rror of my youth, as he
termed it. He was anxious to bring about a 'satisfactory marriage' for
me, an expression that makes of so solemn an act a business transaction
in which husband and wife endeavor to cheat each other. In his opinion,
the existence of my child would excite a moral repugnance, in comparison
with which the question of money would be as nought, and the whole
affair would be broken off at once, and he was right.

"'It is a matter which will be very easily settled between you and your
wife; it will be easy to obtain her full and free forgiveness,' he said.

"In short, he tried to silence my scruples, and all the insidious
arguments that worldly wisdom could suggest were brought to bear upon me
to this end. I will confess to you, sir, that in spite of my promise, my
first impulse was to act straightforwardly and to make everything
known to the head of the family, but the thought of his uncompromising
sternness made me pause, and the probable consequences of the confession
appalled me; my courage failed, I temporized with my conscience, I
determined to wait until I was sufficiently sure of the affection of
the girl I hoped to win, before hazarding my happiness by the terrible
confession. My resolution to acknowledge everything openly, at a
convenient season, vindicated the sophistries of worldly wisdom and the
sagacity of my old friend. So the young girl's parents received me as
their future son-in-law without, as yet, taking their friends into their
confidence.

"An infinite discretion is the distinguishing quality of pious families;
they are reticent about everything, even about matters of no importance.
You would not believe, sir, how this sedate gravity and reserve,
pervading every least action, deepens the current of feeling and
thought. Everything in that house was done with some useful end in view;
the women spent their leisure time in making garments for the poor;
their conversation was never frivolous; laughter was not banished, but
there was a kindly simplicity about their merriment. Their talk had
none of the piquancy which scandal and ill-natured gossip give to the
conversation of society; only the father and uncle read the newspapers,
even the most harmless journal contains references to crimes or to
public evils, and she whom I hoped to win had never cast her eyes over
their sheets. How strange it was, at first, to listen to these orthodox
people! But in a little while, the pure atmosphere