Year: 1878

husband before this. You know his
disposition and hope you will manage
him rightly"


so, never fear for that, mother"


All, you must not be too sure. You
must be careful, very careful, for he Is
peculiar man to deal with. have con-
versed with him, and noted his pecu-
liarities we'll He has spent much of his
time at sea, and you know he was poor
once. In fact, though his family was a
very good one, yet he has been poor
most of his lifetime. Consequently he
has some very curious notions. He is
what is commonly termed noble
hearted man, and he loves to think that
everybody is as good as he eis-everybody
whom he calls honest and virtuous.-
Now l have extolled your amiabilities
to him, and have told him how chari-
table you are, and all that sort of stuff.
Now you must carry 1t all out. You
must not put on your fashionable airs,
for he wont appreciate them; but be off
handed and sociable. 1t would be good
idea to shudder at the vices of fashion
able life, and, if you think you can do it
naturally, you might speak favorably of
honest virtue; and few words on re-
ligion might not be out of place, if you
think you can bring them in without
exposing yourself. The captain has
confiding disposition, and he will be
easily taken if you only keep the right
side out"


Lovina smiled as her mother finished.


Leave it to me now, mother" she
said. /" L know him, and you may be
assured that / shall not lose him.


Harkl'' uttered Mrs. Gilbert, sud-
denly starting. "There is some one in
the other room. Go and look"


Lovina hastened to the folding doors
and threw them open, but she could see
no one, and she closed them again and
resumed her seat. She had not looked
as carefully as she might have done, for
scarcely had she drawn the doors to-
gether, when her waiting-maid moved
out from behind heavy window-cur-
tain, and glided noiselessly from the
room.


AT eight o'clock Captain Oliver Lin
coin was announced to the occupants of
the drawing-room. He was a compara-
lively young man, being only eight and
twenty years of age; very handsome in
his external appearance, and just such a
man as true hearted woman might
have loved. He had been left an orphan
at an early age, and most of his life had
been spent upon the sea, where he had
proved himself q capable and trust
worthy man; but lately he had been the
recipient of an immense fortune, by the
will of deceased uncle. Thus was he at
once made the object of all sorts of flat
terry by the would-be fashionables, who
thought more of the money than of the
man, and, in his honest, confiding ma
ture, he believed all this friendship to
be true. He had never known those
hearts that, Judas-like, could smile to
betray.


Mrs. Gilbert and her daughter had
into society, and so well had they man
aged their plans that he believed he had
found in them worthy widow and a
modest, retiring daughter. He felt fiat
tered by their delicate attentions, and
he was grateful for the kindness they
professed.


On the present occasion the young
captain was received with the utmost
show of grace and cordiality. Lovina
fairly outdid herself in modesty and
prettiness of manners, and as soon as
Mrs. Gilbert found that her daughter
was in the right track she made an ex-
cuse for leaving the room.


Oliver Lincoln was left alone with the
schemer. o, how perfectly she had
learned her trade. She knew all his
essential points of character, and she
ministered to them in the sweetest,
fondest, and most pleasing manner The
young man was completely enchanted ;
the words that he heard were so full OF
goodness and purity that he thought she,
who spoke them, could be little less
than an angel. The schemer saw the
impression she was making, and she fol-
lowed up her success with renewed eff
forts.


When Captain Lincoln left the wild
ow's house he had resolved to make
Lovina his wife, If the thing werepossi.
BILE. Mrs. Gilbert had contrived to meet
him just in season to press upon him an
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