uthful looks, as
a contented mind and an untroubled conscience. The two older sons are
married. Robert is settled as a clergyman in a western village, and
Albert as a merchant in the city; these with their wives, most charming
women both, are there.

Mr. Malcolm, who wondered more and more that he ever had the presumption
to suppose that such a woman as Emily Wharton could fancy him, at last
so recovered from his disappointment as again to entertain thoughts of
matrimony; and he and our friend Grace have been married about six
months, and are nicely settled in their own pretty house at Hillsdale,
where Mr. Malcolm is still the loved and honored pastor. Cousin Emily,
calm and tranquil as ever to all outward appearance, aided in the
preparations and appeared at the wedding, and it was no cause of
wonderment to any, that she was confined to her bed the next day with
one of her nervous headaches, for great excitement and fatigue were
always too much for cousin Emily.

Mr. Tom Wharton and Effie are at home too, the former no whit more
sedate, in consequence of the added dignities of husband and father
which attach to him.

And our own dear Agnes is there too, with her husband, her two little
step-daughters, and her own little boy, a noble, handsome little fellow,
but with some traits of character which occasionally cause a pang to
cross the heart of his mother; they remind her so of the childhood of
one whose sun went down so early and so sadly. But we hope much that
proper training, with the divine blessing, will so mould and guide this
tender plant, that it will grow up to be an ornament and a blessing to
all around, Agnes makes just such a step-mother as we should expect,
and her dear little girls feel that in her they have indeed found a
mother.

But long after all the rest of the large party have been seated at the
dinner-table, there remains a vacant seat, and here at last slowly comes
the expected occupant.

What, cousin Betty! alive yet? Yes, and "alive like to be," till she has
finished her century. She retains many of her old, strange habits, but
has long since given up _dying_, as others begin to expect such an event
to happen in the ordinary course of nature; indeed, it rather hurts
cousin Betty's feelings to be spoken of as a very aged person, or as one
whose time on earth is probably short. She is laying her plans for the
future as busily as any one, and it may be that her old wrinkled face
will be seen