"Will you please say first, Dr. Harrison, just what you mean by 'professions?'" she said somewhat timidly. "I shall shelter myself under your meaning," said he looking at her. "Fact is, I am not good at definitions--I don't half the time know what I'm saying myself." Faith cast an involuntary glance for help towards Mr. Linden; but getting none she came back to the doctor and the question, blushing a good deal. "I think," she said, "professions are telling people what you wish them to believe of you." The doctor looked comical, also threw a glance in the direction of Mr. Linden, but put his next question seriously. "Why do you say this Reuben Taylor does not need to make professions? according to this definition." "Because those who know him know what he is, without them." "But do you mean that there is no use in making professions? How are you to know what a man is?" "Unless he tells you?" said Faith smiling. The doctor stood, half smiling; evidently revolving more thoughts than of one kind. With a face from which every shadow was banished he suddenly took a seat by Mrs. Derrick. "Do you know," he said with gentle pleasantness of manner and expression, "how much better man I should be if I should come here and get only one definition a day from your little daughter?" "What one has she given you now?" said Mrs. Derrick, whose mind evidently stood in abeyance upon this speech. "One you didn't hear, ma'am. It was a definition of me, to myself. It isn't the first," said the doctor gravely. "Mrs. Derrick, are you friends with me?" "As much as I ever was," said Mrs. Derrick, smilingly. "I always thought you wanted putting in order." "How did you know that?" "Why, because you were out of order," said Mrs. Derrick, knitting away. The doctor uttered the lowest of whistles and looked down at his boot. "It's because of that unlucky dog!" he muttered. "Linden--" (glancing up from under his eyebrows) "when I was a boy, I set my dog on Miss Faith's cat." "Felt yourself called upon to uphold natural antipathies--" "Miss Faith, have you a cat now?" said the doctor looking over to her. "No, sir." "And I have no dog!" said the doctor. "I have only horses. If I could manage to do without animals altogether,--Mrs. Derrick, have you forgiven me?" This last was in a changed tone. "I don't want to talk about it, doctor," said Mrs. Derrick very soberly. "About forgiving me?" he said as soberly. "And I don't mean to." "Nor I," said the doctor quietly; "but you are going to inflict more punishment on me than I deserve." "What am I going to do?" said Mrs. Derrick. "If you know, I don't." "Refuse to give me your hand, perhaps." "I never did that to anybody, yet," she said pleasantly. "Then you must let me do as we do in another country."