXFORD. 
 
 and truth over otherwise forgotten periods, reminding 
 us that God rules the world and 'fashions man in his 
 own image/ " 
 
 It will be seen that Robert's residence in Oxford was 
 not likely to restore him to that condition of mind that 
 was desirable in Mr. Thornton's eyes. Rather the con- 
 trary. While steadily continuing his degree studies, he 
 more and more withdrew himself from the public and 
 social life of the university, and lived almost entirely 
 with his books and music. x\t times he felt keenly the 
 sting of separation from Esther, but the bright and en- 
 couraging tone of the letters she sent him, always had 
 the effect of restoring to him his tranquility of mind. 
 Towards the end of October, however, he received an un- 
 expected piece of intelligence from her which caused 
 him a certain amount of uneasiness. "Something very 
 strange," Esther wrote, "has just occurred. Father, a 
 few days ago, met Sir Edward Gardiner, and in the 
 course of conversation Mr. Thornton's name was men- 
 tioned. What was exactly said I do not know, but as 
 far as I can gather, it seems that Mr. Thornton has been 
 speaking in a very unfriendly manner of my father. 
 This, as things stand at present, is quite extraordinary, 
 and we cannot account for it. However, it has given my 
 father considerable pain and offence, and I do hope that 
 it will have no effect in prejudicing you in his eyes. I 
 think, though, that there must be some explanation of 
 the circumstance, and I sincerely trust so, as any ill- 
 feeling arising at this moment would be extremely awk- 
 ward for both of us. We are going to Paris at the end 
 of the week, as father has a diplomatic mission there, so 
 the next letter you receive will arrive from the other 
 side of the Channel." 
 
 175 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 The burden of this information had the effect of 
 rudely disturbing Eobert's complacency, for he had been 
 cherishing the fond illusion that all things in his love 
 affair were progressing satisfactorily. A disagreement, 
 however, between the two heads of the families was 
 something he had not looked for. If this difference as- 
 sumed such proportions that the two parents should con- 
 sider a family alliance undesirable, things would go hard 
 with Esther and himself. Such a calamity must be 
 prevented at all costs. But how to do it? He himself 
 was in a peculiarly delicate position. He could not 
 write to his father and ascertain the facts of the matter 
 without making things worse. He was debarred from 
 seeing Esther or any of the Ellwoods, and he felt that it 
 would not be fair to his father to write to Dr. Ellwood 
 himself. He passed several days in a state of doubt and 
 uneasiness, quite undecided what to do. At the begin- 
 ning of the following week he received another note from 
 Esther : 
 
 "We arrived in Paris this morning, stopping for a 
 day on our journey at Rouen. We are staying at the 
 Hotel des Deux Princes, and a rather curious coincidence 
 is, that I am sleeping in the same room and bed that 
 father occupied when he was a medical student here 
 years ago. We have come here for a few nights only, 
 for *^auld lang syne' ; but have made a singular discovery, 
 that father and mother occupy a room adjoining mine, 
 in which the son of an Indian prince was living at the 
 time my father was a student here. The Prince is dead, 
 and the son is now the Rajah of Punjab ar, whom we 
 met at Court and at the garden-party. We expect to 
 return to London in about a fortnight." 
 
 While the two weeks were passing, Robert therefore 
 
 176 
 
EOBEKT AT OXFOED. 
 
 remained in a very unsettled state of mind as to what 
 course to plan for the future. 
 
 i; 
 
A FORGOTTEN PHILOSOPHY. 
 
 XXIV. 
 
 THE little hotel of the ''Two Princes" is a quaint, 
 old-fashioned building, with narrow staircases 
 and dimly-lighted corridors. It was while ascending 
 to his rooms one evening that Dr. Ellwood collided with 
 a tall, handsomely-attired figure, who proved to his sur- 
 prise to be none other than His Highness the Eajah of 
 Punjab ar. A flash of memory from the past illu- 
 minated the Doctor's mind, and he exclaimed : 
 
 "Ah! now I recollect you, friend Rajah. You were 
 not a Prince but a student of law, when we made very 
 merry in these comfortable rooms long years ago." 
 
 "So that was how you remember the Hindu Yoga, M. 
 le Docteur, from those long talks with our friends the 
 philosophers? How quietly we live and forget, and 
 then begin again! Here you come from over sea to 
 this little hotel, while I come back from India. We 
 meet at the garden-party; we meet here; where shall we 
 meet again? In America? or will it be in distant In- 
 dia, where the souls of millions and millions of beings 
 were being freed by Yoga, where the great heart of the 
 spiritual world has throbbed for centuries, and where 
 the Yogis yet hope to discover eternal life? But come 
 up to my laboratory, my good Doctor; I reside at the 
 top, in place of the old rooms upon this floor. How 
 well I remember you now! your face has haunted me 
 
 178 
 
A FORGOTTElSr PHILOSOPHY. 
 
 since we met at the garden-party. I have something 
 also to tell you, which I know should not be told, but 
 you will forgive me; for you, like myself, will love the 
 truth. Come, let us go to the top I" 
 
 They ascended the last stairs, on which were the 
 usual suite, which constituted the rooms of the Prince. 
 
 "Not here," he said. "Come," and as he spoke he 
 touched the corner of a large frame, containing a full- 
 length portrait of his father, the late Rajah of Pun- 
 jabar. It swung back, revealing a private stairway 
 leading to the roof. Here, in a dome-like structure, in- 
 visible from the street, had lived, with occasional ab- 
 sences, this great philosopher and alchemist. 
 
 At one side of the room stood an astronomical tele- 
 scope of great power. By electric gear the whole dome 
 could be turned completely round, for, notwithstanding 
 the interest of the professor in occult sciences, no pedan- 
 tic pretensions prevented him from utilizing all modern 
 appliances in the pursuit of truth. It was this trait 
 that made him appreciate any new light which might 
 cross his path, and he had hailed with satisfaction the 
 hint thrown out by the Doctor at the garden-party, 
 that he had something to say regarding his Hindu faith. 
 
 This extraordinary apartment was unique in its ap- 
 pointments and ornamented in a way, but not obtru- 
 sively, with everything which the wise observer would 
 cling to in the course of travel. Here, the head of an 
 ancient Egyptian savant, mummied, but still showing 
 the traces of high inteUectual power, adorned the top of 
 an inclosed bookcase, while within were works of price- 
 less value — rare books in parchment, and many in taste- 
 ful bindings; for the Prince was an epicure in books, 
 both as to subject and matter. There, were to be seen 
 
 179 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 ancient charts of the heavens and restored Egyptian 
 temples, and many Persian and Indian embroideries 
 draped the room. A writing table stood by an oriental 
 conch upon one side, and a work bench littered with 
 delicate tools, phials of liquid, retorts, and other chemi- 
 cal apparatus, was hidden behind a large screen at an- 
 other side. The walls were everywhere hnng with 
 souvenirs of India and with many objects of sacred or 
 cabalistic nature. Upon the writing table was a carved 
 Indian cabinet. One of its doors happened to be ajar, 
 and the Doctor observed distinctly, to his surprise, the 
 photograph of his daughter Esther in her court dress. 
 This door, at the first opportunity, the Prince quietly 
 closed. The room was lighted with subdued electric 
 lamps, although there was ample provision for strong 
 lights when required. The subdued light was employed 
 when the Rajah was busy making observations with the 
 telescope. 
 
 "I always begin my reflections, my study, by obser- 
 vation of the stars; will you look, M. le Docteur? It 
 brings us nearer to nature. We sink deeper into that 
 great well of truth of the infinite, and realize our in- 
 significance. But we see; that is already something. 
 And we hear; that is problem two. Then we think; 
 and know that we are thus God-like. Come! look at 
 Saturn, in his majesty — monarch of the planets. He is 
 the farthest from our central sun, requiring one of our 
 months to make his day of revolution. Ten times the 
 diameter of this earth and yet to us a single star, not so 
 large, quite, as Jupiter, but more brilliant. Imagine 
 the magnificence of this single spectacle, then think of 
 the infinite.^' 
 
 "It is very wonderful,^' replied the Doctor, returning 
 
 180 
 
A FOEGOTTEN PHILOSOPHY. 
 
 from the telescope. "It seems quite like the old en- 
 thusiasm, and brings back to me the earnest efforts you 
 all made to bring me to understand the Hindu philos- 
 ophy.^' 
 
 "You could not have understood it, dear Doctor, or 
 you would not say that you could tell me something you 
 had discovered." 
 
 "But it is quite true," replied the Doctor. 'T.t is 
 more generic, too, than you think, although, having 
 other views, I am not truly a Yogi. Yet when so much 
 depends in Yoga upon having the nerves trained to 
 calmness, and in the perfection of the body, I thought 
 it would interest you to know that, with our beautiful 
 medical instruments, we can now straighten the chan- 
 nels of the nose and relieve the many causes of nerve 
 depression, thereby making many persons free from mor- 
 bid, neurotic sensations. I can remember generally 
 that to be a Yogi means to conquer self. How much 
 better to correct the disturbed nerves in the shortest way 
 possible, by surgery !" 
 
 "That is very true, and I shall see some of your work 
 one day. It is more than I thought," said the honest 
 Hindu, adding, "and you may help me in my own case ; 
 for there is still something which holds me back from 
 perfect freedom." 
 
 "Then we will help each other. You tell me again 
 the truths of Yoga, and I will help you to work them 
 out. We have an entire evening before us ; for my wife 
 and daughter are dining to-night, most strange to say, 
 with a lady astronomer. I am to remove our luggage 
 by midnight from here to the other hotel, and this, you 
 see, has led me back to my old haunts again." 
 
 "Ah, there is something I long to teU you, friend 
 
 181 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 Doctor; but it must wait until after Yoga. You will 
 understand that you must not only believe, but practise 
 Yoga. To do this you must not travel, or fly from one 
 thing to the other, although you can still do so. It is 
 better to have a room in which to practise — a sacred 
 room, like this; and the closer you are to nature, so 
 much the better. This is to me what the studio is to 
 the artist, the library to the writer, or the chapel to the 
 minister. You sit in a straight posture and send a holy 
 thought to all creation. Let all beings be happy, all 
 things be peaceful! so say to North, South, East and 
 West. Then pray; not for money., health or heaven, 
 but for knowledge and light. All else is a selfish 
 prayer." 
 
 "Then you believe in the efficacy of prayer ?" asked the 
 Doctor, "I thought the Hindus did not." 
 
 "We believe in it in this way. We believe that the 
 body is strong and healthy, and believing it, the prayer 
 is answered ; tell your mind and your body that they are 
 strong, and have unbounded faith and hope in yourself. 
 You must not forget that the foundation of Yoga, as I 
 have said, is to see and hear and think. You must then 
 stimulate the brain and the spine by proper breathing. 
 To purify the nerves, the Yogi practices thus for a few 
 weeks, before beginning what we call "Pranayama"; he 
 sits with spine erect, chest thrown out, neck and head 
 in one straight line, to hold the spinal column free. 
 There is a purpose in this method of regular breathing. 
 Now, stopping the right nostril with the thumb, through 
 the left nostril draw in air, then without any interval 
 throw the air out through the right nostril, closing the 
 left one; again inhale through the right nostril and 
 throw out through the left. Practise this, breathing in 
 
 182 
 
A FORGOTTEN PHILOSOPHY. 
 
 and out, three or five times, at four intervals of the day, 
 until purity of the nerves is attained; then begin 
 Tranayama/ *^ 
 
 "So that breathing freely and fully, oxygenating the 
 blood, is the great basis of this Hindu faith V^ ^ 
 
 "No, no, not at all. This is only the means to an 
 end. Neither is it simply to purify the blood. It is 
 more to train the nerves and to practise self-concentra- 
 tion. By this training and conquering the internal 
 nature, through introspection, a very marvellous power 
 is produced. I will explain it. The principal point 
 to observe is the effect of this method of breathing, 
 namely, upon the nerves at the back of the throat, re- 
 acting upon the brain and spine. In the course of time, 
 the devotee, with assiduous practice, gets control of him- 
 Belf and can direct his mind to any part of the body. 
 You will now see me throw myself into a cataleptic 
 state, in which I can lie for days or weeks or months at 
 will. Let me lie down on the couch, and I will illus- 
 trate it for a few moments.'^ 
 
 In a short time the Hindu was rigid as death, ap- 
 parently without either sensation or circulation; his 
 heart even had ceased to beat. It was, evidently, a 
 case of suspended animation. In a short time he re- 
 covered and was as composed as if nothing had happened. 
 
 "Doctor Ellwood, I will ask you, did I myself ^^:i 
 into such a state; or did I only affect you to make you 
 think you saw me in that state? For instance, whom 
 do you see now approaching from the door?" 
 
 "Wh}^, Esther," exclaimed the Doctor, attempting to 
 rise; but the Hindu put his hand upon him, saying: 
 
 "Do not fear nor excite yourself; it is only will 
 ^ From Lectures by Swami Vivekananda. 
 
 183 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 power. This is what you would call hypnotism; but it 
 is Yoga, yes, much higher — it is Samadhi. Ejqow 
 then, that to have power not only to control oneself, but 
 to control others is the thought of the Yogi. He must 
 not use this power for harm, but for good; or it will be 
 no longer a power to the Yogi. For it is only by good 
 that he attains this power. The higher the life of the 
 Yogi, the higher his power becomes. I will tell you now 
 and I will explain more fully later, that the highest 
 energy of the human body is called ^Ojas.' Now in all 
 mankind there is more or less of this Ojas, and the more 
 the Ojas is stored up in a man^s head, the more powerful 
 and intellectual he will be. On the other hand, the more 
 he wastes his energy, particularly through sexuality — 
 the less he stores up of this Ojas. This is why in all 
 religious and spiritual orders, intense chastity is always 
 insisted upon. Without it, the practices of Yoga are 
 dangerous, and may lead to insanity .^^ 
 
 "How very astounding!^' exclaimed the Doctor; *'T 
 had no idea that so great a power did really exist. The 
 presumption has been that these manifestations were 
 all shams. I am strangely interested." 
 
 "You are easily interested. Your nature is strongly 
 psychical. Your daughter's is also, and in all prob- 
 ability your wife's too ; but I must talk only of Yoga," 
 interrupted the Prince. "Your were saying?" 
 
 "It was only to ask you to enlighten me further. 
 You spoke of Pranayama." 
 
 "Ah, that is the control of the Prana, which is the 
 vital force of the human body; and the highest action 
 of Prana is thought. As you know, many of the mus- 
 cular actions of the body are quite involuntary. The 
 object of breathing and self concentration is to get con- 
 
 184 
 
A FOKGOTTEN PHILOSOPHY. 
 
 trol of these involuntary movements. Beyond this is 
 the still higher plane of super-consciousness. When 
 the mind has attained that state, and which I illus- 
 trated for you, it is called Samadhi. To reach this 
 more subtle state^ we must have the aid of a physical 
 energy to control the vibrations of the body and arouse 
 this Prana, in every part of the system. This is chiefly 
 done through the breathing or motion of the lungs.^' 
 
 "So then, I understand you, that by this control of 
 the breath, or rather the control of the body which the 
 breathing exercise gives you, other higher or super-con- 
 scious states are achieved?" 
 
 "That is it. According to the Yogis, there are two 
 nerve currents in the spinal column, called Pingala and 
 Ida, and there is a hollow canal called Susumna running 
 through the spinal cord. At the lower end of the canal 
 is what is called the ^Lotus of the Kundalini.' When 
 that Kundalini, or coiled-up force, awakes, it tries to 
 force its passage upwards through the Susumna, and, as 
 it rises, layer after layer of the mind becomes open, and 
 all the visions and wonderful powers come to the Yogi. 
 When the brain is reached, the Yogi is perfectly de- 
 tached from the body and mind itself, and the soul finds 
 itself free. There are, in fact, three chief centres of 
 the spine, the basic, Muladhara, at the sacral plexus and 
 the Sahasrara or thousand-petalled lotus in the brain; 
 the middle one is called Sadhisthana. Another physi- 
 ological point to learn is that the centre which regu- 
 lates the breathing system, has a sort of controlling 
 action over the system of nerve currents, and is opposite 
 the thorax, in the spinal column. ]^ow we shall see 
 why breathing is practised. It tends to bring a rhyth- 
 mic action and helps us to control the other nerve 
 
 185 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 centres. The great aim of Pranayama is to rouse this 
 coiled-up power of the Kundalini." 
 
 "Then that is why so much importance is attached to 
 breathing; but it is not for the benefit of the lungs 
 themselves," said Dr. Ellwood. 
 
 "Precisely; now you follow me and we come to the 
 exercises. Sit upright. The breathing must now be 
 regular to harmonize the system. With the thumb to 
 stop the right nostril, draw in the breath through the 
 left while counting four seconds ; hold the breath in six- 
 teen seconds, then throw out in eight seconds. Then 
 repeat with the other nostril. This makes one Prana- 
 yama. When you have the breath in, close both nostrils 
 while holding it sixteen seconds, and imagine you are 
 sending the nerve current down and striking the base 
 of the Susumna, to concentrate the mind on that centre. 
 The next breathing is to draw in the breath and then 
 throw it out, counting four each time; then hold the 
 breath out while counting sixteen. This last is the 
 easier. The retention of the breath must not be prac- 
 tised too much, only four times morning and evening. 
 Practise it regularly, and then you can increase it to six 
 times instead of four. One day the Kundalini will be 
 aroused; then you steadily progress and in the end you 
 will attain the last stage, when the Ojas reaches the 
 brain or the highest centre, the Sahasrara. In the 
 science of the Yogis, each step to attain the Samadhi 
 has been reasoned out, and if faithfully practised, will 
 surely lead you to the desired end. Then will all sor- 
 rows cease, all miseries vanish and the soul will be free 
 for ever." 
 
 "It is getting late," exclaimed the Doctor looking at 
 his watch, "and almost midnight! There is only time 
 
 186 
 
A FOEGOTTEN PHILOSOPHY. 
 
 for me to get to our hotel, where the ladies are awaiting 
 me. You will excuse me, Prince, if I tear myself away. 
 Some time I may tell you, that, wonderful as Yoga is, 
 it is physical and egoistic, and is only the preparation 
 for yet higher spirituality." 
 
 "I had something further to tell you, and it is here," 
 said the good Prince, putting his hand upon the cabinet. 
 "But the time is not yet." 
 
 Then the electric light blazed up, the Doctor de- 
 scended the stairway, leaving the Rajah standing at the 
 top — the personification of 4,000 years of Indian knowl- 
 edge and human consciousness. What of the steam en- 
 gine or telegraph wire? What of the quarrelsome dog- 
 mas of civilization? What of wars and conquests, if 
 these are to drive out Peris from Paradise? 
 
 But the hope of the orient awakens; the light of the 
 spiritual sun ascends ! medical science, too, preaches its 
 running commentary. The souls of aeons all silently 
 lead vanguards of intellectuality, undercurrents of 
 Yogis, to teach the people. The true Saviour, or man- 
 hood perfected, awaits recognition. The corner stone 
 of humanity is regeneration. Legitimacy is the key: 
 heredity the watchword. Arise, children of light ! The 
 night is departing and day is here. 
 
 187 
 
THE FINANCIAL QUESTION* 
 
 XXV. 
 
 ON the conclusion of the business that had brought 
 them to Paris, the EUwoods returned to London. 
 The autumn of that year was an eyentful period; the 
 eyes of all Europe were turned towards the Cape. The 
 South African war was passing into a serious stage of 
 development. The British arms had met with several 
 reverses, and the financial world was beginning to feel 
 the inevitable effect. The commencement of hostilities 
 in the Transvaal had been an unfortunate thing for Dr. 
 Ellwood, who was possessed of large interests in that 
 part of the world. He had in consequence incurred 
 severe losses. This, in conjunction with another dis- 
 turbing circumstance, gave our worthy friend no small 
 amount of worry and trouble. 
 
 Negotiations that he had recently conducted in Lon- 
 don were being censured by certain journals in the 
 United States, and strongly disapproved of by the op- 
 position party in Congress. Therefore, efforts were be- 
 ing made to obtain his recall, strong influences were at 
 work, and for a time his fate hung in the balance. 
 What, however, caused the Doctor considerable sur- 
 prise was the action of the English fiLaanciers, who had 
 actually benefited by what he had accomplished. There 
 seemed to be no motive for their antagonism to him, 
 but it was plain to his experienced mind that some 
 
 188 
 
THE FINANCIAL QUESTION. 
 
 powerful agent was at work endeavouring to bring about 
 his return to the United States. Happily, owing to the 
 firm and manly attitude of some of his colleagues, his 
 position was upheld successfully, and the threatened 
 danger passed away. But the true solution of this mys- 
 tery was not revealed to him until some time after- 
 wards. 
 
 Dr. EUwood had not been long enough in England to 
 have made any really confidential friends. In New 
 York he had his clubs to repair to, and the small circle 
 of old friends who used to assemble at his house was 
 naturally much missed by him. Esther, who seemed to 
 develop in beauty and intelligence every day, had be- 
 come his confidante; she assisted him in his literary 
 labours and talked over with him the current topics 
 of the day. It was in one of these conversations that they 
 strayed on to the ground of philosophy, and as Dr. Ell- 
 wood^s mind had for some time past been full of the 
 questions of finance, the discussion naturally turned in 
 that direction. 
 
 "My dear father," said Esther, "you have often in 
 your conversation with me made use of the term 'the 
 financial question,' what is it that you really mean 
 byitP 
 
 "Well, it is simply this : the governments of the world 
 wish a definite system of values by which they can con- 
 trol the people, so they have settled upon what is known 
 as the gold standard. By reckoning the amount of 
 gold, the financiers can always control the markets of 
 the world, so that the people may be subservient io a 
 certain order of things. AU commodities have their 
 price, even human beings. To change the world, to 
 establish a real philosophy, is to free humanity, and 
 
 189 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 enable it to make real reforms, by doing away with 
 many obstructions, which prevent natural lives -aid 
 natural actions.'^ 
 
 "But how, then, would you change the finances of 
 the world?" 
 
 "That question is often asked. The answer is simple, 
 although many fallacious theories have been promul- 
 gated. In America, for instance, the extraordinary fal- 
 lacy has been put forward in the last two presidential 
 struggles, of the double standard of gold and silver, bi- 
 metallism. This standard is not so bad, because it 
 would have the effect of extending the whole amount 
 of gold and silver beyond the range of computation of 
 financiers, who would then lose their control of the 
 markets ; but the relative values of the two metals caused 
 the difficulty. To attempt to fix the ratio of these two 
 commodities at sixteen units of silver to one of gold to 
 make a dollar, proposed an arbitrary value, not regu- 
 lated by supply and demand. Such a system could as 
 well be extended to copper, iron, or cotton, or any other 
 commodity." 
 
 "Then what would you suggest ?" 
 
 "It is all a question of stability of governments. A 
 government of the people, for the people, by the people, 
 should, as dear old Peter Cooper used to maintain, issue 
 government money, greenbacks. But, as a guarantee 
 of redeeming this currency and to give it security, in- 
 stead of gold the government should own its lands and 
 railways, its docks and mines, and should lease them to 
 the people. But, my child, after the great emigration 
 of Europeans, strangled by bigotry and kingcraft, and 
 after the rescue of the fair land of America from the 
 savage and the wilderness, designing financiers directed 
 
 190 
 
THE FINANCIAL QUESTION. 
 
 the policies of the pilgrims to that of spoil. This was 
 the great wrong perpetrated in the name of freedom. 
 No land, properties or franchises should have been given 
 to individuals, except by lease from the nation. In this 
 manner revenues would alwaj^s have accrued to the gov- 
 ernment, and the basis would have remained for the 
 building up of a free nation, in which all progressive 
 features could have been gradually adopted. Then we 
 might have talked of philosophy.'^ 
 
 '^But yet, father, there must be some principal idea 
 underlying these abuses of government, which can be 
 employed to correct them." 
 
 "There is, Esther; but we must revert for the argu- 
 ment to the very basis of government itself. The great 
 aim of all jurisprudence is, without doubt, toward such 
 national and international codes of laws, as will pro- 
 mote the welfare of the respectable majority of man- 
 kind; and the solution of the social and legal complica- 
 tions must be found in the adoption of such a simplified 
 system of laws as can operate everywhere in an inter- 
 national manner. To propose, however, sweeping re- 
 forms which will infringe upon the vested rights of in- 
 dividuals, corporations, or states, without proper nego- 
 tiation towards the improvements intended, and with- 
 out proper indemnity for the injury to be inflicted, is 
 not only dishonourable, but fatal to social progress. 
 Yet it is nevertheless true that many great reforms have 
 been brought about through most distressing revolu- 
 tions. History proves to us that education and the birth 
 of new ideas are the chief factors in rousing a people to 
 demand redress of social or political wrongs, and that 
 revolutions w^ere preciptated through the undue haste 
 of reformers or through the imwillingness of the world 
 
 191 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 to accept upon any terms the new conditions/' 
 
 "Then popular education is the great leaven of all 
 progress and to be first considered?" remarked Esther. 
 "WTien popular education was unknown and the con- 
 veniences of social and political intercourse were lim- 
 ited, and when narrow policies resulted from that order 
 of things, nothing was more natural than that power- 
 ful political rings should be overthrown by popular up- 
 risings, paving a way for the institution of needed re- 
 forms. But with the march of commercial facilities, 
 with rapidity of international intercourse, with indi- 
 vidual education so advanced that all citizens are con- 
 versant with national policies, very little or no excuse 
 exists for unnecessary haste in proposing reforms, until, 
 upon mature consideration, the end to be gained is 
 known to be greater than the injury to be received, in 
 promoting the suggested reform. The Government of 
 the United States has been the great political experi- 
 ment of the past century. It has moved through the 
 stage of revolution and progressed owing to the mani- 
 fold resources of its wide territories offering an asylum 
 for over-populated nations. It is a debatable point to 
 what extent the theory of popular government has ac- 
 celerated its rapid advancement: for, however plausible 
 may be the poetical ideal of freedom, many realities yet 
 present themselves in the way of obstacles to Eepubli- 
 canism. The necessity for horrible years of internecine 
 war almost resulting in national disintegration and 
 bankruptcy, should hardly have presented itself. Presi- 
 dents should not have been assassinated; strikes, riots, 
 d3rQamite murders and anarchist plots should hardly 
 have been deemed necessary; nor should the proverbial 
 frauds in elections obtain, if the principles of popular 
 
 192 
 
THE FINANCIAL QUESTION. 
 
 sovereignty were as yet entirely practicable. 
 
 "But instead of the acceptance of some uniform set of 
 statutes^ which would render all citizens throughout the 
 United States protected and equal, what do we find? 
 We see constant convulsions, both state and national, 
 owing to frequent elections. We see green legislators 
 elected and we see notorious scamps re-elected, through 
 corrupt election frauds. We see confusion arising not 
 only from diverse laws between states, but from patched 
 up and conflicting laws within one state. We see 
 monopoly lobbies packing the legislatures to defraud 
 the people, and we see the courts become partisan po- 
 litical institutions. We see extortionate import duties 
 levied for purposes of revenue, and we see the neces- 
 saries for the poor thereby rendered dear; but upon the 
 other hand we see rich men evading taxation. We see 
 women degraded through poverty, and we see men de- 
 bauched through impure liquors, which a lax authority 
 allows to be sold. We see the press virulent, fraud 
 rampant, and crime in every shape. Such a condition 
 of things is the natural outgrowth of any political so- 
 ciety based upon the spoils system, such as exists in the 
 United States. In this community, the tie that binds 
 the factors of political parties together is the perqui- 
 sites attached to the offices incident to the government, 
 whether local or general. The party in power is able 
 to reward with offices even its meanest supporters, and 
 to retain itself in power the freest use is made of such 
 patronage." 
 
 "But what will be the new order of government?" 
 "A period of public sentiment has arrived in which 
 all thinking minds demand a government which shall 
 be so systematized that such perquisites no longer exist, 
 
 193 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 when only the legitimate emoluments of oflBce and the 
 honour, shall be the personal reward of the public- 
 spirited citizen. Then, in the strife for the higher po- 
 sitions of government, the high character, personal in- 
 corruptibility and wide experience required of the can- 
 didate, should render these positions of exceptional 
 honour to the successful competitors. The first requisite 
 is that the office-holder shall receive sufficient salary, 
 commensurate with the actual position he is expected to 
 fill ; not such pittance as will barely, if at all, supply his 
 needs. Political services should be commensurate with 
 other general services of like character in business, and 
 the salary should be the only emolument of the office. 
 But with honourable men once in office, men devoid of 
 party ties and unhampered by personal poverty, their 
 time and intelligence could be devoted solely to the im- 
 provement of the public service." 
 
 "What a complication of disorders !" exclaimed 
 Esther. 
 
 "This corrupt order of things not only impedes the 
 prosecution of public business, but it throws around the 
 public legislators such a protecting combination of cor- 
 rupt influences, that the courts become affiliated with 
 party politics and society becomes demoralized. The 
 respectable portion of the community avoiding politics 
 through fear of universal disgrace, thieves and monop- 
 olists become the political power. Punishment has 
 ceased to become remedial, and the patronage of the 
 whole government, through the concerted action of these 
 local conditions, has passed into the hands of a par- 
 ticular political ring or party. In the division of parties 
 there is no salvation, as is so frequently vaunted; the 
 combinations are the same. Parties, in a great issue, 
 
 194 
 
THE Fi:^ANCIAL QUESTION. 
 
 cannot but exist; but in such an order of society as ex- 
 ists throughout the world to-day there is but one pro- 
 gressive party, that of Reform. Anything else is poli- 
 tical system to solidify ring power.'' 
 
 IU5 
 
A DREAM. 
 
 XXVI. 
 
 IVr EEDLESS to say that Esther's mind was aghast 
 ■■■ ^ at the magnitude of the task of reform. It 
 had seemed so easy to devise regulations that would 
 do away with abuses; but when she had come to con- 
 sider the whole subject and to appreciate fully the var- 
 ious obstructions in the path of truth and justice, 
 when she saw how might was right and money was law, 
 she was appalled. Yet she returned to the charge: 
 
 "But, my dear father, does not the admission that 
 the government has given up its lands and franchises 
 to the people, practically bar the way to such basic 
 reforms as you suggest? for how can these vast inter- 
 ests revert to the government?'' 
 
 " That is the crux of the argument. The first reply 
 is that the settlement of such a state of things has 
 usually found itself in revolution, by a change of gov- 
 ernment and by the inauguration of a new constitu- 
 tion; but such changes could now only be effected at 
 the terrific cost of forfeiting the savings, the industry 
 and the protection which our ancestors devised for us, 
 faulty as their system might be. There are, however, 
 measures by which public properties might be returned 
 to the government. For example, wealth should be lim- 
 ited, and all surplus, above any given sum accumulated 
 by one individual, should revert to the government." 
 
 196 
 
A DEEAM. 
 
 "But could not a man keep dividing up his wealth 
 among his family and friends to the extent of the 
 limit allotted for each individual ?" 
 
 " Yes, indeed, but even that would distribute the 
 wealth and disintegrate trusts and corporate bodies, 
 which are the great menace to republican institutions, 
 and the system would, at least, establish a roll of honour 
 for those who aided the government, thus labouring in 
 the interests of humanity. 
 
 "A gradual taxation of the properties by the gov- 
 ernment might also be begun; and the question of 
 taxation largely governs the subject. But a danger to 
 be carefully avoided, however, is over-legislation. A 
 universal code of reformed laws cannot permit of so 
 much law as to operate obstructively. The principle 
 of uniform laws is, however, the only safety for all 
 states, societies, and individuals; and as the marriage 
 laws show the necessity of uniformity in all laws, so 
 another illustration of a grave evil of our modern sys- 
 tem of jurisprudence is the theory that individual pun- 
 ishment restrains or prevents the perpetration of 
 wrongs, while the political, social and commercial 
 temptations are still permitted to exist, which induce 
 the wrongful acts or deeds. But the chief difficulty in 
 the present conditions of political power, with party 
 machines in control of the government, is to effect any 
 legislation whatever.'' 
 
