come died with him; but then Annie was such a cheerful, busy, economical little housekeeper; and with our few and simple wants we had no fears for the future. It was settled that her father should reside with us during his lifetime, which would not in all probability be very long, for the old man was sadly feeble; and the wedding day was even fixed, when I received a most advantageous offer to go out to the West Indies with a distant relative, who had always shewn me much kindness, and even hinted his intention of leaving me all he possessed. Poor Annie turned as pale as death when she first heard of it, and looked imploringly into my eyes, her own being full of tears, but never spoke a word; she waited to hear what I should say.”

"Surely, uncle, you did not go!" interrupted the impatient Frank; "you had enough for happiness, nay, it was even better to be poor, and still together!"

her tears. I do not believe that she herself thought it possible then.

"Mr. Hetherington was averse to my departure from the first; and Annie, with all her earnest and affectionate pleading, had a hard task to reconcile him to it and me. But we parted good friends at last, and as those part who can never hope to meet again on earth. "Come back soon,' whispered the old man, for my poor child will be all alone!'

"Come back soon,' repeated Annie, with a cheerful air, and we shall yet be so happy together!'

"I tore myself away; and then turning lingeringly back, saw her still standing where I had left her, with her pale, smiling face that tried to save me even a parting pang. And my last recollection of Annie Hetherington became thus associated with all that is pure and loving and beautiful in woman, haunting me for years afterwards like a pleasant dream."

"Poor girl! how lonely she must have been without you," said Kate. "I can fancy when you were really gone, how she would cast herself down and weep."

"But when are we to hear about the pretty green moss?" asked the little Alice, impatiently. We must wait until uncle comes back again to “Not just yet, I suppose," replied her brother. England."

"What a time!" exclaimed the child.

'It may have withered before then," thought Kate, sadly.

The old man went on without heeding him. "The demon of ambition never wants for an excuse when once it takes possession of the human soul. My very love for that fair and gentle girl was made the plea for leaving her. On a sudden it seemed a cruel thing to condemn one so beautiful to a life of comparative. obscurity and privation. And then we were both very young, and a few years-it was only to be for a few years-would soon have passed; at the end of which time, my little Annie should have wherewith to hold up her sweet head among the proudest of the land. Poor girl! she saw plainly how my heart was set upon it, and not a murmur escaped her pale lips; but she tried to smile, and thank me, and to hope that all would be for the best. I would have married her at once, and taken her with me, only she refused to quit her old father; indeed it was cruel to ask her to do so in his present feeble state. Once or twice my mind misgave me, when I saw the tears, restrained in my presence, gush wildly forth upon believing herself unobserved; and listened to her low, broken sobs, mingled with prayers and blessings; but for that I might have deemed her cold and passionless. It was in order to spare mine that her own feelings were so carefully controlled.

"Annie seldom wore any ornament but a little locket which I had given her, containing a piece of my hair, and fastened round her slender throat by a black ribbon. One evening, when we were alone, she pointed to it, and told me that it would be all her comfort during my

absence.

"Who knows, dearest,' said I, 'but on my return I may be able to replace it with one of

diamonds?'

"Annie shook her head.

"I could not love it better,' said she. And indeed I want you to bring back nothing but your own unchanged affection.'

"Oh, Annie! As if I could ever love you less!'

“Forgive me,' said the girl, smiling through

Mr. Cunningham went on with his story. "For the first year things prospered beyond my most sanguine expectations. Every mail brought a letter from my beloved Annie, but certained that her old father was yet alive, and that was seldom enough; and in this way I ashad become blind, and utterly helpless both in mind and body. What a situation for one so young! added to which I was not aware, owing to the secluded manner in which her life had hitherto passed, that she had a single friend in the world beside myself. I might perhaps have dwelt more upon these things, but for her own slight way of alluding to them; her watchful tenderness might cast a cloud over my own happier lot. lest the remembrance of what she suffered Annie's letters were invariably cheerful, and length one came announcing the death of her pregnant with affection rather than event. At father, and her own removal into a quiet village at some little distance. Poor Annie! she never complained, but I knew that she must be but scantily provided for, and immediately forwarded a of one whom I thought my friend. remittance for her present use, through the hands Months passed away, and again she wrote; she had been ill, and was only just recovering. She said nothing however of the money, and having no fears about its safe arrival, I carefully avoided the subject, lest it might wound her delicacy; continuing to remit the same amount from time to time."

"But was not that a false delicacy?" questioned Kate Everett. "There is no pride in

love, and a frank and perfect confidence seems only natural. But perhaps she never received it?" I might have guessed as much by her silence. I, who knew her so well," continued Mr. Cunningham" but we must not anticipate. Everything prospered with me, so that my relative had little difficulty in persuading me to stay on from month to month and from year to year. I had asked Annie to join me the first opportunity that occurred, but did not press this very strongly, knowing how her timid nature would shrink from such a step; and being quite determined in my own mind that nothing should induce me to remain away much longer from my native land. How long the struggle between love and ambition would have gone on I know not; the death of my kind and generous friend set me free at length with a princely fortune, and a constitution but little impaired by the ravages of toil and climate.

