"My nephew is not to be judged in the same light as a young man who is to be brought up as a tradesman," said Aunt Marguerite, with dignify. "Only a tradesman's son, my dear." "The descendant of a long line of ennobled gentry, George; a fact you always will forget," said Aunt Marguerite, rising and leaving the room, giving Leslie, who opened the door, a _menuet de la cour_ curtsey on the threshold, and then rustling across the hall. Her brother took it all as a matter of course. Once that Marguerite had ceased speaking the matter dropped, to make way for something far more important in the naturalist's eyes--the contents of one of his glass aquaria; but Louise, to remove the cloud her aunt had left behind, hastily kept the ball rolling. "Don't think any more about aunt's remarks, Madelaine. Harry is a good fellow, but he would be discontented anywhere sometimes." "I do not think he would be discontented now," she replied, "if his aunt would leave him alone." "It is very foolish of him to think of what she says." "Of course it is irksome to him at first," continued Madelaine; "but my father is not exacting. It is the hours at the desk that trouble your brother most." "I wish I could see him contented," sighed Louise. "I'd give anything to see him settle down." A very simple wish, which went right to Duncan Leslie's heart, and set him thinking so deeply that for the rest of his visit he was silent, and almost constrained--a state which Madelaine noted as she rose. "Must you go so soon, dear!" said Louise consciously, for a terrible thought crossed her mind, and sent the blood surging to her cheeks-- Madelaine was scheming to leave her and the visitor alone. "Yes; they will be expecting me back," said Madelaine smiling, as she grasped her friend's thoughts; and then to herself, "Oh, you stupid fellow!" For Leslie rose at once. "And I must be going too. Let's see, I am walking your way, Miss Van Heldre. May I see you home?" "I--" "Yes, do, Mr Leslie," said Louise quietly. "Ah! I will," he said hastily. "I want a chat with your father, too." Madelaine would have avoided the escort, but she could only have done this at the expense of making a fuss; so merely said "Very well;" and went off with Louise to put on her hat and mantle, leaving Leslie alone with his host, who was seated by the window with a watchmaker's glass in his eye, making use of the remaining light for the study of some wonderful marine form. "She would give anything to see her brother settled down," said Leslie to himself, over and over again. "Well why not?" Five minutes later he and Madelaine were going along the main street, with Louise watching them from behind her father's chair, and wondering why she did not feel so happy as she did half an hour before; and Aunt Marguerite gazing from her open window. "Ah!" said the old lady; "that's better. Birds of a feather do flock together, after all."