ve.

Still he remained firm in his determination to give her to his
friend's son or no one.

Years passed by--but she continued as firm and determined in her
resolve as her father in his.

Gerald, like his father, was a noble fellow. He loved Constance, but
when he found his love was a source of grief to her, he began to set
himself to work to devise means of rendering her path in life rather
more pleasant. She did not murmur at her self-sacrifice; this she
considered her duty; but the constant and continual entreaties for the
marriage wore upon her, and made her life almost miserable.

Gerald told Mr. Lyle he must beg to resign all pretensions to
Constance; that upon examining his heart, he found out that it was as
a sister he loved her, and was not willing to render her unhappy by
making her his wife. If his father were living he would not wish it.
That he thought a promise, made to the dead, had much better be
broken, than kept by making the living miserable.

So, to carry out his views, he left home for a summer trip. After
being absent three months, he wrote to Constance that he had decided
to remain a while longer; and at the end of another month came a
letter to Mr. Lyle, saying that he was about to be married--desiring
certain business arrangements to be made--and ending by the remark,
that he knew this marriage would not meet with the cordial approval of
his kind guardian, and for this he was truly sorry; but was more than
compensated for this by the knowledge that he had the best wishes of
his dear sister, Constance, and begged Mr. Lyle to try and render her
happy, in return for her unhappiness during the last ten years.

This was a dreadful blow to Mr. Lyle, and he declared that if Ernest
Ellwood had not crossed their path that his dearest hopes would not
have been thwarted. Not for a moment did he relent.

Constance had heard nothing from Ernest since she parted from him,
except once, about five years after. She picked up a Western paper,
and saw his name mentioned as one of the rising men of ---- State--an
extract from a political speech made by him--and finally the
prediction of a brilliant career for this young man, whose talents and
eloquence were placing him before the people, who, even now, in so
young a man, recognized a master-spirit; and in all probability very
shortly he would speak for his adopted State in the halls of the
national Capitol.

This slip was cut out and treasured by her--an