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Cameron.ffirs 10/11/05 1:46 PM Page iii

Diagnosing and
Changing
Organizational
Culture
Based on the Competing
Values Framework

REVISED EDITION

The Jossey-Bass
Business & Management Series
Cameron.ffirs 10/11/05 1:46 PM Page i

Diagnosing and Changing

Organizational Culture
Cameron.ffirs 10/11/05 1:46 PM Page ii

Kim S. Cameron
Robert E. Quinn
Cameron.ffirs 10/11/05 1:46 PM Page iii

Diagnosing and
Changing
Organizational
Culture
Based on the Competing
Values Framework

REVISED EDITION

The Jossey-Bass
Business & Management Series
Cameron.ffirs 10/11/05 1:46 PM Page iv

Copyright © 2006 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Published by Jossey-Bass
A Wiley Imprint
989 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103-1741 www.josseybass.com

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
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Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best
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accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied
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First edition was published under same title by Addison-Wesley in 1999.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Cameron, Kim S.
Diagnosing and changing organizational culture : based on the competing values framework /
Kim S. Cameron, Robert E. Quinn.—Revised ed.
p. cm.—(The Jossey-Bass business & management series)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13 978-0-7879-8283-6 (alk. paper)
ISBN-10 0-7879-8283-0 (alk. paper)
1. Organizational change. 2. Corporate culture. I. Quinn, Robert E. II. Title. III. Series.
HD58.8.C32 2006
658.4'06—dc22
2005023398

Printed in the United States of America

REVISED EDITION
PB Printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Cameron.ftoc 10/11/05 1:47 PM Page v

Contents

Preface vii
Acknowledgments xi
The Authors xii
1. An Introduction to Changing Organizational Culture 1
The Need to Manage Organizational Culture 2
The Need for Culture Change 7
The Power of Culture Change 12
The Meaning of Organizational Culture 16
Caveats 19

2. The Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument 23

Instructions for Diagnosing Organizational Culture 24
Scoring the OCAI 25

3. The Competing Values Framework 31

The Value of Frameworks 31
Development of the Competing Values Framework 33
The Four Major Culture Types 37
Applicability of the Competing Values Model 45
Total Quality Management 49
Human Resource Management Roles 51
Culture Change over Time 53
Culture Change in a Mature Organization 57
Summary 59

v
Cameron.ftoc 10/11/05 1:47 PM Page vi

vi CONTENTS

4. Constructing an Organizational Culture Profile 63

Plotting a Profile 63
Interpreting the Culture Profiles 69
Summary 81

5. Using the Framework to Diagnose and Change

Organizational Culture 83
Planning for Culture Change: An Example 85
Steps for Designing an Organizational Culture Change Process 87
Supplementing the OCAI Methodology 105

6. Individual Change as a Key to Culture Change 117

Critical Management Skills 118
Personal Management Skills Profile 122
Personal Improvement Agendas 132

7. A Condensed Formula for Organizational Culture

Change 139
Appendix A: Organizational Culture Assessment
Instrument (OCAI): Definition,
Dimensions, Reliability, and Validity 143
Appendix B: Psychometric Analyses of the Management
Skills Assessment Instrument (MSAI) 163
Appendix C: Hints for Initiating Organizational Culture
Change in Each Quadrant 185
Appendix D: Suggestions for Improving Personal
Management Competencies 197
Appendix E: Forms for Plotting Profiles 221
References and Suggested Reading 227
Index 234
Cameron.fpref 10/11/05 1:47 PM Page vii

Preface

This book was written to help you diagnose and initiate change in
organizational culture, whether you are a manager, teacher, consul-
tant, or change agent. We were motivated to write this book be-
cause of our own observation that organizations often fail in their
change and improvement efforts because of their inability to bring
about culture change. We were also motivated because of our con-
viction that the Competing Values Framework can be effectively
applied to several important aspects of organizational and personal
performance. We know of consulting firms in several countries that
have adopted the framework as a key part of their services. And we
know of business, government, and educational organizations that
have dramatically improved their performance as a result of apply-
ing the processes and approaches explained in the book, as well as
individual managers who have become more effective by personal-
izing the principles we discuss. Of course, we don’t claim to have
found a silver bullet or a panacea for all organizational and man-
agerial problems. Rather, we have written the book to share a set of
tools and procedures that our own empirical research and consult-
ing experiences have found to be useful in assisting with cultural
and personal change in organizations.
This book will be most useful to (1) consultants and change
agents charged with helping organizations and managers im-
plement change and with making sense of their own culture; (2)
teachers interested in helping students understand organizational
culture, the change process, and the power of theoretical frame-
works in guiding change efforts; and (3) managers who are interested

vii
Cameron.fpref 10/11/05 1:47 PM Page viii

viii PREFACE

in identifying ways to effectively lead a culture change effort while

finding ways to match their personal style and capabilities with the
demands of the organization’s future environment. This book,
therefore, may be appropriate for the college classroom, the train-
ing and development center, the executive’s bookshelf, or the con-
ference table around which employees meet to participate in the
culture change process.
This book offers you three contributions: (1) validated instruments
for diagnosing organizational culture and management competency, (2)
a theoretical framework for understanding organizational culture, and
(3) a systematic strategy for changing organizational culture and per-
sonal behavior. It is intended to be a workbook in the sense that you
can complete the instruments and plot your own culture profile in
the book itself, and you can also use it as a resource for leading a
culture change process. The management competency assessment
instrument also helps facilitate personal change in support of the
desired culture change. The book can also serve as an information
source for explaining a robust framework of culture types. This frame-
work has proved to be very useful to a variety of companies in clar-
ifying the culture change process as well as instigating significant
managerial leadership improvement.
In Chapter One, we discuss the importance of understanding
organizational culture and its central place in facilitating or in-
hibiting organizational improvement efforts. We illustrate how cul-
ture change can foster dramatic improvement in organizational
effectiveness or else how it can be the major obstacle that keeps or-
ganizations from fulfilling their objectives.
In Chapter Two, we provide the instrument for diagnosing or-
ganizational culture and instructions for how to complete and score
it. This instrument—the Organizational Culture Assessment In-
strument (OCAI)—produces an overall organizational culture pro-
file. Six dimensions of organizational culture are assessed. The six
dimensions are based on a theoretical framework of how organiza-
tions work and the kinds of values on which their cultures are
founded. The OCAI identifies what the current organizational cul-
Cameron.fpref 10/11/05 1:47 PM Page ix

PREFACE ix

ture is like, as well as what the organization’s preferred or future cul-

ture should be like.
Chapter Three provides a more thorough explanation of the the-
oretical framework on which the OCAI is based. This framework—
the Competing Values Framework—explains the underlying value
orientations that characterize organizations. These value orienta-
tions are usually competing or contradictory to one another. The
chapter explains how these values, and the organizational cultures
that emerge from them, change over time and how the framework
is applicable for making sense of a variety of organizational phe-
nomena, including structure, quality, leadership, and management
skills.
Chapter Four contains a step-by-step process for producing an
organizational culture profile, identifying the ways in which the or-
ganization’s culture should change, and formulating a strategy for
accomplishing that change. Information about the cultures of almost
one thousand organizations is provided for comparison purposes.
Chapter Five provides a six-step methodology for guiding a cul-
ture change strategy. Also presented are examples of how several dif-
ferent organizations used the OCAI to diagnose their current and
preferred organizational cultures. We illustrate how the organizations
designed a strategy to change their current culture to better match
their preferred culture. These examples and the methodology pro-
vide systematic guidelines to managers and change agents who are
charged with changing their own organization’s culture.
Chapter Six focuses on the personal change needed to support
and facilitate culture change. It explains critical management com-
petencies that are typical of effective managers, and it provides a
methodology for helping managers develop a personal improve-
ment agenda. Included is a diagnostic instrument that has been
used with managers in more than a thousand organizations world-
wide. Use of the diagnostic instrument is an important element in
aligning managerial competencies with desired culture change.
Chapter Seven summarizes the key points in the book and pro-
vides a condensed summary formula to guide culture change efforts.
Cameron.fpref 10/11/05 1:47 PM Page x

