d, with a loud nourish of merriment, and then asked: "Did
you ever hear anything so funny in your life?"

The young lady was turning white and red in an ominous manner, and was
biting her nether lip. Her answer to her mother's question was swift
and brief:

"I never heard anything so horrid," and she moved majestically away
without another word.

Mrs. Belding sat for a moment abashed. "There!" she said to herself, "I
knew very well I ought not to tell her. But it was too good to keep,
and I had nobody else to tell." She went to bed, feeling rather
ill-used. As she passed her daughter's door, she said, "Good-night,
Alice!" and a voice riot quite so sweet as usual replied, "Good-night,
mamma," but the door was not opened.

Alice turned down her light and sat upon a cushioned seat in the
embrasure of her open window. She looked up at the stars, which swam
and glittered in her angry eyes. With trembling lips and clinched hands
she communed with herself. "Why, why, why did mamma tell me that horrid
story? To think there should be such women in the world! To take such a
liberty with him, of all men! She could not have done it without some
encouragement--and he could not have encouraged her. He is not that
kind of a vulgar flirt at all. But what do I know about men? They may
all be--but I did not think--what business have I thinking about it? I
had better go to bed. I have spent all the evening talking to a man
who--Oh! I wish mamma had not told me that wretched story. I shall
never speak to him again. It is a pity, too, for we are such near
neighbors, and he is so nice, if he were not--But I don't care how nice
he is, she has spoiled him. I wonder who she was. Pretty, was she? I
don't believe a word of it--some bold-faced, brazen creature. Oh! I
shall hate myself if I cry;" but that was past praying for, and she
closed her lattice and went to bed for fear the stars should witness
her unwelcome tears.

X.

A WORD OUT OF SEASON.

Arthur Farnham awoke the next day with a flight of sweet hopes and
fancies singing in his heart and brain. He felt cheerfully and kindly
toward the whole human race. As he walked down into the city to
transact some business he had there with his lawyer, he went out of his
way to speak to little children. He gave all his acquaintances a
heartier "Good-morning" than usual. He even whistled at passing dogs.
The twitter of the sparrows in the trees, their fierce contentions on
the gras