he scene and dropped a peg lower in domestic
show. Rhapsody believed Colonel Somebody a man of substance. He knew how
easy it was to account for the expenditure of fifteen hundred dollars a
year, but it did not so readily appear possible for a man holding the
Colonel's place and perquisites, some thousands a year, to die poor,
without estate; ergo, the Somebodies were still, doubtless, _somebody_,
and the more the infatuated Rhapsody dwelt upon it, the more he absorbed
the idea of forming an alliance with the dead Colonel's family. And the
favor with which he was received seemed to facilitate matters as
desirably as could be wished for. What airy castles, or gossamer
projects may have haunted the fancy of our sanguine friend, Rhapsody, we
know not; but that he whacked away more cheerily at his trade, and kept
up his appearances spiritedly, was evident enough. An expert and
artistic craftsman, he secured paying work, and executed it to the
satisfaction of his employers.

The industry of the Somebodies was one of the traits in the characters
of the two young women, particularly commendatory to Rhapsody; he
seldom paid them a morning or afternoon call, that they were not
diligently engaged with needles and Berlin wool--fashioning wrought
suspenders for brother, slippers for brother, or mother, or sister, or
the Rev. Mr. So-and-So--the recently made inmate of the family. The
multiplicity of such performances, for brother, mother, sister, the
reverend gentleman--_mere pastime_, as Mrs. Somebody would remark,--most
probably would have caused a mystery or misgiving in the minds of many
adventurous _Lotharios_; but Rhapsody, though, as we see, a man of the
world, had something yet to learn of society and its complexities.
Things progressed smoothly--the reverend gentleman facetiously cajoled
Miss Alice and the mother upon the issue of coming events--the lively
young lawyer, etc., etc.,--and it seemed to be a settled matter that
Miss Alice was to be the bride of Mr. Rhapsody at last.

Rhapsody, usually, after dark, in the evening, in his laboring garments,
made his return of work and received more. Whilst thus out, one evening,
on business, in making a sudden turn of a corner, he came plump upon
Mrs. Somebody and Alice! Rhapsody would have dashed down a cellar--into
a shop--up an alley, or sunk through the footwalk, had any such
opportunity offered, but there was none--he was there--beneath the flame
of a street lamp, with the