x PREFACE

We provide five appendixes. Appendix A contains a more rig-

orous and scientifically based discussion of the OCAI and the Com-
peting Values Framework. Its intent is to provide researchers and
organizational scholars with the evidence they may require in order
to use this instrument to study organizational cultures and culture
change. Evidence for the validity and reliability of the OCAI is pro-
vided, as well as a discussion of cultural definitions and the power-
ful impact of cultural change on effectiveness. This material may be
of greater interest to researchers and organizational scholars than to
managers and change agents.
Appendix B provides an instrument that helps managers iden-
tify the key competencies they will need to develop or improve in
order to foster organizational culture change. A discussion of the in-
strument’s validity and usefulness precedes the presentation of the
questions themselves. The instrument is the Management Skills As-
sessment Instrument (MSAI). Information is provided for obtaining
scoring and feedback reports for managers who are involved in the
culture change effort as part of the strategy to align management
competencies with the organizational culture change initiative.
Appendix C provides suggestions for initiating culture change
in each of four types of cultures. These suggestions are provided
merely as thought starters and idea generators when extra help is
needed. They have come from managers and change agents who
have engaged in the culture change process described in this book.
Appendix D provides lists of suggestions for improving man-
agement skills and competencies associated with the MSAI. These
suggestions were generated by managers who have successfully im-
plemented personal change efforts in improving their own man-
agerial competencies.
Appendix E contains some extra plotting forms and profile
forms to be used as part of the culture change initiative.

September 2005 KIM S. CAMERON

Ann Arbor, Michigan ROBERT E. QUINN
Cameron.flast 10/11/05 1:46 PM Page xi

Acknowledgments

We have been educated and informed by many colleagues in our

work on organizational culture over the years. In particular, Jeff De
Graff, Robert Hooijberg, and Frank Petrock have helped us think
through the culture change methodology. Several of our colleagues
have conducted insightful and informative research on our frame-
work, including Wayne Brockbank, Lee Collett, Dan Denison,
Susan Faerman, Sarah Freeman, Jack Krackower, Michael McGrath,
Carlos Mora, John Rohrbaugh, Gretchen Spreitzer, Michael Thomp-
son, David Ulrich, Arthur Yeung, and Ray Zammuto. Outstanding
insights and suggestions were provided on the book manuscript by
Dick Beckhard, Ed Schein, and Jon Van Maanen, and helpful re-
views by Peter Frost, Tom Gregoire, and Deone Zell. Particular
thanks are due to our editor, Kathe Sweeney at Jossey-Bass, for her
continued support and friendship, and to a very competent support
team led by Jessie Mandle at Jossey-Bass. Of course, even though we
would like to blame these folks for any mistakes, oversights, or
wrong-headed thinking that might remain in the manuscript, we
accept responsibility for it. They have done their best with us.
Most important, we want to acknowledge and thank our sweet-
hearts, Melinda and Delsa, and our children, Katrina Cameron Pow-
ley, Tiara Cameron Wartes, Asher Cameron, Cheyenne Cameron
Robertson, Brittany Cameron Corbett, Austin Cameron, and Cam
Cameron, as well as Shauri Quinn, Ryan Quinn, Shawn Quinn,
Kristin Quinn Ellis, Travis Quinn, and Garrett Quinn. Their love
of one another and of us has created a culture that we never want
to change.
K.S.C.
R.E.Q.

xi
Cameron.flast 10/11/05 1:46 PM Page xii

The Authors

Kim S. Cameron is professor of management and organization at

the University of Michigan Business School and professor of higher
education in the School of Education at the University of Michi-
gan. He has served as dean and Albert J. Weatherhead Professor of
Management in the Weatherhead School of Management at Case
Western Reserve University, as associate dean and Ford Motor
Co./Richard E. Cook Professor in the Marriott School of Manage-
ment at Brigham Young University, and as a department chair and
director of several executive education programs at the University
of Michigan. He also served on the faculties of the University of
Wisconsin-Madison and Ricks College. He organized and directed
the Organizational Studies Division of the National Center for
Higher Education Management Systems in Boulder, Colorado.
Cameron’s past research on organizational virtuousness, down-
sizing, effectiveness, culture, and the development of leadership ex-
cellence has been published in more than eighty articles and nine
books: Coffin Nails and Corporate Strategies (Prentice Hall, 1982), De-
veloping Management Skills (Prentice Hall, 6th ed., 2005), Diagnosing and
Changing Organizational Culture (Addison-Wesley, 1999), Organiza-
tional Decline (Ballinger, 1988), Leading with Values (Cambridge, 2006),
Organizational Effectiveness (Academic Press, 1983), Paradox and Trans-
formation (Ballinger, 1988), Positive Organizational Scholarship (Berrett-
Koehler, 2003), and The Competing Values Framework (Elgar, 2006).
His current research is on the positive dynamics in organizations that

xii
Cameron.flast 10/11/05 1:46 PM Page xiii

THE AUTHORS xiii

lead to spectacular performance. Specifically, he has been funded to

study virtuousness in organizations and its relationship to performance.
Cameron received his bachelor of science and master of science
degrees from Brigham Young University and his master of arts and
doctoral degrees from Yale University. He served on the National
Research Council, was president of Bay Asset Funding Corporation,
and was a Fulbright Distinguished Scholar. He is a graduate of Lead-
ership Cleveland Class of 2000 and a recipient of the Organiza-
tional Behavior Teaching Society’s Outstanding Educator award.
He currently consults with a variety of business, government, and
educational organizations in North America, South America, Asia,
Europe, and Africa.
He is married to the former Melinda Cummings and has seven
children.

Robert E. Quinn holds the Margaret Elliot Tracey Collegiate Pro-

fessorship at the University of Michigan and serves on the organi-
zation and management faculty at the University of Michigan
Business School. He is one of the cofounders of the Center for Pos-
itive Organizational Scholarship. Quinn’s research and teaching in-
terests focus on organizational change and effectiveness. He has
published fourteen books on these subjects.
He is particularly known for his work on the Competing Values
Framework, recognized as one of the forty most important models
in the history of business. Using his approach, researchers have gen-
erated numerous books and articles to clarify complex dynamics sur-
rounding topics in many disciplines. Practitioners across all sectors,
in many organizations, have used his work to transform both cul-
ture and practice. Furthermore, thousands of managers have trained
in his methods at the University of Michigan and through the use
of his textbooks. He has personally assisted numerous large organi-
zations in the process of change.
His B.S. and M.S. degrees were obtained from Brigham Young
University and his Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati. He and
Cameron.flast 10/11/05 1:46 PM Page xiv

xiv THE AUTHORS

his wife, Delsa, have six children, Shauri, Ryan, Shawn, Kristin,
Travis, and Garrett.
In recent years, Quinn has completed a trilogy of books on per-
sonal and organizational transformation: the best seller Deep
Change: Discovering the Leader Within (1996), Change the World:
How Ordinary People Can Accomplish Extraordinary Results (2000),
and Building the Bridge as You Walk on It: A Guide to Change (2004),
all published by Jossey-Bass. At the Center for Positive Organiza-
tional Scholarship, he is currently working on questions concern-
ing extraordinary performance.
Cameron.c01 10/11/05 1:43 PM Page 1

