declares herself the Bride, and consequently the heiress of kingdoms? And there is Miss Neville, of a good English family. What a strange story hers is! I read it in the papers lately. She says she has a mission for restoring the wilderness of Idumea. An angel appeared to her, and suddenly cured her of a disease in the spine, with which she was long afflicted and unable to walk, and he made her a grant of the land of the curse. After that she began to make preparations for building a capital, levying a standing army of a hundred thousand men, and purchasing the ammunitions of war. Lieutenant O'Malley was to provide artillery. She got paper money printed to pay the soldiers, as the people in her kingdom are to live by faith. She sold her plate and jewels, and spent two thousand pounds in making arrangements. But her friends have locked her up; and that's the finish." "A very likely finish too. The woman's mad."

"Not a doubt. But the idea of the Bride is not mad, though it makes women mad. Commend me to an idea that can turn people's heads. It is always a valuable one. The head does not become giddy by standing on a hassock or a chair. It is by standing on the top of the Monument or St. Paul's that the giddiness is produced. Madness is the effect of the mind standing on the pinnacle of a great idea. Whenever any one says to me so and so is a great idea, I either say or think, Has it made any one mad? If it has not, then depend upon it it is not much worth. A great idea, like a great hero, must slay its thousands." "Great ideas are formidable things, then," said Minerva.

"Most assuredly, to weak minds that cannot fight

them. But the proof of weakness or madness, such as we speak of, lies in the individual proclaiming herself, instead of awaiting her proclamation by others. She must do the work before she is proclaimed. But these mad women begin at the wrong end, and have the proclamation first. Why, you may just as well proclaim Polly Hopkins as Miss Neville, or Miss Eva, or Miss Minerva, or anybody else. It is time enough to proclaim when the curse is removed. That's the test; and that test will keep a woman sound in mind. She will never go mad if she put herself to it. As my uncle " says, A man with catholic or universal ideas cannot go mad.' It is one-sidedness that makes all madmen. The test of a man's soundness of mind is his ability to stand on the pinnacle of the Temple. That is one reason why a certain person put a certain person there."

"You're a funny girl, Eva-most sublime girl. But upon the same principle, then, a man of sound mind must be able to make stones into bread, if you take the certain person's standard of perfection for yours."

"Most assuredly. Stones which you and I can neither chew nor swallow, he will make into nutritious food. But a madman converts bread into stones, which he offers to the people to eat, and they cannot.”

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'I wish we could find a man that is not mad," said Minerva.

"You never will until you find a woman to complete him; for woman is the perfection of man. For this reason she was last created. Had man been superior, woman would have been created before him. Woman has certainly been subjected to man in the reign of evil; but the curse accompanies this order of things. When the moral

government of society begins, woman will be at the head of society. Man is more intellectual, but less moral, than woman. So long as intellect rules the world, man is superior; but no longer. Now, morality is superior to intellect. Intellect is a mere hireling, and, like a dog, will serve any master. Morality is very different. Morality has never yet governed the world. Man has governed as a soldier by his strength, as a statesman by his intellect, as a priest by his spirit, which is only church intellect, and may be good, bad, or indifferent, as it happens; but it is reserved for woman to take the lead in the moral government of the world, which is the reign of peace or goodness, for morality is always good, but intellect or spirit only sometimes. Man will be instrumental in helping woman to this Empire; he will conquer it for her. But she alone can reign. He is her vicegerent; her prime minister. But she and she only is the moral sovereign of society, and until society has a moral sovereign it cannot be purely governed. Of this I am convinced, that man can never govern it purely by intellect or spirit. But both may be very useful under queenly government. Intellect is a king, and spirit is a priest, and they minister to goodness, the empress of both."

Here Eva strutted about in theatrical style, and laughed. Minerva was too much amused and interested to start a single objection. But had she felt disposed, she could not have found an opportunity; for the conversation was suddenly interrupted by a gentle knock at the door, which was bolted. Minerva asked who was there, and received an answer in the well-known voice of Betty: "It's only me, Miss."

CHAPTER LVII.

"LA

AN UNEXPECTED RENCONTRE.

AW! law!" said Betty, raising her hands in admiration, as soon as she entered. 'My! Oh, how beautiful! Well, if ever I did see anything so charming! Oh, if I could just see you now through a gentleman's eyes! Well! I never! Oh, dear me !-oh, I wish the world was full of such sights, and that we were all such pretty creatures! Is it not more beautiful than a dressmaker to make up, with needle and thread to stitch, and pin to tuck up or tuck in? and then the neck and shoulders, and warm, soft bosom! and then see the beautiful, delicate blue veins, like streams of Paradise all over the surface! Oh, dear me !"

66

Come, come, now," said Eva, blushing; "you have said enough. I can't stand any more."

"Well, miss, I could not help it," said Betty. "I was excited. I beg your pardon for praising you. I know you don't like it! But one forgets one's self when the feeling comes on. And I have a pang-shang, as the French say, for praise, myself.”

'Well, tell me what brought you here, Betty," said Eva. "Anything wrong? Am I wanted?

'Make haste, make haste, the tidings tell,

Come haste and tell me all;

Say why so early you have come,

Or why you've come at all.'"

"Oh, Miss, I forgot it all as soon as I saw you.

I was

so delighted. Oh, it is such a pretty sight to see a pretty girl! I often think I should have been a man by right, and a wise man once told me that if the planets had been properly ruled before I was born, I should have been born a boy."

"Properly ruled!" said Minerva; "then they make women when they are improperly ruled! It was not a man that told you that, Betty; he was only an acre.” "An acre!" said Betty. "Whatever is that, miss?" "Don't you know what a wise-acre is ?"

"Oh, yes! I know. Well, I dare say he was an acre; and sure enough he made me ache, heart and head; for he told me I should have more offers of marriage than I would ever accept."

"Now, tell me what you came here for," said Eva.

"Oh, my!" said Betty. "Well, I have news-news, indeed, miss. Edward's come back; and he's just coming down here to see you both."

"La!" said Eva, taking up a shawl and wrapping it round herself, "why did you not tell us so at first? Follow me, Minnie! You receive him."

"Why, you've put me in a flurry, too," said Minerva, rising and looking at a glass; "but get along, I shall play your part if he comes before you are ready."

She had scarcely said so when a rat-at-at-at-at came