THE 
 
 'OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 BT 
 
 T. S. ARTHUR. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 
 G. G. EVANS, 439 CHESTNUT STREET. 
 1860.
 
 Entered, according to Act of Congress, In the year 1858, by 
 
 CHARLES SCBIBNER, 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District CVrart of the United State* tor tb 
 Southern District of New York.
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 THE author of the " Old Man's Bride" has 
 1 tie to say in regard to the story, beyond the 
 s .aple declaration, that it has been written 
 w.?th, perhaps, more than common earnestness, 
 and with a directness of purpose that never 
 permitted him to lose sight of the important 
 social lesson he was aiming to teach ; a lesson 
 much needed in the present time, and one that 
 cannot be studied too closely. Marriage is too 
 important a contract to be entered into lightly. 
 Those who make it a matter of bargain and 
 sale, we care not under what pressure from 
 outwaid circumstances, commit an error most 
 fatal to their happiness ; and inflict a wrong 
 
 2073073
 
 VI INTRODUCTION. 
 
 upon themselves, it may be upon others, which 
 nothing can ever fully repair. To set this forth 
 in strong light, is the design of the present 
 volume.
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE, 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 IT was on a dark, cold, rainy morning, late in 
 November, that Helen Lee came down from her room, 
 with a thin shawl drawn around her shoulders. She 
 had nearly reached the street door when her steps 
 were arrested by her mother's voice. 
 
 " You're not going out on such a morning as this, 
 Helen, surely !" said Mrs. Lee. 
 
 " Oh yes " replied the young girl, in cheerful tones. 
 a I must give my lessons, you know." 
 
 " But you will not be expected, Helen. And even if 
 you were, a regard for health should keep you at home 
 on a day like this." 
 
 " I have on my thick shoes, mother," returned 
 Helen, in the same cheerful tones with which she had
 
 6 THE OLD MAN'b BRIDE. 
 
 at first spoken. " And you know I am warmly clothed 
 I shall not feel the cold." 
 
 Warmly clothed! Her garments were more fitting 
 the month of June ! Thick shoes ? A wafer might be 
 called thick as well ! 
 
 " Don't go, Helen," said Mrs. Lee in an almost plead- 
 ing voice. She was not deceived by her daughter's 
 words. 
 
 " I must go, mother," returned Helen, now speaking 
 more seriously. " I cannot afford to miss giving a 
 single lesson. But don't feel worried about me. Good 
 by I will be home by twelve o'clock." 
 
 And, saying this, the brave-hearted girl turned 
 quickly away, and went forth on her errand. 
 
 As she closed the door, and stepped upon the pave- 
 ment, the rushing wind swept against her, and pene- 
 trated, almost in an instant, her thin garments, causing 
 a chill to run through her slender frame ; and almost 
 as quickly did she feel the dampness reach her feet 
 from the wet pavement. 
 
 But she shrunk not in the cold blast, for the earnest 
 and high purpose that was in her heart, lifted her abova 
 tl e consciousness of physical suffering like this. 
 
 Helen Lee, an only child, was now in her twenty- 
 second year. Her parents were in reduced circumstan- 
 ces. But they had once been moderately well off
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 9 
 
 There had been no withholding of means, on their pait, 
 so far as the education of their child was concerned ; 
 and in the dark days of their adversity she was repay- 
 ing them for all their care and affection. Ills of life 
 too rarely come aloue. This was the experience of Mr. 
 and Mrs. Lee. Very soon after the former failed in 
 business, his health became so bad that even the small- 
 est mental or bodily exertion was attended with danger 
 ous consequences ; and the physician enjoined the most 
 perfect quiet, as absolutely necessary. 
 
 In this unhappy extremity, Mrs. Lee found herself 
 almost helpless. What could she do to support tba 
 family ! In vain did she ask this question. She had 
 no resources in herself. 
 
 But now it was that the seed sown in their daugh- 
 ter's mind began to germinate. The true affection 
 which Helen had for her parents, led her thoughts to 
 the projection of means whereby to serve them. She 
 had been well educated in most of the branches taught 
 in schools, and her first effort was tc endeavor to get a 
 situation as an assistant in some established female 
 academy. But, this she found no easy matter. She 
 next endeavored to get music scholars, and was suc- 
 cessfut in procuring a few, the instruction of which was 
 immediately commenced. From these, the income was
 
 10 THE OLD MAN S BRIDE. 
 
 not large ; yet it was something, and helped to eke out 
 their slender resources, that were fast melting away. 
 
 Months went by, and then one sacri6ce after another 
 
 having been made, the family found itself reduced to 
 
 n entire dependence on Helen's income, which was 
 
 now swelled by the addition of scholars, to about four 
 
 hundred dollars a year. 
 
 Such was the state of affairs at the time we intro- 
 duce Helen Lee to the reader. Four hundred dollars 
 were not sufficient to meet the expenses of the family. 
 The small house, into which they had removed, was 
 obtained at a rent of one hundred and twenty dollars a 
 year, leaving two hundred and eighty dollars with 
 which to buy food and raiment for three persons. 
 Accustomed to a different style of living, Mrs. Lee 
 found it impossible to shrink into the dimensions 
 required by outward circumstances, and was, therefore, 
 unable, by any modes of economy understood by her- 
 self, to supply the wants of the family with so small a 
 Bum. A gradual accumulation of debt to the bake* 
 butcher, and milkman, was the natural consequence, 
 which debt soon became a source of annoyance and 
 trouble. 
 
 If Helen had felt no other motive impelling her to 
 attend to the lessons that were to be given on that 
 stormy morning, the fact of two persons having mad?
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 11 
 
 imperative demands for the settlement of bills, since 
 breakfast time, would have been all sufficient. 
 
 The brave-hearted girl had gone but two or three 
 blocks when she was met by a young man, who turned 
 and walked along by her side. 
 
 "A very bad morning, this, for you to be out, 
 Helen," said he, seriously. " Ain't you afraid of taking 
 cold ! w 
 
 " Oh, no," she replied, but not with a great deal of 
 warmth in her manner, and partly averting her face as 
 she spoke. 
 
 The young man seemed surprised at the character 
 of his reception by Helen, and bending towards her, 
 looked earnestly upon her countenance. As he did so, 
 she turned still farther from him ; while from the quick 
 rising and falling of her bosom, it was evident that her 
 mind was much disturbed. 
 
 Have I offended you in anything ?" said the young 
 man, after a brief silence. 
 
 u No, Henry, I am not offended with you. Why 
 hould I be V' 
 
 Helen spoke in a softer tone, in which tenderness 
 and sadness were both blended. But still she kept her 
 face partly averted. 
 
 " Why this change, then Helen f 
 
 "What change!"
 
 12 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDH. 
 
 " You are cold to me ; and reserved beyond anything 
 that I have known since we were acquainted." 
 
 Helen was silent. 
 
 " You are unhappy about something, Helen," said th 
 young man. " Tell me what it is." 
 
 " How can I help feeling unhappy ?" was returned 
 with some bitterness of tone. u You know the circum- 
 stances of our family." 
 
 "I do, and Heaven knows how gladly I would 
 relieve them. Oh, Helen ! how often I have desired 
 riches for your sake." 
 
 "I know the goodnesss of your heart, Henry," 
 replied the young girl, with visible emotion. " But 
 your hands are tied. You have claims as sacred and 
 imperative as those that are binding upon me." 
 
 A deep sigh was the young man's only answer. 
 Yes, there were claims equally binding upon him. Ha 
 was a widowed mother's sole dependence. 
 
 " Henry," said Helen, breaking the silence, and 
 speaking in a low, firm voice " we had better be to 
 each other as strangers." 
 
 Helen !" the young man started, as if he had been 
 stung. 
 
 " I am in earnest," was continued in the same low, 
 steady voice. "Each of us has indulged an idli
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 13 
 
 dream. We must bend to the iron stroke of circum- 
 stance." 
 
 " Helen ! Helen ! Why do you speak thus !" 
 exclaimed her auditor, in a distressed voice. " You 
 cannot mean what you say ?" 
 I mean it, Henry." 
 
 " Then you do not love me," was replied in a voice 
 that evidently hurt the young girl, for she asnswered in 
 still sadder tones. 
 
 "You have never looked into my heart. But, no 
 matter. Think so, if you will, Henry. It is better, 
 perhaps, that you should have something to make the 
 trial easier, /shall not have even this to sustain me." 
 
 By this time they were in front of a large house, 
 and Helen, with a hurried " good by," sprung up the 
 steps, and after ringing the bell, stepped into the vesti- 
 bule. Not once did she glance back towards her com- 
 panion, who stood for a few moments gazing after, and 
 then walked slowly on. 
 
 " We hardly expected you this morning, Miss Lee," 
 said a lady, who met Helen as she entered one of the 
 parlors, where a young lady was practising at the 
 piano. " It is wet and cold without." 
 
 " I don't mind the weather," replied Helen, forcing 
 a smile. 
 
 " But in weather like this you should put on warmei
 
 14 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 clothing," said the lady seriously. " You are no more 
 thickly clad to-day, than you were at your last visit, and 
 then the air was as soft as in May. It will not do, my 
 young friend. Health is a thing too valuable to be 
 risked after this fashion. Are your feet wet f" 
 
 " Only a little damp," replied Helen. 
 
 " A little may be too much. There's a fire in the 
 I dining room grate. Go up and get dry and warm 
 before you begin Mary's lesson. She can go on with 
 her practising in the meantime." 
 
 Helen, who really felt chilled, did as she was 
 directed, and sat before the glowing fire until a genial 
 warmth pervaded her body. Then she gave her music 
 lesson of an hour, and again went forth in the wet and 
 chilling atmosphere. 
 
 After a walk of nearly half an hour, by which time 
 her shoes and stockings were saturated with water, 
 Helen came to the residence of a man far past the 
 middle period of life, the only female inmate of whose 
 family, besides domestics, was a young niece whom he 
 was educating. His name was Bullfinch. Helen had 
 been engaged to give this niece instruction in French 
 and Spanish, both of which languages she spoke with 
 fluency. As Helen was raising her hand to pull the 
 bell, some sudden thought passing through her mind, 
 caused her to stop, and then slowly to turn away aad
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 16 
 
 walk on. For nearly half a block, she moved along 
 slowly, with her eyes cast to the ground. Pausing, at 
 length, she retraced her steps, and again stopping at 
 the house of Mr. Bullfinch, rung the bell. On being 
 admitted, she passed into the parlor. 
 
 " Why, Miss Lee ! My dear young lady ! What 
 has induced you to come out on a day like this ?" 
 
 Snch was the unexpected salutation received by 
 Helen, as she entered the parlors, in one of which a 
 bright fire was burning. Before this fire sat Mr. Bull- 
 finch and his niece. The former, quite an old mani 
 rose up quickly, and extending his hand took that of 
 his visiter, and pressed it warmly. 
 
 " Your hand is like ice," said he, with much kind- 
 ness of manner, that was blended with interest and 
 sympathy. " It is wrong for you to risk your health 
 in this way. Dear bless me ! Look at the girl's feet. 
 Completely soaked in water ! Fanny, dear, take Miss 
 Lee right up into your room, and get her a pair of dry 
 stockings and shoes. She may take her death a cold." 
 
