inks I see it

t be: th' occasio

magination

upon th

of the night before, the first discovery she made was a headache and a feeling of weariness and dissatisfaction that was new to her. She arose and looked in the glas

s nor any of the other guests would be awake, they not being fresh from boarding school as she was; but the girl was so nervous and restless, and so weighed upon by her urgent resoluti

n which, when Helen learned it, prevented her delivering so quickly the speech she had upon her mi

ter?" she asked,

" said Mrs. Roberts; "I don't know ho

into a chair; but then it flashed over her that Mr.

Tell me!" she

dear," said the oth

she cried; "wh

ring the night,"

Helen. "Dear me,

other, deprecatingly;

t he ought not to be here.

has been suffering so all night that th

rd rose up before Helen just th

seems to me as if I were to have nothing but fright a

t it is certainly inopportune for you. Of

elen; she had never

uld not be possible to enjoy ourselves

girl. "The idea of so many people being inconv

, Helen, and it would not look right anyway, you know.

long will

erhaps more,"

lected with sudden relief that she could thus obtain, and without so much effort of her own, the time to debate the problem of Mr. Harrison. Also there was in her

motions, "that we shall only postpone the good time I meant to give you. You cannot possi

on that account,"

idea that I was the one to whom the fortune is coming. I suppose that was only one of your jokes, my dear, but I truly don't think you sh

protested Helen; "I realize i

re to think? It seems to be madne

waiting a while?" asked Helen,

girl in this house would snap him up at one second's notic

"But, Aunt Polly, is Mr. Harris

ot found anyone that can be compared with him for an instant, Helen.

"Understand me, Auntie," she added; "it isn't that I'd not

any wealth except by marriage; what is the

pose I don't want such a great fortune-supp

u can have the best if you want it? I tell you once for all I do not care how clever you are, or how beautiful you are, the great people will look down on you for an upstart if you cannot match them and make just as much of a show. And why can you

," said Hele

ly happy last night?"

ther, "that's just wh

g yourself with foolish scruples. Can you not see that if you once had the courage

eak!" exclai

and what you need for your happiness. It is a shame for you to make no use of the glorious gifts that are yo

r old emotion, and angry with herself for being stirred; her unspoken resolution was not quite

lf ill. You see the Fates are on my side,-I must have time to think, whether I want to or not." It was that comfort which saved her from further struggle with herself upo

the excitement," she said. "

aid Helen; "I gu

"I've been up nearly three hours myself, so frightened about poor Mr. Howard; I had ne

with a sudden wild start,

only hurry up. And put on your best looks, my dea

and please have the maid come up to pack my trunks a

unless you want to. Our house won'

are ready for me," Helen added; "in the mea

he guests spoke to each other only in half-whispers, and there were few smiles to be seen. Helen found herself placed opposite Mr. Harrison at the table, and sh

for it is not unpleasant to toy with a temptation, even when one means to resist it. At a

our little party, wasn't

irl, "I feel so sorry

at the fact perhaps accounted for the invalid's severity, but he was afraid of

own this morning, with t

somewhat to her surprise;

ose he's going to stay here

n to ask you," continued Mr. Harr

n inquired, with

the other. "I had it brought down, you know, beca

htly paler, and was s

g, then, Miss Davis?" asked

, "but I don't li

aid Mr. Harrison; "I only regret that I shall not be able to se

aid Helen, sti

added Mr. Harrison, laughing; "I should like you to tell

ame out on the piazza and cut short the conversation; Helen had no time to think any more about the matter, but she had a disagreeable consciousness th

d Mr. Harrison; "I fear I shall be happier than I oug

s, a reflection which often keeps the world from wasting

r early to star

," said her a

aid Mr. Harrison; "I mean that Miss Davi

. Harrison's presence brought; the visions of wealth and power which gleamed before her almost overwhelmed her with their vastness. But she had also the memory

muttered angrily to herself, again and again;

here were half a dozen people about her, and she was compelled to listen to and answer commonplace r

