The Bishop thought it well that a particular bent should not show itself

too early, lest disgust should result.

'Still,' argued Lady Constantine rather firmly (for she felt this opinion

of the Bishop's to be one throwing doubt on Swithin), 'sustained fruition

is compatible with early bias. Tycho Brahe showed quite a passion for

the solar system when he was but a youth, and so did Kepler; and James

Ferguson had a surprising knowledge of the stars by the time he was

eleven or twelve.' 'Yes; sustained fruition,' conceded the Bishop (rather liking the words),

'is certainly compatible with early bias. Fenelon preached at fourteen.' 'He--Mr. St. Cleeve--is not in the church,' said Lady Constantine.

'He is a scientific young man, my lord,' explained Mr. Torkingham.

Advertisement..

'An astronomer,' she added, with suppressed pride.

'An astronomer! Really, that makes him still more interesting than being

handsome and the son of a man I knew. How and where does he study

astronomy?' 'He has a beautiful observatory. He has made use of an old column that

was erected on this manor to the memory of one of the Constantines. It

has been very ingeniously adapted for his purpose, and he does very good

work there. I believe he occasionally sends up a paper to the Royal

Society, or Greenwich, or somewhere, and to astronomical periodicals.' 'I should have had no idea, from his boyish look, that he had advanced so

far,' the Bishop answered. 'And yet I saw on his face that within there

was a book worth studying. His is a career I should very much like to

watch.' A thrill of pleasure chased through Lady Constantine's heart at this

praise of her chosen one. It was an unwitting compliment to her taste

and discernment in singling him out for her own, despite its temporary

inexpediency.

Her brother Louis now spoke. 'I fancy he is as interested in one of his

fellow-creatures as in the science of astronomy,' observed the cynic

dryly.

'In whom?' said Lady Constantine quickly.

'In the fair maiden who sat at the organ,--a pretty girl, rather. I

noticed a sort of by-play going on between them occasionally, during the

sermon, which meant mating, if I am not mistaken.' 'She!' said Lady Constantine. 'She is only a village girl, a dairyman's

daughter,--Tabitha Lark, who used to come to read to me.' 'She may be a savage, for all that I know: but there is something between

those two young people, nevertheless.' The Bishop looked as if he had allowed his interest in a stranger to

carry him too far, and Mr. Torkingham was horrified at the irreverent and

easy familiarity of Louis Glanville's talk in the presence of a

consecrated bishop. As for Viviette, her tongue lost all its volubility.

She felt quite faint at heart, and hardly knew how to control herself.




Most Popular