66
BY JEANIE HERING, AUTHOR OF TRUTH WILL OUT," ETC.

CHAPTER II.-CHANGING LIGHTS.
ASIL CRAWFORD was, as we have be-
fore said, the godson of Dr. Majendie.
He was a man with few relations, little
money, and less interest, such as could
help him on in the world. His profession
was that of a barrister, and he was wont to boast
that he had held two briefs. His first experience in
that line had been in an action relating to a pair of
boots, and although he had gained his cause, astonish-
ingly little interest or excitement had been roused
by the success. His second brief had contained full
particulars of the shooting of a pet cat, with a green
collar and three brass bells round its neck; and
whilst his mind was deeply employed in the subject,
a messenger arrived bearing the tidings that the cat
was resuscitated, proving the adage, that a cat has
nine lives (as Basil Crawford bitterly thought), and
that, consequently, the neighbours (owner of, and
shooter at, the cat) had shaken hands over the garden-
wall, vowed a life-long friendship, and finally wished
to withdraw the action.

Basil Crawford's intimates discussed the matter; some deciding that it was 'aggravating, to say the least of it;" others took to calling him "Puss and boots;" and the rest remarked that, as far as briefs went, he was going "from bad to worse.” But the one most concerned took these and all other ills of life cheerfully and pleasantly, manfully resisting depression and low spirits, even when times looked most unkind and prospects darkest.

And earnest work and determination of purpose are seldom in vain. It was surmised that Basil Crawford was beginning to get on, and to be well spoken of, but he made no boast of this, for he well knew how much yet remained for him to do; that he had barely set the wheel of his fortunes moving with feeble pulsations which would fade and die out if he relaxed his energy; the world, and his life in it, would be for many a long day yet a struggle and a

battle for him. It was not often therefore that he took a holiday; but when he did so, his first thoughts always went to his godfather's house at Atherton, for a welcome awaited him there whenever he could avail himself of it. There was a mutual respect and liking between him and his godfather; moreover Birdshill was a pleasant place to stay at; and, lastly there was Gwendoline, or, probably chiefly, there was Gwendoline!

There was an indefinable something about her which made people fall in love with her, and it would be hard to give an exact cause for it, but certainly it was not entirely her beauty which made her so attractive; but the fact was felt and acknowledged, and by none more than by Basil Crawford, who found her face coming between him and his law-books, and things which she had said interfering with the most pungent bits in his briefs. He had therefore found it absolutely necessary at times to run down to Atherton, to assure himself that his recollections of her face had been correct, and to hear whether she had come to the end of her original ideas, or whether she had still something fresh and bright to say on things in general.

And each time that he revisited Atherton he had been fully satisfied on both points, only the aggravating thing was, that instead of their clearing up matters it involved them in the most tangled confusion, particularly after he had assured himself that Claude Egerton entertained the same feelings regarding her that he himself held; for, while he was a comparatively poor and struggling man, was not Claude Egerton rich and prosperous, a match therefore to be desired for her by all her friends?

He was not in a good temper on the second morning of his visit, the day after the croquet-party; he shut himself up, for the purpose of letter-writing, in a little cupboard of a room, wherein he knew that he would have solitude. This was unsociable, and although business must of course claim to be first,

GOLD IN THE SKY.

it is astonishing how even that leviathan can conveniently subside on occasion. Gwendoline instinctively felt this, and accordingly made some parade of going out, demonstrating but little interest in his proceedings, only, a little later, calling for her boots as she passed the closed door of the little cupboard of a room.

On the other side of the door Basil Crawford wondered where she was going, and rather gloried in the thought that she must naturally have expected him to volunteer to accompany her; he then wondered whether she would see the squire when she was out; and, finally, he turned his head ever so slightly in the direction of the window, but cautiously, in case she should see him watching her. No need for the caution; she neither turned as she passed the window, nor loitered as she went along the drive, till she disappeared amongst the shrubs.

She was "a sight for sair een," he said to himself, as she walked in the spring morning, bright and fresh as the early flowers, the sunshine on her fair hair making it look like the primroses themselves.

