harmless botanizing tour with an elderly professor of theology would seem to Arthur, who knew nothing of the reason for the prohibition, absurdly

y Catholic governess of his younger children, the two elder sons, James and Thomas, much as they resented the presence of a step-mother hardly older than themselves, had submitted with sulky resignation to the will of Providence. Since the father's death the eldest brother's marriage had further complicated an already difficult position; but bo

old permission to do as he pleased about his holidays. He expended half his spare cash on bo

y recovered his mental balance, and now looked upon the case more calmly. Arthur was very young and inexperienced; his decision could hardly be, as yet

he glaring white streets and dusty, tourist-crammed promenades, a little fr

t like it

" They were standing on Rousseau's Island, and he pointed to the long, severe outlines of the Savoy side. "But the town

r own amusement, so there is no reason why we should stop. Suppose we take

you wanted

es a dozen times. My holiday is to see y

you, I should like to follow

Rho

rve; it ru

ill go to

gray and muddy Arve. He had grown up beside the Mediterranean, and was accustomed to blue ripples; but he had a positive passion for

ide chalets or tiny mountain villages, and wandering on again as their fancy directed. Arthur was peculiarly sensitive to the influence of scenery, and the first waterfall that they passed threw him into an ecstacy which was delightful to see; but as they drew nearer to the snow-peaks he passed out of this rapturous mood into one of dreamy exaltation

th wide, dilated eyes into the glittering expanse of blue and white. They had turned aside from the high-road to sleep at a quiet village near the falls of the Diosaz, and, the sun being already lo

has no beginning and no end. I see it waiting, age after age, for

elli s

see those t

ever see

y are there, I know; but I have not the ey

do you

untain-that is all when I look up into the

untain peak, and all the life and light deserted the face of nature. Straightway there came upon the valley something dark and threatening-sullen, terrible, full of spectral weapons. The perpendicular cliffs of the barren western mountains seemed like the teeth of a monster lurking to snatch a vic

ring, and drew back from the

answered softly, "it is

t sit in darkness and

that pass you day b

vering among the pine trees, clinging faintly about the desperate agony

"The people that walked in dar

n the red light had faded from the summits Montanelli

is gone. We shall lose our way i

rned away from the spectral face of the gre

ng the black trees to the cha

supper table, he saw that the lad seemed to have shaken off the ghost

ok at this absurd dog! It

faced and white-aproned, with sturdy arms akimbo, stood by smiling, while he put the animal through its tricks. "One can s

his confusion. At supper he talked of nothing but plans for excursions, mountain ascents, and botanizin

isappeared. He had started before daybreak for the

g into the room, hatless, with a tiny peasant girl of three years old

was a curious contrast to the grave

ap? Scampering all over the mo

ains look perfectly glorious at sunris

nspection a wet

on the pasture; oh, it was nasty! But I'm hungry again, now; and I want

on his knee, and was helping

ou catching cold. Run and change your wet things

y-the man that cobbles the commune's boots. Hasn't she lovely eyes

ated on the Padre's knee, chattering volubly to him about her tortoise, which she was

gravely in her half-intelligible

ling her wonderful stories. The woman of the chalet, coming in to clear the table, stared in ama

trangers; and see, she is not shy with his reverence at all. The wonderful thing! Kneel do

id an hour later, as they walked through the sunlit pasture-land. "That

es

such a serious thing, and it means so much to them to be surrounded from the very beginning with good influences, that I should have thought the holier a man's vocation a

us

asty whisper that seemed to

"do you think there is anything wrong in what I said? Of course I ma

the meaning of what you just said. You will see differently in

ect ease and harmony that reigned

hot. After dinner they sat on the terrace of the hotel, which was sheltered from the sun and commanded a good view

hing, the other lazily chatting. It did not seem to have o

those bits of ferns. Just look at the line of his eyebrows! You only need to put a crucifix for the magnifying-glas

tatic over the roast fowl as over those grubby little weeds. He's pretty enough;

s-w

t of you. Do you mean to say you've passed

eting Methodist! Don't you know a

chastity, and all that sort of thing. Well then, w

yes. "Still, it is kind of them to think me like you; I wish I wer

giddy," he said in a curiously faint, dull tone. "Perhaps I was too much in th

of which they had spoken under the magnolia tree; it would be cruel, he thought, to spoil the first delights of Alpine scenery for a nature so artistic as Arthur's by associating them with a conversation which must necessarily be painful. Ever since the day at Martigny he had said to himself each morning; "I will speak to-day," and each evening: "I will speak to-morrow;" and now the holiday was over, and he still repeated again and again: "To-morrow, to-mo

; "and this is the only chance we shall have to see

g mournfully and heavy with raindrops. On the green surface of the lake a little boat, with white wings faintly fluttering, rocked in the dewy breeze. It looked as light and frail as a tuft of silvery dandelion seed flung upon the wa

busy this winter. I want to understand quite clearly what our position as regards each other is to be; and so, if you--" He stopped for a moment and then continued more

s the water, listened q

Montanelli went on; "whether you have b

dear Padre; I have not bo

t under

f you feel in a certain way about a thing, that binds you t

s-feeling is quite irrevocable? Arthur,

nd looked straight in

ell, I would tell it to you; but there is no use in talking about these things. I have not forgotten what

ush, pulled off the petals one by o

e about these things; it seems there is indeed