sight of Jenny he changed his mind,--Jenny loved Mary, too.
Jenny would be delighted at the prospect of having her for a sister,
and would help him brave the storm of his mother's displeasure.

"Jenny," said he, grasping at her dress, as she passed him on her way
from the room, "Jenny, sit down here. I want to tell you something."
Jenny glanced at the fragments of the wine bottle, then at her
brother's flushed face, and instantly conjecturing that he had been
drinking, said reproachfully, as she laid her soft, white hand on his
brow "Oh, brother, brother!"

He understood her meaning, and drawing her so closely to him that his
warm breath floated over her cheek, replied, "I'm not drunk, for see,
there is no scent of alcohol in my breath, for I have sworn to
reform,--sworn that no drop of ardent spirits shall ever again pass my
lips."

The sudden exclamation of joy, the arms thrown so affectionately
around his neck, the hot tears upon his cheek, and the kisses that
warm-hearted sister imprinted upon his lips should have helped him to
ratify that vow. But not for her sake had it been made, and shaking
her off, he said, "Don't make a fool of yourself, Jenny, I wasn't in
any danger of disgracing you, for I was only a moderate drinker. But
really, I do want to talk with you on a very important subject. I want
to ask who of all your acquaintances you would prefer to have for a
sister, for I am going to be married."

"To Ella?" asked Jenny, and Henry replied scornfully, "No, ma'am! my
wife must have a soul, a heart, and a mind, to make up for my
deficiency on those points. To be plain, how would you like to have me
marry Mary Howard?"

"Not at all--Not at all," was Jenny's quick reply, while her brother
said angrily, "And why not? Are you, too, proud as Lucifer, like the
rest of us? I could tell you something, Miss, that would bring your
pride down a peg or two. But answer me, why are you unwilling for me
to marry Mary?"

Jenny's spirit was roused too, and looking her brother fully in his
face, she unhesitatingly replied, "You are not worthy of her; neither
would she have you."

"And this from my own sister?" said Henry, hardly able to control his
wrath. "Leave the room, instantly,--But stay," he added, "and let me
hear the reasons for what you have asserted."

"You know as well as I," answered Jenny, "that one as pure and gentle
as Mary Howard, should never be associated with you, who would
trample upon a woman's