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"Well, you could hardly place his daughter on _an equality with your servants,” he returned, as he walked ‘out of the. room. , She was a tall, reedy girl, unformed, reserved and unassuming, but with a quiet dignity about her rarely to be found in one so young. Also, she was inclined to be shy, and \he ghowed such a depided preference for Mrs. \Vestbrook's"sbciéty,‘ and ‘so rarely ventured to glance at Ernest. This was not encouraging, and a girl less resolute would probably have falt- ared in her purpose, but Eva. knew that for her there was no looking back. She was like a wanderer in astrange land, who, having crossed a chasm, had thrown down the bridge behind him. and had therefore no chance but to go forward, and often, when she felt weary and faint-hearted, she would repeat to herself this old verse which she had met one day long ago in a neglected album that had been her father’s: "1.3362111: not‘lhat ~the jvay is smooth, \ "1 suppoée I must ask ~{hie rgi1:lr Egg,” are said, dowbtfully. l"l_\Iust you 3" asked her son indiffer- ejnigly. “Yesyi‘she has no home, you know, a d I accepted a certain amount of re,- » - - - - . spouslbmty when I promlsed to pay Mr her education. You don’t object. I3sup'pose ?” The result of this conversation was that a letter was written to Eva in- viting her to some to the Grange, and v -7._°-, M...“ no fu1‘ther remark wasrfiuiade about he being handed over to the care of the hogsgkeeper‘. But tfiat chance observation of Ernest Westbrook’s changed the whole wirenrt of EyaURanQOIph’s life. Besides, this practical lady never forgot that she did not mean to adopt Eva as her daughter, but simply to enable the girl to make her own way in thy».z world, and in every one of her letters she impressed this fact upon the mind of her protegee. Moreover, the time for which she had intended to pay for her education had already been exceeded, and it was now desirable to decide upon the girl’s fu- ture career. é“Nio', it’s nothing to me,“ he replied, cmrglessly. v.”I coulH let her sit in the housekeep- er’s room, and take her meals with hgér," remarked Mrs. Westbrook. vdubi~ Dual», Hope not that the thorhs are roses; Cahgy no lgnging eye of youth \Vhere the sunny beam reposes. Thou hast sterner work to do, Hosts to out thy passage through; Close behind thee ‘gulfs are burning, Forward !â€"there is no returning.” And she made the purpose of the Christian Warrior her own, and press- ed on‘vard bravely in the battle of life. .-- _-r~, . Mrs. Westbrook gave her shoulders an impatient shrug as she heard this; then she dipped her pen in the ink preparatory to resuming her letter. "I thought her father was a gentle- man, whom you once meant to mar- ry?" said the y'oung man, looking at his mother with unfeigned surprise. .uvu CHAPTER. IV. Eva Randolph was not a quick girl. What she learned she learned thorâ€" bughly, but the acquisition of know- ledge was always a great labor to her, and what other girls would mas- her in an hour she would sometimes havs to spend a whole ‘morning over. The first three years of her school day's passed _uneventfurlly. She spent her vacations at school, for she had no home, no friends, and though Mrs. Westbrook wrote to her wometimes it did not suit that proud lady to have a school girl spending her holidays at Westbrook Grange or it her house in London. At the end of four years, however, Mrs. Westbrook thought she would like to see the girl whom she had reâ€" solved to befriend. "Dear me, she must be seventeen," remarked Mrs. Westbrook, thought- fully, as she sat at a writing table in- diting a letter to Eva. "Did I?” he replied, conscious strick- en at having d‘one‘ poor Eva such bad service as to pay her a compliment. “I don’t in the least remember it, and I shouldn’t know her again if she came into the room at the present moment. After all, no woman could have finer ay‘ers than my spaniel Topsy”? , V_ ___,--_V. "He was, but what, 6f that?" asked the lady, not quite understanding his meanigg. He was not by any means ,sensitive to feminine charms. Also' he was very proud of his mother, and he often thought that he would have to be very much in love indeed with a woman be- fore he asked her to become his wife, and thus depose his parent from her present position to the secondary rank of_dowgiger. “Yes, I suppose she is," replied her son, carelessly; "rather a plain little thing, isn’t she f” This he asked with a purpose. Experience had taught him that he oould not injure a girl in his mother's