ud of them, Miss
Nan. They have been useless enough hitherto, and if they find any work
now, it is more your doing than their own. I have tried to turn over a
new leaf since I saw you last, and to remember your axiom--"

"And did you find them? Did you help them over? Were many lame, and
not able to walk?"

"Crowds! Dozens! Scores! The whole parish seems hobbling; and I
foresee that that stile will keep me busy, now that I have begun. It
was astonishing how many cripples seemed waiting for my advent, and what
a lot of `helping over' they required. When they had recovered from the
shock of discovering that I was showing some interest in their affairs,
they were not at all bashful about stating their desires. One man
wanted a new roof to his cottage--his wife was rheumatic, and objected
to the rain coming through on her bed. I had previously refused the
request through my agent, but when I went to inspect the place, I could
not deny that repairs were needed. The woman showed me her fingers,
too--most unpleasant! I would rebuild the whole cottage rather than
look at them again!"

He shrugged his shoulders, with a relapse into his old affectation of
manner, which brought Nan's eyes upon him with a flash of indignation;
but she refrained from remonstrance, as, after all, he had granted her
request; and he continued his story uninterrupted.

"Another man begged for an extra strip of land where an invalid daughter
might keep chickens, and so contribute towards the family-purse. Three
widows had sons to place, and seemed to think that a word from me would
be sufficient to secure positions with handsome salaries; half a dozen
women demanded letters to hospitals. The school marm wanted an
additional window in her cottage, which is about as gloomy a little hole
as I have had the pleasure of entering; and the vicar, hearing reports
of my new-found generosity, requested a donation towards a new organ,
felt he would be the better for a second curate, and remarked _en
passant_ that he had had a lifelong desire to visit the Holy Land. I
promised to pay the last hundred pounds for the organ when he had made
up the rest of the sum, said that the parish was too small to allow two
whole curates and myself to live together in peace and harmony; and
congratulated him on his good fortune in not having visited Palestine.
I have, and ever since my return have been strenuously striving to
forget, and work back to my old dream