is place upon
his mother's bosom, and he knew he had a brother. The form expanded, and
grew in height, and the hair hung in golden ringlets down to shadow the
beautiful eyes. And a tiny hand sought his, and tottering steps fell
lightly at his side. Still the form grew, till in his dream it seemed to
rise above him--not _grown_ above him; but the feet stood upon a silver
cloud, which kept rising higher and higher, till the tiny hand he
clasped in his was drawn perforce from his grasp, and still standing on
the silver cloud, the light form, the golden hair, and blue eyes, passed
from his sight; and looking up, he learned to believe it was an angel,
not a brother, which had been sent to him. And while he looked
yearningly after it, a mother's hand fell upon his shoulder, and her
sweet voice trembled as she pointed upward, and bade him follow. Then he
showed her his empty hand, from which the tiny hand had been drawn, and
stepping quickly backward, he plunged headlong over an unseen precipice,
and fell, fell far down, where all was darkness; but finding no bottom,
and shuddering with the thought that so he must go dizzily rushing
through that blackened space to all eternity! But, looking up, a
glorious light broke through the surrounding gloom, and the light form,
with the golden hair, was coming down--down with a smile of thrilling
happiness, and outstretched arms to save him. It reached him, it clasped
him to its warm bosom, and he felt a quick heart throbbing there, and
knew again it was his brother, with the sunny curls and radiant smile,
who had saved him from that bottomless pit, and mounted, holding him
upon his heart, to purer and to brighter realms.

Thus the spirits of his earlier days thronged his fancy, as he slumbered
there; but the pale ghost in his heart, pointing with its skinny finger
backward, came not to him as he lay there dreaming, with his cheek upon
his hand.

CHAPTER XIV.

"Ah! may'st thou ever be what now thou art,
Nor unbeseem the promise of thy spring;
As fair in form, as warm yet pure of heart,
Love's image upon earth without his wing,
And guileless beyond hope's imagining."

Byron.

A month went by, and Arthur during that time never once went out without
his brother, never tasted a drop of wine, nor met those companions whom
he had begun to deem so social-hearted, and so necessary to his
happiness. He seemed to shrink fearfully from the thought of comin