to apply it to a heart secretly fortified with evil intention. Charles's real determination was to take his pleasure wherever he could find it, while his instinctive love of character impelled him equally to avoid disgrace. These two aims generally lead to hypocrisy, hardly recognised by the sinner himself while success lasts; and Charles Todd was as yet called a fine boy by almost everybody, though he was giving his mother and his prematurely careful brother many a private heart-ache.

when his present probation should result in a | paper bullets against a stone wall, as attempt pleasant and plentiful home for his parents, where his father need not have to complain of fatigue, and his mother should sit all day by the front window in a rocking-chair, never doing anything unless she chose! These visions consoled him under many things, and became, indeed, the substitute for hope, in his mind, as similar ones are in many other minds. He wondered why he was not happier. His employers were not unkind to him, and he did not perceive that negatives have very little to do with our happiness. His labours were no greater than they had been at home, and he was better dressed and better fed. It was only the atmosphere of love that he missed, yet he pined, in secret, like a geranium in Greenland, and became, outwardly, a dull, drudging boy, without power to rise above the present by reaching towards the future.

Home troubles, too, had their share in keeping his heart in shadow. His father failed for the dozenth time in some scheme for sudden wealth, and several of the better pieces of furniture had from time to time mysteriously disappeared from the house, leaving blank spaces no less in the imagination of the children than in the rooms they had once graced. The story of the Iron Shroud,-a prison whose walls advanced daily inward, lessening the walking and breathing space of the wretch within,only shadows forth the stealthy but unmistakeable approach of absolute poverty in a family like this; and though the boy's imagination did not body it forth thus, his sense of the truth yas none the less crushing to his spirits. His poor mother never complained, and, indeed, would hardly answer his anxious questions; but there was a growing sadness in her very kisses, which often sent him to bed half choking with desponding thoughts, the most prominent of which was that of his own miserable inefficiency in the case. A drop of added bitterness was the behaviour of his brother Charles,-the father's favourite and image,-a handsome, showy boy of twelve or thirteen, who ought to have taken John's place as Mrs. Todd's aid and comforter, but who chose rather to slip away to play in the street, and to do many other things which filled the tender mother's heart with anxiety. John often tried to talk a little with his brother about these matters, but one of the most discouraging things in Charles's character was a sort of plausibility or facility, which led him to assent to all general propositions in morals, while he ingeniously eluded every possible application of any to his own conduct. He never got angry at reproof, -a sure sign that he had no idea of profiting by it. Truth excites passion whenever it touches us personally, and we may as well fire

After John had worked hard for a year, with the hope of earning some increase to his pittance, he was discharged with very slight warning, his employer observing that he was "rather dull," which was no doubt true. Α bright-looking, well-dressed boy took his place; and he set about, with leaden heart, looking for another, all the harder to find because it was necessary he should find it. When found at last, it proved to be of a considerably lower tone than the first;-a smaller establishment, and so far mortifying to his boyish pride, but otherwise-that is, in the main point of kindly interest and sympathy-very similar. And this was the general experience of four or five years or so,-a period which may be left to the reader's imagination, after the hints we have given.

Somewhere during this period, Mr. Todd, the father, fell on the ice and broke his leg badly, which effectually checked his speculative as well as ambulative powers, and changed the character of his wife's toils a little without materially increasing them. This accident, happening just after John had obtained an increase of salary, which raised his hopes a shade or two, seemed to him a final sentence as to any chance of prosperity in his unlucky career. His heart sank within him as he saw his father established on the old skeleton sofa, which had long since ceased to offer any temptation to lounging habits, and his mother and two young sisters sitting by it, trying to earn something by means of that suicidal implement, the seamstress's needle. It was impossible for him to feel only just enough solicitude on their account. The weight of his pity and tenderness hung on his hands and heart, lessening his power of aid. The too present idea of their privations led him to reduce even his diet below the just measure required for strength and courage to a constitution like his, and to go so shabbily dressed as to lessen materially his chance of obtaining better wages. He passed for a good, sober, useful fellow, who expected but little, though he was willing to turn his hand to anything. It is not in human nature to give a seedy, threadbare-looking man as much as we would give a smartly-dressed one, under the

same circumstances,-a truth not very creditable to that same nature of ours, and worthy of some examination by employers.

