acknowledged to herself that there were depths in her daughter's nature
that she had never gauged.

"I know what an idol his patients make of him, but he is a man
nevertheless; and though you may think it horrible of me, it struck me as
very suggestive that he was that girl's only friend."

"Therefore he must have been a good friend."

Mrs. Lewis bounded from her chair and turned a startled face to Mr. Levice,
who had thus spoken, standing in the doorway. Mrs. Levice breathed a sigh
of hysterical relief.

"Good-afternoon, Jennie," he said, coming into the room and shaking her
hand; "sit down again. Good-afternoon Esther;" he stooped to kiss his
wife.

Mrs. Lewis's hands trembled; she looked, to say the least, ashamed. She
had been caught scandal-mongering by her uncle, Jules Levice, the head and
pride of the whole family.

"I am sorry I heard what I did, Jennie; sorry to think that you are so poor
as to lay the vilest construction on an affair of which you evidently know
nothing, and sorry you could not keep your views to yourself." It was the
habit of all of Levice's relatives to listen in silence to any personal
reprimand the dignified old man might offer.

"I heard a good part of your conversation, and I can only characterize it
as--petty. Can't you and your friends see anything without springing at
shilling-shocker conclusions? Don't you know that people sometimes enjoy