 " It isn't at all necessary, Mr. Bullfinch," returned 
 Helen, blushing with confusion. "I shall not take 
 cold." 
 
 " But I say it is necessary," persisted the old gentle- 
 man. " What strange, inconsistent creatures you
 
 16 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 young girls are! Go right up stairs' with Fanny ana 
 get dry stockings. 
 
 And he put his hand upon her and aimost forced 
 her from the room. 
 
 Helen was trembling all over when she entered the 
 chamber of Fanny ; so much so, that it attracted the 
 young lady's attention. 
 
 " What ails you ?" said the latter. " I do believe 
 you are chilled through, and are shaking in an ague fit. 
 What could have possessed you to come out this morn- 
 ing 1 I never thought of expecting you. As for 
 lessons in French, I'm in no humor for that. I gave 
 you up immediately after breakfast, and set myself 
 down to a new novel. Being at a deeply interesting 
 part of the book, a French lesson is out of the ques- 
 tion. So, you may run back home again, and take 
 your comfort for the rest of the day." 
 
 Helen smiled faintly at the animation of the young 
 girl, as she replied 
 
 " I've two more engagements yet to meet, before I 
 can go home and take my comfort." 
 
 " You kill yourself," said Fanny, seriously. 
 " Oh no. I can bear a good deal." Helen spok 
 partly to herself, yet in a voice that was sad in spite of 
 her effort to seem cheerful. 
 
 " I've sent for a carriage," said Mr. Bullfinch, when
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDK. 17 
 
 Helen returned again to the parlor ; " and as soon as it 
 arrives, you must go directly home. It was very bad 
 for you to come out on such a day." 
 
 " I have two more engagements yet this morning," 
 replied Helen. 
 
 " No matter if you nave a dozen," said the old gen- 
 tleman, as he gazed earnestly and admiringly upon the 
 fair and innocent face of the young teacher. " You've got 
 to go home. Health and life are first to be considered." 
 
 " But, Mr. Bullfinch " 
 
 " I'll hear no arguments," he interrupted her, smil- 
 ing, with an air of self-satisfaction as he spoke. " I've 
 sent for a carriage, and shall take it upon myself to 
 send you back to your father's house ; or, rather take 
 you back for I will not trust you to go alone, lest you 
 jump out, and run off to give some of your confounded 
 music lessons." 
 
 " Oh ! you needn't fear that," quickly replied Helen ; 
 her face flushing, and then becoming extremely pale. 
 
 " I do fear it," persisted the old gentleman ; " and 
 shall not trust you. You are now my prisoner, and I 
 will not lose sight of you until I have returned you 
 safely to the place from which you escaped this morn- 
 ing." 
 
 " Uncle is exceedingly gallant," said Fanny, laughing 
 " He's a gentleman of the old school"
 
 18 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 Just then the carriage which a servant had been 
 sent to order, drove up to the door. 
 
 " Don't think of going home with me, Mr. Bull- 
 finch !" said Helen, in a very earnest way. " It's very 
 stormy out." 
 
 "Tut, child! Fm not afraid of the weather; if it 
 isn't too stormy for a delicate young girl, it certainly is 
 not for a hale, hearty man like myself." 
 
 And as Mr. Bullfinch said this, he glanced involun- 
 tarily at his face and figure in a large mirror, opposite 
 to which he was standing. 
 
 In spite of all the remonstrances of" Helen, the old 
 gentleman persisted in his purpose of accompanying 
 her home, and, to this end, entered the carriage with 
 her. The moment the vehicle moved away, his whole 
 manner changed, and he attempted to take the young 
 girl's hand. This she at first resisted, but at length 
 permitted him to hold it passively within his grasp. 
 
 " My dear Miss Lee," said Mr. Bullfinch, with all the 
 ardor of a young lover, leaning close to his auditor as 
 he spoke " I need not repeat to you what I have al- 
 eady said. You fully comprehend my feelings. From 
 the first moment I saw you, I have been deeply inte- 
 rested in all that concerns you. Sympathy has quickly 
 given place to a warmer and purer sentiment I am 
 older than you are, it is true; but my heart is still
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 19 
 
 young as young I trust as yours. Have you well con- 
 sidered the proposition I made? Are you ready to 
 become my wife !" 
 
 A quick shudder ran through the frame of Helen as 
 the last sentence reached her ear ; a shudder perceived 
 by Mr. Bullfinch in the hand he was holding. 
 
 " At once you will be elevated above your present 
 condition above the necessity for this wearing toil, 
 that is sapping the very foundations of your life !" 
 
 But there was no reply from the old man's statue 
 like companion, whose face was still in part averted ; 
 nor did a word pass her lips, until the carriage drew up 
 before the humble abode of her parents. Then, as she 
 was about stepping out he remaining behind, and 
 shrinking back, as if to avoid observation she said, in 
 a husky whisper 
 
 " To-morrow you shall hear from me." 
 
 A moment or two more, and Helen Lee had passed 
 from his sight.
 
 CHAPTER IT. 
 
 " YOU'RE home early," said Mrs. Lee, as her daugh- 
 ter came in. " I did not expect you back for an hour 
 or so yet. Are you not well ?" 
 
 "O yes, I am very well," returned Helen, with 
 forced animation. " But, Fanny Milnor's uncle said I 
 ought not to have ventured out on a day like this, and 
 actually made me come home. He wouldn't let me 
 give Fanny a lesson." 
 
 " It was very thoughtful in him, certainly," said Mrs. 
 Lee " very thoughtful. Didn't I hear a carriage stop 
 at the door just now ?" 
 
 The color deepened in Helen's face as her mother 
 asked this question. Mrs. Lee perceived the change, 
 and her interest and curiosity were immediately excited. 
 As her daughter did not answer her last inquiry : she 
 repeated 
 
 " Didn't I hear a carriage stop at the door T
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 21 
 
 " I presume so," was replied. 
 
 " Did you come home in it ?' 
 
 Mrs. Lee's eyes were now intently fixed on hei 
 daughter's countenance. 
 
 " I did," said Helen. 
 
 " Indeed ! why, how came that ? Whose carriage 
 was it?" 
 
 " Mr. Bullfinch sent for a carnage, and insisted on 
 my coming home in it," returned Helen, with as much 
 self-possession as she could assume. 
 
 " That was kind in him very kind, indeed ! But 
 why should he do this ? Were you sick at bis house ?" 
 
 " Oh, no, mother, I was not sick, but my feet were 
 very wet, and he seemed to think I was in danger of 
 taking cold. It was kind in him, certainly." 
 
 " It is not often that such kindness is received from 
 total strangers." 
 
 " Certainly it is not. But Mr. Bullfinch is a verj 
 kind-hearted man, I believe." 
 
 Saying this, Helen passed by her mother, and went 
 up to her own room, there to ponder the new relations 
 which things had assumed, and to endeavor to see, in a 
 clear light, what it was her duty to do. If she had 
 been standing alone in the world, there would have 
 been no doubt in her mind. Her heart would have 
 pointed the way in which to go. But others wer
 
 22 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 deeply interested in the decisions she might make touch- 
 ing the future. Others were dependent, even for food 
 and raiment, upon her personal efforts. Was it not 
 her duty to regard them, even to the sacrifice of hei 
 self ? This was the momentous question she was calle 
 upon to decide. 
 
 Towards Henry Wellford, the best and tenderest 
 affections of her heart had gone forth ; and she knew 
 that he loved her with a true devotion. She had not 
 only read it in his eyes, but listened to the ardent con- 
 fession as it fell from his lips. Formally they were not 
 betrothed. It had been enough that they loved, and 
 were happiest in each other's society. But, Henry 
 Wellford was poor. He was simply a clerk, on a small 
 salary, and had a widowed mother to support. Helen 
 was also poor an humble teacher, whose income was 
 insufficient to meet the wants of those dependent 
 upon her. 
 
 Thus it stood, when a rich old man saw the gentle, 
 brave-hearted girl, and, won, by her graces of mind 
 and body, conceived the idea of making her his wife. 
 In his love, if the sentiment may be called by such a 
 a name there was nothing with which her heart could 
 possibly reciprocate. He was a bachelor of nearly sixty ; 
 a confirmed sensualist, whose very sphere tended to suf- 
 focate the heart of a young, pure-minded girl like
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 23 
 
 Helen. For a true conjugal union to take place be- 
 tween them, was impossible ; and that Helen felt the 
 instant he approached her with the idea of marriage. 
 
 But, as her thoughts dwelt upon the hopeless indi* 
 gence of her parents, and her own inability to. meet 
 their common wants while the deep affection she felt 
 made her heart yearn towards them she looked away 
 from herself ; or, rather, calculated the extent of the 
 sacrifice it was her duty to make, in order to secure 
 them from want and privation. Mr. Bullfinch had 
 wealth she had only to consent to become his wife, 
 and a portion of that wealth came under her control. 
 At once she could lift her parents above their humble, 
 suffering condition, and place every comfort within their 
 reach. 
 
 Against all this her heart rebelled. But she laid her 
 hand upon her heart, and called its shrinking from the 
 ordeal proposed, mere selfishness. She kept close to 
 her mental vision the feeble form and pale face of her 
 father, and said, almost aloud, in the effort to give 
 weight to the forced conclusions of her mind 
 
 " It is my duty to make his last days peaceful at any 
 sacrifice." 
 
 And, as the words trembled in husky and unnatural 
 tones on the air, a low chilling shudder ran along her 
 nerves.
 
 24 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 Then stood distinctly before her the form of Adam 
 Bullfinch, and the shudder ran deeper. She shut hei 
 eyes ; but he was before her still. She bent her head 
 forward upon the table by which she was seated, and 
 drew her hands over her face. It availed not. 
 
 " God help me!" she at last exclaimed, in a despair- 
 ing voice, and starting up, flung herself, with a low 
 moan of anguish, upon her bed, where she lay for a 
 long time as still as death. 
 
 There was something in the manner of her daughter, 
 when she came in, that Mrs. Lee did not understand ; 
 and she was still wondering to herself what it could 
 mean, when it occurred to her that Helen remained an 
 unusual time in her room. 
 
 " I'm afraid she's sick. It was wrong for her to go 
 out on a day like this," said she, and, acting from a 
 newly awakened concern, she went up to her daughter's 
 chamber. 
 
 Mrs. Lee came in so softly, that Helen did not ob- 
 serve her entrance. She was still lying upon the bed, 
 her face deeply buried in a pillow. 
 
 " Daughter," said Mrs. Lee ; and she laid her hand 
 on Helen as she spoke. 
 
 Now first conscious of her mother's presence, the suf- 
 fering girl did not move, nor reply, but commenced a 
 strong effort to regain the control of her feelings. If
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 25 
 
 she looked up, she knew that her face would betray her 
 intense suffering ; and that she wished above all things 
 to conceal. 
 
 " Helen ! Daughter ! Are you sick ?" 
 
 And Mrs. Lee shook her gently. The girl murmured 
 K>mething that did not reach, with any meaning, the 
 ears of her mother ; turned herself partly, yet still con- 
 cealing her face ; thus seeking to gain time, while she 
 strove, with almost desperate energy, to regain her self- 
 possession. 
 
