Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1858-08-13

mans character as if the experience OF
ages had settled it. And though he may
seem for time, to have confidence in me,
yet, when malice shall again assail me with
specious arguments of blended truth and
falsehood, he will repent his hasty decis-
ion in my favor, and final separation will
be the consequence"
"No, no, Helen You do him injus-
tice--indeed you do. He is neither fickle
nor suspicious, and strong indeed must be
the proof that can make him doubt you
again" :"
II know that you are anxious, Ann, to
bring about union between your brother
and myself, and am truly grateful for the
partiality that prompts the wish; but in
dulge no such idle hope--your wish will
never be gratifed. So fully am 1 satisfied
that my prediction will be verified, that,
even now, l am striving to withdraw my
heart from his keeping"
"You are mistaken in your conjectures,
Helen, and let me entreat you not to act so
as to force your prediction to come to pass.
Let matters work their own way, and do
not endeavor to harden your heart against
my brother who loves you with such en-
tire devotion. Mutual distrust will some
times end in mutual dislike, when mutual
confidence would have engendered mutual
love"
"I shall endeavor to do your brother
justice in the fullest sense of the term -
Helen replied; "but remember, dear Ann,
that owe as much to myself as to him.
And as truly as love and honor him, do
you think have so little self-respect as to
suffer myself to be the passive victim of
his caprice? One moment, his equal, the
next, an object of contempt? No, never
l must be all to him, or will be nothing
and until am satisfied that he looks upon
me as worthy of his entire confidence, l
wilknever consent to look upon him as 9th
er than an acquaintance"
"Have you not already received ample
proof that he does possess this confidence
Has he not, this evening, asked and re-
ceived your forgiveness for his miseon-
struction of you?"
eyes, Ann, that is ell true; but re-
quire him to show his sincerity not in
words only, but in deeds"
"How in deeds?" Asked Ann, with ev-
ident surprise. b.,
81 will tell you, Ann, and feel sure that
you will agree with me. To the first place
when he made an offer of his hand, soon
after our arrival here, addressed letter
to him, explaining as fully as could, all
the circumstances of my past history con-
nected with the charges he had heard pre-.
fered against me, and l surely had right
to expect that he would take some notice
of that communication But he not only
did not reply to it, but has never even al
luded to it. In the next place, when he
received the anonymous letter, of which
you told me, he should have brought it tc
me, and asked an explanation of its con,
tents. Instead of this, he took them foi
granted and acted accordingly. This il
what mean by showing his sincerity in
deeds"
GAS it regards the first point, Helen,
did not know that you had ever written tc
him, for he never mentioned it, but, on the
contrary, told me that he had never seer
your handwriting, which proves conclu
sively, that your letter never reached him
And as to the next point, he could no
bring, or send the letter to you, because
it was offered for his perusal on condition
that he would return it forthwith; anC
having, very properly, declined to read i
on those conditions, it never came into hi
possession. So, after all, l hope you vii
admit that he is not so culpable as yol
had supposed
at is not of that letter, Ann, that | an
speaking, though I think 1T was his duty
to have spoken of it to me. The one
alluded to, was addressed to him withou
signature or post-mark and if you know
nothing of it, you must admit that he ha
not been quite as communicative to you a
you had supposed. ."
81 don't remember" said Ann, will
some hesitation, "whether he told me o
that letter or not; but, depend upon it
there.is some mistake about it--some mys
tery which l will make it my business t.
unraveI So smooth your brow, and lie
us return to our friends who are, no doubt
impatient at our absence
] flT A.. III IL -