And Miss Parsons, when impressively told, evidently thought it was the family fashion to make a great fuss about him.

Alas! why are people so one-sided and absorbed in their own concerns as never to guess what stumbling-blocks they raise in other people’s paths, nor how they make their good be evil spoken of?

Babie confided her feelings to Jock when he escorted her to Church in the evening, and had detected a melancholy sound in her voice which made him ask if she thought Armine’s attack of the worst sort.

“Not particularly, except that he talks so beautifully.”

Jock gave a small sympathetic whistle at this dreadful symptom, and wondered to hear that he had been able to talk.

“I didn’t mean only to-day, but this is only what he had made up his mind to.  He never expects to leave Belforest, and he thinks—-oh, Jock!-—he thinks it is meant to do Bobus good.”

“He doesn’t go the way to edify Bobus.”

“No, but don’t you see?  That is what is so dreadful.  He only just reads with Bobus because mother ordered him; and he hates it because he thinks it is of no use, for he will never be well enough to go to college.  Why, he had this cold coming yesterday, and I believe he is glad, for it would be like a book for him to be very bad indeed, bad enough to be able to speak out to Bobus without being laughed at.”

“Does he always go on in this way?”

“Not to mother; but to hear him and Miss Parsons is enough to drive one wild.  They went on such a dreadful way yesterday that I was furious, and so glad to get away to Kenminster; only after I had set off, he came running after me, and I knew what that would be.”

“What does she do?  Does she blarney him?”

“Yes, I suppose so.  She means it, I believe; but she does natter him so that it would make me sick, if it didn’t make me so wretched!  You see he likes it, because he fancies her goodness itself; and so I suppose she is, only there is such a lot of clerical shop"-—then, as Jock made a sound as if he did not like the slang in her mouth-—"Ay, it sounds like Bobus; but if this goes on much longer, I shall turn to Bobus’s way.  He has all the sense on his side!”

“No, Babie,” said Jock very gravely.  “That’s a much worse sort of folly!”

“And he will be gone before long,” said Barbara, much struck by a tone entirely unwonted from her brother.  “O Jock, I thought reverses would be rather nice and help one to be heroic, and perhaps they would, if they would only come faster, and Armine could be out of Miss Parsons’s way; but I don’t believe he will ever be better while he is here.  I think!—-I think!” and she began to sob, “that Miss Parsons will really be the death of him if she is not hindered!”

“Can’t he go on board the Petrel with Allen?”

“Mother did think of that,” said Babie, “but Allen said he wasn’t in spirits for the charge, and that cabin No. 2 wasn’t comfortable enough.”