ld not consent to supply the place of the chosen object of his
love with any other image; and even regarded the classic and
romantic Miss Sallianna as wholly unworthy to supplant Redbud in his
affections. Youth is proverbially unreasonable and fastidious on these
subjects, and Verty, with the true folly of a young man, could not
discern in Miss Sallianna those thousand graces and attractions,
linguistic, philosophical, historical and scientific, which made her
so far superior to the child with whom he had played, and committed
the folly of falling in love with. So he went along sighing, with his
arms hanging down, as we have said, and his shoulders drooping; and in
this melancholy guise, reached the office of Judge Rushton.

He found Mr. Roundjacket still driving away with his pen, only
stopping at intervals to flourish his ruler, or to cast an
affectionate glance upon the MS. of his great poem, which, gracefully
tied with red tape arranged in a magnificent bow, lay by him on the
desk.

On Verty's entrance the poet raised his head, and looked at him
curiously.

"Well, my fine fellow," he said, "what luck in your wooing? You look
as wo-begone as the individual who drew Priam's curtain at the dead of
night. Come! my young savage, why are you so sad?"

Verty sat down, murmuring something.

"Speak out!" said Mr. Roundjacket, wiping his pen.

"I'm not very sad," Verty replied, looking perfectly
disconsolate--"what made you think so, Mr. Roundjacket?"

"Your physiognomy, my young friend. Are you happy with such a face as
that?'

"Such a face?"

"Yes; I tell you that you look as if you had just parted with all your
hopes--as if some adverse fate had deprived you of the privilege of
living in this temple of Thespis and the muses. You could not look
more doleful if I had threatened never to read any more of my great
poem to you."

"Couldn't?" said Verty, listlessly.

"No."

The young man only replied with a sigh.

"There it is--you are groaning. Come; have you quarreled with your
mistress?"

Verty colored, and his head sank.

"Please don't ask me, sir," he said; "I have not been very happy
to-day--everything has gone wrong. I had better get to my work,
sir,--I may forget it."

And with a look of profound discouragement, which seemed to be
reflected in the sympathizing face of Longears, who had stretched
himself at his master's feet and now lay gazing at him, Verty opened
the record he had been copying, an