Yes madam ,-sirtu y,
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health, and she had passed most of her married
life IN the bland latirudes of the Mediterranean
She had seen Just enough, tor lesson. OF every
kind OF society the books OF the ecording angel,
and nobody could now approach her whom she
could not, at once, understand and indulge. she
had been very beautiful woman. Thought her
beautiful still Her features were regular, eHd tie
lover part OF her face somewhat OF the Napoleon


c nlould-frm and sweet Her lips had gained


in refinement what they had lost in fullness and ii
there were marks upon her forehead, they looked
more like the tender imprint of sorrow than the
hard notchings OF Time. But her eyes were still
full-full of suffused lustre-open and prodigal OF
their dear light stars in heaven-without con-
tractien-without denial-without any OF that Par
THAN disapproval so often turned backward upon
the young and joyous by the old and unsetis6ed.
The lids of those soft eyes still dropped slowly be-
fore look of affection, if shutting it into the
heart-the tears still sprung easily within them,
and n1oistened the dark orbs without flowing. She
had no more grown old than an angel doing pen
ance for human life in a mortal frame. Yet the
hair parted, and put away beneath her widows
cap, was grey.


hat | took pains to make an acquaintance
of Poyntz' party-that played wall-fower ct the
balls-that lost my vivacity, and abandoned NY
self to unprecedented moplng-that | begged to
share with Miss Poyntz her morning readings to
her aunt-that let slip some contempt at the ir-
responsible unripeness Of boy of twenty, and
some bitter MORNINGS over the irrevocabe pro-
gression OF female destinies-these signs, and
some inquiries | made as to the effect of Louis-
ana winter on complaints of the chest accompa-
nied-(the inquiries with very original ANA
teur cough-I say al! these symptoms, and more,
were set down by Miss Poyntz az demonstrations
toward her hand and sugar land-the sad parts ta-
ken for the dittdence of poverty in woong wealth,
and the whole together considered worthy of all
acceptatlon


was, of course, in most false position towards
Mrs ST. Heens My feelings in her presence were
those of an admiration SO passionate that defer
ence and respect seemed like barriers long ago
passed-so passionate, that it seemed TO me the
very fever in my suppressed breath, and the aching
earnestness of my gaze would break into utterance
with my lips shut. listened to her with breath
less delight. | spoke to her with that tone which
in her knowledge of life and love, she could not
have MISUNDERSTANDING tone in which the heart
seems to take up the function of the voice, and
echo from its own chambers in melody strange,
even to the ears of the speaker. | talked of love
-ot devotion begun in reverence--of world TO
be dlsregarded, and of my scorn for the narrow
limitations of the herd-of loveliness ripened and
deePened, and graces chastened and made angelic
by Time and sorrow. | could not speak of age. |
dared not hint at a comparison of her years with
mine. | could not, youth of twenty-say to
woman OF sixty, love you, and live but to
adore you ~ But it was in nay veins like fire.


My spirits were like extinguished embers when
was absent from Mrs. St. Helens, but Miss
Poyntz, like some others of her sex, called it con-
versation to talk exclusively of herself pro-
menaded and drove and sat for hours with the plan
tationb bred belle, and though my eyes were on the
ground, and my ears filled and spe-bound with the
remembered rustling of that mourning dress, was
complimentcd for my agreeable powers, ard was
evidently careerng under fall sail to the haven Of
Miss Poyntz's favor How much of this involun-
tary success ! owed to Poyntz's trumpeting behind
the scenes, and how much to such of the artillery
of love as found mark the archer little meant"
would be difficult to prove, without the witness
confronted in court, but, with all my innocence,
and through all my perturbations, l could not but
see this unsought prize, coming


Like a thunder. cloud against the wind


and dreaded the bursting OF the storm. We'll
might, indeed for the bolt would, Of course, reach
me through my conductor


Born East of the Hudson, was, of course, open
to impression from quarter in which Patrimo-
ny and Matrimony were convertible terms. |
thought of Miss Cymbelinc Poyntz. l speculated
on the probabilities of assimilation by the "use
which breeds habitin man''-(he voice becom-
ing softer and my harder, till they could meet
without .larring)-I recalled to mind the Turkish
art Of fattening females rice and silence, and
the French Succed0nea for shape and complexion !;
dwelt on the charms of friendship, and the lux
ures of southern cline; imaged to myself in
short, every possible alleviation to union with
Miss Poyntz, except that only which, under the
circumstances, would seem To be the most obvious
1t never occurred to me that the future society of
Mrs ST. Helens-( myself the while, in the virttl-
Gus possession of Miss nts)-presen,ed the
slightest possible attraction. On the contrary the
waters at the chin of Tanialus, etc.


Having made up my mind that could never
avail myself of my friend Imogen's generous design
IN my behalf, thought tnighly important that both
be and his sister should be spared any farther ex-
penditure of thought aud feeling on my account
yet how to communicate with him on the subject
Neither he nor she stood committed to me by a
single syllable, and it seemed as presuming to name
the matter as il unfair to leave the matter in
mystery! My head fairly ached while pondered
on the dilemma


And, all this time, did or did not Mrs. ST. Hell
ems know that loved her? What should make
her insensible to the language she had all her
life been learning to interpret? How, with every
mental faculty undmmed, should she be dull to
the love-burhened accent Of the voice. to the ador-
ing gaze to the palpabe atmos phere of worship
which breathed around herr With her grace Of
motion still Preeminenty and nicely delicate, with
her senses unimpaired, and alive to all the most
subtle refnemeuts of life and art, with eyes still
kindling, lips still quick and mobile as the aspen
form still swelling with the roundness of statuary-
was she, coa!d She be, the other hand dead her
self TO the tenderness of passion


The second Monday after the arrival eff The
Poyntzes turned out very bracing morning, with