little intelligence, no
originality, and only a passable personal appearance. I was constantly
drawing the comparison between him and Harry Morton. Harry was so
handsome, so brilliant in conversation--and this thought rendered poor
Mr. Langley, with all his fastidious, elegant manners, quite
unbearable to me. To think of being tied to such a man for life was
perfect martyrdom for me; and although hitherto so yielding, I showed
myself on this occasion obstinate. Floods of tears I shed, and my
mother fancied at first she could overcome my 'ridiculous
sentimentality,' as she called it, but in vain; and finding a friend
in my father, I remained firm. I felt more sorry for old Mrs. Langley,
who was, indeed, terribly distressed, but she treated me very kindly,
and exonerated me from all blame. She was, however, really very fond
of me, and had set her heart upon having me for a daughter. Mr.
Langley returned to Europe, and for many months our circle of friends
were quite at a loss to know whether he had offered, been accepted,
or refused, or whether he had only flirted with me. My mother felt too
disappointed to boast of the rejection; and, moreover, she was so
occupied in bringing out my sister, Emma, as to have little time to
think of me or my affairs. My sister was but seventeen, three years
younger than I, but much nearer my age in appearance. I found myself
now of but secondary consideration in my mother's eyes. I fear she
really disliked me then. She was an ambitious woman, and had set her
heart upon my making a brilliant match; this favorite hope of hers I
had blighted, and feeling little interest in society, I became of less
consequence, for my sad, absent manner made me, of course,
uninteresting; therefore, as my reign as a belle was over, my poor
mother now sought to dismiss me from her mind and occupy herself with
other objects.

"Harry Morton had gone to the Southwest ere we returned from our
summer's journey, and we never met again. A year or so afterward I
heard of his marriage with a dashing southern belle, and he is now a
distinguished man at the South. After these perplexing, unfortunate
misunderstandings, my health failed, and for a long while I was an
invalid, rarely appearing in society. My two sisters, Emma and Alice,
were more lucky than I, for they married happily, and with my mother's
gratified approbation--for they each made the 'best match of their
season.' Neither one was so pretty as I had been, an