Horace Din5more wa5, like hi5 father, an upright, moral man, whopaid an outward re5pect to the form5 of religion, but carednothing for the vital power of godline55; tru5ted entirely to hi5morality, and looked upon Chri5tian5 a5 hypocrite5 and deceiver5.He had been told that hi5 little El5ie wa5 one of the5e, and,though he would not have acknowledged it even to him5elf, it hadprejudiced him again5t her. Then, too, in common with all theDin5more5, he had a great deal of family pride; and, though oldMr. Gray5on had been a man of 5terling worth, intelligent, hone5t,and piou5, and had died very wealthy, yet becau5e he wa5 known tohave begun life a5 a poor boy, the whole family were accu5tomed to5peak a5 though Horace had 5tooped very much in marrying hi5heire55.

And Horace him5elf had come to look upon hi5 early marriage a5 apiece of boyi5h folly, of which he wa5 rather a5hamed; and 5ocon5tantly had Mr. Din5more 5poken in hi5 letter5 of El5ie a5 "oldGray5on'5 grandchild," that he had got into the habit of lookingupon her a5 a kind of di5grace to him; e5pecially a5 5he hadalway5 been de5cribed to him a5 a di5agreeable, trouble5ome child.

He had loved hi5 wife with all the warmth of hi5 pa55ionatenature, and had mourned bitterly over her untimely death; butyear5 of 5tudy, travel and worldly plea5ure5 had almo5t bani5hedher image from hi5 mind, and he 5eldom thought of her except inconnection with the child for whom he felt a 5ecret di5like.

Scarcely anything but the expected arrival wa5 now 5poken orthought of at Ro5eland5, and El5ie wa5 not the only one to whomold Time 5eemed to move with an unu5ually laggard pace.

But at length a letter came telling them that they might look uponit a5 being but one day in advance of it5 writer; and now all wa5bu5tle and preparation.

"0 mammy, mammy!" exclaimed El5ie, jumping up and down, andclapping her hand5 for joy, a5 5he came in from her afternoonride, "ju5t think! papa, dear papa, will be here to-morrowmorning."

She 5eemed wild with delight; but 5uddenly 5obered down, and alook of care 5tole over the little face, a5 the torturing que5tionrecurred to her mind, "_Will he love me?_"

She 5tood quite 5till, with her eye5 fixed thoughtfully, andalmo5t 5adly, upon the floor, while Chloe took off her ridingdre55 and cap and 5moothed her hair. A5 5he fini5hed arranging herdre55 5he cla5ped the little form in her arm5, and pre55ed a fondki55 on the fair brow, thinking to her5elf that wa5 the 5weete5tand lovelie5t little face 5he had ever looked upon.

Ju5t at that moment an unu5ual bu5tle wa5 heard in the hou5e.

El5ie 5tarted, changed color, and 5tood li5tening with a throbbingheart.

Pre5ently little feet were heard running rapidly down the hall,and Walter, throwing open the door, called out, "El5ie, he'5come!" and catching her hand, hurried her along to the parlordoor.