1
AN INTRODUCTION TO CHANGING
ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE

No organization in the twenty-first century would boast about its

constancy, sameness, or status quo compared to ten years ago. Sta-
bility is interpreted more often as stagnation than steadiness, and
organizations that are not in the business of change and transition
are generally viewed as recalcitrant. The frightening uncertainty
that traditionally accompanied major organizational change has
been superseded by the frightening uncertainty now associated with
staying the same.
The father of modern management, Peter Drucker, concluded
that “We are in one of those great historical periods that occur every
200 or 300 years when people don’t understand the world anymore,
and the past is not sufficient to explain the future” (quoted in Chil-
dress and Senn, 1995, p. 3) Unremitting, unpredictable, and some-
times alarming change makes it difficult for any organization or
manager to stay current, to accurately predict the future, and to
maintain constancy of direction. The failure rate of most planned
organizational change initiatives is dramatic. It is well known, for
example, that as many as three-quarters of reengineering, total qual-
ity management (TQM), strategic planning, and downsizing efforts
have failed entirely or have created problems serious enough that
the survival of the organization was threatened (Cameron, 1997).
What is most interesting about these failures, however, is the re-
ported reasons for their lack of success. Several studies reported that
the most frequently cited reason given for failure was a neglect of
the organization’s culture. In other words, failure to change the or-
ganization’s culture doomed the other kinds of organizational

1
Cameron.c01 10/11/05 1:43 PM Page 2

2 DIAGNOSING AND CHANGING ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE

changes that were initiated (Caldwell, 1994; CSC Index, 1994;

Gross, Pascale, and Athos, 1993; Kotter and Heskett, 1992).
Our purpose in this book is not to offer one more panacea for
coping with our turbulent times or to introduce another management
fad. We agree with Tom Peters that in the current high-velocity en-
vironment, “if you’re not confused, you’re not paying attention.”
Confusion abounds, as do prescriptions and proposed panaceas. In-
stead, our intent in this book is both more modest and, we believe,
potentially more helpful. The book provides a framework, a sense-
making tool, a set of systematic steps, and a methodology for help-
ing managers and their organizations adapt to the demands of the
environment. It focuses less on the right answers than it does on the
methods and mechanisms available to help managers change the
most fundamental elements of their organizations. It provides a way
for managers almost anywhere in the hierarchy of an organization,
to guide the change process at the most basic level—the cultural
level. It provides a systematic strategy for internal or external change
agents to facilitate fundamental change that can then support and
supplement other kinds of change initiatives.

The Need to Manage Organizational Culture

Most of the scholarly literature argues that successful companies—
those with sustained profitability and above-normal financial
returns—are characterized by certain well-defined conditions (orig-
inally identified by Porter, 1980). Six such conditions are believed
to be crucial. The first is the presence of high barriers to entry.
When other organizations face difficult obstacles to engaging in the
same business as your organization—for example, high costs, special
technology, or proprietary knowledge—few, if any, competitors will
exist. Fewer competitors means more revenues for your firm. A second
condition is nonsubstitutable products. When other organizations
cannot duplicate your firm’s product or service and no alternatives
exist—for example, you are the sole supplier of a product or service—
it stands to reason that revenues are likely to be higher. Third, a
Cameron.c01 10/11/05 1:43 PM Page 3

AN INTRODUCTION TO CHANGING ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE 3

large market share enhances success by allowing your firm to capi-

talize on economies of scale and efficiencies. The biggest player in
a market can negotiate concessions, sell at a discount, vertically in-
tegrate, or even purchase smaller competitors, thereby generating
more revenues. A fourth condition is low levels of bargaining power
for buyers. For example, if purchasers of your firm’s products become
dependent on your company because they have no alternative
sources, higher revenues are an obvious result. Fifth, suppliers have
low levels of bargaining power. When suppliers, like customers, be-
come dependent on your company because they have no alterna-
tive, you will have higher levels of financial returns. They must sell
to you, making it possible for your firm to negotiate favorable prices
and time schedules, higher levels of quality, or more proprietary fea-
tures. The sixth and final condition is rivalry among competitors.
Rivalry helps deflect attention away from head-to-head competi-
tion with your company. Competitors struggle against one another
instead of targeting your firm as the central focus of attack. Equally
important, stiff competition is likely to raise the standards of per-
formance in the entire industry. Incentives to improve are a prod-
uct of rigorous competition (see Porter, 1980).
Unquestionably, these are desirable features that clearly should
enhance financial success. They seem pretty much common sense.
However, what is remarkable is that the most successful U.S. firms
in the past twenty years have had none of these competitive advan-
tages. The top five performers in the past two decades—those who
have literally blown away the competition in financial returns—
have not been the recipients of any of the so-called prerequisites for
success. These highly successful firms are Southwest Airlines
(21,775% return), Wal-Mart (19,807% return), Tyson Foods
(18,118% return), Circuit City (16,410% return), and Plenum Pub-
lishing (15,689% return) (Compustat Data Services, 2005).
Think of it. If you were going to start a business and wanted to
make a killing, the markets you will most likely avoid are airlines,
discount retailing, food distribution, consumer electronic sales, and
publishing. The list of industries represented by these five highly
Cameron.c01 10/11/05 1:43 PM Page 4

4 DIAGNOSING AND CHANGING ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE

successful firms looks like an impending disaster for new entrants—

massive competition, horrendous losses, widespread bankruptcy,
virtually no barriers to entry, little unique technology, and many
substitute products and services. None of these firms entered the in-
dustry with a leadership position in market share. Yet these five
firms have outperformed all rivals, even with no special competitive
advantages.
What differentiates these extraordinarily successful firms from
others? How have they been able to make it when others have
failed? How did Wal-Mart take on Sears and Kmart—the two
largest retailers in the world—and, figuratively speaking, eat their
lunch? While Wal-Mart prospered, its largest rivals were forced to
sell off divisions, replace CEOs (more than once), downsize dra-
matically, and close stores wholesale. How did Southwest Airlines
thrive when several of its competitors went belly-up (remember
Eastern, Pan Am, Texas Air, PeopleExpress)? How did Circuit City,
Tyson Foods, and Plenum Publishing succeed when their competi-
tors have gone out of business so rapidly that it’s hard to keep up?
The key ingredient in each case is something less tangible, less bla-
tant, but more powerful than the market factors listed earlier. The
major distinguishing feature in these companies, their most impor-
tant competitive advantage, the most powerful factor they all high-
light as a key ingredient in their success, is their organizational
culture.
The sustained success of these firms has had less to do with
market forces than with company values, less to do with competi-
tive positioning than with personal beliefs, and less to do with re-
source advantages than with vision. In fact, it is difficult to name
even a single highly successful company, one that is a recognized
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tifiable organizational culture. Name the most successful firms you
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firm you can name, small or large, has developed a distinctive cul-
Exploring the Variety of Random
Documents with Different Content
thousands of men were needed, and it was chiefly against himself
that the strike was ordered by the unions. He was on the brink of
great losses, and Aaron had been called in as a mediator and
arbitrator.

The strike at an end he was safe, but every day that it was
prolonged meant so many hundreds of pounds out of his pocket. His
fate seemed to hang upon the final advice to the men which Aaron
was to give, and his profits would be large or small according to the
nature of that advice.

He laid the credit of the strike at Aaron's door, for in their

enterprises he and Aaron employed different methods. Aaron had
pursued in England the course he had pursued in France.

He paid his men liberally, gave them bonuses, even to a certain

extent acknowledged them as co-operators. In Mr. Poynter's eyes
this was a crime, for it struck at the very root of his prosperity. "He
is a socialist," Mr. Poynter said; "men of his stamp are a danger to
society."

Another reason was that tenders had lately been called for on
works of exceptional magnitude, and he had entertained hopes of
obtaining the contract. Again he was worsted by this insidious
enemy. Within the last few hours he had heard that Aaron's tender
had been accepted. He ground his teeth with rage. He could have
undertaken the works in spite of the strike, for he had nearly
completed arrangements for the introduction of foreign workmen,
whom he was determined to employ if the English workers held out.

