Lambert listened to his daughter's words with attention, for a professor in a college was an exalted person in his eyes, and one of his chief regrets at the moment was that he was unable to say to Serviss, "I am a college man myself"; but this he could not do for the reason that the death of his father had taken him out of his class at the beginning of his third year, and put him at the head of a large family as its breadwinner. "He looks like a very young man, almost a boy--too young to be a professor; but then"--here his eyes twinkled--"when I was at Jefferson all professors seemed old to me. What's he doing here?" "Just riding through the mountains on his vacation." "What does your mother think of him?" "She likes him very much." "Well, I won't make any objection, then." Viola stared--then blushed furiously. "What do you mean?" "Why, didn't you bring him up here to see how I liked him?" She pounded him with her little brown fist while tears of mortification filled her eyes. "Now, you stop that! You're teasing me. Why, I've only known him three days." He laughed silently, shaking his head. "Well, these things move quickly sometimes--and how was I to know but you'd known him in the East--you seemed so chummy-like--" "You've spoiled everything," she wailed, deeply disturbed and painfully self-conscious. "You're mean to me." He became instantly contrite. "There, now, don't you mind my joking. Of course I was fooling. It's all safe between us, anyway." But the mischief was done. She forgave him, but never again would she be the same to him, to her mother, or to the imperturbable young man smoking his pipe beneath the firs. He _was_ young--that was only too plain to her now; not so young as Clinton, but not the middle-aged person she had been fancying him to be. As they were about to start on their homeward trail, Serviss sought opportunity to say: "Mr. Lambert, I met this man Clarke at your house last night, and I want to say that I don't think his influence on your family is particularly wholesome. He's morbid and given to fads."