Seth lost himself in an uplifting, floating sensation of ethereal beatitude. Her hand was in his now, warm and palpitating, and he raised it to his lips. It was difficult to breathe, but the oppression in his breast was all delight. He rose to his feet, his arms outstretched, his heart beating in exultant tumult. He heard her whisper--he could scarcely see her for the magnetic waving before his eyes--the refrain of the story: “So strong and yet so gentle!” His lips were formed for the passionate utterance--already framed in his heart--“My darling!” when there came the sound of footsteps on the path without, and of a hand upon the latch. Seth mechanically took up the manuscript of his article, and turned toward the door. Beneath an impassive mien, far more composed than he dared to hope, there was the sensation of being hurled down, down, through the air, to unwelcome earth. It was Albert. He looked at the two cursorily but closely, and only said, as he tossed his bag into a chair: “Train was late. You go to bed at once, Isabel. I have particular business with Seth.” CHAPTER XX.--THE NIGHT: THE BROTHERS. Albert seemed in an amiable mood as, divesting himself of his outer garments, he drew up a chair by the fire, offered Seth a cigar from his case and lighted one himself. He examined Seth’s face by the flame of the match, as the latter lighted his cigar, and appeared to be satisfied with the inspection. “Sit down here,” he said pleasantly. “I want a good long talk with you. It was too bad to keep you waiting so long, but there was no help for it. I couldn’t see the people in New York that I wanted to see until to-day, and it was only by good fortune that I caught the train as it was. Then we were delayed on the road, of course. If an engineer on this one-horse line should ever get a train through on time I believe he’d have a fit, just from the shock of the thing. And then I had to wake up the man at the livery stable in Thessaly--fancy his being asleep at eight o’clock!--and he would only bring me as far as the foot of the hill, because he had been up to a dance all the previous night. But of course, in my position now, running for office, I couldn’t complain. Beside, I ought to be used to all these little delights of rural existence by this time.” Albert stretched his feet out comfortably on the rail of the stove, and leaned back in his chair with an air of enjoyment. He had been growing very stout this past year, Seth noticed, and the bald spot on his crown had visibly spread. He seemed unwontedly good-natured too--a natural and proper accompaniment to increasing obesity. “But all this has nothing to do with my asking you to come here, has it? Did Workman raise any objections to your coming?” “No, of course not, after he read your letter.”