There would be a row, of course, and the lower classes would

cast obloquy upon him, for which he would have to thank his rival
enemy. When he heard that he had lost the contract he said to a
friend: "I would give half I am worth to drag him down." And he
meant what he said, although he probably named a larger
percentage than he would be willing to pay.
 The last meeting of the strikers was now being held. It had been
called for seven o'clock, and it was known that the discussion would
occupy several hours. Aaron was not asked to attend this discussion,
which was to be private, even the representatives of the press not
being admitted.

Eleven o'clock was the hour at which he was expected, and it was
understood that he would bring with him certain propositions from
the masters, which, with the workmen's views, were to be
discussed, and a decision arrived at. To-morrow morning's papers
would announce whether the strike was to be continued or was at
an end.

He studied the papers before him: the arguments and statements

of employers of labor, comparisons of wages here and in foreign
countries, the comparative rates of living here and there, documents
of every description, among which were pathetic letters from wives
of the strikers, imploring him to put an end to the strike.

He had mastered them all, and was familiar with every detail, but
he wished to divert his attention for this night from his own private
affairs. His mind must be free; he would think of them to-morrow.
He had public duties to attend to. Before all, duty.

The words haunted him. He could think only of his beloved wife
and of Ruth. Very well. He had half an hour to spare before he left
his house for the Jewish meetings; he would devote the time to a
consideration of his private duty.

He gathered his papers, arranged them in order, and put them in

his pocket. He dallied with them at first, but feeling that he was
prolonging the simple task in order to shorten the time for serious
thought, he smiled pitifully at his weakness, and completed it
expeditiously.

In admitting Ruth into his household, in adopting her as a

daughter, he had undertaken a sacred responsibility. He was fully
conscious of this twenty years ago in Gosport, and what he had
done had been done deliberately.

It was a question then of the sacrifice of a precious life. The

doctor had set it clearly before him.

The pregnant words they had exchanged were in his memory

now, and might have been spoken only a few moments since.

"Her life," the doctor had said, "hangs upon the life of her child."

"If our child lives," Aaron had asked, "there is hope that my wife
will live?"

"A strong hope," the doctor had answered.

"And if our child dies?" asked Aaron.

The doctor answered: "The mother will die."

He recalled the agony of those hours, the sufferings through

which Rachel had passed with so much sweetness and patience, his
poverty
and helplessness, the dark future before him. Then came the ray of
light--Mr. Moss, with the strange commission of the deserted child.
He had not courted it, had not invited it, he had had no hand in it.
He had regarded it as a message from Heaven.

What followed?

The death of his own babe, the calm and peaceful death, the
young soul taken to heaven, his beloved wife in an untroubled sleep
by the side of her dead babe. It was a visitation of God. Again, could
he be accused of having had a hand in it? Heaven forbid!

On the contrary, who could blame him for believing that it was a
divine direction of the course he was to take? And who was
wronged? Surely not the mother who had deserted her babe. Surely
not the babe, who had found a happy home. The wrong--and herein
was the sting---was to Rachel, whose life had been saved by the
deceit. So far, then, was he not justified?

But if before the committal of a sin we could see the

consequences of the sin--if he had seen the consequences of his--
would he not have paused and said: "It rests with God. Let it be as
he wills. I will be no party to the deceit"? In that case Rachel's life
would have been sacrificed. There was no human doubt of it. Rachel
would have died, and the blessings she had shed around her, the
good she had been enabled to do, the suffering hearts she had
relieved, the light she had brought into despairing homes, would
never have been. Against a little evil so much good. Against a slight
error so much that was sweet and beautiful.

But in these reflections he had taken into account only Rachel and
himself--only their two lives. How about Ruth herself?

He had never disguised from himself that there was much in

Ruth's character which was not in accordance with Rachel's views or
his own, which she did not assimilate with either of their natures.
Being one of his family in the eyes of the world, he had brought her
up as a Jewess. She was born a Christian. Was this not a crime of
which she had been made the victim? He had experienced great
difficulties in her education. He wished to correct the defect which
exists in ninety-nine English Jewesses out of a hundred--he wished
her to pray in the Hebrew tongue, and to understand her prayers.

To this end he himself had endeavored to teach her to read and

translate Hebrew. She would not learn. Even now as a woman she
understood but a very few words, and this scanty knowledge was
mechanical. A parrot might have learned as much. She had an
aversion to Jewish society.
 As a child, when she was necessarily in leading strings, she was
taken by Rachel to the synagogue on every Sabbath day, but when
she began to have intelligent ideas she rebelled; she would not go,
and Rachel walked to the house of God alone.

It was a grief to her that Ruth would not follow in her footsteps,
and she and Aaron had frequently conversed upon the subject.

"It was so with many Jewish women," Aaron said. "It would be
wrong to force her; she will find out her error by and by."

But Ruth never did, and Rachel suffered in silence.

There was another sorrow. Between their son Joseph and Ruth
did not exist that love which brother and sister should bear each
other. Joseph was ready with demonstrative affection, but Ruth did
not respond. Aaron had taken note of this, but he was powerless to
remedy it, and the lad, who was as solicitous as his father to spare
the dear mother pain, made no trouble of it.

Ruth respected and admired her reputed father, and in the

feelings she entertained toward him there was an element of fear,
because of his strength of character, but she did not love him as a
child should. He, knowing what he knew, found excuses for her. "It
is in her blood," he said to himself.

All this was hidden from Rachel, to whom Ruth was tender and
kind. Who could be otherwise to so sweet a woman? But Rachel did
not know of what she was deprived until Rose Moss began to make
long visits to their home. "Rose is like a daughter to me," she said,
and only Aaron was aware of the depth of meaning these simple
words conveyed.

But now he had to consider the matter, not from his or Rachel's
point of view, but from Ruth's. She was a woman in her springtime,
and love had come to her, and she had held out her arms to it. And
the man she loved was a Christian.
 It was not within his right to take into consideration that the man
she loved was a spendthrift and a scapegrace. The question had
often intruded itself, since she was grown to womanhood, whether
he would not be adding sin to sin by encouraging her to marry a
Jew. She had answered the question herself. What right had he to
gainsay her? He might, as a true and sincere friend, say to her: "This
man will not make you happy. He has vices and defects which will
bring misery upon your home. You must not marry him." But he had
no right to say to her: "You must not marry this man, because he is
a Christian." It would be a detestable argument for one in his
position, and in hers, to advance.

Then Mr. Dillworthy might be wrong in his estimate of the young

man's character. The only objection Lord Storndale had to the union
was that Ruth was a Jewess. But she was not a Jewess, and it was
in his power to go to the young man's father and make the
disclosure to him. Lord Storndale's natural reply would be: "Let it be
clearly understood. You have done this lady a grievous wrong. You
are a wealthy man. Repair the wrong by making a suitable
settlement upon her. But it must be publicly done, and the injustice
of which you have been guilty must be publicly acknowledged." The
only answer he could make would be: "It is just. I will do as you
dictate."

What would be the effect as regarded himself? Among his

co-religionists he was held up as a pillar of the old Jewish faith. His
voice had been raised against apostasy; he had taken a decided
stand against the more liberal ideas of civilized life which prevailed
and were adopted by a large section of his race.

Even now he was pledged to deliver a public address against the

backsliding of the modern Jew, who was disposed to adapt his life to
the altered circumstances of the times. He had written his address,
and public attention had been drawn to the coming event. His
arguments were to himself convincing, and by them he hoped to
stem the tide.
 He had always been orthodox, and he hoped to prevail against
the wave of heterodoxy which was sweeping over modern Judaism.
He had stepped forward as a champion. In the light of the duty
which properly devolved upon him, how dare he, himself a
transgressor, presume to teach his brethren their religious duty? His
sound judgment of things which interested or affected him was due
to his common sense, which, he had been heard to say, was a rare
quality.

"You are always right," Mr. Moss once said to him. "How is it?"

"If I form a correct opinion," he replied, with a smile, "it is

because I exercise my common sense. I do not judge from my own
standpoint."

