ghly cleaned, the walls distempered; the roof and
windows repaired, and the sanitation made perfect. Paul took a
wondrous delight in doing this. Each evening, when the day's work was
over, he hastened to it, and rejoiced in the new beauties which the old
place was constantly revealing. All the woodwork was of oak, and the
old staircase, with its quaintly carved banisters and newels, the
oak-panelled walls, which the last tenant had allowed to become dirty
and damaged, appealed to his artistic nature. He loved the great oak
beams which stretched across the ceilings, and rejoiced in the quaint
nooks which were a characteristic of the old building. The furnishing,
too, brought him constant pleasure. There happened to be a man in the
town who dealt in antique furniture, and he also manufactured new
furniture from old models. Why, Paul did not know, but since he had
been in the habit of visiting wealthy men's residences, he had taken a
great dislike to the bright, showy and costly, though very substantial,
furniture which he saw. It had newness written everywhere, and
utilitarianism and wealth seemed to be the great things to proclaim.
But in this old dealer's warehouse he was able to resurrect things
which had been bought from old manor houses, and which the Brunford
people regarded as rubbish. These articles, when cleaned and repaired
according to their original design, rejoiced him greatly. So that
when, a few weeks after he had written to his mother, he saw them
placed in his house, he felt for the first time that he had a home.
One room especially attracted him--the room he meant to be sacred to
his mother and to himself. Two-thirds of the wall space was covered
with bookcases, while on the rest he hung some very good pictures. All
these bookcases, as well as the chairs and writing-desk, made him think
of the days of rest and comfort before Brunford became a scene of rush
and turmoil. He pictured his mother seated by the fire, while he,
after his day's work was over, would sit by her side with a pipe and a
book. If he could not find his father, he could, at least, give his
mother a home, and he vowed that he would make her happy. She was only
a young woman even yet. It is true she looked careworn and sad when he
had seen her on that day when she had told him her story, but he would
smooth the lines from her face, and by his love and devotion would
bring joy to her heart. He vowed, too, that Brunford shoul