“But, Evadne,” said Louis gently, “a man must have freedom of choice in his vocation.  My father chose the law for his profession, why should he rebel if I choose dilettanteism?”

“Because it is no profession at all.  I am sure he would not mind what you did, if it were only real work.”

[Illustration:  ‘TAKE HER, RANDOLF, SHE IS WORTHY OF YOU.’]

“Oh, pshaw!  Always work, Evadne.  I tell you I prefer to play.  Miss Angel told me at the General’s ball last night that she liked a man who took his glass and smoked and did all the rest of the naughty things.”

“She is an angel of darkness, luring you on to ruin.”

Louis shrugged his shoulders.  “Possibly.  If so, she is disguised as an angel of light.  She sings divinely.”

“So did the Sirens.”

Louis laughed.  “She has promised to go for a sail with me to-morrow.  Better come along, coz, and keep us off the rocks.”

Evadne was silent.

“I like such a girl as that,” he continued.  “She has common sense and makes a fellow feel comfortable.  These moral altitudes of yours are all very fine in theory, but the atmosphere is too rare for me.”

“It is no real kindness to make you satisfied with your lowest.  I want you to rise to your best.  Oh, Louis, won’t you let Christ make your life grand?  It would be such a happiness to me!” She laid her hand upon his shoulder.  Louis caught it in his and drew her round in front of his chair.

“Do you really mean that, little coz?  Upon my word, it is the strongest inducement you could offer me.  I feel half inclined to try, just for your sake, only you see it would involve such a tremendous expenditure of moral force!” and he lighted a fresh cigar.

* * * * *

“I do wish you would not ride such wild horses, Louis,” said Mrs. Hildreth, as she stood beside her son in the front doorway, looking disapprovingly as she spoke at the horse who was champing his bit viciously on the sidewalk below.  “It keeps me in a perfect fever of anxiety all the time.”

“Whoa, Polyphemus!  Stand still, sir!  Pompey, have you tightened that girth up to its last hole?  Better do it then.  Don’t mind his kicking.  It doesn’t hurt him.  It’s just his way.

“My dear lady mother, if you knew what a pleasure it is to find something untamable where everything is so confoundedly slow you would not wonder at my fondness for the brute.  As to your anxiety, that is ridiculous.  A Hildreth has too much sense to be conquered by a horse and make a spectacle of himself into the bargain. Au revoir.  Better take a dose of lavender to calm your nerves,” and Louis waved his hand to her with careless grace, as he gathered up the reins.

His mother looked after him with a sigh.  “He is so fearless!  What a splendid cavalry officer he would make!  He makes me think of the regiment that went to the war from Marlborough.”  Her eye fell casually upon Pompey who was shutting the carriage gates.  “What a waste of precious lives it was to be sure, just to free a lot of cowardly negroes!”