band struck up an air, "and that puts light of the early morning intimated all my philosophy to flight, except my that Phoebus was giving himself the philosophy of motion. Will Miss Ma- rousing shake preparatory to mounting tilda Moleskin so far honor me by her his fiery car and taking charge of his condescension as to allow me to illus-restive steeds? What could have destrate with her the perfection of the tained him in that musing attitude for system?"

"No, I shall not dance with you," she replied, pretending to be in a pet; "you are positively too vulgar; besides, I am engaged to Mr. Elkton, and here he comes, quite out of breath for fear he should be too late."

so many hours? What subject could have been so interesting-could have engrossed his thoughts so entirely as to cause him to be unconscious how the sands in old Time's hour-glass were running down? Was it could it have been Miss Lewison, and the thousand remembrances that might connect themselves with her? Was it Love, or was it Ambition?-Who knows? might have been either.

It

Then," said Betterton, turning to Adela, as Elkton strutted off with Miss Moleskin on his arm, "I am entirely at your mercy, Miss Lewison; for unless you accept of me as your partner, And Adela-did she not think of I shall be condemned to a state of phi-him that night, before she slept? She losophic abstraction for an interminable would have been far from admitting period of at least ten minutes !"

that she was in love; yet her heart palpitated strangely when she thought of him, and remembered how fre

"I do not think I ought to dance with you, after you have been refused by another, nor would I," said she, smil-quently in the course of that evening, ing, "but that you are looking so pitiful and desolate as to make me believe that it will be an act of real benevolence if I forget the slight, and take compassion on your forlorn condition." And she gave him her hand.

"You make me the happiest of men," said he gayly, as he led her out to join the dancers.

Carrol took his leave shortly after, though the party did not break up until a very late, or rather a very early hour, for night had made considerable advances into the morning before the guests had all departed.

she had caught his eye watching her every movement; and how hastily he had withdrawn his gaze when he became aware that he was observed. She thought, too, of what she had overheard him say in reply to Betterton's question; and she blushed, though no one was present to witness the tell-tale blood mantling her cheeks. But yet she thought she was not in love; she was pleased with Mr. Carrol, she admired him, she thought him a man of talent, a man of honor, and one on whom a woman could look with fondness and deep-trusting affection, and who was capable of warmly returning those feelings; but yet she was not in

What could have kept Carrol up so long, after he had returned home, and prevented his retiring until the gray love! Oh no! that could not be pos

sible; she had met him but twice, she
had seen so little of him, that the novel
sentiment she experienced could not be
love. Well, perhaps not, though

"Love's not a flower that grows on the dull earth;
Springs by the calendar; must wait for sun-
For rain;-matures by parts, must take its time
To stem, to leaf, to bud, to blow. It owns
A richer soil, and boasts a quicker seed!
You look for it, and see it not; and lo!
E'en while you look, the peerless flower is up,
Consummate in its birth!"

Perhaps she was not in love; though the many admissions that she made to herself in his favor, might have argued the more than equivocal situation of her heart.

CHAPTER VIII.

Churlish despite ne'er looked from his calm eye,
Much less commanded in his gentle heart.

FLETCHER.

gloom that had been wont to hang around them.

"If I were but well, I should be perfectly happy," said Edgar, in reply to a remark made by Mrs. Middleton in relation to her circumstances; "for then I could be assisting you, dear mother, instead of being an incumbrance to you, by keeping you and Kate working day and night for my support."

"Be patient, my son," said Mrs. Middleton, affectionately, "and you will soon be well. We have all more, much more reason to be grateful, than to repine, when we consider the affliction and bereavement that a kind Providence, in mercy to us, has withheld. Kate and I," she said, with a melancholy smile, "are used to work now, we neither of us mind it ; do we, Kate?" Kate went up to her brother and kissed his forehead as she replied in the negative.

"No, dear Edgar," she said, "it When that the poor have cried, Cæsar hath wept. gives us pleasure, now that we know

SHAKSPEARE.

that you will still be with us. We do not consider it toil, to work for you, and for the means to restore you to health."