 " Then there is nothing left for the world but to 
 break down party power," said Esther. 
 
 " Quite so," replied her father. " Our whole sys- 
 tem of individual, corporate, and international re- 
 sponsibility is not based upon a just hypothesis. The 
 temptation to speculate in politics and to risk more 
 
 197 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 than the usual rise and fall of competitive business 
 must be removed. This temptation lies chiefly in the 
 knowledge that in the event of failure from undue 
 speculation, some slight loophole in the bankruptcy 
 laws will be a means of escape from utter ruin. Pun- 
 ishment will not prevent the illegal strife of specula- 
 tion, and a remedy is to be found only in that justice 
 which knows no bankruptcy. The debt is a debt until 
 the debt is paid. There is but one just principle in the 
 laws of bankruptcy, whether personal, corporate, or in- 
 ternational, and that is, that sufficient credit should 
 be allowed the party in debt to supply the needs of ex- 
 istence, and that all surplus earnings be applied to 
 liquidate the debt. The principle of justice knows no 
 repudiation. Just as uniformity is necessary in the 
 marriage laws, so the same principle of universal juris- 
 diction here presents itself. The mere change of re- 
 sidence tempts evil-doers to throw off the responsibil- 
 ity incurred at the expense of their fellow men, and to 
 begin an unfettered career under new conditions, with 
 perhaps accumulated spoils wrongfully acquired, leav- 
 ing behind the injured and honourable merchant, the 
 distressed wife and the suffering and defamed children. 
 When once legal measures have been taken to appre- 
 hend a lawbreaker no means of escape should be possi- 
 ble for him. Either by extradition of by reciprocal 
 justice, wrong-doers should be reached in whatever 
 refuge by the same justice which would reach them 
 where they perpetrated the wrongful deeds. National 
 and international reforms will alone reach the correc- 
 tion of these wide-spread evils, which prevail because 
 of immature systems in some localities, or older and 
 complicated systems in others." 
 
 198 
 
A DKEAM. 
 
 •* Supposing international laws became harmonious, 
 how would you treat the questions of taxation and 
 tariff?''^ asked Esther. 
 
 " The international relations existing between the 
 various civilized nations are now those of a family of 
 great states, whose true mutual interests lie in reduc- 
 ing their governmental machinery to the minimum and 
 their mutual productiveness to the maximum point. 
 The relative interests between the various nations, in 
 the matter of tariff discrimination, could doubtless be 
 adjudged or regulated by an international court of ar- 
 bitration, in which every nation should be equitably 
 represented. Such a vast benefit would encourage 
 business relations between states, and prevent much 
 misuse of the customs receipts for political and cor- 
 rupt purposes. It would be a bond of honourable in- 
 tercourse and community of interest between nations; 
 and, in the event of international differences, a court 
 of arbitration might settle all disputes without the 
 fratricidal misfortunes of unnatural wars. The mattea* 
 of protecting this or that industry would not then pre- 
 sent so formidable an aspect; but would soon simplify 
 itself into the actual international, pro rata values of 
 trade, and become a question which could be easily pre- 
 sented in an international manner. In this view I 
 favour the separation of revenue and the tariff. That 
 is to say, I favour a tariff which may be necessary to 
 protect trade, but a tax upon wealth for revenue. The 
 burden of taxation would thus be distributed accord- 
 ing to the wealth of persons and their ability to pay 
 taxes, and then you would see no such monstrous con- 
 dition of things existing as a government boasting of 
 freedom on the one hand, and declaring unconstitu- 
 
 199 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 tional an income tax upon the rich people. These 
 questions of present settlement will, ipso facto, pro- 
 voke their own policy, in view of the more or less in- 
 creasing progress in harmonious national and interna- 
 tional interests. It is not proposed to launch into a 
 sea of sentimental politics; but it should be the en- 
 deavour of the writer of prospective reforms to aim at 
 such a high standard in political methods, that the 
 progress of legislation may be ever towards honour, jus- 
 tice, and national elevation.^' 
 
 'T!t is a vast, vast complication," said Esther, "and 
 it is plain, as you say, that only general treatment can 
 reach the root of the matter. But in the failure of 
 popular government, what is the outlook now?" 
 
 "I could not prophesy. For America, where the 
 people have been educated up to political trickery and 
 legal evasions, I see little hope. It is now gradually 
 taking on the harness that leads to a Constitutional 
 Monarchy, like England. There may be other futures 
 for America, but it looks to the human eye as if only 
 a great dictator would wrest the land from its cords of 
 bondage. In a land whose Presidents are dogged by 
 assassins, in what stands for a free country, instead of 
 the energies of reformers being directed to modifica- 
 tions of laws and abuses, how hope for anything stable 
 and definite but by the strong arm of paternal govern- 
 ment? Yet I own that the republican idea fosters 
 emulation, and has been the great incentive to progress 
 in the past century. See the marvellous progress in 
 the sciences since the inception of the United States, 
 and, my dear daughter, mark the grand emancipation 
 of womanhood from slavery. The beautiful spirit 
 which animates the modem mother is the hope of the 
 
 200 
 
A DEEAM. 
 
 world — the bride which shall come down out of heaven, 
 prepared as a bride adorned for her husband !^^ 
 
 "But you say that, notwithstanding all these things, 
 you see no hope for America?" 
 
 "The result of the feeble scope, dear Esther, of our 
 limited vision. The hope exists; but we do not see its 
 trend. Probably the grand ideal of regeneration of 
 mankind, by the uplifting of womanhood, may give the 
 keynote to a great party of reform, which will embody 
 in its platform the suppression of the vices and brutal- 
 ity which offend civilization, and we may see the insti- 
 tution of a new order of justice. The masonic idea 
 must ultimately prevail, and there is no other attain- 
 ment of prophecy excepting by uplifting the race 
 through the children of light, as you must see. When 
 your legal studies may carry you into the higher realms 
 of law, into national jurisprudence, then it will be pal- 
 pable to you that the slavery of the mothers of the race 
 is productive of stupid, selfish, brutal children, who be- 
 come soldiers^ financiers and even the law-makers of 
 the nations, instituting policies of war, greed and cor- 
 ruption. Give us a Joan of Arc, led on by the spirit 
 of music, of poetry, and of justice." 
 
 Then Esther fell into a fit of musing, while Harold 
 thumped away on the piano. The Doctor dozed in his 
 chair and in his dreams saw himself called in hot haste 
 to the Capitol at Washington by a council of state. 
 Sudden and simultaneous uprisings had occurred in 
 various parts of the country; several states, disgusted 
 with the wholesale corruption that permeated the gov- 
 ernment, at a pre-arranged moment, had declared ar- 
 ticles of secession from the union. These were mostly 
 states favouring such reforms as the limitation of pri- 
 
 201 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 vate fortunes, anti-tnist legislation, uniform laws, gov- 
 ernment ownership of public properties and franchises, 
 the enfranchisement of women, the suppression of 
 drunkenness and diseases, and the regulation of mar- 
 riage so that no imperfect children should be born. 
 
 These states had sent delegates to Washington, to in- 
 vite the co-operation of right-minded people, to con- 
 sider the idea of a central government for these par- 
 ticular states, within the independent and national Dis- 
 trict of Columbia. Their right to this procedure could 
 not be questioned, and it was quite impossible for the 
 government to put down this simultaneous rising of 
 such scattered districts. No attempt had been made, 
 therefore, to oppose this minority government. The 
 rising was so sudden, that Congress was paralyzed with 
 astonishment and the gigantic corporations were aghast 
 with horror. It was no Pullman car strike, but a sud- 
 den movement in which the co-operation of the other 
 states, anxious to throw off the yoke of the lobby and 
 of the saloon, was confidently expected. In fact within 
 a week, the movement had been so agitated by the 
 journals of the United States, that it had rendered un- 
 avoidable an entire change of government; for the great 
 mass of states had instructed their senators and con- 
 gressmen to unite with these special delegates, in the 
 formation of a new council of state to inaugurate a 
 government "in transitu." 
 
 All of the public officials had handed in their resigna- 
 tions, to allow of a peaceful transfer of the offices, when, 
 to his astonishment. Dr. Ellwood received this extraor- 
 dinary message : 
 
 'Tome at once. Government steamer awaiting you 
 at Portsmouth. By order of Congress." 
 
 202 
 
A DEEAM. 
 
 I 
 
 "Can I believe my senses ?'' exclaimed the amiable 
 Doctor, as he was suddenly awakened and a telegram 
 thrust into his hand by Harold, the first line of which 
 he made out, while adjusting his glasses, to be: "Come 
 
 at once. Govern '" Upon a more careful reading, 
 
 however, the message ran as follows: 
 
 "Come at once. Governor Stevens lying ill at 
 Portsmouth. Consultation with local doctor. Reply 
 to Queen^s Hotel." 
 
 "How very extraordinary, to be sure," muttered the 
 Doctor, scarcely yet awake from his dreaming. "Ports- 
 rr.outh ! let me see, let me see. Run Harold, run quickly 
 and fetch the time tables. Portsmouth! let me see." 
 
 203 
 
THE WISDOM OF ESTHER ^ 
 
 XXVIL 
 
 A UTUMN' gave way to winter, Christmps passed by 
 *^ and the New Year was ushered in. All this time 
 the Ellwoods remained in London, in spite of the fogs 
 <ind darkness, by reason of the Doctor's stress of busi- 
 ness. Eobert Thornton went over to Germany for his 
 winter vacation, spending short periods of time at such 
 musical centres as Leipzig, Dresden and Munich. From 
 these places he wrote frequent letters to Esther describ- 
 ing the picture galleries, the opera-houses and the me- 
 diaeval churches. Esther was now busy both with her 
 law studies and her art occupations. Nothing had been 
 heard from Mr. Thornton for some time, but a suspicion 
 had latterly entered Dr. Ellwood's mind, a suspicion 
 strengthened by certain events that had recently oc- 
 curred, and, after very careful investigation, he had 
 satisfied himself of its correctness. 
 
 He had discovered, in fact, that the actual leader, if 
 not the originator, of the cabal to drive him back to the 
 United States was none other than Mr. Thornton him- 
 self. His feelings on unearthing this mystery may well 
 be imagined. Whereas pain and surprise had been his 
 emotions on a former occasion, he was now thoroughly 
 roused and filled with indignation at what he consid- 
 ered Mr. Thornton's base treachery. 
 
 No murmur of objection against the marriage had 
 
 204 
 
THE WISDOM OF ESTHER. 
 
 been advanced on either side, and yet here was a sys- 
 tematic and unprovoked attack by one parent upon the 
 other. The only thing to do was to demand an exact 
 explanation from Mr. Thornton as to what his precise 
 motives were. Before taking any action, however, in 
 the matter, he sought out Esther and laid the whole 
 affair before her. 
 
 He frankly said that things could not go on any 
 longer as they were; there must be a complete under- 
 standing between Mr. Thornton and himself. Either 
 Mr. Thornton's attitude must be explained or else it 
 would be impossible for the understanding existing be- 
 tween Robert and herself to continue. In short, his 
 position was that of a gentleman who was being treated 
 in an underhanded and discourteous manner by one 
 whom he had always looked upon as a friend. 
 
 Esther listened to all that her father had to say, and 
 (hen, after a few minutes' thought, replied : 
 
 "You and I, my dear father, have always been frank 
 w^th each other, and I know that I am right in think- 
 ing that you desire only what is for my happiness and 
 for the good of everyone. You are astonished, it seems, 
 by the actions of Mr. Thornton ; but to me, I must con- 
 fess, they appear to be quite apparent. I have for some 
 time past felt that Robert's father did not intend that 
 this marriage should ever take place, and so his first 
 t-tep was to bring about a separation between us. His 
 scheme then was to do everything in his power to in- 
 cense you against Robert or against himself, in order to 
 compel you into taking the step of repudiating our en- 
 gagement. When this trouble arose in America about 
 your political negotiations, he saw a chance of driving 
 you back there; and, as you know, he very nearly suc- 
 
 205 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 ceeded in his design by reason of his wealth and power- 
 ful position. He wishes to embitter you without openly 
 doing anything of which you could complain. This is 
 to justify himself in the eyes of Eobert, should you be 
 forced to do or say anything disagreeable. He intends 
 to throw the whole blame of the quarrel upon you, and 
 then, after the quarrel is firmly established, explain to 
 Robert what he considers to be your motives. It is 
 evident that by coming into contact with him it will be 
 extremely difficult for you to avoid conflict, and this is of 
 course what he would particularly desire. By letting 
 him alone, and doing nothing, you will deprive him of 
 all reason for a quarrel; for he himself will do nothing 
 openly. The year of separation is already half over, 
 and if we can tide matters over till then, Robert's defin- 
 ite career will have been decided upon, and we shall be 
 able to lay plans together." 
 
 Dr. Ellwood was astonished at the extraordinary in- 
 tuitive and analytical powers of his daughter. He be- 
 held in her a union of the prescient gifts of her mother 
 and of his own logical system of reasoning. He had 
 always known that his daughter possessed these powers, 
 but had never yet seen them in full exercise. After a 
 little thought, he said that he would consider the mat- 
 ter well, and in the course of a few days discuss it with 
 her again. 
 
 Look at the whole affair in whatever light he would, 
 Dr. Ellwood was bound to admit the sanity and truth 
 of Esther's remarks. He felt, indeed, exceedingly 
 wroth and resentful toward Mr. Thornton, and would 
 fain have made some sort of retaliation. After the 
 lapse of a few days, however, when he felt more com- 
 petent to decide calmly, he sought his daughter and 
 said to her: 
 
 206 
 
THE WISDOM OF E3THEH 
 
 "I have thought, dear Esther, over all that you said 
 the other day, and I also have come to the conclusion 
 that your judgment is entirely correct. My feelings as 
 a gentleman would demand that some notice should be 
 taken of his treacherous behaviour, if it be only to let 
 him know that I am acquainted with his true attitude. 
 But my love for you and my anxiety for your future 
 quite overrule this natural desire on my part. From 
 what I have seen of Kobert Thornton, he seems to be 
 true and honourable, and were it not for his father I 
 could in no way desire a more fitting husband for you. 
 But this attitude of his father shall not stand in the 
 way of your happiness. I will take no notice of the 
 deception of Mr. Thornton, and we will wait until next 
 summer, when Robert will make know^n to his father 
 exactly what he is going to do. If Mr. Thornton should 
 then show that he has an open hostility toward us, it 
 will be left with Robert alone to act. Until then we 
 will remain constant to him.^^ 
 
 Esther, moved by these sympathetic words, warmly 
 embraced her father, saying: "I knew that you would 
 recognize the true side of the matter and do what was 
 for the best, even at a little sacrifice of feeling.^' 
 
 Thus for the present were matters decided. The 
 year rapidly advanced toward spring, Esther now de- 
 voting herself to her art studies, Robert continuing the 
 course of work at Oxford that has been already de- 
 scribed. On the arrival of April the usual holidays 
 were taken; the Ellwoods this time going into the 
 country, while Robert departed to visit a college friend. 
 The family returned in time for the London season, and 
 Robert for the summer term. Robert and Esther dur- 
 ing this time had continued to correspond in the most 
 
 207 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 affectionate maimer, and it was shortly after the begin- 
 ning of May that Esther received a letter containing the 
 following lines of interest: 
 
 "I have been extremely busy during the past few 
 weeks at my musical composition, you know. I have 
 already arranged to spend the early part of the summer 
 vacation at Bayreuth, where the Wagner festivals are 
 held. I have letters of introduction to a well-known 
 professor there, and I shall show him my work and ob- 
 tain his opinion and criticism. A favourable review 
 by several men of his standing would be something like 
 encouragement to me. Perhaps you have not forgot- 
 ten, dear, that in four months^ time the year of separa- 
 tion will be over. It is needless to tell you with what 
 happiness I look forward to the time of our meeting. 
 Everything seems to be working well for us. My father 
 has been really most impartial; he has in no way at- 
 tempted to control my wishes or opinions. This, con- 
 sidering the disappointment he must feel at my aban- 
 doning a public career, I think is most self-sacrificing 
 and praiseworthy.^^ 
 
 This last portion of Eobert's letter clearly confirmed 
 Esther^s analysis of Mr. Thornton's plan. Robert, it 
 was clear, had been entirely unapproached, and his af- 
 fection and respect for his father had even increased by 
 reason of the latter's apparent self-sacrificing conduct. 
 The Ellwoods had religiously kept from him any in- 
 timation of the actual state of things, and his anxiety 
 some months previously on the subject of the disagree- 
 ment between Dr. Ellwood and his father, had been al- 
 together allayed by their hinting that it was a misun- 
 derstanding which had since been explained. Hence, 
 Robert was really in the dark as to one side of his 
 
 ^08 
 
THE WISDOM OF ESTHER 
 
 father's character, and was consequently looking for- 
 ward to the end of the summer with eager expectation. 
 
 The Ellwoods, on the other hand, being cognizant of 
 the schemes of Mr. Thornton, were convinced that that 
 gentleman after throwing down the gauntlet had no in- 
 tention of surrendering. They saw that though their 
 antagonist had suffered a temporary check, yet he was 
 certain to have other cards in his hand and it would 
 probably not be long before he fully disclosed his game. 
 So while Esther naturally looked forward to the joy of 
 meeting Eobert again, it was not without some appre- 
 hension for what the future might bring forth. 
 
 209 
 
A PILGRIMAGE* 
 
 XXVIII. 
 
 Rummer at last arrived, the Oxford term came to 
 *^ an end, and Eobert went down. There was about 
 a month yet before the beginning of the festival, so, 
 after staying for a few days with a friend, he went home 
 to Beasley. Mr. Thornton was away at the time, but 
 Robert found there his mother and Dorothy. Both of 
 the ladies had taken a sympathetic view of the pro- 
 posed engagement between the two lovers, especially 
 Dorothy. Practical and level-headed girl as she was, 
 she loved a spice of romance, and the extraordinary 
 coming together of Esther and her brother, the sudden- 
 ness of the whole thing, had overwhelmed and delighted 
 her. Here at last she made sure was a real love story in 
 the family. When Robert, therefore, returned from 
 Oxford, she insisted on knowing everything that was to 
 be known about the movements of Esther and her fam- 
 ily. She said that in some degree she felt responsible 
 for what had taken place, as it was she who had intro- 
 duced Miss Ellwood to Beasley Manor, and obtained 
 for her brother his invitation to the garden-party. Rob- 
 ert was only too delighted to find a confidant, and 
 he willingly poured everything into the expectant ear 
 of his sister. 
 
 The time arrived for Robert's departure to the Con- 
 tinent; but before leaving he wrote to Esther, giving 
 
 210 
 
A PILGEIMAGE. 
 
 her a plan of his route and his postal stations. '^e 
 Bure," he wrote, "to leave me yonr addresses, so that my 
 letters may reach you promptly. I shall be travelling 
 on a somewhat circuitous route, and can write to you 
 from only the principal places." 
 
 Esther replied that it was likely that they would re- 
 main in London until after the middle of August, when 
 they thought of going into the country, either to the 
 Lake District or Derbyshire. 
 
 It was towards the latter part of July that Robert 
 crossed to Ostend on his way to Bayreuth. His first 
 stopping place was at Bruges. 
 
 We have already dwelt on that side of young Thorn- 
 ton^s character which drew him so strongly to mediaeval- 
 ism. With all their crudities and semi-barbarities, the 
 Middle Ages were to him a wonderful sprinetide, rude 
 but instinct with poetry, and pregnant with promise of 
 new life. Hence such cities as Antwerp and Bruges 
 were to him full of charm. A spot that he loved to 
 frequent was the old tavern hallowed by the memories 
 of many illustrious nam^es associated with it in the past, 
 amongst them that of the great painter Rubens. In 
 describing this interesting relic of the past, we cannot 
 do better than reproduce a portion of Robert's letter 
 referring to this curious object of interest: 
 
 "Almost every street has its memories and associa- 
 tions. One can wander into the tavern where Rubens 
 was wont to repair, to drink his measure and chat with 
 the honest neighbours. The good lady of the house 
 will show you with reveTpnce a few rare articles once 
 handled by the great painter. Here his flagon, there 
 his pipe rack, and, in yon corner, the chair where he 
 would sit, encircled by admiring companions. You sit 
 
 211 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 in the old armchair, the little Gretchen brings yon a 
 glass of foaming ale, and there yon can remain for hours 
 at yonr will, gazing out upon the little bowling-alley 
 outside, and lost in reflections on the past glories of 
 Belgium and her wonderful dead." 
 
 From here Robert passed through Brussels, through 
 Cologne, "Das grosse, heilige Koln," where he stopped 
 for a few days before sailing down the Rhine. Bonn, 
 the birthplace of Beethoven, Coblenz and Mayence 
 were all visited, and eventually Robert found himself 
 at Frankfurt where he made a halt, which, by reason of 
 the beauty of the "Palmengarten," extended over a 
 week. From iN'urnberg he wrote again to Esther, de- 
 scribing his travels: 
 
 "What true pleasure it is to be here, and what charm 
 still lingers about the place. The great festival is the 
 Bole topic of conversation, and the atmosphere of 'Die 
 Meistersinger' prevades the whole town. Every time 
 I stroll out in the evening I think of the delightful 
 story of Eva, Walther and Hans Sachs, and endeavour 
 to give to the fancies of the poet their precise local habi- 
 tation.' This is the quaint by-street where Sachs sat 
 singing in the twlight; there the lovers met in the 
 shadow to arrange their elopement, while from round 
 that comer I seem to hear still the sound of a lute, and 
 see Beckmesser slinking up to serenade the wrong 
 maiden.'' 
 
 From here to Bayreuth is but a short journey, and 
 after boarding the train Robert quickly found himself 
 set down in the midst of the little Franconian town. 
 
 The conversion of Bayreuth into a place of pilgrim- 
 age is without parallel in the history of mankind. By 
 the exertions of one man a temple of music has been 
 
A PILGEIMAGE. 
 
 erected to give representations of the works of no one 
 else but the creator of this same temple. In the case 
 of any other but Richard Wagner this would be con- 
 sidered as unheard-of audacity; but the world^s ap- 
 plause and admiration have fully justified the ambitious 
 project. Since the inauguration of the festivals in 
 1876, thousands upon thousands of people from the four 
 quarters of the earth, have periodically assembled in the 
 little country town to render homage to the genius of 
 one man. There has been nothing like this before, and 
 it is the greatest triumph ever gained by an artist in 
 the cause of art. 
 
 It is not the intention of the writer to enter into a 
 description of the Ba3rreuth festival, for this has been 
 done a hundred times over by the pens of musical ex- 
 perts and eloquent pilgrims. It is sufficient to say that 
 Robert attended and appreciated the representations as 
 only an enthusiast and an expert can do. A great 
 many so-called practical folk have deprecated hero 
 worship and the extravagant homage paid by the world 
 to its few great ones. It is difficult to agree with such. 
 Enthusiasm is a generous emotion; it can do no harm 
 and it often leads to great deeds. Moreover, in rever- 
 encing the shrines of men like Wagner, we do not bow 
 to the man himself, but to the revelation of the spirit 
 of God within him. We recognize that in that ordin- 
 ary human frame there beams a far brighter spark of 
 the divine fire than we ourselves can lay claim to; and 
 to those who believe in God, the revelation of such 
 powers is to their thirsty souls as the fountain in the 
 desert to the weary traveller. 
 
 Some twenty miles outside Bayreuth, right in the 
 country and high up in the mountains, lies a small vil- 
 
 213 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 lage called Alexandersbad. It is a tiny summer resort, 
 the place being made up of a few cottages and a hotel. 
 There being a break between the performances for 
 which he had secured tickets, Robert had withdrawn to 
 this retreat for the purpose of breathing some real 
 country air and drinking the steel waters of the springs. 
 Tt was from here that he again wrote to Esther : 
 
 ^Tor miles around the scenery is superb and wonder- 
 fully varied. Woods surround the hotel, and to sit 
 here in the evening after the hot noonday sun is de- 
 lightfully restful. There is a little brook running 
 gently by, and the distant bells, accompanied later on 
 by the faint notes of the arriving and departing post- 
 horns, produce a sweet and simple effect. The days 
 pass quietly by, there being little to do except explore 
 the woods and row on the little lake at the bottom of 
 the grounds. Yesterday morning saw me astir at five 
 o'clock for a walk to Wunsiedel, the birthplace of Jean 
 Paul Richter. As I shall be returning to England 
 shortly, this day being the 16th of August, I have been 
 thinking of a delightful way in which to spend the latter 
 part of the summer. By the time of my return, the 
 year of separation stipulated upon by my father will 
 have ended, and we shall be free to see one another. 
 Why not then persuade your family to pass their holi- 
 day time in some place where I can join them; as for 
 the spot itself, what could be more fit for our meeting 
 than dear old Devonshire, so endeared to us both by the 
 happy memories of last summer ? If you will write and 
 tell me that such a plan is suitable for you all, I will 
 start home at once, return to Beasley to see my family, 
 and then join you at Lynmouth.'' 
 
 In a few days an answer came from Esther: 
 
 2X4 
 
A PILGEIMAGE. 
 
 ''Of course you know what my feelings are; nothing 
 in the world would please me better. Father, however, 
 quite agrees with your going first to Beasley and ac- 
 quainting your parents with your idea. We had, in- 
 deed, intended to accept an invitation for some shoot- 
 ing in Scotland, but we will now do nothing until you 
 have returned and we hear from you." 
 
 It may be imagined with what alacrity Robert Thorn- 
 ton, on the receipt of this, packed up his traps and 
 turned his steps westward. Bayreuth, Niirnberg, the 
 festival, all were forgotten in the joy of one mastering 
 thought; he was journeying home with the prospect of 
 meeting Esther again. A rapid and uneventful journey 
 brought him once more on to the English side of the 
 Channel ; he passed through London, sent a telegram to 
 his parents announcing his arrival, and went on to 
 Beasley. 
 
 215 
 
A CURIOUS COINCIDENCE. 
 
 XXIX. 
 
 LET us now retrace our steps for a while and in- 
 stead of following Robert to Beasley, ascertain 
 what some of the other characters in our story have been 
 doing during the past few months. 
 
 It has been already related how Mr. Thornton some 
 six months previously had schemed to obtain the recall 
 of Dr. Ellwood to the United States. How he had on 
 many occasions conveyed to the Doctor, through indi- 
 rect sources, intimations of his personal antipathy. 
 Since that time Mr. Thornton had continued this policy, 
 but found that what he had hoped to bring about was 
 being checked by the unusual action of his opponent. 
 Not only did Dr. Ellwood not resent his insults and 
 treacheries, but seemed to be absolutely insensible to 
 anything of the kind that was done. The Doctor had 
 been, in political campaigns and in private causes, so 
 Btubborn a fighter, that Mr. Thornton was astounded at 
 his present apathy. But what the latter did not know 
 was, that a girPs wit had been matched against his own, 
 and by the curious irony of fate, that girl was his own 
 Bon^s betrothed. 
 
 Still he felt sure that Dr. Ellwood's mind could not 
 be entirely unaffected. Possibly he was biding his time 
 and waiting until the end of the year of separation, only 
 to inflict a crushing blow on Robert, in retaliation for 
 
 216 
 
A CUEIQUS COINCIDEISrCE. 
 
 the insults of his father. But, as he had ascertained, 
 the correspondence between the two lovers had con- 
 tinued uninterruptedly, and, as far as he was able to 
 judge, there was no falling off in the warmth of feel- 
 ing on both sides. It was hardly probable, therefore, 
 that Dr. Ellwood would be recklessly risking the hap- 
 piness of his daughter, by encouraging a connection 
 which he had secret intentions of very soon severing. 
 However, nothing would be actually known until Eobert 
 returned from abroad and announced to him his decision 
 as to the matter of his career. 
 
 But there was one powerful card, which if matters 
 came to a deadlock, he could always play. He could 
 make his consent to Eobert^s engagement and marriage 
 with Miss Ellwood, the price of his remaining in the 
 groove of political life. His son, he knew, would not 
 be forced to do anything against his convictions, but 
 he might be reasonably inclined to the spirit of com- 
 promise, and he would meet him half-way. He was, 
 therefore, looking forward somewhat anxiously to his 
 son's arrival from Oxford, when the news was brought 
 to him of a formidable coal strike in the North of 
 England. The enormous industry in which he had the 
 controlling share was on the precipice of danger, and 
 his presence was imperatively demanded. He was 
 forced, accordingly, to post off northwards, where the 
 seriousness of the situation kept him six weeks. When 
 he returned to Beasley Eobert had started for the 
 Continent; so the interview had to be postponed until 
 his return. Mr. Thornton was rather relieved than 
 otherwise at this; he thought Jbhat perhaps before his 
 son's return, something might occur which in some way 
 would strengthen his hands. 
 
 217 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 Dr. Ellwood during this time received news which 
 made still more unjustifiable the attitude taken up by 
 Thornton. So far from suffering from the attack made 
 upon him by the cabal in America^ and strongly sup- 
 ported in England by Mr. Thornton, the publication of 
 the correct facts of the whole negotiation elicited on 
 his behalf an expression of universal approval, which 
 doubly strengthened his position. Indeed, just at pres- 
 ent, the Doctor's political star seemed to be in the as- 
 cendant. Many of his writings were absorbing the at- 
 tention of cultivated America, and he had by this time 
 acquired a large and appreciative circle of acquaint- 
 ances in England. English society, which is generally 
 ready to welcome a scholar and a gentleman, had taken 
 the Doctor kindly by the hand, until he had become by 
 far the most popular American in London. 
 
 It cannot, however, be denied that a large amount of 
 his social success was due to the attractive personality 
 of Eleanor, and to the brilliant debut made by Esther 
 at the beginning of her first London season. Indeed, 
 with two women of such combined charm and intelli- 
 gence at a man's side, he would be a sorry dullard who 
 could not speedily mount high. 
 
 Esther was now devoting herself mainly to art work, 
 and this, in London, she had the opportunity of study- 
 ing in all its epochs and phases. Visiting the British 
 Museum she could pore over the art relics of early civil- 
 izations long passed away, until her mind became im- 
 bued with the primal principles of sculpture and archi- 
 tecture. At South Kensington Museum she could see 
 the best examples of mediaeval art in tapestry, wood, 
 metal and pottery, the most complete collection of its 
 kind in the world. In the National and other galleries 
 
 218 
 
A CUEIOUS COINCIDENCE. 
 
 she could trace the growth of painting, from early Greek 
 painters down to Turner, the greatest of modern paint- 
 ers. The school that, perhaps most of all, appealed to 
 Esther was the Early Italian, beginning with G-iotto 
 and Orcagna, and ending with Bellini. She seemed, on 
 a close study, to find in the works of these masters a 
 wonderful simplicity and earnestness, qualities that 
 were reflected very much in her own character. It was 
 thus that she spent most of her time, and it was not 
 long before she had acquired a fairly good all-round 
 knowledge of her subject. 
 
 A^Tiile returning home one day from a morning spent 
 in the Trafalgar Square Gallery, she met with a most 
 curious and interesting adventure. Having walked 
 along to St. Jameses Hall, she was looking for her right 
 'bus, when she observed a little lady who was trying to 
 get inside a hansom cab, the horse of which was restive 
 and impatient. Towards this particular person Esther's 
 attention would never have been attracted, but for her 
 singularly old-fashioned appearance and mode of dress. 
 She seemed, with her large umbrella, her quaint bonnet 
 of green, and a dress trimmed with flounces and furbe- 
 lows, to be like a picture from an old book. 
 