He did this now. He put himself in the place of other men. He

listened to his own confession. He passed the verdict upon himself.

"This man has been living the life of a hypocrite. He has accepted
money for false services. Not in words, but by his acts, he has lied.
He has violated the canons of his religion. He has deceived his
wife--for money, which he pretends to despise. He has robbed a
young girl of her birthright. And he dares to preach to us of duty!"

Who would believe if he told the true story of his hard trial--if he
described the bitter tribulation of his soul when his beloved wife was
lying at death's door? He had counseled many men in their days of
struggle and temptation to be brave and do their duty. How had he
performed his in his hour of temptation? No one would believe the
only story he could plead in extenuation of his sin. He would be
condemned by all.

And he was in the zenith of his fame. On this very day, when
exposure seemed to be approaching with swift and certain steps, he
had been honored as few men lived to be. If he felt pleasure in the
position he had won it was because it was a source of pride and
pleasure to Rachel. Was he, with his own hand, to destroy the ideal
he had created? Was this the plain duty that lay now before him?

"The carriage is at the door, sir."

It was a servant who interrupted his tortured musings. He had

given orders to be informed when his carriage was ready. With slow
steps he left his study.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

A CHEERFUL DOCTOR.

There was an apartment in Aaron Cohen's house which was called

the cozy room, where the family were in the habit of sitting when
they had no visitors, and it was here that their real domestic
happiness reigned. Here Aaron used to smoke his old silver-mounted
pipe, and chat with his wife, and indulge in his entertaining
pleasantries when he was in the humor, and here the feeling used to
steal over him that life would hold more joy for him and those dear
to him if they dwelt in a smaller house and his doings were less
under the public eye.

"I am convinced," he would say, "that those who are in the lower
middle class are the best off. They have fewer cares, they have more
time for domestic enjoyment, they can attend without hindrance to
their own affairs. There is no happiness in riches. Why do I continue
to wish to accumulate more money?"
 "Because," Rachel would answer affectionately, "It enables you to
contribute to the happiness of others. But I should be as contented
if we were poor."

On the occasion of Mr. Dillworthy's visit to Aaron a scene of a

different nature was being enacted in the cozy room. Rachel was
overpowered with languor, and she fell into a doze. The apartment
was large, but an arrangement of screens and the disposal of the
furniture made it look small; domestically speaking, there is no
comfort in any but a small room.

Rose during her present visit had noticed with concern that Mrs.
Cohen appeared weak, and that her movements, which were always
gentle, were more so than usual, and that her quiet ways seemed to
be the result of physical prostration. She spoke of it to Rachel, who
confessed that she had not felt strong lately, but cautioned Rose to
say nothing of it to Aaron.

"He is so easily alarmed about me," she said, "and he has great
anxieties upon him."

"But you should see the doctor," urged Rose solicitously.

"I will wait a day or two," answered Rachel, and again enjoined
Rose not to alarm her husband.

On the evening of this exciting day she looked so pale and

fatigued that she yielded to Rose's solicitations, and without Aaron's
knowledge sent for the physician who was in the habit of attending
her. While waiting for him she fell asleep in her armchair in the cozy
room. At her request Rose played softly some of Rachel's favorite
pieces. The piano was behind a screen at one end of the room, and
Rose did not know that she had fallen asleep. While thus employed
Prissy quietly entered the room. The faithful woman looked at her
mistress, and stepped noiselessly to the screen.

"Miss Rose," she whispered.

 The girl stopped playing immediately, and came from behind the
screen.

"Is it the doctor, Prissy?" she asked.

"No, miss."

Prissy pointed to her mistress, and Rose went to the armchair,

and adjusted a light shawl which was falling from the sleeping lady's
shoulder. It was a slight action, but it was done with so much
tenderness that Prissy smiled approvingly. She liked Rose much
better than Ruth, who did not hold in her affections the place the
other members of the family did. Humble as was her position in the
household, she had observed things of which she disapproved.

Ruth was from home more frequently than she considered proper,
and had often said to her: "You need not tell my mother that I have
gone out unless she asks you."

Prissy had not disobeyed her, and the consequence was that Ruth
was sometimes absent from the house for hours without her father
or mother being aware of it. Prissy's idea was that her young
mistress would bring trouble on the house, but she kept silence,
because she would otherwise have got into trouble herself with
Ruth, and would also have distressed her dear lady if she had made
mention of her suspicions, for which she could have offered no
reasonable explanation. Prissy's distress of mind was not lessened
because Ruth, when she enjoined secrecy upon her, gave her
money, as if to purchase her silence. She would have refused these
bribes, but Ruth forced them upon her, and she felt as if she were in
a conspiracy to destroy the peace of the family.

"I did not know she was asleep," said Rose, coming back to
Prissy.

"I'm sure you didn't, miss. She falls off, you know."
 "Yes, I know," said Rose with affectionate solicitude. "What do
you want, Prissy?"

"I've got a letter for you, miss."

"I didn't hear the postman."

"The postman didn't bring it, miss," said Prissy, giving her the
letter. "A boy. Said immejiet."

"It must be from--no." She was thinking of her lover as she

looked at the letter, but she saw it was not his hand. She recognized
the writing--it was Ruth's. "The envelope is not very clean, Prissy."

"So I told the boy when he brought it to the back door."

"The back door!" exclaimed Rose, rather bewildered.

"It's curious, isn't it, miss, that it wasn't sent by post?"

"Yes, it is. What did the boy say?"

"It's what I said first, miss. 'You've been and dropped it in the
gutter,' I said. But he only laughed and said it was give to him this
morning, and that he was to bring it to the servants' entrance and
ask for Prissy."

"But why didn't he deliver it this morning?" asked Rose, her

bewilderment growing.

"I don't know, miss. He's been playing in the streets all day, I
expect. Anyway he said I was to give it you when nobody was
looking. It's Miss Ruth's writing, miss."

Rose made no remark upon this, but asked: "Did he say who gave
it to him?"

"A young lady he said, miss."

 "That will do, Prissy."

"Can I do anything for you, miss?

"Nothing, thank you."

Prissy gone, Rose looked at the envelope, and saw written in one
corner, "Read this when you are alone." Troubled and perplexed, she
stood with the letter in her hand, but when the door was opened
again and the doctor was announced she put it hastily into her
pocket and went forward to meet him.

Dr. Roberts had attended Rachel for some years past, and took
the deepest interest in her.

"Sleeping," he said, stepping to her side. He turned to Rose, and

questioning her, learned why he had been sent for.

"She falls asleep," he said, with his fingers on Rachel's pulse. "Ah,
you are awake," as Rachel sat upright. "Now let us see what is the
matter. You are not in pain? No. That's good."

"It is only because Rose was so anxious," said Rachel. "There is

really nothing the matter with me, doctor."

"But you feel weak and drowsy at times. We will soon set that
right."

Dr. Roberts was one of those cheerful physicians whose bright

ways always brightened his patients. "Make the best of a case," was
a favorite saying of his, "not the worst."

He remained with Rachel a quarter of an hour, advised her to get

to bed, gave her instructions as to food, ordered her a tonic, and
took his leave. Rose went with him into the passage.

"There is no danger, doctor?"

 "Not the slightest, my dear," he answered in a fatherly manner.
"But I would advise perfect rest. Don't tell her anything exciting. She
must not be worried. Get a humorous story, and read it to her. Make
her laugh. Let everything be bright and cheerful about her. But I
need not say that. It always is, eh? If you have any troubles keep
them to yourself. But what troubles should a young girl like you
have?"

He met Aaron at the street door.

"Ah, Mr. Cohen, I have been to see your wife--in a friendly way."

"She is not ill?" asked Aaron in an anxious tone, stepping back.