 " Are you sick, Helen !" repeated Mrs. Lee, anx- 
 iously. 
 
 " Not sick, mother," said Helen, now venturing to 
 speak, yet still keeping her face averted. Her voice 
 was low, yet steady. What an effort it cost to give it 
 steadiness ! 
 
 " What ails you then, dear ? Something is the 
 matter.'' 
 
 Helen now ventured to look towards her mother. 
 Hard as she had striven, she had not been able to call 
 Dack the blood to her cheeks, and their deathly paleness 
 frightened Mrs. Lee. 
 
 " Oh, my child !" she exclaimed " you are ill very 
 ill ! What is it ? Speak, dear." 
 
 A feeble smile how it mocked the shadows that 
 
 2
 
 26 THE OLO MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 lay, like a pall, on her heart flitted over the counte- 
 nance of Helen. 
 
 " I am not very well," she answered, " but I shall be 
 better soon." And, rising from the bed, she bathed 
 her face, and re-arranged her hair and dress ; seeking, 
 thus, to produce a mental as well as physical reaction, 
 that would conceal, in a measure, the fearful trial 
 through which she was passing. She did not, however, 
 satisfy Mrs. Lee, whose anxieties were fairly aroused. 
 But, how little dreamed the mother of what was pass- 
 ing in the bosom of her child ! To efforts in support 
 of the family beyond her strength, and to cold taken 
 from exposure that morning, she attributed the utterly 
 exhausted condition in which she had found her. 
 Had she known the truth, it may be doubted whether 
 she were woman enough at heart to sympathize fully 
 with the deeply tried and unhappy girl. 
 
 " I feel a great deal better now," said Helen, turning 
 upon her mother a countenance less pale than before, 
 and lit up with a warmer smile. " I will come down 
 soon. Don't say anything to father about my not be- 
 ing well. It will only make him feel more anxious, and 
 he is troubled enough as it is." 
 
 " I wouldn't come down at all, this morning," replied 
 Mrs. Lee. " Take as much rest, and be quiet as possi- 
 ble to-d-^y. You will feel all the bettor to-morrow."
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 27 
 
 It did not take much urging on the part of Mrs. Lea 
 to induce Helen to remain, at least for some hours, in 
 the seclusion of her own room. A dress to alter would 
 employ her hands, without bodily fatigue, she said 
 After repeating her injunction that Helen would remai 
 quiet, at least for the morning, the mother retired, and 
 the unhappy girl was once more alone with her dis- 
 tracting thoughts. 
 
 During the time that Mrs. Lee lingered in her cham- 
 ber, Helen had taken from a closet the dress she pro- 
 posed to alter, and was sittting with it in her lap, 
 scissors in hand, when her mother retired. How quick 
 a change passed over her the moment she was again 
 alone! Her hands sunk down nerveless, the feeble 
 flush an effort had called to her pale cheeks, faded ; her 
 body swayed weakly forward, while her dark lashea 
 drooped until the inward-looking orbs beneath were 
 scarcely visible. How very still she sat for a long, long 
 time ! Oh, the fearful trial through which she was 
 passing ! With what panting eagerness did she search 
 for a way of escape from the terrible fate impending 
 over her ! 
 
 Had the peace of her own heart alone been at stake, 
 the trial would have been a lighter one for Helen Le 
 the decision more easily made. But, she loved 
 Hnry WfiUford truly, deeply, and unselfishly. All the
 
 28 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 purest and tenderest affections of her maiden heart had 
 gone out towards him ; and to make him happy, would 
 have been the joy of her life. His looks, his tones, and 
 his whole manner, during the last brief interview, were 
 daguerreotyped in her mind ; and the question of her 
 duty to him, came up and arrayed itself against the 
 questions of duty to her parents. On the side of her 
 lover, her heart sustained the argument : yet filial self- 
 devotion stood firmly up, and with the spirit of a 
 martyr, held its painful position. 
 
 " Have I a right thus to dispose of myself? Is it not 
 sinful ? Will God smile on such a sacrifice ?" 
 
 These words were spoken aloud, as, in the anguish 
 of strong trial, she was searching for a way of escape. 
 Their very utterance brought light into the mind, and 
 imparted a measure of strength. 
 
 " No no," she added, as the light shone more clear- 
 ly, " I dare not do this. God will not smile on the 
 deed. He asks not so fearful a sacrifice of any heart. 
 Death ! Death !" she added in a quicker voice " Oh ! 
 it would be a sweet alternative a welcome visitant." 
 
 Her pulses beat with a freer motion. A ray of hope 
 had dawned. Alas ! how quickly did it fade away into 
 darkness ! There came, at this moment to her ears, 
 the sound of a strange voice from below. It was the 
 voice of a man, and its sudden loudness startled her
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 29 
 
 Going quickly to the door of her room, she partly 
 opened it, and stood listening. The words that came 
 to her ears left her in no doubt. The voice was strange, 
 but it demanded the payment of money. 
 
 " It is impossible to-day," she heard her mother 
 answer in a distressed voice. 
 
 " Impossible, sir ! we have not tne money," said her 
 father, in tones feeble and tremulous. 
 
 " And when will you have it, pray ?" the man asked, 
 with rude impertience. 
 
 To hear her father spoken to thus her father, so 
 feeble in health, that his physician had warned him 
 against the danger of any excitement her father, so 
 tenderly loved, so highly honored and regarded, was 
 more than Helen could bear. At once the balance 
 trembling, so nicely equipoised in her mind, yielded. 
 Filial self-devotion gained the preponderance. Spring- 
 ing, with a sudden impulse down the stairs, she con- 
 fronted the rude collector, and said, with a decision of 
 manner that surprised her parents 
 
 " You shall be paid to-morrow, sir. Call at this hour, 
 and the money shall be ready." 
 
 The man, almost as much surprised as Mr. and Mrs. 
 Lee, looked upon the flushed and indignant face of 
 Helen for a moment or two, and then recovering him- 
 self, said
 
 30 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 " A promise is all very well, my young lady, but I 
 have had, in the last two or three months, more than 
 enough of these. What surety have I that your 
 promise will be kept ?" 
 
 " I have just said," replied Helen, drawing her form 
 up proudly, " that you would be paid to-morrow ; let 
 that suffice." 
 
 " The bill is sixty-four dollars," said the man, still 
 lingering. 
 
 " If it were a thousand, I have told you that it would 
 be paid to-morrow," returned Helen, sharply, while her 
 eyes, that were fixed upon the man, flashed with a fiery 
 indignation, that caused him to retreat a pace or two 
 involuntarily. 
 
 Never before had the parents of Helen seen her so 
 moved ; and they looked upon her with a feeling of 
 wonder. She had made her decision, and now, a 
 feeling akin to desperation was in her heart. 
 
 " To-morrow at this hour ?" said the collector, now 
 speaking in a respectful voice, and slightly bowing with 
 a deferential air. 
 
 "I have said it," was briefly answered. 
 
 A moment or two the man's eyes fixed curiously 
 upon the maiden's excited face, and then left the apart* 
 ment. As he did so, Helen turned and fled to her 
 chamber. Thither Mrs. Lee soon followed her, but she
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 31 
 
 found the door locked. Half an hour later she came 
 again, but the lock was still turned ; and it was so at 
 the end of an hour. 
 
 " Helen !" she now called ; for anxiety had overcome 
 the instinctive reluctance at first felt to intrude herself 
 forcibly upon her child. There was no answer, nor any 
 movement heard within. 
 
 " Helen, dear ! Helen 1" repeated Mrs. Lee. 
 
 Still, all remained silent. 
 
 She called again, louder than before, and rattled the 
 lock. There came, now, a feeble, half-smothered reply, 
 as of one awaking from sleep. 
 
 " Helen, dear !" 
 
 " Yes, mother, I will be down in a little while," an- 
 swered Helen. 
 
 Mrs. Lee retired, but with a troubled, restless feeling 
 in her heart. What did Helen mean by the promise 
 to pay so large a sum on the following day ? Over 
 and over a hundred times had she asked herself that 
 question, but no satisfactory reply came. Where was 
 she to get sixty-four dollars ? All her resources she 
 knew perfectly well. There would not be a single 
 quarter-bill due for a month. It was in vain that she 
 continued to puzzle her thoughts. No satisfactory 
 answer came. 
 
 At duiuer time Helen joined her parents. She waa
 
 32 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 very pale, and the expression of her countenance 
 strangely altered. But she was more cheerful in man 
 ner than she had been for many days. She made no 
 reference to the exciting scene of the morning, until 
 her father said, with much concern of manner 
 
 " I'm afraid, Helen, that you were wrong to promise 
 that payment to-morrow. Where are you to get so 
 much money ? The collector will certainly be here at 
 the time, and, if disappointed, will be more uncivil than 
 he was to-day, and more inclined to give us trouble." 
 
 Helen smiled, as she answered in a composed voice 
 
 " I did not promise lightly, father. I knew where I 
 could get the money by simply asking for it." 
 
 " Where, my child ?" inquired Mr. Lee, looking at 
 his daughter very earnestly. 
 
 " More than one of those by whom I am engaged to 
 give lessons, would, I know, advance, if applied to, what 
 I need." 
 
 " I am not so sure of that, Helen," said Mr. Lee. 
 " Most persons object to advances of money. Indeed, 
 with some, such an application might end in the loss 
 of scholars. People don't like to be annoyed in this 
 way." 
 
 " I know at least one person who will neither object 
 nor be annoyed," said Helen, in a low, yet firm voice.
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 38 
 
 But she did not look into her father's face as she snid 
 this. 
 
 " Of whom do you speak ?" enquired Mr. Lee. 
 
 " Of Mr. Bullfinch," replied Helen. Her voice was 
 still lower, yet it did not in the least falter. Its firm- 
 ness was preserved by its depression. 
 
 " Of Mr. Bullfinch !" Mr. Lee spoke with some 
 surprise, yet with no manifestation of pleasure. " Why 
 will you apply to him ?" 
 
 " He has always treated me with great kindness," said 
 Helen. 
 
 " He was certainly very kind to you to-day," re- 
 marked Mrs. Lee, " and we are greatly indebted to him 
 for sending you home, instead of letting you go from 
 house to house, in wet garments, for the purpose of 
 giving your lessons. I have often heard him spokon 
 of as a good-hearted man." 
 
 " Good-hearted only where some selfish end is to be 
 gained," said Mr. Lee. " That is my estimation of his 
 character." 
 
 Helen bent her head to conceal her face, the 
 expression of which she feared was passing from hei 
 control. 
 
 " Have you not looked at him through the glass of 
 prejudice ?" asked Mrs. Lee. 
 
 "I believe not," was firmly answered. "I believ* 
 3
 
 34 THE OLD MAN 8 BRIDE. 
 
 not," repeated Mr. Lee, After a pause, he added: "I 
 met Mr. Bullfinch occasionally, while in business, but 
 never was much drawn towards him. The sphere of 
 every man's quality of mind is around him, as certainly 
 s the quality of a rose is diffused in the atmosphere, 
 and perceived by its odor, and this quality may be, and 
 is perceived by all who came in contact with him. In 
 Mr. Bullfinch I always had a repulsive perception of 
 something extremely sensual and selfish." 
 
