hine on them," said the old man,
with a sneer; "so is a mirage in the desert; so are the apples on the
shores of the Dead Sea. But she is yours. You'll find no trouble in
winning her, even at the sacrifice of her creed. She is of the earth
earthy, and will willingly escape from such a miserable home as this."

"Mr. Stillinghast, I do not wish to feel that this is quite a _barter_.
Your niece would grace a throne, and I am vain enough to think that I
have qualities which may win her regard."

"Bosh! fool! All mankind are fools! But leave me--goodnight. Make
your arrangements to move to my counting-house to-morrow."

"My fortune is made. The 'Cedars' will not pass into other hands,"
thought Walter Jerrold, as he left the house.

The next day May went to see old Mabel, who was quite sick; and while
she was gone, Mrs. Jerrold called with her son. The proud, worldly
woman, was enchanted with the elegance and beauty of Helen, and, ere
she left her, had engaged her in a round of engagements; soirees--the
opera, and dinner parties, rung like music in Helen's ears, who, half
wild with joy, could scarcely repress her emotions from breaking out in
some ill-bred expressions of delight. Without a moment's reflection,
she consented to attend St. Paul's Church the next Sunday morning, at
eleven o'clock, and hear the well-meaning Protestant clergyman who
officiated there. "You will see the best people in town there; it is
considered one of the most elegant congregations in the city." By the
_best_ people, Mrs. Jerrold meant the leaders of the town, and had not
the remotest idea that she was holding out a false inducement, or
saying any thing at all incompatible with the spirit of Christianity.

"I will call for you in my carriage, Miss Stillinghast, with Walter,"
continued the lady, touching Helen's cheek with her lips.

And after this Helen quite withdrew herself from the domestic cares of
the house to attend exclusively to her toilette--her music--her walks
and drives with Jerrold, and visits to his mother. Mr. Stillinghast
seemed not to observe what was going on, and May, anxious to shield her
from his displeasure, which she supposed would be excited by this
neglect, went on in her old routine, as if nothing had ever occurred to
interrupt it. Thus weeks rolled by, and Helen was the affianced wife
of Walter Jerrold; forgetful of the demands of religion, and turning a
deaf ear to the whispers of conscience, and a col