Year: 1872

low like me has to dc with Tie world in
these dayn, When everybody seems to
be IN a hurry, and there is no time to
dream even after one has gone to bed.
When ] was boy people used to be-
heve in dreams, and to buy the Royal
Drea5u Book" There was life and
pleasant company enough, of the quiet
sort, when [ was younger. Well to-do
tradesfolk, all within sound OF the great
bell of ST PATHS, kept their hearts
warm with hospitable interts. and
many was the cosy little party where
was an invited guest, for Icould sing
good song mostly sentimental though
and my position in the city was that
of sober felloW, grave beyond his
years, sven after he had silver streaks
IN his hair and had looked in the old
family Bible to see whether he was to
be forty-five or forty-six next birthday.
suppose that [ shall be told that
man of my age has no business to fall
IN love, and think so too. But per-
haps nobody could see Alice R
without thinking of love. She was the
daughter of a pastry cook. Men who
lead such quiet lives rs iI1lille, and Jour
ney d5wn The road of time in such a
dogtrot way, often cease to count the
mile-stones. I have often blessed her
that she did not make sport of the
sudden declaration into which the
strange intoxication of my love led me.
She was surprised, and sorry, very
sorry-that was all, and that was
enough. It was failure-ro more
Welb a folly, if you Will have it so :;
but it remained tender
secret, such as man locks in
his heart and seldom speaks of
till he has grown old or thinks that
he is like to die. I was lonely enough
so far as kith and kin were concerned.
Ny s1ster-there were but two of US
and her husband were both dead, years
ago, and though they left a son, a
bright, likely boy, he was handed over
to the charge of another uncle-his IA
theirs brother All that [ could do for
the lad, when he Was little fellow, /
tried hard to accomplish; and though
the life-that of a lower-form boy in
Christ's HOspital-was hard enough, he
was often allowed to come to Twidlers'
Hall. There was something to my mind
wonderfully IN keeping with the lads
quaint dress and the dim, shadewy an
te-room, where he would sit with his
yellow legs curled up on one of the big
ieathern chairs and read some of my
old fashioned books


Tales of adventure-sea stories
were most to his taste, and I have look
ed at him with a misgiving many q
time as [ saw his luminous gray eyes





over the tops of the plane trees, as
though he heard the sound Of the river
and smelt the salt breeze rushing up
the channel of the. Thames. He was APP
prentieed to his uncle, and the in
dentures we're made out. The day be-
fore they were to be signed he had dis
appeared, with such clothes as he could
call his own, and in his pockets only
fifteeu shillings and an old silver watch
that had given him


Yes, [ was lonely indeed when the
beauty of Alice R flashed like a
dazzling light into the dim chamber of
my life, and my heart went out to sea
after the boy who might have been a
son to me if only [ could have been
more bold to claim him, as [ had .
right to do. Did say that Alice mar
ned. The wedding day had been fixed
between her and Richard - before /
spoke to her words that showed my
hopeless love. A tall, good lookino
fellow from Cumberland, with a devil
may-care air and reputation as a bold
rider and "ladies' man," as the cant
phrase went. l had met him once o.
twice, and had noted the looks he cas-
upon her-looks that [ should have
resented but that [ knew how
my own suspicious were urged by the
silent rivalry [ bore him. They were
married and went out of my marrow
compassionate more narrow now tha
[ had to overcome my sense of disap
pointment. Time mellowed down tina
grief into a pathetic memory. Th


wound had healed, and why should


be forever showing the scar? I wen


about again amongst my friends-thei


numbers diminished now as Years wen


on in the humdrum duties of my place


How little did / imagine, amidst al
my sober day-dreams, that Alice R


would yet hold chief place in my fu


ture life. [ was sitting one warm, we


and long autumn evening, when ou
messenger hurried to my room door t.


say that woman was waiting in th


lower lobby to see me. [ went dow
Immediately, and there stood a poo
Irish wench, crying bitterly, and askin


me to come with her directly to Sc
her mistress, who was dying. At th
: name of that mistress I was almos
paralyzed beyond the power to think
and then went out with such cage
haste that the messenger came runnin
after me with my hat and stick


Through the muddy streets, with th