sed, and that in
spite of all his words, the match would be very well to his liking. But
when he got Marius alone, which was difficult, since Eudemius would
scarce let his prospective son-in-law out of his sight, he spoke to him
with all seriousness.

"It will be a great thing for thee, my son; thou canst carve out for
thyself what career thou wilt. I am pleased; thou art pleased;
Eudemius--why, for Eudemius, he is a changed man utterly."

"Truly, he is," Marius agreed. "Who could dream that behind that iron
mask of his there dwelt such affection, such store of human kindness?"

"All for thee, lad," said Livinius. His tone, with all its pride, held a
tinge of sadness. "It brings the water to my eyes to watch the new
nature struggling in him with the old. He hath pinned all his faith and
hope to thee. Be thou worthy of the trust."

"Ay, so I will," said Marius readily. He shook himself with a quick
breath. "And the task will be no easy one, father mine. I do not feel
myself at all a cuckoo stealing into a nest ready feathered. What I get
I shall pay for, in degree, if not in kind. There will be three men's
work in handling this estate."

"And the one who is most nearly touched in this?" said Livinius. "She
whose poor little hands are weighted with the gold of which she knows
nothing, whose child's head is filled with dreams in which thou hast no
part?"

"Oh, Varia?" said his son. "I suppose it is no worse for her than for
other women. She shall have all that I can give to content her. Father,
it is a strange thing about that child. When I am away from her, I will
own that her memory doth not linger over long with me. But when I am
with her, she bewitches me. I know not what else to call it. Always I am
trying to probe her; always I find myself foiled and baffled when I
think that I have found the clew to her mystery. If ever she should
waken from this state of hers.... At present she is angry, and I have
not seen her for two days. That may be, but she forgets that soon it
will not be for her to say whether I shall see her or whether not."

His lips tightened; in his dark eyes a yellow spark flashed and died.
Livinius glanced at him, smiled, and held his peace.

It was even as Livinius had said. Eudemius was, if not a changed man, at
least a changing one. Sombre his face would always be; Fate had bitten
too deep for the scars ever to be smoothed away. But with the haunting
fear removed that his name and fortune s