 " It is hardly safe," replied Mrs. Lee, " to decide upon 
 a man's character on such slight and altogether intangi- 
 ble evidence." 
 
 " Yet," said Mr. Lee, u it is always safe to let such 
 evidence place you upon your guard ; and, believe me, 
 that opportunities for personal observation will, in most 
 cases, confirm the instinctive repugnance." 
 
 Helen listened to this brief conversation with an 
 eagerness that would have betrayed itself had not the 
 observation of her parents been, for the time, withdrawn 
 from her. How fully did her own perceptions of Mr. 
 Bullfinch's quality accord with those of her father ! 
 The thought of becoming his wife, when it was distinct- 
 ly presented, caused her heart to cease, for the moment, 
 its beating, and produced a feeling of suffocation. 
 
 The conversation between her father and mother was 
 continued for some time, but she took no part in it
 
 THE OLD MAN'S DRIDEU 85 
 
 whatever. To conceal, as far as possible, the painful 
 state of mind from which she was suffering, Helen tried 
 to partake of food. A few rnouthfuls were received and 
 swallowed though producing on the palate no sen- 
 sation of taste and then the forced effort was aban 
 doned. As soon as she could, with propriety, leave 
 the table, she did so, and retiring once more to her 
 chamber, abandoned her feelings to any current in 
 which they might be inclined to flow. She did not 
 again join her parents until tea-time, when she met 
 them with a cheerfulness which they did not look for 
 and which she had scarcely hoped to assume. The 
 father, however, saw much below the false exterior. 
 He saw that Helen was acting a part ; but what the 
 part, and why assumed, he could not clearly under- 
 stand,
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE day closed as it had begun, cold and stormy, 
 adding its gloom to the already too sad hearts of Mr. 
 Lee and his family. Soon after tea, Helen bade her 
 parents good night, and retired to her own room. 
 Here she strove, once more, to collect her thoughts, to 
 ponder the way before her, and to search again for the 
 means of escape. Her promises to Mr. Bullfinch, and 
 to the collector, had narrowed the chances against her. 
 The one was to have an answer to his suit in the 
 morning, and the other to receive the large sum of 
 sixty-four dollars. Unless the answer to Mr. Bullfinch 
 were favorable, she saw no way by which the demand 
 of the latter could be satisfied. 
 
 Hour after hour, during the wretched night that 
 followed, the unhappy girl remained awake, now pon- 
 dering, with shrinking heart, the fearful abyss down 
 which she was about to plunge, and new eagerly
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. i7 
 
 renewing the search for a path leading l.o a place of 
 safety. It was long after midnight, when she, at 
 length, found temporary relief in sleep. When she 
 awoke, the sun was shining brightly into her window. 
 The storm had passed away, and the face of nature 
 smiled again. Alas ! her heart gave back no answering 
 smile. Dark and portentous clouds were yet above and 
 around it. 
 
 The time for a decision had come. Ere mid-day, 
 the unfeeling collector would be there, and his demand 
 must be satisfied. Was there no other resource for the 
 poor girl but Mr. Bullfinch ? In ten families she gave 
 music lessons, and six out of the ten families were 
 welathy. Among these, was there no true woman to 
 whom she could go and find wise counsel and aid in 
 her great extremity ? Was there not a single heart of 
 sympathy among all these 1 No one able and willing 
 to stand forth and forbid the fearful sacrifice about to 
 be offered up ? We know not. But, doubtless, there 
 was. Yet, even where there exists a humane regard 
 for others, how rarely does it suffer itself to become 
 fully interested ! How^ quick are we to turn away 
 with indifference when the needy and the seeker present 
 them,so.lves ! 
 
 As the time of decision drew nearer and nearer, a 
 fediug of desperation came over the maiden's heart.
 
 38 THB OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 " This must not be !" she said, with a sudden energy 
 of feeling, as she stood thoughtful in her chamber, 
 prepared, at a much earlier hour than usual, to go out. 
 u This must not be. I will make one effort, at least, t 
 gain time, even if all is lost in the end. Mrs. Barke 
 has been very kind ; has always shown great interest 
 in me. To her I am indebted for many scholars. She 
 cannot, she will not refuse to help me in this great 
 extremity. I will go to her, and tell her everything." 
 
 With this resolution, Helen left her home that morn- 
 ing. 
 
 Mrs. Barker was a widow, with two daughters. 
 
 O 
 
 She had a large income, and was regarded in society as 
 a humane and liberal woman. In many of the public 
 charities she took an active part, and contributed of her 
 money freely to their support. Her style of living was 
 expensive, but not beyond what her ample means 
 would justify. In her intercourse with others, no 
 matter what their condition, she was generally kind and 
 lady-like. In part, this flowed from natural goodness 
 and in part from a desire tc be thought well of b 
 'every one. 
 
 Mrs. Barker sat reading. The book was one of 
 'imaginary pictures; yet the groupings were from char- 
 acters in real life. Against the wrong now visible, the 
 heart of the reader was indignant ; and now she sym-
 
 THB OLD MAN'S BBIDE. 39 
 
 pathised deeply with suffering innocence. Those who 
 knew of this suffering, and yet relieved it not, and 
 those who remained in ignorance thereof, from lack of 
 thought, she blamed alike. " I would not have done 
 so," she said to herself, with a feeling of self-complacent 
 virtue. As she thus thought within herself, a servant 
 came to say that Miss Lee was in the parlor, and would 
 like to speak with her. 
 
 " This is not the day for your Spanish lesson, Clara ?" 
 said Mrs. Barker, speaking in a slight tone of surprise 
 to her eldest daughter, a young lady in her eighteenth 
 year. 
 
 " I don't take my Spanish lesson until to-morrow," 
 replied Clara. 
 
 " I wonder what she can want ? Perhaps she has 
 mistaken the day. You had better go down and soa 
 her, Clara." 
 
 Clara went down to the parlor, while Mrs. Barker 
 re-opened her book. She was in the midst of a scene 
 that drew strongly on her sympathies, and the inter- 
 ruption had not been altogether agreeable. She had 
 just caught up the broken thread of the narrative, 
 when Clara returned, and said that it was her mother 
 Helen wished to see. 
 
 " What does she want ?" asked Mrs. Barker, in a 
 disappointed tone.
 
 40 -5HK OLD MAN'S BBIDH. 
 
 " I don't know, mother. She didn't say." 
 
 " Well, I suppose I must see her." And Mrs. 
 Barker, with a reluctance that she did not seek to con 
 ceal, laid aside her book, and arose to leave the room. 
 
 " I don't think she is very well," remarked Clara. 
 " I never saw her look so badly. There isn't a bit of 
 color in her cheeks." 
 
 Scarcely heeding this, Mrs. Barker withdrew, and 
 descended to the parlors, in one of which she found 
 the young teacher. 
 
 " Well, Helen," she said, rather coldly, as Miss Lee 
 arose on her entrance. 
 
 This coldness was perceived by the poor girl, and it 
 dashed the hope of succor she had permitted herself to 
 cherish. She stood, her eyes upon the floor, and with- 
 out the courage to make known tin purpose of her 
 visit. 
 
 " Sit down, Helen," said Mrs. Barker, noticing her 
 embarrassment. Helen sunk back into the chair from 
 which she had just arisen. She had not yet uttered a 
 single word. 
 
 " You wished to see me, Clara said." If there had 
 been, in the voice of Mrs. Barker, anything of sympa- 
 thy, Helen would, in the abandonment of a heart 
 appalled by the approach of utter ruin, have throwu 
 herself upon her, aud cried " Oh ! save me ! save
 
 THB OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 41 
 
 me !" As it was, she hurriedly sought to compose 
 herself, and, as soon as she was composed enough to 
 speak, said 
 
 " I am not very well, Mrs. Barker, and if you do not 
 object, would like to omit Clara's lesson to-morrow." 
 
 " Object, Helen !" replied Mrs. Barker, with manifest 
 surprise, at so singular an application. " Why should I 
 object? Sickness is a sufficient excuse under all cir- 
 cumstances." 
 
 Helen cast her eyes to the floor, and remained silent 
 for a few moments, in hurried conference with herself, 
 as to whether she should make known the real object 
 of her visit. But the repulsive sphere of the lady was 
 so strong, that she felt her case to be hopeless. 
 
 " Good morning, ma'am," she said, as she arose up, 
 and slightly inclined her body. 
 
 There was something in the tones of Helen's voice, 
 and in her manner, as she said this, and then turned 
 away, and almost ran from the house, that Mrs. Barker 
 did not, for a long time, forget. Scarcely had the jar 
 of the closing door ceased to vibrate in the ears of the 
 lady, ere she repented of her coldness, and wished that 
 she had received the visitor in a different spirit. But 
 it was now too late to remedy the evil.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 " / SHALL not have even this to sustain me." These 
 last words of Helen Lee, as she hurriedly turned from 
 Henry Wellford, at their last interview, kept ringing in 
 the young man's ears ; and as he pondered them, he 
 saw but too clearly the painful struggle through which 
 her heart was passing. 
 
 " Her love for me is still the same." This was tha 
 just conclusion to which he arrived, so soon as the 
 agitated waters of his spirit had time to run clear. 
 M Why, then, does she propose that we be to each other 
 hereafter as strangers ? Oh, poverty ! Thou art a 
 curse !" 
 
 In this bitter exclamation, Wellford answered his 
 own question. Still, the answer was far from being 
 entirely satisfactory. There was a future for them both. 
 He had ability, industry and energy ; and he was will- 
 ing to suffer, to work and to wait. Could Helen not 
 do the same ? Why this sudden, unwomanly impa-
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 43 
 
 tience ? The more he thought, the more difficult to be 
 found seemed the clue to Helen's strange conduct. 
 But for the words " / shall not have even this to sus- 
 tain me," he would have fallen back on the usua 
 explanation in such cases estranged affection. He 
 could not do so now. He knew that she loved him. 
 What, then could it mean ? Why did she wish to 
 break the cord entwining both their hearts, and feeling 
 a mutual pulsation ? As he continued to think, sugges- 
 tion after suggestion was presented ; and among them 
 one near the truth ; yet that was quickest repelled, as 
 both monstrous and impossible. 
 
 " No no no I" he said, with an inward shudder, 
 " she would never make that sacrifice. There is about 
 her too much of the true woman for that." 
 
 And he cast the thought from his mind. 
 