Charles now began to take the lead of his elder brother in all respects. His animated manner and frank-sounding words were very prepossessing, and he early obtained the situation of book-agent, a business for which address may be said to be the first, second, and third requisite, though there is perhaps a fourth, of no less consequence. His pay was irregular, and his outlay for dress considerable; and although he continued to live at home, he professed himself unable to contribute any fixed sum to the family means, though he occasionally made his mother or sisters a present, which loomed much larger in their imaginations than the constant offerings of John, dropping unperceived like the dew, and performing as important an office. Charles always wore the gay and fascinating air of success, and it was natural for a mother to be proud of him, and to hope everything from him, gladly dismissing the misgivings of the past, and persuading herself that Charles had a good heart, after all, a conclusion to which mothers are prone to arrive rather through the affections than the judgment.

John, though he felt tempted to envy his brother the facility with which he acquired the reputation of having a good heart, had too good a one of his own to view his prosperity with jaundiced eyes. He was proud of him, too, for there is something bewitching in personal advantages, say what we will.

Yes, there is something bewitching about them, with which reason has little to do. John had already experienced this, for he had fallen in love with a pretty girl of the neighbourhood,—an orphan who lived with relatives not much disposed to be kind to her,-so said common report. Susan Bartlett had a delicate, appealing kind of beauty, which seemed quite as much the result of sensibility as of complexion and outline. The family with whom she found a home were rough, coarse people, among whom her air of natural refinement appeared to great advantage. She was evidently not comfortable in her position, a circumstance nearly as attractive as her beauty, to one who fancied himself the "predestined child of care." If she had looked happy, he would never have dared to love her, but her pensive smile encouraged him, and the gentle, half-grateful air with which she received his attentions, so excited his languid self-complacency, that he had occasionally a gleam of hope that he might be somebody to somebody yet. In short, the first rose-tint that fell upon his life-stream was from the dawn of this tender passion; and Susan's beauty lighting up her lover's clouds, called forth many a

golden, shimmering air-castle, all ready to be drawn down to earth and turned into a comfortable dwelling some day.

For an hour or more after Susan had shyly owned that she returned his affection, John wondered that he had ever fancied himself doomed to ill-fortune. What was the cold, harsh world to him! Susan, like himself, had been used to straitened circumstances, and she was willing to share his lot, be it what it might. It was not long before he was forced to remember that a lot may be too narrow to be shared with anybody, but his new talisman did a good deal to keep off the foul fiend Despondency, so that his pleasure was not turned into pain much more than half the time.

Mrs. Todd felt appalled, for the moment, when she was told of John's engagement. Not only did the condition of the family demand more than all the aid the dutiful son could give it, but to the cooler eyes of the mother, Susan's temperament and habits were ill-calculated to promote the happiness of a poor and very sensitive man. Mrs. Todd thought her indolent and inefficient; wanting in force of character, and likely to take almost any colouring from those about her; but she wisely said nothing, for the matter was settled, and she could only grieve her son without the hope of benefit. Susan was very sweet and amiable in the family, and much a favourite with Mr. Todd, whose dull hours were considerably lightened by the presence of a pretty girl, who would sometimes read to him or entertain him with the gossip of the hour. Charles, too, was delighted with his sister-in-law that was to be, and as he had much more leisure than John, often took his brother's place as her escort, or called upon her as John's proxy when he was necessarily detained.

This period of our hero's life was like a delicious Indian summer, when the atmosphere is full of golden haze, which throws a soft illusion over everything, hiding the bareness of reality, and bestowing a happy indistinctness upon distant objects. Such seasons are never long ones. The frosts of truth clear the air and force us to think upon the needs of wintry life, if we would not wake up to a distress which no illusion can gild. No man could be more sincerely in love than John Todd; but, in this case as in others, his goodness stood in the way of his happiness. A selfish man would have been amply satisfied with the pleasure of being beloved by the woman of his choice; but the good son could not long so forget his old duties as not to miss in Susan some of the qualities which would have made her a comfort to his mother. His own love was so generous, so entire; his heart beat so tenderly for all that could interest

Susan, that it was hardly in human nature not,
to feel some disappointment at finding in her
no corresponding interest in those so dear to
him. Susan evidently felt that her position
was properly that of an idol, which nobody
can expect to see come down from its pedestal
and mingle on equal terms with its worship-
pers. Not that her manner was arrogant or
assuming; that was always sweet and gentle.
It was rather what she omitted than what she
did, that brought John to the sad conviction
that her affections had no tendency to be led by
his, and that he had not succeeded in winning
a daughter's love for his mother by giving
away so largely of his own. So fate pursued
him. The golden clouds changed to purple,
and the purple to lead-colour, in his mind; and
he felt more keenly than ever that he was
doomed to be unhappy, since love, which had
seemed for a time to make every sad thought
absurd, had failed to satisfy him, as it seemed
to do other men. John did not know how
easily other men are satisfied-sometimes.

