tudy, and found himself
quite alone, with the door shut, his heart beat so that he fancied the
good man must hear it. He knew well what he wanted and meant to say, but
he found in himself all that shrinking and nervous repugnance which
always attends the proposing of any decisive question.

"I thought it proper," he began, "that I should call and express my
sense of obligation to you, sir, for all the kindness you showed me when
a boy. I'm afraid in those thoughtless days I did not seem to appreciate
it so much as I do now."

As Moses said this, the color rose in his cheeks, and his fine eyes grew
moist with a sort of subdued feeling that made his face for the moment
more than usually beautiful.

Mr. Sewell looked at him with an expression of peculiar interest, which
seemed to have something almost of pain in it, and answered with a
degree of feeling more than he commonly showed,--

"It has been a pleasure to me to do anything I could for you, my young
friend. I only wish it could have been more. I congratulate you on your
present prospects in life. You have perfect health; you have energy and
enterprise; you are courageous and self-reliant, and, I trust, your
habits are pure and virtuous. It only remains that you add to all this
that fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom."

Moses bowed his head respectfully, and then sat silent a moment, as if
he were looking through some cloud where he vainly tried to discover
objects.

Mr. Sewell continued, gravely,--

"You have the greatest reason to bless the kind Providence which has
cast your lot in such a family, in such a community. I have had some
means in my youth of comparing other parts of the country with our New
England, and it is my opinion that a young man could not ask a better
introduction into life than the wholesome nurture of a Christian family
in our favored land."

"Mr. Sewell," said Moses, raising his head, and suddenly looking him
straight in the eyes, "do you know anything of my family?"

The question was so point-blank and sudden, that for a moment Mr. Sewell
made a sort of motion as if he dodged a pistol-shot, and then his face
assumed an expression of grave thoughtfulness, while Moses drew a long
breath. It was out,--the question had been asked.

"My son," replied Mr. Sewell, "it has always been my intention, when you
had arrived at years of discretion, to make you acquainted with all that
I know or suspect in regard to your life. I