And, pulling from a side pocket of his coat a fresh handkerchief of the finest linen, he wet it with the liquid, and applied it tenderly to the bruise, all the while engaging the child’s attention with prattle suited to her comprehension, and telling her what a brave good little girl she was. “What is your name?” he asked. She tried to utter it, but, failing to make herself understood, the mother helped her to say, “Clara Aylesford Berwick.” “Aylesford!” said Vance, thoughtfully. Then, gazing in the child’s face, he rejoined: “How strange! Her eyes are dissimilar. One is a decided gray, the other a blue.” “Yes,” said Berwick; “she gets the handsome eye from me; the other from her mamma.” “Conceited man! cease your trifling!” interposed the lady. Vance picked up from the deck a little sleeve-button of gold and coral. It had been dropped in the child’s fall. “This must belong to Miss Clara,” said Vance, “for it bears the initials C. A. B.” The mother took it and fixed it in the little dimity pelisse which the child wore. Hattie now offered to receive Miss Clara from Vance’s arms; but, with an utterance and gesture of remonstrance, the child signified she did not choose to be parted without a kiss; so he bent down and kissed her, while she threw her little arms about his neck. Then seeing the boy, who felt like a culprit for chasing her, she called him to her and gave him absolution by the same token. Thanking Vance for his service, Mr. Berwick walked away with Leonora. “That’s a noble boy of yours, sir,” said Vance, addressing himself to Mr. Onslow. All the father’s displeasure vanished with the compliment, and he replied, “Yes, Robert _is_ a noble boy; that’s the true word for him.” “I fear,” resumed Vance, “I gave you some cause just now to form a bad opinion of me because of my conduct to one of the waiters.” “To be frank,” replied Onslow, “I _did_ feel surprise that you should take not only the strong side, but the wrong one.” “Mr. Onslow, did you ever read Parnell’s poem of the ‘Hermit’?” “Yes, it was one of the favorites of my youth.” “And do you remember how many things seemed wrong to the hermit that he afterwards found to be right?” “I perceive the drift of your allusion, sir,” returned Onslow; “but I am puzzled, nevertheless.” “Perhaps one of these days you will be enlightened.” Then, changing the subject, Vance remarked, “How do you succeed in Texas in your attempt to substitute free labor for that of slaves?” “My success has been all I could have hoped; but the more successful I am, the more imminent is my failure.” “Why so? That sounds like a paradox.” “The rich slave-owners look with fear and dislike on my experiment.”