into the future and grasp the full meaning of the demand Claud was making on her unselfishness. She knew perfectly well that it meant not only the risk, but judging from her brother's past history, the almost certain sacrifice of the whole provision which had been secured for her maintenance throughout her life if she remained unmarried. She saw that by giving up this her only portion, she would probably prepare for herself years of struggle and privation in the time to come: but as Philippa Conway had truly said, the sentiment of compassion was an element of overwhelming force in Frances' nature; and the thought of Claud's distress and still more of her mother's anguish in witnessing it, was sufficient to overcome all considerations even of common prudence or of herself in any way, and she turned to the young man who was watching her with eyes that were almost fierce in their eagerness, and said without hesitation, "Claud, I am myself quite willing to give it to you both for your sake and mother's, but do you think that father and Thorold will consent ?" 66 You have no occasion to ask leave from either of them: the money comes to you from mother's fortune and is absolutely your own: no one can prevent you from realizing it at any time you like, now that you have attained your majority. It will be much better to say nothing about it to our father at all, until I have paid it back with such interest as will astonish him he has become so nervous about money matters since our troubles that the very name of an investment frightens him and he is not capable of giving an opinion; he never was, he knows nothing of business. As to Thorold, since father has been weak enough to put his affairs into that man's hands—the greatest mistake he ever made in his life—you may be compelled to ask him to produce the money in a tangible shape for transfer to me, but you must simply give him your orders as your man of business and refuse to listen to a word he may say he has no right to interfere with you in any way, and if he attempts to do so, you may be sure it is for his own interest in some way, and you had better be ware of him, give him no loop-hole to object, stop him short if he attempts it, say you want the money and will have it. What business has he to interfere between you and me ?" "None certainly, he is not my brother and you are; you shall have all I possess, dear Claud, only be happy and promise me that you will not let mother be distressed about you: you will be bright and cheerful with her now, will you not? she has been so anxious to see you and to be assured that all is going well with you." Yes, yes, I can cheer her up now as much as you like, if I am sure of this money; for I can throw that odious clerkship to the winds and turn to an enterprise that will put us all in our proper position in a very short time. Frances, if you are quite decided, if you really mean to help me and will not allow any one to dissuade you from it, give me an undertaking now written in your own hand, to make over the whole of your portion to me so soon as you can reach England, to be mine absolutely and for ever, and to be used by me in any way I please: will you write out this engagement for me while I am down with mother, and let me have it signed and sealed before I leave you "Yes, I will, dear Claud, you shall find it ready when you come up on deck again," said Frances with a little sinking of the heart as her own good sense warned her how greatly she might one day repent her irrevocable act, but at the same moment she was startled by an impetuous voice exclaiming close at her ear, "I beg your pardon a thousand times over, I am dreadfully sorry to tell you that I have heard every word you have been saying for the last five minutes," and Philippa Conway, her face crimson and her eyes looking startled and troubled, came round from the other side of the heap of bales and stood boldly in front of Frances and her brother. "I never was so annoyed in my life," she said, "it looks as if I had been eavesdropping. I, Philippa Conway! I would rather have jumped overboard than heard words not meant for my ears, but I had not the remotest idea you were here, and when I first heard voices I was really not aware that I was listening to them till I suddenly discovered that I was taking in the sense of what you were saying both of you, and that I had understood it all before I had time to stop you. I do not know what you may choose to think of me, but if you believe that I was voluntarily dishonourable you are cruelly mistaken." can "Dear Philippa, how can you suppose we should have such an idea for a moment? of course it was a mere accident and a most natural one to happen in this confined space; it does not matter in the least, as I know you will never mention what we were saying, to any one, so do not distress yourself at all about it. Claud," continued Frances turning to her brother, "I must make you acquainted with Miss Conway, I have not had time yet to tell you what a friend she has become to us all;" and while he said a few words gracefully