ich I had quite forgotten. And, do you know, I am going
to ask you to drive home, and tell Belle not to delay dinner for me.'

The young clerical gentleman bowed in acquiescence. For him to hear was
to obey. But he felt curious to know what was the cause of so abrupt a
termination of the afternoon's shopping.

'I hope there was nothing unpleasant in that letter?'

It was presuming a good deal to ask such a question, but the young
clerical gentleman could not restrain his curiosity.

'That letter!' exclaimed Mrs. Meeker, now quite herself again--'no,
indeed; it is only a word from Augustus. What a queer creature, to send
it by such a horrid fright of a man!' And Mrs. Meeker laughed.

The young clerical gentleman was thrown completely off the scent. He
bowed and hurried to the carriage, leaving Mrs. Meeker still at the
counter.

She looked carelessly over the different patterns, and said, in a
languid tone, 'I think I will not buy anything to-day,' to which the
clerk obsequiously assented--he well knew whom he was serving--and Mrs.
Meeker left the store.

Her carriage was out of sight; first she assured herself of that. Then
she called a hack, and ordered it to be driven to a distant quarter of
the city.

The carriage stopped at the number indicated in the note. Mrs. Meeker
was met at the door by her son, who conducted her to a back room in the
third story. It was dirty and in disorder. Bottles, wine glasses, and
tumblers were scattered around, and the atmosphere was full of the fumes
of whiskey and tobacco.

What a spot for the son of Hiram Meeker to select, in which to receive
his mother's visit!

What a place for the fastidious Arabella to enter!

THE GREAT AMERICAN CRISIS.

_PART TWO._

We come, in this paper, to the consideration of the possible results
which this war might have, viewed from the beginning; of the several
modes, in other words, in which it might terminate. The most distant
extremes of possible eventuality were the entire conquest of the North
by the South, and the entire conquest of the Southern rebellion by the
North, so as to secure the continuance of the old Union upon the old
basis; or with such modifications as the changed condition of things at
the South might require. The supposition of the conquest of the Northern
States by the Southern Vandals has been already glanced at and
sufficiently considered for so remote and improbable a contingency. The
counter supposition of