ouldn't learn under him.

Christina's heart was striving to excuse him, declaring that he had
been ill-used, while her head was protesting that he was only a spoiled
boy who had wasted his opportunities, and was now ready to lay the
blame at any door but his own.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she declared with real sympathy. "And what will
you do now?"

"I think I'll enlist," he declared despondently, sinking down into the
depths of the soft couch, one of the comforts that Allister's money had
made possible. "There isn't anything else for me to do. I've had such
rotten luck."

He glanced at Christina as he spoke and was rather disconcerted to see
that she made no opposition. His mother always wept and wrung her
hands, and made any concession at the merest suggestion of his going to
the Front, and he had supposed that Christina would, at least, show
some agitation.

But instead there came a sudden light into her eyes.

"Oh," she declared, "it must be grand to be a man and go away and fight
for freedom!"

Wallace raised his head and stared at her.

"I don't believe you'd care a mite if I were killed!" he cried
reproachfully.

Christina's eyes dropped to the grey sock she was knitting.

"Oh, I--I didn't mean that!" she cried apologetically. "I--I just
thought maybe you wanted to go."

"I can't leave mother," he declared, "that's one sure thing. And
another is that I'm going to give up the University. I never wanted to
go anyway. I think I'll go into business, or perhaps I'll farm. I'm
going to stay home for a week or so anyway and talk things over with
Uncle Peter."

He seemed to forget his troubles after this resolution and became his
old gay self, and Christina's head gave way to her heart and she was
altogether happy that he had come home.

But there was not much happiness or comfort in the red house with the
pillars. Dr. McGarry had helped his sister indulge they boy and now he
was angry with him for turning out the exact product to be expected
from their indulgence. The Doctor stormed and scolded and Mrs.
Sutherland wept. Wallace threatened to enlist. Uncle Peter said it
was the best thing he could do and then, when things were really
getting quite intolerable and Wallace was packing his trunk for parts
unspecified, fate intervened once more and he was taken down with what
the Doctor said was a very heavy cold but which Mrs. Sutherland
declared might easily develop into pneumonia.

Mitty Wright