opinion more fatally than by praising good looks. His mother had a dread of his mar- rying. and she was also imbued with the idea that every. woman that look- ad upon her son had designs upon his heart, and for this reason she Fvuardeld him like an elderly dragon rom all the assaults of Cupid. And Ernest Westbrook smiled good humor- adly at her tactics. But he was a goodâ€"natured, good- bumored young man, always ready to do a kind action, and he felt some pity for the girl, whose story had been told him, and who, despite, one or two sug- gestions he had made on her behalf, ad never known what] it was to have bright enjoyable holidays. “I didn’t think her very good-look. mg myself, but I remember that you once remarked that she had wonder- furl_l_y. figg Veyes.” His mOfEhér nowflidalrzefi at him in surprise as he made this observation about Eva’s personal appearance, and she said: Shc Would Be a Lady ‘still less to address a remark to him, that before she had been at the Grange ia week the mistress of the mansion 3was quite satisfied that there was no danger to be apprehended from her. This sketch she had hidden careâ€" fully away; she would not have had Mrs. Westbrook or her son see it for any sum that; could be offered her. But she meant to take: it to London with her, so that, when the original was far away, she might still gather inspira- She was more clever in drawing faces and figures than in landscape, but she had an artist’s eye for beauty, and she was determined to carry with her as many mementoes of Westbrook Park as she could. One picture, that had been carefully studied, and worked upon from time to time, was nearly finished, and she was devoting one morningâ€"the last but one of her stay 4to it_s completion. Previously she had taken portraits of her canine friends, and also she had made one surreptitious sketch of a very handsome young man, with large eyes, an open countenance and curling, waving dark brown hair. Fortunately, also, for Eva Mr. and Mrs. Church had gone away from the neighborhood, and the people of the village, who saw her riding about by Mrs. Westbrook’a side, never recog- nized in the pretty young lady the poorlyâ€"clad stepdaughter. of Mrs. Church. Westbrook Grange is situated near the south coast, a mile from the sea, in a richly-wooded country, and it was Eva’s delight, during this first real holiday of her life, to wander about by wood and stream, accompanied by sevâ€" eral of Ernest‘s dogs, with whom she had made great friends. She always carried pencil. and paper and water colors with her, and sometimes she would spend hours together in some favorite spot making a sketch of the scene. So pleased was the lady of the Grunge with her young portegee that sh-e had more than once felt tempted to keep her with her as a companion and discard any project for training the girl to a life of independence. . . Whereuiyon 'Evafi thanked her, and felt that she was free to run as wild as any of Ernest VVestwood’s four- footed pets, whose freedom she had often envied. But two objections rose against this course; one was that Mrs. Westbrook did not require a companionâ€"hot be- ing a particularly co-mpanionable wo- manâ€"and the second was the girl’s anxiety to work. "You have just one week before you, between now and the time of leaving us, my dear," Mrs. VVestbrookvsaid, kindly, when the matter was settled. “And you may run about the park and the woods, and do just as you like in the interval. Ernest and I are going to town for the season, so I will take you with us, but we shall not see much of you there.” “i should like to become an artist, if you think I have sufficient talent,” she said, one day, when the rector and Ernest Westbrook and his moihpr were looking at some of her drawings. “Do you think I have ?” she added, looking up wistfully. She had not meant to address herself to him, but her eyes encountered those of Mr. Westbrook, and he replied, warmlyâ€"too warmly, his mother thought: “Yes, I am sure you have.” The bright flush of pleasure that came over the girl’s face did not escape the notice of her petroness, and she scented danger at once. ,But she was too well bred to make any comment, and it was not until Eva had retired to bed that Mrs. \Vestbrook betook herself to her son’s room to hold a consultation with him. "You must either make some pro- vision for her, or give her the means to provide for herself, I should think," he replied, indifferently, "I don’t sup- pose that she is in the least degree likely to marry, and she must live.” 1'th young man shrugged