 Esther was quite close to her, so close, indeed, by 
 reason of the crowd, that she almost touched her. 
 Esther was on the point of passing by her, when a large 
 motor-car, snorting and panting, hurried past. The 
 frightened horse at once made a sudden movement for- 
 ward, when the lady, who at that very moment had her 
 foot on the step, was thrown backward, and, if it had not 
 been for the ready arm of Esther, would have been 
 flung to the ground and doubtless severely injured. The 
 young girl, receiving so unexpectedly the fuU force of 
 
 219 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 her not inconsiderable burden, staggered back in turn 
 and fell against a policeman, who deposited his charges 
 safely inside the portico of the Hall. The little lady, 
 who luckily did not seem much the worse for her mis- 
 hap, having recovered her breath, arranged her bonnet 
 and smoothed down the ruffled flounces, first broke into 
 a torrent of invective against the cabman, his horse and 
 vehicle, and then, turning to Esther, said : 
 
 "Thank you, my dear, a thousand times for your 
 timely aid. I do hope that you yourself are not hurt. 
 Oh, that brutal horse and idiot of a driver ! What a 
 brave girl you are, to be sure \" 
 
 Esther, after having examined herself carefully and 
 having found that beyond a few scratches she was quite 
 uninjured, replied: "Well, it was perhaps fortunate 
 that I was near you just at the right moment; do you 
 think that you are feeling all right now? if so, I will 
 leave you and get along on my way.'' 
 
 "Please don't do that just yet, my dear," said her 
 companion eagerly, "I am, to tell the truth, rather flus- 
 tered, and I don't want to ask the assistance of any of 
 those great useless policemen who always arrive on hand 
 a minute after the mischief is done. If it is not too 
 much to ask you to do, will you help me to my hotel? 
 It is but a little way round the corner, and it will take 
 up only a few minutes of your time to walk with me 
 there." 
 
 Esther, who had no particular reason for hurrying 
 home, gave her arm to her new friend, who led the way 
 to one of those small family hotels, very comfortable 
 and homelike, and common enough in London. On 
 reaching her own room, the elder lady sank down in her 
 armchair with a sigh of relief, and recommenced her 
 
 220 
 
A CUEIOUS COINCIDENCE. 
 
 stream of denimciatioii against horses, motor-cars, 
 poiioemen, and pretty well ail the world in general. A 
 knock interrupted this tirade, and, on opening the door, 
 Esther discovered a waiter, who addressing her com- 
 panion, inquired whether she wanted her lunch down- 
 stairs or in her own sitting-room. 
 
 "In my sittiag-room, of course,'^ said the old lady, 
 "and please lay for two, as my friend here is lunching 
 with me — now, my dear, don^t say no — I insist upon 
 it, and I always get my own way." 
 
 Esther, who was alternately astonished and amused 
 by the manner of her companion, began to think that 
 she had stumbled upon an original, and smilingly gave 
 way. 
 
 "There you are," said the old lady triumphantly, "I 
 said so; now, waiter, what are you staring at? Go 
 away at once and bring us up something to eat." 
 
 While preparing for lunch, Esther had an opportun- 
 ity of observing more closely the personal appearance of 
 her new acquaintance. She was about the average 
 height of woman, and might be anything between sixty 
 and seventy years of age. Her hair, which had been 
 quite hidden beneath her wonderful green bonnet, 
 proved to be very gray and smoothed plainly back from 
 her forehead. Her features, which at some time may 
 have been handsome, were severe and regular in repose, 
 but in conversation assumed a softer and kindlier 
 mould. Very often caustic and ironical in her remarks, 
 she possessed an unusual amount of penetration and 
 knowledge of the world, and in everything that she said 
 was mingled a quaint air of authority. Esther Judged 
 from this that she was a person of means and position, 
 one who had always been accustomed to command. 
 
 221 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 The lunch arrived^ and they sat down together. After 
 a few minutes' silence, the old lady, with her uncom- 
 promising frankness, began again: "Yon seem to be 
 an uncommonly nice girl. There now, Fve made you 
 blush; but I don't flatter, I mean what I say. You 
 haven't yet told me your name and where you live.'' 
 
 Esther having enlightened her on these points, her 
 companion repeated the word Ellwood once or twice and 
 then said : "That is not a common name in England.'' 
 
 "No, we are Americans," said Esther. 
 
 "You don't say so," said the old lady, much surprised. 
 "I should not have thought so from your speech. Amer- 
 ica is a country I have never been to, and I cannot get 
 anybody to tell me the truth about it. No two persons 
 agree even on the smallest topics, and I am forced to go 
 to books and the newspapers for my information. The 
 former contain nothing but exploits of cow-boys, Buffalo 
 Bills and other such bores, while the newspapers are 
 crammed with political twaddle and advertisements of 
 dime museums which are filled with heaven knows 
 what!" 
 
 Esther laughingly assured her that there were other 
 objects of interest to be seen in the New World besides 
 those just enumerated. The conversation gradually be- 
 came free and confidential, and the young girl, discover- 
 ing traits of sympathy and kindness hidden beneath the 
 rather crusted exterior of her companion, drew her on 
 to discourse concerning herself. 
 
 "I am a lonely and cranky old maid," she said in 
 answer to a question of Esther's, "and spend most of my 
 time travelling to and fro on the Continent." 
 
 "But you have friends and family?" hazarded 
 Esther. 
 
 222 
 
A CUEIOUS COINCIDENCE. 
 
 "Friends — humph — yes, plenty; too many of them, 
 and as for relations I have a few but never see them/' 
 
 From this Esther gathered that the old lady was the 
 possessor of a number of impecunious relations, out of 
 whose sight she skilfully managed to keep herself. 
 After lunch was over she prepared to leave, and bidding 
 farewell to her companion, hoped that no injury would 
 follow the slight accident that had befallen her. Ac- 
 companying Esther to the door, the old lady said: "L 
 should be very glad to see you sometime again, my dear, 
 that is, if you can endure an old woman's chatter. I 
 am very fond of young people, especially nice modest 
 girls like yourself, who carry me back to the days of my 
 own girlhood and my own companions, now scattered all 
 over the world.'' 
 
 Esther, who was pleased at the evident fancy this ec- 
 centric but kind-hearted old dame had taken for her, 
 promised, after a little hesitation, that she would come 
 again another afternoon and have tea with her, giving 
 her at the same time her card, and inviting her to call 
 some time at Kings Gardens. At this response to her 
 friend-making mood, the old lady appeared delighted, 
 and drawing one of her own cards out of her letter-case, 
 said : "Then you will find me at this hotel, where I 
 nearly always stop on my visits to London." 
 
 Esther took the card, and glancing at the name en- 
 graved there, read "Miss Annie Thornton." Repressing 
 an exclamation of surprise, she bade her companion 
 good-bye and directed her steps homeward. She re- 
 flected on the curious coincidence of the name, and won- 
 dered if there could possibly be any connection. But 
 she was bound to admit that the name of Thornton 
 was common enough in England, and that if the old 
 
 223 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 lady had really been a relation of Robert, she would 
 surely have referred to so powerful and well-known a 
 family as the Thorntons of Beasley. No, on the con- 
 trary, she had seemed to speak disparagingly of her own 
 relations, and had evidently preferred to keep oS the 
 subject altogether. Then, Esther had never heard 
 Dorothy or Eobert speak of such a relative. If she had 
 belonged to the family, they certainly would have done 
 so, so uncommon and interesting a character was she. 
 It was probably nothing more than an odd coincidence 
 of name. However, to satisfy her mind, she called about 
 a week later at the hotel where Miss Thornton was stay- 
 ing, but was disappointed to learn that only that very 
 morning had she left London, and was not expected 
 back for some time. 
 
 That same evening at Kings Gardens, Esther re- 
 ceived a short note from Miss Thornton written just 
 previously to her departure, saying that she had been 
 called away into the country, but hoped on her return 
 to meet her new friend again. But weeks and months 
 passed by, no Miss Thornton returned to London, and in 
 the stress of the important events that occurred in the 
 course of the following year, all recollection of her 
 gradually slipped into the past, until the matter quite 
 faded out of Esther's mind. 
 
 The Ellwoods, who had remained in London fully two 
 weeks after the end of the season, were thinking of ac- 
 cepting an invitation to spend some weeks in the far 
 North, when Robert's letter arrived proposing a second 
 trip to Devonshire. Dr. Ellwood had made up his 
 mind long ago that Robert was absolutely ignorant of 
 his father's conduct; moreover, he had a sincere liking 
 for the young man. He could therefore raise no ob- 
 
 224 
 
A CUEIOUS COINCIDENCE. 
 
 jections to the proposed holiday, especially as the rest 
 of his family, whose enthusiasm was speedily kindled, 
 were pressing him hard to go. He decided to wait, 
 however, until the letter arrived from Eobert, which he 
 was to write after seeing his parents. 
 
 It was towards the beginning of the last week in 
 August that young Thornton arrived again in London 
 and went on quickly to Beasley. The Ellwoods, there- 
 fore, who had timed his return pretty accurately, were 
 not surprised to see arrive, one morning, a letter ad- 
 dressed to Esther in a well-known hand, but bearing 
 something which these letters had not borne for a few 
 weeks past, namely, an English post mark. Esther 
 eagerly tore open the envelope and read as follows : 
 
 ^'I returned home yesterday evening, but on arriving 
 at Beasley I was surprised and disappointed to find the 
 house empty except for a few servants. As you know, 
 my original plans were to stay in Germany for a little 
 longer than I have done, and when I started for Eng- 
 land I neglected to write to my family saying that I had 
 cut short my trip. I learn from those here that my 
 father, who has been much worried and overworked by 
 this colliery-strike in the North, decided to take my 
 mother and sister for a run on the Continent, hoping to 
 pick me up at Niirnberg by surprise. But what annoys 
 me is that they have left no address to which I can 
 write, and even if they had done so, I could not have 
 explained everything in a letter. So they will be won- 
 dering where I have disappeared to. But I do not 
 really think that this should affect our proposed excur- 
 sion. I know that my parents and Dorothy, too, are all 
 inclined most favourably to our engagement. I am 
 certain that they could not disapprove of my meeting 
 
 225 
 
THE ELIjWOODS. 
 
 you, especially as the year of our separation is now over 
 and our minds are unaltered. So put the matter to 
 your family and see if they will consent. I am sure 
 that if they knew how I have looked forward to this 
 meeting, they would not refuse you." 
 
 This letter excited a storm of discussion in the Kings 
 Gardens household. The feminine and sentimental side 
 of the contingent was in favour of Eobert's proposition. 
 Reason, personified in the figure of Dr. Ellwood depre- 
 cated the Devonshire idea, at least until the return of 
 Robertas relations. However, the attacking side was 
 unexpectedly reinforced by Walter and Harold, who, 
 adding their arguments to those of their mother and 
 sister, fairly drove their father into a comer. All his 
 resistance was in vain ; the more he reasoned, the louder 
 resounded their lamentations. At last he was compelled 
 to surrender unconditionally, not, however, without 
 some warnings of future trouble arising from their 
 precipitancy and wilful behaviour. 
 
 As a matter of fact, our worthy friend, though affect- 
 ing disapproval of the journey, was in one way rather 
 pleased than otherwise. He knew that Robert's visit 
 to Devon with his family would make no difference in 
 Thornton's attitude towards his son. But he felt sure 
 that Mr. Thornton would not like the idea of his son 
 associating freely with the very man whom he had en- 
 deavoured to injure. Though he was too honourable 
 to acquaint Robert with anything which might tend to 
 lower the character of his father in the eyes of the 
 young man, yet he knew that Mr. Thornton would be 
 on pins and needles when he heard of the meeting, for 
 fear Robert should have been told something. It was, 
 after all, the least retaliation he could make ; he was but 
 
 226 
 
A CUKIOUS COINCIDENCE. 
 
 human after all, and so he allowed himself to be per- 
 suaded into taking the trip. 
 
 A letter containing the decision of the family council 
 was at once sent off to Eobert, and preparations for the 
 journey were made. For the next two days the house 
 was all astir, the one sentence on the lips of every one 
 being, "We shall see Eobert/^ The boys shared in the 
 general enthusiasm, and were consequently included in 
 the party, to their immense satisfaction, as Robert was 
 a great favourite of theirs. At last the day of depar- 
 ture arrived. Early in the morning they drove to the 
 station, and were very soon speeding towards Lynmouth, 
 Esther's paradise, and a true meeting-place for happy 
 lovers. 
 
 227 
 
DEVONSHIRE AGAIN. 
 XXX. 
 
 As the train swept out of Paddington station, bear- 
 ••^ ing the Ellwoods to Devonshire, Robert was al- 
 ready well on his way to the common goal, Lynmouth. 
 The marvellous world was full of joy; and never the 
 birds sang sweeter, never the brooks rippled more music- 
 ally, than on that beautiful summer day. 
 
 How adequately chronicle the happy meeting in this 
 beautiful vale, where the mountains and the sea come 
 close together! No language can fully describe either 
 the poetry of the Lyn valley, or the charm of these 
 youthful lives converging again, as the rivulets join at 
 Watersmeet. Nature is nowhere more prodigal than 
 at Lynmouth, and the spell of the place held them en- 
 chanted as of yore. The same dear old hotel, the same 
 rooms, the same brand of moselle for dinner, and the 
 same walk in the early morning, along the brow of the 
 hills leading westward. The same glow of the setting 
 sun, the rising tide, the incoming row-boats, the dear 
 spot where Esther and Robert had rested at Waters- 
 meet, that wondrous summer's day, and all the reviving 
 memories so dear to the sacred walk overlooking the 
 sea ! 
 
 The lovers were completely carried away on the wings 
 of happiness. All the anxiety of the past year was at 
 once forgotten and they seemed to live for the present 
 
 228 
 
DEVONSHIRE AGAIN. 
 
 moment alone, oblivious of the past and unmindful of 
 the future. It were impossible to crowd v/ithin the 
 limit of these pages all the tender confidences, the end- 
 less assurances of love and constancy that passed be- 
 tAveen them that summer evening. They retired early 
 to rest, and Esther, after bidding good night to Robert, 
 I'ound herself once more in the room which she had 
 occupied a year before. 
 
 How pleasant it was to look back to those early days 
 A their courtship, to the time when the sweet story had 
 not yet been told, though the mind and heart of each 
 knew well what was passing within the other. And the 
 old water-wheel just outside her window, what a store 
 of recollection it brought back to her ! A year ago 
 when she spent her first night in this chamber, and on 
 lying down to rest had been filled with a nameless and 
 agitated expectation of impending events, the gentle 
 .murmur of the stream outside had calmed her restless- 
 ne^^. All through that past week, she had felt the ir- 
 rcsictible hand of love dragging her nearer and nearer 
 to the brink, and she had half striven against its mighty 
 impetus. That first day at Lynmouth had been the 
 critical moment of her life : she instinctively felt what 
 the morrow was to bring forth, and she shrank a little 
 from meeting the crisis. But all through that night 
 when her mind was at rest and dreams only ha(^ entered 
 the door of the spirit, she seemed through all to hear 
 the voice of the soothing water-wheel saying: "Fear 
 not to yield to lovers decree : he whom you love is worthy 
 and will guard you from all harm. Sleep in peace; I, 
 the spirit of the waterfall have come do^vn from the 
 mountains to tend and watch over you." So now also, 
 the same gentle lullaby haunted her slumbers. 
 
 229 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 The few days spent at Lynmouth were by common 
 consent given up to the revisiting of the many old fa- 
 miliar scenes. But instead of spending the greater part 
 of their holiday here as on a former occasion, the Ell- 
 woods decided to obtain glimpses of some of the other 
 renowned spots in Devonshire of which they had heard 
 glowing accounts. Maps were brought out and the 
 rival merits of many places discussed. 
 
 The last morning arrived, and arrangements were 
 made to continue the journey. After an animated de- 
 bate, it was decided to take the train from Lynton to 
 Bide ford, and to drive from there to Clovelly, seeking 
 "fresh fields and pastures new.^' After a few hours of 
 uneventful journeying, the party lunched at quaint old 
 Bideford, and then set off by coach to Clovelly, through 
 that grand country so beloved of Kingsley. After driv- 
 ing through open country, they bowled along overlook- 
 ing the sea until the Parkway was reached. Every 
 turn in the winding road exposed to view a new pano- 
 rama, until, at length, a distant glimpse of quaint 
 Clovelly was caught. At each nearer turn, a better 
 view was obtained, until, at a favourable moment, this 
 quaintest of all quaint towns became plain to view, with 
 its old pier, its row of fishing smacks, its ancient houses 
 and its one street winding high up the hill. The street, 
 in fact, is a series of steps, extending for half a mile up 
 the steep hill, some of the steps being several feet broad 
 and paved with cobble stones. Vehicular traffic is im- 
 jossilDle in such a street, and coach parties have perforce 
 to descend and enter the village on foot. The baggage 
 is put upon a sledge consisting of two long, curved poles, 
 with a board across, and this affair is dragged down- 
 ward? from one step to another, to the old Eed Lion 
 
 230 
 
DEVONSHIEE AGAIN. 
 
 Inn, situated at the bottom, adjoining the little ciiryed 
 ocean pier. 
 
 Tiight welcome, indeed, were the little pa^'ty; but 
 coming unannounced, they were compelled to seek such 
 shelter as could be offered them. There was but one 
 double-bedded room in the hotel to be had; so into this 
 were setlled Dr. and Mrs. Ellwood, together with the 
 traps and belongings of the whole party. Then began 
 the search for quarters in the fishermen's cottages. The 
 good people of the hotel sent hither and thither for 
 spare bedrooms. As soon as sufficient beds had been 
 secured, the party sallied out with lights, for it had now 
 become too dark for them to find their way unassisted. 
 They found that they had all been put into different 
 cottages, excepting that one double room had been 
 found for the two boys. To Esther had been given a 
 cottage by the beach, but Eobert found himself booked 
 for a lodging some distance up the hill; so far, indeed, 
 that it was with some difficulty found, in the wee sma^ 
 hours, when the final time came for retiring. 
 
 This matter being arranged, all the party assembled 
 at the hospitable board of the quaint old Eed Lion Inn. 
 Such a fish supper was never eaten by hungrier mortals, 
 helped down as it was with goblets of sparkling Moselle. 
 Then came the adjournment to the drawing room, where 
 the antiquated bones of the grand piano were awakened 
 to new life and vigour under Robert's magic touch. 
 
 The evening being warm, the windows upon the bal- 
 cony were thrown open, and it was not long before a 
 numerous audience assembled upon the pier. The night, 
 also, was clear and the moon, overhanging the sea, 
 shone with unusual lustre. As the young pair stepped 
 out upon the balcony, they formed a poetic picture. He 
 
 231 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 with his dark hair, large eyes and with the artistic at- 
 mosphere of the musician about him; she with the im- 
 pulsive, lithe figure and the delicate grace only to be 
 found in the higher class of American girls. To their 
 surprise, at the cessation of the music and their sudden 
 appearance upon the veranda, an appreciative applause 
 greeted them from the pier. 
 
 Esther was excited with the happy omen. It was as 
 if she were to share in the certain recognition which 
 awaited her sweetheart, the idol of her affections; and 
 Robert, forced to listen to the well-deserved plaudits, 
 stood for the moment uncertain which way to turn. 
 But as the rest of the party, attracted by the beauty of 
 the evening, were just then emerging from the French 
 windows which led upon the veranda, retreat had be- 
 come impossible. Chairs were taken out and a pleasant 
 half hour was spent drinking in the wonderful prospect. 
 
 After enjoying to the full the beautiful panorama of 
 the Atlantic, the party descended to walk out to the 
 end of the pier, where, as might be expected, they found 
 Walter and Harold in earnest conversation with the 
 "oldest sailor of Clovelly.'' The conference had but 
 one grand object in view, to arrange for a fishing ex- 
 cursion for the following morning. The ancient mariner 
 had offered to take them out in his smack and instruct 
 them in the gentle art; and of course the lads were en- 
 thusiastic. Having decided, therefore, that if the morn- 
 ing should prove auspicious, the excursion should take 
 place, the party shortly afterwards retired to rest. 
 
 232 
 
AN OLD-FASHIONED NOOK. 
 
 XXXI. 
 
 ON the following day Dr. Ellwood having arisen 
 early, pulled back the curtains of his window 
 and looked out upon the sea. All w^as changed. The 
 morning was gloomy, the sky heavy Avith clouds, the sea 
 choppy and rough, and it was plain that, as far as 
 Walter and Harold were concerned, a fishing outing was 
 out of the question. The boys were greatly disap- 
 pointed, and so indeed were the rest of the party, when 
 an hour or so later the rain came down in torrents. 
 They waited and waited, but as there seemed no chance 
 of its ceasing, they reluctantly resigned themselves to a 
 day indoors. 
 
 Dr. Ellwood during the past fifteen or twenty years, 
 in addition to his other literary works, had accumu- 
 lated a large number of fugitive poems. He had often 
 intended to publish the best of these in a volume, but 
 one thing after another had occurred to put off his de- 
 sign. Thinking that in Devonshire he would have 
 plenty of time to devote to this work, he had brought 
 the whole bundle of poetic manuscripts with him, with 
 the intention of gathering them together, with the 
 critical aid of young Thornton, into a bound volume. 
 Here, then, on this day of rain and storm, was a suit- 
 able opportunity, and the two men sat down together 
 to discuss how to make them suited for publication, 
 
 233 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 what lines to alter, what verses to eliminate, and in 
 what order to arrange the poems. 
 
 Morning and afternoon were given up to rendering 
 the poems most effective in their new dress; and such 
 collaboration between the poet and the musician, 
 naturally led to the discussion of the principles of their 
 respective arts. 
 
 "While conceding to poetry," said Eobert, "a wider 
 range of subject, I claim that music possesses at least a 
 more ethereal mode of expression. Its tendency is ever 
 progressive, for the simple reason that its inspiration, 
 springing from the very deepest and often very purest 
 feeling of mankind, can only operate in the same man- 
 ner on the listeners, and consequently produces nothing 
 but results which are entirely harmless, and so of the 
 highest moral value." 
 
 "But is it not so with poetry or painting?" asked the 
 Doctor. 
 
 "Very often, of course, but not invariably so; it is 
 easy to imagine either of these arts enlisted in the 
 cause of impurity or retrogression. For example, the 
 poet and the painter have for their subject-matter the 
 whole field of nature and humanity. Imagine an artist 
 gifted with line intellectual capacity, but with debased 
 moral perceptions, what immense mischief can he not 
 do by representing, under the alluring guise of beauty, 
 a vicious kernel of grossness. Don't suppose for a 
 moment that I would limit the artist to idyllic subjects 
 only — by no means; for T believe fully that "all the 
 world's a stage," and that the poet can go wherever 
 he likes for his material. And considering that art 
 has this immense field for its labours, and that it is 
 not the subject itself which is of moment, but the 
 
 234 
 
A'N OLD-FASHIONED NOOK. 
 
 treatment or handling of the subject, I have no sym^ 
 pathy with those over-sensitive souls who are shocked 
 by the healthy naturalism of some of our great writers. 
 It is on this very point that I hold the opinion that 
 what a moral man or woman thinks and ponders upon 
 can do no harm, if seen in print, to anyone; and yet 
 too many of us would consider our feelings outraged 
 if we found in print many thoughts that form a part of 
 our daily reflections. No, what I object to in litera- 
 ture or painting is the skilfully veiled meaning — the 
 lurking of the sensuous under the spiritual; the wilful 
 and deliberate manipulation of the arts for the purpose 
 of corruption. And it is in music that I consider this 
 deception to be impossible; for music, unless asso- 
 ciated with literature, has a meaning that is analogous 
 to nothing in nature. It is simply the inner voice of 
 humanity, speaking from its heart and in its most 
 finished and beautiful form. It has nothing to do with 
 the world of ethics, it does not tell us how to live and, 
 therefore, cannot show us the way in which we should 
 not live. Its mission is simply to be beautiful, and so 
 I call it the most ethereal of the arts, being the simplest 
 yet the deepest utterance of which the heart of human- 
 ity is capable. As Carlyle has said ... 'a musical 
 thought is one spoken by a mind that has penetrated 
 into the irimost heart of the thing . . .namely, the mel- 
 ody that lies hidden in it . . . all inmost things we 
 say are melodious; naturally utter themselves in song. 
 The meaning of song goes deep ... a kind of unfath- 
 omable, inarticulate speech, which leads us to the edge 
 of the infinite, and lets us for a moment gaze into that.' " 
 A manifestation of Eoberfs sincerity was not long 
 in forthcoming. One beautiful Sunday afternoon, the 
 
 235 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 day of the harvest thanksgiving, the party ascended the 
 hill to the quaint old village church of Clovelly, sit- 
 uated in the midst of the churchyard and surrounded by 
 its pathways and tombstones. The church was decked 
 with all the floral display of this thanksgiving season. 
 The simple village choir gave forth its best, to accord 
 with the most feeling efforts of the village organist. 
 Even in this simple service, carried on by these humble 
 people, rang the true chord of music, uttering thanks- 
 giving, to uplift all listeners with its heartfelt simplicity. 
 
 After a long tramp during the afternoon, Eobert 
 invited his friends to tea at the Ship's Inn, a small 
 tavern upon the High Street. Before tea was over, he 
 and Harold left the party, and it was evident that some 
 mystery was in progress. The conspirators returned 
 about dusk accompanied by a stranger. 
 
 "If you have finished tea," said Eobert to the little 
 party still seated round the table, "we want you all to 
 follow us.'' 
 
 "Finished tea!" cried the Doctor, "We have been 
 waiting 5^our return for the last half-hour. It is get- 
 ting so late that we had better think of returning to 
 the hotel." 
 
 "But," broke in Harold, 'Ve have a little surprise in 
 store, and it will not take long." 
 
 Impelled by curiosity, all hands arose and obediently 
 followed the conspirators. They were conducted back 
 to the church behind the hill, where Eobert and the 
 stranger suddenly vanished. Harold led the rest of 
 the party to the main door, unlocking it and closing it 
 after them, leaving them quite in the dark, for it was 
 getting dusk outside and was very sombre within. But 
 as soon as they became accustomed to the darkness, they 
 
 236 
 
AN OLD-FASHIONED NOOK. 
 
 .1 
 
 could make out the general appearance of the interior. 
 At the extreme end, now, about the organ, a light 
 appeared and a low strain of music pervaded the build- 
 ing, gradually increasing in tone and volume, evidently 
 at the touch of a skilled hand. 
 
 The effect was weirdly strange and impressive. Once, 
 when the Ellwoods were visiting the White Mountains, 
 in New Hampshire, a somewhat similar effect was re- 
 vealed to them. From the top of Mount Agassiz, a 
 small mountain in the centre of the circle of the larger 
 mountains constituting the Presidential range, the guide 
 played upon a horn, and the echo was heard repeated 
 from_ mountain top to mountain top. Nothing could 
 be more remarkable than this choir of heavenly voices. 
 And so it was in the darkness of Clovelly church, with 
 the small light glimmering near the altar, the music 
 pervading the night: now low, pleading and pathetic, 
 now rising to sublime majesty. Thus the organ played 
 on till the falling shadows rendered quite dark the 
 ancient walls of the church. A star or two could be 
 seen in the sky, and a light far out at sea. Then the 
 organ ceased, and after locking up the instrument, 
 Eobert and his companion came down the aisle, when 
 the party walked back to the hotel. 
 
 By the time they had reached the top of the High 
 Street the moon had risen, and very beautiful in its 
 calm, clear lidit looked the ancient town beneath them. 
 It seemed difficult to believe that this was one of the 
 very ports that had sent gallant men and ships to fight 
 the Armada, and bold colonists to the American pos- 
 sessions; yet, in spite of its age, the place looked still 
 fresh and green, and if it no longer holds a place with 
 other seaport towns, there is no falling off in the stature 
 
 237 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 and spirit of the present generation which inhabit 
 Clovelly, the fishermen being all broad-shouldered fel- 
 lows and their wives and children buxom and bonny. 
 Our party descended the High Street, repassed the 
 "Ship's Inn," and safely reached the bottom. High 
 tea was partaken of, and the evening, one of the last 
 to be spent in Devonshire, was given up to the reading 
 of the poetic manuscript. 
 
 A few mornings later the joyous company were to be 
 seen straggling along up the hill. The getting down 
 of the baggage is not difficult upon the sledges, but 
 the getting it up the hill again is quite another affair. 
 This is accomplished by means of donkeys. These very 
 amiable beasts of burden bear the boxes upon their 
 backs, the small baggage balancing upon either side. 
 
 On their way back the party broke their Journey at 
 Exeter to view the Cathedral, and took a later train to 
 London. Upon their arrival there, instead of accom- 
 panying the Ell woods to Kings Gardens, Robert went 
 on to Euston Station. He considered that it would 
 be better for him to proceed at once to Beasley, as it 
 was likely that the family had by this time returned. 
 So with affectionate farewells and mutual promises 
 of early meetings, the little party once more separated 
 and went to their respective homes. 
 
 238 
 
ROBERTAS DECISION 
 
 XXXII. 
 
 ON returning to Beasley Manor, Eobert found that 
 his parents, though still abroad, were expected 
 back in a few days' time. They arrived home towards 
 the end of the week. They had altered their original 
 plans, and had finally decided to spend their time at 
 Paris where, on their return, Dorothy had been left with 
 some friends. Mr. Thornton, though much benefited 
 by his short holiday, still showed traces of the fatigue 
 caused by the worry of the great strike. He had, how- 
 ever, by a masterly handling of the affair, succeeded in 
 conciliating the men, who had nearly all by this time 
 returned to their work. He was pleased to see his son 
 home again, though he looked forward to the coming 
 interview with some feelings of anxiety. Owing to his 
 being constantly called to and detained in the north, 
 he had been unable to utilize the past two months in 
 making any fresh moves against the Ellwoods, and, 
 moreover, he was unaware of how the land lay in that 
 quarter. 
 
 No inclination was shown in the first few days on the 
 part of either father or son to broach matters of serious 
 import, and it was not until a week after the return of 
 the Thorntons from the Continent that Robert re- 
 minded his father that the year of probation was now 
 <^t an end, and that he had many things ^^ communi- 
 
 239 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 cate and discuss with him. After dinner that day, 
 Thornton requested his son to follow him to the library, 
 where previous and similar conversations had taken 
 place, closed the door carefully, as was his wont, sat 
 down in his desk chair, and waited to hear what his son 
 had to say. 
 
 Eobert plunged into the subject : ^'It was agreed be- 
 tween us over a year ago,^^ he said, "that some time 
 should be allowed to elapse before anything definite 
 be settled about these two important subjects, namely, 
 my engagement to Miss Ellwood and my future career. 
 If you remember, I at the time expressed a strong desire 
 to abandon all thoughts of a political life and devote 
 myself to the study of music. As the period arranged 
 for between us for me to decide on these subjects has now 
 come to an end, in fact it did so some weeks ago. I have 
 been looking forward to the opportunity of talking 
 everything well over with you. But before I do so, 
 there is something about which I ought to tell you." 
 
 Then Eobert went on to acquaint his father with the 
 circumstances of the trip to Devonshire; how that he 
 felt that he was acting within his right in proposing this 
 meeting, the term of separation having expired; how 
 he was unable to communicate with his parents in any 
 way, being ignorant of their address or when they were 
 likely to return; how he had been sure that the latter 
 would have had no objection, particularly his father, 
 who had always spoken so kindly of the whole Ellwood 
 family, and Esther most of all. 
 
