seen her fighting
the battle of life can have the least idea of the self-denial, the
perseverance under difficulties, the sweetness of temper, and the
deep-seated love of that devoted girl. She goes every night, after the
toil of each day, to the door of the theatre, where she waits to conduct
her father safely past the gin-palaces, into which, but for her, he
would infallibly stray, and she spends all she has in making him
comfortable, but I see well enough that this is killing her. She can't
stand it long, and I won't stand it at all! I've made up my mind to
that. Now, Frank, I want your advice."

To say that Frank was hearty in his assurances that he would do what he
could to help his brother, would be a faint way of stating the truth.
Frank shook Willie by the hand and congratulated him on having gained
the affections of one whom he knew to be a good girl, and then condoled
with him on that girl's unfortunate circumstances; but Willie stopped
him short at this point by asking him in a tone of surprise what could
be the matter with him, for at first he had been apparently annoyed at
the notion of his (Willie's) being in love, and now he seemed quite
pleased about it. In short, his conduct was unaccountable!

Frank laughed, but said eagerly--

"Why. Willie, did you not tell me long ago that there was a fire in
your bosom, lit up by a certain young friend of Miss Tippet's--"

"Oh," interrupted Willie, "Emma Ward; ah, yes, I confess that I did feel
spooney once in that direction when I was a boy, but the fairy displaced
her long ago. No, no, Frank, I'm not accountable for boyish fancies.
By the way, I have just parted from the fair Emma. We had a
_tete-a-tete_ here not half an hour before you arrived."

"Here!" exclaimed Frank in surprise.

"Ay, here," repeated Willie; "she passes this pond every morning, she
told me, on her way to teach a family in Kensington; by the way, I
didn't think of asking whether the father, mother, and servants were
included among her pupils. Why, Frank, what an absent frame of mind you
are in this morning! I declare it is not worth a man's while consulting
you about anything."

"I beg pardon," cried Frank quickly, "your words caused my mind to
wander a bit. Come, what do you think of doing?"

"What do you think I should do? that is the question."

"You can offer to assist them," suggested Frank. "I've done so," said
the other, "but Ziza won't accept of assistance."

"