Year: 1868

said: Yes, I ask if you will be my wife?
I am rich, but have no comfert--no hap
piness. My relatives seem to yearn to
see me in my grave. I have ailments
which require degree Of kindly care
that is not 70 be bought from servants
have heard your story, and believe you
to be one who will support prosperity as
we'll as you have adversely. | make my
proposal sincerely, and hopethat you will
agree to it. ,"


"At that time, Frederic,V continued
the lady, Il loved you; I had seen you
but once, but that once was too memora-
BILE for me ever to forget it, and something
always insinuated to me thatFe were des-
tined to pass through life together. At
the bottom of my soul, believed this
Yet every one around me pressed me to
accept of the offer made me, and the
thought struck me that might one day
make you wealthy. At length my main
objection to Sir James Melton's proposal
lay in a disinclination to make myself the
instrument of vengeance to- Sir James
hands against relatives whom, he might
dislike without good grounds. The OBJ
lection, when stated, only increased his
anxiety for my consent, and finally, under
the impression that it would be, after all,
carrying romance the length Of folly to re-
ject the advantageous settlement offered
to me, l consented to Sir James proposal.


"This part Of the story. Frederic, is
really like fairy tale. I, apoor orphan,
penniless, became the wife of one of the
richest baronets of England. Dressed in
silks. and sparkling with jewels, I could
now pass in my carriage through the very
streets where, few months before, I had
stood in the rain and darkness a mendi-.
cant!''


Happy Sir James!" cried NJ. de la
Tour, at this part of the story; she could
prove his love by enricbing you.''


"He was happy" resuYssd. the lady





proved much more conducive, it is prupa=
bic, to his own comfort than if he had
welded one with whom all the parade of
settlements, of pin money, would have
been necessary.


''Never, I believe, did he for an instant
repent of our union. I, on my part, con-
ceived myself bound to do my best for the
solace of his declining years; and he, on
his part, thought it incumbent on him to
provide for my future welfare. He died,
leaving me large part of his substance
as much, indeed, as I could prevail upon
myself to accept. I was now a widow,
and from the hour to which I became so,
l vowed never again to give my hand to
man, excepting to him who had succored
me in my hour of distress, and whose re-
membrance had ever been preserved in
the recess of my heart. But how to dis
cover that man? All, unconscious in
CRATE to make no endeavor to come in
the way of one who sought to love and en-
rich you! I knew not your name. In
vain I looked for you at balls. assemblies,
and theatres. You went not there. All,
how longed to meet you!' 5.
AS the lady spoke she took from her
neck a riband, to which was attached
piece of hundred sous. F1t is the same
the very same which you gave me-"
said she, presenting it to Frederic; ''by
pledgipg it got little bread from
neighbor, and I earned enough afterward
in time to permit me to recover it. I
vowed never to part from it.


"Ah, how happy was, Frederic, when
I saw you in the street, The excuse
which made for stopping you was the
first that rose to my mind. But what
tremors L felt even afterward, lest you
should have been already married! In
that case you would never have heard
aught of this fairy tale, though I would
have taken some means to serve and en-
rich you. would have gone to England,
and there passed my days in regret, per-
haps but still in peace. But, happily, it
was to be otherwise You were single"


Frederic de la Tour was now awaken
ed, as it were to the full certainty of his
happiness. What he could not but be-
fore look upon as sort of freak of fancy
in young and wealthy woman, was now
proved to be the result of deep and kind
ly feeling, most honorable to her who en-
tained it. The heart of the young hus-
band overaowed with gratitude and affcc-
ton to the lovely and noble-heartcd being
who had given herself to him He was
too happy for sometime to speak. His
wife first broke silence