 Mr. Thornton heard only the first part of this piece 
 of information. He was astonished beyond measure, 
 not at his son for suggesting the Devonshire journey, 
 but at the EUwoods for entertaining the idea and im- 
 
 240 
 
ROBERT'S DECISION. 
 
 mediately falling in with it. What kind of a man was 
 Dr. Ellwood, indeed, who could swallow down without 
 a gulp insult upon insult, and without making a word 
 of comment of any kiud, invite his (Thornton^s) son 
 to stay with his family as if nothing at all had hap- 
 pened? But suddenly an idea shot through his brain. 
 What if Dr. Ellwood had seized this opportunity of 
 explaining to the unconscious son all that the father 
 had been aiming at during these many months? This 
 idea amounted in his mind to a positive fear, and he 
 could not resist the following question : 
 
 "Of course there is nothing wrong in what you have 
 done, but tell me, how did the parents of Miss Ellwood 
 treat this matter of the engagement after the year's 
 test? Were they kindly disposed towards you?" 
 
 ^^ery," replied Robert. "They were, on the whole, 
 extremely kind and considerate." 
 
 "And, Doctor Ellwood," pursued the father, "did he 
 speak of or refer to me at all ? as you know, I have not 
 seen him for some time past, owing to my — ^numerous 
 business troubles." 
 
 'TTes, he did once or twice speak about you; he said 
 he had heard of your being very much worried over 
 the strike difficulty, and was sorry to learn of it" 
 
 "And was there nothing else, no message for me?" 
 
 "No, that was all." 
 
 "Most extraordinary!" thought Thornton to himself, 
 "this is something altogether beyond me." Then ad- 
 dressing his son he said: 
 
 "And Miss Ellwood, I presume that she also is of 
 the same mind?" 
 
 ^Tes," replied Robert, "and her parents on their 
 part are quite willing for the engagement to be an- 
 
 24:1 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 nounced. It waits now your sanction only." 
 
 "Before we finally settle that point," said his father, 
 "let us turn to the equally important one of your career. 
 What are your final views now with regard to this?" 
 
 Eobert hesitated a little before replying and then 
 said : "Afraid as I am, my dear father, that it will cause 
 you disappointment, I must frankly say that I am of 
 the same mind on this point also." 
 
 Mr. Thornton sat for some time in complete silence, 
 running his mental eye rapidly over the whole ground 
 of events. There was no doubt about it; he had been 
 defeated. His well-laid plans had somehow been frus- 
 trated, his shafts had missed their mark and, owing to 
 the supine attitude of the father of his son's betrothed, 
 he had accomplished nothing of what he had set out 
 to do a year ago. However, he had one last card in 
 his hand, but before he once and for all played it, he 
 determined to turn the matter over in all its phases. 
 Then he would make his final answer to his son. So 
 rising from his chair he said : 
 
 "I will give everjrthing my deepest consideration and 
 to-morrow we will resume our talk." Then, bidding 
 his son good-night, he left the library and went up-stairs 
 to his room.. 
 
 Robert next sought out his mother, and had a long 
 confidential conversation with her. Mrs. Thornton 
 had always encouraged her son in his love for music, 
 and she now felt rather guilty to think that this encour- 
 agement had much to do with his desire to follow a 
 career the adoption of which she knew would mean 
 severe disappointment to her husband. Yet there was 
 no one in the matter upon whom any blame could fall. 
 She had carefully observed the artistic side of Eobert's 
 
 242 
 
EOBEET'S DECISION 
 
 character during the past year, noted its steady growth 
 and development, and she knew that her son would not 
 fail to make his mark in the musical world. Another 
 thing which she could hardly fail to notice, was the 
 utter indifference he now exhibited towards all political 
 questions save those of supreme and international im- 
 portance. Better by far, she thought, that he became a 
 fine musician than a bad politician. 
 
 On the following day Mr. Thornton summoned Robert 
 into the libray, and, motioning him to a chair, said : 
 
 "I have been thinking carefully over the matter since 
 yesterday, and I have come to the conclusion that by 
 mutual concessions we may arrive at a perfect agree- 
 ment. You desire to become engaged and ultimately 
 married to Miss Ellwood, a young lady to whom I have 
 not in any way the slightest objection. But you know 
 that her father is a man who takes the very opposite 
 view of many of the most important matters in life 
 to what I do. His socialistic tendencies are by no means 
 harmless, and his writings have done a great deal in 
 my opinion to encourage the masses to useless and 
 thoughtless rebellion against their employers. Much 
 of this recent strike I can trace to the promulgation 
 of his fallacious theories. Dr. Ellwood is a dangerous 
 opponent of the large industrial owners and (if only 
 for self preservation and apart from principles) I must 
 regard him as my enemy. I was not aware until this 
 past year of the extreme nature of his views, his living 
 is America preventing my coming much into contact 
 with the man. I point tkis out to you to show you 
 that, though I wish to place no obstacle in the way of 
 your attachment to Miss Ellwood, yet such an alliance 
 is bound to produce inevitable family antagonism in 
 
 243 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 the future. But I am quite willing to forgo any scruples 
 or misgivings I may have, if you are certain that by 
 marrying this young lady you will be discovering the 
 goal of happiness. But with regard to the matter of 
 your career, I cannot but think that you are making 
 a grave mistake in throwing away such brilliant pros- 
 pects of success as lie before you. In a few years you 
 would be in Parliament and your future fully estab- 
 lished. Instead of following this great and honourable 
 career, useful to your country and a credit to your 
 family, you are proposing to bury yourself from the 
 world and devote yourself to a laborious, unprofitable 
 and narrow occupation, which will certainly not bring 
 you fame for many years, and fortune perhaps never. 
 To me it is the greatest misfortune that could happen; 
 I have long looked forward to your filling a high and 
 worthy position in the governing body of the country, 
 I have worked hard for you and everything lies ready 
 for your hand to grasp and take up. Why not then re- 
 linquish this ignoble intention of devoting your life's 
 energies to music and to that alone ? You will be doing 
 more for the welfare and sake of your future wife if 
 you follow in the path I have prepared for you, and, if 
 you fall in with my views, you have my free and willing 
 permission for your engagement and marriage." 
 
 "Then I understand that you make my adoption of 
 a public career a condition to your consent to my mar- 
 riage with Miss Ellwood?" asked Eobert. 
 
 "Not absolutely a condition," said his father; '%ut 
 it will certainly remove any lingering doubt that I may 
 have about the wisdom of the step; so let us rather 
 regard the proposed arrangement as a mutual conces- 
 sion." 
 
 24A 
 
KOBERTS DECISION. 
 
 "I am very sorry, indeed, my dear father, that I 
 cannot find it possible to agree with you. The root of 
 the whole matter is this: I am in sympathy neither 
 with political life nor the opinions and theories I should 
 be expected to champion if I were so. If I were to em- 
 bark upon this career I should fail to achieve success, 
 I should certainly not bring honour and credit to my 
 family, and I should be acting dishonestly to myself. 
 There is no political leader to whose party I should 
 care to attach myself; the political condition of the 
 country is stagnant; petty trifles are absorbing the at- 
 tention of both parties; important matters such as 
 education are in the hands of bunglers and there is no 
 existing enthusiasm, for the simple reason that there are 
 no men capable of drawing up a statesmanlike party- 
 programme. No, much as I would like to fall in with 
 your wishes, and much as it pains me to disappoint you, 
 I feel that it would be a wrong thing for me to enter the 
 arena of public life, advocating principles on my lips 
 that I denied and repudiated in my heart." 
 
 "Then you are firmly resolved to go on with this 
 headstrong and mistaken course?" 
 
 "I am sorry that you regard it in that light, but this 
 is the conclusion that I have arrived at." 
 
 ''Of course, then, you understand that vour adoption 
 of this career will make a considerable difference to 
 your position and fortunes? Robert Thornton the ob- 
 scure musician will not require the large income for 
 social purposes that would be necessary for Robert 
 Thornton the rising parliamentarian, nor should I 
 think of allowing it to you." 
 
 '1 clearly understand all that," said his son, '"but 
 I sincerely hope that what I am doing is not about to 
 
 245 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 incur your anger or displeasure, and I say this not from 
 any fear of what I may lose in a worldly way, but be- 
 cause we have always been good friends and hitherto per- 
 fectly in accord." 
 
 "No/' said Mr. Thornton, rising from his seat, "not 
 anger but certainly mortification and disappointment. 
 I consider the action you are taking to be unworthy of 
 your abilities, unworthy of your family, and an insuf- 
 ficient return for the time and trouble I have spent in 
 making your path smooth for you. But since your 
 mind is made up, let me know in the course of a few days 
 what your future arrangements are likely to be, where 
 you are going to continue your study, and in what style 
 you desire to live. I presume that, as the autumn is 
 near at hand, you will be wanting to commence quite 
 early." 
 
 Eobert was deeply grieved at the evident dissatisfac- 
 tion of his parent at what he was undertaking. Judged 
 from a worldly point of view it did seem an almost in- 
 sane thing for him to throw away such magnificent pros- 
 pects, retire from the sunshine of the world and bury 
 himself in obscurity and laborious toil. But he felt 
 that within him there was a secret spirit applauding 
 his resolution, a still small voice whispering to him 
 that he was in the right and that some day those around 
 him would also share this opinion. 
 
 Eobert had already pre-determined the exact course 
 of his future plans, so that when two days later his 
 father approached him on the matter, he at once said: 
 "My best course is to take rooms in London where I 
 can have the opportunity of hearing musical produc- 
 tions, and meet with all the well-known musical men. 
 After a year or so in the metropolis, I should probably 
 
 246 
 
EGBERT'S DECISION. 
 
 find it necessary to go abroad to Berlin or Munich and 
 place myself under one of the well-known German pro- 
 fessors as a private pupil." 
 
 "What about Miss Ellwood?" asked his father. 
 
 "I think the engagement should be now announced, 
 but of course I do not purpose that the marriage should 
 take place until I feel that I have firmly established my 
 footing." 
 
 "That is only wise; with regard to other details, of 
 course you know best yourself what to do. And now 
 about your expenses." Here Mr. Thornton mentioned 
 a yearly sum which he thought would be likely to cover 
 everything. "I think that ought to be about the figure. 
 Of course, in the altered condition of things, your ex- 
 penses will be necessarily much less than they have been, 
 but I do not by any means wish to make things too dif- 
 ficult for you." 
 
 Robert acquiesced in what his father had suggested, 
 though slightly pained at the continued hints thro\\Ti 
 out as to his altered position in the family. He felt 
 that his father was endeavouring to make him feel un- 
 comfortable by instilling a sentiment of regret into his 
 mind for the many good things which he was sacrificing. 
 But in spite of many shafts directed at all his vulner- 
 able parts, the young man stood firmly rooted in his in- 
 tentions and no opposing arguments could have been 
 effectual. 
 
 The date of Robert's departure was now fixed for a 
 month later, and he at once set about his preparations 
 for removal. He hastened on his arrangements, for 
 other reasons besides that of his anxiety to plunge into 
 his beloved work. The elder Thornton, as each day 
 flew by, took less care to conceal his resentment and 
 
 247 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 displeasure roused by what lie thought was the wilful 
 and headstrong action of his son. The more he brooded 
 over the matter, the more bitter he felt. With the rap- 
 idly approaching departure of his son, he behe]d the 
 fabric of ambition nursed and planned by him for so 
 many years falling to the ground. It may be judged, 
 therefore, that these last few days of Robert's stay at 
 his home were disturbed by anxious fears on the part 
 of himself and his mother, lest some unpleasantness 
 should arise. Luckily nothing of the sort did occur, 
 though Mr. Thornton became every day more reserved 
 and distant in his manner towards his son. 
 
 When at length the day of parting did arrive, grieved 
 at heart though many of the household were, it was not 
 without some feeling of relief on all sides. Many rela- 
 tions had assembled at the family mansion to bid good- 
 bye and good luck to the young man, so boldly striking 
 out on a diflBcult path of life of his own choosing. The 
 last farewells were exchanged all round, the carriage 
 containing Eobert and his traps disappeared round the 
 bend of the drive, the last handkerchiefs were waved, 
 and thus the heir of Beasley Manor departed from the 
 home of his fathers. 
 
 It was about the beginning of October that Robert 
 Thornton found himself in London, settled in comfort- 
 able apartments in the south-west of the great city. He 
 had for ever broken with the old order of things, and 
 now looked forward to his new life with inspired hope 
 and confidence. 
 
 248 
 
PART IV. 
 
THE NEW LIFE. 
 
 XXXIII. 
 
 WE resume the thread of our story at a date some 
 few months later than the events described in 
 the preceding chapter. The momentous step taken 
 by Eobert Thornton, in leaving the family home to 
 settle in London, had now become a thing of the past. 
 The engagement between himself and Esther was an- 
 nounced soon after the rupture with his family. This 
 was a source of considerable satisfaction to the lovers, 
 who experienced some relief at this public ratification 
 of their private bond. Eobert, moreover, being now 
 close at hand, could visit his betrothed -whenever he 
 pleased ; and, as may be imagined, the doors of the Kings 
 Gardens domicile were thrown open readily to welcome 
 him. It was not long, therefore, before the yoimg man 
 felt himself settled down as one of the Ellwood family 
 themselves. This feeling was further strengthened by 
 causes other than his affection for Esther, the mutual 
 respect existing between himself and Dr. Ellwood, and 
 his almost fraternal relations with the rest of the family. 
 Mr. Thornton having taken the defection of his son 
 from the army of political recruits very much to heart, 
 had taken no pains to hide the great resentment and 
 disgust aroused by Eobert's firm attitude, and so the 
 relations between these two principal members of the 
 Thornton family had become slightly strained, much to 
 
 251 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 the sorrow of the younger man. The difference in no 
 way diminished as time went on, with the result that 
 Robert, though assured of the affection of his mother 
 and sister, grew to look upon Beasley Manor less and 
 less in the light of a home. Again, many of the family 
 friends, who would otherwise have been glad to wel- 
 come him at their houses, soon became acquainted with 
 the nature of the disagreement between father and son, 
 with the result that sympathy was not always forthcom- 
 ing on behalf of the latter. He found himself coldly 
 treated by several of those whom he had been taught 
 to regard as friends in need, and this tended to draw 
 him closer to the Ellwoods and their hospitable roof, 
 until hardly a day passed by without his finding some 
 excuse for dropping in to lunch, or for a chat with the 
 Doctor after dinner, in his cosy study. It was during 
 these conversations that the elder man was enabled to 
 sound and become fully acquainted with the depths of 
 his companion's mind and character. Having at first 
 been struck by the firmness displayed by Robeit in the 
 choosing of his own career, and his total disregard of 
 worldly considerations when points of conscience and 
 honour were concerned, he was now surprised at the 
 variety of knowledge possessed by him, and became 
 convinced by reason of the exhibition of such intelligence 
 that the owner of it had not chosen such a career as he 
 was now pursuing from sheer inability to follow other 
 occupations. He felt that he had carefully selected this 
 one of many possible paths of life because he was con- 
 vinced that in it alone would heart and brain work lov- 
 ingly and faithfully together. He considered, too, that 
 England, ever fruitful in statesmen and orators, would 
 never miss his non-appearance in the ranks of her com- 
 
 252 
 
THE NEW LIFE. 
 
 ing legislators, while the cause of music in a country 
 so sadly deficient in real musical spirit would perhaps 
 gain something in the shape of the fruits of his inspira- 
 tion and industry. What would appear to be an amiable 
 vanity in many others, was in Eobert Thornton some- 
 thing very different. His was not the unshakable con- 
 ceit of the third-rate artist, but that silent self-confi- 
 dence which always accompanies talent of a high order, 
 and which is nothing more than a true prescience of ulti- 
 mate recognition. 
 
 The warm friendship of the Ellwoods soon showed 
 him that his loss in one direction was compensated by 
 a distinct gain in another. Dr. Ellwood having observed 
 the growing breach between the two Thorntons, the 
 attendant decrease of kindliness towards Robert on the 
 part of many of the family friends, and the young man^s 
 increased difficulty in making headway in his profession 
 with a strong current of antagonism set in motion 
 against him, now took upon himself the task of remedy- 
 ing the situation. Having by this time established for 
 himself in London a large social connection, he did 
 everything in his power to smooth the path of the com- 
 ing musician, as he believed him to be, and an event 
 which afterwards proved to be of lucky consequence was 
 a personal introduction given by him into the family 
 of the Blakes at Hampstead. Robert had not m.et these 
 worthy people since the happy and memorable day of 
 the garden-party. He had on that occasion, at the re- 
 quest of Lady Blake, played some short piece to a circle 
 of guests in the drawing-room, and Lord Reginald, who 
 was by nature artistic, had at once detected in the per- 
 formance, slight as the subject was, the rendering of the 
 true musician. He had, therefore, always kept a clear 
 
 S53 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 recollection of Eobert in his mind, and was now quite 
 delighted to meet him again, especially, too, as his young 
 friend had since then become engaged to his partcular 
 pride and favourite, Esther. The old gentleman, who 
 was of a kindly and sympathetic temperament, took a 
 great fancy to Robert, and determined to help him on in 
 a way at present undreamed of by the object of his good 
 intentions. 
 
 Eobert continued to remain in his new home dili- 
 gently pursuing his work, Esther was busy ^'tudying, 
 while the rest of the family were serenely happy in con- 
 templating the delight of the two lovers at being now 
 able to meet and enjoy each other's society without 
 restraint. Mr. Thornton did not change the tone of his 
 manner towards his son, but this did not in any way in- 
 fluence the conduct of his wife and daughter, who 
 corresponded frequently and affectionately with the 
 "culprit," as the light-hearted Dorothy called him. It 
 was in one of these letters that he learnt that his sister, 
 who had for some time been working for a medical 
 degree, had succeeded in passing her final examination 
 at Edinburgh. "Why Edinburgh?" the reader, unac- 
 quainted with English institutions, will ask. Why not 
 London, and other English colleges? Simply because 
 the encouragement given to women to enter the legiti- 
 mate occupations of life by other countries, such as 
 France, the United States or Scotland, is still made dif- 
 ficult in England. To the intelligent foreigner, this 
 state of things in a country where the members of the 
 fair sex are considerably in the majority, is a matter 
 for wonder and derision. But it is not the author's in- 
 tention to point to the social anomalies of Great Britain; 
 he realizes too keenly that an equivalent number of 
 
 254 
 
THE NEW LIFE. 
 
 shortcomings prevail in his own country, and that many 
 of these same abuses have long ceased to exist in Euro- 
 pean lands. It is a pity, however, that a nation, eve J so 
 insistent on political and individual freedom, should 
 permit such a paradox to survive. 
 
 It was about the beginning of April that occurred 
 the first of a series of events which had a weighty influ- 
 ence on the lives of many of those referred to in these 
 pages. Lord Reginald Blake, in addition to possessing 
 an English country seat, was also the owner of a large 
 estate to the north-west of Lisbon, given by the Portu- 
 guese government to one of his ancestors who had dis- 
 tinguished himself in the Peninsular War. This estate 
 had in its present master^s hands almost doubled its 
 original size, and was considered to be one of the finest 
 of its kind in Europe. It was Lord Reginald's custom 
 to spend a few weeks twice during each year in this 
 southern bower, in the seasons of spring and autumn, the 
 climate then being soft and temperate. Lady Blake, 
 who usually invited a few guests to accompany them, 
 decided this spring to make up a large family party, 
 and for that purpose insisted on carrying off the entire 
 Ellwood household, and with them, out of considera- 
 tion for Esther, Robert Thornton. The latter, who had 
 never travelled in the Spanish Peninsula, was delighted 
 to go, especially as he was assured beforehand that he 
 would be given all the freedom that he required, and 
 that the trip should in no way interfere with the conti- 
 nuity of his work. 
 
 Preparations were speedily made, the home at Kings 
 Gardens was left in the hands of a trusty housekeeper, 
 berths were engaged on board the steamer, and one fine 
 morning they found themselves moving out of South- 
 
 255 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 ampton Water, down past the Isle of Wight, out into 
 the English Channel, en route for Lisbon. Short stops 
 were made at Cherbourg and Vigo, the usual uncom- 
 fortable period in the Bay of Biscay had perforce to be 
 endured, and about the third day from their leaving the 
 English shore, they entered the mouth of the Tagus and 
 anchored in the beautiful harbour of Lisbon. T^o stay 
 was made in the town, the travellers without break con- 
 tinuing their journey by a branch line to Cintra. Car- 
 riages awaiting the train met them at the station, and, 
 after a long and picturesque drive, set them down about 
 dusk before a magnificent and palatial residence, the 
 Portuguese home of the Blakes. 
 
 256 
 
A CHANGE OF SCENE. 
 
 XXXIV. 
 
 THIS fair mansion, the joy of Lord Eeginald's 
 heart, was of true Moorish architecture, with a 
 round tower-like structure at each end, two stories high, 
 with projecting cornices, and surmounted by pagoda- 
 like observatories. The centre was a large square stone 
 structure, three stories high, with an octagonal dome, 
 capped by a tall umbrella-like turret. On one side of 
 this main building was a long colonnade, while upon th^ 
 opposite side was the main entrance door under a por- 
 tico, although the usual entrance was through one of the 
 round towers at the end of the building. From the 
 latter entrance a corridor of white marble ran through 
 the entire length of the edifice, forming an arcaded walk. 
 The whole structure had the appearance of being com- 
 posed of marble, the exterior being of light gray stone, 
 to which many variegated creepers gave a rosy or pur- 
 plish tone. In the central part was a charming fountain. 
 Various marble busts and statues in the niches of the 
 arched marble walls heightened the charm of the place. 
 Above, a gallery, which was approached by a marble 
 stairway, formed an octagonal figure, and from each 
 one of the eight sides of this gallery a doorway opened 
 into a room. These were the chief bedrooms of the cas- 
 tle, although there was a suite in the entrance tower, 
 above which was a large billiard room. In the corre- 
 
 257 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 sponding tower at the other end no upper rooms were 
 constructed, the whole tower forming a fairylike music 
 room. Around this palatial structure, a broad level walk 
 swept, the outer side of which was protected by a con- 
 tinuous carved stone balustrade, and downwards from 
 the terrace the grounds sloped away in every direction. 
 
 The site of this most original building had been 
 chosen by Lord Reginald, who was a great lover of 
 plants, with a view to following his hobby in that fa- 
 vourable climate, and it is safe to say that here were 
 gathered together more wonderful specimens of plant- 
 life than are to be seen in any other one place beneath 
 the sun. From the castle windows one was regaled with 
 endless vistas of palm and magnolia trees, plane and 
 pine trees, eucalyptus and cork trees. Here and there 
 were masses of rhododendrons, rose trees, and eamelias. 
 Broad sweeps of sward rested the eyes, and masses of 
 ferns were terraced down the wonderful ravine which 
 divided these glorious gardens in the middle. The brook, 
 tumbling in frequent cascades, as it came from the 
 mountains, where the waters were stored up in large 
 pre j as, leapt from rock to rock until it came to rest in 
 the valley, forming a quiet lake, far below the castle, yet 
 visible from its windows. 
 
 In one part of its course, where the surrounding scen- 
 ery is of the highest type, is a cascade of marvellous 
 beauty, partly natural and partly artificial. At the top, 
 in the midst of the waters tumbling over the precipice, 
 stood a wonderful old stone, which seemed from time 
 to time to bear a resemblance to different figures, now 
 an armoured knight, and now a cowled monk. This was 
 a favourite resort for artists visiting the Spanish pen- 
 insula. The locality had, in fact, been a time-honoured 
 
 258 
 
A CHANGE OP SCENE. 
 
 Mecca for tourists; for was it not made famous by no 
 less a personage than the immortal author of ^'Childe 
 Harold/' who wrote: 
 
 The horrid crags, by toppling convent crowned, 
 The cork trees hoar that clothe the shaggy steep, 
 The mountain moss by scorching skies embrowned, 
 The sunken glen, whose sunless shrubs must weep. 
 The tender azure of the unruffled deep. 
 The orange tints that gild the greenest bough. 
 The torrents that from cliff to valley leap. 
 The vine on high, the willow branch below, 
 Mixed in one mighty scene, with varied beauty glow. 
 
 The seat where Lord Byron sat when he penned this 
 striking picture is still pointed out. The true flavour 
 of antiquity hangs about this sunny vale. Among other 
 interesting legacies of the past, there exists upon the 
 property an ancient Capuchin monastery known as 
 "Cork Convent," because of the walls of the small rooms 
 having been cut into the rock and being lined with cork. 
 The frugal monks, rheumatically inclined, with an eye 
 to the eternal fitness of things, soon discovered the util- 
 ity of cork bark for wall paper. One ancient monk, the 
 patient Honorius, sought and established a name for 
 himself by making his dwelling in one of the smaller 
 caves, as this epitaph records: 
 
 Hie Honorius vitam finivit 
 
 Et ideo cum Deo in caelis revivit. 
 
 This spot having been pointed out to the pilgrim of 
 "Childe Harold/' Honorius became duly embalmed 
 with a romantic halo in the canto : 
 
 259 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 Then slowly climb the many- win ding way, 
 
 And frequent turn to linger as yon go, 
 
 From loftier rocks new loveliness survey 
 
 And rest you at 'our lady's house' of woe, 
 
 Where frugal monks their little relics show 
 
 And sundry legends to the stranger tell : 
 
 Here impious men have punished been, and lo ! 
 
 Deep in yon cave Honorius long did dwell, 
 
 In hope to merit heaven by making earth a hell. 
 
 The Cork Convent itself consists of huge boulders, 
 fantastically heaped up, forming caves of quite consid- 
 erable extent. From one cave to another steps have been 
 formed and, as already mentioned, rooms cut into the 
 mountain. Here and there open spaces form courts, 
 where, in fine weather, the monks entertained themslves 
 out of doors. In one of these spaces, forming a ban- 
 queting hall, so to speak, are large stone boulders, flat- 
 tened at the tops to serve as tables, and around them 
 stand stone benches. The whole forms a grotesque, but 
 not unpicturesque scene. 
 
 Some years ago this convent was in actual use, but it 
 now remains in romantic desolation. An old crone with 
 her grandchildren guard this ruin, nominally for its 
 whilom owner, the Ingleesi Lord Eeginald, but in reality 
 for the occasional shekels which fall from the inquisitive 
 tourist; for it is a favourite retreat, not alone for the 
 guests of the palace household, but for artists, anti- 
 quarians, and religious devotees who visit the convent. 
 
 Latterly, indeed, a strange, tall, dark man, with 
 features hidden as much as possible, had frequently come 
 to the convent and had directed his steps to the cave of 
 Honorius. Here he would sit, as if in conversation with 
 
 260 
 
A CHANGE OF SCENE. 
 
 an Tuiseen guest, and, upon one occasion, when Walter 
 and Harold were romping through the ruins, as they 
 often did, loving to climb the hills with some object in 
 view, they saw this visitor enter one of the caves. Ap- 
 proaching nearer cautiously, after a time, they heard 
 him distinctly say, in declamatory tones : 
 
 "Mighty Honorius, thou biddest me come — ^thou, 
 who didst sit as the Yogis of Ind and contemplate in- 
 finity!^' 
 
 This seemed so strange to the Ellwood lads that they 
 scampered off with a wild halloo and, at a distance, 
 surveyed the supposed lunatic as he emerged from the 
 depths of the cave. The stranger, seeing them, mo- 
 tioned to them to draw near, and finding them appar- 
 ently English lads, he questioned them as to their names 
 and the reason for their being in so out of the way a 
 place as Cork Convent. Upon being told that their 
 name was Ellwood, he started in amazement, exclaiming 
 beneath his breath : 
 
 "It is the leading of the spirit from without. The 
 life of the Yogi is from within. Is it to give all to 
 Yoga, to surrender self? or is it to yield to the life 
 without? Oh! Esther, am I not drawn towards thee 
 by this invisible bond? nay, that thou wouldst spurn 
 me I know and feel but too well ! Better by far, that I 
 summon force to control this outer life, this thread of 
 love which enchains my being, than to give thee pain! 
 I see through the veil the very pain of my own rejec- 
 tion.'^ 
 
 Then he entered the cave again abruptly. The boys, 
 rather frightened, went on toward the outer caves. A 
 few moments later, they met their father, who, accom- 
 panied by their mother and Esther, had come up for a 
 
 261 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 stroll on the mountain side and were just entering the 
 convent. They recounted the interview with the strange 
 man at the cave, and something suggested the Eajah to 
 Dr. Ellwood. To make sure, he returned alone and 
 approached the cave of Honorius. The Kajah hearing 
 some one approaching, emerged and recognized the 
 Doctor. 
 
 They greeted each other cordially, and mutual ex- 
 planations accounted for this meeting in such an out 
 of the way corner of the globe. It seemed that after 
 their meeting at Paris, some remarks of Dr. Ellwood, 
 dealing with the external side of spiritual philosophy, 
 had lingered within the mind of the Eajah, until, per- 
 force, he had read various works upon the subject, and 
 among others "The Life and Deeds of Honorius." 
 Deeply impressed by the idea that Honorius had been 
 undoubtedly taught of the Yogis, and had then gravi- 
 tated into the Capuchin brotherhood, he resolved to 
 take his vacation abroad and sit in the cave of the 
 ancient Yogi. How very remarkable it was, to be sure, 
 that such a circumstance should have led them together 
 again ! 
 
 At this juncture, strolling onward round a boulder, 
 they came suddenly upon the two ladies. Surprise was 
 evident upon both sides. Upon the part of the ladies, 
 that the Doctor and the Indian gentleman should seem 
 to know each other; on that of the Prince, that the 
 ladies should be there at all: for, as a matter of fact, 
 the Prince avoided, as a rule, not only ladies, but general 
 society. His presence even at Buckingham Palace upon 
 the occasion of Esther's presentation was partly official. 
 Upon Dr. Ellwood's introducing the Eajah, he immed- 
 iately stepped forward and, recognizing Esther, greeted 
 
 262 
 
A CHANGE OF SCENE. 
 
 her and her mother cordially. 
 
 After the usual interchange of small-talk Esther 
 turned to the Doctor and said: "Shall we stroll on, 
 papa, to the palace ?'' 
 
 "Certainly! we will take the Prince with us: for 
 as he is a lover of all things beautiful, he will like 
 to see the gardens and the many Indian art treasures of 
 Lord Reginald, whose acquaintance the Prince made at 
 the garden-party at Hampstead : I think, too, Prince, 
 we have a rare musical treat in store, which will delight 
 you/^ 
 
 The Prince evidently wavered; something held him 
 back; he looked intently at each of the group, then 
 swayed as if his whole being was in a state of vibration, 
 and, as if borne by invisible impulses, he then moved 
 onward with the party, threading the stony pathways 
 and helping the ladies down steep or slippery places with 
 courtly grace. 
 
 At each turn of the declivity new views burst upon 
 the sight; now a castellated ruin crowning a hill, now 
 luxuriant vegetation framing the distant azure sea. Sud- 
 denly, when near the palace gardens, the Moorish castle 
 loomed upon their sight, like a white dove fluttering 
 into its nest, with the beautiful mountain lakes, or 
 prejas, reflecting the glorious foliage in the foreground, 
 and the distant sea completing the picture — a veritable 
 castle in Spain, this quinta of Monterey! 
 
 263 
 
AN INTERESTING VISITOR. 
 
 XXXV. 
 
