contracted for he called upon miss two or three times a week went to ride with her in the park accompanied her with her father and madame to the theatre and acted generally as an engaged young man should act except that his personal relations with her never passed beyond the cordiality to be found among very good friends he reached his wedding day without ever having offered to kiss her but there seemed nothing remarkable to him in that she was not the sort of woman one and miss giddy the spring entirely passed away and the watering place season was at its height was a favorite resort of the and for several years he had retained the same of rooms at the grand union this year was with him there part of the time though the new mansion on fifth avenue was visited by her nearly every week for one reason and another her days were in fact about equally divided between the two places as of she did exactly as she pleased when she her maid and were always with her and she also had to some extent the services of a new of the family a young man who bought the tickets and saw that the carriage was ready and did the sort of things for her that the did for her father the name of this young man was strange was not yet by any means well her doctor said so and her appearance confirmed his opinion she was apt to grow faint in unexpected places and then it was convenient to have a strong youth at hand who could support her with his arm more than once carried her bodily up the front steps of her house when the arrival was at night for by daylight she would rather have endured the slow support of the than been seen in this she was a girl of tender heart unwilling that any one should suffer on her account time and again she said to or is stronger than you i think you had best let him help me and the young man was so gentle so careful so willing that they all agreed with her that it was best to let him bear the heavy loads it was a rather peculiar from the hiss marriage bench of a wood to this situation but in america these things happen frequently had noticed the youth at his work during the years when her father s house was being built and had grown to fancy him after the last nail was driven she spoke to mr about him they were talking in relation to her illness and the need of some person of the other sex to accompany and whenever she had offered to try to find a suitable young man and had said he would in the newspapers the announcement in such a way that would not know for whose service they were required it was then that seemed possessed with a sudden thought and mentioned the name of the carpenter mr said at first that he knew the young man very well but doubted his capacity for the position but when she brought to his mind th had displayed his politeness and above all his supreme quality of the ceased to object and said he would take pleasure in speaking to him the fact that miss had set her mind upon the youth was quite enough for him and his pretended hesitation was only to make her feel that she had convinced him unwillingly most people if you ever thought of it like to believe they have shown the best of an argument appeared as stolid as ever when the went to him with his offer how much was he to receive that was the first question he asked and it gave evidence of being the only one he cared to this being settled on a liberal basis there was no more to be said he had as assist in the care of a lady as anything else so long as he was well paid for it it would be a change and he could return to his trade at any time the only person who did not like the new of the carpenter was charles he had been rather intimate with the strange family father and son and had passed a good many evenings at their residence still in the flat where we first found them there is always something different in the position of a personal servant from that of a or clerk with all his liberal ideas charles could not help wishing his friend had not accepted a place which in his opinion lowered him he was as as ever after entered upon his new occupation but all intimacy ceased between them try as he might he could not feel toward the as he had toward the independent as for he did not mind this did he mind anything he attended to his new duties which were light enough took his wages and closed his mouth when miss had need of him he was always at her service when she had none he went his way or remained in his own room working on a piece of wood that he kept for practice his taste in carving was undoubtedly good and his liking for tools was the only pronounced trait he evinced it was not the idea of that his daughter s marriage should be postponed while he wanted to make the time agreeable to her he knew very well that there were many slips between the cup and the lip he learned through that mr s was due to a request of s and that while in no haste himself ob he was willing to leave the matter entirely to her as he had agreed seeing that the pressure must therefore be brought entirely upon his daughter he began as gently as 