ved. He felt that his sister's
proper place would have been at the bedside of the man who, whatever his
sins against her, was still her husband, and was when the accident had
happened, for anything she knew to the contrary, crushed and dying, and
about to be speedily separated from her for ever in this world. But she
had not so seen her duty; she had shrunk from the pain, the sacrifice.
She could not bear the thought of the interruption to her recovered home
comforts and pleasures which the work of a nurse to the stricken man
would involve. And could Amos make her see and acknowledge that she had
erred? He feared not.

Dinner-time came. Julia was in her place as usual. There was a gloom
over all the party, but no one alluded to the sad cause. And so, things
reverted to their ordinary channel in a few days. Julia had become
again full of life and spirits, though to close observers there was
something forced and unnatural about her mirth and vivacity. And one
thing Amos noticed with special pain--it was that she carefully avoided
ever being alone with him; if they were accidentally left together by
themselves, she would in a moment or two make some excuse for leaving
the room.

Thus did things continue, till summer had given place to the rich
beauties of autumn. It was on a mellow October morning that the post
brought a letter for Amos in a handwriting which was not familiar to
him, and from a locality with which he was not acquainted. It was as
follows:--

"Dear Sir,--In the course of my duties as Scripture reader in the town
of Collingford, I have come upon a case which has greatly interested me.
The reason for my troubling you about it will appear further on in my
letter. I was calling about a fortnight ago on a poor widow woman who
lives in one of the lowest parts of this town, in a miserable house, or
rather part of it. She asked me to step into a small back room and see
a lodger whom she had taken in some days before, and who was in a very
bad state of health, and indeed not likely to recover. I did as she
desired, and found a wretched-looking man seated in an old armchair,
bowed together, and racked with a severe cough. One of his arms was in
a sling, and he seemed to be suffering considerable pain in his left
side. There was something in his appearance different from that of
ordinary tramps; and when I heard him speak, I saw at once that he must
have had a good education. I could make very litt