Year: 1873

her true position toward you. Beard
the lions of Indifference and friendship
in their dens, and do not yield to un-
manly cowardice. Strange that I have
given you the counsel last which should
have been given first! But do not, I be-
seech you, lose any time in seeking her.
Assure her of your long and unwavering
devotion. Constancy is the most valued
word in tue woman's vocabulary. You
have staked too much happiness to lose;
you must win"


"And If l lose," he said-bolding up
something before him which took to be
a picture, though it was in the shape of q
heart-"and if l lose, then perish all of
earth to me. But leave me only this, and
should hold you thus, and gaze on what
have first and last and only loved until
this perishable material on which have
placed you turn to dust, still will you be
craven on heart whose deathless love
can know no death; for thing so holy
as the love l bear you was not made to
die."


My work-now my completed work
dropped beneath my fingers, for the last
stitch was taken.


If could not prevent his self-torture,
he should not, at least, torture me long
er; and snatching the thing from his
grasp, I exclaimed, as l closed my hands
over it, "Now, before l return it, you
must, you shall, promise me that you will
take the last advice l gave you; or will
you allow me to look at it, and then un-
seal the silent lips and give you the pro-
phetic little yes or mo- which a professed
physiognomist like your confidante can
always read in the eyer"


l would rather you did the last" he
said; and l rose, leaned my elbow on
the corner of the mantel near the gas
light, rested my head on my empty hand,
so as to shade my eyes from the intensity
of the brilliant burner near me, and with
the awe creeping over me with which the
old astrologers read the horoscope of the
midnight stars, l looked, and saw-only
wonderfully faithful copy of the portrait
hanging just over me, of which MIR. Ten
nent Tremont's confidante was the original.
l threw it from me, and burst into tears
He stood quite near me. Thought hated
him, but my obtuse, blundering, idiotic
self more than him. / waved my hand In
token either of his silence or withdrawal,
for in all my life long 1, with whole die
tionary in my mind of abusive epithets,
was never more at a loss for word. My
token was unheeded.


He only murmured softly,


~ had never seen thee weeping;


L cannot leave thee now"


When you snatched my picture from
me a moment ago 1 saw glistening tear
OF sympathy in your eye; but what are
these?"


$50 cruel! so ungenerous! so unfair!"
l said, still pressing my hands tightly
over my eyes. "HOw can ever forgive
you?"


With softer murmur than the last he
repeated the words.


"'Tis sweet to let the pardoned in"


Astounding presumption thatp' 1
said, now giving him the benefit of my
full gazette speak of pardon before
making confession of your guilt But
before | give you time even for that, the
remaining mysteries which still hang
around your tale of woe shall be cleared
up. Please to inform the court how the
original of your purloined sketch could
have been the object of years of devotion,
when it has been only four weeks to day
since you laid your mortal eyes on herr"


"Ah! you may well say mortal; but
you know the soul too has it's visual or
gans. l saw and loved and worshiped
nay ideal in those years, and sought her
too-how unceasingly!-andI said:


Only for the real will with the ideal part;


Another shall not even tempt my heart.
When l saw her just four weeks since,
l knew her,


And my heart responded as, with unseen wings,


An angel touched its unswept strings,


And whispers in its song,


Where hast thou strayed SO long!'


But the avenging demon of curiosity
was not to be exercised by sentimental
evasion: "Those letters, sir, of which
you spoke, they must have been of a real,
tangible form-not part of the mythical
phantasmagoria of your idealistic Wis
ion."


He laughed as light-hearted child
would, but knitted his brow with a per-
picked air as he said, "Why don't the
British government send a woman to find
the source of the Nile? I must thank
your unsophisticated brothers pride in
his sisters epistolary accomplishments for
my privilege of perusal. What next?"


| thought moment. Before, / had
fifty other queries to PROFOUND, but now
as looked into the glowing anthracite be-
fore me which gave us those pleasant Re-
veries, they very naturally all resolved
themselves into explained mysteries with
out his aid


He insists that the prophetic little yes
or no" never came.


Upon my honor, dear reader, as con-
fidante, 1 still think it the most unfair
procedure which ever "disgraced the
annals of civilized warfare" but 1 shall
have abundant opportunity for revenge,
for we are to make the journey of life to-
gether. ippincott's Magazine.