It was very strange, but no sooner had she disap-| peared amongst the thick shrubs which grew on each side of the drive, than Basil Crawford's writing came to an end; the pen full of ink was thrown on to the table-cloth. His next impulse was to throw open the window, and let some of the fresh air into the room. He had no sooner done this than he stepped deliberately out into the garden; he had formed no plan to do this, only, whilst opening the window, the thought flashed across him to go the length of the gate, and just observe the direction she had taken for her walk.

It is also strange to relate, but Gwendoline had no sooner reached the gate than she determined to pass and re-pass that sullenly-closed window once more-it was easy to pretend that she had forgotten something and so give him an opportunity of, altering his mind, and joining her, if he should think fit to do so.

At the turn in the drive they came face to face; and, to say the least of it, each was considerably astonished.

35

Gwendoline said this with some emphasis, and Basil Crawford felt decidedly embarrassed. Before he had recovered breath or presence of mind she had passed into the house, and he was left standing on the gravel path, with plenty of time to consider the "situation."

One thing was clear enough: she was offended, and not without some reason; he would wait till she came out again, and make peace between them. He had barely made up his mind as to what he should say when she reappeared.

66

Gwendoline," he said, going up to her, "my words must have sounded strange to you just now; I am sure you misunderstood them. I meant only to convey to you that your passing the window could not in the least interrupt anything I was doing; if it did distract me somewhat, it was but too pleasantly,. therefore a fault on the right side." He said this in his usual pleasant manner, and Gwendoline imme diately thawed to it, and, with an answering smile, said, "Basil, you have been dreadfully cross all the morning, but I think you have just woke up to the fact, and are a little ashamed of yourself, is not that the truth?"

Of course I must say yes. Ladies always dislike any one to differ in opinion from them; you would say I was cross again if I contradicted you."

"I should say you were rude as well!" By this time they had both arrived at the gate, and she added, "Now, Basil, confess it was all nonsense about business obliging you to shut yourself up this morning, wasn't it?"

"You wish me to say you are right, I suppose, and that there was no necessity for me to make a hermit of myself?"

"Not only a hermit, but a hermit crab, and the crossest of his kind; but, honour bright, Basil, you need not really have gone to such desperate lengths, need you?"

Honour bright, you are right now, and I believe at all times," was the answer, in his bright ready tones. "How shall I make atonement? how will you punish me?"

A merry mischievous look came over her face, and hastily dropping her open sun-shade on to the gravel"Dear me, I did not know you were going out," path, she held out her hands, and in a mock solemn she said. tone said, "Lay your two hands here and say after me, 'I do humbly confess that there was no necessity for me to shut myself up this morning, or to have been so disgracefully cross; I acknowledge that my behaviour was absurd, and that I am a very ridiculous person.""

Neither am I going out. It smelt so sweet and fresh when I opened the window I thought I would just step out for a minute to-to see how things looked."

"I hope I did not interrupt you," she said, "by walking past the window on the gravel; I will go. back the other way."

“I would rather say that I had been an idiot! said Basil Crawford, who had repeated everything

'Interrupt me! oh dear no! I was not doing after her until she came to the last sentence, where anything which signified in the very least."

"Indeed! I understood that you had important | business which obliged you to shut yourself up till it was finished!"

he halted.

"I would rather you said a very ridiculous " she said, gravely.

person,'

He then repeated the words after her, when she

66

'But you just told me I might come with you." "I only wished to find out if you would like to come with me. You have gone through your 'atonement;' my 'punishment' is yet to come!"

"You surely will not be so hard-hearted now as to forbid me to go with you! I will fetch my hat in a moment, and ” "Put it on, if you think the atmosphere of the room requires it. Yes, I can be hard-hearted when I think the education of the young requires it, so stern a sense of duty have I!"

considered once more upon the general tendency "things" had to be aggravating. He stood almost precisely upon the same spot he had stood when Gwendoline delivered her first shaft at him; but he felt almost less amiable now than he had felt then.