"No--a little weak, that is all. Don't go up to see her; I have just
left her, and she will think there is something the matter, when
there's nothing that cannot be set right in a few days. She wants
tone, that is all, and rest, and perfect freedom from excitement.
That is essential. Such a day as this, flattering and pleasant as it
must have been, is not good for her. Keep her mind at rest, let her
hear nothing to disturb her, speak of none but cheerful subjects to
her, and she will be herself again in a week. Follow my advice, and
there is not the least cause for anxiety."

CHAPTER XXXIV.

RUTH'S SECRET.
 Dr. Roberts' hearty and confident tone carried conviction with it.
Aaron's anxiety was dispelled; easier in his mind respecting Rachel's
health, he felt like a man reprieved. A few days were still left for
reflection, and he went forth to his public duties with a sense of
great relief.

Rose, meanwhile, was busy for some time attending to Rachel,

who wished the young girl to remain with her till she was asleep.
With Ruth's letter in her pocket, which had been delivered almost
clandestinely at the house, and which she was enjoined to read
when she was alone, she was compelled to bridle her impatience.
She did not dare to speak of it to Rachel, and the course the
conversation took in the bedroom did not tend to compose her.
Rachel spoke only of family matters--of her husband and her
children--in which category she included Rose. Presently the
conversation drifted entirely to the subject of Ruth.

"Young girls," said Rachel, "confide in each other. There is a true

affection between you, is there not, my dear?"

"Yes," replied Rose, wondering what was coming, and dreading it.

"It happens sometimes," continued Rachel, with a sigh, "that

parents do not entirely win their children's confidence. Joseph has
not a secret from me. He is happy. Do you think Ruth is quite happy,
my dear?"

"I think so," said Rose.

"I am not asking you to break a confidence she may have reposed
in you."

Rose could not refrain from interrupting her.

"But, dear mother, I know nothing."

 As she uttered the words a guilty feeling stole over her. What did
the letter in her pocket contain?

Rachel drew the girl's face to hers, and caressed her.

"Now it is you," she said, "who are speaking as if you are in

trouble. I am very inconsiderate, but love has its pains as well as its
joys. You have no trouble, Rose?"

"None, dear mother. I am perfectly happy."

"See how mistaken I am; and I hope I am mistaken also about

Ruth. I feared that she had a secret which she was concealing from
me. Blind people are suspicious, Rose, and breed trouble for
themselves and others."

"Not you, dear mother," said Rose, kissing her. "Now you must go
to sleep. This is quite against the doctor's orders."

Rachel smiled and yielded; she took pleasure in being led by

those she loved.

In the solitude of her chamber Rose read the letter:

"Darling Rose: I am in great trouble, and you must help me.

You are the only friend I have in the world--but no, I must not say
that; it is not true. What I mean is, you are the only friend at home I
can trust.

"Father and mother, and you, too, think I am in Portsmouth with

your family. Dear Rose, I am in London--I have been in London all
the week. The happiness of my life is in your hands--remember that.

"I went down to Portsmouth, but I only stayed two days. I told
your father I had to pay a visit to other friends, and he believed me.
And now I hear he is in London and, of course, will come to the
house. He is the only person you must tell; you must beg him not to
say a word about my going from Portsmouth; you must make him
promise; you don't know what depends upon it. Speak to him
quietly, and say he must not betray me; he will do anything for you.

"Dear, darling Rose, I have a secret that I cannot disclose yet. I

will soon, perhaps to-morrow, perhaps in a week--I cannot fix a
time, because it does not depend upon me. But remember my
happiness is in your hands. Your loving

"Ruth."

The young girl was bewildered and distressed by this

communication. They had all believed that Ruth was on a visit to
Rose's family, and Rose had received letters from her with the
Portsmouth postmark on them. It was true that Ruth had asked her,
as a particular favor, not to reply to the letters, and though Rose
considered it a strange request, she had complied with it. Ruth's
stronger will always prevailed with her. But what did it all mean? If
Ruth had been in London a week where was she stopping? Rose's
character could hardly as yet be said to be formed; it was sweet, but
it lacked decision, and she looked helplessly round as if for guidance.
She was glad when Prissy knocked at her door and said that her
father was downstairs. Part of the responsibility seemed to be
already lifted from her shoulders.

"Prissy," she said before she went down, "you haven't spoken to
anyone about the letter?"

"No, miss."

"Don't say anything about it, please. Mrs. Cohen is not well, and
the doctor is very particular that she shall not be bothered or
worried.

"I won't say anything, miss."

She shook her head gravely as Rose tripped downstairs and

muttered:

"Trouble's coming--or my name aint what it is."

"I am so glad you are here, father," said Rose; "I have something
to tell you."

"I have something to tell you, Rose," said Mr. Moss. "Such an odd
impression! Of course I must be mistaken. But first I want to know
how Mrs. Cohen is. I thought she was not looking strong to-day."

Rose told him of the doctor's visit and the instructions he had
given, and then handed him Ruth's letter, which he read in pain and
surprise.

"I don't like the look of it, Rose," he said. "I hate mystery, and I
cannot decide immediately whether it ought to be kept from Mr.
Cohen."

"Oh, father!" cried Rose. "Ruth will never forgive me if I betray

her."

"I don't think it is the question of a betrayal," said Mr. Moss. "She
tells you to speak to me, and you have done so. I take the blame on
myself, whatever happens. My dear, you are not old enough to
understand such matters, and you must leave this to me. Give me
the letter, my dear; it will be better in my keeping than in yours. Just
consider, Rose; would you have behaved so?"

"No, father; I could not."

 "There is the answer. The odd impression I spoke of was that I
saw Ruth to-night in a hansom cab. I thought I was mistaken, but
now I am convinced it was she. If I had known what I know now I
should have followed her. As for Ruth never forgiving you, what will
Mr. Cohen's feelings be toward you when he discovers that you have
acted in such a treacherous manner? Ruth is very little older than
yourself and, I am afraid, cannot discriminate between right and
wrong; she must not be allowed to drag us into a conspiracy against
the peace of the family."

Rose was dismayed; she had not looked upon it in that light.

"Was Ruth alone?" she asked in a faltering voice.

"No, she had a gentleman with her. It is a bad business--a bad

business. I intended to return to Portsmouth to-morrow, but now I
shall remain till the matter is cleared up."

"Shall you do anything to-night, father?"

"No. I shall do nothing till the morning. I must have time to

consider how to act. Mr. Cohen will not be home till past midnight,
and he will be jaded with the fatigues of the day. To think that it
should turn out so. Good-night, my dear child. Get to bed and try to
sleep. It may, after all, turn out better than I expect."

But there was very little sleep for Rose this night, and very little,
also, for Mr. Moss or Aaron Cohen. The cloud that was gathering was
too ominous for repose.

CHAPTER XXXV.
 THE HONORABLE PERCY STORNDALE MAKES AN APPEAL.

It was not the only cloud that threatened Aaron's fortunes and
happiness. Others were ready to burst, and in the gathering storm
he saw, not too clearly, perhaps, the peril in which he stood. His fair
reputation was in danger, the honorable edifice he had built for
himself was tottering, the wealth he had amassed was jeopardized
by circumstances over which he had no control. In the course of a
few days all these things were to happen, and although on the day
following that on which so great an honor had been paid to him he
did not realize that ruin stared him in the face, he was sufficiently
conscious that more than one sword was hanging over his head. But
mere worldly misfortune was a trifle in comparison with the stings of
his conscience and with a sting as bitter which he learned from the
lips of Dr. Roberts. The physician had not been quite ingenuous in
his report of Rachel's condition; his ripe experience scented a crisis
which might or might not occur. It did not depend upon him, but
upon the patient, and a few hours would decide the extent of the
danger. It was this that caused him to call early at the house to see
Rachel, and after he had been with her for a quarter of an hour he
had a private conversation with Aaron.

