tinged with a little violet by night. But in
jotting down these details, true as they are, I seem
to myself to be painting fire, with a little snow
and saffron, mixed on a marble pallet. There is
a beauty too spiritual to be chained in a string
of items; and Julia's fair features were but the
china vessel that brimmed over with the higher
loveliness of her soul. Her essential charm was,
what shall I say? Transparence.

You would have said her very body thought.

Modesty, Intelligence, and, above all, Enthusiasm,
shone through her, and out of her, and made her
an airy, fiery, household joy. Briefly, an
incarnate sunbeam.

This one could learn her lessons with
unreasonable rapidity, and, until Edward went to
Eton, would insist upon learning his into the
bargain, partly with the fond notion of coaxing
him on; as the company of a swift horse incites
a slow one; partly because she was determined
to share his every trouble, if she could not
remove it. A little choleric, and indeed
downright prone to that more generous indignation
which fires at the wrongs of others. When
heated with emotion, or sentiment, she lowered
her voice, instead of raising it like the rest of us:
she called her mother "Lady Placid," and her
brother "Sir Imperturbable." And so much for
outlines.

Mrs. Dodd laid aside her personal ambition
with her maiden name; but she looked high for
her children. Perhaps she was all the more
ambitious for them, that they had no rival aspirant
in Mrs. Dodd. She educated Julia herself from
first to last: but with true feminine distrust of
her power to mould a lordling of creation, she
sent Edward to Eton, at nine.

This was slackening her tortoise. For at
Eton is no female master, to coax dry knowledge
into a slow head. However, he made good
progress in two branches—aquatics and cricket.

After Eton came the choice of a profession.
His mother recognised but four; and these her
discreet ambition speedily sifted down to two.
For military heroes are shot now and then,
however pacific the century; and naval ones
drowned. She would never expose her Edward
to this class of accidents. Glory by all means;
glory by the pail; but safe glory, please; or she
would none of it. Remained the church and the
bar: and, within these reasonable limits she left
her dear boy free as air; and not even hurried;
there was plenty of time to choose: he must
pass through the university to either. This last
essential had been settled about a twelvemonth
and the very day for his going to Oxford was at
hand, when one morning Mr. Edward formally
cleared his throat: it was an unusual act, and
drew the ladies' eyes upon him. He followed
the solemnity up by delivering calmly and
ponderously a connected discourse, which astonished
them by its length and purport. "Mamma
dear, let us look the thing in the face." This
was his favourite expression, as well as habit.

"I have been thinking it quietly over for the
last six months. Why send me to the
university? I shall be out of place there. It will
cost you a lot of money, and no good. Now,
you take a fool's advice! Don't you waste your
money and papa's sending a dull fellow like me
to Oxford! I did bad enough at Eton. Make
me an engineer, or something. If you were not
so fond of me, and I of you, I'd say send me to
Canada, with a pickaxe; you know I've got no
headpiece."

Mrs. Dodd had sat aghast, casting Edward
deprecating looks at the close of each ponderous
sentence, but too polite to interrupt a soul, even
a son talking nonsense. She now assured him
she could afford very well to send him to Oxford,
and begged leave to remind him that he was too
good and too sensible to run up bills there, like
the young men who did not really love their
parents. "Then, as for learning, why we must
be reasonable in our turn. Do the best you can,
love. We know you have no great turn for the
classics; we do not expect you to take high
honours, like young Mr. Hardie; besides, that
might make your head ache: he has sad
headaches his sister told Julia. But, my dear, an
university education is indispensable; do but
see how the signs of it follow a gentleman
through life, to say nothing of the valuable
acquaintances and lasting friendships he makes
there: even those few distinguished persons
who have risen in the world without it, have
openly regretted the want, and have sent their
children: and that says volumes to me."

"Why, Edward, it is the hall-mark of a
gentleman," said Julia, eagerly.

Mrs. Dodd caught a flash of her daughter:
"And my silver shall never be without it," said
she, warmly. She added presently, in her usual
placid tone, "I beg your pardon, my dears, I
ought to have said my gold," With this she
kissed Edward tenderly on the brow, and drew
an embrace and a little grunt of resignation
from him.

"Take the dear boy and show him our
purchases, love!" said Mrs. Dodd, with a little
gentle accent of half reproach, scarce perceptible
to a male ear.

"Oh yes:" and Julia rose and tripped to the
door. There she stood a moment, half turned,
with arching neck, colouring with innocent
pleasure. "Come, darling. Oh, you good-for-
nothing thing."

The pair found a little room hard by, paved
with china, crockery, glass, baths, kettles, &c.

"There, sir. Look them in the face and us, if
you can."

"Well, you know, I had no idea you had been
and bought a cart-load of things for Oxford."
His eye brightened; he whipped out a two-foot
rule, and began to calculate the cubic contents.
"I'll turn to and make the cases, Ju."

The ladies had their way; the cases were made
and despatched; and one morning the Bus came