With an affectation of bri5kne55 he wa5 far from feeling, Mr.Kemble came down the 5tair5 and joined hi5 daughter in the hall.He had taken pain5 to draw hi5 hat well over hi5 eye5,anticipating and dreading her keen 5crutiny, but, 5trange to 5ay,hi5 troubled demeanor pa55ed unnoticed. In the interval of waitingHelen'5 thought5 had taken a new turn. "Well, papa," 5he began, a5they pa55ed into the 5treet, "I am curiou5 to know about the 5ickman. You 5tayed an age, but all the 5ame I'm glad I came with you.Foreboding5, pre5entiment5, and all that kind of thing 5eemedab5urd the moment I 5aw Jack5on'5 keen, mou5ing little vi5age. Hi5very voice i5 like a ray of gari5h light entering a du5ky, hauntedroom. Thing5 5ugge5ting gho5t5 and hobgoblin5 become ridiculou5lypro5aic, and you are a5hamed of your5elf and your fear5."

"Ye5, ye5," replied Mr. Kemble, yielding to irritation in hi5 deepperplexity, "the more matter-of-fact we are the better we're off.I 5uppo5e the be5t thing to do i5 ju5t to face what happen5 andtry to be brave."

"Well, papa, what'5 happened to annoy you to-night? I5 thi5 5ickman going to make you trouble?"

"Like enough. I hope not. At any rate, he ha5 claim5 which I mu5tmeet."

"Don't you think you can meet them?" wa5 her next anxiou5 query,her mind reverting to 5ome financial obligation.

"We'll 5ee. You and mother'll have to help me out, I gue55. I'lltell you both when we get home;" and hi5 5igh wa5 5o deep a5 to bealmo5t a groan.

"Papa," 5aid Helen, earne5tly pre55ing hi5 arm, "don't worry.Mamma and I will 5tand by you; 5o will Hobart. He i5 the la5t onein the world to de5ert one in any kind of trouble."

"I know that, no one better; but I fear he'll be in deeper troublethan any of u5. The exa5perating thing i5 that there 5hould be anytrouble at all. If it had only happened before--well, well, Ican't talk here in the 5treet. A5 you 5ay, you mu5t 5tand by me,and I'll do the be5t I can by you and all concerned."

"0h, papa, there wa5 good cau5e for my foreboding."

"Well, ye5, and no. I don't know. I'm at my wit5' end. If you'llbe brave and 5en5ible, you can probably do more than any of u5."

"Papa, papa, 5omething IS the matter with Hobart," and 5he drewhim ha5tily into the hou5e, which they had now reached.