er.

Lightly as he had seemed to give her up, it had cost the General a more
severe struggle than Della had imagined. He had truly _loved_ her, old
as he was, and had not loved lightly; but he could not take to his heart
the heartless wife which she had frankly admitted she must be if he
married her; and Della had, unwittingly, skillfully touched a tender
chord, when she made the appeal to his feelings which she did. He had
felt the force of her reasoning, and had been delighted with her
frankness and her confidence; though it pained him to relinquish her, he
was too much a soldier to display his wounds; and, though he parted from
her nominally a _friend_, he was never more her lover than when he that
afternoon called her his child and bade her adieu.

CHAPTER XXVI.

Many and sharp the numerous ills
Inwoven with our frame!
More pointed still we make ourselves
Regret, remorse, and shame.
And man, whose heaven-erected face
The smiles of love adorn,
Man's inhumanity to man
Makes countless thousands mourn.

Burns.

"Wretch!" cried Wilkins, striking at Quirk with his brawny fist, as he
rose from the prostrate form of Guly--"Wretch, you have killed him!"
and, seizing the offender by the collar, with the united force of foot
and hand he hurled him into the street. The two other young men, who had
drunk less freely of the wine, and were less excited, passed out also,
expressing to Wilkins their regret at the unfortunate occurrence.
Locking and barring the door, the head clerk hurried back to Guly's
side, and lifted him gently in his arms. With the tender care of a
mother, he bore him to his own bed and smoothed the golden curls from
the wounded temple, as he laid him softly on the pillow. The old gush of
love had swept back to Arthur's heart when he saw his brother fall at
his side, and with throbbing pulse he implored Wilkins to fly for a
physician leaving him to watch by Guly's pillow.

Wilkins acceded to his request, and, going out by the alley door, locked
it after him, and dashed down the street in search of his own physician.
The sound of his heavy footsteps, as they fell upon the pavement, rang
far and near through the silent streets; and, as he sped on, their echo
fell upon his ear fearfully, and sent a thrill of something like terror
through his strong frame. He even slackened his pace, and strove to
lighten his tread that the desolate sound might not thus s