Most often He who sends the difficulty likewise sends the way to escape, and if He do not...... It is the Lord, let him do what to him seemeth good. Let us veil the face like Cæsar before the inevitable, and die.

Anything, everything, better than slavery to fraud, dishonour, and sin. Those basest harbours of refuge of the weak and the cowardly. Courage! Courage! Accept!

accept everything; all the variety of terrors expressed by that fearful word ruin! As the martyr accepts the stake rather than be false to righteousness, truth, and God!

To hesitating, fluctuating, feeble natures, these things are very hard. Let us pity them and judge them indulgently; but let us rejoice when we find a cheerful, hopeful, brave, good spirit, like that of this fine girl; and bless and honour her accordingly. Bless her for an example of what people ought to do when the whole fabric of their worldly fortunes falls into dust around them.

It was the first reward of this right way of thinking, and this generous spirit of resolution, to see the delight with which her husband's eye, anxious and dim when it first opened, fastened upon her.

"That is right," he said. "I see how you mean to take it. Thank God for this unspeakable gift! - a spirit like yours."

At breakfast they sat and talked of business; and all fine exaggeration of feeling was put aside. He mourned no more in spirit for her. She lamented no more in spirit for him.

There is something wonderfully wholesome and strengthening in business real pen and ink business. Whilst they were making out bills, and calculating resources, she might almost have been called gay.

"I intend to take my father on my way into town this morning, that there may be no delay in consulting him as to what our first step ought to be."

"Of course one of the very first," she said, anxious to forestall him, and spare him the pain of having to propose a sacrifice, "will be to give up this house."

"I am afraid so my love, indeed."

"Not a doubt about that. We must make a budget as soon as we can, and look out some nook which our present resources can command. It will be hard work, I fancy, till you have sold some grand picture or another, which will set all the world in amaze; and then the river Pactolus, that you were talking about the other night, will begin to flow again."

"I fear," said he, shaking his head; "if I have to get our living, I must have done with grand pictures, and take to sign and wall painting again. Eh! Evelyn? Grand pictures are costly things, both as regards time and materials; and if one fails, ruinous things. Dear chick, you must be content to see me return to the saloons again."

"Ah! that saloon! and those days! Sweet, troubled, naughty, wilful days! Well!" smothering a sigh must be as it must be guine as you were!"

"it poor Armand!...and so san

"Never mind; all is best as it is, except our own faults. Who knows whether I ever should have become

a grand painter - probably not. I am best with my shepherds and shepherdesses à la Boucher, I did those pretty well; but I must be off. I will leave you a task whilst I am out, disagreeable enough, but best done at once let us have a list of everything we owe in the world, and then a committee of ways and means."

CHAPTER XII.

"Meet is it changes should control

Our being, lest we rust in ease,

We all are changed by still degrees,
All but the basis of the soul."

TENNYSON.

"FATHER, we are ruined a second time. My Evelyn will, I fear, prove a beggar; and we are all of us entangled in difficulties occasioned by expectations most just upon her side, but which, I fear, are based upon nothing."

Mr. Du Chastel listened to Armand's narrative with some little of that feeling which had been the first spontaneous sentiment of his son; a sort of joy that they should henceforward all stand upon an equality. Perfect love casteth out fear; but it is not always powerful enough to overcome the sense of obligation. If there were a failing deep-rooted, not to be eradicated from the subdued and well-disciplined character of Du Chastel, it was pride of this nature. Sweetened as all Evelyn's gifts had been, by the unaffected pleasure she took in bestowing them, Du Chastel could not help at times experiencing that disagreeable sensation which the French express by "être dans une fausse position:" receiving benefits, where it ought, according to the right order of things, to have been his place to bestow them.

Wrong or right, thus he felt; and it had required quite as much love and generosity upon his side to accept Evelyn's kindly exertions, as upon hers to make them.

His first feeling was therefore that of relief. The second was worthier: it was one of unaffected sympathy with the young and ardent heart, which had felt so much happiness in the idea of bringing wealth among

them.

To these first rapid reflections succeeded those more business-like, which had suggested themselves to Armand the night before; and the father and son began, with all the attention the subject deserved, to discuss the propriety of submitting to Mr. Marston's fiat; or taking steps to ascertain what was the real state of the case.

Mr. Du Chastel had no more hesitation than his son with regard to the duty of using his best exertions in his wife's favour; but the more they considered the matter, the more difficulty there appeared to be in establishing her claims; and the more desirable, in any event, that the scandal of a trial in a court of justice should be avoided.

The first thing was to ascertain whether a settlement had been made at all. This, a careful consideration of Mr. Frere's letter seemed to leave without a doubt. The next was, if possible, to gain such evidence of the fact, as being laid before Mr. Marston, would induce that gentleman either to give up the settlement, which pro