Year: 1875

Dorothea and herself were nearly of an age,
but they had never really been companions,
for they had but few ideas in common. Dolly
was amiable, but essentially commonplace,
giving more thought to her own ease than
anything else, and totally unable to sympa-
thize in Virgilia's eager, restless pursuit after
higher things. The twins always kept to-
gether, and so did the two younger girls; and
the only one of her sisters to whom she Sc
cretly clung with intense affection, and to
whom she would fain have turned for sympa.
thy and companionship, seemed too far re-
moved by difference of years and, moreover,
was all unconscious of this yearnipg desire
on her part to effect a closer bond between
them. When their mother died, Virgilia,
perhaps, felt her loss more keenly than any of
the rest; for Mrs. Vaughan, with her gentle,
sympathetic nature, had always made it a
rule to throw herself into her children's pur-
suits, and to her they had all been wont to
speak freely of what most excited their inter-
est and engrossed their thoughts. Deprived
of her loving counsel and support, Virgilia,
then nervous, sensitive, high.strung girl OF
fifteen, looked to her eldest sister to supply
her place; but this Edna could never fully do,
though, doubtless, had she more thoroughly
comprehended the younger girls feelings, she
would have met her advances with warmer
response. Virgilia, finding her first efforts
unnoticed or misunderstood, shrank within
herself, too proud to make any farther at
tempts.


Edmonia was, in her eyes, model of per-
fection. From her infancy, she had always
regarded her as the embodiment Of all that
was beautiful and good and though herself
Edna's opinion as of more Importance than
any ones else, and Edna's approval was her
highest need of praise. This made her dis.
appointment, at her failure, all the keener
and what gave it additional bitterness, was the
fact that Edna, while she manifested no unu-
sual regard for her, showed the most unbound
ed partiality for Claribel, lavishing upon her
depth of tenderness which she displayed to
no one else. 1t seemed to her gross injus-
tice that the wealth she coveted should be
squandered upon one who appreciated it so
much less than she would have DONE But
how often this is the case! We crave some
blessing, and see the object of our desire be-
slowed where it is lightly valued and would
be little missed, while our thirsty hearts call
out for it in vain.


Virgilias secret devotion to Edmonia, how
ever, instead of diminishing, increased, if pos
sible, in fervor as years wore on and IN pro-
portion as she saw her youngest sister pre-
ferred and caressed above herself, did she be-
come more moody and reserved, more fond Of
solitude and addicted to reading and study,
until from her habits she came to be regarded
as one apart from the others, who had no
sympathy with them and could expect none
in return. Not that there was any open
estrangement between them; outwardly, a
more united family it would have been diff
cult to find. But the subtle invisible distinc.
tion was felt, though not acknowledgement
deeply by Virgilia, by the others, with per-
haps passing shadow of regret, and senti-
ment of pity for "Virgilia's odd ways


They would have pitied her still more, and
perhaps have withdrawn from her in fear,
had they known that she was cherishing in
her heart demon whose power over her
grew daily and hourly stronger, making it
more and more difficult for her to resist its
evil sway-the demon jealousy, which was
gradually casting deeper shadow about her
path, darkening her perception Of purity and
truth, and weaving snare into which she
must eventually fall, drawing others as well
as herself into an abyss of sorrow, from which
it would be well-nigh impossible to escape.


Perhaps of all the passions which rend the
human soul, this one is the most dangerous in
its results ; it distorts the judgment and per.
verts the heart, bringing envy, hatred and
malice and all uncharitableness in its train,
until, like a sirocco, its blighting breath with
ers our fairest affections and destroys our no.
blest aims, and replaces the sweetnesses of
life with wormwood and gall. They who
drink of the cup it offers to their lips, taste a
draught more bitter than the waters of Mara,
and more deadly than serpent's poison in its
effects.


Naturally fond of study, Virgilia found
ompanionship, in her selfimposed solitude,
in books which possessed little attraction for
the generality of her sex, and seemed singu-
larly inadapted to one of her years. Scien-
tifc works, particularly those relating to the
faculties of the mind, aroused her attention
and melted her to diligent research. She ven
tured boldly into the arguments of philosophy
and worked out abstruse problems with an
energy and perseverance worthy of more
profitable cause. So far she did herself no
harm but there was another class of reading
to which she had lately become much addict.
ed, which was by no means so harmless in the
results. Treatises on spiritualism and the su'
pernatural acquired an attraction for her
which led her to penetrate into depths in
which many clear minds, losing their balance,
have become hopelessly engulfed. The fright
side of Nature" replete with shadows and
mystery, presented field for speculation and
inquiry which she could not refrain from en-.
tering and having entered, each step possess
ed fresh fascination to draw her still farther
onward. Often when the rest of the family
had retired, and Dolly, in her bed in the
room they shared together, was serenely sleep
ing, did she sit up poring over books like
these until her excited imagination lent q