his vehemence.

'It is an end of all chance for me. When she had always taught me to
look to it! It is absolute cheating.'

'Of late she never led us to expect anything.'

'No; and you never took pains to stand well with her. Some people--'

'O, Arthur, Arthur!'

'Well, don't be foolish! You could not help it. Her spitefulness was
past reckoning. To see her malice! She knew John and Theodora would not
let me be wronged, so she passes them over, and my mother too, for fear
it should be made up to me. Was ever man served so before? My own son,
as if to make it more aggravating!'

At an unlucky moment Johnnie ran in, and pulled his mother's dress.
'Mamma, may Helen dig in the bed by the garden door!'

'Go away!' said Arthur, impatiently. 'We can't have you bothering here.'

Though inattentive and indifferent to his children, he had never been
positively unkind, and the anger of his tone filled the timid child's
eyes with tears, as he looked appealingly at his mother, and moved away,
lingering, and beginning a trembling, 'but, mamma--'

'Don't stay here!' cried Arthur, in an indiscriminating fit of anger,
striking his hand on the table. 'Did I not order you to go this moment,
sir?'

Poor Johnnie fled, without hearing his mother's consoling 'I'll come;'
which only, with her look of grief, further irritated Arthur. 'Ay, ay!
That's always the way. Nothing but the boy, whenever I want you.'

Violet saw defence would make it worse, and tried to give him the
attention he required; though quivering with suppressed distress for his
harshness to his poor little boy, whom she could hardly help going at
once to comfort. She hardly heard his storming on about the unhappy
will, it only seemed to her like the apple of discord, and great was the
relief when it was ended by Lord Martindale's coming down, asking why
Johnnie was crying. She hoped this might cause Arthur some compunction,
but he only answered, gruffly, 'He was troublesome, he is always
fretting.'

Violet found the poor little fellow with tear-glazed face trying to
suppress the still heaving sobs, and be grateful to his grandmamma, who
had brought him into her room, and was trying to console him, though
unable to discover the secret of his woe. As he sprung to his mother's
lap, his grief broke forth afresh. His affection for his father was a
deep, distant, almost adoring worship; and the misery inflicted by those
looks and words was beyond what could be guessed,