 T^ HE Eajah was heartily welcomed by the Blakes, 
 ■*• who held in high respect both his mental attain- 
 ments and his exalted simplicity of life. A family 
 council having decided that he should be asked to spend 
 a few days at the palace, the invitation was accepted on 
 the part of their visitor, who at once returned to the 
 village hotel to superintend the removal of his luggage. 
 A few hours later he reappeared surrounded by a small 
 party of boys and porters, and Eobert, who directed 
 the disposal of the baggage, noticed that the Prince 
 carried in his hand a violin case. That same evening, 
 when after dinner, the young musician was discoursing 
 sweet sounds in the large domed room described in the 
 last chapter, the royal visitor agreeably surprised the 
 little circle by saying that if his talented friend Mr. 
 Thornton would do him the honour of accompanying 
 him, he would venture, with his hostess' consent, on 
 trying a duet. Permission of course was at once granted, 
 and the Prince brought down and began tuning his in- 
 strument. It was with some curiosity that the small 
 audience waited while the violinist opened his portfolio 
 to select a piece. For was he about to give a selection 
 full of the burning passion of the East, or was this 
 music which they were to hear but some feeble graft on 
 the great stem of Western art? Eather to their sur- 
 ges 
 
AN INTEEESTING VISITOE. 
 
 prise, the Eajah selected the beautiful Eomance in G 
 of Beethoven, placed his copy on the stand and began 
 to play. Though it was evident to even the tyro that 
 the Indian performer's technique was something out of 
 the common, yet it was rather his interpretation of this 
 favourite piece that produced such a marked impression 
 on those who were listening. 
 
 It has already been noticed how singularly were united 
 in this brilliant mind the varying fundamental differ- 
 ences of East and West. How the Asian attributes of 
 mysticism and nature-worship were balanced by 
 European culture and common sense. And this was 
 most curiously revealed in his playing; for in place of 
 the usual Teutonic, ultra restrained reading of the 
 Eomance, was substituted an altogether more passionate 
 and warmly coloured rendering. What before was a 
 mild gray now became bright blue, and other tints of 
 brown and red were transformed into shining hues of 
 purple and gold. Though the semi-religious shade, 
 always ready at hand in Beethoven, was by no means 
 missed, yet it was the religion not of the Gothic 
 Cathedral, but rather of the Moorish Mosque. Though 
 surcharged with a peculiar emotion, it was not emotion 
 riotous and turbulent, but legitimate and restrained, 
 as Eastern music never is. The musician had acquired 
 Teutonic intellectual grip, and this, united with a mixed 
 temperament and a sense of Oriental colouring, had 
 produced a unique and original musical mind. The rest 
 of the party and particularly Eobert were delighted with 
 the Prince's performance, and on being pressed by his 
 listeners, he willingly gave another piece. Thus the 
 evening passed pleasantly by, the two musicians al- 
 ternately charming the company until it was time to 
 retire. 
 
 265 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 It was not long before the Eajah came to feel quite 
 at home at Monterey, the curious embarrassment and 
 hesitation observed in him on the first day of his visit, 
 and which was entirely foreign to his nature, having 
 quite disappeared. It would seem as if there had been 
 some heavy load weighing on him, about which he had 
 been in doubt, but that since then he had fully made up 
 his mind and had completely thrown off this troublesome 
 burden. The cause of this ruffling of the habitually 
 smooth waters of the Indian's mind is not altogether un- 
 familiar to the reader; but his somewhat unexpected 
 return to calmness will require a little explanation. 
 
 It is somewhat singular that, in the course of events, 
 especially regarding love affairs, nothing seems to tran- 
 spire as planned. It had been a theory of the Indian 
 Rajah that the world of society was like a spiral stair- 
 way on which everyone strives to ascend higher in the 
 social scale — even through marriage. Several thoughts 
 on this problem agitated the breast of the Hindu. He 
 asked himself whether hi? progression in Yoga should 
 not altogether prohibit marriage. This idea had been 
 predominant in his career hitherto, but since the advent 
 of Esther, with her spiritual face, at the royal court, 
 marriage had presented itself with more alluring as- 
 pects. It had never occurred to him, prior to his meet- 
 ing Esther, that anyone would refuse him; but when, 
 now, he confronted what to him had become a possi- 
 bility, he was abashed and entirely out of his element. 
 
 He was unaware of Robert's relations with Esther. 
 He regarded him as a young and enthusiastic collegian, 
 in some manner on very intimate terms with the family. 
 And so it happened that, without knowing it, Robert 
 and the Prince were both treading in sensitive places. 
 
 266 
 
AN INTERESTING VISITOR. 
 
 Esther, in her innocence, never scented danger of any 
 kind, not dreaming of Robert taking any ordinary atten- 
 tions amiss; so she, all unconscious, took a daily lesson 
 upon the violin, under the gracious tutelage of the Royal 
 Rajah. True, he was nearly twice her age, yet to all but 
 Esther, it was evidently becoming a case of infatuation. 
 So marked did his attentions become, that Dr. Ellwood 
 volunteered to enlighten the Rajah upon the nature of 
 the connection existing between Robert and Esther. One 
 morning he met the Prince quite accidentally, and, ex- 
 plaining that Miss Ellwood was suffering from a head- 
 ache, took him off for a tour of the grounds. They 
 strolled round the ravine, crossing under the foot of the 
 splendid cascade, and entered the friendly shade of the 
 remains of a very ancient and historic chapel, within 
 which rested an old Roman sarcophagus, and whose 
 walls were shored up to preserve what remained of the 
 picturesque ruin. Here they sat them down upon a 
 mossy bank, out of the warm rays of the sun. 
 
 "I have wanted an opportunity for some time, my 
 good Doctor, to discuss with you " 
 
 ^'And I too, dear Prince; there are many new things 
 which I wish to say also. I have wished particularly to 
 explain to you my own version of the utility of Yoga 
 and the broadening out of the Yogi into Christianity.'' 
 
 The Doctor had led the conversation into this channel 
 of philosophy, in order to arrest any possible discussion 
 of Esther, and to save the Prince's sentimental dis- 
 closures, thinking it far wiser to refer incidentally, in 
 illustration of some argument, to the engagement exist- 
 ing between Robert and Esther. 
 
 "My friend Ellwood, I like much better that you talk 
 of your surgery, than to tell me of Christians. They are 
 
 267 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 nothing. Do yon not know that everything which the 
 Christian teaches was taught again and again by other 
 Christs, hundreds and hundreds of years before this one, 
 whom you worship now?" 
 
 "Nay, brother Prince, you do not understand. You 
 only jump at a conchision. We do not worship Christ; 
 we worship God. I admit, and it is part of my theory 
 of a universal religion, that, as a rule. Christians dd 
 not Imow what they worship, whether it is Christ, the 
 A^irgin or the priest himself. As a matter of fact, what 
 religious persons generally worship, is the form or the 
 visible pretence of religion — the orange rind, as it were, 
 of faith. They do not know the sweet, internal fruit; 
 they neither taste it, nor do they plant the seeds for 
 future growth.'^ 
 
 "Then what is your vaunted Christ, if he cannot save 
 souls ? The Yogi saves his soul by his own effort." 
 
 "But does he. Prince ? You bade me, even me, a i^oor 
 surgeon, help to save you, and T will do so, in ways even 
 greater than you think." 
 
 "Ah ! thanl^ you, good Doctor," said the Hindu, 
 grasping his hand, "if you only knew how my soul longs 
 for one step further, grasping the Infinite !" 
 
 "Even so is it for ever. The higher you rise, the more 
 3^ou know your own limitations as Yogis; but beyond a 
 certain point you cannot go, except by faith, by spirit- 
 uality; and herein lies the whole question. You, as a 
 Yogi, have increased your knowledge and power through 
 practice, self-denial and chastity. Excellent as they are, 
 they only serve to conquer self; surgeons say, overcome 
 deformities. We modern scientists believe that only by 
 careful breeding, by love marriages, shall the children of 
 lifi^ht be born Yogis; and that, as true Christians, they 
 
 268 
 
AN INTERESTING VISITOR. 
 
 are sensitive to outside spiritual influences, just as was 
 Christ. He was in the Father and the Father in him, 
 and he walked with God, that is, with the Spirit. Do 
 you follow me?" 
 
 "I think I see your drift." 
 
 "Well, then, the pith of it is that the Yogi, who has 
 become impressible, or rather has hypnotized himself 
 into an impressible state, does not know from whence 
 he receives impressions. He is all egotism, thinking 
 that thought even emanates from himself; thinking 
 that he answers his own prayer. How can a power from 
 within operate on power without the body, to bring about 
 events or answer to prayer, without outside agencies?" 
 
 "I am answered. I have asked myself this question a 
 thousand times. You consider, then, that he who would 
 acquire Bhakti-yoga, that is, the sublime love of the 
 Infinite, must have an intercessor or Saviour between 
 him and the Infinite? That is Christ." 
 
 "Put in the usual way, that expresses it. But I 
 would make it clearer, so that all could understand 
 Christ, so that one might know an intercessor intui- 
 tively; so that he who runs may read. Look! there is 
 Esther walking with her lover'^ — the Prince turned 
 pale. "I will tell you how the Christian answers prayer ; 
 and why you see and admire, the love-light in her eyes. 
 I speak of myself, of Eleanor's child. When I found 
 her mother. Prince, she saw a Yogi like herself in me. 
 We wed ; we live for our children, the seeds in the fruit 
 of faith. We pray that they may bring forth good seed. 
 We nourish the growth. Heaven answers our prayer. 
 Christ or Yogi, faith or vision, spirit or intercessor, 
 mediates with God; for the prayer of the righteous 
 availeth much. We follow the dictates of the spirit; 
 
 269 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 we come to England. The bride comes to Eobert ^down 
 out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her hus- 
 band' ; — so is it with all true believers." 
 
 "But, brother Ellwood, was it not accident that she 
 meets, then, with young Mr. Robert, for I shall embrace 
 him as a child of Yogi?" 
 
 "Not an accident by any means. It was prophesied 
 twenty years ago that we should be in England, by my 
 wife, in her fortieth year. More, that she should have 
 a daughter who should, in that year, be received by the 
 Queen. By the Queen, mark you. Prince. Who knew 
 twenty years ago, but the angels, that a queen should 
 still sit on the throne of England ? Why not a King ?" 
 
 "The Yogi, then, you say, only triumphs over phy- 
 sical deformity; and that immortality is from genera- 
 tion to generation; so shall it be. I thank you, most 
 wonderful physician, who thus dost ^minister to a mind 
 diseased.' I pray you consider the Rajah of Punjabar 
 not only as your humble patient, but as your greatest 
 friend also. We return to the Palace !' 
 
 §T() 
 
A CHANCE DISCOVERY. 
 
 XXXVI. 
 
 " I HE Eajah, by reason of the information imparted 
 ■^ to him by Dr. Ellwood, during their conversation 
 in the ancient ruin, now ceased to look upon Esther 
 with a view to matrimony. Though still under the spell 
 of her influence, he tried hard to transform the feelings 
 of a lover into those of a simple friendliness for both 
 the young people. But Dr. Ellwood and Eobert, who 
 had both been gratified by this change in the demeanour 
 of the Prince toward Esther, were now confronted with 
 and confounded by a circumstance which altered the 
 whole aspect of the situation ; this was nothing less than 
 the unlooked-for behaviour of Esther herself. 
 
 During the last few days Eobert had seemed to see 
 in her a change of manner and a revelation of certain 
 moods hitherto unnoticed by him. This was particu- 
 larly so upon the approach of the stately Indian; for 
 then her face would light up with unusual brilliancy and 
 pleasure, and it soon became evident that a new atmos- 
 phere was pervading her life, and that she was drifting 
 under the influence of the Prince. Dr. Ellwood, to 
 counteract this tendency, had purposely made it incon- 
 venient for Esther to prosecute further her violin 
 lessons; moreover, he held more frequent readings with 
 her for her course of legal study, which had latterly 
 been allowed to lag somewhat. The completion of these 
 
 271 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 studies had been her main ambition, for, with her father, 
 she had always held that every woman, like every man, 
 should have some definite career marked out for them 
 which could be stepped into in case of need. Although 
 her work might never result in actual legal practice, 
 she was so strongly in sympathy with the slaving and 
 harassed millions of humanity, that her conscience gave 
 her no rest in her aspirations to find some method for 
 the solving of the great problems of social reform. Bui 
 now she seemed to waver between conflicting impulses 
 and influences. Her girlish love for Eobert had be- 
 come interwoven with a subjection to the irresistible 
 magnetism of the Rajah. Noticing the tempest of the 
 mind which had thus suddenly overtaken his beloved 
 Esther, Dr. Ellwood considered what course it behooved 
 him to take in the matter. 
 
 "What does it mean?" he thought. "Can I who 
 have held forth theory as a law unto Robert, now deny 
 it to the Rajah ? Is love a light of spiritual attraction, 
 or is it a part of human reason? Certainly we held 
 that, in the bloom of youth, in tastes and in the har- 
 monies of life, Robert and Esther were a part of each 
 other's existence. But now, a new emotional power in- 
 trudes itself, an unexpected element is working, and 
 what can it be leading to?" 
 
 What complicated matters was that the Prince, of all 
 persons, seemed to be entirely unconscious of the heart- 
 burning which his presence was causing among the little 
 circle at Monterey. He devoted himself almost ex- 
 clusively to Robert and Esther, more especially the 
 former, for whose talents he professed the greatest ad- 
 miration. Esther, in her innocence, yielded to his won- 
 derful influence, and expressed open pleasure at his 
 
 272 
 
A CHANCE DISCOYEKY. 
 
 approach. A ne^ light seemed to be crossing her path, 
 and one of its rays seemed to have illumined an unex- 
 plored chamber of her soul. She could not resist the 
 impulse to encourage his friendship, which seemed in 
 no way to her to be intrusive, and which appeared also 
 to be equally bestowed upon Eobert as upon herself. 
 
 Eobert, who was ignorant as yet of the conversation 
 which had taken place between the Prince and Dr. Ell- 
 wood, held strangely mixed feelings towards the royal 
 guest. He was attracted by his unusual mastery over 
 the violin, and took extreme pleasure in playing duets 
 with him in the music room. The music became a bond 
 between them, just as an invisible link seemed to bind 
 the Rajah to Esther. But one day Robert had occasion 
 to visit the bedroom of the Prince, in search of some 
 music, and upon opening a drawer beheld, to his aston- 
 ishment, lying in the letter case, the portrait of his own 
 betrothed. Not knowing, of course, of this picture hav- 
 ing been long ago treasured in the Prince's cabinet at 
 Paris, he was struck dumb at the discovery. Up to this 
 time his feeling toward the Indian had been one of 
 friendship, tempered by an instinctive fear of his power- 
 ful personality; but this last incident swept away in a 
 moment the fabric of intimacy that had been formed 
 between them, and forced him to look upon the Prince 
 henceforth as a rival, a powerful rival ; for he recognized 
 his influence even over himself. 
 
 Robert managed to strncrgle through the rest of the 
 evening in his duet with the Rajah, and, bidding Esther 
 a constrained good night, retired to sleepless hours and 
 disturbed meditations. It was perfectly clear to him 
 that not only was the Prince remaining now as a rival 
 for Esther's affections, but he had come within the spirit- 
 
 ?T3 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 ual field, as naturally as Eobert himself ; it was destiny 
 which had thrown them together, and Eobert felt him- 
 self powerless in the presence of the Eajah. Yet one 
 thing in those long hours of meditation he told himself 
 he should do. He should speak frankly with Esther, 
 school himself to meet the Prince squarely, and in a 
 manly way face the situation. And yet, in spite of all, 
 he could not bring himself to realize that his pure court- 
 ship of Esther, his intrepid and independent attitude 
 towards his father, his industrious musical labours had 
 been in vain. He could not divest the exalted character 
 of the Rajah of its certain sense of magnanimity; and 
 he could not feel that the situation before him was real. 
 
 When the morning dawned, Robert passed out from 
 the marble portals of the palace and down the declivity 
 leading to the cascade, and was about to enter the ruined 
 chapel, when, to his surprise, he beheld the Rajah him- 
 self sitting upon a bench and behaving in a peculiar 
 manner. The young man paused in simple astonish- 
 ment. The devotional exercises of the Prince, while in- 
 telligible to Dr. Ellwood, were entirely unknown to 
 Robert, and as he watched him at a safe distance he 
 wondered if the Rajah had gone mad. 
 
 After his exercises were finished, the Indian rose and 
 in a stately manner, raising his face heavenward and 
 with his arms extended wide apart, he bowed, bringing 
 his arms together in front, somewhat after the manner 
 of the moslem salaam; then, erect and dignified, he 
 wended his way back towards the palace. Robert re- 
 mained open-mouthed, leaning against the crotch of a 
 gray and gnarled cork tree. In a few moments he had 
 collected his senses, and as his thoughts, aroused by these 
 p^+^aordinary experiences, went out to Esther and to 
 
 274 
 
A CHANCE DISCOVERY. 
 
 the Doctor and to the home at Kings Gardens, and away 
 back to the long chain of the past year's events, he more 
 than ever convinced himself that some effort must be 
 made to counteract this powerful, uncanny influence, 
 which beset not only the path of Esther but w^as en- 
 dangering the happiness of the whole family. 
 
 Eobert sought out Dr. Ellwood immediately after 
 breakfast, and explained frankly to him that it had been 
 his intention to talk matters over with Esther, and that 
 should he discover that her peace of mind was in any 
 manner at stake or dependent upon the Rajah's friend- 
 ship, then he would do everything that was right and 
 proper for her happiness. 
 
 "But, Dr. Ellwood,'' Robert said, ''do you not think 
 that it would be a serious thing for Esther to become 
 enamoured of so eccentric a being, though he be inter- 
 esting ?" 
 
 "Certainly I do, my dear Robert, although you can 
 not comprehend the real character of the Prince from 
 this slight acquaintanceship. Moreover, from my knowl- 
 edge of his honourable nature, his lofty aims and his 
 sincere aspirations, I do not for a moment consider the 
 friendship which the Prince has exhibited for both 
 you and Esther as intended to disturb your feelings 
 towards each other. But as regards Esther, there I am 
 in doubt. She seems to be attracted to the Rajah in 
 some way. It may be that she is being guided by the 
 Spirit and controlled in this strange manner for some 
 end or object unseen by us, in the attainment of which 
 the Rajah plays an important part." 
 
 *TEIe certainly does seem to be playing an import- 
 ant part at the present moment," said Robert rather 
 ironically. 
 
 !75 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 The Doctor could not repress a half-smile as he re- 
 plied: "Yes, but you must remember that Esther's 
 bearing toward yourself has not altered in any way, nor 
 do I believe that her affection has been undermined by 
 this friendship of hers for the Prince. The more I think 
 of it the more I am convinced that Esther unconsciously 
 sees in the Prince a factor indispensable in some way to 
 your future careers, one perhaps that will some day be 
 of immeasurable service to you both, one whose friend- 
 ship she is being impelled to secure. But time alone 
 will decide whether I am right or wrong, so let us 
 wait in patience for a little while, until the truth is 
 revealed to us." 
 
 Eobert was obliged to be content for the present with 
 this hardly satisfactory prospect, and as the days passed 
 by, there seemed to be but little change in the existing 
 state of things; rather, on the other hand, an increase 
 of mystery and further doubt. 
 
 270 
 
AN ANXIOUS MOMENT. 
 
 XXXVII. 
 
 As the spring slipped away, tlie party broke up and 
 ■ the family returned for the London season. The 
 Prince returned to the rooms previously described, 
 which he occupied in Paris, and remained there for some 
 days, invisible to everyone save his immediate attendant. 
 His first act was to replace Esther's photograph within 
 the cabinet. It had brought into the ascetic life of the 
 Hindu a new element, which had aroused many latent 
 impulses in his character. Try as he would he could 
 not battle against a strong desire to see Esther, and 
 within a week he was in London. He did not, however, 
 betake himself to Kings Gardens to call openly on the 
 Ellwoods, but passed by the house in the evening and 
 saw Esther as she stepped from the porch to the carriage, 
 with her parents and Eobert; he then returned to his 
 hotel. 
 
 Eobert found several letters waiting for him at his 
 lodgings, including two from his family. The most 
 important one of these, from his father, caused him con- 
 siderable sorrow, more by reason of its tone than because 
 of the nature of its contents. It was to the effect that 
 Mr. Thornton was about to make a re-disposition of his 
 property, but before doing so wished to give his son one 
 more chance of deciding between fortune and compara- 
 tive poverty. If Eobert were to renounce all ideas of 
 
 277 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 a musical life and, returning to Beasley Manor, submit 
 to his father's wishes, then everything would be as before 
 their separation. If, on the contrary, he pursued the 
 full course of his folly, Mr. Thornton proposed to leave 
 his eldest son a small annual income, while the bulk of 
 the property would go to other members of the family. 
 
 The other letter was from Dorothy, who wrote in a 
 manner very different from her usual light-hearted 
 style. Her father, she said, had fondly entertained up 
 to this time some slight hope that Eobert, after a few 
 months of musical life and deprivation of those luxuries 
 and honours to which he had always been accustomed, 
 might change his mind and return to the old path. He 
 had, however, now come to the conclusion that his son 
 was perfectly serious, and so must be dealt with in an 
 exemplary manner. Dorothy feared therefore that if 
 her brother did not do something towards conciliating 
 his irate father, the matter would end in his being dis- 
 owned altogether. She prayed Eobert accordingly to 
 try to find out some means of compromising the matter, 
 or else she feared that his future was in danger of being 
 harassed by difficulty and distress. 
 
 These letters, as has been said, gave our young friend 
 no small amount of grief and uneasiness. His father, 
 he thought, had become blinded by anger and disappoint- 
 ment, and was now beginning to treat him unjustly. 
 The unkind spirit apparent in the words of his letter 
 further increased the gloom he had been experiencing 
 the past few days. For, in spite of Dr. Ell wood's en- 
 couraging advice to him, he could not feel that Esther's 
 feelings towards him were not changing. She seemed 
 to be just as interested as ever in the Prince, and to 
 his way of thinking to be just as much under his spell. 
 
 378 
 
AN ANXIOUS MOMENT. 
 
 Was he then about to lose both bride and fortune? In- 
 deed, it looked very much like it. But yet he could 
 throw blame upon no one. It was his action, and his 
 only, that had brought upon himself the anger of his 
 father; and if Esther really was in love with the Eajah, 
 then he would be generous, forego his suit, and renounce 
 her to his successful rival. Yet this was the bitterest 
 thought of all. Esther had, during the past two years, 
 been his stay, his pillar of strength, the still small voice 
 urging him to mount higher and higher on the rungs of 
 the ladder of fame; and was his inspiration and his 
 strength now to be taken away from him? Perhaps an 
 entirely unbiased person of abnormally clear judgment 
 might not have seen in all this so much cause for appre- 
 hension; but Robert was now a prey to violent and con- 
 flicting emotions. It was the first really great trial of 
 his life, and it is no wonder that he was dazed for a 
 moment and deprived of his clearer faculties. 
 
 For Esther was, in the opinion of everyone, acting in 
 a manner calculated to cause considerable concern. She 
 was distrait, full of strange fancies, and what excited 
 attention most of all was a habit she had acquired of 
 going to the front windows and looking out, apparently 
 expecting to see some one. To add to the uneasy feeling 
 which pervaded the air, Walter rushed into the house 
 excitedly one morning, and said: 
 
 "WTiom do you think I saw coming around the corner 
 just now? The Rajah of Punjabar. You would not 
 have known him, he looked so thin and hollow-eyed." 
 
 Esther^s face turned crimson, and she rushed up- 
 stairs to her bedroom. Happily Robert was not present ; 
 but the event disturbed the household. Could it be 
 possible that some understanding existed between Esther 
 and the Rajah? 
 
 279 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 It was more than likely from appearances, at least; 
 and it was apparent to all that a crisis of some sort was 
 at hand. Events progressed rapidly. The very next 
 day Dr. Ellwood was met suddenly by the Prince, who 
 did not hesitate to say that he had watched daily to 
 meet him of late, as he had something very particular to 
 say to him. They strolled to the Park, where the Eajah 
 related how Esther had confided to him, in Portugal, 
 her fear that Mr. Thornton would take a very severe 
 course with Eobert if he continued in his musical career, 
 and kept up his alliance with the Ellwood family. She 
 had told him also that she knew Mr. Thornton had en- 
 deavoured to sever the engagement and would have been 
 glad to do so, as he considered that the Ell woods were 
 responsible for many of the changes in his son's opinions. 
 
 The Eajah, it seems, acting upon this information, 
 had taken pains on his return to England to get at Mr. 
 Thornton through some confidential friends, and had 
 ascertained for certain that all of Esther's surmises were 
 true. 
 
 As Eobert had not yet communicated the contents of 
 his father's letter to the Ellwoods, this piece of news 
 coming suddenly upon Dr. Ellwood filled him with 
 anger and resentment. He reflected for a few minutes 
 on the awkward tangle into which everything had been 
 thrown, and was roused by the Eajah, who, in a subdued 
 but expectant voice, asked: 
 
 ''And Esther, what will she do?" 
 
 It was the first time that the Prince had ever spoken 
 thus familiarly of Esther, and the Doctor was non- 
 plussed. He saw that the climax of affairs was at hand, 
 so, taking the address of the Eajah, and promising to 
 communicate with him at once. Dr. Ellwood hastened 
 
 280 
 
AN ANXIOUS MOMENT. 
 
 home to confer with Eleanor. 
 
 Eleanor, when she had heard the story and had 
 listened to the excited fears and anxieties of the Doctor, 
 quietly expostulated with him, and finally said: 
 
 "Esther's character has far more depth than you 
 think. She is Robert's afiianced bride, and as to the 
 idea of her being off with the old love and on with the 
 new, why, it is too absurd !" and she laughed heartily. 
 
 Dr. Ellwood next sought out Esther and explained 
 fully the situation to her. He told her that her real 
 happiness was his chief concern. He was fond of Rob- 
 ert, he said, but he knew that Robert would not stand 
 in the way of her desire, should the Prince hold any 
 place in her heart. Esther turned her large eyes upon 
 her father and said : 
 
 "You do not understand. I felt that Robert's father, 
 from what I saw of him, was a man who never swerved 
 from his purpose. I told the Prince one day about it, 
 when he saw that I was anxious, and he said that he 
 knew many people in England who, he believed, would 
 help Robert, if he would let them. But when he saw 
 how sensitive Robert was, he evidently did not speak to 
 him about it. He promised me, however, that when we 
 got back to England he would at all events find out for 
 me through his friends, what Mr. Thornton's real feel- 
 ings were towards his son, and if my apprehensions were 
 correct. It seems now, alas, that they have been so." 
 
 '^Then," said her father, "that was why you expected 
 him, and have been waiting and looking out of the 
 window so anxiously of late?" 
 
 "Certainly, I have been expecting him every day, and 
 the anticipation of bad news for Robert has driven every- 
 thing else out of my head." 
 
 281 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 "By the bye, the Eajah asked me a question which 1 
 hardly knew how to answer/' 
 
 "And what was that ?" said Esther, looking demurely 
 at her father. 
 
 "He asked me what you were going to do/' 
 
 "What am I going to do, father?" 
 
 "That is for you to say, my darling. But don't you 
 think it is better to leave it for Eobert to decide ?" 
 
 *^*Dear Eobert!" said Esther, "it is a sorry choice be- 
 tween me and fortune. It torments me to think that 
 maybe I am the cause of his father acting so severely 
 towards him." 
 
 "If his father is too severe, Eobert may be willing 
 to dispense with his father's aid. Besides our own little 
 fortune, there is no doubt that his works will succeed. 
 It is only a question of time. So I suppose I can write 
 to the Eajah that Esther is going to do whatever Eobert 
 decides is best in regard to his father?" 
 
 "And I think you might add also that Eobert and 
 Esther have not forgotten his kindness in Portugal, and 
 that they thank him again for his trying to help them 
 with Mr. Thornton. Was he coming here when you 
 met him ?" 
 
 "No, I think not. He was near here a short time ago ; 
 for Walter saw him, and his actions seemed strange, as 
 if he had been ill, you know/' 
 
 "Then, father, why not bring him here for a time 
 and give him medical treatment ?" 
 
 "You do not understand, Esther. We think he took 
 such a great liking for you that he is some way disap- 
 pointed at you and Eobert not giving each other up." 
 
 "How perfectly dreadful ! You can't mean that there 
 was any idea of the Prince interfering between Eobert 
 and me ?" 
 
 282 
 
AN ANXIOUS MOMENT. 
 
 "We do not know. But many things have occurred 
 which caused us anxiety." 
 
 "Yes/' said Esther simply, "I have noticed it of late, 
 and am sorry if I have aroused any apprehension among 
 you, or been the cause of some misunderstanding. My 
 sentiment towards the Prince is one of friendship and 
 that alone; but I have felt within me for some time a 
 power urging me to consummate and strengthen that 
 friendship; something tells me that a good deed done 
 some day by him will be the key to imlock the door which 
 leads to Eobert's success." 
 
 "Why did you not explain all this to us before ?" asked 
 her father, relieved and satisfied at his correct diagnosis 
 of her mental state. 
 
 "Because I was not able at first to comprehend or ex- 
 amine my feelings." 
 
 '^I am very glad, then, that we now understand mat- 
 ters clearly ; but I am afraid that it has placed the Prince 
 in a rather awkward light, and this, I think, he slightly 
 feels." 
 
 "Then the quicker we see the Prince and make light 
 of it the better," quoth Eleanor, entering at that moment. 
 "I shall write and invite him to dinner to-morrow." 
 
 The letter of invitation was duly sent to the Eajah 
 who wrote an immediate response. He was setting out, 
 he said, that very moment for Paris, from which place 
 he was going on to India, having been suddenly called 
 back; but his errand in London having been only par- 
 tially completed, it would be to him a very great pleasure 
 when he returned in the autumn to visit them once 
 again. 
 
 That same evening Eobert called at the house, for the 
 purpose of communicating to his friends the contents 
 
 283 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 of his f ather^s letter. On being ask^d as to what answer 
 he intended to make he replied : 
 
 "I shall say that much as I regret my incapacity to 
 fulfil his wishes^ I cannot deviate from my present line 
 of work." 
 
 "But/^ remarked Dr. Ellwood, "suppose your father 
 should go to the extreme measure of withdrawing from 
 you all monetary support^ what will you do then T' 
 
 "Do my best to live without his assistance/^ answered 
 Robert quietly. 
 
 There was no bravado in this reply, only resignation 
 and sober determination. The hearts of all went im- 
 mediately out to him, and little Harold squeezed his 
 hand under the table. 
 
 "Never mind, my boy,^^ said Dr. Ellwood, warmly, 
 "let your father do what he will, there is always a home 
 for you here." 
 
 "Yes, Robert," said Esther, coming from behind and 
 putting her arms round his neck, "and true hearts to 
 love you, in spite of anything that may take place." 
 
 Robert, overcome by this spontaneous burst of friendly 
 feeling, could not reply for several moments; but when 
 he did so, it was to express his deep gratitude for such 
 sincere and natural sympathy. The Doctor seized this 
 favourable opportunity to explain the complications of 
 the last few weeks ; and before Robert left that evening 
 everything was just as it had been before they started 
 on their eventful trip to Portugal. 
 
 284 
 
AN UNEXPECTED BENEFACTCR. 
 
 XXXYIII. 
 
 ROBERT THORNTON'S answer to his father's 
 letter was the final act of dissociation in sym- 
 pathy between the two men. Though he received no 
 counter reply, he knew that his sire was a man of his 
 word, and that his written declarations were not merely 
 so many wasted penstrokes. But our young friend cared 
 little for this; he was supremely happy now that the 
 imaginary cloud of danger that had seemed to float over 
 the head of his beloved Esther had quite passed away. 
 Perhaps if he had not gone through the mental struggle 
 of the past few weeks he would not have been reconciled 
 to his parent's injustice, but all else was now forgotten 
 in the joy of renewed intercourse and frank confidence. 
 
 One of those who followed with extreme interest this 
 course of true love was Lord Reginald Blake. He had 
 had for some time in his head a scheme by which he 
 thought he could lend Robert a helping hand, by giving 
 him that opportunity of distinguishing himself without 
 which even the greatest geniuses must remain mute to 
 the world. On his return from Portugal he at once 
 proceeded to put this idea into action. 
 
