ted to make it up fully by supporting more than one poor family in
a quiet way. He was liberal in his conduct as well as his belief, and
his character and habits were above the reproach of the severest critic.
Hence it was that the widow was forced to respect at least this one of
our visitors, and to treat his niece with common civility, though
cordiality was out of the question.

In fact, we owed to Mr. Desmond not a little for what relief we obtained
in our social life from the chilling restraints of the mother-in-law's
presence. He seemed to take a real pleasure in coming out to our little
snuggery. His stately establishment in town could not be very home-like.
His niece presided over it with great skill, and saw that every wish or
taste of his was gratified. She could always entertain him with her
sprightly wit, and their social occasions were among the most elegant in
the city. He had his club to go to, which furnished every means that
ingenuity and lavish resources could contrive to minister to the
pleasures of man. And yet, there was wanting to his life that element
that was the essence of home. He had longed for it when he was young,
and had provided for it in his household; but the wife of his youth had
been called from him early, and he had vainly tried to fill all his life
with business, with silent works of charity, with elegance and profusion
in his house, with his clubs, his studies, and his travels; but still
there was a void, and when he came to visit us, he seemed to find
something akin to the home feeling in our little circle. So he came far
oftener than was to be expected of one in his position. Clara was his
excuse, but it was plain to see that he liked to come on his own
account, and he made himself very agreeable to us all; and when he came,
we noticed the chilling influence of Mrs. Pinkerton much less than when
he was not there.

Sometimes we had a whist party. It was generally Bessie and I against
Clara and George, but the widow had no objection to whist and was
occasionally induced to take a hand, while Mr. Desmond was quite fond of
the game and was a consummate player. When we young people made up the
set, Mr. Desmond would converse with the widow, for though reticent
where politeness did not call upon him to talk, he was incapable of the
rudeness of sitting silent with one other person, or in a small party
of intimate friends; and these conversations, showing his wide
information on all manne