e in telling her story, he put his
hand on her head reassuringly.

'Is that all you have to tell me, my dear?' and now Dr. Ross spoke in
his old kind voice.

'Yes, father dear; you have heard everything now, and--and--'
beseechingly, 'you will not be hard on us!'

'Hard on him, I suppose you mean,' returned Dr. Ross, with rather a sad
smile; 'a man is not likely to be hard to his own flesh and blood. I
still think he has acted rather badly, but I can make allowance for him
better now--he was sorely tempted. But now I want you to tell me
something: are you sure that your happiness is involved in this--that it
would really cost you too much to give him up?'

Audrey looked at her father with some astonishment--that wide,
clear-eyed glance conveyed reproach.

'Do you think it necessary to ask me such a question?' she said, with a
little dignity; 'should I have engaged myself to any man without loving
him?'

'But he may have talked you into it; you may have mistaken your
feelings,' suggested Dr. Ross; but Audrey shook her head.

'I am not a child,' she said, rather proudly. 'Father, you have always
liked Mr. Blake. You can surely have no objection to him personally?'

'Yes, but my liking did not go to the extent of wishing him to be my
son-in-law,' he replied, with a touch of grim humour; 'in my opinion,
Audrey, Mr. Blake is far too young.'

'He is three-and-twenty,' she pleaded; 'he is two months older than I
am. What does age matter, father? He will grow older every day. I know
some men are boyish at that age; but I think Cyril's life has matured
him.'

'Still, I would rather have entrusted you to an older man, and one who
had in some measure made his position. Mr. Blake is only at the
beginning of his career; it will be years before he achieves any sort of
position. Audrey, you know me well enough by this time: I am not
speaking of his poverty, though that alone should have deterred him from
aspiring to my daughter. We think alike on these points, and I care
nothing about a rich son-in-law; but Mr. Blake has only his talents and
good character to recommend him. He is far too young; he is poor, and
his family has no social standing.'

'But, father, surely a good character is everything. How often I have
heard you say what a high opinion his Dean had of him, and what an
excellent character he had borne at school and college; and then think
what a son and a brother he is--how unselfish, how hard-working! How
c