ated five o'clock in the morning, may be taken for such, telling of
sudden intelligence just received, immediate necessity, and so forth.
But after Harvey Hepton, I ought to be astonished at nothing."

"What of Harvey?" cried Dan, impatiently.

"Why, he came into my room while I was dressing, and before I had time
to ask the reason, he said,--

"'Watty, you and I have been friends since our schooldays, and it would
tell very badly for either, or both of us, if we quarrelled; and that no
such ill-luck may befall us, I have come to say good-bye.'

"'Good-bye! but on what account?' exclaimed I.

"'Faith, I 'd rather you 'd guess my reason than ask me for it, Watty.
You well know how, in our bachelor days, I used to think this house half
my own. I came and went as often without an invitation as with one; and
as to supposing that I was not welcome, it would as soon have occurred
to me to doubt of my identity. Now, however, we are both married.
Matters are totally changed; nor does it follow, however we might wish
it so, that our wives will like each other as well as you and I do.'

"'I see, Harvey,' said I, interrupting him, 'Mrs. Hepton is offended at
my wife's want of attention to her guests; but will not so amiable and
clever a person as Mrs. Hepton make allowances for inexperience, a new
country, a strange language, her very youth,--she is not eighteen?'

"'I'm sure my wife took no ill-natured view of the case. I 'm certain
that if she alone were concerned,--that is, I mean, if she herself were
the only sufferer--'

"'So, then, it seems there is a copartnery in this misfortune,' broke I
in, half angrily, for I was vexed to hear an old friend talk like some
frumpy, antiquated dowager.

"'That's exactly the case, Watty,' said he, calmly. 'Your friends will
go their way, sadly enough, perhaps, but not censoriously; but others
will not be so delicately minded, and there will be plenty rude enough
to say, Who and what is she that treats us all in this fashion?'

"Yes, Dan," cried my father, with a flushed brow and an eye flashing
with passion, "he said those words to me, standing where you stand this
instant! I know nothing more afterwards. I believe he said something
about old friendship and school-days, but I heard it imperfectly, and I
was relieved when he was gone, and that I could throw myself down into
that chair, and thank God that I had not insulted an old friend under my
own roof. It would actually seem as