Aline flew to her mother’s arms and hid her face on her breast, but she did not answer her pleading question, she only broke into low, hysterical sobs. She was frightened at her father’s anger, her heart and brain were in a whirl. How different was this homecoming from what she had expected! The dear father who had always loved her best, who had always defended her girlish escapades, had turned against her now. She did not understand that in the very fact of the idolizing love he had borne her lay the secret of her father’s anger. Because he had loved her the best of all he felt her defection the worst of all. To him she had always been loving and obedient. He could not understand her strange disobedience now. It filled him with mingled fear and anger. He was wounded in his love and his pride. He looked coldly at his wife as she stood with her daughter clasped in her maternal arms mingling her tears with those that flowed from the girl’s blue eyes. “Mrs. Rodney, I hope you will not interfere in this matter,” he said, with distinct coldness. “I alone must deal with Aline now; I alone dictate her punishment.” “Punishment! I thought there was to be no more talk of that. We have punished the child too much already!” cried the remorseful mother. “God bless you, mamma!” whispered the girl, gratefully. “Be silent. I will have no interference in my management of Aline,” he repeated, angrily. They all looked at him in wonder. No one had ever seen Mr. Rodney really angry before. His favorite daughter quailed before the white heat of wrath that distorted his proud, handsome face. He advanced and drew her deliberately from Mrs. Rodney’s arms and placed her in a chair. At his authoritative manner Aline’s fair face flushed, and something of his own high spirit flashed into her eyes. “Papa, you have no right to treat me thus!” she cried. “Why do you humiliate me before this stranger?” and she glanced at Dr. Anthony, who was regarding her with gravely sympathetic eyes. “I have already told you that Dr. Anthony is not to be regarded as a stranger--” began Mr. Rodney. But the doctor himself interrupted him by stepping forward and addressing him. “She is right,” he said. “Although Miss Aline has not a better friend on earth than myself, we are actually strangers to each other. I should have remembered the fact before, but that my deep sympathy and interest in her caused me to forget. I crave her pardon for my seeming rudeness, and I will now take my leave.” He bowed himself out, and left the beautiful culprit alone with her family. They stood around her silently--the weeping mother, the compassionate sister and brother, the father, who had made himself her judge, who was repressing every instinct of tenderness in his anger at what he deemed a girl’s waywardness.