I really have the life I like, and if my dear wife had been spared
to me, I should be the happiest of men; but that was not to be--and
by the way, I must recollect to show you some of her drawings. But
I must not inflict all this upon you--and by the way," said the
Vicar, "Mrs. Graves did me the honour of telling me yesterday her
intentions with regard to yourself, and I told her I was heartily
glad to hear it. It is an immense thing for the place to have some
one who will look into things a little, and bring a masculine mind
to bear on our simple problems. For myself, it will be an untold
gain to be brought in touch with a more intellectual atmosphere. I
foresee a long perspective of stimulating discussions. I will
venture to say that you will be warmly welcomed here, and indeed
you seem quite one of us already. But now we must go and get our
luncheon--we have much to discuss; and you will not mind Maud being
present, I know; the children are devoted to each other, and though
I have studied their tastes and temperaments very closely, yet
'crabbed age and youth' you know, and all that--she will be able, I
think, to cast some light on our little problem."

They went together into the drawing-room, a pleasant old-fashioned
room--"a temple of domestic peace," said the Vicar, "a pretty
phrase of Carlyle's that! Maud has her own little sitting-room--the
old schoolroom in fact--which she will like to show you. I think it
very necessary that each member of a family should if possible have
a sanctum, a private uninvaded domain--but in this room the
separate strains unite."

Maud was sitting near the window when the two came in. She got up
and came quickly forward, with a smile, and shook hands with
Howard. She had just the same look of virginal freshness and