before I had found him in
bed with a bad sore throat, and we had had to postpone the reading
lesson. His uncle said it was a cold, but I had thought then it was a
severe one. I turned to ask Mrs. Forsyth if she would excuse my coming
in to dinner, but she would not hear of this.

'It is great impertinence to send up at our dinner hour with such a
request. I cannot agree to your running down to the village as late as
this. The boy must wait till to-morrow.'

'Oh, let me just run down after dinner, then!' I pleaded. 'I am afraid
he must really be very ill.'

'What is the matter with him? If it is anything infectious, you must
not go near him.'

'I think it is a bad cold.'

'Come in to dinner at once. We cannot keep every one waiting.'

I obeyed, but was very silent through the meal. My thoughts were with
Jim, and I longed to be with him. Hugh, who was sitting next me, asked
why I was so grave. When I told him, he said, 'I am going out for a
smoke after dinner, so I will take you if you like. The mother won't
have any objection then, I fancy.'

I thanked him, and Mrs. Forsyth giving her consent, an hour later we
left the house together. As we were walking down the lane, Hugh said
abruptly, 'How do you like Stanton?'

'Very much,' I said; 'is he going to stay much longer?'

'I have just persuaded him to stay over Christmas. He has no
belongings of his own, and I fancy finds his country house rather
dreary.'

'I wonder he doesn't marry.'

Hugh looked at me rather curiously, then said, 'He is too particular.
You good people are hard to please!'

'Have you known him long?'

'No, I was introduced to him last spring in town; but we have seen a
good bit of each other since. He is one of the few I know who
reconcile science and religion together. And I will acknowledge he has
made me change some of my opinions about those matters. He is rather a
big man in the literary world.'

'I am always thankful when clever men are true Christians,' I said; 'so
many people think that the two can never co-exist.'

When we reached Jim's home, Hugh said he would wait outside for me. I
found old Roger sitting by the boy's bed, with real trouble in his
face. Jim himself lay back almost motionless, except for a slight
movement of his lips. At the bottom of his small bed little Roddy was
perched, his round eyes looking full of interest and curiosity, and
Roddy's mother was bustling about, every now and then putt