Year: 1878




ed with her faithful attendant and other
travelling companions, for new scenes She
shed some innocent tears on bidding farewell
to her lover, who parted from her very tender
ly, and made her promise to write him fre'
quently, and keep him posted as to her move
me It's. But though he was perfectly sincere IN
his assurance of regret at losing her, he was
conscious of feeling of relief after she was
gone. .. ....., =. .,


We will not follow her through her travels
or recount her success in the different cities
whittier her engagements led her; but pass
on to the time when, having accomplished
her tour, she once more returned to San Fran
cisco, which, for the present, she regarded as
her home


She had earned a handsome sum of money
by her recent labors, but none of this would
she spend for herself. She had purpose IN
keeping it carefully put aside. though of this
she spoke to no one. She remembered what
Allan had told her, about his being poor, or
at least only tolerably we'll off, And in her
affectionate little heart she was planning to
save up all she could, to be able to assist him
at some future day. She reflected that when
once they were married she would have no
opportunity of earning any more, at any
rate by her profession, since it was set
tied that she must give that up. So she
would make hay while the sun shone, that TIA
her beloved one night reap the fruit OF her
toll. Absence from Allan, so far from weak
ening her affection for him, only deepened
it, day by day and hour by hour, as she fed
her mind on the sweet remembrance OF his
tender words and promises his caresses and
his vows. In those vows she believed as i'm
picitiy as in the purity and strength of her
own love. And he kept her faith warm by
writing constantly, not long letters, but very
fond ones. which she read over and over again,
until she knew every word of them by heart.


Months passed, aud the situation continued
the same Allan gave no hint of their mar
riage or any of his plans for the future; ne-
ther did he speak Of paying her visit, as
he had once half promised to do. But this,
as she told Margaret once, in alluding to the
subject, did not surprise her at all, because
she knew it was an expensive journey for him
to make, and he could not afford himself
unnecessary indulgences. Perhaps, had she
known that he had just expended, on new
and quite unnecessary saddle-horse, more
than the amount which it would have cost
him to make the journey there and back
to say nothing of other expenditures equally
lavish and uncalled for, at various times
she would have been less ready to condone
his neglect. As it was, she went on her way
in perfect contentment and confidence, until
at last came break in his correspondence
which awakened her anxiety, though not her
distrust.


"He must be ill.," was her very natural
conclusion, and acting on the supposition, she
wrote him the most loving little epistle, ex-
pressing her fears and anxieties, and entreat-
ing him not to conceal the truth from her,
since suspense was 80 hard to bear. 1t
brought back an answer which puzzled her,
because it seemed to be written in different
strain from usual.


"MY DEAR PosY:" (This was mider term
of epdearment than he was in the habit of
employiug) II write in haste to ackuowl-
edge the receipt of your last. You are mis-
taken in supposing that have been i'll. You
must not fancy, you apprehensive little thing,
that something is the matter whenever you
don't hear from me quite as regularly as
you expect. My time is much occupied, and
I am really not always able to do as | could
wish. We have had company staying at our
house, lots of country relatives, whom, of
course, we: had to entertain. Luckily, they
have taken their departure, at last. What
do you think have done? Actually taken
up a profession I find I cant afford to fill
the role of gentleman of leisure any longer,
so am reading law. Whether l will ever
distinguish myself at it, is another matter.
But at any rate, this new occupation leaves
me little or no spare time.


Having given you this explanation, you
will, am sure not feel any farther solicitude
at my apparent tardiness, which you must
never attribute to wilful neglect, or forgetfu-
ness of your dear self. l will write again
soon. In the meantime, hoping you are quite
we'll, and that you will excuse this hurried
and not very presentable scrawl, believe me
as ever, my dearest Posy,


Most affectonately yours,


"ALLAN E. LAMBERT"


The conclusion seemed little better than
the beginning. Still, the whole letter, if it
was deserving of the name, lacked Allan's
customary effusiveness, and Posy was quite
sensible of this want. STILL his excuses seemed
81 reasonable and natural, that she was ready,
as usual, to put absolute faith in his word.
But it was grief to her to find his letters
become rarer and rarer thenceforth, and
what was harder to bear, less and less tender
in their tone.


As to Margaret Fanning thoug h she kept
her own counsel and said no word on the
subject, secret misgiving was beginning to
shape itself in her mind 1t was strange that
Allan should give no hint of his intentions
for the future Even if he did not feel him
self yet in circumstances to support wife
it would have been only natural for him to
allude occasionally to the time when he hoped
to be able to DO So to give his betrothed
some assurance that he did not look upon their
engagement as mere form, with no definite
ending in view. Besides, as to this supposed
inability on his part, Margaret shrewdly sus.
pected that he had represented it in rather ex,
aggerated colors to suit his own purposes. AT
all events, as she watched her young mistress
anxious looks, and observed with silent solc.
itude the effect of doubt and suspense in the