asion and the unwilling victim;
Vespasian, who was older by twenty years than in the days when he
stood unmoved before continuous and worse storms. His usually
impassive face was rather red and he now and then uttered a dignified
protest and finally bent to pick up the shattered glass that lay
between them and was the original cause of the trouble. Aymer, with
renewed invective, clutched a book to hurl at the unfortunate man, but
before he could fling it, Mr. Aston leant over the head of the sofa
and seized his wrists. The left would have been powerless in a child's
grasp and the elder man's position made him master of the still strong
right arm.

At a faint sign from Mr. Aston, Vespasian vanished.

Aymer made one unavailing attempt to free himself as his father drew
his hands up level with his head. He tried not to look at the face
leaning over him.

"Aymer," said his father, with great tenderness, "do you remember what
I used to do with you when you were a little boy and lost your
temper?"

Aymer gave a short, uneasy laugh. "Tie my hands to a chair or a bed
head. It was all right then, it is taking a mean advantage now." He
ended with a choking laugh again, and Mr. Aston felt his hands tremble
under his careful grasp.

"Aymer, my dear old fellow, if you must turn on someone, then turn on
me. I understand how it is. Vespasian doesn't. That's not fair. It's
the way of a fractious invalid, not of a sane man. Where's your
pride?"

Aymer bit his lip. He was helpless and humiliated, but after all it
was his father. He looked up at him at last with a crooked smile.

"I've none--in your power like this, sir. Let me go, I'll be a good
boy."

They both laughed, and Mr. Aston released him. The colour burned on
Aymer's face. Grown man as he was, the sudden subjection to authority
so exerted was hard to bear even in the half-joking aspect with which
his father covered it.

Mr. Aston knew it. He had deliberately used the very helplessness that
was his son's best excuse for his outbreak, to check the same, and
however thankful for his success, the means were bitter to him also,
only he was not going to let Aymer see it or get off without further
word.

"I shall have to send you to school again," he said, picking up the
broken glass. "I can't have Nevil's property treated like this. He'll
be adding 'breakages' to the weekly bill."

"I'll pay," pleaded Aymer, contritely, "if you won't tell him. Where
is he?"

"Gone