 One morning Robert found on the table of his little 
 dining-room an invitation to dinner from the Blakes at 
 their Hampstead residence. The note, which was in- 
 formal, also hinted at the possibility of certain other 
 
 285 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 persons being present whom Eobeit might care to meet. 
 The young man at once accepted the invitation, and it 
 was with a certain degree of curiosity and anticipation 
 that on the following evening he walked out of the 
 Hampstead station and up the hill leading to the Blake's 
 well-known mansion. On entering the drawing-room he 
 found there about half-a-dozen guests, some of whom 
 were already known to him. Two of the men, however, 
 were complete strangers, and he imagined, though it 
 might have been mere fancy on his part, that they both 
 had glanced at him very keenly on his entrance. As the 
 dinner-gong sounded almost immediately, they went 
 straight into the dining-room. At the conclusion of the 
 meal, when the ladies had retired. Lord Reginald, draw- 
 ing up his chair to the table with an air of business, 
 turned to Robert and said: 
 
 "I have asked these gentlemen to come here, Robert, 
 in order that you might make their acquaintance. I 
 have explained to them who you are, and the awkward 
 position in which you stand to your family. Perhaps 
 you are not aware that I am one of the syndicate now 
 responsible for the annual opera season at the Royal 
 Opera House, of which Lord Easton here is the chair- 
 man." 
 
 The personage referred to by Lord Reginald was a tall, 
 slender, middle-aged man, with a gentle and aristocratic 
 bearing. His countenance, rather fixed and immobile, 
 was relieved by benevolent and kindly eyes. 
 
 "My friend Mr. Sefton," continued the speaker, in- 
 dicating a younger, stouter, and more commercial-look- 
 ing individual, "is the general business manager. Both 
 of these gentlemen are old friends of mine, and would 
 not object, I know, to grant any small favour that I 
 
 286 
 
AN UNEXPECTED BENEFACTOE. 
 
 might ask of them. So to-night they are here for the 
 purpose of hearing you play some of your compositions, 
 and if from their point of view — for, as you know, both 
 art and business must be considered — they should prove 
 to be satisfactory, we can procure for you an entree to 
 the Opera House, where if a work of youTS is accepted 
 and makes a successful appearance, you may count on a 
 subsequent career of unhindered progress/^ 
 
 Eobert was too surprised and delighted at the sudden- 
 ness of this piece of good fortune and the vista of 
 unlimited possibilities that it opened up before him, to 
 make an immediate answer. Visions of success floated 
 through his brain; he could picture to himself the 
 crowded house, the enthusiastic audience, and the '^^roar- 
 ing and the wreaths." At last he managed to stammer 
 out, "You are most kind to me. Lord Eeginald; this is 
 something which I had never anticipated; and whether 
 my works are so fortunate as to please these gentlemen or 
 not, I shall always be grateful to you for your efforts on 
 my behalf." 
 
 "Then let us go into the drawing-room at once," 
 said Lord Easton rising; "my wife, who is a far better 
 musician than I am, is, I know, anxious to hear Mr 
 Thornton play." 
 
 Lord Eeginald led the way, followed by his friends 
 and Eobert, the latter's heart beating with hope and 
 excitement, into the next room, where the ladies, com- 
 fortably esconced in easy chairs, were impatiently await- 
 ing their coming. After a few minutes' conversation. 
 Lady Blake approached the young m^an and led him to 
 where the grand piano stood in a recess by the window. 
 
 In order that he might become accustomed to the 
 touch of a strange instrument, Eobert first ran through 
 
 287 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 one or two small familiar pieces; then, turning to his 
 audience, he said that he would now play them a 
 dramatic scena from the operatic work on which he was 
 engaged, after having first explained to them its position 
 in and connection with the rest of the plot. To this 
 he added an entracte and song from the same work, 
 followed them up with some piano compositions of his 
 own, and concluded with a pretty bacarolle for string 
 orchestra. All these being entirely new to the listeners, 
 they could not on a first hearing gauge exactly their 
 actual standard of merit; but after the performance was 
 over, Lady Easton, who might be said to be the con- 
 noisseur of the party, came up to the young musician and 
 said: 
 
 "To me, Mr. Thornton, your work is most interesting, 
 full of melody and charm, and I should like to hear 
 much more of it, especially the rest of the opera that 
 you have been speaking about. Can you come to my 
 house next Sunday, bring the score of it with you, and 
 play it through to my husband and myself? We can 
 then obtain a better idea of the whole work, and judge 
 of its practical capacity for stage representation." 
 
 This invitation was at once accepted by Eobert, who, 
 encouraged and flattered by the compliments paid him 
 by the rest of the guests, now felt like playing all night. 
 Thus, with music and talk, the evening passed rapidly 
 away until it was time to depart. Before leaving, how- 
 ever, both of the gentlemen associated with the Opera 
 House management shook Eobert warmly by the hand, 
 and said that they looked forward to seeing him soon 
 again, and becoming better acquainted with such a 
 promising musician. Eobert waited until the last 
 guest had gone, and then again thanked Lord Eeginald 
 
 288 
 
AN UNEXPECTED BENEFACTOK. 
 
 for the unusTially kind interest he had taken in his career, 
 asserting, and very justly too, that if it had not been for 
 him such a chance as this would never have come in his 
 way. 
 
 "Tut, tut, my boy," answered the kind-hearted old 
 man, 'Vhat I am doing is nothing at all. I am certain 
 that, given an opportunity, you are bound to succeed, 
 and I also know that success is the only thing that will 
 convince your father. You put your heart and soul into 
 your work and leave the engineering part of the business 
 to me. Another word of advice in your ear: you have 
 succeeded in making an impression on Lady Easton, and 
 you must at once set about improving the shining hour. 
 She is the real power behind the throne ; get her worked 
 into a state of enthusiasm, and your game is won." 
 
 On the next day Robert lost no time in putting into 
 presentable condition that portion of his opera which 
 was really completed. Following illustrious example, 
 he had acted as his own librettist. He had planned his 
 work in four acts, and had the groundwork of the entire 
 musical portion mapped in his mind, but had copied out 
 only about one-half on paper. Of this he wrote out a 
 copy for Lady Easton to look over, while he himself 
 played from his rough sketches, and added, besides, one 
 or two single numbers from the third and fourth acts, 
 so that she might have a comprehensive idea of what the 
 whole work would be like when actually finished. 
 
 Sunday arrived, and the young man, with his port- 
 folio under his arm, presented himself at the door of the 
 Eastons^ residence, a handsome stone house in Grosvenor 
 Square. He was shown into the music room. Lady 
 Easton, being an enthusiastic amateur, had constructed 
 a large apartment which was used for the one sacred pur- 
 
 289 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 pose only. He found awaiting him his host and hostess 
 and a stranger, who was introduced to him as Sir George 
 Lennox, the principal of one of the many London col- 
 leges of music. This music-room, which was quite 
 unique in its various appointments, was a large plainly- 
 furnished sort of hall, with a slanting roof and panelled 
 walls of oak. At one of the ends was a recess with a 
 stained-glass window, while over the door, which was 
 small and Gothic-shaped like a church entrance, had 
 been built a little gallery capable of holding some five 
 or six persons. It was into this that the three who were 
 to be listeners now ascended, while Eobert, having deliv- 
 ered the copy of the finished portion of his work into the 
 hands of Lady Easton, made his way to the piano, which 
 was handsomely framed in oak and stood upon a raised 
 platform about six inches in height. 
 
 He first played the whole of the opening act through 
 which was pretty straightforward and easy to follow, 
 and then, without waiting for comment or criticism of 
 any kind, at once went on to the second. It was in this 
 part of the opera, by far the longest section of the entire 
 work, that Eobert had managed to introduce a good deal 
 of his finest music. Containing many lyrical numbers, 
 a form most of all adapted to his special talent, it made 
 an immediate appeal to those listening, and convinced 
 them at once of the sincerity and power of the com- 
 poser. Indeed, at the end of the long concerted piece 
 that closed this act Lady Easton clapped her hands de- 
 lightedly, while her two companions smiled approval 
 from their Olympian heights. Eobert played a few scat- 
 tered numbers from the third and fourth acts, and then 
 the party above descended to base earth again. There 
 was no mistaking the genuine impression that the ycimir 
 
 290 
 
AN UNEXPECTED BENEFACTOR. 
 
 musician had succeeded in creating ; the comments of the 
 
 two amateurs were laudatory, while the professional man 
 at their side, to whom Robert really looked for a reason- 
 able criticism, was genially complimentary. On a 
 servant announcing that tea was ready, they moved into 
 the drawing-room. 
 
 "Both my husband and myself, Mr. Thornton,^^ said 
 Lady Easton, while helping the young man to some tea, 
 "have been agreeably surprised and gratified to find that 
 what we have heard to-day strengthens and confirms our 
 favourable opinion of last Thursday. I myself have 
 nothing but praise for the portion of the opera that you 
 have played to us this afternoon, and I think that Sir 
 George Lennox shares in our feeling of pleasure.'^ 
 
 "Yes,'^ said the eminent musician, "Mr. Thornton 
 is a welcome and distinguished addition to our ranks, 
 and the more acceptable as we had begun to despair of 
 the younger generation of British composers." 
 
 It may be imagined what a thrill of satisfaction 
 Robert at that moment felt, at hearing words like these 
 from the mouth of so able and critical an authority. 
 Sir George continued in a still more flattering vein : 
 
 "And as far as I can judge, Mr. Thornton's work 
 stands quite apart from that of any other English writer 
 of the present day. Though he is still a very young 
 man, at least for a composer, and experience will conse- 
 quently be of immense aid to him, he nevertheless betrays 
 an insight into the root principles of music and its emo- 
 tional and aesthetic significance, that is almost entirely 
 absent in the work of young composers of to-day. I do 
 not wish to make a hasty judgment, for I should like to 
 hear much more of Mr. Thornton's music, but I think 
 that he has before him both a successful and a brilliant 
 
 291 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 career. The achievement in the work I have heard 
 to-day is considerable, but the promise is even much 
 greater. As I have said, what Mr. Thornton wants is 
 simply experience and practical knowledge, and if my 
 advice can be of any help to him he is quite welcome to 
 come to me whenever he finds himself in difficulty or 
 doubt.^' 
 
 Kobert thanked the speaker warmly for his kind offer 
 and promised to avail himself of it on the first necessary 
 occasion. Lord Easton then turning to Sir George, 
 said: 
 
 "This meeting originated from the suggestion of Lord 
 Blake, who takes a great interest in Mr. Thornton, and 
 would like to see one of his works produced at the Opera- 
 House. I am aware that that is impossible this year, 
 for the season is already in full swing, and the opera in 
 question is but half completed. Next year, however, we 
 shall be producing some novelties, and if the board of 
 management agree, why not Mr. Thornton^s Opera? 
 Much, therefore, depends on the final state of the work, 
 the last act is still entirely unknown to us, and of course 
 we should all have to hear the opera played through from 
 beginning to end." 
 
 "I have the rest of the opera sketched out," said Eob- 
 ert, "it simply means the welding together of the loose 
 material." 
 
 "Then as soon as it is quite completed let us know, 
 and we will have another meeting, to which I shall invite 
 a few more musical men who will help us to decide 
 definitely. But I think that those here can all assure 
 Mr. Thornton that what we have already heard has es- 
 tablished an abiding impression, and that we have 
 confidence in his ability to bring the rest of his work to 
 
 292 
 
AN UNEXPECTED BENEFACTOR. 
 
 a successful termination/^ 
 
 Then the gathering broke up, Eobert on his way back 
 to his lodgings stopping at Kings G-ardens to make 
 known to the Ellwoods all that had taken place. Great 
 rejoicing on the part of all the family greeted the narra- 
 tion of his story, and he was invited to remain for the 
 Sunday evening supper. They were just about to sit 
 down to the meal when a violent ring of the front door 
 bell re-echoed through the house, startling the little 
 circle assembled at the table. Who could it be at this 
 time of day ? Walter ran to the window of the drawing- 
 room and exclaimed : 
 
 '^'It is a man in the Blake livery." 
 
 Dr. Ellwood, wondering somewhat, went to the door 
 himself, and on opening it, a footman exhibiting signs 
 of agitation and alarm, stepped hastily in and handed 
 him a note. Dr. Ellwood rapidly tore it open and read 
 as follows : 
 
 'Tjord Eeginald has been seized by an unusually 
 severe attack; come at once." 
 
 593 
 
DARKNESS AND LIGHT. 
 
 XXXIX. 
 
 WHEN Dr. Ell wood arrived at Hampstead he 
 found the household in a state of great ex- 
 citement. He was at once ushered upstairs into the 
 room of Lord Eeginald, who lay motionless and speech- 
 less on the bed, struck down by the terrible hand of 
 paralysis. The Doctor was deeply affected at seeing 
 his old friend, who but a few days before seemed to be 
 well and hearty, now lying helpless. On inquiry he 
 found out that his lordship had been ailing for a little 
 time back, and so had been advised to remain more in 
 the house. He had gone out on the previous day, which 
 for the time of year was exceptionally rainy and cold, 
 and on re-entering the house had begun to feel very ill. 
 On the following Sunday afternoon, about tea time, he 
 had been suddenly struck down, and from that time had 
 neither moved nor spoken a word. They had at once 
 carried him up-stairs, put him into bed and sent for Dr. 
 Ellwood. The practised eye of the latter saw at a 
 glance that things had gone very far with the old man. 
 It was a case of complete paralysis, and that in a man 
 of such advanced age was invariably fatal. 
 
 His first step was to send back word to his family 
 that he would not be returning to Kings Garden that 
 night, and that they were to pack up and give to the 
 messenger, his necessary articles of dress; his next was 
 
 294 
 
DAEKNESS AND LIGHT. 
 
 to soothe, as much as possible, the distracted wife, after 
 which he directed his attention to the patient himself. 
 On the following day relations, alarmed by the serious 
 news, began to call in numbers, and the front door was 
 besieged by anxious inquirers ; for the old man had been 
 a favourite in all circles of society. Medical talent from 
 every branch of the profession was called in, but, alas, 
 to no purpose, for on the fourth day of his seizure Lord 
 Eeginald passed quietly away without uttering another 
 word, surrounded by a group of sorrowing friends. 
 
 The sad event was felt most keenly by the little circle 
 at Kings Gardens, for there the old Lord had been a 
 frequent and welcome visitor. Eobert, too, was thun- 
 derstruck by the suddenness of the blow, for it was only 
 a week before that he had seen Lord Eeginald in the 
 bloom of health, talked and laughed with him, and now 
 he walked the earth with them no more. How strange 
 it was, too, that the last effort of his life should have 
 been that signal act of generosity and benevolence 
 towards himself, which might prove the foundation of 
 his whole future. If the good old man could only have 
 lived to see the fulfilment of his excellent intentions, it 
 surely would have gladdened his heart, if Eobert, on the 
 night of a great success, could have said to him, "It is to 
 you, and you alone, that I owe all this." But no. The 
 words of gratitude that the young musician would fain 
 some day have spoken could be breathed only in spirit, 
 and heard, who shall gainsay, by the spirit. 
 
 Lady Blake was completely overwhelmed by this 
 dreadful stroke of fate, and fled in dismay from the 
 vast mansion at Hampstead to the cosy and hospitable 
 shelter at Kings Gardens. Here she remained for 
 months, until she had recovered from the effects of the 
 sudden calamity. 
 
 295 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 But in the course of time, which ultimately assuages 
 all griefs, things resumed once more their natural and 
 wonted state. The summer months passed rapidly by 
 and brown autumn began to come in. Mr. Thornton, 
 although he did not, as it was feared he might do, ignore 
 his son altogether, granted him such an allowance as 
 was just adequate for his own needs but entirely insuffi- 
 cient to marry upon. It was plain to the young man 
 that there was little encouragement to be hoped for from 
 his father, so he threw himself into his work with re- 
 doubled energy. He had laboured night and day, toiled 
 like a slave chained to the oar, and denied himself even 
 a short summer holiday. One bright morning in Sep- 
 tember he opened the window of his bedroom and gazed 
 up and down the yet silent street with a mingled feeling 
 of triumph and relief. He had finished the opera. The 
 work that was to be but the forerunner of many others 
 like it, was at last complete, and the final penstrokes 
 were now drying on the title-page. After the fevered 
 labours of the past few months he could now well aiford 
 to rest on his oars for a little time. A few days' change 
 of air would be beneficial to him, and deciding to spend 
 a week or so in the country, he bethousrht him at once 
 of his alma mater, ancient and well-beloved Oxford. He 
 therefore scribbled a short note to Esther saying that 
 he would be away for a short time out of town, took a 
 cab to Paddington, boarded the train, and at a still 
 early hour of the morning arrived at his destination. 
 
 It was a few hours after Robert's departure that down 
 the quiet street in which his lodgings were situated there 
 slowly walked a man, who every now and then paused 
 to look up at the numbers of the houses. He finally 
 stopped short in front of Eobert's dwelling, and, ring- 
 
 296 
 
DAEKNESS AND LIGHT. 
 
 ing the bell, inquired of the servant who answered the 
 call, if Mr. Thornton was at home. On being told that 
 he was away, and was not expected to return for several 
 days, the stranger showed evident disappointment, and 
 reflecting for a few minutes, said that he would call 
 again in a week^s time. He then departed. 
 
 Esther also during these many months had been by 
 no means idle. She saw clearly that Mr. Thornton's 
 estrangement from Robert was a circumstance that 
 tended to postpone for some considerable time the mar- 
 riage between Robert and herself. And even if it did 
 eventually take place, unless Robert had extraordinary 
 good fortune with the Opera-House authorities, it would 
 be something of a struggle for them both. Her father's 
 fortune, she knew, had been diminished by recent losses, 
 so that she and Robert would have to depend almost 
 entirely on their own efforts. And then she was uneasy 
 about the fate of the opera with the deciding members 
 of the Sjmdicate. The death of Lord Reginald had de- 
 prived her lover of a powerful friend, and it was possible 
 that the authorities might now look upon Robert with 
 different eyes. She had, therefore, conceived the noble 
 idea of assisting herself in the battle of life which was 
 before them, by devoting her energies to a line of work 
 that would produce results of material benefit. Her law 
 studies were of no avail in England, but the many hours 
 given to the mastering of the principles of art would 
 serve as a basis for a real art career. 
 
 Already proficient in modelling and decorative work, 
 she now gave herself up to the task of perfecting her 
 drawing and colouring. Her progress was wonderfully 
 sure and rapid, and she had, moreover, the valuable 
 assistance of her father, whose long acquaintance with 
 
 297 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 many of the best painters had given him a wide fund 
 of art knowledge. This alteration in Esther's scheme of 
 work was all for the good. Her legal studies had been 
 of inestimable use in training and disciplining the mind, 
 instilling into her essential principles of regularity and 
 order in her work. But after all, jurisprudence is a 
 limited and narrow subject for a broadening mind, and 
 Esther felt no regret on turning into the wide and inex- 
 haustible field of art. Here she found it was possible 
 to create, to startle into being creatures of the imagina- 
 tion, and this spirit of invention she carried into her 
 painting with the result that her work revealed itself 
 to be, not that of a mere imitator, but an innovator. 
 
 At Oxford the term had not yet commenced, so that 
 Robert found the town unusually quiet. The ceaseless 
 clang of bells was not to be heard, and the streets seemed 
 bare and empty, deprived of the familiar gowned figures. 
 He spent three or four days re-visiting acquaintances, 
 indulging in reminiscences and spending generally a 
 very idle time. On his return to London, he was in- 
 formed by the servant at his house of the stranger who 
 had called on the day of his departure. The only de- 
 scription of him that Eobert could elicit from the not 
 over-observant maid, was that "The gentleman seemed to 
 have a lawyer-like look about him." As this conveyed 
 but little to young Thornton, he was forced to wait 
 until the day of the promised visit arrived. Instead, 
 however, of the bodily appearance of the gentleman 
 referred to, there came the following letter, which 
 showed that the servant, after all, had not been far 
 wrong in her conjecture as to the occupation of the 
 unknown : 
 
 298 
 
DARKNESS AND LIGHT. 
 
 25, Jedburgh Street, E.G. 
 Mr. Robert Thornton — Dear Sir: 
 A representative of ours called upon you last week 
 with regard to an important matter of business. He 
 will, we regret to say, be unable to re-visit you to-morrow 
 as he had intended, by reason of his being unexpectedly 
 called away to the country. Can you find it convenient 
 to see us here in the course of the next few days? — 
 Yours faithfully, 
 
 EvANS^ Morton and Sons. 
 
 The above firm of solicitors, though personally un- 
 known to him, had, he knew, the reputation of being 
 an honourable and old established house in the City. 
 But as to the nature of the business they referred to, 
 conjecture as he would, he could discover no reason 
 w^hy any lawyers that he knew of should thus require an 
 interview. However, he wrote off a reply to say that he 
 would attend at their office on the following day, and 
 then dismissed the matter from his mind. 
 
 On the next afternoon, Robert presented himself at 
 the offices of Messrs. Evans and Morton, and was at once 
 ushered into the private room of Mr. Morton, now the 
 senior partner. The latter, who was an elderly man, 
 with iron-gray hair and wearing spectacles, rose from 
 his chair as the young man entered, and bowing in a 
 slightly old-fashioned manner, offered him a seat. 
 
 "You may not remember me, Mr. Thornton," he be- 
 gan, '^^ut I nevertheless had the pleasure of seeing you 
 some twenty years ago." 
 
 "Then I am not likely to have retained much recol- 
 lection of you," said Robejt with a smile, "for I was 
 then some three years old." 
 
 299 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 "Quite so/' said the lawyer laughing in turn, "you 
 were; it was at the house of a very respectable relative 
 of yours, whose legal adviser I have the honour to be, 
 Miss Annie Thornton." 
 
 ''My aunt," exclaimed the young man; "why, I have 
 not seen her for years." 
 
 "I know that, and I am also acquainted with the 
 reason why ; but she has by no means forgotten you." 
 
 Some ten years prior to the present stage of this 
 story. Miss Annie Thornton, a maiden lady, and the 
 elder sister of Mr. Thornton of Beasley, had had a 
 serious quarrel with her brother, which had resulted in 
 permanent estrangement. The lady shortly afterwards 
 went abroad to live, and had gradually passed out of the 
 lives of the rest of the Thornton family. She was gen- 
 erally considered an eccentric though good-hearted kind 
 of person, and was possessed of ample means. What had 
 been the precise cause of the difference betwen Mr. 
 Thornton and his sister, no one at the time had known, 
 and, as the years flew by and the chasm separating them 
 grew wider and wider, there seemed to be smaller and 
 smaller chance of any ultimate explanation. The law- 
 yer's mention of her name brought back to Eobert's 
 mind a vivid picture of the old lady, with whom he had 
 once been so great a favourite. He remembered her 
 little kindnesses, the odd shillings and sixpences bestowed 
 on him, the sweetmeats and home-made cakes, the week- 
 ends spent at her house when he was at his preparatory 
 school, and how she would send him back on Monday 
 morning, his pockets stuffed with good things which he 
 lavishly dispensed amongst the other boys. 
 
 "Dear me," he said at last, 'Tiow long ago it all seems, 
 and what pleasant memories the name of my good aunt 
 
 300 
 
DARKNESS AND I.IGHT. 
 
 brings back to me ; in spite of the unfortunate difference 
 between her and my father, I have always had a warm 
 corner for her in my heart. Did you say that she on 
 her part has not forgotten me ?" 
 
 ^^She has not, and I am glad to hear of your re- 
 ciprocal good feeling towards her, for I know that it 
 will gratify her very much to learn of it." 
 
 "Is she now in London?" asked Eobert. 
 
 "Yes, and she has been in town a good deal during 
 the past two years ; and what is more," added the lawyer, 
 "she seems to know a good deal more about your move- 
 ments than you do about hers. She is even acquainted 
 with the young lady to whom you are engaged to be 
 married, and considers, too, that she is in no way a dis- 
 credit to your good taste." 
 
 "Wonderful!" ejaculated Eobert, "and may I ask 
 how she has accomplished all this ?" 
 
 "Humph," said Mr. Morton, shrugging his shoulders ; 
 "it is not for me to hazard a guess : your aunt has the 
 reputation of doing marvellous things. But now let us 
 turn to business. Miss Thornton has recently put into 
 my hands an important matter which concerns you, Mr. 
 Thornton, to no inconsiderable degree. She is fully 
 aware of the unfortunate state of things that exists be- 
 tween you and your father, and of your determination 
 to follow a career of your own choosing. She considers 
 that your father is treating you in a manner that is 
 hardly just, and, from what she knows of his character, 
 I must say that I can support her in everything she 
 says. If you continue to act independently of your father, 
 it will result in his depriving you of that small allow- 
 ance which at present is yours only by his will and grace. 
 As you are engaged, and expect some day to be married, 
 
 301 
 
THE ELLWOOnS. 
 
 this is an uncomfortable condition of affairs. You are 
 embarking on the most stormy of all careers, with pros- 
 pects that are decidedly unstable. What do you propose 
 to do?" 
 
 "The future does certainly seem dark/' said Eobert, 
 "if all that you say be true, which I am only too in- 
 clined to think is the case. But I fail to see how all this 
 can be of interest to my aunt, who has not seen me for 
 so many years." 
 
 "Wait a bit," said his companion, "I am coming to 
 the point now. Your aunt has done something which is 
 highly generous and, at the same time, extremely rash. 
 She thinks that your father is in the wrong, and that 
 3^ou ought not to be made to suffer for what you are 
 doing. She therefore intends to settle upon you on 
 your marriage with Miss Ellwood, the young lady of 
 whom she speaks so highly, the property of Ashburne in 
 Derbyshire, together with other possessions, which will 
 enable you not only to dispense altogether with your 
 father's assistance, but also to live in such a manner that 
 you may enjoy many of the good things of life. She 
 holds the opinion, however, that you should not think of 
 marrying before you have obtained a certain amount of 
 success in the new career that you have just entered 
 upon." 
 
 It would be impossible to describe the feelings of our 
 young friend on listening to this most unexpected and 
 extraordinary of communications. He had neither seen 
 nor heard of his aunt for years and years, and lo ! she 
 suddenly appears and proposes to give him a fortune. 
 For some time Eobert sat in silence, and wondered 
 whether he was dreaming or not. What anxieties, 
 doubts, fears of the future were at once removed by this 
 
 303 
 
DARKNESS AND LIGHT. 
 
 act of generosity! What years of future happiness, of 
 unhindered devotion to his beloved art would it procure 
 for him, unhampered and unembittered by the petty 
 cares of life's daily drudgery! And Esther, too, that 
 noble and self-sacrificing girl, vvlio had shared all his 
 secret troubles during the past two years, how she would 
 rejoice at the good fortune which had befallen them ! 
 
 ^'Well, what do you say to this offer of your aunt's?" 
 said the lawyer at last. 
 
 "Say," echoed the young man, ''I can say nothing. 
 The unparalleled kindness of the act has completely 
 taken my breath away. But tell me, is it not a rather 
 risky thing for my aunt to think of doing when she 
 has not even seen me? I might be anything, you know; 
 a spendthrift, a rogue, or a rake." 
 
 "It certainly does seem so on the face of it," said 
 his companion, "and that is what I meant by referring 
 to her action as extremely rash; but I suppose Miss 
 Thornton has good reason for what she is doing." 
 
 "Where is my aunt, can I see her?" said the young 
 man eagerly. J 7; 
 
 "No," answered the lawyer, "and this is another ex- 
 traordinary piece of business ; she prefers to keep entirely 
 out of sight until you have obtained that measure of 
 success which will justify you in setting .a definite date 
 for your marriage. Then she will come forward and 
 with her own hands present you with the deed that will 
 make Ashburne yours. But as I am fully instructed in 
 the matter, I can at any time give 3^ou such points of 
 information as I am permitted to impart." 
 
 "It sounds like a fairy tale," stammered the aston- 
 ished nephew of this wonderful and mysterious aunt. 
 "What a most remarkable, eccentric, kind-hearted, dear 
 old lady she is!" 
 
 303 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 "That is quite true, my dear sir, and slie has always 
 proved a good friend to those whom she has liked. But 
 I'm afraid I shall now have to be off. I have another 
 appointment in a quarter of an hour's time and I shall 
 be obliged to hurry. But if you will come down here 
 again in a few days' time, we wil] have another chat 
 about this at our leisure. So, for the present, good day. 
 This way, Mr. Thornton, this door, good day." 
 
 Eobert, on leaving the old lawyer, sped homeward as 
 rapidly as he could to communicate to Esther and the 
 rest, this last wonderful turn in the wheel of fortune, 
 and arrived at Kings Gardens just in time for tea. 
 
 B04 
 
DAYS^OF DOUBT AND WAITING* 
 
 XL. 
 
 INCREDULITY, astonishment, and finally growing 
 conviction of its probability greeted the recital of 
 Robertas story. This wonderful descent of the deus ex 
 machina was something almost too good to be believed. 
 Might it not prove a phantom of fairy delusion that 
 would vanish, on near approach into thin air! But 
 grave lawyers and musty legal books are not usually 
 associated with the dreams of romance, and there seemed 
 to be no reason for seriously doubting the truth. 
 
 "What a most extraordinary old lady this must be,^' 
 said Esther, "to hide herself all this time from the rest 
 of her family and then suddenly turn up like this.^' 
 
 "And what is most curious of all,^^ said Robert, ^'is 
 that she seems to be perfectly familiar with you and 
 your doings/' 
 
 "With me I'' exclaimed Esther in astonishment. 
 
 "Yes, she apparently knows all about you." 
 
 "Good heavens, can it be possible?" said the young 
 girl, a light quickly breaking in upon her. "It must 
 be, for the name is the same, and as far as I can see 
 there is a decided similarity in their characters." 
 
 "Why, what do you mean, Esther?" said her father 
 in astonished tones, "what are you talking about?" 
 
 But Esther without pausing to reply, rushed hastily 
 upstairs, returning a few minutes later with a visiting 
 
 305 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 card in her hand, which she gave to her betrothed. 
 Then turning to the others she said, "Don't you re- 
 member my account of the old lady whom about eighteen 
 months ago I rescued from an accident in the street? 
 I helped her to her hotel, had lunch with her, some 
 conversation ^^assed between us, and I found her to be 
 one of the most interesting old-fashioned persons I ever 
 laid e3^es upon. On leaving her we exchanged cards, 
 and that is the one she gave me. I noticed at the time 
 the coincidence of the name of Thornton, but never seri- 
 iously supposed that there might be any connection, as 
 it seems over here to be quite an ordinary name. But 
 the more I think of it the more I am convinced that the 
 old lady of my adventure and Kobert's aunt are one and 
 the same, and the card here bears me out.'' Then taking 
 the piece of pasteboard from Eobert's hand, she read 
 aloud the words engraved thereon, "Miss Annie Thorn- 
 ton." 
 
 '^Certainly everything points to such a conclusion,'^ 
 said Eleanor, "and how marvellously all the events of 
 the past three years seem interwoven by a thin strand 
 of fate. For immediately on our arrival in England 
 occurred the engagement of Robert and Esther; then 
 Mr. Thornton's opposition; Esther's adventure with 
 Miss Thornton; Robert's treatment at the hands of his 
 father; Lord Reginald's death, the last act of his life 
 being one of assistance to the lovers; and lastly, when 
 we had begun to think the future looked dark for these 
 two, there comes a protector in the shape of this dear old 
 lady, whom no one but Esther, of all people, has seen for 
 years and years. If this new benefactor only fulfils 
 what has been promised, it will be a great blessing for 
 you.'' 
 
 306 
 
DAYS OF DOUBT AND WAITING. 
 
