slunk back, passing his untouched toys, to the window, and there
seated himself again, filling his mind with the thought that when two
more long long days should have crept by, he should once more go to
his mother.

Trevelyan had tried his best to be soft and gentle to his child.
All that he had said to his wife of his treatment of the boy had
been true to the letter. He had spared no personal trouble, he had
done all that he had known how to do, he had exercised all his
intelligence to procure amusement for the boy;--but Louey had hardly
smiled since he had been taken from his mother. And now that he was
told that he was to go and never see his father again, the tidings
were to him simply tidings of joy. "There is a curse upon me," said
Trevelyan; "it is written down in the book of my destiny that nothing
shall ever love me!"

He went out from the house, and made his way down by the narrow path
through the olives and vines to the bottom of the hill in front of
the villa. It was evening now, but the evening was very hot, and
though the olive trees stood in long rows, there was no shade. Quite
at the bottom of the hill there was a little sluggish muddy brook,
along the sides of which the reeds grew thickly and the dragon-flies
were playing on the water. There was nothing attractive in the spot,
but he was weary, and sat himself down on the dry hard bank which had
been made by repeated clearing of mud from the bottom of the little
rivulet. He sat watching the dragon-flies as they made their short
flights in the warm air, and told himself that of all God's creatures
there was not one to whom less power of disporting itself in God's
sun was given than to him. Surely it would be better for him that he
should die, than live as he was now living without any of the joys of
life. The solitude of Casalunga was intolerable to him, and yet there
was no whither that he could go and find society. He could travel if
he pleased. He had money at command, and, at any rate as yet, there
was no embargo on his personal liberty. But how could he travel
alone,--even if his strength might suffice for the work? There had
been moments in which he had thought that he would be happy in the
love of his child,--that the companionship of an infant would suffice
for him if only the infant would love him. But all such dreams as
that were over. To repay him for his tenderness his boy was always
dumb before him. Louey would not prattle as he had used