"Ir must give you great pain to refuse so many lovers, Belle."

"I never refused one in my life; Lizzie." "You don't mean to say that you accept every young gentleman who proposes? There have been five to my certain knowledge since the picnic last July."

"O no! I only refer them to papa.' "Leaving it to his judgment whether to reject or encourage?”

:

"No, indeed! He has standing orders. I have given him standing orders to reject, unconditionally, every proposition for the next two years. That takes all the bother off my mind, you see! It isn't so hard on the poor fellows, either. They don't know whether it 's papa or myself who isn't quite suited."

The two girls laughed in the sauciest manner. I could hear every word they said, my door being open into the hall on account of the heat, and theirs opposite being also partially unclosed. It was evident they thought I had gone to my office.

"But supposing you should see reason within the two years to rescind that 'standing order?'"'

“Not a bit of danger, my dear.. I don't believe in early marriages. I won't have a lover before I'm twenty, nor become a wife before I'm twenty-two. That's young enough, and too young. Besides, I expect to live and die an old maid unless papa takes me away from this stupid village. I am sure I shall never admire anybody in this vicinity."

"Then you don't admire the Doc"

Here I coughed loudly and suddenly; I was hearing more than was proper; and the next instant the opposite door banged to with start

VOL. LXVI.-41

ling emphasis. I could not help smiling at the probable dismay of the vain little witches; yet I felt very wretched as I put on my hat, went down the stairs out into the hot, dusty street, and off to my office. That earnest assertion of Miss Belle's had shaken down a very pretty castle which I had been building up on the airy foundations of a summer afternoon reverie.

A boy stood on the steps awaiting me, as I came up and unlocked my office. I knew that should have been there an hour earlier, but the day was an August one, and dinner had made me indolent.

"Mother's very bad with the neurology today. Dr. Doseall's medicines don't do her no good, and she wants. you to send her something."

Like the rest of the doctors in Brownville, I kept an assortment of drugs and put up my own prescriptions. I prepared some pills as efficacious as anything, perhaps, in lulling that rather hopeless disease, and gave them to the boy.

Looking down at his ragged clothes, I checked the customary reply. I didn't think a dollar dear for advice and medicine; but a dollar would plainly be a large sum to this shabby little fellow.

"Who is your mother?" I asked.
"The Widdy Graves, sir."
"What does she do?"

"She sews when she hasn't the neurology too bad; it's in her head."'

“Well, run home with the pills. I don't charge anything for them. Tell your mother

not to try to sew when her head is bad; and to take hop-tea when she goes to bed."

He stared at me a moment and ran away; I went in and sank down in my leather-cushioned chair, feeling a gentle complacence at the act I had performed. It soothed some of the disturbance I suffered; yet the relief was but momentary. I was soon absorbed in watching the shaking and tottering of my castle in the air; silver pillars, golden turrets, diamond windows, fairy arches, lofty towers, shimmered and glimmered and melted together in the most confusing manner.

I had come to Brownville three months ago to commence the practice of my profession. I had, as it were, “bearded the lion in his den"; for I had opened an office within a stone's throw of that of the celebrated Dr. Doseall. I had no wife, and I had no partner, nor was I connected with any of the leading families, except with that of Mrs. Ripley, who was a great aunt of mine, and whose daughter Lizzie was, consequently, my second cousin. With them I boarded. I had good looks, good character, and good testimonials. As for reputation, I had it to make! Brownville was a growing and promising town, named after the grandfather of Belle Browne, the young lady whom I had overheard in confidential discourse with my cousin. Her father was one of the great little men of the place, rich, respected, and a judge. I had brought letters to him when I came, which had been the means of my receiving a cordial welcome to the circle of his acquaintance; though I should soon have found my way there through the help of Lizzie, who was Miss Belle's bosom friend.

It was a very nice thing for me that my aunt consented to board me. She had a fine old house and grounds; plenty of roses about the windows, great cool parlors, a refined table, an excellent piano, with plenty of music of evenings. I loved and respected her, and was charmed with my gay, pretty cousin. Altogether I was settled in a manner to make the great number of young men envy me-all the comforts and delights of home, without any of the responsibility. I could afford to wait for a practice, as I had some little means of my own left over from the expenses of my education. I did not expect Judge Browne, nor any other of my influential well-wishers, to drop their old family physician and take up with a new-comer; I was not so foolish; I was content to build up a business slowly.

