ght bravely
with despair. Presently a bright ray of intelligence, descended Heaven
knows whence, swept across his thought-pinched face. This bright beam,
growing more and more effulgent, mounting higher and higher till it
illuminated all his faculties, finally lighted up his way to become one
of the two singular men of this narrative.

"I see," he said, trying to veil the glow of triumph in his face, "that
you have not wholly mastered the problem of the eyes. True, it is only
heroes that have amber eyes. But such eyes are a badge of heroism sent
by heaven; and, though a man may not have been heroic in any outward
sense, when the essence of true heroism is breathed into him his eyes,
without his knowledge of the fact, may assume the amber hue of your
dreams. Sometimes, in the development of the spirit of heroism, this
color is only transient; in time it may become permanent. Muggie, these
dreams indicate your destiny. You should marry none but a hero, and
when he comes you will know him by his amber eyes." With this Sampey
sighed, for Muggie was looking earnestly into his gray eyes.

Had he thus, in blind self-sacrifice to the whim of a foolish girl,
cast himself into a pit? If so, what meant his light step and cheerful
smile as soon as she was out of sight?

Mademoiselle Zoe, the Severed Lady, swung in half-person and sang her
little song on a night a week or two afterwards, just as she had sung
and swung many a night before. Wondering eyes of every kind were
staring at her, and presently her foolish little heart gave a great
bound. There before her, regarding her with infinite tenderness, was a
divine pair of soft, pale, limpid amber eyes! (A woman in the audience
happened also to see this extraordinary spectacle, and it frightened
her so badly that she fainted, thinking she had seen a corpse.)

The amber eyes instantly disappeared, along with their owner, one
Sampey. A thumpy little heart in a round, plump body knew that it was
he; knew, therefore, that her destiny was come, and, most extraordinary
of all, in the shape of her good father's literary bureau! Yet what
shock there was next day, when the hero of her dreams came to her with
his ordinary pale-gray eyes, blurred somewhat and inclined to humidity!

"Sampey!" she exclaimed in dismay, tumbled thus rudely from the clouds.

"Muggie!"

"Your eyes last night--then you were a hero; but to-day----"

"A hero!" innocently echoed Sampey.

"Why, yes! Last night