when he had discharged his
cares upon her, was encouragement enough for Ethel. She only asked how
much she was to repeat of their conversation.

"Whatever you think best. I do not want to grieve him, but he must not
think it fine in me."

Ethel privately thought that no power on earth could prevent him from
doing that.

It was not consistent with cautious sounding, that Norman was always
looking appealingly towards her; and, indeed, she could not wait long
with such a question on her mind. She remained with her father in the
drawing-room, when the rest were gone upstairs, and, plunging at once
into the matter, she said, "Papa, there is something that Norman cannot
bear to say to you himself."

"Humming-birds to wit?" said Dr. May.

"No, indeed, but he wants to be doing something at once. What should you
think of--of--there are two things; one is--going out as a missionary--"

"Humming-birds in another shape," said the doctor, startled, but
smiling, so as to pique her.

"You mean to treat it as a boy's fancy!" said she.

"It is rather suspicious," he said. "Well, what is the other of his two
things?"

"The other is, to begin studying medicine at once, so as to help you."

"Heyday!" cried Dr. May, drawing up his tall vigorous figure, "does he
think me so very ancient and superannuated?"

What could possess him to be so provoking and unsentimental to-night?
Was it her own bad management? She longed to put an end to the
conversation, and answered, "No, but he thinks it hard that none of your
sons should be willing to relieve you."

"It won't be Norman," said Dr. May. "He is not made of the stuff. If
he survived the course of study, every patient he lost, he would bring
himself in guilty of murder, and there would soon be an end of him!"

"He says that a man can force himself to anything that is his duty."

"This is not going to be his duty, if I can make it otherwise. What is
the meaning of all this? No, I need not ask, poor boy, it is what I was
afraid of!"

"It is far deeper," said Ethel; and she related great part of what
she had heard in the afternoon. It was not easy to make her father
listen--his line was to be positively indignant, rather than
compassionate, when he heard of the doubts that had assailed poor
Norman. "Foolish boy, what business had he to meddle with those accursed
books, when he knew what they were made of--it was tasting poison,
it was running into temptation! He had no right to ex