 " What can it mean ?" Again and again the dis- 
 tressed young man asked himself this question. But 
 his thoughts gave back no reliable answer. If Helen 
 were alone in the world, how clear would have been 
 the way before him 1 He would have gone to her, 
 and asked her at once to become the sunshine of his 
 humble dwelling; or, if Providence had blessed him 
 with abundance, would have opened wide the doors of 
 home and heart, to take in the beloved ones for whom 
 ehe was toiling with auch an earnest self-devotion
 
 44 THE OLD MAN'S DKIDE. 
 
 Alas for him 1 neither of these conditions existed. She 
 was not alone, and he was poor. His slender income 
 barely sufficed, under a system of the closest economy, 
 to procure for himself and mother the meagre necessa- 
 ries and a few of the comforts of life. To have 
 proposed any thing to Helen, under such circumstances, 
 would have been a mockery and so the young man 
 felt it 
 
 The gloomy day had waned towards evening, and 
 Wellford was about bringing his uncheered labors to a 
 close, when the merchant in whose service he was, drew 
 him aside and said 
 
 " Henry, I have for some time wished to see you 
 getting a higher salary. Your ability is worth more 
 than you receive. And yet, in my business, only a 
 certain sum can be paid for assistance. That sum is 
 now paid, and cannot be increased. If there was a 
 vacancy above you, I would at once promote you to 
 that vacancy. .But, as you know, none exists, or is 
 likely for some time to exist I cannot fill your place 
 to my satisfaction as well as it is now filled ; that I know 
 too well. Still, I am not so selfish as to wish to keep 
 you when an opportunity for rising is offered. There 
 is such an opportunity now, Henry. Do you wish to 
 embrace it ?" 
 
 The young man's face flushed, and he became
 
 TUB OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 45 
 
 instantly excited. Is it any wonder ; With as much 
 composure as he could force himself to assume, he 
 replied 
 
 " I need very much an increase of salary, Mr. Vin- 
 cent ; but have no wish to leave your service." 
 
 "Your duty to yourself is first, Henry," said the 
 merchant. " I can fill your place without trouble ; 
 though not so well as it is now filled, I am assured ; 
 but an opportunity like the present may not offer to 
 you again for years." 
 
 " What is the situation to which you refer ?" asked 
 Wellford, by no means concealing the eager interest he 
 felt 
 
 " You are aware, I suppose, that Mr. Burton, one of 
 Lane & Latta's book-keepers, has been in very poor 
 health for a long time. Well, I heard this morning 
 that his physician had positively ordered him to leave 
 the desk, and travel for at least two or three months. 
 His place will, in consequence, be vacant." 
 
 "Not permanently ?" 
 
 " Yes. His physician says that he must, wnen his 
 strength is sufficiently restored, seek other and more 
 active employment. He has, accordingly, given notice 
 to Lane & Latta that he will be obliged to give up hia 
 situation finally." 
 
 " He receives a thousand dollars a year."
 
 46 THE OLD MAN'fi BRIDK. 
 
 " Yes ; that is the salary." 
 
 "Do you think it possible for me to obtain the 
 place ?" said Wellford, holding his breath as he waited 
 for a reply. 
 
 " I do," was the assured answer. 
 
 There will be many applicants, so soon as it is 
 known that Burton intends to leave." 
 
 " We must be in advance of these applications," said 
 Mr. Vincent, in a manner that showed his entire con- 
 fidence in the result. 
 
 " I have no acquaintance with Messrs. Lane & 
 Latta," said Wellford. 
 
 " But I have," replied his kind employer, " and my 
 word with them will go a great way. In fact, Henry 
 to set your mind at rest, I have already spoken to 
 them, and the place is yours if you are willing to accept 
 of it." 
 
 " Oh, sir !" exclaimed Wellford, suddenly grasping 
 the hand of Mr. Vincent, and exhibiting strong emotion, 
 " I will never, never forget this ! You don't know the 
 good you have done." 
 
 Mr. Vincent smiled, and said something kind, about 
 the just reward of faithful service, adding 
 
 Ever be as true to the interests of your future 
 employers as you have been to mine, Henry, and you 
 will never want for friends to promote your interests,
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDK. 47 
 
 Ability and honesty are ever in demand ; and the 
 higher the ability the more ample will be the reward." 
 
 Though clouds and darkness were in the sky when 
 Henry Wellford turned his steps homeward on that 
 evening, the face of nature was not gloomy to him. 
 Light seemed shining all around him, and he walked 
 with a step so elastic that he scarcely seemed to leave 
 his weight upon the earth. After telling his mother 
 of his good fortune, and taking, hurriedly, his evening 
 meal, for which he found little appetite, he dressed 
 himself to go out, determined at once to call upon 
 Helen Lee, tell her of his good fortune, and offer hia 
 hand in marriage. 
 
 A few times only had Wellford visited Helen at her 
 father's house. He did not belong to a family which, 
 from any cause whether from wealth, or from literary 
 or professional standing had gained a prominent place 
 in the community. His father, a poor but honest man, 
 had lived and died in obscurity, though honoring the 
 position he held, and transmitting his virtues to a son 
 better educated than he had been, and, therefore, better 
 tted for that higher place in society he was destined 
 to gain. His visits to Helen were not smiled upon by 
 Mrs. Lee, whose mind had become fixed in the hope of 
 social elevation through the marriage of her accom- 
 plished child. How this was to be brought about, she
 
 48 THE OLD MAK'S BRIDE. 
 
 did not exactly know. Extreme poverty had excluded 
 Helen from that social contact formerly enjoyed ; and 
 now, she only entered the mansions of wealth as a 
 humble and unregarded teacher. We are forced to 
 say, that the marked interest shown by Mr. Bullfinch, 
 in sending Helen home in a carriage through the 
 storm, had affected her with a pleasure beyond what 
 the simple act of kindness might legitimately have 
 awakened. Almost truant to themselves, her thoughts 
 played with pictures drawn against the future, in which 
 Helen, as the wife of Mr. Bullfinch, formed a prominent 
 figure. Half ashamed of herself, the mother would 
 sweep an obliterating hand across these pictures; but, 
 ere she was aware of it, fancy would sketch them again, 
 while she looked on dreamily, yet with a pleased emo- 
 tion. And thus it was, at times, through all that day 
 of agony to her nearly distracted child. 
 
 Thus it was at an early hour in the evening, when 
 there came a knock at the door. Mrs. Lee opened it, 
 and there stood Henry Wellford. 
 
 " Is Helen at home ?" he enquired. 
 
 Mrs. Lee held the door partly open ; and, without 
 asking the young man to walk in, replied 
 
 " She is in ; but not well. She has retired to her 
 room." 
 
 Wellford expressed regret, and asked if she were
 
 THE OLD MAN S BRIDE. 49 
 
 seriously indisposed. Mrs. Lee answered, indifferently, 
 that she had taken some cold. 
 
 " If not too much indisposed to come down, I should 
 like particularly to see her this evening. Will you say 
 this to her, Mrs. Lee V 
 
 " I cannot permit her to be disturbed," was coldly 
 replied. 
 
 Still the young man lingered, while the damp air 
 swept against Mrs. Lee's thinly clad person, causing her 
 to close the door farther ; almost, in fact, shutting it in 
 Well ford's face. 
 
 " Good evening, sir," she said, finally ; and in the next 
 moment, the generous lover of her daughter, who had 
 come to lay his hand and opening fortune at her dis 
 posal, stood alone, repulsed rudely, on the outer thresh- 
 old. 
 
 Indignant pride held, for a time, the mastery over 
 Wellford. At first, he permitted himself to belie vo 
 that Mrs. Lee had repulsed him in accordance with her 
 daughter's wishes. But his cooler judgment made a 
 more correct decision. This decision was strengthened 
 by the fact that Mrs, Lee had treated him with exceed- 
 ing formality on each of his previous visits. At the 
 house of a mutual friend, he had most frequently met 
 her, and an intimacy, almost as unreserved as that 
 between a brother and sister, had grown up between 
 5
 
 . 
 
 50 riiK OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 them. Freely had they spoken to each other of what 
 was personal to themselves, their hopes, fears, trials and 
 privations ; and, without a formal avowal of love on 
 he one side, or a looking for it on the other, they had 
 me to regard the uncertain future as a way they were 
 to tread side by side; and that thought was the 
 pleasantest of all the thoughts that flowed through their 
 minds. 
 
 No wonder that the sudden interruption of this 
 bought produced turbulence in the minds of both. 
 
 From the residence of Helen, Wellford returned 
 immediately home. Half the night was spent in pon 
 dering the new aspect which things had so suddenly 
 assumed. In the morning, with a calmer mind, he was 
 able to look at the whole subject. 
 
 " I must and will see her." This he said as he left 
 home. He had frequently met Helen, on her way, at 
 an early hour in the morning, to give lessons, and thus 
 secured the brief pleasure of seeing her face, and listen- 
 ing to a voice the tones of which grew daily mora 
 musical to his ears. Now, he would see her with a 
 more defined and higher purpose.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 " ALL lost ! all lost !" sobbed the wretched girl, aa 
 she hastily retired from the dwelling of Mrs. Barker, 
 and took her way, she knew not, in the bewildered state 
 of her mind, whither. Utterly hopeless as she now 
 was, fluttering like a charmed bird almost in the very 
 jaws of the serpent, she yet held back from the 6rml, 
 dread alternative that loomed up the more awfully the 
 nearer it approached. 
 
 With her eyes cast upon the ground, Helen moved 
 along with hurried steps, the agitation of her mind 
 giving fleetness to her motions, and continued to walk 
 for nearly an hour ; when, in some measure, recovering 
 her external consciousness, she looked around in sur- 
 prise to find that she was in a strange part of the city 
 and remote from her home. Retracing, now, her steps 
 and, at the same time, forcing her thoughts to a con 
 eideration of what was next to be done in the limited 
 Bpaco of time left to her, she took her way toward*
 
 62 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 the dwelling of Mr. Bullfinch, attracted thitherward by 
 an influence which she did not seek to resist, and yet 
 she was not fully determined to go there, without 
 another effort to escape the doom that now seemed 
 almost inevitable. She had reached the neighborhood 
 iu which Mr. Bullfinch resided, and was only a short 
 distance from his house, when, lifting her eyes, she saw, 
 a few paces in advance of her, one, whom of all others, 
 she least wished to encounter her lover, Henry Well- 
 ford. And yet, how the sight of him caused her 
 heart to bound, and the blood to rush in hot currents 
 through all her veins ! How earnestly did her woman's 
 nature take up instantly the plea for him, and chide 
 the cold, mercenary, calculating spirit to whose influence 
 she was giving herself up body and soul. 
 
 Wellford was not approaching Helen, and did not, 
 therefore, see her at the moment she recognized him. 
 How little knew she of what was in his thought ! How 
 little dreamed she that he was then in search of her 
 and that he was both able and ready to save her from 
 a fate more dreaded than death. 
 
 Checking her pace, Helen lingered along, in order 
 that Wellford might get sufficiently in advance, to 
 remove the danger of observation. A crowd of pas- 
 sengers hiding him, for the space of a minute from her 
 sight, she found herself suddenly within a few feet of
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 53 
 
 him. He had paused on a corner, and was gazing, 
 first along one street and then another, his eyes 
 alternately ranging both pavements. At the moment 
 he was partly turned from her ; starting quickly for- 
 ward, she almost brushed him with her garments, 
 passing and hurrying on. For the time, her heart 
 ceased to beat, and her breath was suspended. 
 
 " Helen ! Helen !" 
 
 In an instant after his voice reached her. Why, why 
 did she not obey the quick impulse of her heart, and 
 pause as that voice, to her ears so full of music, fell 
 upon her ears ? Why did she not turn for one more 
 look at the face so beautiful to her eyes ? Had she 
 done so, she would have been saved. Alas ! that it 
 was otherwise. For an instant only were her steps 
 arrested; then, like a frightened deer, she started 
 forward, and quickly disappeared from the sight of 
 Wellford, who did not attempt to follow, but, with a 
 heavy heart, took his way to his place of business. 
 Fortune had begun to smile upon him ; but, how cold 
 he smile now, that was so warm and bright when its 
 oeams first shone ! 
 
