rfectly
easy conscience, the most absolute silence on the subject of Sally.
While he was faithful to Regina, what reason had he to reproach himself
with the protection that he offered to a poor motherless girl? When he
was married, he might mention the circumstances under which he had met
with Sally, and leave the rest to his wife's sympathy.

One morning, the letters with the Paris post-mark were varied by a few
lines from Rufus.

"Every morning, my bright boy, I get up and say to myself, 'Well! I
reckon it's about time to take the route for London;' and every morning,
if you'll believe me, I put it off till next day. Whether it's in the
good feeding (expensive, I admit; but when your cook helps you to digest
instead of hindering you, a man of my dyspeptic nation is too grateful
to complain)--or whether it's in the air, which reminds me, I do assure
you, of our native atmosphere at Coolspring, Mass., is more than I can
tell, with a hard steel pen on a leaf of flimsy paper. You have heard
the saying, 'When a good American dies, he goes to Paris'. Maybe,
sometimes, he's smart enough to discount his own death, and rationally
enjoy the future time in the present. This you see is a poetic light.
But, mercy be praised, the moral of my residence in Paris is plain:--If
I can't go to Amelius, Amelius must come to me. Note the address Grand
Hotel; and pack up, like a good boy, on receipt of this. Memorandum: The
brown Miss is here. I saw her taking the air in a carriage, and raised
my hat. She looked the other way.

"British--eminently British! But, there, I bear no malice; I am her most
obedient servant, and yours affectionately, RUFUS.--Postscript: I
want you to see some of our girls at this hotel. The genuine American
material, sir, perfected by Worth."

Another morning brought with it a few sad lines from Phoebe. "After what
had happened, she was quite unable to face her friends; she had no heart
to seek employment in her own country--her present life was too dreary
and too hopeless to be endured. A benevolent lady had made her an offer
to accompany a party of emigrants to New Zealand; and she had accepted
the proposal. Perhaps, among the new people, she might recover her
self-respect and her spirits, and live to be a better woman. Meanwhile,
she bade Mr. Goldenheart farewell; and asked his pardon for taking the
liberty of wishing him happy with Miss Regina."

Amelius wrote a few kind lines to Phoebe, and a cordial repl