with her consciousness of having her intended romance thrown
back upon her hands; and he seemed in nowise eager to meet hers, for
whatever consciousness of his own. "Well, it isn't certain that he was
the one, after all," she said.

XII.

Long after the ball Lily seemed to Elmore's eye not to have recovered
her former tone. He thought she went about languidly, and that she was
fitful and dreamy, breaking from moods of unwonted abstraction in bursts
of gayety as unnatural. She did not talk much of the ball; he could not
be sure that she ever recurred to it of her own motion. Hoskins
continued to come a great deal to the house, and she often talked with
him for a whole evening; Elmore fancied she was very serious in these
talks.

He wondered if Lily avoided him, or whether this was only an illusion of
his; but in any case, he was glad that the girl seemed to find so much
comfort in Hoskins's company, and when it occurred to him he always said
something to encourage his visits. His wife was singularly quiescent at
this time, as if, having accomplished all she wished in Lily's presence
at the princess's ball, she was willing to rest for a while from further
social endeavor. Life was falling into the dull routine again, and
after the past shocks his nerves were gratefully clothing themselves in
the old habits of tranquillity once more, when one day a letter came
from the overseers of Patmos University, offering him the presidency of
that institution on condition of his early return. The board had in view
certain changes, intended to bring the university abreast with the
times, which they hoped would meet his approval.

Among these was a modification of the name, which was hereafter to be
Patmos University and Military Institute. The board not only believed
that popular feeling demanded the introduction of military drill into
the college, but they felt that a college which had been closed at the
beginning of the Rebellion, through the dedication of its president and
nearly all its students to the war, could in no way so gracefully
recognize this proud fact of its history as by hereafter making war one
of the arts which it taught. The board explained that of course Mr.
Elmore would not be expected to take charge of this branch of
instruction at once. A competent military assistant would be provided,
and continued under him as long as he should deem his services
essential. The letter closed with a cordial expression of t