.

It is your

downhill, do not you? Out with it at once. opinion that it is time for me to think of retiring?" "I should never have had the presumption," said I, "to deliver myself with so little reserve, if it had not been your grace's express command. I act in entire obedience to your grace's orders; and I most obsequiously implore your grace not to take offense at my boldness." "I were unfit to live in a Christian land," interrupted he, with stammering impatience "I were unfit to live in a Christian land if I liked you the less for such a Christian virtue as sincerity. A man who does not love sincerity sets his face against the distinguishing mark between a friend and a flatterer. I should have given you infinite credit for speaking what you thought, if you had thought anything that deserved to be spoken. I have been finely taken in by your outside show of cleverness, without any solid foundation of sober judgment!"

Though completely unhorsed, and at the enemy's mercy, I wanted to make terms of decent capitulation, and to go unmolested into winter quarters: but let those who think to appease an exasperated author, and especially an author whose ear has been long attuned to the music of his own praises, take warning by my fate. "Let us talk no more on the subject, my very young friend," said he. the rudiments of good taste, and tinguish between gold and tinsel.

"You are as yet scarcely in utterly incompetent to disYou are yet to learn that

I never in all my life composed a finer homily than that unfortunate one which had not the honor of your approbation. The immortal part of me, by the blessing of heaven on me and my congregation, is less weighed down by human infirmity than when the flesh was stronger. We all grow wiser as we grow older, and I shall in future select the people about me with more caution; nor submit the castigation of my works but to a much abler critic than yourself. Get about your

business!" pursued he, giving me an angry shove by the shoul ders out of his closet; "go and tell my treasurer to pay to you a hundred ducats, and take my priestly blessing in addition to that sum. God speed you, good Master Gil Blas! I heartily pray that you may do well in the world! There is nothing to stand in your way, but the want of a little better taste."

75

MRS.

JEFF DURGIN1

William Dean Howells

́RS. DURGIN, a widow, with the assistance of her son Jackson and of a young woman named Cynthia Whitwell, keeps a summer hotel. Her ambition centers in the career of a second son, Jeff, her heart being firmly set on his completing a course at Harvard, going on into law, and so rising to a station in life above that of his birth. Jeff, on his part, responds very imperfectly to his mother's hopes. He has spent three rather profitless years at college, and still the only occupation that really interests him is managing a hotel. He has made up his mind against studying law, and had in fact meant to say as much when he told his mother of his engagement to Cynthia, but, to his surprise, she was displeased with his humble choice of a wife, and he did not find the necessary courage to do so. The omission was characteristic and significant. The "next morning" of the first sentence is the morning after Jeff's announcement of his intention with regard to Cynthia. Westover appears through a great part of the novel as a confidant of the Durgin family.

Mrs. Durgin and Cynthia did not seek any formal meeting the next morning. The course of their work brought them together, but it was not till after they had transacted several

1 From The Landlord at Lion's Head. Copyright, 1897, by Harper & Brothers; copyright, 1925, by Mildred Howells and John Mead Howells. (renewal). Reprinted through special arrangement.

household affairs of pressing importance that Mrs. Durgin asked: "What's this about you and Jeff?"

"Has he been telling you?" asked Cynthia, in her turn, though she knew he had.

"Yes," said Mrs. Durgin, with a certain dryness, which was half humorous. "I presume, if you two are satisfied, it's

all right,"

"I guess we're satisfied," said the girl, with a tremor of relief which she tried to hide.

Nothing more was said, and there was no physical demonstration of affection or rejoicing between the women. They knew that the time would come when they would talk over the affair down to the bone together, but now they were content to recognize the fact, and let the time for talking arrive. when it would. "I guess," said Mrs. Durgin, “you'd better go over to the help's house and see how that youngest Miller girl's gittin' along. She'd ought to give up and go home if she a'n't fit for her work."

"I'll go and see her," said Cynthia. "I don't believe she's strong enough for a waitress, and I have got to tell her so." "Well," returned Mrs. Durgin, glumly, after a moment's reflection, "I shouldn't want you should hurry her. she's out of bed, and give her another chance.”

"All right."

Wait till

Jeff had been lurking about for the event of the interview, and he waylaid Cynthia on the path to the help's house.

"I'm going over to see that youngest Miller girl," she explained.

"Yes, I know all about that," said Jeff. "Well, mother took it just right, didn't she? You can't always count on her; but I hadn't much anxiety in this case. She likes you, Cynthia."

"I guess so," said the girl, demurely; and she looked away from him to smile her pleasure in the fact.

"But I believe if she hadn't known you were with her about my last year in Harvard-it would have been different. I could see, when I brought it in that you wanted me to go back, her mind was made up for you."

"Why need you say anything about that?”

out.

"Oh, I knew it would clinch her. I understand mother. If you want something from her you mustn't ask it straight You must propose something very disagreeable. Then when she refuses that, you can come in for what you were really after and get it."

"I don't know," said Cynthia, "as I should like to think that your mother had been tricked into feeling right about me."

"Tricked!". The color flashed up in Jeff's face.

"Not that, Jeff," said the girl, tenderly. "But you know what I mean. I hope you talked it all out fully with her." "Fully? I don't know what you mean."

"About your not studying law, and everything.".

"I don't believe in crossing a river till I come to it," said Jeff. "I didn't say anything to her about that."

"You didn't!"

"No. What had it got to do with our being engaged?' "What had your going back to Harvard to do with it? If your mother thinks I'm with her in that, she'll think I'm with her in the other. And I'm not. I'm with you." She let her hand find his, as they walked side by side, and gave it a little pressure.

"It's the greatest thing, Cynthy," he said, breathlessly, "to have you with me in that. But, if you said I ought to study law, I should do it."

"I shouldn't say that, for I believe you're right; but even if I believed you were wrong, I shouldn't say it. You have a right to make your life what you want it; and your mother