"I know that your kindness is not mingled with a selfish thought, my dear sister," said he, embracing her,

It was on a fine afternoon, a few days after young Edgar Middleton had been pronounced by his physician to be out of danger, that he sat up in his bed supported by pillows. The sun was streaming through the window, and the small wood-fire blazing on the hearth" but I know how ill you can endure dispersed a pleasant warmth, and gave the labor you perform. You were never to the room an air of cheerfulness and comfort. Kate and her mother were there, and they were, as it was usual for them to be, employed at their sewing. They had all been conversing, for Edgar was able to converse now, and the prospect of his speedy recovery had partially dissipated the heavy

intended for hard work, Kate; it is hourly wasting you away.-Oh!" said he, looking in her eyes, which glistened with exuberant affection, "if Henry Fitz Osborne had possessed the heart of a man, and not of a grovelling worm, he must have appreciated you; and valued your gentle loving nature

beyond all the wealth of the universe. | which you receive from the stores will He has acted like a cold-blooded, hardly support us, much less pay our narrow-minded scoundrel, or you, at rent."

"And you have nothing to give him if he should call?" said Edgar.

"I loved him once,” said Kate, with "There was a quarter's rent due a half-suppressed sigh; "but that is yesterday," Mrs. Middleton replied, over now, and time has proved that we" and that, you know, is twenty-five are both better as we are. He, no dollars ;-but Mr. Grinder has not doubt, is gay and happy, and will wed called for it yet, and I trust he will a richer bride, and one who may be not, until we are able to pay it." happy with him; but that could never have been my lot, had I been his wife." "We shall all be happy again, as soon as you are well, Edgar," said Mrs. Middleton; "for Doctor Milnor says that he has another and a much better situation ready for you as soon as you are able to take it; and then we can look back on the past and its troubles, if not with forgetfulness, with the softened remembrance that an unpleasant dream leaves."

"I have but ten dollars now," she replied, "and on that, together with what Kate and I can earn, we can manage to live for some weeks. If Mr. Grinder will only give us a little time—and I dare say he will-we shall do very well."

"But suppose he will not wait, mother," said Edgar, "what are we to do.

then ?"

"In that case," said Mrs. Middleton, "we will be obliged to give him the little that we have, and induce him to be lenient with us, until we can raise the balance. I could not ask Doctor Milnor for any pecuniary assistance; for after all his kindness, it would appear

"I am sure," said Edgar, "I feel as grateful to Doctor Milnor as it is possible to feel for his kindness to me, and to us all; and I shall always endeavor to act in such a manner as to be worthy of it, and to convince him that it has not been misplaced. As soon as I can enter on my new em-like an imposition on his good-nature.” ployment, we shall all be more comfortable than we have been; but in the mean time, while I am unable to rise from my bed, or attend to business, what are we to do? We have not the means to live: the scanty pittance her face had become paler still than

She was interrupted by a loud knocking at the door, which put an end to the conversation. Kate got up to answer the summons, and when she returned, after an absence of scarcely a moment,

usual, and her voice was slightly | care that the advantage in those small tremulous. matters should be always on his side. said, in Yet Mr. Gregory Grinder, notwith

"It is Mr. Grinder," she reply to her mother's look of inquiry; standing these little peculiarities, was a pleasant man, and a lively man, and

"he has come for the rent."

cuous.

a shrewd man; and in company, was called a right jovial, clever fellow.

“Very well, my dear," said Mrs. Middleton, as she arose to leave the room, "I will see him immediately." For he had a laugh, and a joke to Mr. Gregory Grinder was a short, suit all occasions; whether he sat at stout man, with a very round head, the festive board and drained the wineand a very red face; he had a pair of goblet, or rather the brandy-tumbler, small gray eyes, and a nose that would (for he generally had a preference for have appeared quite insignificant, had liquor in that shape,) or whether he it not been for the modest purple blush had an unfortunate tenant, who, by that it wore continually; and which some unaccountable negligence, he had blush, unlike the effects of modesty in allowed to get in arrear for rent, and general, rendered it perfectly conspi- upon whose chattels he was obliged to levy in order to make himself secure -no matter how poor they might be, nor how numerous; no matter whether it was an unfortunate mechanic with a large family, whom the times had deprived of work; or a poor widow with a number of orphan children around her as they left their home, and all their earthly goods behind them, the kind! clever! and jovial! Mr. Grinder would endeavor to relieve their desolation, and mitigate the pangs of unpitied destitution, by uttering a broad jest, or by indulging in a coarse allusion to their circumstances, which he intended that they should consider witty.