"The necessary preparations for my depar ture were soon completed, and I determined to surprise Annie by my unexpected appearance, when she was still perhaps dreaming of me as of one far away; fancying her wild joy-her fond caresses-the glad tears that I would kiss away ere they were scarcely shed; and how she would be changed into the graceful womanhood, of which her early beauty gave so rich a promise. I had brought back with me a diamond necklace to replace, as I had said, that simple ribbon; with gems for her brow and arms that a queen might have envied. Every dream of my ambitious youth had been more than realised, and she, the centre of them all, the beautiful idol of my golden shrine, was alone wanting.

"It was a bright summer day when I entered the quiet village in which Annie Hetherington had taken up her abode after her father's death; and inquiring for her residence, was directed to a small cottage somewhat apart from the rest, and perhaps even humbler in appearance; but the roses with which it was covered gave it a romantic look nevertheless. The door was open, and a woman stood at the entrance, looking eagerly down the road; her hair was half concealed beneath a muslin cap, which vied with the whiteness of her thin, hollow cheeks, and her form attenuated and poorly clad.

"Oh! uncle," interrupted Frank eagerly, why think of her hands? I would have looked only into her eyes, and read there if she yet loved me!"

Mr. Cunningham went on.

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Presently my heart smote me for my unkindness, and going up to her, I bent to kiss her wan and faded brow; and now it was the girl's turn to shrink back, but not in anger, for she smiled a moment afterwards, and drawing a long breath, said with an air of forced composure,

"You must think me sadly altered, Walter?" "I could not deny it. And then she told me something of what she must have gone through in my absence; but not nearly all, for fear of grieving me. She had never, it appeared, received the sums remitted to her, and was too proud to make known her poverty. "How thoughtless and unkind I must have appeared to you,' interrupted I.

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Oh, no, indeed! And after all, our childish attachment gave me no claim upon you.' "Our childish attachment, Annie!' "Yes, Walter; for it was nothing more. We have both grown wiser since then.' And again she smiled, and turned her sunken eyes to mine as if half hoping that I should have con tradicted her; but I never spoke a word.

"After a little time she left me, and upon her return I saw that the cap had been discarded, and her hair arranged as she had used to wear it; but it only made the change more conspicuous. There is something very sad in the vain endeavours of a once beautiful woman to hide the ravages of time and sickness, and appear as she was wont; and poor Annie could not fail to read in my manner that pity was fast usurping the place of affection.

"Whether it was my hurried journey, or the shock of finding my long-worshipped idol thus changed, I know not; but a severe illness ensued, during which Annie, assisted by an aged nurse, watched over me with the tenderest care; while repenting of my former selfishness, and Annie Hetherington! Impossible!' ex-grateful for her unceasing kindness, I resolved

"That's Annie Hetherington,' said the lad who had conducted me, waiting as usual for the postman, though it wants an hour yet to his proper time.'

claimed I.

"She recognized my voice in an instant, and started forward with a wild, glad scream of uncontrollable delight, forgetting everything but that I had come again, until recalled by the involuntary coldness with which I shrunk from her innocent caresses; but still attributing it to the presence of others, and blushing for her own thoughtlessness, led the way to her little cottage. She seemed to wait for me to speak, but no words came; and then something of the real truth suddenly flashed across her mind, and trembling too much to be able to stand, she sat

to devote my future life, if it should be spared me, in atoning for all that I had made her suffer. Once again, as I grew accustomed to the alteration, and lay watching her in the evening light, her delicate profile half averted, and the long silken lashes of her calm thoughtful eyes resting on her pale cheek, she was still beautiful to me. I longed to tell her so, and all my good resolu tions, and to ask forgiveness for the past; but my own weakness and the care with which she always avoided being left alone with me, delayed the communication from time to time.

“One night—I shall never forget that night—

"And the green moss?" exclaimed the im- Thou mark'st the sunlight on some clear lake patient little Alice.

"A wound given by a word is oftentimes more difficult to cure than a wound given by a sword."SIR PHILIP SIDNEY.

THE FAG-END OF CHIVALRY.

(A Sketch from Modern Times.)

BY WILLIAM HENRY FISK.

"Now pray copy less; have a little temerity;
Try if you can't also manage posterity."

'In England we too often alternate between a supercilious neglect of genius and a rhapsodical pursuit of quacks. In England, when a new character appears in our circles, the first question always is, "Who is be? In France, it is, "What is he?" In England, “How much a year ?" In France, “What has he done ?"