is no security against
such contamination of the soul as unfits it for an exalted place
hereafter."

"I have witnessed no less myself," said Mr. Amory; "but my experiences
have not been like those of other men, and my sight has been sharpened
by circumstances. I am still astonished that you should have been awake
to these facts."

"I was not at first," answered Willie. "It was only gradually that I
recovered from the blinding effect which the glitter and show of Fashion
imposed upon my perceptions. My suspicions of its falsehood and vanities
were based upon instances of selfishness, folly, and cold-heartedness
which came to my knowledge. I could relate thousands of mean deceits,
contemptible rivalries, and neglect of sacred duties which came under my
immediate observation.

"Especially was I astonished at the effect of an uninterrupted pursuit
of pleasure upon the sensibilities, the tempers, and the domestic
affections of women. Though bearing within my heart an image of female
goodness and purity, this sweet remembrance might possibly have been
driven from its throne and supplanted by one of the lovely faces which
at first bewildered me by their beauty, had these last been the index to
souls of equal perfection. There may be noble and excellent women moving
in the highest walks of life whose beauty and grace are less admirable
than their own high natures; but among those with whom I became
familiarly acquainted there was not one who could in the least compare
with her who was continually present to my memory, who is still, and
ever must be, a model to her sex.

"Gertrude Flint was the standard by which each in my mind was measured.
How could I help contrasting the folly, the worldliness, and the
cold-heartedness around me with the cultivated mind, the
self-sacrificing and affectionate disposition of one who possesses every
quality that can adorn life? You failed to convince me that Gertrude can
in any way be a drawback to the man who shall be so fortunate as to call
her his. For my own part, I desire no better, no more truly aristocratic
position in life than that to which she is so well entitled, and to
which she would be one of the brightest ornaments--the aristocracy of
true refinement, knowledge, grace, and beauty. You talk to me of wealth.
Gertrude has no money in her purse, but her soul is the pure gold, tried
in the furnace of sorrow and affliction, and thence come forth bright
and unalloyed. You speak of