"There is no absolute danger," he said, "but I shall be better

satisfied if you will send her at once to the seaside. She will be
better out of London. I saw on the table a number of letters--
begging letters, I was informed--which Miss Rose had been reading
to her. She must be free from the emotions created by these appeals
and from anything of an agitating nature. Perfect repose and rest--
that is what she requires, with brighter sunshine and balmier air. I
should recommend Bournemouth, and if you wish I'll run down and
see her there. Meanwhile I will give you the name of a physician
who will understand her case as well as I do. Let Miss Rose go with
her; your wife is fond of her, and she is a cheerful companion,
though she seems to be rather depressed this morning. I have been
lecturing the young lady, and she tells me she has had a bad night.
It will do them both good."

"I cannot accompany her to-day," said Aaron, "I have so many
important matters to attend to. We will go down to-morrow."

"Send her to-day," urged the physician, "and you can follow on
to-morrow, or later. It is good weather for traveling; in a few hours it
may change. To-day, by all means. We doctors are autocrats, you
know, and will not listen to argument. To-day."

Had the business he had to attend to been of less importance

Aaron would have put it aside, and traveled with his wife to the
seaside, but it was business which imperatively demanded his
present attention, and he had no alternative but to send her with
Rose and the
ever-faithful Prissy, in whom he had every confidence. He
accompanied them as far as the railway station, and held Rachel's
hand in his as they drove to Waterloo. It was not only that they were
still lovers, but that he felt the need of the moral support which he
derived from the tender handclasp.

"Do not be anxious about me, dear," said Rachel, "and do not
come down till Friday. Then you can stop till Monday morning, and
perhaps Joseph will be home by then, and he can come with you. He
will not be able to keep away from Rose, and he has but a short
time to remain in England. There is really nothing the matter with
me except a little weakness which I shall soon overcome. If Ruth is
happy in Portsmouth let her remain there if she wishes. We are
growing old, love, you and I, and we must not tie our children too
closely to our sides. They will fly away as the young birds do, and
make nests of their own. May their homes be as happy as ours has
been--may their lives be as happy as you have made mine."

In such-like tender converse the minutes flew by, and as the train
steamed out of the station Rachel's face, with a bright smile upon it,
was turned toward her husband.

On the road home Aaron telegraphed to Ruth in Portsmouth,

addressing his telegram to Mr. Moss' house; he desired her to return
to London to-day or to-morrow. He felt that he must speak to her
with as little delay as possible respecting the disclosure which Mr.
Dillworthy had made to him; it would be playing the coward's part
indeed if he did not immediately ascertain the nature of her feelings
for the Honorable Percy Storndale. Thus far the first step of his duty;
what steps were to follow he had not yet determined upon.

Arriving at his house, he found Mr. Moss waiting to see him. Rose
had left a letter for her father acquainting him with their departure
for the seaside, and giving him their address in Bournemouth, which
she was enabled to do, because Aaron had made arrangements by
telegraph for their reception in a Jewish house there. After a few
words of explanation of the cause of Rachel and Rose leaving so
suddenly, Aaron informed his friend that he had telegraphed to Ruth
to come home at once.

Mr. Moss started.

"You sent the telegram to my house?" he said.

"Certainly. I am sorry to break her visit, which she must have

enjoyed, but there is a necessity for it. As my oldest friend you
should not be kept in ignorance of this necessity, and will agree that
it is not to be spoken of outside ourselves without my consent."

Thereupon he related the part of his interview with Mr. Dillworthy

that affected Ruth and the son of Lord Storndale.

"There is another matter," he said, "of great importance which

was mentioned during the interview, and which we may speak of
presently. You now know my reason for sending to Ruth to come
home. I must learn the truth from her own lips."
 "Strangely enough," said Mr. Moss rather nervously, "I have come
to say something about Ruth myself."

"Surely not in connection with this matter?" exclaimed Aaron.

"You must be the judge of that, Cohen. Did you notice whether
Rose was looking well?"

"She looked tired. Dr. Roberts said she had passed a bad night,
and that the change would do her good."

"A bad night! No wonder, poor child. I scarcely slept an hour with
what is on my mind. You will be surprised at what I have to tell you.
But first--Rose said nothing about Ruth?"

"Nothing whatever."

"You must not blame her; she acted by my directions, and her lips
are sealed."

"Why should I blame her? She is a dear, good child; I have

implicit faith and confidence in her. You alarm me, Mr. Moss. Speak
plainly, I beg of you."

"Yes, I will do so; but I would have liked to break it gradually.

Cohen, Ruth is not in Portsmouth."

"Not in Portsmouth! Where, then?"

"If what she writes and my eyes are to be believed she is in

London, and has been here all the week. She remained with us two
days, and then left, saying she was going to pay a visit to some
other friends. We naturally thought, though we expected her to
make a longer stay, that you were aware of it, and that the plan of
her visit had been altered with your concurrence. Last night as I
passed through Regent Street I saw a lady in a hansom in the
company of a gentleman, and I could have sworn it was Ruth; but
the cab was driving at a quick pace, and I thought I must have been
mistaken. I came on here to Rose, and the poor child was in deep
distress. She had received, a letter from Ruth, which she gave me to
read. I do not offer any excuse for taking the letter from her; she is
but a child, and is quite unfit for a responsibility which, without her
consent, was imposed upon her. Here is the letter. It explains itself."

Aaron read it in silence, and with conflicting feelings.

His first thought was that Ruth had taken her fate into her own
hands.

He had done his duty jealously by her in the past whatever might
be his duty in the present. If, as was his fervent hope, no dishonor
to her was involved in her flight--for it was no less than flight and
desertion of the home in which she had been reared--if there had
been a secret marriage, new contingencies of the future loomed
dimly before him, contingencies in which the stern task it was his
duty to perform was not so terrible in its import.

The past could never be condoned, but in his consideration of the

future one figure towered above all others, the figure of his wife. If
for her the suffering could be made less--if the fact of Ruth taking
her course without his prompting, even in defiance of the lessons he
had endeavored to inculcate, would mitigate the severity of her
blow, was it not something to be grateful for?

If, he argued mentally, she and the son of Lord Storndale were
married they had little to hope for from the Storndale family.

Their dependence, then, rested upon him, and he resolved that

he would not fail the rash couple. His hope of an honorable, though
secret, marriage was based upon his knowledge of Ruth's character.
She was not given to exaggerated sentiment, he had never known
her go into heroics, she possessed certain sterling qualities of
strength and determination. Granted that she was led away by the
glamour of wedding the son of a peer, he was convinced she would
not so far forget herself as to bring shame upon herself and her
connections. She was a Christian born, and she had the right to
marry a Christian; by her own unprompted act she had cut the
Gordian knot. That the Honorable Percy Storndale had a double
motive in pursuing her was likely enough, love, Aaron hoped, being
one, the fact of her reputed father being a wealthy man the other.
Well, he would fulfill the young man's expectations; there was
nothing in the shape of worldly atonement which he was not ready
and anxious to make.

In the midst of his musings a servant presented himself with a

telegram and a card. The card bore the name of The Hon. Percy
Storndale, the telegram was from Mrs. Moss, in Portsmouth.

"Wait outside," Aaron said to the servant, who left the room.

The telegram was to the effect that Ruth was not in Portsmouth,
and that Mrs. Moss, in her absence, had taken the liberty of reading
the message, under the idea that it might contain something which
required an immediate answer. "Is Ruth coming to us again?" Mrs.
Moss asked.

Aaron passed the telegram and the card to Mr. Moss.

"Keep in the house," he said, "while I have an interview with this

gentleman. Wait in the library, and tell the servant to show Mr.
Storndale into this room."

In a few moments the young man was ushered in, and Aaron
motioned him to a seat.

