ciety, nor ever whispered a tender word into a gentle lady's ear. When my astonishment had partially subsided, I replied-"Harry, you forget that I am married!" "Oh! ah! true-I had forgotten that!" Another pause.

"Permit me, my taciturn companion," I said, at length, "to propound the same pertinent query to yourself: have you ever been in love ?"

A smile of peculiar meaning played for a moment about the muscles of his face, when he drew his chair nearer to mine, as if afraid that the very walls would prate of his confession, laid his hand confidingly upon my knee, and almost in a whisper replied-"I own the soft impeachment ! Listen to me the story is brief. I had thought never to impart it, even to my best friend, but circumstances have changed my determination."

"One moment," said I. "Take another cigar."

"No! this will do very well: it will outlast my story. Some years ago, when I was about twenty, if my memory serves me rightly, I was spending my time in the pursuit of my studies, in a charming village situated in the heart of what we proudly denominate the Empire state.' It was located upon one of the then great thoroughfares traversing the state, and bordered one of the most enchanting sheets of water I ever beheld. It was not my home, but I loved it as much as if I had been born there. One of the strongest links that bound me to the spot was a sweet creature of some sixteen summers. I will not at

tempt to describe her. To own the truth, I rather liked her, to use the most moderate phrase; but I had a rival: and, though the confession is not a little mortifying to one's vanity, candor forces me to admit that he was successful. Yet, strange as it may seem to you, we - my rival and myself-were the best of friends. We were both inmates of the same house with the object of our boyish attachment, who was the only daughter of a widowed lady, reduced by a series of misfortunes to the necessity of taking boarders : we were of the number. The mother had been bred in affluence, was well educated, and accomplished in all the graces that adorn the female char

acter.

Still she had her share of pride-a commendable pride-pride of family, and pride of personal character though she had the tact not to obtrude it upon the attention of others. But, above all, she was proud of her daughter; and good reason she had to be so for though not eminently beautiful, in the common acceptation of the term, yet she was endowed with the qualities of mind and heart calculated to inspire all who approached her with ardent friendship, if not with downright love. Her manner was artless, confiding, and fraught with that exquisite grace and tenderness which invariably leads captive the heart of the rougher sex: at least I was literally over whelmed by it at the first encounter.

"I never was expert at love-making; for, to own the truth, I had essayed it on one or two former occasions ; but, to my chagrin, either because I had not enough of

the slap-dash gallant about me (I was tolerably good-looking at least my best friends always told me so), or the ground being occupied before me, I was always unsuccessful.

"At length an opportunity was offered me to try my hand with the lovely Clara. I found her alone one evening, seated by the parlor-window, peeping through a fragrant jessamine at the moon, in all likelihood, for that from time immemorial has been a favorite pastime with young ladies. Time and place were favorable, and I thought'Now or never!' I seated myself near her, and after rambling through the customary labyrinth of comments upon the state of the weather, the brightness of the moon and stars, and the delicious odor of the flowers-which, by-the-way, I have a very indefinite recollection of likening to the breath of affection, or something of that sortI made a bold detour, and alighted by some adroit movement upon the subject of love. I really believe I was quite eloquent-at least I felt so-but I failed. She felt flattered with the honor I had done her, to fall over head and ears in love with her; was grieved that my attachment was misplaced; she was not worthy of my regard, of which I modestly thought I ought to be the best judge, seeing that I was the party most directly interested; she would always be proud of my friendship in short, she entreated me earnestly to excuse her from falling in love with me, and I was silly enough to do so, inasmuch as I had discovered, in the course of the interview, that my friend

Charlie Jordan was a more fortunate youth than myself. They were already pledged as lovers. I will not deny that the blow fell heavily, but I survived it—manfully, I trust.

"Charles Jordan was one year my senior in age; a fine, manly, dashing fellow, full of fun and spirit, and a universal favorite with the ladies. He was always foremost in a frolic, and gave direction to all the amusements projected by the young people. He was looked upon as something of a flirt, from the circumstance that he was general in his attentions, and devoted in his friendly attachments to both male and female; but it was left for the gentle Clara to conquer his heart and engross all his affection. It was this indiscriminate attention that kept me ignorant of the attachment which had for some time existed between him and Clara; indeed, it afterward appeared that I was the only individual blind to the fact, for it was very generally understood that they were affianced. Clara's mother was not altogether reconciled to their union, because she thought Jordan too volatile and unstable in his deportment and character to form a matrimonial connexion; but she had been persuaded that the happiness of her daughter depended upon it, and at length yielded her assent.

"The father of young Jordan was a plodding, painstaking man, who, by dint of great industry, first as a mechanic, and subsequently as a general speculator, had contrived to garner up a handsome competency; but he had a large family to maintain, and in the event of a divis

ion of his property, little could be expected by the individual members of it. Charles was his favorite, and he looked anxiously for his permanent settlement in some business which would divert his mind from what he conceived to be the follies of youth. He had observed the growing attachment between his son and Clara Hamilton, and approved of it as a means to bring about the result he so ardently desired. He knew enough of the temper of his son, to be aware that when once he should feel the responsibility of a husband, he would abate his frolicsome humor, and devote himself more assiduously to the sterner business of life. Accordingly, he proposed to him to hasten the union, and embark in business for himself as a merchant, at the same time proffering every facility in his power to aid him in the enterprise. The offer was cheerfully accepted, and the marriage soon after consummated. About this time I finished my academical course, and left the neighborhood."

"And did you see no more of them ?" I inqui.ed, observing by the gravity that had settled upon the face of my friend that he was approaching a point of painful interest in his story. He relit his cigar, puffed at it for a moment, then detaching the ashes from the end with the tip of his little finger, resumed his narrative.

"About a twelvemonth since, I had occasion to replenish my wardrobe, and stepped into a depôt for the sale of ready-made linen for the purpose. After turning over the dealer's stock for a time, selecting such articles as came