Only, when I saw Belle Browne, I became in haste to be rich, famous, et cetera. I could not

look at her brown eyes and browner hair— all as brown as her name-without visions of wonderful cures, acknowledged skill, rapid wealth, and rising honors seeming to hover and flit about her. Pleasant as was my aunt's house, its greatest charm to me was found in the fact that Miss Browne came there so often. I only ventured to call formally at her home, occasionally; but I saw her every day with my cousin-sometimes at dinner or tea, very often in the evening. Those two gypsies made the old mansion musical. They never did anything rude; but every deed of graceful mischief which their artful cunning could devise was enacted, and "the doctor" came in for his share of the teasings and tricks. I bore these with a patience which ought to have won their applause-it was the patience of content. They were both of them eighteen, only daughters, accomplished, and pretty. Belle was more than pretty; she was lovely; and full of spirit and girlish frolic as she was, there was something soft and womanly through all her actions-a nice reserve, too, which allowed no one to take advantage of her gayety to approach with familiarity.

Well, for three months I had been in a pleasant dream; enjoying myself without hardly stopping to question the future; and all the time, half consciously, half unconsciously, I had been building up the castle which Belle's gay speech had that afternoon demolished. I had hoped that I was not indifferent to her. I had coupled her with myself in my thoughts of the future, as my wife, when I should venture to take one; always with becoming doubt, with deferential fear, but still I had hoped. I knew it then, if not before, by my disappointment when I heard her vow that she should live and die an old maid if her father did not take her away from this stupid village. Plainly, then, she had no particular interest in any one in this village; she was too good for any of us-even the new-comer, the promising young doctor, the present lion of the young ladies, myself.

If she had made this spiteful remark expecting me to overhear it, I might have flattered myself that it was only a girlish art to excite my interest and apprehension; but they were evidently unsuspicious of my proximity until my cough alarmed them. I sat in my chair thinking it over, feeling warm, and dull, and uncomfortable. Dr. Doseall's gig, as it rolled by, raised an unpleasant dust. I didn't keep a gig, and I hadn't had six calls in as many days. Brownville was Brownville was a frightfully

healthy place, and the old doctor was very popular. I remembered what Mrs. Ripley had said to me that very day at dinner, with Belle sitting opposite, that "if I wanted to get into practice, I must get married. A wife was a valuable adjunct to a young physician."

I recalled the furtive glance I stole across the table, and the blush which I was so foolish as to have fancied I saw rising to a fair young face. Blush-fiddlestick! it was the hot day and the hot dinner. Roly-poly of raspberries in August, with boiled sauce, would make anybody blush. Iced-cream would have been more appropriate. I couldn't half entertain the young lawyer who came across the street to have a chat with me. He, too, seemed in low spirits. I recollected that he had been very attentive to Belle at the fatal picnic, where she had been so bewitching in her white dress and straw hat, and I wondered if he had been one of the five victims-perhaps the latest! I resolved that I would not make the sixth. Forewarned, forearmed. I felt relieved when he went away. Presently the town-clock struck six. Mrs. Ripley had tea at seven. I waited awhile and started for home. I knew Belle would not be there, for I had seen her pass, on the other side, on her way back.

As I loitered along I perceived the boy for whose mother I had prescribed; he was down in the dust with a quantity of marbles, and his face was smeared with molasses-candy.

"Is your mother any better?" I inquired, the weakness of human nature causing me to. fish for the thanks she had probably uttered at receiving the medicine gratis.

"She says she thought a doctor all the way from New York would know somethin' greater 'n hop tea. Anybody might know that. She didn't believe in such common stuff; she'd a notion not to take the pills."

I was about to characterize her, mentally, as an ungrateful woman when the sight of the candy and marbles filled me with a sudden conviction-the little rascal had not informed her of my generosity—he had spent the quarter or half which she had given him in this rare and exhilarating treat. When we have on our blue spectacles, the whole world is colored accordingly. This little incident deepened my misanthropic mood. Probably if I had been wearing my rose-colored ones, I should have contemplated the afternoon's happiness of this young rogue with satisfaction. He saw the suspicious look I cast upon the marbles, and put his thumb to his nose, giving me a sly

Besides, she can't help it if she is admired,' a little angry. "It isn't her fault. She despises flirting; she wouldn't be guilty of it! If the fellows will persist in making themselves disagreeable, she gets rid of them as gently as possible."

"By referring them to papa!"?

"Yes, just that way. She's so tenderhearted! She wouldn't hurt a fly if she could help it. However, we don't either of us think it hurts them much." "Hurts what?"

"The suitors, sir. They get over it without any deep scars. She has sense enough to know that even her pretty face wouldn't be so attractive if it wasn't for her father's wealth and position.”

Here I winced a little. Had not thoughts of the material benefits to be gained with such a wife cast a rosy glow over the heaven of my dreams? Yes, I had thought of these appendages with pleasure, because Belle chanced to possess them; but, if I knew my own heart, I should have loved just as deeply, have been just as anxious to win her love, if she had neither.