 Panting from excitement and speed, Helen next 
 found herself at the door of Mr. Bullfinch, and, with a 
 kind of blind desperation, ascended the marble steps, 
 and placed her hand upon the bell to ring for admission
 
 54 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 But, ere the summons was given, the native delicacy of 
 her pure heart aroused itself against the unmaidenly 
 act, and, still irresolute, she was about turning away, 
 when the door opened, and Adam Bullfinch met her 
 face to face. 
 
 "My dear girl!" he exclaimed, seizing her hand, 
 and drawing her with a force she had neither the 
 strength of mind or body to resist, into the hall, closed 
 the door, and led her, now all passive, to her destiny, 
 into the elegant parlors where she was so soon to pre- 
 side as mistress ! 
 
 "My dear Miss Lee!" He still held tightly the 
 hand of the poor young girl ' I have been looking 
 for you this hour. My heart told me you would be 
 here" he laid a hand gracefully on his bosom " and 
 more than this, told me that my love for you was no 
 rejected passion." 
 
 The words were like heavy strokes on the heart of 
 Helen. She caught her breath, panted, grew faint, and 
 would have sunk to the floor, had not the arm of Mr. 
 Bullfinch, who saw, from her extreme paleness, that she 
 was suddenly ill, been drawn around her. Her head 
 drooped upon his shoulder. Not voluntary, oh no I 
 She had become half unconscious. Slightly alarmed, 
 the old man bore her to a sofa, and commenced bath- 
 ing her face with cold water. He called for no attend
 
 THB OLB MAN'S BRIDK. 55 
 
 auce. In fact, his niece was not at home. In expec- 
 tation of the coming of Helen, he had induced 
 er, on some pretence, to go out on a visit for the 
 morning. 
 
 Suspended consciousness was but temporary. Helen 
 boon recovered, and arose from the reclining position in 
 which she had been placed. Mr. Bullfinch was holding 
 her hand ; but now she forcibly withdrew it from hia 
 grasp, a movement that caused a shadow to flit over his 
 animated face. 
 
 " You have come to a decision, Helen, or you would 
 not be here," said Mr. Bullfinch, endeavoring to recover 
 the hand of his victim, but not succeeding in the effort. 
 " Do not keep me long in suspense ; and before you 
 speak, remember how much is at stake." 
 
 This was unwisely said. Helen did remember how 
 much was at stake, and it caused her to start in sudden 
 terror, at thought of the horrible pit opening at her 
 feet, to rise quickly from the sofa, and spring towards the 
 door, saying, as she did so, in an agonized voice " O, 
 spare me ! In mercy spare me ! I am too weak fo 
 this. Kill me ; but ask me not to encounter so fearfui 
 an ordeal." 
 
 Pausing, ere she had reached the door, the wretched 
 creature pressed, convulsively, her open hands over her 
 face. A gush of tears gave vent to the stifling oppres-
 
 56 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDB. 
 
 sion of her bosom, and sinking into a chair, she sobbed 
 for a time violently. 
 
 There came not to the selfish heart of Adam Bull- 
 finch, as he looked upon the quivering form of the 
 opr girl, now within his toils, the smallest motion of 
 relenting. In fear of losing the object of his sensual 
 regard, his passion grew into an intenser flame ; 
 and, with the skill of the mere sensual man, he com- 
 posed and controlled his exterior with most consummate 
 art. 
 
 Until Helen had grown calm, Mr. Bullfinch did not 
 speak again ; but he was by her side, caeessing a hand 
 she had relinquished ; not without resistance. With 
 the utmost tenderness he now spoke to her ; but he did 
 not urge his suit as at first. 
 
 " It is a hard life that you are leading, Helen," he said 
 with such well assumed sympathy, that her heart was 
 deceived, and it leaned, hearkening, and with a softened 
 response, to the tone. 
 
 " A life," he continued, "tnat is ooscuring and destroy- 
 ing one fitted to adorn the highest station." 
 
 Jhjs was not adroitly said. It appealed to her pride, 
 and that was nearly extinct Perceiving the lack of 
 response, Mr. Bullfinch, after a moment's silence, re- 
 sumed 
 
 M You have seemed in trouble for some time, Helen.
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 57 
 
 Will you not confide in me as a true friend ? There is, 
 believe me, none living who would do more to secure 
 your happiness than I. Come ! Make me your confi- 
 dant. Tell me freely of your anxieties, your cares, 
 and your fears, and if there is power in a human arm, 
 they shall be relieved. Love ever seeks to bless its ob- 
 ject." 
 
 " I am in trouble," said Helen, with the calmness that 
 always follows the subsidence of strong emotiou. 
 
 " Speak, then. Let it have full utterance. There 
 is no human ear that will listen so earnestly as 
 mine." 
 
 Helen, with partly averted face, remained silent. 
 
 " Your father is in poor health," said Mr. Bullfinch 
 slowly. " His physcian has forbidden all exertion, bod- 
 ily, as well as mental. On vour feeble arm rests the 
 heavy burden of sustaining the family. But your arm 
 is too weak. Will you not let me hold it up ? I have 
 manly strength. Let me put it forth in your behalf. 
 Believe me, that the privilege of doing so will be the 
 3arest pleasure of my life." 
 
 " Oh, sir !" exclaimed Helen, turning suddenly towards 
 Lim, " you can aid me if you will." 
 
 A smile of encouragement lit up the old man s coun- 
 tenance.
 
 58 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE, 
 
 " Speak !" said he. " Speak freely, my dear Miss Lee. 
 To your wish I can only give a quick response." 
 
 " My father needs -" 
 
 " Go on," said Mr. Bullfinch, seeing that Helen paused 
 with hesitation. 
 
 " Our circumstances are very limited, as you must 
 know, Mr. Bullfinch." Helen was now entirely self-pos- 
 sessed, and as she spoke, she looked calmly into the old 
 mat '? face. " My earnings are our sole income. But 
 these have, hitherto, proved insufficient for our wants, 
 small as we have endeavored to make them. Several 
 debts have accumulated, and the persons to whom they 
 are owed, have become impatient. Yesterday, a man 
 to whom sixty-four dollars is owed, demanded its pay- 
 ment. He was angry and insolent. Distressed be- 
 yond measure at my parents' distress, I desperately 
 promised the payment of the money this morning. If 
 you can lend me that sum, or advance it on Fanny's les- 
 sons, the act will be one for which my heart will bless 
 vou." 
 
 " Is it so bad with you, my poor child 1" said Mr. Bull- 
 finch with great tenderness. " Why did you not tell me 
 of this before 1 Have I not ever sought your friendship 
 and confidence 1 Have I not always manifested the 
 warmest interest in vour welfare 1"
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 59 
 
 He was now holding her hand tightly, and looking 
 'ondly into her face. 
 
 " You have but to say the word," he continued, " and 
 all I have is yours. One little word, spoken now, will 
 lift you, and those you love with such deep' self-devo 
 tion, above the shadow of earthly evil. I hold your 
 promise to an answer to my suit this morning. Are 
 you ready for the response ? Think, dear Helen, how 
 much you have to gain for you and yours : and think 
 of the exquisite happiness you will confer upon one, 
 who, until he looked upon your sweet young face, never 
 saw the angel of his being. Say that you will be mine, 
 Helen, and the words will unlock for you the iron doors 
 of wealth. A day need not pass, before the joy of see- 
 ing your parents forever raised above the pressure of 
 want and care, may be yours. Can you look at them, 
 and hesitate f ' 
 
 Helen was silent for a few moments. But, her elec- 
 tion was made. That appeal in favor of her parents 
 had decided the question. But, there was still a mat- 
 ter of justice that she wished to settle justice to her 
 infatuated suitor. If he took her, he must take her for 
 what she was. She could yield him a hand, but she 
 had no love to give. So far as she was concerned, tho 
 struggle was now over. The throbbings of her heart had 
 eeased. Upon its surface had passed an icy calm ; and
 
 80 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE, 
 
 if there was agitation beneath, it was far too deep for 
 visible manifestation. 
 
 " Mr. Bullfinch," said she, her fine person seeming to 
 grow taller under his admiring gaze, while a change 
 passed over her pale countenance that excited a moment's 
 surprise, flow beautiful it was, in its pale, cold, elevated 
 dignity ! " Mr. Bullfinch, you have asked of me this 
 hand, in marriage. It is yours " 
 
 She extended the hand, which he seized eagerly, and 
 covered with kisses. Not a flush passed over her face. 
 There was no softness in her old, bright eyes. An ob- 
 server would have noticed on her finely arched lips, a 
 slight curving motion, and he would not have mistaken 
 Ms meaning. 
 
 " But" she added, as the ardent lover lifted his eyes 
 again to her countenance " that is all it is in my powei 
 to give you. The heart, Mr. Bullfinch, is not so easy of 
 disposal." 
 
 " I will trust for that," said he fondly. " Love begets 
 love. I have no fears. Give me the hand, and I will 
 not despair of the heait. That will come in its own 
 good time. Oh ! you have made me the happiest man 
 alive, to day." 
 
 And with ardor he kissed her brow, cheek, and lips. 
 Helen did not shrink from the salutation ; but her re- 
 ception of it was statue-like. Her eyes now rested
 
 THB OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 61 
 
 upon a mantle clock, and she saw that it was near the 
 Lour when the money she had promised must be paid. 
 
 " Let me repeat, Mr. Bullfinch," and Helen spoke 
 with solemnity, " that my heart cannot go with my 
 hand ; and you must never hope to possess it. I will 
 be to you dutiful and faithful. All in my power will 
 be done for your happiness. But, love goes not at the 
 mere bidding. I do not love you I can never love 
 you. The difference between us is too great. And now ; 
 sir, if, after this declaration, you wish to withdraw the 
 offer you have made, still hold yourself at full liberty to 
 do so." 
 
 " Not for a moment will I think of it," replied Mr. 
 Bullfinch, with ardor " no, not for a moment. Angel 1" 
 And again seizing her hand, he pressed it to his lips. 
 " Be it the highest aim of my life to secure your happi- 
 ness." 
 
 From Helen there was not the slightest response. 
 Nothing could have been colder or more passive than her 
 reception of this little piece of fond enthusiasm on the 
 part of her lover. 
 
 " Ah, my Helen," ne resumed, " you do not yet know 
 me fully. You cannot realize how entirely my life will 
 be devoted to your happiness, and to that of your pa- 
 rents." 
 
 " For the sake of my parents," said Helen, in a voice
 
 62 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 from which all feeling was removed, " I would do and 
 sacrifice everything I dare sacrifice. And now, that you 
 refer to them, let us understand each other iu regard to 
 the future. My home must be their home." 
 
 " I desire nothing else," was quickly answered. 
 
 " They must be at once raised above care and want ; 
 in fact, above all anxiety touching the future." 
 
