“How glad you must be to have Christy here!”

“Yes; he has come sooner than I expected.  He got down from the coach at nine o’clock, just after his father went out.  I am longing for Caleb to come and hear what wonderful progress Christy is making.  He has paid his expenses for the last year by giving lessons, carrying on hard study at the same time.  He hopes soon to get a private tutorship and go abroad.”

“He is a great fellow,” said Fred, to whom these cheerful truths had a medicinal taste, “and no trouble to anybody.”  After a slight pause, he added, “But I fear you will think that I am going to be a great deal of trouble to Mr. Garth.”

“Caleb likes taking trouble:  he is one of those men who always do more than any one would have thought of asking them to do,” answered Mrs. Garth.  She was knitting, and could either look at Fred or not, as she chose—­always an advantage when one is bent on loading speech with salutary meaning; and though Mrs. Garth intended to be duly reserved, she did wish to say something that Fred might be the better for.

“I know you think me very undeserving, Mrs. Garth, and with good reason,” said Fred, his spirit rising a little at the perception of something like a disposition to lecture him.  “I happen to have behaved just the worst to the people I can’t help wishing for the most from.  But while two men like Mr. Garth and Mr. Farebrother have not given me up, I don’t see why I should give myself up.”  Fred thought it might be well to suggest these masculine examples to Mrs. Garth.

“Assuredly,” said she, with gathering emphasis.  “A young man for whom two such elders had devoted themselves would indeed be culpable if he threw himself away and made their sacrifices vain.”

Fred wondered a little at this strong language, but only said, “I hope it will not be so with me, Mrs. Garth, since I have some encouragement to believe that I may win Mary.  Mr. Garth has told you about that?  You were not surprised, I dare say?” Fred ended, innocently referring only to his own love as probably evident enough.

“Not surprised that Mary has given you encouragement?” returned Mrs. Garth, who thought it would be well for Fred to be more alive to the fact that Mary’s friends could not possibly have wished this beforehand, whatever the Vincys might suppose.  “Yes, I confess I was surprised.”

“She never did give me any—­not the least in the world, when I talked to her myself,” said Fred, eager to vindicate Mary.  “But when I asked Mr. Farebrother to speak for me, she allowed him to tell me there was a hope.”

The power of admonition which had begun to stir in Mrs. Garth had not yet discharged itself.  It was a little too provoking even for her self-control that this blooming youngster should flourish on the disappointments of sadder and wiser people—­making a meal of a nightingale and never knowing it—­and that all the while his family should suppose that hers was in eager need of this sprig; and her vexation had fermented the more actively because of its total repression towards her husband.  Exemplary wives will sometimes find scapegoats in this way.  She now said with energetic decision, “You made a great mistake, Fred, in asking Mr. Farebrother to speak for you.”