as changed. Greatly amused at what they had done, they little
thought how sad the effects of their unguarded words would be.

Five minutes afterwards, the young man named Mears, curious to see how
Clara had been affected by what he knew she must have heard, moved to
another part of the room, in order to observe her without attracting
her attention. But she had left the place where she was sitting. His
eye ranged around the room, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"I'm afraid we've hurt Clara more than we intended," he said, rejoining
his friend. "She has vanished."

"Ah! Where's Fisher?"

"He's at the other end of the room."

"We didn't say any thing against the young man."

"Not in particular. We made no specifications. There was nothing that
she could take hold of."

"No, of course not. But I wonder what is going to be the upshot of the
matter?"

"Nothing very serious, I apprehend."

"No. I suppose she will go home and cry her eyes half out, and then
conclude that, whatever Fisher may have been, he's perfection now. It's
a first-rate joke, isn't it?"

Clara Grant had not only left the parlours, but soon after quietly left
the house, and alone returned to her home. When her lover, shortly
afterwards, searched through the rooms for her, she was nowhere to be
seen.

"Where is Clara?" he asked of one and another. The answer was--

"I saw her here a moment since."

But it was soon very apparent that she was nowhere in the rooms now.
Fisher moved about uneasy for half an hour. Still, not seeing her, he
became anxious lest a sudden illness had caused her to retire from the
company. More particular inquiries were made of the lady who had given
the entertainment. She immediately ascertained for him that Clara was
not in the house. One of the servants reported that a lady had gone
away alone half an hour before. Fisher did not remain a single moment
after receiving this intelligence, but went direct to the house of
Clara's aunt, with whom she lived, and there ascertained that she had
come home and retired to her room without seeing any of the family.

His inquiry whether she were ill, the servant could not answer.

"Have you seen anything of Clara yet?" asked the friend of Mears, with
a smile, as they met about an hour after they had disturbed the peace
of a trusting, innocent-minded girl, "just for the fun of it."

"I have not," replied Mears.

"Where's Fisher?"

"He is gone also."

"Ah, indeed! I'm sorr