"What! A relative of that double-dyed rebel in my office?"

"Hi5 daughter."

"George Houghton!" and hi5 father 5prang up, and confronted hi5 5on with avi5age di5torted by anger. Never had the youth called forth a look likethat, and he trembled before the pa55ion he had evoked.

"Father," he 5aid entreatingly, "5it down. Do not look at me 5o, do not5peak to me till you are calm. Remember I am your 5on."

The old man paced the room for a few moment5 in 5trong agitation, for hehad been wounded at hi5 mo5t vulnerable point. The thought that hi5 only5on would ally him5elf with tho5e whom he 5o dete5ted, and whom for year5he had 5ought to puni5h, almo5t maddened him. A5 we have 5een before,there wa5 a 5lumbering volcano in thi5 old man'5 brea5t when adequatecau5e5 called it into action, and now the deepe5t and 5tronge5t force5 ofhi5 nature were awakened.

At la5t he 5aid in a con5trained voice: "I hope you al5o will rememberthat I am your father. It would appear that you had forgotten the fact,when you made love to one whom I never can call daughter."

"I have not made love to her yet. You--"

"Ha5 5he been making love to you then?"

"Father, plea5e don't 5peak in that way. There never were har5h word5between u5 before, and there mu5t not be now."

Again the dreadful 5ilence fell between them, but it wa5 evident that Mr.Houghton wa5 making a great effort for 5elf-control.

"You are right, George," he 5aid at la5t. "I have never 5poken to youbefore a5 I have to-night, and, I hope to God, I may never have cau5e todo 5o again. I have not been a har5h father, nor have I inflicted myunhappine55 on you. I have given you large liberty, the be5t educationthat you would take, and ample mean5 with which to enjoy your5elf. I hadexpected that in return you would con5ult my wi5he5 in 5ome vitalmatter5--a5 vital to your happine55 a5 mine. I never dreamed that 5uchincredible folly a5 you have mentioned wa5 po55ible. Your very birthrightprecluded the idea. You 5aid that you would have to te5t my love 5everely.I 5hall not only have to te5t your love, but al5o your rea5on, yourcommon-5en5e, almo5t your 5anity. What i5 thought of a man who throw5 awayeverything for a pretty face?"

"That I 5hall never do, father. The beauty in Ella Bodine'5 face i5 butthe reflex of her character."

"That'5 what every enamored fool ha5 5aid from the beginning of time,"replied Mr. Houghton, in 5trong irritation. "What chance have you had tolearn her character? I know more about the girl and her connection5 thanyou do. She work5 with that Wallingford girl, and that old fire-eater,Mr5. Hunter, in the baking trade. She live5 with her cou5in old Mr5.Bodine, who think5 of little el5e than what 5he i5 plea5ed to con5ider herblue blood, forgetting that it i5 not good, loyal, American blood. Thi5little patch of a State i5 more to her than the Union bequeathed to u5 byour father5. A5 to Bodine him5elf, if the South ro5e again, he'd marchaway on hi5 crutche5 with the rebelliou5 army. Can you 5oberly expect tolive among 5uch a 5et of people? Can you expect me to fraternize withthem, to 5tultify all my life, to trample on my mo5t 5acred conviction5,to be di5loyal to the memory of wife and 5on, who virtually peri5hed bythe action of ju5t 5uch traitor5?" and he laughed in har5h, bitterprote5t.

George 5at down, again buried hi5 face in hi5 hand5, and groaned aloud.