in a timid voice but clasping her arms more closely round his neck there is just one thing i want to say to you before i go well what is it f do you ever read your bible now not very often do you ever pray never and don t you think it is a fearful thing in this great city to live among so much wickedness and so minister s much temptation without ever asking our heavenly father to keep you safe it is but i feel more afraid to pray than i am to live without it � perhaps you have some darling sin you do not wish to give up and therefore you can not ask a blessing on what you wish or what you do i am afraid i am all sin and folly and wretchedness are you really unhappy said his sister and with her hands clasped together and pressed gently upon his head she lifted up her eyes and her voice and poured forth such a prayer as well might have awakened a response from a heart more hardened than his own ai ter this her spirit appeared more calm more subdued to the trials of her lot and pressing upon his brow a farewell kiss as gently as if it had been upon the cheek of a sleeping she passed almost silently away from his apartment and traced back her melancholy steps along the public street i tbe s f chapter v of all the days in the week which had looked forward to as holding out the most precious promise of intercourse with her brother the sabbath was that upon which she most fondly it was also that in which she felt most in need of friendly companionship for on that day of the week alone she was not only allowed but ex to absent herself from the family in whose social hours she was a welcome only so long as she contributed by her industry to make those hours more easy and to the present of her time and talents on the sabbath day then generally made as long a journey as she could to some place of worship distant from the city in order to use up her spare time and also to walk off a little of the weariness which her occupations occasioned it was however a lonely sort of heartless task to pass along so many streets among so many strangers in all which belonged to her and acquainted with her very existence except as aa of the moving mass before them it was many weeks after the interview described between and her brother when she forth one morning to spend this kind of solitary day though she had been on this occasion invited to dine with a friendly woman whose grade in society was such as to render her not above showing hospitality to a s though a good woman had few thoughts in common with her and though kind to one whom she looked upon as a poor young woman felt no great alacrity the s in joining her family circle she therefore her way and stopping upon one of the bridges amused herself with a party of pleasure bet sail in a painted boat while she repeated most audibly the following of a scotch ballad � there s place like our ain oh i wish that i was there � there s like our ain to be met wi � and oh that i were back again to our farm and fields so green and heard the o my ain folk and was what i been the whole of these verses though describing the situation of an imaginary character possessed an extraordinary charm to the mind of for there is a mysterious consolation in thinking that other in have even pictured to themselves the rows from which we are suffering and as bent over the of the bridge to hide her face from the by her tears fell thick and fast into the heedless stream which hurried on its way below the sound of music from the pleasure boat which had at first attracted her attention now disturbed the of and awakened to the necessity of passing on she still her head toward the merry party willing to have it supposed by any who observed her and strange attitude that she was only amusing herself with the amusement of others the look which had at first been one of pretended interest became however as real as it seemed for the eye of ever quick and true to early impressions suddenly caught the tall figure of her brother in the boat while she could discover firom his countenance that he was laughing and looking as happy as the rest poor said more sorry for her brother s present mirth than she had been for his sadness on the preceding day poor is i thb s this then the way in which you can laugh off all your anxiety and all your thought too if her brother s debts were so pressing it was a pity he should be spending his money on amusements of this kind out the hour which then struck from the churches reminded her that she had lingered au ready too long and she endeavored through the remainder of the day to for her momentary neglect by her thoughts in a more than usual manner and fixing them upon the solemn services of the sabbath it was at rather a late hour that evening when her steps to the city nor had she thought so much of her brother s present situation as of his character and conduct in general when on reaching the bridge again whence she had seen the gay party setting out on their excursion the whole scene rushed back upon her mind and she involuntarily stopped if not to see to think and conjecture what be the circumstances attending 