Page:Lippincotts Monthly Magazine-01.pdf/597

Rh them.

Ulmn,

DALLAS GALBRA ITH.

59°

She was a very homely young

woman, Dour thought, as she went out loaded, and he took up his book again ; and then he dropped it, considering whether brain-power did or did not tend to injure the ideal woman, and whether Women were not, after all, only meant to fumish the element of repose in this

hurly-burly of life, to caress away care from their husband’s brows, and to bring up children. Mr. Galbraith laid down his paper when Honora came into his little study and began to sweep the sewing from her own table in the corner and to pile up

her books. He could read the titles from where he sat. “ Are you going to study, my dear?”

“I thought I’d try and learn—-some thing,” with a despairing enérgy, sitting down with her chin in her hands, and

beginning at the ﬁrst chapter. The clock ticked for half an hour before she spoke. H l’ve laid out a system for myself, uncle. Do you think, if I read and took notes, and all that, I could make myself

worth anything in—well, in a year ?”

selves were full of meaning, steady and reticent as never before. The shy awk wardness had given place to a languid grace, which had a subtle charm for the eyes of the old lady. When she spoke to the people about her, she neither stammered nor hesitated as usual, but it was as indifferently as if they belonged

to a world to which she had long since bidden good-bye. Her very voice was new to Madam Galbraith——natural, and with clear, ﬁne cadences. “ What has altered Honora ?” she

demanded sharply of her husband, after breakfast. “There’s a peculiar steadi ness that comes to a woman when she is married or betrothed. I see it in her now. She has done with copying others. She is herself for the rest of her life. What has she been doing?”

“I do not know, Hannah.

Studying

Humboldt, I believe,” tranquilly. “ Some one ought to know,” anx

iously. child.”

“I must take better care of the

The old gentleman lighted a cigar and went out to the garden walk, looking in each time that he passed the window at the light ﬂickering over his darling‘s

“It is probable. Have you had an especial call toward the natural sci ences ?” There was a little pause: “ One must

change in her face was that of a beautiful life dawning out of chaos, he thought, and

begin somewhere.

went on turning his wife’s rough idea

That seems to be

the only knowledge of weight.

Lan

guages and metaphysics—that sort of indoors learning makes men like Mr. Dour.” “ And farming and hunting, men like

Colonel Pervis.” “ I would be very sorry for the world if they were the only types of men very sorry, indeed!” tartly, dropping her

forehead in her hands and going to work agam. Mrs. Rattlin, at breakfast, suggested that Honora “ looked poorly. Most young girls had something in their spines. A white of egg, now, beaten up in raw whisky, was excellent before meals.” Madam Galbraith growled assent, and looked keenly at her niece from under her shaggy brows, as though she saw a change in her deeper than the dark scor ing under the eyes. The eyes them

head, bent again over the books.

The

over in his fanciful way. Love coming in to a woman’s nature was like the last stroke of an artist’s pencil to the land scape; there was the background wait ing—a bit of heaven and a bit of earth: promise of summer or promise of storms. Then the solitary human ﬁgure came in, and the motionless drama took in stant life, shape, meaning. The pic ture was ﬁnished for ever. Time would make no essential change—only to dim the hues, perhaps. Having ﬁnished his cigar and his meditation together, he went up to the window and opened it: “Are Babe and I left out of the plans for the year? Come and ride with me, Nora.” “I don’t think I have time. You see, uncle, I have been living in a world

where knowledge was the very air I