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enough who had won her love. Without him her life seemed a dreary prospect, yet the more she looked at his proposal the more she feared to accept it—so wild as it was, so vague, 80 venturesome, She had promised Humphrey Gould, and it was only his assumed faithlessness which had led her to treat that promise as naught. His solicitude in bringing her these gifts touched her; her promise must be kept, and esteem must take the place of love. She would preserve her self-respect. She would stay at home, and marry him, and suffer.

Phyllis had thue braced herself to an exceptional fortitude when, a few minutes later, the outline of Matthius Tina appeared behind a field-gate, over which he lightly leaped as she stepped forward. There was no evading it, he pressed her to his breast.

“It is the first and last time!” she wildly thought, as she stood encircled by his arms.

How Phyllis got through the terrible ordeal of that night she could never clearly recollect. She always attributed her success in carrying out her resolve to her lover’s honor, for as soon as she declared to him in feeble words that she had changed her mind, and felt that she could not, dared not, fly with him, he forbore to urge her, grieved as he was at her decision. Unserupulous pressure on his part, seeing bow romantically she had become attached to him, wonld no doubt have turned the balance in his favor. But he did nothing te tempt her unduly or unfairly.

On her side, fearing for his safety, she begged him to remain, This, he declared, could not be. “I cannot break faith with my friend,” said he. Had he stood alone he would have sbandoned his plan. But Christoph, with the boat and compass and chart, was waiting on the shore; the tide would soon turn; his mother had been warned of his coming; go he must,