THE BUBBLE BURSTi 103

Osborne's encouraging those abandotied people ; con-
sidering what might be the naturabiand inherited
impulses of Williams, Mr. Osborne ought to have
been doubly on his guard. But he has sown in
the whirlwind and he may reap in the storm,”
said Joanna with emphasis.

Reynolds fired up at once. ‘“‘ It was not generous
to be ripping up poor Williams's family misfortunes
—what would she say if people did so by him ; he
never would stand by silently and hear his friend
thus spoken of.”

It was a luckless rencontre. There was always 4
something in what the one said to excite the other.
Poor Dorothy tried to make peace between them,
but did not succeed. However, the end of it was
that Reynolds must stay supper with them, and
then, grown quite bold and desperate, he asked his
aunts to lend him two guineas.

Joanna actually started ; “ here was more of the
devil's work,” she said, adopting for the first time
the clergyman’s phrase—‘‘no, she would not lend
him a sixpence.”

“ T will,” said Dorothy, “ not that I am satisfied of
all being right. But if he have done wrong we will
hope that he may do so no more. We must endeavour
to rule by love and not by severity, Joanna.”

Reynolds returned home with the money.

There was not a deal of sleeping at the Osbornes’
that night. Mr. and Mrs. Osborne talked over,
with the deepest sorrow, the sad discovery which
they believed was about to be made regarding
Reynolds ; he who had seemed so steady, so, almost
religious—how they grieved for his poor aunts.
All the little pique was forgotten. Mrs. Osborne