 " It shall be as you wish, Helen. You cannot be 
 happy without seeing them happy ; and your happiness 
 I desire above all things. Such filial devotion I honor. 
 And, moreover, it is an earnest to me of a pleasant 
 future. So devoted, self-sacrificing a daughter, cannot 
 but make a good and loving wife. Heaven bless you, 
 sweet one !" 
 
 " And now, Mr. Bullfinch," said Helen, rising he 
 kept tightly hold of her hand " I can remain no longer. 
 The time has already come when my promise to the col- 
 lector must be fulfilled. I wish to keep my word with 
 him, as well as save my parents from the pain his inso- 
 ence will occasion." 
 
 Mr. Bullfinch released her hand, and going to a secre- 
 tary which stood in one of the parlors, unlooked it, and, 
 taking a purse, filled it with pieces of gold. 
 
 " Here, sweet one," said he, placing the money in her 
 hands, and kissing her white cheek as he did so, " go 
 home quickly and set the hearts of your parents at rest.
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 63 
 
 They may thank Heaven for so good a child, as I do for 
 the destiny of so good a wife." 
 
 Helen received the purse, and, without looking at it, 
 hrust it in her pocket. 
 
 " You will call as usual, to-morrow," said Mr. Bull- 
 finch. " We will then talk about the future." 
 
 " Call here, Mr. Bullfinch !" returned Helen, in a tone 
 of surprise. 
 
 "Yes no why I did'nt think" stammered the 
 old man " oh no ; of course not. It wouldn't be just 
 delicate for you to visit here now. But when shall I see 
 you again ?" 
 
 " That will be according to your own good pleasure," 
 replied Helen} coldly. 
 
 " I will visit you this evening." 
 
 Helen inclined her head in acquiescence, and then, 
 with a " Good morning, sir," turned and passed hurriedly 
 from the room. At the door, Mr. Bullfinch, who had 
 followed with light footsteps, was by her side. He had 
 lifted his hat from the rack, in passing, and was now 
 ready to accompany her in her walk home. Against 
 this she offered a feeble remonstrance ; but gallantry 
 and inclination were not to be overcome. 
 
 Of the many tender things said by Mr. Bullfinch, and 
 anheard by Helen, we will make no record. They parted
 
 64 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE, 
 
 at her father's door, Helen not even looking into his 
 
 face, nor, in fact, giving to his stealthy pressure of her 
 
 hand, or low spoken " I will see you to-night," the 
 smallest response.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 IT was eleven o'clock, the time at which the collector 
 was to receive his money, and yet, Helen, who had been 
 out nearly three hours, had not yet returned. For more 
 than an hour, Mr. and Mrs. 'Lee sat awaiting, momen- 
 tarily, the return of their daughter. Thought was busy ; 
 but their feelings too much oppressed for conversation. 
 Apd so both remained silent. 
 
 Eleven o'clock had come, and still Helen was absent, 
 and now each listened for a knock at the door in a state 
 of nervous anxiety. Both started, at length, at a loud, 
 impatient rap. Mrs. Lee answered the summons, and 
 there stood the hard-featured collector. 
 
 " Well, madam ?" spoke the man, with a rude famil- 
 iarity of tone, " I'm here." 
 
 " Will you walk in, sir ?" said Mrs. Lee. 
 
 He entered, and was conducted to the small sitting- 
 room. 
 
 " Good day." Mr. Lee arose, and handed him a 
 chair.
 
 66 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 " Well, sir," said the collector, as he sat down, " I'm 
 here at the hour. Is the money you promised me, 
 ready ?" 
 
 " I didn't promise you any money," replied Mr. Lee, 
 much fretted at the man's insolent manner that he 
 could not control his feelings. 
 
 " Didn't promise to pay me sixty-four dollars at 
 eleven o'clock, to-day !" 
 "No, sir." 
 
 " Ah, pray what did you promise then ?" asked 
 the collector, in a voice still more insolent and annoy- 
 ing. 
 
 " I promised nothing. I had no present means of 
 paying your bill, and I told you so." 
 
 " Too bad ! I ought to have known you were merely 
 trifling with me to gain time. But, it will be \iorse for 
 you ; mark my word for it ! Promised nothing, ha? I 
 wonder why I'm here at precisely eleven o'clock ?" 
 
 " My daughter promised, under excitement of feeling, 
 wrongly promised to pay your bill this morning," said 
 Mr. Lee, speaking more firmly, and in that manly, re- 
 active tone which always subdues vulgar impertinence. 
 " That she is making an effort to keep her promise, her 
 absence for some hours is to me sufficient evidence. 
 We look for her return every moment. Whether she 
 will bring the mocey or not, is more thata I can tell. I
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 67 
 
 almost hope she will not. You can await her return, 
 or leave the house, as best suits your fancy. In either 
 case, it is of little consequence to me. Your rudeness, 
 I might better call it insolence, has made me quifce in- 
 different. As to the consequences which you have so 
 freely threatened, I stand in no fear." 
 
 The collector did not anticipate a reaction like this. 
 It came upon him so suddenly, that he cowered under 
 ihe fixed gaze of Mr. Lee, who, at once conscious of the 
 power he had gained, kept his eye upon him as he would 
 have done upon a wild beast. He was still holding him 
 thus at bay, when the street door was heard to open ; 
 then light feet came alor.g the passage. 
 
 " Remember, sir !" said Mr. Lee, sternly, " not an im- 
 proper word or tone to my child, under any circum- 
 stances. If she have not the money for you, it is no 
 fault of hers." 
 
 Helen entered the room as he was speaking. So al- 
 tered was the expression of her face, that her parents 
 hardly recognised her. 
 
 " My child !" exclaimed Mr. Lee, " what has hap- 
 pened 2" 
 
 She did not answer him, but turning to the collector, 
 said, somewhat sternly, 
 
 " Here, as I expected." 
 
 As she spoke, she drew from her pocket the purse re-
 
 68 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 ceived from Mr. Bullfinch, adding, as she commenced 
 counting out the pieces of gold, 
 
 " I have kept my promise. Your money is ready for 
 you." 
 
 Not anotner word was spoken, until the collector, afte* 
 receiving the amount of his bill, and passing a receipt, 
 uttered a subdued good morning. He was rougher and 
 ruder as a collector than as a man. To a great extent, 
 his business had encrusted his feelings with a hard and 
 jagged exterior. For the first time, in many weeks, ho 
 was touched by what he saw ; and, as a thought of his 
 own daughter came into his mind, accompanied with a 
 question as to the price Helen Lee might have paid for 
 gold, a low chill ran along his nerves. 
 
 " I didn't think it was quite so hard with them," he 
 said to himself, as he left the house. " Money is often 
 gained at too great a cost, and has been in this instance, 
 I greatly fear. Ah, me ! This is a hard business. I 
 sometimes wish I were well out of it. A man must 
 have iron nerves, and a heart like steel." 
 
 Thus musing to himself, he passed on his way. The 
 tenderness and regret were but momentary. Soon, the 
 man was in occultation, while the collector gained the 
 ascendant. The inner softness was hidden by the 
 rough, jagged, acquired exterior. 
 
 " My dear child !" said Mr. Lee, catching hold of his
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 69 
 
 daughter, the moment they were freed from the collec- 
 tor's presence, and speaking in a voice of deep concern 
 "what have you done? Where did you get all thia 
 money ? Speak, my child ! Oh, speak !" 
 
 Helen had dreaded this meeting with her parents. 
 While hurrying homeward, her thoughts had gone for 
 ward, picturing the interview which had now come, and 
 she had sought to prepare herself for it, and to fix a 
 rule of action. Alas ! of how little avail do we often 
 find preparation for a great heart-trial ! It proved of no 
 avail now. For a brief time only did Helen struggle 
 against o'errnastering emotion ; then with a low, burst- 
 ing sob, she let her head fall upon his bosom. How 
 still she lay there ; all the strength of mind she could 
 rally, striving for external composure. This was at 
 length gained ; when raising herself up, and laying her 
 hands upon her father's temples, she pressed backwards 
 his fast whitening locks, and said, with a loving smile, 
 that seemed like sun-light suddenly breaking on her 
 pale face 
 
 " You shall know all, soon." 
 
 "All what, dear Helen ! All what? I am fright- 
 ened. What have you done \ Why concealment 
 now ? Speak out, my child ; speak now, if you love 
 me." 
 
 " Have you seen Mr. Bullfinch ?" asked Mrs. Lee. She
 
 70 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 had her own thoughts, and she wished to verify them 
 is quickly as possible. 
 
 " 1 have," replied Helen ; the smile she had assumed 
 fading from her countenance. 
 
 " And you received this money from him ?" continued 
 Mrs. Lee. 
 
 " Yes, mother. To his kindness are we indebted for 
 timely relief! ' 
 
 " Helen !" Mr. Lee held his daughter from him, and 
 gazed into her face with a look of intense anguish. 
 " Helen !" and he spoke with solemnity " At what 
 price, my child ? At what price ?" 
 
 " You will know that soon, dear father !" replied Helen, 
 now regaining her self-possession. " Mr. Bullfinch will 
 be here to-night." 
 
 She moved away a pace or two, saying that she had 
 lessons to give during the morning. 
 
 " I cannot remain in doubt, Helen," said Mr. Lee ; 
 *' suspense like this is more than I am able to bear.'' 
 
 " You shall know all in good time. But do not 
 urge me now," returned Helen ; " for I can speak no 
 further." 
 
 " Has Mr. Bullfinch asked you to marry him ?" said 
 Mr. Lee, advancing towards Helen, and grasping the 
 hand a few moments before withdrawn from him. She 
 tried to escape, but her father kept a firm hold.
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDB. 71 
 
 " Speak, dear. Say yes or no. I ask but a word." 
 
 A. breathless silence followed. Then, with averted 
 eyes, she answered, 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " I fearea as much," returned Mr. Lee, sadly. " 
 feared as much. Oh !" clasping his hands together 
 and looking upwards " has it come to this to this !" 
 
 " And you have given consent ?" he added, a few 
 moments after. But Helen, instead of answering, went 
 hastily from the room. A little while afterwards she 
 came down from her chamber, and without saying any- 
 thing to her parents, or even turning her face toward 
 them as she passed through the room where they were 
 sitting, left the house to give her lessons in music as 
 usual. 
 
 "Dreadful! dreadful! dreadful! That it should 
 come to this !" almost sobbed Mr. Lee. 
 
 " Come to what ?" asked Mrs. Lee, who had, from the 
 first, been far less moved than her husband. 
 
 Mr. Lee gazed at his wife, in undisguised wonder, for 
 a short time. 
 
 " Come to what, did you say ?" he at length asked in 
 a half rebuking voice. 
 
 " What dreadful consequence do you fear, Mr. Lee ! 
 Mr. Bullfinch's proposals are, of course, perfectly houoi- 
 able."
 
 72 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 " Honorable ! Good Heavens, Helen ! This from 
 you !" 
 
 Mr. Lee was strongly excited. His wife looked re- 
 buked ; but it was more from his manner, than from 
 ny clear comprehension of the error she had commit- 
 ied in seeming to favor the marriage of her daughter 
 with Mr. Bullfinch ; for both understood clearly enough 
 that this question was now to come up for consideration 
 and decision. After a few moments, Mrs. Lee said 
 
 " If Mr. Bullfinch comes to us with honorable propo- 
 sals for the hand of our daughter, and she is willing to 
 accept his offer, what will you do !" 
 
