In his excitement he had risen, and with lips apart, and eyes bent
on the open door he waited for his crippled boy; nor waited long ere
Louis came in sight, when with a wild, glad cry which made the very
rafters ring he caught him to his bosom. Silently Maude stole from
the room, leaving them thus together, the father and his son. Nor is
it for us to intrude upon the sanctity of that interview, which
lasted more than an hour, and was finally terminated by the arrival
of Maude Glendower. She had returned sooner than was anticipated,
and, after joyfully greeting Maude started in quest of Louis.
"Don't let her in here," whispered the doctor, as he heard her on
the stairs. "Don't let her in here; she'd be seized with a fit of
repairs. Go to her; she loves you, at least."
Louis obeyed, and in a moment was in the arms of his stepmother. She
had changed since last they, met. Much of her soft, voluptuous
beauty was gone, and in its place was a look of desperation, as if
she did not care for what she had done, and meant to brave it
through. Still, when alone with Mr. De Vere and Maude, she conversed
freely of their misfortunes, and ere the day was over they
thoroughly understood the matter.
The doctor was ruined; and when his wife was questioned of the future she professed to have formed no plan, unless, indeed, her husband lived with Nellie, who was now
housekeeping, while she went whither she could find a place. To this
arrangement Mr. De Vere made no comment. He did not seem disposed to
talk, but when the day of sale came he acted; and it was soon
understood that the house together with fifty acres of land would
pass into his hands.
Louis, too, was busy. Singling out every article of furniture which had been his mother's, he bought it with his own money, while John, determining that "t'other one," as he
called Katy, should not be entirely overlooked, bid off the high-
post bedstead and chest of drawers which once were hers. Many of the
more elegant pieces of furniture were sold, but Mr. De Vere kept
enough to furnish the house handsomely; and when the sale was over
and the family once more reassembled in the pleasant parlor, Dr.
Kennedy wept like a child as he blessed the noble young man who had
kept for him his home. Maude Glendower, too, was softened; and going
up to Mr. De Vere she said, "If I know how to spend lavishly I know
also how to economize, and henceforth none shall accuse me of
extravagance."