on there, and his evening walk
often took him in that direction. It was a silent, and not always an
approving interest. But there was neither bitterness nor anger in his
thoughts now. He was content, like his dear old wife, to let the world
move on and take its way, since he had so nearly done with it all.

There was for Davie a constant fascination in the skill and power
displayed by those employed in directing the work that was going on. He
haunted the place at every spare moment, and even did a day's work
there, at leisure times, for the sake of getting an insight into the
principles of things of which he had read, but which he had never had an
opportunity of seeing applied. The engineer employed about the dam, a
scientific man, capable of doing far higher work than fell to him in
Gershom, well pleased with the lad's eager interest, gave him many a
hint that went beyond the work in hand, and lent him books, and
encouraged him in various other ways to educate himself in the direction
toward which his tastes and inclinations seemed to lead. He claimed his
help on occasions when intelligence and skill rather than strength were
needed, and Davie, well pleased, did his best. The end of it all was,
that the lad's vulgar wishes for other work and another kind of life
than that which had fallen to him on the farm, took a definite form, and
as usual his confidence was given to his sister, and as usual, also,
Katie's first thought was:

"But, Davie, think of grandfather."

"Oh, there is no special hurry about it, and we'll break it to him
easily. And you must mind that there is less land now, and Sandy and
Jamie are coming on. There is not room for so many of us here, Katie.
And I'll be first to slip out of the nest, that is all."

"But that you should be so glad to think about it, Davie," said Katie
mournfully.

"Oh, as to that, I'm no' awa' yet. You needna fear that I'll do
anything that grandfather will take to heart. And besides, Katie,
grandfather is different now."

Davie said these last words with a little hesitation, because he had
been taken up rather sharply on a former occasion when he had said
something of the same kind. Katie seemed to have forgotten her old
unhappy thoughts about her grandfather and Jacob Holt, and how hard it
had been for her grandfather to forgive his enemy, and it almost seemed
like reflection on his past life when it was said how greatly he was
changed.

"It is not so muc