his shoul- ders as he asked, indolently: "Is she 9” » "Yes, I think her so; but, at any rate, I will let her learn a profession; then I shall feel she is off my hands and that no further responsibility at- taches itself to me. The next ques- tiagpis, how to begin ’3" "Mr. Carlyon said, as I walked with him back to the rectory this evening, that if you decided to allow Eva to follow her own inclination in the choice of a profession, ,.he had a friend in London, an artist, who had several daughters, and he thought they might be willing to take Eva to live and study with theml” "Do you thi-nk that temptations are confined to large cities ?” asked her son a cynipaljaugh." _ But Mrs. W'estbrook found the rec. tor’s suggestion an easy solution to her difficulty. The worthy man him- self was consulted, his friends were written to, satisfactory arrangements were made, and at length a day was fixed upon which Eva Randolph was to go to London and become an inmate of the artist’s house. "What do you think I had better do with this girl 2” she, began; "keep her here with us, or gratify her desire to Learn some profession ?” ' "’i‘h-a-t jusf depends upon what you mean to do for her in the future,” he replied befiween the puffs of his rciga‘r. "Aim why éhouldn’t she marry?” asked the mother, sharply; "she is as good looking as most girls of her age.’ "London 1” said Mrs. Westbrook, thoughtfully; "a girl in London livâ€" ing among strangers will be exposed to great temptations.” “N o ; place.” "I don’t think you and I have found it so," he laughed; “but I firmly be« lieve that to the pure all things are pure. However, I won‘t’ attempt to persuade you. Eva Randolph is your portegee, not mine. “How: What shotfld I do for he} in thgnfuture," lshg asked, suspiciously. but Lond'on" is a dreadful Her heart was in the work. She for- get where she was; she did not observe the expectant demeanor of the dogs, nor did she hear a footstep on the grass, and Ernest Westbrook had stood behind her watching her for some see- _onds, and wondering whether it was possible for him to escape as he had come, unobserved, when one imp‘udent toy terrier began to bark, and made Ev_a look up in some alarm. ‘Mrs. \Vestbrook made an angry ob- servation, but Eva slipped away to her room. This had been a white day in the calendar of her life, and she did not wish) to spoil it.” - "Then I hope you are prepared to entertain her,” he replied, “for to me, Miss Grantham is intolerable.” tion from the face, which to her in-ex- perienced eyes, seemed the most per- fect, manly countenance that had ever been created. Having finished her water-‘oolor drawing, she took out her boarded por- trait irom the sacret pocket of her portfolio, and sat, for atime, thought- fully looking at it. Then she took her pencil, and began to make a line here, and shade off a curve there. Ernest coughed, and Eva just had time to cover her drawing with a sheet of paper, when he said, without look- ing at her: In truth, he had come out of good. nature to a friendless girl, to ascertain what her real-wishes with regard to her future were, and. to tell: her if ever she wanted help or protection to ap- peal to him as though he were her brother. But the sight of that por- trait had upset all his preconcefi'ed ideas. It had touched his vanity, and told him he had a heart that this girl in_her teens could set p‘alpitating. Eva would have taken the portfolio to her own room, and there have re- mained till Mrs. Westbrook had alight- ed from her carriage, but Ernest callâ€" ed. her' to the door, and. thgre his moth- er, a few seconds latér, found the couâ€" ple awaiting her. Then the possible meaning that might be attached to her words struck her; her face darkened, and ’she said. point- edly, to her son: "1 have invited Adelaide Grantham to come on a visit to us while we are in town.” Ernest Westbrook laughed, though he did not feel quite as much at ease as he. would have done had no not seen that portrait of himself. Then he said: She was too childish to see the drift of his question, and she regarded her- self too humbly, and looked upon him as far’ too exalted a personage to think it possible that he should ever ask her to’ be his wife. And yet it was to this point that his questions were tending. Not that he had any such purpose in his mind when he saw his mother into gar carriage, and then set off to seek va. _ Walking by her side, talking tender- ly, and sometimes idly, Ernest VVest- brook, with this new revelation upon him, could not say all that he meant to say, and so he seemed to have got rid of his mother for an hour or two simply to idle- away the time pleasant- ly with this school girl. Bu‘-t both of them remembered this May afternoon long, long afterward. They had strollâ€" ed about; and talked, then had sat down and talked again, and the afternoon was drawing to a close when Eva des- cried in [the distance Mrs. Westbrook’s carriago returning to the'Grange. _ “Then let?