Year: 1877

What sigh was that! not noisy, but
profound and eloquent at once of an old
grief and fresh perplexity. Bob With
ers, the gentleman in his shirt sleeves be-
fore the mirror, bad heaved that sigh every
night for ten years, simultaneously with
the act of removing from his head tho fine
chestnut wig which conceals the almost
complete destitution of the natural cover
ing. The grief is therefore an old one, but
an element of perplexity has mingled with
this nightly sigh more lately-namely, since
having wooed and won Angie McLane In
his wig, he has been screwing up his cour-
age 10 the point of revealing TO her that 1t
is wig, as he feels in fairness he ought 10
do. He has put II off, and put it of, never
finding just the right opportunity for the
confession, until now the wedding is but a
month off, and the task seems harder, more
impossible than ever. lie is at present
spending a couple of days at the house of
the McLanes in the country, with view TO
getting acquainted with the family. For
the sake Of enjoying unaloyed the pleas
ure of Angles society for this short time,
he has compromised with his conscience by
resolving at once on leaving TO write TO her
and tell the truth, and by no means TO pro-
crastinale further.


Meantime the process of getting acquaint-
ed with the family does not get on very
prosperously. Bob is a poor match from
the parental point of view, and a bitter dis
appointment TO the McLanes. Nothing but
Angles resolute character could have ex-
torled the gruIging consent which their
engagement had at length received. The
fam lily consisted, besides Angie, of her ia
ther and mother, and two brothers, John
and George. Mr.. McLane kept his room,
being a confirmed invalid. John, strong
willed and arrogant in temper, ruled the
family with a rod of iron-George being
kinder tempered, but of much less strength
of character. Angie was the only member
of the family whom John could not rule,
and she carried the point of her engage
ment against his bitter opposition. Mrs.
McLane was mere shuttecock between
John and Angie, receiving an impulse from
one which lasted till the other got hold of
her. John had accepted the engagement
with very bad grace, and made scarcely a
utCGul NOuNtdllnS lluul
contempt and hostility, and his desire to
find any pretext for forcing quarrel. This
was particularly unpleasant and demoral-
izing to Bob, because the injury to his own
self-respect by The sense Of tacit deceit he
was guilty of as 10 his wig left him unable
to meet Johns overbearing insolence with
the quiet dignity he would have liked to
assume.


Afler going to bed he lay awake couple
of hours thinking over these embarrassing
circumstances, and the delightful fact of
Angles love, to which they were offsets.
In the course of his tossings he became
aware that his seal ring was not on his fin
ger, and instantly remembered that, after
using il for forfeit in a parlor game that
evening, he had forgotten to replace 1t.
Vexation at his carelessness instantly made
him wide awake. The ring must be on the
library table. If not, then he knew not
where and If there, il might be filched by
a servant in the morning. Associations
made it invaluable, and he found himself
so uneasy about its safety that he could not
sleep. Perhaps the best thing he could do
was to quietly step down stairs in his stock
ings without disturbing anybody, and
make sure about II. He knew that he
could, even in the dark, steer straight 10
the library. In this sleepless, excited state
of his mind the slight tlngo of adventurein
his plan had an attraction.


Jumping out of bed he put on part of
his clothes, and, softly opening the door of
the room, went across the hall and down
the stairs to the ground-hoor. 1t was quite
dark, but he found his way easily, having
a good topographic instinct. From the
lower hall he entered the dining room, and
from that the library. The sea-coal fire in
the CRATE was still hckering brightly, illu-
minating the sumptuously-f furnished room
with faint, soft glow of peculiarly rich
effect.


There on the table his ring gllttered in
the fitful freight, and, as he slipped it on
his finger, he felictated himself on his sue
cessful enterprise. The room was SO charm