d, and almost before she realized it her aunt ha

nd gloves, and Mrs. Roberts was with her all the time. "Helen," she said pleadingly, as she watc

e alone about it!" crie

u," replied the other, "and how I've planned and looked forw

aimed Helen, "but I am so confuse

you chose. Ask yourself if it is not true; you have only to give yourself into the arms of the happiness that calls you. And you never will get rid of the matter in any other way,-indeed you will no

stand that, Aunt Polly. I'll do anything, only let me alone

sledge-hammer remorselessness. "For if you behave in this perfectly insane way an

he girl exclaimed. "He won't be any the less i

o Cincinnati in a day or two,"

irl's reply. "There is no need for so much

aid; "I hate to see you tormenting yourself and making yourself so pale; why will you not take my advice and fling all these worries aside and let yourself be happy? That is all I want you to do, and it is so easy! Why is it that you do not want to be happy? I

said, "he can never r

darted quickly out of the door, singing, in a b

he spring, tra-la-la, Have n

d his misfortune, and her heart sank; she ran quickly

is driving-cart with two magnificent black horses, alert and eager for the sport. Helen was not much of a judge of horses, having never had one of her own to drive, but she had the eye of a person of aristocratic tastes for what was in good form, and she saw that Mr. Harrison's t

, a little of the thoroughbred nature herself. She laughed gaily as she gave her hand to her companion and sprang into the wagon; he followed her, and as he took the reins the groom sprang aside and the two horses bounded away down the b

this is fin

ing, then?" as

e reply. "I like thi

nd then we will see what we can do. I came from the West, you k

ught up as she was just then. It was again her ride with the thunderstorm, and soon she felt as if she were being swept out into the rejoicing and the victory once more. She might have realized, if she had thought, that her joy was c

compelled to hold on to her hat. He saw delight and laughter glowing in her countenance as she watched the landscape that fled by them, with its hillsides clad in their brightest green and with its fresh-plowed farm-land

nd then Mr. Harrison, who must have been a dull man indeed not to have felt the contagion of Helen's happiness, told her about his own experiences in the Rockies, to which the girl listened with genuine interest. Mr. Harrison's father, so he told her, had been a station-agent of a little town in one of the wildest portions of the mountains; he himself had begun as a railroad surveyor, a

arrison, laughing; "it is the only kind I h

ork so hard in the world," sai

he other. "It is a fierce race, nowadays, and a man has to watch a

ul and awe-stricken in her relation to them. She was sufficiently oblivious to the flight of time to be quite surprised when she gaz

ired, then?" a

answered, "I enjoye

said Mr. Harrison; "these

eleven," he said, "I think there'd be time," and he turned to he

" replied the gi

one that we could just about take and return b

it?" as

ear here," said Mr. Harrison. "I thou

" Helen answered; "th

e other; "you

Helen replied, "and so I have only a dim recollection of its m

led in business," said Mr. Harris

hey came to a fork in the road, they took the one w

it. I haven't seen anything around here to equal it, and I hope to make a real English country-seat out of it. I'll te

wered Helen, smiling; "I have

mily wanted to keep the place themselves, and the three or four branches of the family had clubbed to

t?" said Helen

had made up my mind to have it. The Eversons

erence between having a good deal of money and all the money one wanted. Perhaps, also, her companion was not without some such vaguely felt purpose in the telling. At any rate, the girl was trembling inwardly more and more at the pros

nce through what had once been a handsome park, though it was a semi-wilderness then. The road ascended somewhat all the way, until the end of the forest was reached, and the first view of the house was gained; Helen could scarcely restrain a cry of pleasure as she saw it, for it was really a magnif

" the girl exclaime

d Mr. Harrison, deprecatingly. "It

ing," laughed she. "But I had no idea there was anything so beauti

aid Mr. Harrison. "The family must

ng of that kind," observed Helen. "

