How pitiful the vain effort of Blair's people to hide their horror! Presently mother and sister and women relatives fell aside to let the soldier boy meet his father.

This was something that rang the bells in Lane's heart.

Men were different, and Blair faced his father differently.

The wild boy had come home--the scapegoat of many Middleville escapades had returned--the ne'er-do-well sought his father's house.

He had come home to die.