 "Oh, I have no doubt of that," said Robert, "she is 
 scrupulously correct in everything that she says, holds 
 fast to her word, and you may be sure that she has not 
 taken this step without due inquiry and forethought/' 
 
 "Yes," broke in Esther, "she seemed to be not only 
 kind-hearted but remarkably shrewd and intelligent." 
 
 "Tell me all about this mysterious meeting, Esther," 
 said Robert, "this is the first I have heard of it; every- 
 thing seems to be a series of surprises. Of course it 
 must have happened while I was still at Oxford." 
 
 "Yes," answered Esther ; and then she began to relate 
 to him the details of the little adventure with which the 
 reader is already familiar. Though Robert had not 
 seen his aunt for so many years, it was plain to him, 
 from Esther's accurate description of her dress, speech 
 and mannerisms, that there could not be two such Miss 
 Annie Thorntons in the world, and that it was in very 
 truth his old friend whom his betrothed had so strangely 
 encountered. 
 
 The next few days were occupied by Robert in the 
 preparation of a pianoforte copy of his opera for the use 
 of Lady Easton. He had written to inform her of its 
 completion, and she had answered by fixing a near date 
 for his recital of it before a select party of musical 
 friends. The friendship of the Eastons had been in- 
 valuable to young Thornton, and a strong mutual regard 
 had grown up between them. Towards the other mem- 
 ber of the Opera House syndicate with whom he was 
 acquainted, a certain Mr. Sefton, he did not feel so 
 warmly. This gentleman, representing the business side 
 of the concern, was naturally hardly so sympathetic 
 towards the young musician as the Eastons, who pos- 
 sessed artistic minds, pure and simple. Again, he had 
 
 307 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 learned that Mr. Sefton was very well known to his 
 father, and that they sat together on several boards ; in 
 his conversation with the former, therefore, he adopted 
 a tone of cautious reserve, for Eobert had, especially of 
 late, been filled with a certain measure of instinctive 
 apprehension of his father ; he felt that the latter did not 
 intend him to succeed in the career of his choice, and 
 would, without scruple, use any means to prevent his 
 doing so. His influence he knew was great, and might 
 extend to the inner machinery of the Opera House; so 
 when, a few days later, he wended his way to Grosvenor 
 Square it was with a mingled feeling of disappointment 
 and relief that he failed to discover, among the seven or 
 eight persons assembled in the music-room, the figure of 
 Mr. Sefton. 
 
 Eobert had had printed several copies of his libretto, 
 and these were now distributed among the audience. It 
 is not proposed to weary the reader vrith a description 
 of this second hearing of Eobert's work ; of the numerous 
 interruptions and repetitions of earlier numbers, dis- 
 cussions between the acts, controversies over the relation 
 of the text to the music, and a hundred other details; 
 it may be said at once that the opera, played through 
 from beginning to end, made a decidedly favourable im- 
 pression on a circle of musicians specially selected for 
 their catholicity of taste. At the close of the perform- 
 ance the party adjourned for tea and a further discussion 
 of the merits of the new work. Lady Easton, ever fore- 
 most in sjTnpathy and congratulation, took Eobert aside 
 and said : 
 
 ^'As far as I am concerned, Mr. Thornton, I am 
 charmed with the opera from the prelude to the last 
 finale, and yon have completed your task in a way that 
 
 ms 
 
DAYS OF DOUBT AND WAITING. 
 
 has quite exceeded my anticipations. The work, I am 
 sure, is destined for a successful future, and you may 
 rely upon Lord Easton and myself doing everything 
 in our power to press its claims with the Opera House 
 people. But I think that you ought to know that the 
 man in power is Mr. Sefton, whom I fully expected 
 here to-day, and I am astonished and disappointed be- 
 yond measure at his absence. I can attribute it only 
 to illness or a sudden business call elsewhere. But I 
 shall take care that the opera is brought to his notice, 
 so that you need not feel worried at all about it ; besides, 
 there is plenty of time yet, nearly six months before 
 the next season actually begins." 
 
 Eobert thanked the speaker for her encouragement 
 and good opinion of his work, but could not help expe- 
 riencing an indefinable sense of dismay on learning that 
 to Mr. Sefton was given the casting vote in the final 
 judgment of his work. Though the general manager 
 had always treated him in a courteous manner he could 
 not bring himself to look upon him with confidence. 
 But Lord Easton was powerful, and his word in these 
 matters went far; so our j^oung friend did not feel 
 as yet by any means discouraged. The rest of the party, 
 though divided in opinion on small things, were of 
 accord in thinking that the sum total of the work was 
 worthy of praise and admiration, and saluted the com- 
 poser with many a compliment and assurance of enjoy- 
 ment at listening to it. Before leaving. Lord Easton 
 informed him that he would now have to wait for a 
 few months, as the final selection of novelties for the 
 next season would not be made for some time to come. 
 As soon as the deciding members of the committee met 
 again, he would let Eobert know so that he could send 
 
 309 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 in his score for inspection. Meanwhile, if it was any 
 encouragement for him to know it, he had no hesitation 
 in affirming that he would have the musicians on his side 
 and that that would go a long way. 
 
 So Robert left the hospitable mansion of the Eastons 
 with renewed hope in his heart. He began to see in 
 imagination the opera-house crammed from ceiling to 
 floor, the blaze of glitter and light, the applause, the 
 enthusiasm and the accompanying success of his work. 
 But across this pleasant dreaming would somehow pass 
 the face of his father, wearing a curious look of irony 
 and a smile of anticipated triamph. Try as he could, 
 he was unable to banish from his mind the uneasy sensa- 
 tion caused by the appearance of this image. 
 
 It was about this time that, in accordance with his 
 promise, his Highness the Eajah of Punjab ar returned 
 to England. He wrote to Dr. Ellwood announcing his 
 arrival, and was given a warm invitation to call as 
 early as possible. On being told of the completion of 
 Robertas opera, the kindness of the Eastons, and Miss 
 Thornton's unexpected appearance, he was manifestly 
 delighted, and congratulated his two young friends on 
 the clearing of the clouds hanging over their future. 
 He was deeply grieved to hear of the death of Lord 
 Reginald, for, having spent most of his time in India, 
 up country, he had received no tidings of the sad event. 
 He said that it was his intention to remain in Europe 
 for some considerable time, alternating in his place of 
 residence between Paris and London. Then, after spend- 
 ing a week in the English capital, during which time 
 he saw the Ellwoods on several occasions, the Prince 
 went back to Paris to his beloved observatory. 
 
 The months passed quickly by, and before they were 
 
 310 
 
DAYS OF DOUBT AND WAITING. 
 
 hardly aware of it Christmas had come and gone. Eob- 
 ert had had several interviews with the solicitors, Evans 
 and Morton, who had on one occasion informed him that 
 Miss Thornton had gone abroad once more to the con- 
 tinent, and was not expected back until the New Year. 
 One day, together with Mr. Morton, he took a trip to 
 inspect the Ashburne property, and found it to be a 
 delightful country estate in one of the prettiest parts 
 of England. Just the kind of life, he thought, that 
 Esther would revel in. At the beginning of the New 
 Year he sent in his score to Lord Easton, who, acknowl- 
 edging it, stated that the management had decided to 
 produce three new works that year, and had now about 
 a dozen under consideration. Of the hearty support of 
 the writer, Robert knew that he was assured; but what 
 gave him a slight feeling of anxiety was the account he 
 read of a large party given at Beasley, in which con- 
 spicuous among the names of the guests present was 
 that of Mr. Sefton. Of this gentleman he had seen 
 and heard next to nothing since the afternoon at Lord 
 Easton's several months before. He seemed somehow 
 to be shunning Robert, and to be avoiding a commit- 
 tal of himself in any way, by displaying either friend- 
 ship or illwill towards the young man. He was simply 
 indifferent. It was not long before Robert received a 
 letter from Lord Easton on the all-important subject 
 of the opera. 
 
 "Two out of the three operas,^' he wrote, '^lave been 
 selected, and the remaining one is to be chosen out of 
 four or five others: one of these is yours. I may say 
 that your work stands a very fair chance, the only oppo- 
 sition that has been made to it being by a few who do 
 not consider it to be a ^^Dusiness" opera. But I do 
 
 311 
 
THE ELLWOOBS. 
 
 not see why, in a society Opera House like ours, this 
 contention should hold for a moment. There is no one 
 who hasn't a good word for it as music/' 
 
 This gave added encouragement to the young man, 
 who looked forward to the final decision with hopeful 
 expectation of success. 
 
 31J8 
 
ACCEPTED. 
 
 CHAPTER XLI. 
 
 DURING this period of indecision, Robert received 
 many encouraging letters from his mother and 
 his sister, who had followed with intense interest his on- 
 ward progress and battle for recognition. In answer 
 to a question about his father's feeling towards him, 
 Dorothy had replied that though unchanged in out- 
 ward manner, Mr. Thornton was, without doubt, 
 astounded at his son's determination of mind and at 
 his social success with so many people of standing like 
 the Eastons. About this time the Rajah returned from 
 Paris, taking up his abode in a residential hotel not far 
 from Kings Gardens. He at once inquired as to the 
 progress of Robert's musical efforts, especially the at- 
 tempted production of the opera. He had arranged a 
 fantasia on some of the airs for the violin, and played 
 it with immense relish and gusto, warm in his praises of 
 the composer. One morning Robert received a note 
 from Lord Easton requesting him to attend imme- 
 diately at his house, and going round at once, found that 
 worthy nobleman in a state of irritation and disappoint- 
 ment. 
 
 "Here's a pretty state of things," he said to Robert 
 as the latter entered, "sit down and listen to the news." 
 And he went on to tell his visitor of the decision that 
 the opera house authorities had come to. While there 
 
 313 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 had been a strong inclination on the part of the sjtq- 
 dicate to produce Robert's work, there had been one or 
 two among them who considered that, though artistic- 
 ally a success, it would be a losing opera from a com- 
 mercial point of view. Then again, the expenses of 
 production would be large, as some of the scenes required 
 unusually elaborate staging. To make the matter worse, 
 the leader of this important minority was none other 
 than the general business manager, Mr. Sefton. So it 
 had been decided that, if Mr. Eobert Thornton would 
 guarantee a large portion of the expenses in case of 
 failure, the management on their part would produce 
 his opera, using all the means at the disposal of the opera 
 house to make the work a success. But as they were 
 after all obliged to look on the business side of things, 
 they could not take the entire risk. 
 
 This communication filled Robert with dismay. For 
 him, a young musician, in disgrace with his father, pos- 
 sessed of no independent fortune of his own, how could 
 he possibly find a sum equivalent to that required as a 
 guarantee ? And yet, if his work were accepted, he felt 
 sure that it w^ould in itself amply repay all the outlay 
 expended upon it. To miss this chance would be to 
 wait another long year and perhaps more. He said, 
 therefore, that he would consider the matter, and if he 
 could manage to find the guarantee asked for, he would 
 let his friend know; but he was afraid that it was out 
 of the question. Lord Easton wished him every suc- 
 cess, and strongly denounced the action of his colleagues, 
 which he said was quite unprecedented, and on this oc- 
 casion also unnecessary and unjustifiable. 
 
 Robert, as was his wont, imparted this unsatisfactory 
 piece of news to Esther and the Doctor, both of whom, 
 
 314 
 
ACCEPTED. 
 
 especially the latter, were taken aback by this unex- 
 pected hitch. Dr. Ellwood was now unable to help his 
 young friend as, seeing little chance of his return to the 
 States for some time to come, he had but a week before 
 bought the very house in which he was living. They 
 advised him to^ go to Messrs. Evans and Morton, lay 
 the matter before them, and perhaps his benevolent 
 relative might do something to assist him. To the law- 
 yers therefore he went. They told him that Miss Thorn- 
 ton was still abroad, and that as her address was un- 
 known it was impossible to communicate with her. They 
 could do nothing on their own initiative to aid Mr. 
 Thornton, much as they would have desired to do so. 
 Robert began to despair. 
 
 It was now that the wonderful intuitive power of a 
 woman came to the rescue, as it has so often done to 
 man in times of discouragement and need. One day 
 Esther took her father aside and said to him : 
 
 "Behind the action of the opera house authorities I 
 feel the influence of Mr. Thornton. It is he alone who 
 does not intend that Robert shall succeed; he is a per- 
 sonal friend of Mr. Sefton the manager, and, knowing 
 that Robert has no means, he has somehow brought about 
 this stipulation of the guarantee. There is one hope, 
 and one only, of assistance, and that is the Prince." 
 
 "Esther!" exclaimed her father in astonishment. 
 
 "Oh, I know you are surprised, but it is true never- 
 theless. The Prince once told me that if ever Robert 
 was in great difficulty with his music, I should apply , 
 to him. I have always felt that some day the Prince 
 was to do Robert and myself a great service: that is 
 why I was so impelled to secure his friendship. The 
 time has now come, my dear father, and it is you who 
 
 315 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 must go to the Prince from me and lay the whole mat- 
 ter before him, but Eobert must never know a word of 
 this, nor who it is that has helped him. If the Prince 
 decides to assist us, as I feel sure he will, it must be 
 a secret among us three/^ 
 
 It was on occasions like this that Dr. Ellwood never 
 stopped to argue the question; he always blindly obeyed, 
 feeling that such counsels were prompted by a higher 
 wisdom than his own. He directed his steps towards 
 the little hotel where the Prince lodged, and was for- 
 tunate enough to find him in. He at once plunged 
 boldly into the matter, explained Eobert's difficult posi- 
 tion, and asked him if he knew of any friends who 
 would be willing to help the young man over this awk- 
 ward stile. The Prince, on hearing the Doctor^s story, 
 smiled and replied: 
 
 "I am very glad indeed that you have come to me. 
 I have prolonged my stay in England purely for the 
 purpose of beholding the successful debut of Mr. Eobert, 
 after which I return to France and thence to India. 
 But I should be extremely sorry if anything occurred 
 to impede our young friend^s progress. You may there- 
 fore go back and tell Miss Ellwood, who sent you here,'^ 
 — here the Doctor, in spite of himself, could not repress 
 a start of surprise — "^that her humble friend the Eajah 
 of Punjabar will do everything that he can to aid her 
 future husband.^' Here the noble-minded Indian held 
 out his hand to Dr. Ellwood, who, much moved, pressed 
 it warmly, took his leave, and hurried back to his home 
 as fast as his legs could carry him. 
 
 Meanwhile Eobert, as the days passed by, saw the 
 chances of his work being heard that season grow less 
 and less, Everjrwhere the avenues of help seemed closed 
 
 316 
 
ACCEPTED. 
 
 to him, and the more he thought over the attitude of 
 Mr. Sefton the more he became convinced that it was 
 being prompted by his father. For the first time in his 
 life he began to feel bitterly towards his parent; here 
 was the cup of success almost at his lips, and yet it 
 was a father's hand that had dashed it away. It was, 
 however, toward the beginning of March that he re- 
 ceived a small glimmer of light in the shape of a note 
 from Lord Easton : 
 
 "The management seem to be taking a fairer view 
 of the capabilities of your opera; even Sefton has in- 
 clined toward giving it this season. Do not despair !" 
 
 This grain of hope put a spark of new life into the 
 young man, whose spirit had seemed quite crushed at 
 the obstacles thrown in his way, and he waited from day 
 to day in a varying and conflicting state of mind, now 
 raised on the wings of hope, now sunk in the depths 
 of discouragement. Even Dr. Ellwood began to be 
 anxious as March went by, and Eleanor, too, shared the 
 general feeling of restlessness; Esther alone preserved 
 a composed manner, completely free from doubt or 
 apprehension. 
 
 It was toward the end of March that Robert, while 
 sitting one morning at the window of his sitting-room 
 and looking down the quiet street, observed a figure 
 that turned the far corner and made its way to the 
 nearer end where his own house was situated. The 
 figure was small, was dressed in blue, and wore a slant- 
 ing cap. It was a telegraph boy. Whistling merrily, 
 he came down the street looking up now and then at 
 the numbers of the houses, and it was not until the lad 
 halted just beneath Robert, that the latter, who had been 
 total Iv buried in thought, realized that the telegram 
 
 317 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 was probably for him. A moment later, a tap was 
 heard at the door, and the servant entered bearing the 
 familiar brick-red envelope. Eobert took and opened 
 it. What he read there sent the blood fast rushing back 
 to his heart, his sight became blurred, and he felt for 
 the moment so dizzy that he thought he would faint. 
 But it was joyous emotion that overcame him, the reac- 
 tion against the doubt and despair of the past winter, 
 for the magical words he read were these: "Your opera 
 is accepted, see me at once. Sefton.'^ Eobert read the 
 wire three times carefully through before he was sat- 
 isfied that the good news in front of him was true: 
 then jumping up from his chair, he rushed downstairs 
 with a velocity that made the serving-maid fear for his 
 neck, seized his hat, gave the telegraph boy, to his com- 
 plete astonishment, a shilling, and darted off to Kings 
 Gardens. 
 
 The delight of the ^good folk may well be imagined. 
 The Doctor and Esther beamed with smiles, Eleanor 
 wept for joy and the boys cheered and flung their hats 
 in the air. Eobert stayed for a few minutes only, and 
 then posting down to the Opera House, was at once 
 ushered into the presence of Mr. Sefton, who coming 
 forward shook him by the hand and congratulated him 
 on his success. On the young man asking whether the 
 decision of the management had been determined by 
 the actual merits of his opera only, or by the influence 
 of som^e persons at present unknown to him, the man- 
 ager hesitated for a moment and finally said : 
 
 "That is a question I am not quite at liberty to answer. 
 Though your work, Mr. Thornton, is in itself brilliant 
 and attractive, I may say that you have powerful friends 
 whry qTA apparently anxious that you shoul^l cncceed.'' 
 
 318 
 
ACCEPTED. 
 
 ''1 wonder who it is/' thought Eobert, "perhaps it is 
 my dear old aunt again to whom the lawyers, having dis- 
 covered her whereabouts, have written to tell her every- 
 thing/' 
 
 "But more than this/'' Mr. Sefton went on to say, 
 "I cannot tell you. Xor does it really affect the matter 
 as far as you are concerned; for your opera has been 
 accepted, and you are now, supposing of course that it is 
 successful, clearly on the road to fame." 
 
 "Still, one likes to know to whom one is indebted." 
 
 "Well," said his companion with a smile, "you are at 
 liberty to try and find out." 
 
 "And I will," mentally ejaculated Eobert. 
 
 Then the manager explained to him what he would 
 have to do during the next few months until the date 
 fixed for the production of his work. This would prob- 
 ably be about the middle of June, so that there was 
 ample time for him to instruct scene painters and prop- 
 erty makers, choose his cast and attend to the hundred 
 other smaller details accompanying the representation 
 of a new operatic work. Robert, after leaving the man- 
 ager, went to see his friend Lord Easton, who was al- 
 ready acquainted with the good news and expressed genu- 
 ine delight. On Eobert asking him, however, if he knew to 
 whose influence the acceptance of his work was due, he 
 professed entire ignorance of the matter. Mr. Sefton, he 
 said, had absolute charge of all business negotiations, 
 and he alone could have any certain knowledge. Ee- 
 solving not to be baffled, he next made his way to the 
 offices of Messrs. Evans and Morton, and after imparting 
 to them the news of the hour, frankly asked if it was 
 not to his aunt that he owed this sudden deference and 
 change of front, on the part of the all-powerful manager 
 
 319 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 of the Opera House. To which Mr. Morton replied : 
 
 "Well, if it is, I know nothing about it, and I should 
 say that Miss Thornton cannot possibly have had any 
 hand in the matter at all. It is only to-day that I have 
 learnt where she is, at Salzburg in the Tyrol, and as 
 no one to my knowledge could have communicated to 
 her anything on this subject, it seems evident to me that 
 she is as ignorant of the whole affair as my office-boy. 
 But I will write informing her of your good fortune, 
 of which she will be pleased to hear, and will ask her, on 
 3^our behalf, if it is actually to her that you may con- 
 sider yourself indebted.'^ 
 
 "Please do, Mr. Morton, I am extremely anxious to 
 know who the good fairy is.^' 
 
 Eobert then went to his publisher, who had already 
 printed several of his songs and pianoforte pieces, to 
 make arrangement for the publication of a vocal score 
 of his opera. As he rounded the corner of Eegent Street 
 and turned into Piccadilly, whom should he run up 
 against but the Eajah of Punjabar. Eobert imme- 
 diately poured out his tale, not omitting the part about 
 the unknown benefactor, into the ear of his dignified 
 friend, who, smiling, felicitated him and wished him 
 all good luck. As the young man passed on his way he 
 thought to himself. "He almost seemed to know about 
 it, I suppose he has been calling this morning at Kings 
 Gardens." 
 
 On his return there, he was made the object of eager 
 inquiry: when was the opera to be produced, who were 
 to be the singers, and what had decided the management 
 to accept it? Eobert willingly went over the same 
 ground for the fourth or fifth time that day, and at the 
 conclusion of his narrative, remarked : 
 
 320 
 
ACCEPTED. 
 
 ''Has the Prince been here at all to-day?'' 
 
 "No/' said Eleanor, "why do you ask?" 
 
 "Oh, I have just met him down town, and as he 
 seemed hardly surprised at my news, I naturally thought 
 that he might have been here this morning and that you 
 had told him." 
 
 ''No, he has not been here for some days," answered 
 the Doctor. 
 
 "Then I wonder how he came to know," said Robert 
 thoughtfully. 
 
 "I wonder," said Esther, with an imperceptible glance 
 at her father. 
 
 But search as he did, Robert did not nor was ever 
 destined to discover who it was to whom he owed the 
 stepping stone of his life's success. 
 
 :v> I 
 
TRIUMPH^ 
 
 XLII. 
 
 THE weeks flew rapidly by; the London season 
 had begun, and the day of f ulfihnent for Eobert's 
 hopes grew nearer and nearer. He had selected for 
 his opera a cast that he thought would be suitable; 
 scenery had been painted, and every other detail carried 
 out in a manner which convinced him that the man- 
 agement was sparing no pains in order to make the 
 new work a success. Shortly after his satisfactory in- 
 terview with Mr. Sefton he had written to his mother 
 and sister, acquainting them with the good tidings, and 
 had received from Dorothy the following answer: 
 
 "We are simply too delighted for words,^^ she wrote. 
 "Both of us knew that you were ultimately bound to 
 succeed, but did not expect this opportunity to come 
 to you so soon. Father is simply dumbfounded, and 
 cannot make out how you managed to obtain an entree 
 to the Opera House, a thing which is notoriously diflB- 
 cult. I think that if you are fortunate enough to secure 
 a big success he will begin to look upon you with differ- 
 ent eyes.'' 
 
 Towards the end of May the opera was put into re- 
 hearsal, and the really busy time began; private ren- 
 derings with the principals, practice with the chorus 
 and orchestra, interviews with the stage-manager; for 
 Robert, being his own librettist, had to supervise the en- 
 
 33r 
 
TRIUMPH. 
 
 tire direction of his work. Diplomatic and compromis- 
 ing by nature, he found no difficulty in getting along 
 with those most capricious of mortals, the prima donna 
 and the leading tenor. They, on their part, finding him 
 to be courteous and reasonable, instead of irascible and 
 impossibly exacting, as are so many of the musical genus, 
 took a good deal more trouble in studying their roles 
 than is usually the case where a new work by an un- 
 known author is being presented. Bills were now to 
 be seen posted about the town annoimcing the produc- 
 tion of the new opera, to take place on the fifteenth of 
 June. The Ellwoods secured a large box on the grand 
 tier, capable of holding the entire family. Robert, who 
 had a number of tickets at his private disposal, invited 
 his particular friends, among them the Rajah of Pun- 
 jabar, and engaged a box for his parents. His mother 
 replied that as they were all coming up to town that 
 week they would be sure to be present, Dorothy and 
 herself at least would be seen in the box. Mr. Thorn- 
 ton, she added in confidence, had also determined to 
 attend, but would be occupying a separate seat some- 
 where, as he would not openly acknowledge any satis- 
 faction he might feel at his son^s great success. About 
 the same time Robert received a note from Mr. Morton, 
 informing him that his aunt had returned to England 
 and would be present on the night of the fifteenth ; also 
 that on the day after the performance she would like 
 to see him at her hotel. 
 
 At last the eventful day arrived. Up to this time 
 ever^'thing had gone admirably, and there was hardly 
 a hitch in the whole preparation. Singers were pleased 
 with their parts; chorus and orchestra worked willingly 
 for a conductor who hurled no invectives at them : and 
 
 323 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 the circumstances of his career and his father's opposi- 
 tion having been noised about, a feeling of sympathy 
 and comradeship was excited in everyone connected with 
 the Opera House. Robert passed the morning and after- 
 noon of the day in repose and solitude. About five 
 o'clock he w^ent dow^n to the theatre to see that every- 
 thing was in progress, and having satisfied himself that 
 nothing had been overlooked, went out again, swallowed 
 some dinner and strolled about till nearly seven, when 
 he knew that the artistes would be beginning to arrive 
 at their dressing-rooms. 
 
 About half-past seven the upper circles began to fill 
 rapidly, and carriages could be heard driving up to the 
 front entrance. By eight o'clock, the time for the com- 
 mencement of the performance, there were few empty 
 seats to be seen anywhere in the house. Robert, scan- 
 ning the audience from behind the curtain, had no dif- 
 ficulty in discovering his friends the Ellwoods in their 
 large box. Lord and Lady Easton opposite, on the same 
 tier, while immediately above them on that side, he 
 caught sight of his mother and sister. Looking down 
 into the stalls he failed to discover his father ; but right 
 beneath him in the front row Avas the Prince, absorbed in 
 a perusal of a copy of the libretto. 
 
 The orchestra entered and settled down in their places. 
 Robert, who had decided to act as conductor, followed 
 a few minutes later, was greeted with a fair amount of 
 applause, sat down at his desk, opened the score, raised 
 his baton, and looked at his violoncelli. The auditorium 
 was in an instant darkened, a silence settled over the 
 vast theatre, and the opera began. 
 
 The first act, which was in the nature of a prologue, 
 was short and dramatic, and only a few minutes' inter- 
 
 324 
 
TRIUMPH. 
 
 val separated it from the second. This was the longest 
 and most important part of the work, and contained a 
 good deal of the kind of music that Robert knew would 
 awaken in the audience an immediate response. And, 
 indeed, as theme after theme, striking and new, was 
 presented to them, their enthusiasm kindled and grew 
 apace, so that at the close of the fine finale the beha- 
 viour of the house sufficiently satisfied both composer 
 and manager that the new work was a sucsess. During 
 the interval the occupants of the two boxes smilingly 
 acknowledged each other, and Mrs. Thornton beckoned 
 to Esther to come up and speak with her and Dorothy. 
 After a little hesitation, the young girl, having made 
 certain that Mr. Thornton was nowhere to be seen, com- 
 plied. The greeting between the ladies was most af- 
 fectionate, their common interest in the success of the 
 one most dear to them both, creating a bond of sym- 
 pathy between them. Esther noticed, however, that 
 Mrs. Thornton made a point of conversing with her at 
 the back of the box and completely out of sight of the 
 audience, and was therefore, not at all surprised when 
 her companion said: 
 
 "Mr. Thornton is here, do^vn in the stalls, towards 
 the back, and, great Heavens! look there, Dorothy — 
 who do you think is up there in that little box, all by 
 herself?" 
 
 Dorothy directed her glass towards that part of the 
 house indicated by her mother, and exclaimed in tones 
 of amazement, "Why, I declare, it is aunt Annie I" 
 
 Esther, following the gaze of her two companions, 
 saw in one of the small boxes on the top tier on the 
 opposite side of the house, a quaint little lady in an 
 old-fashioned evening dress, and at once recognised in 
 
 325 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 her the person to whom she had rendered a service nearly 
 two years before. 
 
 "How strange it seems to meet her again," continued 
 Mrs. Thornton, "after all these years, and in the Opera 
 House of all places ; but she always was fond of Eobert, 
 and has no doubt followed his career with interest, and 
 all the more so, as he has had his father against him. 
 But this must be the first time she has seen him for 
 ages, and yet," scanning her critically, "she does not 
 seem to be much older, except that she now wears 
 glasses. Her sight was never good, and that is why, I 
 suppose, she does not see us. But listen, that is the 
 three minutes' bell and the orchestra are beginning to 
 return. Come up again, Esther, after the next act, and 
 we will arrange some plans for the future. To-night, I 
 think, will be the beginning of better things." 
 
 Meanwhile Dr. Ellwood had descended to the stalls 
 to speak to the Kajah, who had not quitted his seat. 
 
 ^'So far, so good," said the Prince smiling; "the house 
 seems quite enthusiastic, and the critics, though they 
 are growling about something or other, seem to be en- 
 joying themselves. I suppose that Miss Esther, and 
 indeed all of you, are satisfied with our young friend's 
 reception ?" 
 
 "Can you ask it. Prince," said the Doctor, "and let 
 me seize this opportunity of thanking you in the name 
 of Esther, myself and all of us, for an act of kindness 
 which I am sure Robert will never adequately be able to 
 repay." 
 
 "Tut, my good friend," said the Prince, in pretended 
 astonishment, "what are you talking about?" 
 
 "Why," exclaimed the Doctor in real amazement, 
 "you don't mean to say that you are going to deny that 
 
 326 
 
TEIUMPH. 
 
 it is you who have been at the bottom of all this — ^but 
 no, surely you are jestiag?" 
 
 "Well/' said the Prince, with a slight smile on his 
 lips, "whatever effect a good word spoken on Mr. Eob- 
 erf s behalf may have had, I do not think that anyone 
 will contest the fact that the production of his work 
 is justified by its own merits. But let us say no more 
 about that, for our composer is, I know, very sensitive 
 on the score of unsought assistance.^' 
 
 "In this case. Prince, I think that he would be only 
 too delighted to know the truth, for though at present 
 completely mystified, he has determined to find out." 
 
 "But,'' said the Prince earnestly, "it was agreed be- 
 tween us at our interview on this subject, that if I 
 chanced to be fortunate enough to be of assistance to 
 you, no mention should ever be made of my name. I 
 must really insist, therefore, on not being mentioned as 
 connected with the matter in anjrway." 
 
 "Very well. Prince," said the Doctor reluctantly, "if 
 you really wish it, it shall be so, though I feel that Eob- 
 ert would be overjoyed to know." 
 
 "See, they are coming in again," said the Prince, 
 hastily changing the subject and pointing to the or- 
 chestra. 
 
 As the Doctor returned to his box, he mentally ejac- 
 ulated : "That is, without doubt, one of the finest fellows 
 I have ever met." 
 
 The next act, though containing much that was mu- 
 sically beautiful, lacked the unbroken charm and dra- 
 matic continuity of its predecessor. Enthusiasm, how- 
 ever, rose again in the final portion of the work, in 
 which the action was rapid and the climax powerful and 
 skilfully prepared. At the fall of the curtain, there 
 
 327 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 could be no mistaking the feeling of the house. Call 
 after call was made for the composer, who had to come 
 forward and bow repeatedly. In short, the opera was 
 proclaimed by all a decided success, and it was at once 
 recognized that a new star had arisen in the musical 
 horizon. 
 
 Of course, it would be folly to pretend that a young 
 man of Robert's years could produce a masterpiece. An 
 unbiased estimate of his work can therefore be obtained 
 from a review that appeared the next day: "In ap- 
 praising such a work," wrote the critic, **as that we 
 heard last night, one must take into account the external 
 circumstance of the author's age and inexperience. In 
 spite of many conspicuous beauties, the promise is 
 greater than the achievement. Time will, of course, 
 bring added knowledge, a fuller technique, and a firmer 
 grip over dramatic situation; but the one thing which 
 neither learning nor experience can give, the inestima- 
 ble faculty of musical invention, Mr. Thornton possesses 
 in a marked degree.'' 
 
