, else had she
never lavished the hoarded tenderness of years on one so different
from her own ideal; but that tenderness once poured forth, could never
more return to her; the fountain of the heart was dried, henceforth
she lived but in the past."

"Mr. and Mrs. Morris were an ill-assorted couple; she, gay, volatile,
possessing little affection for her husband, and, what was in his eyes
even worse, no respect for his opinions, which he always considered as
infallible. As their family increased, their differences augmented.
The badly regulated household of a careless wife and mother was
intolerable to the methodical habits of the bachelor husband; and
while the wife sought for Jane to condole with her--though she
neglected her advice--the husband found his greatest enjoyment at his
old bachelor home, and once so far forgot himself as to express to
Jane his regret at the step he had taken, and declared he deserved his
punishment. Jane made no reply, but ever after avoided all opportunity
for such expressions."

"In the meantime Mrs. Lynn's health declined, and they retired to a
smaller dwelling, where Jane devoted herself to her mother, and
increased their small income by the arduous duties of daily governess.
Her cheek paled, and her eye grew dim beneath the complicated trials
of her situation; and there were moments when visions of the bright
future once promised rose up as if in mockery of the dreary present;
hope is the parent of disappointment, and the vista of happiness once
opened to her view made the succeeding gloom still deeper. But she did
not repine; upheld by her devotedness to her mother, she guarded her
tenderly until her death, which occurred five years after the marriage
of Mr. Morris."

"It is needless to detail the circumstances which ended at length in a
separation between Mr. Morris and his wife--the latter returned to her
home, and the former went abroad, having placed his children at
school, and besought Jane to watch over them. Eighteen months
subsequent to the death of Mrs. Lynn, a distant and unknown relative
died, bequeathing a handsome property to Mrs. Lynn, or her
descendants. This event relieved Jane from the necessity of toil, but
it came too late to minister to her happiness in the degree that once
it might have done. She was care-worn and spirit-broken; the every-day
trials of her life had cooled her enthusiasm and blunted her keen
enjoyment of the beautiful she had bent her mind to t