r and bright
sunshine made? To be enjoyed only by the birds and beasts? Man is
surely entitled to his share; and if he neglects to take it, he does so
to his own injury. You don't look well. In fact, I never saw you look
worse; and I noticed, when I took your hand, that it was hot. Now, my
good fellow! this is little better than suicide on your part; and if I
do not mistake, you are too good a Christian to be guilty of
self-murder. Why don't you ride out and take the air? You ought to do
this daily."

"Too expensive a pleasure for me," said Ellis. "In the first place,
with me time is money, and, in the second place, I have no golden
mint-drops to exchange for fast horses."

"I have a fine animal at your service," replied the tempter. "Happy to
let you use him at any time."

"Much obliged for the offer; and when I can run away from business for
a few hours, will avail myself of it."

"What do you say to a ride this morning? I'm going a few miles over
into Jersey, and should like your company above all things."

"I hardly think I can leave the store to-day," replied Ellis. "Let me
see: have I any thing in the way of a note to take up? I believe not."

"You say yes, then?"

"I don't know about that. It doesn't just seem right."

"Nonsense! It is wonderful how this business atmosphere does affect a
man's perceptions! He can see nothing but the dollar. Every thing is
brought down to a money valuation."

We will not trace the argument further. Enough that the tempter was
successful, and that Ellis, instead of going to his store, rode out
with Carlton.

He was not, of course, home at his usual dinner-hour. It was between
three and four o'clock when he appeared at his place of business, the
worse for his absence, in almost every sense of the word. He had been
drinking, until he was half stupid, and was a loser at the gaming-table
of nearly six hundred dollars. A feeble effort was made by him to go
into an examination of the business of the day; but he found it
impossible to fix his mind thereon, and so gave up the attempt. He
remained at his store until ready to close up for the day, and then
turned his steps homeward.

By this time he was a good deal sobered, and sadder for his sobriety;
for, as his mind became clearer, he remembered, with more vividness,
the events of the day, and particularly the fact of having lost several
hundred dollars to his pretended friend, Carlton.

"Whither am I going? Where is this