ed in London, and had laid the foundation for what he was to do. Why, out of all these enterprises might not one turn out a prize? I must say that while his ingenuous avowals rather lowered my previous standard of the man, I felt as kindly toward him as ever, and, I believe quite as much under his magnetic, I was about to say magical, influence.

During a slight pause in the conversation, I looked at my watch. It was after ten o'clock. Suddenly I thought of Downer, and my promise to visit his family. What would they not suffer all this evening from the unexplained absence! I started up and declared I must leave. Mr. Harley would have detained me, but he saw I was urgent. So we mounted again to his parlor, where I had left my overcoat, to say good evening to madam. She was seated languidly in one of the rocking-chairs.

"This is always the way," she said, "Algernon invites a guest. Immediately after dinner, on the plea of wishing to smoke a cigar, he disappears with him to the regions below, whence he emerges toward midnight, and where he talks business, business, business."

"Forgive me," I exclaimed, "I think I am the offender this time, not your husband, for permitting myself to become so interested in what he has been saying. I will promise better behavior in future."

The lady smiled, Harley smiled, and I came away.

CHAPTER XIV.

DOWNER'S FAMILY.

WHEN I descended to the side-walk, I found a driving, blinding snow-storm had set in, for it was now the first week in December, one of those storms peculiar to NewYork. The wind blew half a hurricane through the streets, carrying the snow along laterally, and with a fury almost irresistible, into the face and eyes of pedestrians, turning umbrellas inside out, encasing the lamps with a thick crust, confusing the omnibus-drivers, and making every kind of locomotion nearly impossible. Sol Downer's residence happened to be quite as far up town as mine, but unfortunately on the other side of the city. I managed to get into an omnibus going near his home, but from which I would be forced to walk all the way to mine.

It was cleven o'clock before I rang at Mr. Downer's door. It was opened almost instantly by a tall elderly lady, neatly dressed in black, of a most prepossessing appearance, who exclaimed, on seeing me: "Oh! how relieved I am; I feared something had happened to you."

As I stepped into the hall, she discovered her mistake, and her terror was extreme. Her lips became bloodless and her eyes wild, as she seized my arm and uttered in a faint tone, "Where is my husband ?"

With a word I reassured her. "He is perfectly well.

Just as I was leaving my office he asked me to call and say he was obliged to go out of town, to return to-morrow." At the same time I put the envelope which covered the three dollars into her hand.

It was hard absolutely to convince her; that is, instinctively she felt something had gone wrong, but she was measurably relieved, and asked me into the parlor. As I was suffering from cold, after a slow, tedious ride in the omnibus, I accepted the invitation, and entered a room very inexpensively but prettily furnished, where around a table were seated two young ladies of really charming appearance, and a youth of fifteen or sixteen. The whole arrangements produced a subdued but pleasant impression. No one could mistake the quiet and unpretentious air which pervaded the apartment. I hastened to repeat my message and to explain still farther, that I had myself been detained late by a previous appointment.

"Yet, how much we thank you for coming," said the lady; we were all in such distress. Mr. Downer applies himself so hard, and is so frequently subject to ill turns, that I am always very nervous when he is out a little over his time; but to-night, oh! it was dreadful, and in this terrible storm."

As I cast my eyes round the room, and saw the evidences there of a refined and gentle spirit; saw the order of the household; saw well-educated and well-regulated children; saw what should make a person happy in his home, I thought of the hard-pushed and desperate man, who was toiling, sweating, agonizing to keep that family together. I could fancy Downer coming in from his degrading labors,

casting off the slough with which his encounter with rogues and knaves, sharpers and misers had besmeared him, and enjoying the lovely influence of that home scene. Yes, now I understood what he was battling for-to keep these safe, and screened from misery. Poor fellow! and my heart reproached me for what my heart had felt toward him of late.

In the course of conversation I mentioned that Mr. Downer and I were old acquaintances, and repeated my name. Mrs. Downer recollected, she said, but she made no allusion to former times, and our remarks turned wholly on present topics. In a few minutes I took my leave, preparing to encounter the fury of the storm on foot.

Ir proved to be a night of adventure.

I had four avenues to traverse, and the storm coming from the north-east, drove violently in my teeth. I buttoned my overcoat about my ears, settled my hat close over my face, and presenting my head combatively to the tempest I pushed I had in this way crossed from the Eighth to the Sixth Avenue, scarcely conscious of the progress made, when I struck against an object in the middle of the side-walk, and was saluted by the exclamation: "Stop!"

on.

Whatever alarm I experienced was immediately dissipated when I raised my head and got sight of the person who stood in my way. It was a girl bare-headed, without cloak or shawl; perhaps fourteen years old.

Before I could question her, she exclaimed: "Mother is dying. Wont you come quick ?”

Without a word being said, for she hurried me on too rapidly for conversation, I followed down the avenue to the next street, and turning into it, went perhaps half a block, when my companion entered a two-story wooden house, and ran rapidly up the stairs to the front room. Here on a bed lay a woman moaning and gasping, and exhibiting symptoms resembling epilepsy.