e privilege of
visiting the family as a friend and acquaintance. Now that your decision
against me is known, it will be contrary to the wishes of our folks at
home; especially of my mother, whose temper, as I suppose you are aware,
is none of the coolest; you will allow me, then, to visit you, but no
longer as claimant for your hand."

"I shall always be happy to see you, Mr. Woodward, but upon that
condition."

After he had token his leave, her parents, anxious to hear the result,
came up to the drawing-room, where they found her in a kind of a
reverie, from which their appearance startled her.

"Well, Alley," said her mother, smiling, "is everything concluded
between you?"

"Yes, mamma," replied Alice, "everything is concluded, and finally,
too."

"Did he name the day?" said her father, smiling gravely.

Alice stared at him; then recollecting herself, she replied--

"I thought I told you both that this was a man I could never think
of marrying. I don't understand him; he is either very candid or very
hypocritical; and I feel it painful, and, besides, unnecessary in me to
take the trouble of balancing the character of a person who loses ground
in my opinion on every occasion I see him. Of course, I have discarded
him, and I know very well that his mother will cast fire and sword
between us as she did before; but to do Mr. Woodward justice, he
proposes to stand aloof from her resentments, and wishes to visit us as
usual."

"Then it's all over between you and him?" said her mother.

"It is; and I never gave you reason to anticipate any other result,
mamma."

"No, indeed," said her father, "you never did, Alice; but still I think
it is generous in him to separate himself from the resentments of that
woman, and as a friend we will be always glad to see him."

"I know not how it is," replied Alice; "but I felt that the expression
of his eye, during our last interview, oppressed me excessively; it was
never off me. There was a killing--a malignant influence in it, that
thrilled through me with pain; but, perhaps, I can account for that.
As it is, he has asked leave to visit us as usual, and to stand, with
respect to me, in the light of a friend only. So far as I am concerned,
papa, I could not refuse him a common privilege of civility; but,
to tell you both the truth, I shall always meet him not only with
reluctance, but with something almost amounting to fear."

Woodward, now that he had learned his fate, an