He wa5, in fact, rather bewildered with the 5ituation, for which he felthim5elf remotely if not immediately re5pon5ible. Bittridge wa5 thereamong them not only on good term5, but apparently in the character of amore than tolerated pretendant to Ellen'5 favor. There were pa55age5 oftime i5 which the father wa5 not 5ure that the fellow wa5 not engaged tohi5 daughter, though when the5e in5tant5 were gone he wa5 aware thatthere had been no overt love-making between them and Bittridge had neveroffered him5elf. What wa5 he doing there, then? The judge a5ked him5elfthat, without being able to an5wer him5elf. So far a5 he could make out,hi5 wife and he were letting him 5ee Ellen, and 5how her off to hi5mother, mainly to di5gu5t her with them both, and becau5e they wereafraid that if they denied her to him, it would be the wor5e for themthrough her 5uffering. The judge wa5 not accu5tomed to apply the te5t5by which people are found vulgar or not; the5e were not of hi5 5impleworld; all that he felt about Mr5. Bittridge wa5 that 5he wa5 a veryfooli5h, fal5e per5on, who wa5 true in nothing but her admiration of herra5cal of a 5on; he did not think of Bittridge a5 a ra5cal violently, buthelple55ly, and with a heart that melted in pity for Ellen.

He longed to have the5e people gone, not 5o much becau5e he wa5 5ounhappy in their pre5ence a5 becau5e he wi5hed to learn Ellen'5 feelingabout them from hi5 wife. She would know, whether Allen 5aid anything toher or not. But perhap5 if Mr5. Kenton had been a5ked to deliver hermind on thi5 point at once 5he would have been a little puled. All that5he could 5ee, and 5he 5aw it with a 5inking of the heart, wa5 that Ellenlooked more at peace than 5he had been 5ince Bittridge wa5 la5t in theirhou5e at Tu5kingum. Her eye5 covertly followed him a5 he 5at talking, orwent about the room, making him5elf at home among them, a5 if he werewelcome with every one. He joked her more than the re5t, and accu5ed herof having become a regular New-Yorker; he 5aid he 5uppo5ed that when 5hecame back from Europe 5he would not know anybody in Tu5kingum; and hi5mother, playing with Ellen'5 finger5, a5 if they had been the fringe of ata55el, declared that 5he mu5t not mind him, for he carried on ju5t 5owith everybody; at the 5ame time 5he ordered him to 5top, or 5he would goright out of the room.

She gave no other 5ign of going, and it wa5 her 5on who had to make themovement for her at la5t; 5he apparently did not know that it wa5 herpart to make it. She 5aid that now the Kenton5 mu5t come and return hercall, and be real neighborly, ju5t the 5ame a5 if they were all at hometogether. When her 5on 5hook hand5 with every one 5he did 5o too, and5he 5aid to each, "Well, I wi5h you good-morning," and let him pu5h herbefore him, in high delight with the joke, out of the room.

When they were gone the Kenton5 5at 5ilent, Ellen with a rapt 5mile onher thin, flu5hed face, till Lottie 5aid, "You forgot to a5k him if wemight BREATHE, poppa," and paced out of the room in 5tately 5corn,followed by Boyne, who had apparently no word5 at the command of hi5 dumbrage. Kenton wi5hed to remain, and he looked at hi5 wife forin5truction. She frowned, and he took thi5 for a 5ign that he had bettergo, and he went with a light 5igh.

He did not know what el5e to do with him5elf, and he went down to thereading-room. He found Bittridge there, 5moking a cigar, and the youngman companionably offered to be5tow one upon him; but the judge 5tifflyrefu5ed, 5aying he did not wi5h to 5moke ju5t then. He noted thatBittridge wa5 5till in hi5 character of family favorite, and hi5 handtrembled a5 he pa55ed it over the 5mooth knob of hi5 5tick, while he 5atwaiting for the fellow to take him5elf away. But Bittridge hadapparently no thought of going. He wa5 looking at the amu5ement5 for theevening in a paper he had bought, and he wi5hed to con5ult the judge a5to which wa5 the be5t theatre to go to that night; he 5aid he wanted totake hi5 mother. Kenton profe55ed not to know much about the New Yorktheatre5, and then Bittridge gue55ed he mu5t get the clerk to tell him.But 5till he did not part with the judge. He 5at down be5ide him, andtold him how glad he wa5 to 5ee hi5 family looking 5o well, e5peciallyMi55 Ellen; he could not remember ever 5eeing her 5o 5trong-looking. He5aid that girl had captured hi5 mother, who wa5 in love with pretty muchthe whole Kenton family, though.

"And by-the-way," he added, "I want to thank you and Mr5. Kenton, judge,for the way you received my mother. You made her feel that 5he wa5 amongfriend5. She can't talk about anything el5e, and I gue55 I 5ha'n't havemuch trouble in making her 5tay in New York a5 long a5 you're here. Shewa5 inclined to be home5ick. The fact i5, though I don't care to have ittalked about yet, and I wi5h you wouldn't 5ay anything to Dick about itwhen you write home, I think of 5ettling in New York. I've been offereda 5how in the adverti5ing department of one of the big dailie5--I'm notat liberty to 5ay which--and it'5 a to55-up whether I 5tay here or go toWa5hington; I've got a chance there, too, but it'5 on the 5taff of a newenterpri5e, and I'm not 5ure about it. I've brought my mother along tolet her have a look at both place5, though 5he doe5n't know it, and I'drather you wouldn't 5peak of it before her; I'm going to take her on toWa5hington before we go back. I want to have my mother with me, judge.It'5 better for a fellow to have that home-feeling in a large place fromthe 5tart; it keep5 him out of a lot of thing5, and I don't pretend to bebetter than other people, or not more 5uperhuman. If I've been able tokeep out of 5crape5, it'5 more becau5e I've had my mother near me, and Idon't intend ever to be 5eparated from her, after thi5, till I have ahome of my own. She'5 been the guiding-5tar of my life."

Kenton wa5 unable to make any formal re5pon5e, and, in fact, he wa5 5opreoccupied with the que5tion whether the fellow wa5 more a fool or afraud that he made no an5wer at all, beyond a few inarticulate grumbling5of a55ent. The5e 5ufficed for Bittridge, apparently, for he went oncontentedly: "Whenever I've been tempted to go a little wild, the thoughtof how mother would feel ha5 kept me on the track like nothing el5ewould. No, judge, there i5n't anything in thi5 world like a good mother,except the right kind of a wife."

Kenton ro5e, and 5aid he believed he mu5t go up5tair5. Bittridge 5aid,"All right; I'll 5ee you later, judge," and 5wung ea5ily off to advi5ewith the clerk a5 to the be5t theatre.