what is the matter ?" The sound of her own
voice dispelled the cloud in part, but not entirely.
She lay awhile, and then finding herself
quite averse to sleep, rose and went to her
window, and eyed the weather anxiously. It
was a fine night; soft fleecy clouds drifted slowly
across a silver moon. The sailor's wife was reassured
on her husband's behalf. Her next
desire was to look at Julia sleeping; she had no
particular object: it was the instinctive impulse
of an anxious mother whom something had terrified.
She put on her slippers and dressing gown,
and, lighting a candle at her night lamp, opened
her door softly, and stepped into the little corridor.
But she had not taken two steps when
she was arrested by a mysterious sound.

It came from Julia's room.

What was it?

Mrs. Dodd glided softly nearer and nearer, all
her senses on the stretch.

The sound came again. It was a muffled sob.

The stifled sound, just audible in the dead stillness
of the night, went through and through her
who stood there listening aghast. Her bowels
yearned over her child; and she hurried to the
door, but recollected herself, and knocked very
gently. "Don't be alarmed, love, it is only me.
May I come in?" She did not wait for the answer,
but turned the handle and entered. She
found Julia sitting up in bed, looking wildly at
her, with cheeks flushed and wet. She sat on
the bed and clasped her to her breast in silence:
but more than one warm tear ran down upon
Julia's bare neck; the girl felt them drop, and
her own gushed in a shower.

"Oh, what have I done?" she sobbed. "Am I
to make you wretched too?"

Mrs. Dodd did not immediately reply. She
was there to console; and her admirable good
sense told her that to do that she must be calmer
than her patient; so even while she kissed and
wept over Julia, she managed gradually to recover
her composure. "Tell me, my child," said
she, "why do you act a part with me? Why brave
it out under my eye, and spend the night secretly
in tears? Are you still afraid to trust me?"

"Oh no, no; but I thought I was so strong,
so proud. I undertook miracles. I soon found
my pride was a molehill, and my love a mountain.
I could not hold out by day if I did not ease my
breaking heart at night. How unfortunate! I
kept my head under the bed-clothes, too; but
you have such ears. I thought I would stifle my
grief, or else perhaps you would be as wretched
as I am: forgive me! pray forgive me!"

"On one condition," said Mrs. Dodd, struggling
with the emotion these simple words caused
her. "Anything to be forgiven!" cried Julia,
impetuously. "I'll go to London. I'll go to
Botany Bay. I deserve to be hanged."

"Then, from this hour, no half confidences between
us. Dear me, you carry in your own
bosom a much harsher judge, a much less indulgent
friend than I am. Come! trust me with
your heart! Do you love him very much? Does
your happiness depend on him?"

At this point blank question Julia put her
head over Mrs. Dodd's shoulder, not to be seen;
and, clasping her tight, murmured scarce above
a whisper, "I don't know how much I love him.
When he came in at that party I felt his slave;
his unfaithful adoring slave; if he had ordered me
to sing Aileen Aroon, I should have obeyed; if
he had commanded me to take his hand and leave
the room, I think I should have obeyed. His
face is always before me as plain as life; it used
to come to me bright and loving; now it is pale,
and stern, and sad. I was not so wretched till I
saw he was pining for me, and thinks me inconstant;
oh, mamma, so pale! so shrunk! so reckless!
He was sorry for misbehaving that night:
he changed clothes with a beggar to kiss my dress:
poor thing! poor thing! Who ever loved as he
does me? I am dying for him; I am dying."

"There! there!" said Mrs. Dodd, soothingly.
"You have said enough. This must be love. I
am on your Alfred's side from this hour."

Julia opened her eyes, and was a good deal
agitated as well as surprised. "Pray do not
raise my hopes," she gasped. "We are parted for
ever. His father refuses. Even you seemed
averse; or have I been dreaming?"

"Me, dearest? How can I be averse to anything
lawful, on which I find your heart is really
set, and your happiness at stake? Of course I
have stopped the actual intercourse, under existing
circumstances; but these circumstances
are not unalterable: your only obstacle is Mr.
Richard Hardie."

"But what an obstacle," sighed Julia. " His
father! a man of iron! so everybody says; for I
have made inquiries—oh!" And she was abashed.
She resumed hastily, "And that letter, so cold,
so cruel! I feel it was written by one not
open to gentle influences. He does not think me
worthy of his son; so accomplished, so distinguished,
at the very university where our poor
Edward—has—you know."

"Little simpleton!" said Mrs. Dodd, and
kissed her tenderly; "your iron man is the
commonest clay, sordid; pliable; and your stern
heroic Brutus is a shopkeeper; he is open to
the gentle influences, which sway the kindred
souls of the men you and I buy our shoes, our
tea, our gloves, our fish-kettles of: and these influences
I command, and will use them to the
utmost."

Julia lay silent, and wondering what she could
mean.

But Mrs. Dodd hesitated now: it pained and
revolted her to show her enthusiastic girl the
world as it is. She said as much, and added,
"I seem to be going to aid all these people to
take the bloom from my own child's innocence.
Heaven help me!"

"Oh, never mind that," cried Julia, in her
ardent way; " give me Truth before Error however
pleasing."

Mrs. Dodd replied only by a sigh: grand general