Lizzie went on with her reading a few moments, then continued :

"I wonder you didn't have some curiosity to hear her opinion of yourself. You coughed just at the wrong moment."

Curiosity! I would have given one of my ten fingers to know just what she thought of me; but I did not consider it honorable to satisfy my wish in that manner.

"You wouldn't have me play eavesdropper, my dear cousin ?”

"Why, no, certainly not. I didn't think of that. Besides, I'm afraid you would not have heard anything very flattering," regretfully. "Belle doesn't seem to think as much of you

as I expected she would. I told her, before you came, that she would like you ever so much. I don't see why it is. You are good and handsome, used to refined society, talented, and have an unusually fine manner, I think; and you're romantic, too; I told her so."

"Thank you for your inventory of my qualities, Lizzie. I suppose you think the last-mentioned the crowning grace of all ?"

"Well, Belle and I have always imagined we should like a touch of the old romantic grandeur in our lovers," replied Miss Elizabeth, blushing very prettily through the dimples of her laughter.

"You'll have to go to some castle in Spain for them then, I fear. Come, put away your novel and yield to the fascinations of tea. The bell rang three minutes ago. And, by the way, don't try to expound my merits to your friend. I'm no fortune-hunter; and I have not the slightest idea of being 'referred to papa' just yet."

'Oh, dear! I've hurt your pride again, doctor. You've such an uncomfortable stock of it about you that people can never quite get out of its way. That's your fault; everybody has at least one, they say. I'm so sorry you don't like each other as much as I hoped. Mamma and I thought it would be such a help to you, too, in getting into practice."

Thought what would be a help ?"

"How stupid you are. To marry Belle, of

"It's a wonder you and your good mamma didn't present the matter in that light to her mind also. The romance of the view would have proved very attractive. I hope and believe that I shall be able to take care of myself --and a wife, too, when I get ready for one. I hope to afford the luxury of marrying for love. If I hav'n't got wit enough to make my own way in the world, I can starve in my office, or poison myself with my own drugs. I sha'n't get a wife to take care of me."

"How terribly grave you are about it! I wish Belle could see you in your present savage mood. It's what I call romance-to starve out of pride, you know!" And the little thing laughed in my face as she took my arm, dragging me towards the tea-room. "But I would not begin to famish just yet-not in a land of plenty-not until the season of peaches is over, and cook forgets how to make such delicious little wafers of soda biscuits."

It was impossible to be solemn with this pretty cousin; the tea was exhilarating; the sunset breeze waved the window-curtains. If Belle

had been present to complete the delight of the scene, I am afraid I should have forgotten the warning crash-have gone to work to build up my 'baseless fabric' again.

As it was, she stayed away for several days from my aunt's house. Lizzie had to do all the visiting, which took so much of her time that I was left to the desolation of my own reflections. With no music of evenings, no flashes of wit across the dinner-table, no light forms haunting the porticos, or flirting through the shades of the garden, it was easy for me to feel misanthropical. Bitter as quinine was the powder of pride with which I medicined my mind.

The house was so lonesome I was forced to betake myself almost entirely to my office, where my most cheerful recreation consisted in watching the numerous calls made at the office of my elderly friend, Dr. Doseall. My solitary rich patient was convalescent. I was wondering one day what I was going to do for another, when there appeared at my door a messenger requesting my attendance at the house of Miss Waffle. I knew the name and the person. I had met Miss Waffle several times at evening parties; I had danced with her once at the picnic. She dwelt in a handsome brick residence of her own, was well-to-do, tolerable looking, and an old maid.

Why she had never married it was not easy to say. Worse-appearing maidens, with not half her worldly attractions, were led to the altar every day. It may be that in the freshness of her early conquests, conscious of the solid character of her merits, she had been too particular; and now, having got nearly through the woods, she was loth to take up with a crooked stick.

"Is the case urgent?" I inquired of the saucy-aired servant-girl who delivered the message.

"Don't know what you mean; but if you want to know if she 's bad, I guess she ain't dreadful. She's dressed to fits and settin' in the parlor, with a smellin'-bottle in her hand."

"I will be there in half an hour." And, at the end of that space of time, I was ushered into Miss Waffle's parlor, panoplied in all the dignity of my profession.

The lady sat in an easy-chair, one slippered foot resting on a footstool, a highly perfumed handkerchief and a bottle of salts in her lap. It must have taken a couple of hours to "get up" her elaborate invalid costume. She had rosettes on her slippers; she wore a new cashmere robe, open in front, with a tucked and