Mrs. Majendie, from the up-stairs window, had watched the small scene at the garden-gate, and before Gwendoline had bidden him good-bye she ¦ had arrived at a conclusion, and made up her mind. Like most weak and silly people, she was cunning, and at the same time very capable, when she thought occasion demanded it, of taking the law into her own hands and acting peremptorily.

Basil Crawford had not hurried himself in any way, and Mrs. Majendie was in the drawing-room and comfortably established there before he made his appearance.

Any stranger entering the room then would have taken Mrs. Majendie for a much younger woman than she really was: her pretty hair becomingly arranged in front, and a little knot of golden curls behind; her clear white skin and beautiful features;

"But supposing I say I will come with you, and I her tasteful dress arranged on the blue sofa-to any won't be left behind ?"

"And supposing I say I won't have you? Goodbye, crab-I mean hermit-good-bye!" The hill descended on the left-hand side of the gate, and she ran a few springy steps downward, looking back laughingly twice, and waving her sun-shade to him.

She was a very aggravating girl, and certainly a tease, but she was pretty enough to be easily forgiven. For a moment or two Basil Crawford, with uncovered head, hung over the gate, looking after her; he unfastened the latch, and stood in the road watching her quick steps down-hill, then, before the rustling movement of her garments had quite passed away, he turned hastily back to the house. Who was to say she intended her stern commands to be obeyed? He would take the reins into his own hand, fetch his hat, and

"Basil!"

stranger she would have been a pleasant sight to look on. Basil Crawford, who was, of course, only a "crab," and whose opinion did not signify, failed to see any beauty in her features, because he had never yet seen any expression on them save that of a perfect self-satisfaction.

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'Basil, my dear boy, where are they all gone to? Is there no one to look after you and amuse you? Where is Gwendoline ?"

"Gone out," he said, somewhat shortly, and taking up a photographic album from the table.

"Very thoughtless of her; but she has so many plans of her own that she seldom consults any one else's pleasure but her own."

"She has gone to Heathcot to see the Vernon girls," he replied.

"And most uninteresting girls they are, in my opinion. Bessie is the most conceited girl I ever

He stood still on the gravel walk, looking all round. knew, and Naomi is-well she is difficult to describe, 66 'Basil!-here!"

This time he turned his head to one of the upper windows of the house. Mrs. Majendie's fair welldressed head was visible amongst the white muslin curtains of an open window.

"I am coming down-I am finished already," she said, in a well-satisfied voice.

"Indeed!" he replied, not much overcome. It was half-past eleven, and about time for any one to come down," he thought.

"

"I do not usually come down till lunch time," she said, "but when any one is staying in the house I try to make an effort to do my duty, and see after their wants, and entertain them. Go into the drawingroom, my dear boy, I shall join you there in a few minutes, and we will have a comfortable little chat."

The fair self-satisfied head disappeared, and Basil

but she goes in for cleverness. You know that sort of person, and how obnoxious they are."

"They ought not to be encouraged; the only way is to avoid meeting them if you possibly can," he said.

"Now I think a woman should be feminine, and leave those trying sorts of things to men. Do you ever notice how disagreeable women who try to be too clever get? Just ring the bell, dear boy; it is so far from luncheon-time that we shall be all the better of a little refreshment. I have tried to train up Gwendoline in the way I thought she should go, but I had long ago to give up the task of trying to bend her will to mine; she is so entirely like her father, so unlike me."

"In face she resembles you very much," he put in. "Do you think so?" she said, coolly; and there

THE LOVE OF CHRIST.

THE LOVE OF CHRIST.

BY THE REV. ROBERT MAGUIRE, M.A., RECTOR OF ST. OLAVE'S, SOUTHWARK.

I. THE MEASURE OF CHRIST'S LOVE.

"As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you."-JOHN XV. 9.

ELIGION" may be defined as "the relationship that subsists between God and man, and the intercourse founded on that relationship." The root of all is love: it is the foundation of all our dealings with God; it is the secret source of all God's dealings with us. There are many phases of that love, and many aspects in which to view it. There is, for example, the love of Christ as manifested towards us; that love, again, as contemplated by us, and as evidenced to the world; the love He hath shown to us; and the corresponding love we owe to Him.