Mr. Gregory Grinder was a man who was said to be well to do in the world: he was a speculating man, a man of property, and a friend to the poor! that is to say-for we would not willingly lead the reader astray as to Mr. Grinder's character-he built the smallest possible houses for them to live in, at the smallest possible expense to himself, and in the smallest possible streets; and received in return from them the highest possible rents, and always took care to have those rents paid in advance.

Mr. Gregory Grinder had commenced life with the maxim of taking care of the pence, and letting the He had hitherto had no cause to pounds which the promulgator of the complain of Mrs. Middleton as а apothegm probably considered had ar-tenant, for amidst all her distresses rived at years of discretion-take care she had managed to pay her rent in of themselves; and he had invariably advance, as soon as he had called for acted up to it; for he was never it; indeed, she had not given him the known, in the way of business, to lose trouble of calling, for she always went even a half-cent that he thought he to him the day it was due, and paid was entitled to; but he rather took it; and that was the reason why, in

this instance, he had allowed her a "that your son should be sick,-I am day's grace; for, expecting to see her very sorry for you, but their rent, is as usual, he thought he would econo- what tenants should be careful always mize time and labor, besides exhibiting to keep by them; for tenants, Mrs. a degree of forbearance, by waiting Middleton, may be made very uncomuntil she brought it to him. But, fortable-very uncomfortable indeed, finding that she did not come at the expected time, he could not conscientiously permit a second day to pass without visiting her.

if their rents are not paid; and landlords must live, ma'am; we must live

and we can't live upon air ;—we are not chameleons, ma'am; we can't live upon promises, for promises, you know, are but air; promises are but air, empty, unsubstantial air, ma'am.

"I thought I shouldn't have had to trouble you, Mrs. Middleton," said he, making a sprightly bow to that lady as she entered the room, "but we are Ha! ha! ha!" and Mr. Grinder entering into a new quarter, ma'am, laughed heartily at his own facetiousbefore it's settled for; and I like ness. And the idea of Mr. Grinder's punctuality in business. Punctuality, rotund figure subsisting upon any subma'am, some great man says, is the stance of an aerial nature, was a ,soul of business." supremely ludicrous one, and might have excited a laugh in even a graver personage than Mr. Grinder.

"I am very sorry, Mr. Grinder," said she, "that I should have kept you waiting even an hour; but during the "I regret my inability to conform to last month my son has been very illyour wishes, sir," said Mrs. Middleton, (he is still confined to his bed)-so ill" but none of us can anticipate misforthat from moment to moment I feared tune; or if we could, we could not alI should have lost him. In consequence of that, I have been able to do scarcely any thing myself; and the little means I had, have been almost all expended to make him comfortable."

While Mrs. Middleton was speaking, the smile that had irradiated Mr. Grinder's countenance on her entrance, gradually disappeared, and gave place to an ominous, and savagely virtuous frown. He half-closed his little eyes, and he pursed up his mouth so that not even the shadow of a smile should display itself to give a contradiction to the rest of his features.

"It's a pity, Mrs. Middleton, it's a pity, ma'am," said he, abstractedly,

ways provide against it. You know that I have been punctual with the rent as long as I have lived in your house; and now, if you will grant me an indulgence for three or four weeks, I shall be able to pay you all that is due."

"It can't be done, Mrs. Middleton ; it can't be done, ma'am!" said Mr. Grinder, positively. "I never let my tenants get so far in arrear. It's a bad precedent, ma'am; it's a bad precedent; and if I do it for you, I must do it for some other tenants; and so I should go on, until, in a little while, I would receive no rents at all. We must take care of number One, ma'am-we must take care of number One; that's the