lk to me so!"

"So how?" said the other, pouting and reddening, but without
lifting her face from her work.

"You know, -- about my father. No matter what he does, if it
were the worst thing in the world, your lips have no business
to mention it to my ears."

"I wasn't saying anything _bad_," said Rose.

"Your notions of bad and good, and honourable and
dishonourable, are very different from mine! If he did as you
say, I should be bitterly ashamed."

"I don't see why."

"I will not have such things _spoken_ of to me, -- Rose, do you
understand? What my father does, no human being has a right to
comment upon to me; and none shall!"

"You think you may talk as you like to _me_," said Rose, between
pouting and crying. "I was only laughing."

"Laugh about something else."

"I wish Winthrop Landholm had been here."

"Why?"

"He'd have given you another speech about engineering."

Elizabeth took her candle and book and marched out of the
room.

CHAPTER XVIII.

One man has one way of talking, and another man has another,
that's all the difference between them.
GOOD-NATURED MAN.

Winthrop found he could go. So according to his promise he
dressed himself, and was looking out a pockethandkerchief from
the small store in his trunk, when the door opened.

"Rufus! --"

"Ah! -- you didn't expect to see me, did you?" said that
gentleman, taking off his hat and coming in and closing the
door with a face of great life and glee. -- "Here I am,
Governor!"

"What brought you here?" said his brother shaking his hand.

"What brought me here? -- why, the stage-coach, to be sure;
except five miles, that I rode on horseback. What should bring
me?"

"Something of the nature of a centrifugal force, I should
judge."

"Centrifugal! -- _You_ are my centre, Governor, -- don't you know
that? I tend to you as naturally as the poor earth does to the
sun. That's why I am here -- I couldn't keep at a distance any
longer."

"My dear sir, at that rate you are running to destruction."

"No, no," said Rufus laughing, -- "there's a certain degree of
license in our moral planetary system -- I'm going away again
as soon as I am rightly refreshed with the communication of
your light and warmth."

"Well," said Winthrop untying his neckcloth, "it would seem
but courtesy in the sun to stand still to receive his visitor
-- I'm very glad to see you, Will."

"What's the matter?"

"The sun was going out to dinner -- that's