 But after all it is not the exact artistic merit of the 
 work that is of moment in our story, so much as the 
 simple fact that Robert had now justified himself in 
 the eyes of even those who had been most intolerant 
 towards his adoption of a musical career. Still more 
 important was the effect produced in the mind of one 
 of our principal characters. Wliile to Esther and her 
 family Robert's success was the source of unmitigated 
 satisfaction and joy, to his mother and sister unfeigned 
 pride and secret delight, to Mr. Thornton himself it 
 brought feelings of a mingled kind. The mortification 
 which he experienced at this proof of the incorrectness 
 of his judgment, was tempered by a sense of gratifica- 
 
TRIUMPH. 
 
 tion that a son of his conld so suddenly leap into the 
 public eye and favour, and in so conspicuous a manner. 
 He saw clearly enough that Eobert had made a decided 
 hit, and that to offer further opposition would only 
 bring upon himself unpopularity and scorn. He began 
 to realize that his son was capable of some day raising 
 for himself and his family a monument of fame, every 
 whit as enduring as that to be won by long toil in the 
 political arena. He reflected with a certain amount of 
 bitterness on the fact that of late he had received less 
 and less sympathy and support in his opinions, from 
 those around and nearest to him, chiefly his wife and 
 daughter. They had everv day more openly espoused 
 the cause of the "culprit,^' and their triumph, on re- 
 ceivinsr the news of the acceptance of the opera, had 
 been but ill-concealed. In the eyes of men like Thorn- 
 ton success was everything, and it is safe to say that 
 he left the Opera House that night with a mind and 
 temper somewhat different from those with which he 
 had parted from his son eighteen months before. 
 
 In the interval preceding the last act, in response to 
 a sign from Mrs. Thornton, Esther had again ascended 
 to her box. The fate of the opera had now been placed 
 beyond doubt, and she could see that both Mrs. Thorn- 
 ton and Dorothy were brimming over with pleasure and 
 triumph. The latter took Esther aside and said to her 
 confidentially, "What mamma and I want to bring about 
 is a gradual arrangement of the differences existing 
 between father and Robert. !N"ow father is going to be 
 out all to-morrow, so will you come round in the after- 
 noon together with Robert, and then we can have a good 
 talk over ever3rthing ?*' 
 
 Esther, remembering the offensive tactics of warfare 
 
 329 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 adopted by the elder Thornton towards her own father, 
 hesitated and reflected for a moment. 
 
 "Please don't refuse," continued Dorothy earnestly; 
 '*by bringing our two families again together, these 
 matters can be smoothed over and Eobert benefited ; and 
 believe me, this is the only way." 
 
 This last argument was of better avail with Esther. 
 She said nothing about the gift of Miss Thornton, an 
 act of generosity that would make her lover entirely in- 
 dependent of his father's caprices, but she knew that 
 he was genuinely grieved at the latter's ill-will towards 
 him and desired, more than anything else, a reconcilia- 
 tion with his parent. So, sinking her private feelings 
 of prejudice and resentment, she consented to accom- 
 pany Eobert on the following day. 
 
 As the young man was leaving the Opera House that 
 night a letter was slipped into his hand, which, on 
 opening, he found to have been hastily scribbled in pen- 
 cil. It ran as follows : 
 
 "Call on me to-morrow morning, and bring your 
 fiancee with you. — Aunt Annie." 
 
 Instead of returning to his lodgings Eobert went 
 straight to Kings Gardens, where he knew that the 
 Ellwoods and other familiar friends would be waiting 
 for him. It was a triumphal reception; a supper had 
 been prepared, and the hero of the hour was placed in 
 a chair decked with flowers and crowned by a canopy 
 of laurel leaves. As our young friend glanced down 
 the little table at the dozen or so happy and excited faces 
 of his friends, and saw the unfeigned joy and satisfac- 
 tion brought there by his success, he felt an even keener 
 thrill of pride, and an even deeper sense of pleasure 
 than when he had stepped before the curtain of the vast 
 
 330 
 
TEIUMPH. 
 
 theatre to bow to the repeated plaudits of the rank, 
 wealth and fashion of the richest city in the world. 
 
 331 
 
PREPARATION. 
 
 XLIIL 
 
 THE next morning, after he had opened and read 
 the numerous letters of congratulation lying on 
 his breakfast table, Eobert set out to call for Esther on 
 the way down to his aunt's hotel. On their arrival there 
 they were immediately shown into the sitting-room, 
 where Esther had lunched two years ago, and found 
 Miss Thornton awaiting them. The meeting between 
 the two relatives was cordial and affectionate, and the 
 old lady after embracing her nephew, turned to Esther 
 with these words of greeting: "Well, my dear, when is 
 the wedding to take place?" 
 
 Esther blushed at the unxepected nature of the ques- 
 tion, and Eobert, perceiving her confusion, came to the 
 rescue and replied for her: "We have hardly thought 
 about it yet, my dear aunt, and of course it depends to 
 a certain extent on yourself.'' 
 
 "Well, as far as I am concerned, my dear Eobert, you 
 have my consent to marry any time you like; I am 
 quite satisfied with the great success that you have made, 
 and I know that you will go on from strength to 
 strength.'^ 
 
 "Then you leave it entirely to us," said Eobert, ''and 
 will approve of any date that we may set ?" 
 
 "Certainly I will," said his aunt ; "and the sooner the 
 better." 
 
 332 
 
PREPARATION. 
 
 "Then what do you say, Esther T said the young man, 
 turning towards her. 
 
 The latter had by this time recovered her composure 
 and answered demurely: "1 think it is a matter for 
 some deliberation, and 1 shall want a short time to think 
 it over; meanwhile, will not Miss Thornton tell us 
 something about herself, her travels and doings since 
 my first meeting with her T^ 
 
 The old lady, only too pleased to have an opportunity 
 of talking to her hearths content, with tw^o patient lis- 
 teners by her side, rattled away merrily for an hour or 
 so with accounts of the different countries she had vis- 
 ited. After a particularly long story of some adventures 
 in the East, she suddenly stopped short and said: "No 
 more of that now, let us turn to something of more in- 
 terest both to you and me. I will tell you what I have 
 been thinking about, and a little plan that I have in my 
 head. It is my opinion, Robert, that this coldness be- 
 tw^een your father and yourself should end, together with 
 the cause of quarrel that has separated me all these years 
 from him and his family. He is a man of pride and re- 
 serve, and will not be the one to take the initial step of 
 reconciliation; it is we, therefore, who must act. Now 
 I have no hesitation in saying, that if your marriage 
 takes place in London, and at Kings Gardens, your 
 father, by reason of his antagonism toward the parent 
 of your future wife, will certainly not think of attend- 
 ing. A like difficulty would arise, only vice-versa, if 
 you are married at Beasley. Now, as you are aware, I 
 shortly intend giving you Ashburne, and propose that 
 the wedding should take place there, on your own estate. 
 There is a delightful little church in the village, and a 
 country affair is in every way nicer than a grand cere- 
 
 833 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 mony in town. If you want to give another reception 
 to your London friends, that can be done a few days 
 after the wedding. Thus a general meeting of us all 
 on neutral ground may be brought about, if only skil- 
 fully managed. What do you think of my idea ?" 
 
 Both Eobert and Esther were impressed by the rea- 
 soning of Miss Thornton. They had themselves often 
 discussed the awkward problem of how to bring about 
 the wedding so that Dr. Ellwood and Mr. Thornton 
 could both be present, and they had been baffled by the 
 difficulty of solving it. But, perhaps, as Miss Thorn- 
 ton had said, at Ashburne, on neutral territory, it might 
 be possible for the two families to meet once more, and 
 such an occasion might prove to be the beginning of a 
 renewed friendship. Eobert expressed his hearty ap- 
 proval of his aunt^s suggestion, and at the same time 
 seized the opportunity of repeating to her personally, 
 what he had said before in a hundred messages through 
 Mr. Morton, his gratitude for her unexampled kindness 
 and generosity. 
 
 "Nonsense, my dear boy," said Miss Thornton, "to 
 whom else should I give Ashburne if not to you? You 
 know that I have no family of my own, and there is no 
 one of my relations that I care two pins about but you. 
 But tell me," looking at her watch, "it is nearly lunch 
 time, have you anything particular to do this after- 
 noon?" 
 
 "Yes," replied her nephew, "we are both going round 
 to see my mother and sister. My father will be away 
 all the afternoon, so it will be a good opportunity to 
 talk over matters with them." 
 
 "Then why should I not go with you?" said his aunt 
 quickly, "I think that now is a very fitting moment, and 
 
 334 
 
PREPAKATION. 
 
 we can all consult together/^ 
 
 So as soon as the midday meal was over, they sallied 
 forth, up Bond Street where Miss Thornton had some 
 shopping to do, across Oxford Street, and arrived at 
 the door of the Thornton town residence, an imposing 
 structure^ built in the Italian style. 
 
 Mrs. Thornton and Dorothy were overwhelmed with 
 astonishment on perceiving the companion Eobert and 
 Esther brought; but a temporary embarrassment on 
 their part quickly glided away before the hearty and 
 natural manner of the old lady, and it was not long 
 before they were conversing together as if they had 
 parted only yesterday and there were no such things 
 as family differences at all in the world. The very 
 question that had been agitating the minds of our two 
 young friends, how to bring about a reunion of the two 
 families, had also sorely exercised the Thornton ladies, 
 and it was for a discussion of the problem that they had 
 desired this conference. Robert had never informed 
 any of his family of the handsome gift that his aunt 
 was about to confer on him, so the astonishment of his 
 mother and sister, on this, their first hearing of it, may 
 well be imagined. 
 
 ^'Whatever will father say to it?" said Dorothy. ^1 
 think that he had determined, in the event of Robertas 
 opera being a success, to relax a little towards him ; but 
 I wonder how he will feel when he finds that there is 
 some one in the field before him !" 
 
 "I cannot say," answered her mother; '*but he ought 
 to experience a sense of both gratitude and humiliation 
 at hearing that a relation, to whom he has behaved so dis- 
 tantly and coldly, has acted in such a generous manner 
 towards Ms own son; and this, for I presume there ia 
 
 335 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 no object now for keeping the affair secret, is what we 
 must try to make him feel. And as regards aunt Annie^s 
 idea of having a wedding at Ashburne, I think it is 
 excellent, and it would be unwise, in my opinion, to 
 delay the marriage so as to allow the surprise and ex- 
 citement, that will be caused by the news we have to 
 impart, to abate. What do you young people think of 
 two months from to-day for a date? It will give us all 
 time enough to make fitting preparations for the cere- 
 mony, and engineer matters with Robert's father." 
 
 Robert replied that for him the day mentioned was 
 highly suitable, and Esther, sharing the same opinion, 
 decided to consult her parents at once on the matter. 
 After tea the party broke up, Mrs. Thornton first mak- 
 ing Robert promise to bring Esther again to call on her 
 at an early date. She then took her sister-in-law aside 
 and said to her, ^T[ think that what you are doing for 
 Robert, Annie, will be the means of removing all these 
 difficulties that lie in the way of family concord. It is 
 a noble act of generosity on your part, and you may rely 
 on me to make my husband see it in that light." 
 
 When Robert and Esther returned to Kings Gardens, 
 the latter at once laid everything before her parents, 
 who cordially approved of the scheme put forward by 
 Miss Thornton. Though Dr. Ellwood would naturally 
 have preferred that his only daughter should have been 
 married from his house, he clearly saw the practical 
 difficulty of such a step. The advantages of the Ash- 
 burne plan were manifest, and he also gave his ready 
 consent to the wedding takinsr place on the date sug- 
 gested by Mrs. Thornton. Robert, therefore, at once 
 wrote off to his mother and aunt the willing acquiescence 
 of the Ellwoods in their proposals, and waited to see 
 
 336 
 
PREPARATION. 
 
 how his father would receive the news. 
 
 From his aunt he obtained a reply by return of post, 
 saying that she had resolved to go to Ashburne the fol- 
 lowing day to see that the house was in proper condition. 
 She proposed that the Ellwoods should stay with her 
 during the two or three weeks before the marriage, when 
 she would hand over the property to the young couple. 
 As Beasley Manor was but a little distance away, the 
 Thorntons would have no difficulty in getting there 
 early on the morning of the wedding. 
 
 In a few days' time an answer came from Mrs. Thorn- 
 ton also. She had communicated to her husband the 
 fact of the gift of Ashburne to Robert, and described 
 in her letter the effect that it had produced on him. 
 'Tour father/' she wrote, ''is, I think, pleased; he has 
 always had a sort of affection for Ashburne, having 
 lived there when a boy, and so is glad to think it is not 
 destined to pass out of the family. He feels, however, 
 a little sore that, after treating you in the fashion he 
 has for the past eighteen months, you should he bene- 
 fited by none other than Aunt Annie; it is only what 
 I expected, but of course it will quickly pass away. He 
 is, without doubt, though he has not said much about 
 it, proud and pleased at your success ; for his table, the 
 other morning, was simply covered with newspaners con- 
 taining criticisms and accounts of the ni^ht of the 15th. 
 I think, therefore, that Dorothy and I will have no 
 trouble in getting him to be present at Ashburne for 
 the wedding." 
 
 This was indeed sflfisfactory news to Robert; for 
 the one thing that had been wanting to fill his cup of 
 success and happiness, had been caused by the apathy 
 of his father. But even that seemed to be disappear- 
 
 337 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 ing, so that there remained now nothing to dim the 
 bright horizon of his future. The next few weeks were 
 busily occupied in preparations for the great event, and 
 before they were hardly aware of it, the time had ar- 
 rived for their visit to Derbyshire. It was towards the 
 end of July that the Ellwoods, escorted by Eobert, drew 
 up before the entrance of Ashburne and were welcomed 
 by Miss Thornton, who stood awaiting them at the front 
 porch. 
 
 The future home of Robert and Esther was a charm- 
 ing creeper-clad country house, built a few years after 
 the Queen Anne period. It was rather low and ap- 
 peared to be longer than it really was, because of the 
 dairy and other outhouses being attached to the main 
 building. There were about five or six acres of ground 
 devoted to flowers and vegetables, surrounded and cut 
 off from the rest of the estate which consisted of fields 
 and pasture land. In short it was a model country home, 
 exactly suited to the tastes and requirements of its fu- 
 ture owners. 
 
 Shortly after his arrival here, Eobert received an- 
 other letter from his mother, in which he learnt that 
 she had prevailed on his father to consent to her wishes 
 and attend the wedding. Mr. Thornton, however, de- 
 sired to see his son first, as he did not care about their 
 meeting and reconciliation occurring before the eyes 
 of many curious onlookers. If Eobert, therefore, could 
 spare a few days from the side of his betrothed, they 
 would all be glad to see him once more at Beasley. 
 
 Eobert, by way of answer to his mother^s intimation, 
 lost no time in hastening to his father's home. The 
 latter's manner, in spite of a certain pardonable reserve, 
 was nevertheless kindly and considerate. He was iin- 
 
 338 
 
PEEPAEATION. 
 
 leiguedly glad to see his son again, and after a short 
 time, when the barriers had been completely broken 
 down, it seemed as if the relations between the two men 
 had resumed that cordial character which had existed 
 in the old days. To the ladies, this gave immense satis- 
 faction, for the -imfortuante breach of the past two years 
 had been a source of unending anxiety and apprehension 
 to them. The few days passed rapidly by, and Eobert 
 returned to Ashburne. He and Esther had decided to 
 spend a short honeymoon in Devonshire, among the places 
 endeared to them by past associations. After that, they 
 were to return to Ashburne and spend there the rest of 
 the summer and the early part of the autumn. Then 
 they proposed to make a tour in the States, where Eob- 
 ert intended to try to arrange for the production of his 
 opera during the winter season in New York. Such 
 were some of the principal plans which suggested them- 
 selves to the young couple and which in later days were 
 more than amply fulfilled, particularly as to the pro- 
 duction of Eobert's operas, which achieved for him not 
 only fame but fortune and that within a few years. 
 
 At last the eve of the marriage day dawned. Pres- 
 ents arrived in numbers, and conspicuous among them 
 was an exquisite necklace of rare gems, set in silver of 
 Indian pattern, a gift from the Eajah of Punjabar. This 
 was accompanied by a note in which the Prince regret- 
 ted his inability to be present at the wedding, but hoped 
 to see the young couple on their return from their honey- 
 moon. But the latter were not destined to see their 
 good friend for many years ; for the Prince had returned 
 to India before their reappearance at Ashburne, and 
 did not visit London again, having accepted a high oflBce 
 under the Government which rendered his continued 
 
 ?' 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 residence in India necessary; and it was not until, dur- 
 ing a voyage in the East, long afterwards, that Robert 
 and Esther met him again. 
 
 340 
 
L'ENVOI 
 
 XLIV. 
 
 IT was a beautiful and bright August morning that 
 ushered in the wedding-day of Robert and Esther. 
 The rural surroundings of Ashburne had never looked 
 prettier, the fields seemed to be wearing a richer garment 
 of green, and the lark's matin song trilled with an added 
 measure of joy and triumph. As the sun directed its 
 rays on to her chamber window and forced its way 
 through the chinks of the shutters and blinds, Esther 
 arose while the rest of the household were still in the 
 arms of sleep, made her way noiselessly out of the door, 
 and wandered round the old-fashioned garden with its 
 orderly flower-beds and slanting lawns. After a little 
 while she sat down on one of the rustic wooden seats 
 and soon became lost in dreaming. The solitude and 
 stillness of the hour led her thoughts to the coming 
 event of that day, and impressed the young girl, whose 
 inner life was rich in contemplation and poetic emotion, 
 with the significance and solemnity of the occasion. For, 
 in a few hours, she was to leave her parents, under whose 
 loving care and shelter she had rested for nigh twenty 
 years, and become a wife, her fate henceforth indissol- 
 ubly linked with that of her young husband. She con- 
 jured up the whole vision of her past life, her early 
 childhood, her schooldays, the sweet calm of the little 
 family circle, both in America and at Kings Gardens, 
 
 341 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 and she breathed a prayer that she and her lover might 
 share some of that perfect peace and unity of thought 
 and deed that had blessed her parents in their shining 
 and blameless career. In this mood she remained until 
 the opening of the shutters and the raising of the blinds 
 brought her back to realities. 
 
 It was a happy party that gathered round the break- 
 fast table that morning, Miss Thornton occupying the 
 head of the board in her character of hostess for the last 
 time. About ten o'clock a ring at the front door bell 
 announced the arrival of the first guest, who proved to 
 be Mr. Morton, carrying under his arm the box con- 
 taining the deeds of the Ashburne property. During 
 the next hour the arrivals became more and more fre- 
 quent, and towards eleven Eobert, who was on the look 
 out, discerned the familiar figures of his parents and 
 sister walking up the drive. Accustomed as he was to 
 his father's tact and diplomacy, the young man was 
 astonished at his present ease and cordiality of manner. 
 For Mr. Thornton was not only paternally affectionate 
 to Esther, but courteous to Dr. Ellwood, complimentary 
 and agreeable to his sister and Eleanor, and altogether 
 behaved as if there had never in the past three years 
 been anything attempted on his part to sever the en- 
 gagement between the young people, nor any feeling 
 entertained by him otherwise than that of good-will 
 towards his sister, his son and the Ellwoods. To the 
 rest of the party who had had a secret uneasiness that 
 Mr. Thornton might prove something of a skeleton at 
 the feast, this afforded considerable relief, though Dr. 
 Ellwood — good, simple man — could hardly bring him- 
 self to assume towards his recent adversary a similar 
 obliviousness of recollection. 
 
 342 
 
UEISTYOI. 
 
 •>iit hark! twelve o'clock strikes from the church 
 tower, and, as the last chime dies away, the four ancient 
 bells merrily ring out their marriage greeting. And 
 now the villagers, nearly all of them tenants of Ash- 
 burne, begin to arrive, dressed in their best, the men 
 with huge button-holes in their coats. Miss Thornton 
 had made this a holiday for all the farm hands, and a 
 luncheon had been spread for them, their families and 
 their friends in the great barn, capable of accommodat- 
 ing several hundreds of people. 
 
 And now begins the procession to the church, which 
 lies but a few hundred yards beyond the lodge gates. 
 As they enter, the bells cease their joyful clang, and a 
 hush settles over the sacred fane. In hardly more time 
 than it would take to relate, the solemn words are spoken 
 that bind together two lives until death do them part; 
 the young couple rise, and the organ peals forth a bridal 
 strain. Back to the house they go, the bride this time 
 leaning on the arm of her proud and happy husband. 
 Here lunch awaits them, after which Esther is to change 
 her costume, preparatory to setting out on the wedding 
 tour. The tenants, after cheering to the echo the newly- 
 married pair, depart to the feasting in the bam, and 
 spend the rest of the day in sports and athletic games. 
 Inside the house, at the lunch table, the usual toasts and 
 healths are drunk, Mr. Thornton again compelling the 
 admiration of his late opponents by making a particu- 
 larly felicitous speech. Suddenly the wheels of a car- 
 riage are heard on the gravel drive outside the win- 
 dow; it is the trap to convey the happy pair to the sta- 
 tion on their way to Devonshire. Esther appears in a 
 pretty travelling dress, farewells are exchanged all 
 round, and, helped by Eobert, she steps into the carriage. 
 
 343 
 
THE ELLWOODS. 
 
 The tenants who have collected at the head of the drive, 
 give another rousing cheer, rice and an old shoe are 
 thrown at the couple by Dorothy, and they disappear 
 among the trees that shut in Ashburne from the publi« 
 eye. The rest of the party return to the house, and pass 
 the afternoon in examining the estate; by evening all 
 had departed to their homes, and the old farm was left 
 lonely and empty, to be so until the return of its new 
 owners. 
 
 Here, then, let us take leave of our young friends, 
 standing on the threshold of life and united by the holy 
 tie of wedlock. Storms will threaten and tempests beat 
 against the frail bark of human existence; but as long 
 as life lasts, so long will they walk in the straight path 
 of virtuous living, possessing but one heart, one mind, 
 and one aim, and directed by the all-seeing hand of love 
 divine. 
 
 344* 
 
Other Works by 
 the Same Author. 
 
OTHER WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR. 
 
 BOHEME. A small collection of Early Poems. By 
 Charles Stuart Welles, M. D. G. P. Putnam's Son, 
 New York. 
 
 IV. r. Commercial Advertiser. — "A charming vein of tender- 
 ness and pathos, combined with a fastidiousness of expres- 
 sion and delicate accuracy of rhythm, charac^^erizes the book 
 throughout," 
 
 'S. Y. Mail and Express. — "A dainty little volume of love 
 verses. The lines beginning 'Wherefore I sing/ by their deli- 
 cacy and grace and the charming turn of the thought, remind 
 one of Robert Herrick or Richard Lovelace." 
 
 N. Y. Daily Graphic. — "A collection of Mr. Welles' fugitive 
 poems, which form an exquisite and tasteful portfolio of gems. 
 The author, who is not unknown to fame, possesses a delicate 
 and graceful fancy, which he expresses with sweetness and 
 purity. His themes are familiar, but they are rendered with 
 a tenderness, grace, and skill which flavours of originality. 
 The book is full of promise and shows clearly that the author 
 possesses inspiration of no mean order." 
 
 'New York Tribune. — "In 'Boheme' we are saluted with the 
 perfume of poetry, pleasant from its refined character. Familiar 
 images meet us; and familiar fancies^ with such variations as 
 they generally take in passing through a new mind, seek our 
 acceptance. The verse is graceful, often bright and joyous, 
 sometimes pensive, but never candidly melancholy and never 
 morbid ; the metre is very pure and satisfactory, the feeling 
 adequately expressed, and the necessary repetitions of custo- 
 mary thought made fresh again by the author's grace and 
 skill." 
 
 THE LUTE AND LAYS. A recent collection of the 
 Poems of Dr. Charles Stuart Welles. Geo. Bell and 
 Sons, 4, York Street, Covent Gardens, London. The 
 Macmillan Company, Fifth Avenue, New York. 
 
 Aberdeen Free Press. — "He is unfailingly musical, and the 
 little collection contains many examples of undoubted grace 
 and sweetness." 
 
 The Outlook. — "A volume of verse written in an easy and 
 graceful way, the touch of tenderness and the touch of grace 
 happily combined, in many instances." 
 
 Literature. — "Peaceful harmonies, old-time memories, and 
 the transformation which love works, come when it may, such 
 
 347 
 
OTHER WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR. 
 
 are the pleasant themes which inspire the lute, and the re- 
 sulting lays are all smooth and musical." 
 
 Westminster Review. — '"Dr. Welles contributes a charming 
 little volume of poems. Some of the verses have a rich col- 
 ouring, which reminds us of De Musset. Altogether, it is a 
 book of verses which will delight lovers of pure lyrical poetry." 
 
 Hospital. — "Here and there are lyrics which possess that 
 indefinable touch which differentiates poetry from mere verse. 
 Such is the little eight-line, entitled 'Roses,' and in a deeper 
 and tenderer strain, this longer one called 'A Star of Evening.' " 
 
 Court Circular. — "The 'Lute and Lays' is a charming littl* 
 volume of gems which will find their way to the hearts of all 
 lovers of verse. We are pleased to learn that Her Majesty the 
 Queen, has graciously accepted the first copy of this delightful 
 work." 
 
 Scotsman. — "The poems are invariably sincere, and saj hap- 
 pily things which only poets are allowed to say, dignifying 
 what to some may seem a trite and commonplace theme, by 
 thoughts that are dignified as well as tender, and lit by many 
 flashes of a pleasant fancy." 
 
 Chicago Record. — "The gracefully turned verses in Dr. 
 Welles' volume show taste, a pleasant fancy, and the true 
 touch of inspiration. Most of the poems are little lyrics of 
 love or nature worship. The author often gives his readers 
 a phrase of delightful felicity, and his work is marked by 
 general finish. Some of the lesser poems are charmingly con- 
 ceived and daintily executed." 
 
 Home Journal. — " The 'Lute and Lays' is the work of a mod- 
 ern troubadour, who chants with pleasing art. Indeed, sin- 
 cerity and fervour are the special merits of the book, which 
 contains not a few verses that are poems of general interest. 
 The opening piece, 'The Lute,' is one of the best efforts of the 
 poet, 'Lilian' is a lyric with some charming stanzas, and 
 'Twilight' has much poetic feeling, and is delicately warm in 
 colour and spirit." 
 
 Bristol Mercury. — "We can heartily recommend this volume 
 of poems to the attention of the reader. Dr. Welles' verse is 
 characterized by sweetness and melody. It has distinction, 
 suggestiveness, charm. We consider that this slim volume 
 entitles him to a niche in the Temple of song. His poetic gift 
 may not be a great one, but there is true poetry between th* 
 covers of this little book. The poem entitled 'Twilight' evinces 
 the writer's love of nature, and is permeated by a spirit of 
 tender thoughtfulness." 
 
 Morning Herald. — "A pretty volume of poems by an Amer- 
 
 348 
 
OTHER WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR. 
 
 ican doctor, who paints as well as he writes. Many of these 
 love-songs are of real poetic beautj, such as one can take up 
 and read again and again, longing the while for more. Dr. 
 Welles, if we mistake not, has the true poetic gift, and the 
 power to write something which will one day bring him a 
 much greater measure of fame than he can hope for from 
 such a little volume, excellent and welcome as it is. We shall 
 be surprised if we do not hear from him again.' 
 
 Walsall Advertiser. — "This is a charming little book, 
 throughout which is an innocent sweetness and grace which is 
 quite unique in this prosaic age. Dr. Welles is a singer who 
 delights in his song, has no discordant note, and who is con- 
 tent to take no flights beyond his powers. The poems arfl 
 nearly all short, and are chiefly love-ditties, musical and schol- 
 arly. The sonnet on The Sonnet is admirably conceived and 
 perfectly constructed, according to the arbitrary rules of the 
 sonnet, and to a sense of the verbal melody which it so remark- 
 ably embodies. The rhythm of the verses throughout is very 
 pure." 
 
 Nottingham Guardian. — "Of the contents it is difficult to 
 select the best, all are so fragrant. The poet revels in buoyant 
 songs of love and hope, in dainty fancies, linked with the flow- 
 ers and the beautiful things of life. This, for example, is 
 charming: 
 
 'The kindly sun beams through the mist 
 With features bright, 
 
 As gallantly he stoops to kiss 
 The world good-night.' 
 And in 'Roses' we have also the touch of delicacy. Though 
 these quotations indicate the prevailing sentiment of the book, 
 there is diversity within its covers." 
 
 Bookseller. — "That English lyrics are not wanting in this 
 fag-end of the century, is testified by Dr. Welles' volume, to 
 speak of no other witnesses. The notes are struck by one of 
 middle-age, if we are to credit the opening piece. Now that 
 youth has gone, he does not see less clearly: 
 
 'But rather more that now we know 
 That passion does not measure love; 
 For love is light from God above, 
 
 And passion but a voice below.' 
 The remainder of the volume is of the same order, on phases 
 of love and nature worship, and expressed in the same schol- 
 arly fashion." 
 
 Denver Republican. — "The author has not set out to be 
 
 349 
 
OTHER WORKS BY TEE SAME AUTHOR. 
 
 darkly vague and mysterious. He sings as one who loves a 
 lover, who loves a flower, and who does not let gloom or de- 
 spondency rest heavy on his soul. The poems are happy in 
 thought, and contain not a few literary beauties. Some of 
 the book's charm is caught in the following verse: 
 
 '{So say not love is lost that lives. 
 E'en as a dream of other years; 
 
 Love is not dead while memory gives 
 Us back again its smiles and tears.' 
 The author is happy in the touches which he gives his songs 
 of nature, and his songs of the flower-garden are dew-fresh in 
 themselves." 
 
 CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF 
 THE WOELD. 
 
 Editorial, The Evening Stwr {Washington) . — "A small pam- 
 phlet has just made its modest appearance upon a subject that 
 warrants attention at this particular juncture of national and 
 international affairs. This pamphlet is a draft of 'The Con- 
 vstitution of the United States of the World,' the work of Charles 
 Stuart Welles, who is also author of numerous other writings 
 on legal, medical and international questions. No word of ex- 
 planation appears with this publication, which is a project 
 for the unification of all the nations of this world upon a plan 
 of government based upon that of the United States of America. 
 It is the most ambitious scheme for universal peace yet de- 
 vised in serious intent. That it is serious cannot, of course, 
 be doubted for a moment. The author's project takes this 
 form of a 'constitution' doubtless for the reason that it ex- 
 plains the scope and methods of his scheme as well as and 
 perhaps better than many columns of argumentation. 
 
 "Briefly stated, the purpose appears to be to create a world- 
 government that shall bear to the individual nations of the 
 earth about the same relation as the federal government of 
 this republic bears to the states of the Union. There is no 
 evident purpose to destroy the integrity of the nations as they 
 exist. It goes further than do most others^ however, in that 
 it outlines a definite constitution, such as its predecessors 
 have lacked. They have been delightfully nebulous, mere 
 dreams of the gentlest of people who abhor war and fail to 
 see its necessity under any circumstances. This is 'business- 
 like, concise, presented without argument and precise in its 
 proposals. The formation of this grand federation of nations 
 would, beyond a doubt, mark the millennium, but it is only too 
 
 360 
 
OTEER WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR. 
 
 plain that the world is not yet ripe for the millennium. The 
 Congress proposed by the constitution now in view might pass 
 laws by the hundred for the moral elevation of mankind, but 
 without a great army of agents for their execution these laws 
 would be as naught. The peculiar problems presented in this 
 country at times by reason of the tendency toward a demand 
 for the maintenance of the rights of the state regardless of the 
 obligations of the Union and the demand for a central super- 
 vision, may be regarded as faintly foreshadowing the complex 
 conditions that wouT9 surround an organization such as is 
 proposed by the author of this constitution." 
 
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