“us go and meet her,” he said, with a sudden flash of defiance. "But I have to fetch my portfolio; I must take it indoors." " Well let me carry it.” vShe hesitated for a moment, while her eyes invOluntarily sought his; then her own drooped, and she yielded pas- sively, while he led the way back to where the portfolio had been left , and, taking it up, carried it into the house. " What gaod children you are,” she iqughed, pleased at the_small atten- run; , “I think I shall indict you, Miss Randolph, for stealing the hearts of my dogs. I verily believe that Leo is the only one that remains smash and faithful to me.” “You mustn't say that,” she replied, rising to her feet and feeling assured by his tone that he had not seen or re- cognized his own portrait. "Leo is the only one of the number that you regularly take about with you, and the otherSa are .glad of a little notice even from me, but they are ready to desert me any moment that you will look at them.” "Certainly not; you have only to 'whistle and I should be left quite alone.” " Oh, no 1” she replied, with abright lock that made her usually quiet face appear for the ._ moment beautiful; “but,” she addeq, while her counte- nance fell, “ perhzips your mother may want you or me.” " My mother is safe enough; she has gone off to pay a round of farewell calls; she wanted me to go with her, but I thought Iwould stay behind and have a chat with you.” " With me 3” aan the girlish heart began. to p-alpitate in a most uncom- fortable manner. "Yes, I want to know if you really care about going to those people in London, and studying to become an artist." “ And there is nothing you would like better i” he asked, the recollection of that portrait still uppermost in his mind. " No,” she replied, promptly. , " You. would not prefer to stay her and spend your life with my mother and me i” More than: once this morning he was tempted to: ask her to trust her future to him, to let her life's happiness be his care; but something held him back. and she! never uttered one word to help "I t'hink Ihadv better go in,“ she said, hantily; " your mother is coming back.” “Tlien you think I have no case against you?" " You don‘t prefer solitude, I hope '3’ he said, with a smile, “because if you dq_<1f._ courts? 1_ must__go_awg1y.” _ “Oh, indeed I do," she replied, eagâ€" erly. To Be Continued. No member. of the front Opposition bench took part in the debate, and the defense of a woman’s eligibility to local offices, corresponding to those whirh she already filled, was conducted by Mr. Augustine Birrell, the author of "Ohiter Dicta,” and by two private members. Mr. Balfour. upon his part, found unexpected support from a Radi- cal member, Mr. Labouchere, who in- sisted that the scheme to get women on the town'oouncils were simply a stage in a general plot to- place women on the same political footing as men. ABOUT WOMAN SUFFRAGEi The Prlme Minister \Voman’s Warmest Advocateâ€"Supporters will Needs Best! Thonuelves to Recbver the Set-back. [Now that we have before us full re- ports of the debates in Parliament on the Lords‘ amendment to the London Government bill, an amendment by which women were made ineligible for the office of alderman or councillor in the new metropolitan municipalities, we cannot but recognize that the wo- man suffrage movement in Great Bri- tain has encountered a serious reverse. The discussion turned undisguisedly on the question whether even an initial step should be taken toward the he- stowal of the Parliamentary franchise upon women, and a negative answer was returned by a large majority in the House of Commons, which, hith- erto, on several occasions, has encour- aged the advocates of woman’s rights; not a few distinguished Conservatives, as well as many Liberals, having den clared themselves in favor of the en: tire political equality of the sexes. It now looks as if the woman suffrage so- cieties would; have to put redoubled pressure upon candidates for seats in the next Parliament, if they are to re- gain the lost ground. The bill went back to the Commons, and there is little doubt that, had the professed friends of woman