but without wavering in her determination, "I must go; fear not for me, dear father! trust me all will be well. I must go to him." "What will the world say, Amy?"

"I care not what it says!" and her ashy paleness gave place to a flush of indignation at the thought of such a reason for remaining away from her lover.

"Ruth would take as good care of him and better than you could," said her father, "for she is more used to nursing."

"There are," said Amy, "nurses enough and good ones, I doubt not, at the hospital; but no one can be to him what I should be. Would I let another take care of you, father, if you were sick?”

"But, Amy, think of it, for you to go alone; you a young lady to go to Hospital Island, among entire strangers, surrounded by diseases of all sorts, to nurse a young man who is your lover! how strange

"Strange, father! strange that I should go to him! and yet you say he is my lover! Strange indeed it would be if I did not go. Have I not openly acknowledged that I love him better than all the world besides? and shall I, when he returns to his country dangerously ill, without a relation in the world,

shall I stay away from him, because a certain ceremony and form of law has not been performed that in the world's opinion gives me the privilege of taking care of him? Would you have me so heartless, father?"

"My dear Amy, the customs of society require the strictest precision in a young lady's conduct before marriage."

"Odious customs of society!" exclaimed Amy, "teaching prudery and hypocrisy the true elements and foundation principle of all vice, profaning holy nature, and by always supposing, taking the readiest way, to awaken the impure thoughts which they imagine to exist. A young lady may go to parties with her neck and shoulders all bare, and dance with young and old men of almost any character, and the customs of society are not outraged; but if she goes, in the sanctity of innocence and love, to watch over her lover on his sick bed, its nice sense of propriety is wounded. Thank God, I care not for it now, father. What is the opinion of the world to me now? what will it be to me if he should oh my father! remember when you were a young man, and loved her who is in heaven."

Amy's over-excited feelings were relieved

by a passionate flood of tears, as the thought of her mother came to her mind, and she endeavored to recover her composure.

"I wish my child," said her father, much softened, "that your mother were indeed here to go with you, if you do still insist upon going, which I cannot approve of."

"Her spirit will be with me, father; trust me to its guidance and protection. Fear nothing for me!"

Mr. Weston made no further resistance to Amy's determination. He had learned that it was in vain to oppose his authority or that of public opinion, to her convictions of duty. He told her that if she was determined upon such a strange step, he should, as her father, do all he could to save her from the severe remarks which the world would make upon her conduct. He went himself and obtained permission of the proper authorities for her to go to the island, and called upon Dr. S. the hospital physician, and ascertained that he was a married man, and that his wife would be a friend to Amy; that there was a respectable matron who superintended the hospital, and with whom she could board during the time it might be necessary for her to remain at the island. The boat was to return at one

o'clock, and Amy made what arrangements were necessary to go at that time. She gave all her directions to Ruth about the management of the family, and care of her father during her absence, with such precision, such calmness, that a common observer would not have perceived the deep under current of intense feeling on which her soul was borne away from all present things; and which gave her a sort of strange unconsciousness while she was attending to the performance of these duties.

"Here ma'am," said Ruth, "I have brought you something to eat before you go, for it will really be ridiculous for you to go among all them sick folks with nothing but trouble to stay your stomach." As she said this, Ruth placed a waiter covered with the most tempting luncheon which her art and knowledge of Amy's tastes enabled her to provide.

"Thank you, Ruth, but I fear I have not time to take anything."

"Prayers and provender never hindered a journey, Miss Amy; I warrant you'll not feel like eating dinner at the hospital; and how are you going to do anything when you get there, if you don't eat something to strengthen you before you go?"

"Perhaps you are right," said Amy, and she sat down mechanically and ate something. There was a childlike submission to Ruth's judgment in her manner of taking the food which she offered, which was very gratifying to the vanity as well as affection of this most excellent personage, and encouraged her to indulge her talking propensity.

"I am proper glad, Miss Amy, that you have determined to go down to the hospital and see to Mr. Edward yourself, without minding what folks say. And what if they should say hard things against you? scandal is like dirt; it will rub out when it dries. I was in the room, ma'am, when you said all that to Mr. Weston about not caring so much for the world as you did for Mr. Edward; and it put me in mind of what Aunt Polly said once when folks talked to her about what the world would say to her for tending her sweetheart in a fever. She said, 'I have long ago done caring for the asses, and care only for Saul;' she was a master hand for quoting scripture. Oh how she did take on when he died! I was dreadful sorry for her; but it was a great comfort for her to know that she had done

every thing for him that

mortal could do; but man provides, and God