Year: 1865

business would take longer tha0 ne had
hoped delay was unavoidable; and in
the meantime be had Lillian's letters to
look forward to, to long for, aud to read
over aud over again.


At last longer space than usual elapsed
after Arthur's last letter. Was he CON-
ing home? Had everything been sud
denly arranged, and might he at any mo-
ment stand at their own door? The In
dian mail came in, but it brought no let
ter; it was the first omission. Lily re-
studied the last letter for some faint clue
to this mystery, which might perhaps have
before escaped her. It was written in
good spirits: it expressed the old fond
love, the tender recollectiOns, the ferveut
anticipations He could not have forgot
ten her. Was there any other cause
Was he i'll !? was he--oh to existance
hung to feel that he, too, was mortal,
and might die, away from kith and kin,
alone, and abroad


Just then, other troubles fell en- the
Hartley family. Fred had turned out
wild and got heavily into debt. Retreneh-
ments had to be made, to meet his respon-
sibililies. The house 10 London was Civ
en- up, and the family lived entirely at
the old country house. Que night Lillian
stayed out late, wandering in the damp
lane She came in languid and tired
She had been visiting an old pensioner of
hers, who was dying, and she had loiter-
ed wearily home. Mrs. Hartley's face
turned quite pale as she listened to her
daughters account of the sick woman ;
then she quietly sent a messenger for the
family physician. When he arrived, Lill-
ian had snnk into heavy stupor on the
couch. All that night she raved wildly.
The next morning she groped feebly on
the coverlid for her mothers hand, and
cried out that the daylight would never
come was the night to last forever? She
was blind. Smallpox was raging in the
village, and Lillian brought it home with
her. 4 mouth after, when the disease
had spent its rage, and Lillian was feebly
returning to health, there was a letter
from Arthur waiting for her. It lay for
several days in her mothers desk before
she ventured to deliver it. Lillian would
never thoroughly realize the fearful ca
lamity that had befallen her until the
lcttcr che could uevcr read would be put
in her hand She had not recovered her
sight, Her fair, pale face was unscarred
and the blue eyes looked as tenderly as
ever, but they looked into darkness, LilI-
ian was blind.


! Heaven only knows the agony the poor
girl must have suffered when they told
her fate Ia utter prostratlon, she turn
ed her face to the wall, and praeyd to die
Better that Arthur should come home aud
find only a graves.one, than use!es bur
den with whom he might feel himself
bound 10 honor to keep his promise. Oh
why had she ever recovered to this fear.
ful gloom, this eternal night to feel
warmth, aud yet know no summer; to
touch flowers aud yet not know them. She
grew resigned at last, and bade her moth
er read her lovers letter Even in that
kind voice it sounded strange aud con-
strained the familiar, loving words seem
ed forced and unnatural; the light and
cheerful spirit Of the writer could never
have been conveyed in the mere words; it
was the welI.known handwriting that
made tho familiarity. Let any of my
readers copy out love letter 10 a new
hand, aud the charm is gone; the words
the thoughts are there, but all individu-
ality with the writer is gone. Think of
printed love letter, and how little it
touches US, how entirely the spell is bro.
ken, how we sneer at the want of punctu.
alton, the repetitions, the abSurdity of the
whole performance


But Arthur said he was coming home,
be said it with no congratulations, 20 ca
gerne.s he did not even dwell on their
meeting. All, perhaps it would be best
that they should never meet. If be had
grown cold to her, if he had changed, let
her think to the end that her misfortune
and not bis inclination broke the sacred
tie between them. And yet she must feel
his presence once more; she thought she
could bear her lonely life after that,
and live to hear of him happy aud pros
porous Let them meet and she herself
would break their engagement. So she
begged those around her not to let the
knowledge Of her misfortune reach his
home; and she waited patiently for his
return.


Weeks aud months dragged on. Lillian
grew well and resigned to what was inev-
table trouble bad taught her lesson
which in her prosperity she might never
have learned she found she could still be
her mothers companion, and her fathers
greatest pleasure they grew happier when
they saw her smile again, and heard her
singing in the sunshine that she could
Ell i ] !