Year: 1879

grlest feelings against her son. instead
of being softened toward EIinor, she felt
more ineensed against her; for, absurd
though it may seem, she felt it to be a
slight aud insult that a poor girl like


Elinor should presume TO refuse Stod-
dard. Although the dreaded marriage
was not to occur, she felt almost as an-
CRY at both the young people as il they


had been already united. Her nature
was utterly incapable of understanding
or believing in Elinor's lofty and unset
fish character, aud sine could only attrib-
ute to her the motives she herself would
have been actuated by had she been in
Elinor's place. AS for her son, she felt
as if she never could forgive him for
having been sent back to her by the re-
fusal of one she so bitterly hated.


Suffering exerts a refining, softeniug
influence on some natures; but on 9TH
ers it only acts as it does on the savage
brute, which, wounded, becomes terri
bly, infuriated and relentless in pursuit
Of its tormentor. This woman, having
deliberately put away from her all char
liable, kindly aud sympathetic feelings
and impulses, had subjected herself to
the control Of passions which would
never release her from the chains they
had been slowly forging, link by link,
for so many years-never, for she herself
would not consent for them to leave her,
so true it is that spirits Of darkness have
power to assume the garb Of angels Of
light, and to make their slaves believe
that they are not only harmless but
useful.


The wretched invalid endured worse
physical torture thSu ever after her
brief conversation with her son, for her
mental excitement reacted on her physi-
cal system, and rice versa, until she was
almost frantic, despite the free use Of
powerful snodynes and anesthetics.
The attack was caused by her intense
excitement and anger. She suffered for
many days, so that her son did not dare
to come into her presence when she was
conscious, so greatly did the sight of
him excite her aud aggravate her in
tense suffering.


These were days Of sore trial to the
young man, in which his love for his
mother and sympathy for her in her
sickness fought hard with his sense Of
the dreadful injustice done Elinor and
himself He did everything he could
for her comfort, and the doctor re-
marked to a friend one morning, after
his regular visit, that young Stoddard
was the most faithful son he ever saw.


But the tedious convalescence was
more trying to Frank than even the
previous time, for his mother, having
changed her mood, would scarcely allow
him to be out OF her sight. She was
irritable and exacting to the last degree,
and Franks patience was tried more
severely than 1t had ever been before
but he proved equal to the demands
made upon him, and strove in every
possible way to soothe and please his
mother, whom he regarded and treated
much as sick child. He felt that she
would surely change her mind after she
had recovered her usual health, and
more and more he attributed her cruel
words when he first came home to her
bodily anguish. He studiously re-
Trained from referring to Elinor in any
way after that, for he felt that he could
not endure to hear her spoken of
harshly, and he wished to avoid any
thing that would have any unpleasant
effect upon his mother. So the days
passed slowly by, till at length the in
valid was able to sit up the most Of the
time, and Frank felt that he must again
return to the Office and resume his legal
studies. His mother fretfully opposed
It, but he knew that she no longer
needed his constant care, and he felt
that be could not bear the strain Of con-
finement in the sick-room much longer.
He wondered more than ever before how
she contrived to live at all in the close,
hot room, always full of the siekening
odor of drugs, and he thought it was not
strange she should suffer as she did, nor
that she should be irritable and unrea-
sonable.


When the young man attempted to
study, he found that it was a different
thing from what he anticipated. He no
longer seemed to possess that power Of
concentrating his mind upon the sub
ject before him, that had formerly made
the dry details Of the law easy to master.
Often his eyes seemed to turn inward, as
it were, and peruse the pages Of men,
ory, in spite of his determination to
keep them fixed upon Blackstone,
Kent or GreenleaE a face, sometimes
sad and fearful, sometimes tender and
loving, but always lovely, looked up at
him from every book he opened, and at
last, after spending less than half the
usual time upon his books, he laid them
aside in despair, and went out to try to
find relief from his thoughts in long
walk. This first day was only SAMPLE
of many, and at last he almost deter
mined to abandon the study Of law alto
gether. But first, he thought, be would
write and ask advice of Elinor. She
would know what he ought to do; she
always seemed to see so clearly what
she could and should do herself. Be
sides, che ought 10 know that his
mother was better; aud, really, it had
been good while since he had heard
[ from her. She would want TO hear from