suffrage been inflexible, the Lords would have ultimately aoquiesced in their deâ€" mands. The test was applied on July 6, when Mr. Leonard H. Courtney pro- poed a compromise. by suggesting that women should be eligible for councillors, but not for alderman. Had this compromise been accepted, the principle of woman’s fitness for politie- al duties would of course, have been upheld. Mr. A. J. Balfour, however, the spokesman for the Government in the House, although he has been supâ€" posed to favor woman suffrage de- clared that it was not in the interests of the bill that the Commons should enter into a contest with the Upper House upon a minor question. HAS SUFFERED SERIOUS REVERSES IN THE BRITISH HOUSE OF LORDS. It will be remembered that the Lon- don Government bill, which has now become a law, provides for the local administration of the various districts included in the wide area for whose collective needs the London County Council was instituted. When the bill was under discussion in the Com- mons, an amendment was moved mak- ing women eligible for the office of a]- derman or councillor in the new muni- cipal districts. The Government did not oppose the amendment, and it was carried. When the measure reached the House of Lords, Lord Dunraven, of international yacht race notoriety, moved to expnnge this particular clause, on the express ground that, were it allowed to stand, its principle logically must be extended to all municipal councils in the country. Lord Salisbury defended the cause, pointing out that the Commons have merely given women the same right of access to the new councils that they then enjoyledi to the London vestries, which were to be supersed- ed. It would be unreasonable, he said, that, under the cloak of a mere change in the name of the local bodies, women should be subjected to a parâ€" liamentary condemnation without any proof that they had. been unworthy of the trust with which they Were alâ€" ready invested. He added that, as, a matter of fact, the new councils would have to consider such questions as the housing of the working classes, with which women are peculiarly fitted to deal. SHOULD SIT IN! BARLIAMENT. The Prime Minister was supported by the Archbishop of York and Lord Londonderry; and, what is especially to be noted, Lord Kimberley, the lead- er of the Liberals, asserted that it would be contrary to practice and to ordinary justice to deprive women of a privilege they already possessed, and that ‘no supporter of the clause would be, necessarily, committed to woman suffrage in the broadest sense. The Lord Chancellor, on the other hand, did notIhesitate to oppose his chief, on the distinct plea that the question at issue was, at bottom. no less momentous than this: Whether or not, for all purposes, and in respect of all political power, distinction and disqualification of sex should be main- tained. The Duke of Devonshire took the same position, holding that, as wo- men were allowed to sit in town coun- cils, the claim would be presently ad- vanced that they should sit in Parlia- ment. ‘ The Duke of Northumberland hinted that all the friends of the clause in the Lower House needed to do was to stand firm, for he simply urged that the Commons should have a further opportunity of considering the matter. In the ensuing division, notwithstanding the attitude assumed by the official leaders of both the Government and the'Opvposition, Lord Dunraven’s amendment ' eXpunging the clause making women eligible to the district councils was carried nearly 3 to 1. EQUALITYI OF THE SEXES‘ No man is better known to the peo- { ple of the counties of Halton and Wel- lington than William Hemstreet, a pioneer and: much esteemed resident of {Acton Mr. H-emstreet/ is a native of ithis country, having been born in Trar i falgar township: in 1817. In his younger days Mr. Hemstreet conducted a tanâ€" lning business. He subsequently en- igaged in the droving and butchering ibusiness, and some twenty-five years iago, owing to his superior knowledge :of the value of live stock, he took out is license as an auctioneer. In this calling he ,becagme at once popular and he was“ constantly on the road, driving i in all kinds of weather, holding auction ‘sales several days a week. Although lpossessing a strong, healthy constitus ition, the continued exposure and ; hard work of selling some days for six {or eight hours at a stretch, he gradu» 5ally lost his strength and vigor, and about three ‘years ago found himself a collapsed and worn-out man. In conver- ; sation with a reporter of the Free