s a wee thing, but I never forgot that
girl's face. It spoke more than all the rest to me; perhaps because I so
much honor reserve in one who holds in his breast a great pain or a
great hope."

The eye that was resting upon her, softened indescribably. "You believe
in great hopes," said he.

The little figure seemed to grow tall; and her face looked almost
beautiful. "What would life be without them?" she answered.

"True," returned Mr. Sylvester; and entering into the conversation with
unusual spirit, was astonished to find how young she was and yet how
thoroughly bright and self-possessed.

"Lovely girls are cropping up around me in all directions," thought he;
"I shall have to correct my judgment concerning our young ladies of
fashion if I encounter many more as sensible and earnest-hearted as
this." And for some reason his brow grew so light and his tone so
cheerful that the ladies were attracted from all parts of the room to
hear what the demure Miss Stuyvesant could have to say to the grave
master of the house, to call forth such smiles of enjoyment upon his
usually melancholy countenance.

Take it all together, the occasion though small was one of the
pleasantest of the season, and so Mrs. Sylvester announced when the last
carriage had driven away, and she and her husband stood in the
brilliantly lighted library, surveying a new cabinet of rare and antique
workmanship which had been that day installed in the place of honor
beneath my lady's picture.

"I thought you seemed to enjoy it, Ona," her husband remarked.

"O, it was an occasion of triumph to me," she murmured. "It is the first
time a Stuyvesant has crossed our threshold, _mon cher_."

"Ha," he exclaimed, turning upon her a brisk displeased look. He was
proud and considered no man his superior in a social sense. "Do you
acknowledge yourself a parvenue that you rejoice at the entrance of any
one special person into your doors?"

"I thought," she replied somewhat mortified, "that you betrayed unusual
pleasure yourself at her introduction."

"That may be; I was glad to see her here, for her father is one of the
most influential directors in the bank of which I shortly expect to be
made president."

The nature of this disclosure was calculated to be especially gratifying
to her, and effectually blotted out any remembrance of the break by
which it had been introduced. After a few hasty inquiries, followed by a
scene of quite honest mutual congratu