ng, I sought you then
In busy companies of men.
Your sacred plants, if here below,
Only among the plants will grow.
Society is all but rude
To this delicious solitude."

At which words precisely, the spirit of contrariety opened the door and
ushered in Dr. Harrison. All _he_ saw, was Mr. Linden with a book, in
one easy-chair; Mrs. Derrick with her knitting in another; and a little
further off, Faith, sitting on her low cushion and apparently doing
nothing. Probably for that reason the doctor made up to her first. He
sat down beside her, and enquired in a low tone how the fishes were?
Faith answered that they were well; only one of them had been eaten up
by the others.

"You are a little tired and are feeling remarkably well to-night," the
doctor went on. "What have you been doing?"

"I have been trying to do my duty," Faith said colouring and laughing.

"Don't you always do that?" said Dr. Harrison looking at her
enquiringly.

"But I didn't know what it was till to-day."

"You are doing what is very uncommon with you," said the
doctor--"fighting me with my own weapons." His smile was pleasant
though acute; but Faith coloured exceedingly.

"I can't tell you exactly what duty I mean," she said, "but Mr. Linden
can."

"Do you take your notions of duty from him?"

"To-day,"--said Faith with a smile, sweet and with spirit enough too.

"I maintain that duties are facts, not notions," said Mr. Linden.

"Hum--" said the doctor turning,--"Now you are too quick for me. May
one not have a _notion_ of a fact?"

"One may. What are your notions about society and solitude?"

"Of duty in those regards?"

"Not at all,--your notions of those facts."

"Confused--" said the doctor,--"Incomprehensible--Melancholy--and
Distracting!"

He had got up and assumed the position he seemed to like, a
standing-place on the rug, from whence he could look down on everybody.

"What do you say to this?--

'Two paradises were in one,
To live in Paradise alone.'--

I suppose that meets your 'notions.'"

"No," said the doctor,--"not unless Eve were the paradise. And even
then, I shouldn't want her any more to myself than to let all the world
come and see that she was mine."

"It is a grave question," said Mr. Linden, "whether paradise becomes
smaller by being divided. In other words, whether after sharing it with
Eve, Adam still retained the whole of it for himself!"

"Just the other way!" said the doct