ght have had in
common with all parents, and followed rather than led the imperious
instincts of his daughter. It was not a question of sentiment, but of
life and death, or more than that,--some dark ending, perhaps, which
would close the history of his race with disaster and evil report upon
the lips of all coming generations.

As to the thought of his nephew's making love to his daughter, it had
almost passed from his mind. He had been so long in the habit of looking
at Elsie as outside of all common influences and exceptional in the law
of her nature, that it was difficult for him to think of her as a girl
to be fallen in love with. Many persons are surprised, when others
court their female relatives; they know them as good young or old women
enough,--aunts, sisters, nieces, daughters, whatever they may be,--but
never think of anybody's falling in love with them, any more than of
their being struck by lightning. But in this case there were special
reasons, in addition to the common family delusion,--reasons which
seemed to make it impossible that she should attract a suitor. Who would
dare to marry Elsie? No, let her have the pleasure, if it was one, at
any rate the wholesome excitement, of companionship; it might save her
from lapsing into melancholy or a worse form of madness. Dudley Venner
had a kind of superstition, too, that, if Elsie could only outlive three
septenaries, twenty-one years, so that, according to the prevalent idea,
her whole frame would have been thrice made over, counting from her
birth, she would revert to the natural standard of health of mind and
feelings from which she had been so long perverted. The thought of any
other motive than love being sufficient to induce Richard to become
her suitor had not occurred to him. He had married early, at that happy
period when interested motives are least apt to influence the choice;
and his single idea of marriage was, that it was the union of persons
naturally drawn towards each other by some mutual attraction. Very
simple, perhaps; but he had lived lonely for many years since his wife's
death, and judged the hearts of others, most of all of his brother's
son, by his own. He had often thought whether, in case of Elsie's dying
or being necessarily doomed to seclusion, he might not adopt this nephew
and make him his heir; but it had not occurred to him that Richard might
wish to become his son-in-law for the sake of his property.

It is very easy to cri