Press 1he said :--"J felt that my days of use‘ :fulness were ever. My strength had ideparted, my voice was gone. I was Itoo weak to do work of any kind and }I was undeniably useless to myself or anyone else. My symptoms were peculiar and baffled several of the best local physicians, who differed very {much in their diagnosis. I took their imedicines faithfully but no improve- ment resulted. I did not suffer much“ pain but was a very sick man. Had no appetite, no strength, could not lsleep, and both‘ myself and my friends concluded that my days on earth were numbered and that my wornâ€"out sys~ temv would in a very short time lie down in eternal ‘rest. I; had to give up all my business interests.” When Mr. Hemstreet’s condition was most serious his attention was attracted by the published testimonial of Rev. Mr. Freeman, a minister with Whom he zwas personally acquainted, relating to his restoration to health after using Dr. Williams’ Pink Pills. He was particularly impressed with this tes- timonial and concluded that these :pills must possess singular merit and healing power or Rev. Mr. Freeman would not lend his name to their ap- probation. Mr. Hc-mrstreet then de- cided to give them a trial; he first got . one box, then three, than half a dozen, and took them regularly. No very marked effects, he says, were noticeable but with characteristic persistence he ,purchased a further supply. By the time twelve or thirteen boxes hadbeen itaken, he felt that new blood was coursing through his veins; that he possessed renewed vigor and was able to perform all the duties his business calls dednanded. "For a year I con- tinued to take the pills,” he said. "I knew I was regaining my old time Istre-ncgth and good health and *1 was determined the course should be com- plete and permanent, and I gave them the credit for making me the’ new man I feel myself to be toâ€"day. As evidenced that my recovery is complete I have only ftorstate that this spring I have conducted a number of auction 'sales in the open air with perfect ease and with entire satisfaction to my clients. 'He contended that. as there is a large majority of women in the United King- dom, the political equality of the sexes would, in the natural course of events. inevitably involve the submerging o! the numerically smaller sex by the larger one. It would involve. in oth- er words, the transfer 03 the Govern- ment of the British Empire from male to female hands. Strange to say, Mr. Labouchere, who formerly, _in connec- tion with the second Home Rule bill, maintained that the House of Lords had no moral right to revise the judg- munt of the House of Commons, now complimented the Upper House on hav- ing construed accurately the real mind of the Commons. When the motion was made that "the House do agree in the said amendment, that made by the Lords," it was carried by a majority of 69. It is idle that this reversal of its previous action by the House of Com- mons augurs ill for the immediate prospects of woman suffrage in Great Britain. It is a coincidence that the incident occurred at the very time when a Woman’s Parliament was sit- ting in London. We repeat that the woman suffr- age societies will need to bestir them- selves at the next general election, if they desire to recover the hold which they have hitherto possessed upon the House of Commons. V Then why not let me marrâ€"y Amy father? You khowv there’s a woman aé the bottom of everythiing. Dr. Williams'»Pink Pills cure by going to the root of the disease. They renew and build up the blood, and Strengthen the nerves, thus driving disease from the system. Avoid imi- tations by insisting that every .box you purchase is enclosed in a wrapper bearing the mu trade mark, Dr. Wil- liams’ Pink' Pills for Pale People. Father-You should do as I didâ€"be- gig at thq bottom: and work up. He “'11s Aflllcted Wm- llluesg for a Long Pen-loll, and Thought Ills Days of Use- fulness Were Pastâ€"He ls Again on nearly and Robust us He Was Twenu Years Ago. From the Free Press, Acton Ont. WILLIAM HEMSTREET’S HEALTH RENEWED AT SEVENTY. “I am as much averse to making personal matters public as any one could possibly be, but my long con- tinued illness was so widely known and my recovery has been so marked and satisfactory xh'at I feel that I‘qwe a debt of gratitude to the simple but effective remedy “which cured me, and this is Why I thug acknowledge it, as Well as to sibotw to those iwho are up in years>and in ill-fluealth what Dr. Williams’ Pink Pills did for me." A Pioneer’s Story. OON VINCIN G ARGUMENT.