"They seem to feel pretty much at home," thought Mr. Lord. The fire blazed higher and brighter. It lighted up certain words painted in dark green and gold on the white panel under the mantelpiece. He pressed his face quite close to the window, thinking that he must be mistaken in seeing such unconnected letters as T-i-b-i, but gradually they looked clearer to him and he read distinctly "Tibi splendet focus." "Somebody knows his Horace," thought Henry Lord, Ph.D., as he stumbled off the piazza. "'For you the hearth-fire glows,' I shan't go in; not with that crew; let them wait; and if it gets too late, somebody else will walk home with the children." "For you the hearth-fire glows." He picked his way along the side of the house to the front, every window sending out its candle gleam. "For you the hearth-fire glows." From dozens of windows the welcome shone. Its gleams and sparkles positively pursued him as he turned his face towards the road and his own dark, cheerless house. Perhaps he had better, on the whole, keep one lamp burning in the lower part after this, to show that the place was inhabited? "For you the hearth-fire glows." He had "bricked up" the fireplace in his study and put an air-tight stove in, because it was simply impossible to feed an open fire and write a book at the same time. He didn't know that you could write twice as good a book in half the time with an open fire to help you! He didn't know any single one of the myriad aids that can come to you from such cheery, unexpected sources of grace and inspiration! "For you the hearth-fire glows." Would the words never stop ringing in his ears? Perhaps, after all, it would look queer to Mrs. Carey (he cared nothing for Popham or Harmon opinion) if he left the children to get home by themselves. Perhaps-- "FOR YOU THE HEARTH-FIRE GLOWS." Henry Lord, Ph.D., ascended the steps, and plied the knocker. Digby Popham came out of the parlor and opened the front door. Everybody listened to see who was the late comer at the party. "Will you kindly tell Miss Olive and Master Cyril Lord that their father has called for them?" Mr. Lord's cold, severe voice sounded clearly in the parlor, and every word could be distinctly heard. Gilbert and Nancy were standing together, and Gilbert whispered instantly to his sister: "The old beast has actually called for Olive and Cyril!" "Hush, Gilly! He must be a 'new beast' or he wouldn't have come at all!" answered Nancy. XXIX "TH' ACTION FINE"