r by his side. How tumultuously her heart beat with
apprehension and fear!--and the old _gentleman's_ first words were by no
means calculated to allay her alarm.

"My charming little girl," said he, raising her hand to his lips--"how
beautiful you look! A _fruit girl_!--by heavens, you are fit to be a
duchess! Such sweet blue eyes--such luxuriant hair--such pure Grecian
features--such a complexion, the rose blending with the lily--such a
snowy breast, expanding into the two "apples of love!" And that little
foot, peeping so coquettishly from beneath the skirts of your dress,
should ever be encased in a satin slipper, and press naught but rich and
downy carpets in the magnificent saloons of aristocratic wealth! Nay,
nay, my little trembler, be not afraid, but listen to me: I love you
more than words can express--you are the star of my life, and your
lustre shall light me on my way to more than celestial felicity. Hear me
still further: the world bows the knee to me because I am rich--thus do
I kneel to you, my angel, for you are beautiful. You shall dwell with me
in a mansion, to which, in point of splendor, this is nothing. I will
have a _boudoir_ prepared expressly for your use; it shall be lined with
pink satin, and in summer the windows will overlook a beautiful garden,
full of choice fruits and rare flowers; a sparkling fountain shall play
in its centre, and your ears will be ravished with the melody of birds.
You shall wander in that garden as much as you choose, and when you are
tired, you shall repose in a shady arbor, and dream of love and its
thousand blisses. In the winter season, like this, the opera, the
ballroom, the theatre, shall minister to your pleasure; and in those
places, none shall surpass you in splendor of dress or magnificence of
jewels. Say, _belissima_, will you give me your love in exchange for all
these things?"

While uttering the above wild rhapsody, (which is given at length in
order to show the temptations with which the old libertine sought to
allure his intended victim,) he had kneeled at her feet, and, despite
her resistance, encircled her waist with his arm.

And did that poor girl--the daughter of poverty--the child of
want--whose home was a garret, and who was familiar with the chills of
winter and the cravings of hunger,--did she, while listening to the
splendid promises of the rich man who knelt at her feet, for a moment
waver in her pride of virtue, or even dream of accepting h