Home affairs, meanwhile, certainly had bright-
ened a little. Somehow, unaccountably, the fa-
mily had not become any poorer for Mr. Todd's
long illness. Much kindness had been brought
out by the circumstance, and friends had come
forward in a way which materially aided Mrs.
Todd without lowering her self-respect. While
a man like Mr. Todd remains at the head of
affairs, there is always a kind of simmering
indignation among the relatives and friends of
the family, which prevents their showing the
sympathy they cannot but feel for the suffering
members. But when he is fairly out of the way,
compassion claims its natural course, as in
this case.
A teacher in the neighbourhood
took two of the girls as free pupils, insisting
that she could do so without the least cost to
herself, a mode of Christian charity more
practised by that most laborious and ill-paid
class than the world at all suspects. Physi-
cians, too, discerning the true state of things,
either forgot to send their bills at all, or made
merely nominal charges, as they are doing
every day in similar cases, with a liberality for
which they get little credit. In short, even
John was obliged to own to himself that a
seeming misfortune may have its bright side,
though the conviction did not remain present
with him constantly enough to make head
against the bad habit of low spirits.

Charles, meanwhile, was dashing away as usual, handsome, gay, and confident; now and then sending home some showy, useless article to his mother or sisters, and sometimes, though more rarely, throwing money into their laps, which seemed doubled in value by the grace with which it was given. There was no coming at a distinct notion of his affairs, for a

book-agency naturally fluctuates a good deal, and refers to "luck" more than some other kinds of business. But he always seemed to have leisure for visiting, and money for amusements, so his mother fought resolutely against intrusive fears that there might be something hollow in this prosperity. The elder brother was less easily satisfied, for he knew rather more of Charles's habits.

It was not long before his fears were justified. Charles came to the store one day, and with an appearance of great agitation asked to see his brother apart.

"What is the matter?" said John, whose imagination rushed homewards at once, prognosticating evil to the loved ones there.

"I've got myself into trouble," said the other; and, as he had done this several times before, his brother felt relieved to find it no worse.

But further explanation showed him that the present was no ordinary affair.

"I have lost a sum of money belonging to our firm-" began Charles.

"Lost! how lost?"

"Oh! I've been robbed, but 'tis a long story, and the question is now how to get out of the scrape. It is only two hundred dollars!"

"Only two hundred dollars!" said John, aghast, for he had not two hundred cents to call his own.

"What is to be done? Will not your firm wait till you have had time to repay it by degrees?"

"Wait! they must never know it! 1 should be ruined for ever if they did. Can't you help me? I could pay you by degrees, you know! You can get an advance on your salary. You always stand well with your employers; do ask, that's a good fellow, and I will promise that this shall be the last time that I will ever trouble you."

"But you do not consider that this would take the very bread out of mother's mouth, and the children's. You know they cannot live a week without what I bring them. You must find some other resource. Surely your firm must have some confidence in you after so long a connexion."

"Oh, they are stiff, old fellows, and they've been prejudiced against me by one or two little matters, such as happen to every young man. You are my only hope, for I will never survive disgrace."

It is needless to recount the arguments of a man without principle, who knew his brother's goodness of heart to be greater than his firmness. After a very long talk, in the course of which John ascertained that the "robbery" was only the form under which Charles chose to represent a loss at the gaming-table, and

When John, not attempting to defend himself against the charge of wanting spirit, only desired to know what were his brother's prospects of refunding the money, for want of which the family at home must suffer, Charles talked grandly, but vaguely, of some Califor-locking his desk, a note came from his mother, nian propositions that had been made to him, saying he did not know whether he should accept them or not, but, at any rate, he should pay the money very shortly.

a man so good as you are for one who is more This they granted with alacrity, for he asked pleasant, but not any better, not so good, per-it with honest confidence.

"We should be glad to see you as soon as not make up my mind. God bless you, and convenient; we have something to say to you," said the elder merchant.

John could but repeat the words, half stupi- observed in him both industry and ability, fied.

All was now clear enough as to Susan; but John had yet to learn that, instead of having lost money at play, as he pretended, Charles had received a considerable sum for the house within a day or two, and only borrowed of his brother to increase his means for the elopement. That evening Mr. Todd grew rapidly worse, labours, and at liberty to rest sometimes, and at midnight he died.