After All.

AFTER ALL .

BY HENRY CALVERT . APFIiEBY , Eon . Librarian of the Hzdl Literary Club , and Author of " A Queer Courtship , ' " The Fatal Picture , " etc ., CHAPTER XIII .

Shut round with narrowing nunnery walls . —GUINEVERE . 66 "jyTY dear sister , do not give way like this . Come , cheer up ! You know ixL this will never do you any good . Remember , Mr . Redtaper is only sli g htly hurt . " " Don't mention his name to meVictorif you love me . I cannot bear it

, , now . Poor fellow ! He has suffered much for me , and I have been very cruel to him ; but I can never be anything to him ; my heart is not mine , " ancl she again burst into sobs . " Well , well , but listen to reason . This is weak ; we all have our crosses to bear . Be brave and true , ancl Arthur Humberton may be yours yet . " " Do you think I would have him now , when he has again made love to

that pale-faced , yellow-haired , Miss Phane , with no more passion about her than a butterfly ? No , let him follow his weak fancy ; let him adore her ; worship her ; smother her with kisses until he sickens of the delicate flower , while my heart , which might have satisfied him , breaks — breaks — breaks ! Humberton I" she hissed ; " afool who cannot appreciate a true woman ' s lovebut falls in love with a doll—a woman with only half a soul ;

, audit mi ght have been—ah ! " ancl once more she wept bitterly . Victor felt that he only made matters worse in attempting to soothe her , so he wisely desisted ancl left her alone . He was sorry that his impetuous sister should have carried affairs so far with Humberton , whose heart had evidently been elsewhere , and that she should have given way to such violence .

Her parents had little power over her , and could little affect her paroxysms of grief -. perhaps she was best alone , where she could think in leisure over the past few months and their miserable climax . She had always been very wayward , ancl would take no counsel , and she generally had her own will in spite of wholesome opposition . Not that she was not affectionate and grateful in her way , but it was in an impetuous , imperious manner , full of self-consciousness ancl a kind of condescension . With Arthur Humberton , however , there

had been little of this kind of feeling . She had thrown herself ( figuratively . speaking ) heart and soul at his feet , unreservedly ; and as she had felt his resistance gradually overcome , ancl the power of her attraction became felt , her heart had gone out still more to him , ancl she made wilder efforts than ever to secure him all for herself that she might feed on his whole love . Thus had she untiringly enticed him for months , and she had begun to feel her passion returned ; she saw that soon his passion would burst its bonds and declare its full force in her power . A little longer and Humberton would have fallen at