t good to _himself_."

Tom said this with his back to his master, and his hand on the
door-knob. St. Clare felt his face flush crimson, but he laughed.

"O, that's all, is it?" he said, gayly.

"All!" said Tom, turning suddenly round and falling on his knees. "O,
my dear young Mas'r; I'm 'fraid it will be _loss of all--all_--body and
soul. The good Book says, 'it biteth like a serpent and stingeth like an
adder!' my dear Mas'r!"

Tom's voice choked, and the tears ran down his cheeks.

"You poor, silly fool!" said St. Clare, with tears in his own eyes. "Get
up, Tom. I'm not worth crying over."

But Tom wouldn't rise, and looked imploring.

"Well, I won't go to any more of their cursed nonsense, Tom," said St.
Clare; "on my honor, I won't. I don't know why I haven't stopped long
ago. I've always despised _it_, and myself for it,--so now, Tom, wipe
up your eyes, and go about your errands. Come, come," he added, "no
blessings. I'm not so wonderfully good, now," he said, as he gently
pushed Tom to the door. "There, I'll pledge my honor to you, Tom, you
don't see me so again," he said; and Tom went off, wiping his eyes, with
great satisfaction.

"I'll keep my faith with him, too," said St. Clare, as he closed the
door.

And St. Clare did so,--for gross sensualism, in any form, was not the
peculiar temptation of his nature.

But, all this time, who shall detail the tribulations manifold of our
friend Miss Ophelia, who had begun the labors of a Southern housekeeper?

There is all the difference in the world in the servants of Southern
establishments, according to the character and capacity of the
mistresses who have brought them up.

South as well as north, there are women who have an extraordinary talent
for command, and tact in educating. Such are enabled, with apparent
ease, and without severity, to subject to their will, and bring into
harmonious and systematic order, the various members of their small
estate,--to regulate their peculiarities, and so balance and compensate
the deficiencies of one by the excess of another, as to produce a
harmonious and orderly system.

Such a housekeeper was Mrs. Shelby, whom we have already described; and
such our readers may remember to have met with. If they are not common
at the South, it is because they are not common in the world. They are
to be found there as often as anywhere; and, when existing, find in
that peculiar state of society a brilliant opportunity to exhib