ought I was never to see
you again. I called twice, but you were out."

"Yes, I was very sorry, but a particular engagement called me from
home."

"Arthur, have you forgotten your old friend, Miss Wiltshire?" inquired
Ella of her brother, who was waiting an opportunity to address her.

"It would be a difficult task to do that," was the reply, while the
cordial clasp of the hand and kindly tone, told how pleasant was that
meeting to one of the party at least. "You should rather have inquired
if Miss Wiltshire had forgotten me, which is far more probable."

"I never forget my friends," said Agnes, with a slight emphasis on the
word friends.

"And to be numbered among Miss Wiltshire's friends, I consider no
ordinary privilege," was Arthur's reply, as he insisted on her occupying
an easy chair by the blazing fire, which the clear but chilly air of
autumn rendered indispensable to comfort.

"I am afraid you have learned the art of flattery in your travels, Mr.
Bernard."

"Flattery!" exclaimed Ella, drawing up a chair close to her friend, and
smiling at her brother, who was seated opposite; "I only wish you had
heard him, Agnes, a little while ago, in what terms he spoke of our sex,
for if you had, you would agree with me, that the title of woman-hater
would be far more appropriate than flatterer."

"Ella, Ella, that is hardly fair," said Arthur, while his cheek became
slightly flushed.

"But what did he say about us, Ella?" Agnes inquired, smiling half
mischievously at his evident embarrassment.

"Say, all sorts of things; he declared that the great majority of us
care for little else but pleasure; that the idea of exerting our
influence for good is one that we seldom ever entertain, and he wound up
his exceedingly edifying lecture by a dismal story of a lady, whose
persuasions induced a friend of his to break a promise which he had made
to abstain from intoxicating liquors, and was, thereby, led to an
untimely death."

"You have been bringing very grave charges against our sex, Mr.
Bernard," said Agnes, with a sweet seriousness, that, however unusual,
well became her fair youthful face; "and I am afraid we should have to
plead guilty in too many instances. Still, even those who appear the
most thoughtless, have their hours of reflection, no doubt, when they
feel the utter insipidity of a life of pleasure--false pleasure--and
form many resolutions to abandon it; but habit is strong, and example
powerful, and o