nd in
need of the sort of comfort that he brought so liberally to others.

Although he had talked to Hadria about a thousand topics in which they
were both interested, there had been nothing personal in their
conversation. He was disposed, at times, to treat her in a spirit of
affectionate banter.

"To think that I should ever have dared to offer this young lady
acidulated drops!" he exclaimed on one occasion, when Hadria was looking
flushed and perturbed.

"Ah! shall I ever forget those acidulated drops!" she cried,
brightening.

"You don't mean to say that you would stoop to them now?"

"It is not one's oldest friends who always know one best," she replied
demurely.

"I shall test you," he said.

And on that same day, he walked into Ballochcoil, and when he returned,
he offered her, with a solemn twinkle in his eye, a good-sized paper bag
of the seductive sweetmeat; taking up his position on the top of a low
dyke, and watching her, while she proceeded to make of that plump white
bag, a lank and emaciated bag, surprising to behold. He sat and looked
on, enjoying his idleness with the zest of a hard worker. The twinkle of
amusement faded gradually from his face, and the sadness that Hadria had
noticed the day before, returned to his eyes. She was leaning against
the dyke, pensively enjoying her festive meal. The dark fresh blue of
her gown, and the unwonted tinge of colour in her cheeks, gave a
vigorous and healthful impression, in harmony with the weather-beaten
stones and the windy breadth of the northern landscape.

The Professor studied the face with a puzzled frown. He flattered
himself that he was a subtle physiognomist, but in this case, he would
not have dared to pronounce judgment. Danger and difficulty might have
been predicted, for it was a moving face, one that could not be looked
upon quite coldly. And the Professor had come to the conclusion, from
his experience of life, that the instinct of the average human being
whom another has stirred to strong emotion, is to fasten upon and
overwhelm that luckless person, to burden him with responsibilities, to
claim as much of time, and energy, and existence, as can in any way be
wrung from him, careless of the cost to the giver.

Professor Fortescue noticed, as Hadria looked down, a peculiar
dreaminess of expression, and something indefinable, which suggested a
profoundly emotional nature. At present, the expression was softened.
That this softness was