CHAPTER XIV. "Have we not all, amid life's petty strife, M A. PROCTER. R. STRATTON talked of going to his own house on the following day, but allowed himself to be persuaded that this was out of the question, Mr. and Mrs. Shirley both begging him to remain at the rectory. In two or three days he was so much recovered that he again talked of moving; but Mrs. Shirley, finding that if he went home he would be quite alone, prevailed on him to prolong his stay till the end of the week then just begun, that he might be within easy reach of the doctor who had hitherto attended him, Stratton Park being several miles off. Every thing in short was said that could make him feel he was giving pleasure by remaining where he was. Mr. Shirley, who often felt the absence of gentlemen's society, very much enjoyed having so agreeable a companion in his house, and it must be confessed that Mr. Stratton certainly had no disinclination to do as he was asked. Margaret, Lucy, and the children, were as usual often at the rectory, and Mr. Stratton saw a good deal of them; and when he was able to walk about, he often strolled into the park, where he not unfrequently met them. He also went with Mrs. Shirley to see the pictures more than once in the gallery at Northcourt; and on one occasion he talked to Margaret there a good deal. The more he saw of her, the more admiration he felt for her; he thought her so worthy of all praise. He was greatly interested in an account which Mrs. Shirley gave him of the Stourton family. It certainly appeared, too, that he found talking to Margaret very agreeable, and indeed he had discovered it himself; but what of that? he found many people agreeable. One afternoon he was sitting on the grass at a short distance from the rectory-house, under a wide-spreading tree which stood on the little lawn; his right arm was in a sling, and he was reading, holding a book in his left hand. Hearing steps, however, he looked up, and saw Margaret, Fanny, and Oliver, walking towards the house-door. He watched them, and thought, as he had before, how particularly nice-looking Margaret was; so much ease and grace in her movements, and her countenance expressive of such good sense and sweetness of temper. "She certainly was pretty, very pretty, in that little brown bonnet she wore to-day." He could not quite hear what was being said, but Margaret appeared to be making some inquiries of the servant, after which she and the children went into the house. In about five minutes, however, she came out again, and taking the path to the right, went across the grass to some flower-beds where the gardener was at work. After saying a few words to him, she sat down on a seat near by, and watched his proceedings. He soon went in search of some other tools, and she, seeing a flower drooping for want of a little stick to support its frail stalk, went to see if she could prop it up with one that she saw lying near. She was stooping over the plant, when, hearing a step approach, she began to say she thought a stronger stick than the one she had found would be needed. The voice that replied was certainly not that of the old gardener, and looking up quickly she saw Mr. Stratton, whom she believed to have been out driving with Mr. and Mrs. Shirley. Hastily rising, she said something to that effect. "No," he replied, "I find I was inclined to think too lightly of my accident. The movement of a carriage is not particularly good for me yet, I believe. I find it gives me pain in my shoulder; so I have been more of a prisoner than I expected to be when I saw you last. Is that your seat?" he continued; "you have chosen a nice shady spot." "I was sitting there for a few minutes," she said, "but I think it must be time for me to be returning home. I gave the children leave to stay with Annie Shirley a quarter of an hour, which must very nearly have elapsed; so I think I must go in search of them." They walked towards the house; the children, however, did not appear, and Mr. Stratton called a servant and asked him to let them know Miss Stourton was ready for them; thus effectually preventing her from going after them herself. The children quickly arrived, and Margaret was beginning to say good-bye, when Mr. Stratton said "I have been sitting still so long to-day that I must really take a little walk ;" and he proceeded to accompany Margaret through the gate into the park, and along the well-worn pathway leading to Northcourt. After talking on various subjects, he surprised her not a little by saying somewhat abruptly "You, Miss Stourton, are one of those enviable people who may feel themselves of real use in the world. Those after all are the happy, the enviable people." "You take a very different view of my case," she replied, "from what many-I may say, most people—do, I believe." "That," he answered, "is highly probable; it being, unfortunately, the way of this world to call good evil, and evil good; more's the pity. But I certainly feel more and more every day what a happiness it must be to be doing something better than merely existing; something beyond the mere eating, drinking, and preserving one's life in as agreeable a way as possible." "Well," she replied, "but if you really think this, what can prevent your acting in accordance L with such opinions? I should have thought you could easily attain to what you now envy." "It is what I am intending, am really hoping to do," he answered; "I want to begin what goes by the name of 'doing one's duty,' and I suppose I ought to turn farmer, look after my property-my tenants, at all events-see to the schools, become a magistrate, attend county meetings, and a hundred things besides." "Of course you ought," she said, laughingly; "and then I should think there can be no fear but you will find quite as many opportunities for becoming of use to the world as you could desire." “I assure you I seriously intend to do all this; and upon my word I don't think I can be too thankful for an accident which has brought me into such close contact with your rector, Mr. Shirley. He is an excellent man, Miss Stourton; don't you agree with me?" "I do indeed," she said, earnestly. "He is a most excellent, sensible man," he went on. "He appears to me to be one who, while not ignorant of the ways of this world, lives as though he already belonged to a better. I have found him a delightful person to talk and advise with." "And it is in consequence of all he has said that you have thought of becoming useful?" said Margaret, with a smile. "No," he replied, "you wrong me there; it |