Wouldn't you like to look?" He asked the question as he saw

roper. Helen had never had much respect for the proprieties, however, being accustomed to rely upon her own op

glance around," continued the other,

a moment more of hesita

g of Mr. Harrison's wealth had been enough to make her thrill and burn, so it was to be expected that the actual presence of some of it would not fail of its effect. It is to be observed that the great Temptation took place upon a high mountain, where

furniture and pictures and tapestry which she gazed at with such keen delight must be forever beyond her thoughts. Just at present her fancy was turned loose and madly reveling in these memories, while always above her wildest flights was the intoxicating certainty that there was no reason w

. They were standing just then in the center of the great dining-room, with its massive furniture of black mahogany, and she was saying that it

added, laughing. (It was a picture of a Revolutionary warrior, on hor

he founder of the Eversons; there's a picture gallery in a

pt them?" asked He

hing more interesting out of it. I'm not much of a judge of art, you know, but I thought if I ever went

very few of them for sa

g things that I want," was the other

of times she had sat before beautiful pictures and almost wept at the thought that she could never own one that was really worth looking at. "I brought home

ce myself, you know. I thought of extending the house on the side that has the fine

no and just a few chairs, and the rest all flowers. The pictures ought all to be appropriate-pictures of nature, of things that dance and are beautiful;

piano taken out into the fields, the way I remember reading that Haydn used to do with his harpsichord. If I were a violinis

n; and the climax came a moment afterwards. "Miss Davis," asked

it was this moment to which she had been rushing with so much exultation; b

asked Mr. Harrison again, be

nd and desperate effort to dodge the issue.

what I mean

her frank, open eyes; but when she saw his burning look

, "I have been waiting for a chance t

d have fled; then she stood with her arms lying h

n was until last night. I know that I have not much else to offer you, except what wealth and position I have gained; and when I think of all your accomplishments, and all that you have to place you so far beyond me, I almost fear to offer myself to you. But I can only give what I have-

mbling girl beside him; that, he should recognize as well as she di

for there is nothing in the world too beautiful for you; and you should have every luxury that money can buy, to save you from all care. If this house seemed too small for you, you should have another wherever you desired it, and be mi

saw that she was agitated, for her breast was heaving, and her forehead flushed, but he could not tell the reason

nt voice, "It is not that, M

Miss

! I have had no time t

the happiness which this man held out to her; and she meant to take him, she had no longer a thought of resistance. It was all the world which offered itself to her, and she meant to clasp it to her-to lose herself quite utterl

o longer set any value on the things that I had struggled all my life to win; for you are perfect, Miss Davis. You

or the word was upon her lips, and yet it was horror for her to utter it, because she felt she ought not to yield so soon,-because she wanted some delay; she sought

vis!" exclaimed the

wish me to say?" a

u for your happiness and your glory. I ask nothing else, I make no terms; if you will do it,

n the verge, he took her hand in his and begged her to reply. "You mus

she scarcely heard it herself, but the other heard it, and trembling with d

wanted and she was stirred with no less horror than ever at the thought of the price to be paid; therefore the touch of his rough mustache upon her cheek act

oment, scarcely able to find a word to say. "Miss

do that!" she cried,

st promised to be my wife?" And the words made

, and feeling, at any rate, that he could be satisfied for the present with his success. He answered, very humbly, "Perhaps you are right; I am very sorry fo

she said, we

forget the promise

the door. "Let us go," she said imploringly; "it is al

is arm; outside they stood for a minute upon the high steps, Helen leaning against a

go now?" he a

replied, "I think s

all reference to his wealth seemed powerless to waken in her a trace of the exultation that had swept her away before, while every allusion to their personal relationship was like the touch of fire. Her companion seemed to divine the fact, and again he begged her

hood," said Mr. Harrison. "You will let

red Helen, m

nt of Helen's home, and the girl, without waiting for anyone to assist her, leaped out and with a hasty word of parting, ran into the house. She heard the horses trotting away, and then the door closed behind her, and

he glanced up again; she was trembli

she whispered hoarsely, to herself. "How c

ht ent-sagt, nur wer