best those of
their children who succeed best in life. Natural. Why, they did not care
for me until I came back the man I am. But to return to Jane: I'm afraid
they've neglected her. How is she off?"

"She earns her livelihood, and is poor, but contented."

"Ah, just be good enough to give her this," and Richard took a bank-note
of fifty pounds from his pocket-book. "You can say the old folks sent it
to her; or that it is a present from Dick, without telling her he had
come back from America."

"My dear sir," said the Parson, "I am more and more thankful to have
made your acquaintance. This is a very liberal gift of yours; but your
best plan will be to send it through your mother. For, though I don't
want to betray any confidence you place in me, I should not know what to
answer if Mrs. Fairfield began to question me about her brother. I never
had but one secret to keep, and I hope I shall never have another. A
secret is very like a lie!"

"You had a secret, then," said Richard, as he took back the bank-note.
He had learned, perhaps, in America, to be a very inquisitive man. He
added point-blank, "Pray what was it?"

"Why, what it would not be if I told you," said the Parson, with a
forced laugh,--"a secret!"

"Well, I guess we're in a land of liberty. Do as you like. Now, I
daresay you think me a very odd fellow to come out of my shell to you in
this off-hand way. But I liked the look of you, even when we were at the
inn together. And just now I was uncommonly pleased to find that, though
you are a parson, you don't want to keep a man's nose down to a
shop-board, if he has any thing in him. You're not one of the
aristocrats--"

"Indeed," said the Parson with imprudent warmth, "it is not the
character of the aristocracy of this country to keep people down. They
make way amongst themselves for any man, whatever his birth, who has the
talent and energy to aspire to their level. That's the especial boast of
the British constitution, sir!"

"Oh, you think so do you!" said Mr. Richard, looking sourly at the
Parson. "I daresay those are the opinions in which you have brought up
the lad. Just keep him yourself, and let the aristocracy provide for
him!"

The parson's generous and patriotic warmth evaporated at once, at this
sudden inlet of cold air into the conversation. He perceived that he had
made a terrible blunder; and, as it was not his business at that moment
to vindicate the British constitution, but to serv