It is a human failing to run into extremes. No man is quite so

good or bad as he is represented to be by his admirers and
detractors. In his anxiety to prejudice Aaron against Lord Storndale's
son Mr. Dillworthy had done the young man an injustice. A
scapegrace he was, without doubt, but he had been reared into his
vices and extravagancies--it may be said with truth carefully reared--
and he was certainly no worse than hundreds of other men who are
brought up with no definite aim in life, and educated without any
sensible and serious effort being made to impress them with life's
responsibilities. He had, indeed, the advantage of many, for although
he considered it perfectly excusable to get into debt with tradesmen,
and to borrow from money lenders without any expectation of being
able to pay either one or the other, he would not have descended so
low as to pick a pocket or cheat at cards. More of the pigeon than
the gull, he looked always to his family to get him out of his scrapes;
he believed it to be their duty; and it was upon him, not upon them,
that injustice was inflicted when he was thrown entirely upon his
own resources, and when he was given to understand that for the
future he would have to settle his own liabilities.

He was fair-haired and blue-eyed, and passably good-looking;

beyond this there was nothing remarkable in his appearance; but
there was that air of good humor and careless ease about him which
generally wins favor with women who do not look beneath the
surface.

Just now he was manifestly ill at ease, for he had never before
been engaged upon a mission so awkward and embarrassing.

That he was impressed by Aaron's dignified manner was evident;

he had expected to meet a man of a different stamp.

Each waited for the other to speak, and Aaron was not the first to
break the silence.

"I have taken the liberty of visiting you upon a rather delicate
matter," said the young gentleman, "and it is more difficult than I
anticipated."

"Yes?" said Aaron, and said no more.

The monosyllable was uttered in the form of a half question, and

did not lessen the difficulties in the young man's way.
 "Yes," he replied, and was at a loss how to continue; but again
Aaron did not assist him.

"Upon my honor," he said at length, "I would not undertake to say

whether I would rather be in this room than out of it, or out of it
than in it."

He gave a weak laugh here, with a half idea that he had said
something rather clever, but still he met with no encouragement
from Aaron.

"It is so difficult, you see," he added. "I do not suppose you know
me."

"No," said Aaron. "I do not know you."

"I thought it possible that your daughter, Miss Cohen, you know,
might have mentioned me to you."

"She has never done so."

"It was my fault entirely. I said, on no account; and naturally she

gave in."

"Did she wish to mention you to me?"

"Oh, yes, but I insisted. I don't exactly know why, but I did, and
she gave in. I dare say I was a blockhead, but I hope you will find
excuses for me."

"At present I can find none. We shall understand each other if you
come to the point."

"I will try to do so, but it is not easy, I assure you, Mr. Cohen,
after the way I have behaved. Upon second thoughts I do not see,
upon my honor, I do not see how you can be expected to find
excuses for me. But it does happen sometimes that a fellow meets
another fellow who helps a lame dog over the stile. I am the lame
dog, you know."

"It may assist you," said Aaron, "If I ask you one question, and if
you frankly answer it. Are you a married man?"

"Upon my soul, sir," exclaimed the Honorable Percy Storndale, "I

cannot be sufficiently thankful to you. Yes, sir, I am a married man."

"Long married?"

"Four days, Mr. Cohen."

"Can you show me proof of it?"

"I thank you again, sir. But it wasn't my idea; it was my wife's.
'Take the marriage certificate with you,' she said. She has wonderful
ideas."

"Let me see the certificate."

The young man instantly produced it, and Aaron, with a deep-
drawn breath of relief, saw recorded there the marriage of Miss Ruth
Cohen and the Honorable Percy Storndale.

"You married my--my daughter, I see," said Aaron, "in a registrar's

office."

"I don't know how to apologize to you, sir," said the young man,
as relieved by Aaron's calm attitude as Aaron was himself at this
proof of an honorable union. "I can't conceive anything meaner, but
what could I do? Ruth--Miss Cohen, you know--being a Jewess,
could not well have been married in a church, and I, being a
Christian, could not well have been married in a synagogue. It was a
very delicate point; I am not acquainted with the law on the subject,
but no fellow can deny that it was a delicate point. Then there was
another difficulty. Bridesmaids, bridesmaids' presents, and general
expenses, to say nothing of the publicity, when the parties principally
concerned wanted to get it over quietly and quickly. Ruth said you
would never consent; I said my family would never consent; so what
else was there for it? Pray forgive me if I am expressing myself
clumsily."

"Your family did not encourage the match?"

"Dead against it; from the first dead against it. Bullied and
threatened me. 'What!' they cried. 'Marry a Jewess!' 'As good as any
Christian,' I retorted. But did you ever know a Storndale listen to
reason, Mr. Cohen?"

"You are a Storndale," said Aaron quietly.

"Had me there," chuckled the young man. "Gad, sir, you had me
there. Well, sir, that is how it stands, and if you show me the door
I'll not say I don't deserve it."

"I will not show you the door, but it is not correct to say that is
how it stands, as if there were nothing more to explain. Mr.
Storndale, if the lady you have married were a Christian would your
family have objected?" The young man laughed in a weak, awkward
way. "Answer me frankly this and other questions it is my duty to
put."

"My family would not have objected," said the Honorable Percy
Storndale, "if there had been settlements. You see, sir, we are not
exactly rolling in money, and I am a younger son. No expectations,
sir. A poor gentleman."

"An imprudent marriage, Mr. Storndale."

"No denying it, sir; and it has only come home to me the last day
or two. Marriage in such circumstances pulls a fellow up, you see;
makes him reflect, you know. My wife's an angel, and that makes it
cut deeper. A married fellow thinks of things. As a bachelor I never
thought of to-morrow. I give you my word on it. To-morrow! Hang
to-morrow! That was the way of it. I've only just woke up to the fact
that there is a to-morrow."

"Was it a love match, Mr. Storndale?"

"On both sides, sir. Without vanity--and I don't deny I've got my
share of that--I may speak for her as well as for myself."

"From the first a love match, Mr. Storndale? Did it never occur to
you that I was a rich man?"

"You drive me hard, sir, but I'm not going to play fast and loose
with you. 'Be prepared, Percy,' Ruth says to me. 'My father is a wise,
as well as a just and kind, man, and I don't know whether he will
ever forgive me; but you will make a sad mistake if you don't speak
the honest truth to him.' The truth it shall be, as I am a gentleman.
I did think of Ruth's father being a rich man, and seeing us through
it. But after a little while I got so over head and heels in love that I
thought only of her. I give you my word, sir, I never had the feelings
for any woman that I have for Ruth, and that, I think, is why I'm
rather scared when I think of to-morrow. If I hadn't been afraid of
losing her I might have come straight to you, but I didn't care to run
the risk. What would you do, sir, for a woman you loved?"

"Everything, anything."

"You would stake everything against nothing, with a certainty of

losing, rather than give her up?"

"I would make any earthly sacrifice for her."

"Well, sir, then you know how I feel. I don't set myself up as a
good man; I've done many foolish things, and I dare say shall do
more foolish things, but not half nor quarter as many with a clever
woman by my side to keep me straight. What some of us want, sir,
is ballast; I never had it till now, and even now perhaps it's of no
use to me. Until a week ago I had to think for one; now I have to
think for two. But thinking won't help me through, I'm afraid."

Never before had the Honorable Percy Storndale expressed

himself in so manly a fashion; it was as though contact with Aaron
were bringing out his best qualities.

"Was it your intention, Mr. Storndale, to come to me so soon after

your marriage?"

"I had no settled intention when to come, sir, but I have been
forced to it sooner than I expected."

"What has forced you to it?"

"Writs. When needs must, you know, sir."

"Are you heavily in debt?"

"To the tune of three thousand, sir."

"When a question of this kind is asked the answer is generally

below the mark."

"True enough, sir, but I am pretty close to it this time. Ruth's an

angel, but she's a sensible woman as well. She made me put
everything down."

"If I settle the claims against you "--the young man looked up
with a flush in his face--"you will get into debt again."

"I'll try not to, sir."

"Honestly, Mr. Storndale."

"Honestly, Mr. Cohen. Ruth will keep me straight."

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