enough, as he well knew how, to Miss Conway, Mr. Amherst was seen coming towards them, his eyes beaming with delight at the sight of his son. Claud had been the one source of pain and distress which had marred his happy life, and ruined the peace and prosperity of the whole family, and he imagined that he had arrived at complete distrust and disapproval of him; but when he saw him again after their brief separation, he could feel nothing but the rapturous beating of his heart at seeing once more the spoiled darling whom they all loved so well. "My dear boy, I am glad to see you," he exclaimed, grasping his hand tightly, "are you well, and is all prospering with you?" << Oh yes, I am very prosperous at this moment," said Claud with a laughing glance at Frances, "dark days are over, father." "That's right, that will be blessed news to your poor mother, she has not been able to sleep these many nights for thinking of you; come and see her at once and cheer her up, poor dear." He linked his arm in that of his son, and turning round, met Philippa's keen eyes fixed on them both: "Miss Conway, how rude I am not to have wished you good morning, but you see, this is my only son," glancing with a look of pride at the handsome young man, "and the sight of him carried away my thoughts from every one else." "I quite understand it all," said Philippa with her kindly smile, "I am so glad dear Mrs. Amherst is going to be made happy by a sight of him too." She watched them go down to the cabir, and then she turned and fixed a long earnest gaze on Miss Amherst's face. "Frances," she said at last, "I have understood rightly, have I not, it is all you have, the whole provision for your future maintenance which you are giving up to your brother, is it not so ?" "Yes," she said simply, "but it is well bestowed to purchase his happiness, and mother's, even only for a time." Philippa flung her arms round her and held her in a close embrace for a moment, then turned abruptly away. 103 THE PURIFICATION OF S. MARY THE VIRGIN. FEBRUARY 2ND. "Almighty and Everlasting GOD, we humbly beseech Thy Majesty, that as Thy onlybegotten Son was this day presented in the Temple in substance of our flesh, so we may be presented unto Thee with pure and clean hearts, by the same Thy SON JESUS CHRIST our LORD."-The Collect. "Hail-SON of the Creator! Hail to the Son of the Carpenter! Who, when creating, created every thing in the mystery of the Cross: and haply even in the house of Joseph the Carpenter, with the Cross He was busied all the day. . .”—S. Ephrem the Syrian. THE Virgin Mother meek, fulfilled the law, JESUS beneath the shadow of the Cross, Is found as on that consecrated Day, He still abides with those who watch and pray. Ah-wicked and deceitful is the heart, And an abode for Him can never be, Till broken-contrite-cleansed in One Pure Fount, Where happy nations safe in Paradise, C. A. M. W. 104 ABOUT SOME OF OUR SACRED POETS. YOUNG. THE intention of these glimpses into the lives and works of some of our Sacred Poets, is not to serve up a dainty dish of accurate dates and concise biography for the delicate organization of our modern overfed brains; they aim at something much humbler, to attempt, if possible, to awaken a newer interest in the old stories of our great writers, and give some information about the least known ones, learning lessons where we may with heartfelt gratitude. room. Perhaps of all the Poets most quoted and least read at the present day, stands at the head, Edward Young: most quoted, because his writings abound with an astonishing richness of epigrams; it has been said, if poetry and poets could be judged by single lines, there are few who could challenge comparison with him. The reason that he is now not so much read, may be the strange inequality, and the excess of moral theory in his writings, for which the nineteenth century has no But to any one taking up his "Night Thoughts," and spending half-an-hour, or even less in carefully reading through one of the Nights into which they are divided, though there may seem to hang an air of gloom and melancholy, which is often unpleasing to a cheerful mind, over every page, yet the sunshine will make itself apparent through the cloud. There is the unmistakable evidence of a genius who, armed with a lively fancy, an extensive knowledge of men and things, especially of the feelings of the human heart, came forward as the champion of right and religion, denouncing with unanswerable arguments the profligacy of his age, speaking to men through all ages of the vanity of this life with its fading pleasures and honours, teaching to one and all the value of true piety, especially in the views of death, and to each of us that we have immortal souls which shall awake, "When the creation sleeps; When time, like him of Gaza in his wrath, And midnight, universal midnight, reigns." The turn of mind that led him to divinity, and eventually to taking holy orders was probably fostered in his younger days at the rectory of Upham in Hampshire, his birthplace, of which his father, an eminent |