 " Never, while I live, will I consent to so unnatural a 
 sacrifice," replied Mr. Lee, warmly. 
 
 " But, if Helen have already accepted his offer. What 
 then 2" 
 
 " She has not done so." 
 
 " She has taken from him a gift of money," said Mrs. 
 Lee. 
 
 " No no no," replied the father. " Not a gift, but 
 a loan. Only an advance on the tuition of his neice. It 
 can be nothing more." 
 
 " She had a purse full of gold. It could not have 
 contained less than two or three hundred dollars. 
 
 Mr. Lee groaned aloud. 
 
 "My own impression is,'' said Mrs. Lee, apd the tone
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 73 
 
 in which she spoke did not indicate much distress of 
 mind arising from the conviction " that Helen has 
 consented to become the wife of Mr. Bullfinch. If this 
 ta so, opposition on our part will be unavailing. As 
 something inevitable, let us look at it with at least a de- 
 gree of calmness." 
 
 " Calmness I Oh, Helen !" said Mr. Lee, reproach- 
 fully. 
 
 " Mr. Bullfinch, besides having large weaitn, is a man 
 in good social standing," resumed his wife. " The only 
 drawback is his age. But, if Helen can accept of this, 
 she may be happier with him than as the wife of a 
 younger man, less favorably circumstanced, and with an 
 undisciplined character. Think, Mr. Lee, from what a 
 condition of toil, anxiety, and suffering she will at once 
 be lifted." 
 
 " Into gilded misery," said Mr. Lee, bitterly, " and 
 there is none so hard to endure as that. Helen ! Helen ! 
 Do not talk so to me. From your lips I did not expect 
 to hear words like these. Would you sell your child's 
 happiness for gold ?" 
 
 " Happiness !" returned Mrs. Lee, in a voice of equal 
 bitterness. " For her, poor child ! there has been little 
 for a year or two past, that we might call by that name. 
 Any change has in it a promise of good ; and this one, 
 't seems to me, of great good."
 
 74 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 " Good in such a life-companionship ! Oh, Helen ! 
 Poverty has strangely altered you, or you never would 
 speak thus. Never never ! Poor child ! How sadly 
 her white face told the story of her heart-despair in 
 prospect of so fearful a sacrifice. But it cannot it 
 must not take place." 
 
 " Do you know any harm of Mr. Bullfinch ?" asked 
 Mrs. Lee. 
 
 " Oh, Helen ! Helen ! You will drive me distracted. 
 Are you not a woman and a mother ? How, then; can 
 you favor such a marriage ? In it, there cannot be a 
 single element of conjunction nothing of a true mar- 
 riage. The adjunction will be merely external, and 
 attended by a sphere of repulsion, on one side at least, 
 that will be the fruitful of untold misery. An old man, 
 sixty years of age, and a confirmed sensualist at that 
 and a pure young girl, in the bloom of innocent mai- 
 denhood ! The angels would weep at such a union ! 
 I could smile, and thank God for the death of my child, 
 as I stood by her newly-made grave, if death had snatched 
 her from a fate like this." 
 
 " You look only at the shadows in this picture, Mr. 
 Lee," said his wife, in answer. " It has strong lights 
 as well as deep shadows. They must be allowed to 
 blend under our vision, if we would truly appreciate 
 the picture. Look for a moment at our present
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 74 
 
 condition. Could anything be more hopeless ? Could 
 there be for our child a rougher way in life, or a stormier 
 sky?" 
 
 " Eougher and stormier a thousand fold !" replied Mr 
 Lee. " A very paradise are her present surroundings, 
 to what they will be, if so sad a fate as to become the 
 wife of old Adam Bullfinch awaits her." 
 
 " I cannot see and feel as you do," said Mi's. Lee. 
 " Helen must act her own good pleasure in the matter. 
 If she thinks she can be happy as the cherished wife of 
 Mr. Bullfinch, why should we object ? Above the 
 thousand ills that are now sapping the very foundations 
 of her life, she will be at once removed. It is no use 
 to talk about it. I cannot see anything so dreadful in 
 such a marriage. Old men are proverbially tender and 
 indulgent to their young wives. Better be an old man's 
 darling, you know, than a young man's slave." 
 
 " Spare me, Helen ! Spare me !'' exclaimed Mr. Lee, 
 putting up his hands, while an expression of blended 
 pain and disgust darkened his countenance. " From 
 another, I might have borne this with some patience ; 
 but, from you, it is terrible. Never, never, shall my 
 voice sanction so fearful an outrage of all that is pure, 
 and good, and holy." 
 
 Under this strong reaction, Mrs. Lee remained silent 
 "X et did she not feel the force of her husband's objeo
 
 76 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 tion. Already her fancy was picturing in warm colors, 
 the proud, social elevation that her daughter would at- 
 tain. To be lifted at once from extreme poverty, to 
 ease, wealth, and abundance, was a change which she 
 could not contemplate, without a feeling of lively satis- 
 faction. For, looking at this consummation, so devoutly 
 to be wished, she could not see the painful steps by 
 which it must be attained. So dazzled were her eyes 
 by the glitter of the golden exterior, that the ghastly 
 skeleton, shrouded in gorgeous attire, was wholly invis 
 ible. 
 
 Thus were the parents of Helen Lee affected, when 
 the prospect of so great a change in the future life of 
 their daughter was suddenly presented. Mrs. Lee had 
 been a woman of the world we will not say a heart- 
 less woman of the world, for that would be giving rather 
 too unfavorable an impression of her character. She 
 had a higher appreciation of things external than of 
 things internal ; for she comprehended them much 
 more clearly. A condition in life, and its power to give 
 happiness, she could understand ; but she was not able 
 clearly to realize how a state of mind could make or 
 mar everything. They were all very unhappy in con- 
 sequence of their poverty, and the evils it entailed upon 
 them ; and it seemed to her that wealth would restore 
 the sunshine. The prospect of this, presented so unex-
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 77 
 
 * 
 
 pectedlv, dazzled her. Not so her husband. He had 
 ever been unworldly. A man of pure, deep feeling, he 
 understood how much of life's happiness depends upon 
 states of mind. Helen's true character its purity, deli 
 cacy, and womanly sensibility he understood much 
 better than his wife ; and he at once comprehended, and 
 with a distinctness that made him shudder, ihe conse- 
 quences that would inevitably follow such a marriage as 
 "as proposed.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE more Mrs. Barker thought about her treatment 
 of Helen, the more uncomfortable her feelings became. 
 Her icy reception had, evidently, prevented the young 
 teacher from making known some request, upon the 
 granting of which, much, it migbt be, depended. 
 
 " I will see her when she comes in the morning to 
 give Clara a lesson, and learn in what way I can serve 
 her." 
 
 With this resolution, she endeavored to dismiss the 
 subject from her mind, but, for some reason, it would 
 keep returning, and troubling her. 
 
 " I will try and get her a few more scholars," said 
 Mrs. Barker, as she still thought of Helen. " Her pa- 
 rents are entirely dependent upon her, and I hardly 
 think her income can, at present, be equal to their 
 \rants. Struggling industry needs encouragement and 
 aid at times, as well as absolute indigence. I did think 
 of letting Madame Arcot give Maggy lessons in French
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 79 
 
 in order to secure the true Paris pronunciation ; but 
 Helen's French is very pure, and I am not certain that 
 I would really gain anything for my daughter, by giv- 
 ing her a foreign instructor. There are -many things 
 about Madame Arcot which I do not like, and, besides, 
 she has not always borne the most unblemished charac- 
 ter. I think, upon the whole, I will give Miss Lee ano- 
 ther scholar. And there are Jane and Florence Ewing. 
 Only yesterday I was talking with their mother about 
 Madame Arcot, and she was hesitating on the question 
 of employing her as their teacher. A word from mo 
 will, I know, determine the question in her mind. If I 
 say that I prefer Miss Lee, and am about engaging her 
 to give lessons to Maggy, she will decide to do the same. 
 This will give Helen three more scholars, and make a 
 very important addition to her income." 
 
 Her mind now thoroughly interested, Mrs. Barker 
 called upon Mrs. Ewing, who was very ready to act from 
 her suggestion. And not only so ; becoming, through 
 Mrs. Barker, interested in Helen, she promised to get up 
 an interest for her among her friends, and did not, in the 
 least, doubt her ability to secure for her some two or 
 three more scholars. 
 
 Greatly relieved in mind, Mrs. Barker waited fov the 
 appearance of Helen, on the next morning. The hour 
 had nearly arrived, at which she usually came, when she
 
 80 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 remembered that the lesson had been deferred on account 
 of indisposition. 
 
 u That was but an excuse to cover some more impor 
 tant request, which my want of kindness prevented her 
 from making. She will probably come as usual." 
 
 And in this she did not err ; for, even as she thought 
 so, Helen entered. There was so marked a change in 
 her appearance, that Mrs. Barker could hardly help an 
 exclamation when she came in. Marks of intense men- 
 tal pain were strongly visible on her pale face, and there 
 was a tightness about her lips, that no longer arched 
 gracefully. Her eyes, usually drooping and modest, 
 looked strangely large, and in them was something that 
 Mrs. Barker could not comprehend, and from which she 
 shrunk instinctively. 
 
 " You have been sick, Miss Lee," said she. " Why 
 did you come out this morning ?" 
 
 " I am quite well," Helen replied ; but without refer- 
 ring to the fact that she had asked the privilege of omit- 
 ting a lesson, on the plea of indisposition. There was 
 a coldness in the tones of her voice, unmarked before, 
 and a distance in her manner that repelled. 
 
 " When you called yesterday," said Mrs. Barker, now 
 forcing herself to approach a subject that was upper- 
 most in her mind, " my attention was so much occupied 
 with a book I was reading, that nay manner must hava
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 8i 
 
 seemed to you repulsive. It did not occur to me, untu 
 after you had gone away, that, in all probability, your 
 visit to me was of more importance than merely to ask 
 permission to omit a lesson on account of indisposition. 
 In fear that my absent manner may have repulsed you, 
 I have been troubled ever since. Am I right in this 
 conclusion ?" 
 
 " You are," replied Helen, with cold dignity. 
 
 " I regret, exceedingly, that you did not make known 
 your wishes," said Mrs. Barker, with earnest kindness. 
 " Believe me, that if I can serve you in any thing, I 
 will do so with sincere pleasure. What did you wish 
 to ask of me ?" 
 
 " The advance of a sum of money on Clara's lessons, 
 in order to pay a small debt, for which my poor father 
 was sorely troubled. In a moment of desperation, on 
 hearing him abused and threatened, I promised that the 
 money should be paid by a certain hour. I had no 
 present means to do this, and, in a moment after the 
 promise was made, felt that I had done wrong. But 
 my word was given and must be kept. I knew where 
 I could get the needed assistance, but, above all things, 
 wished to avoid that application ; and so, ma'am, I 
 came to you, believing that you had not only the heart 
 to feel for me, but the willing hand to help me in ray 
 extremity."
 
 82 THE OLD MAN S BRIDE. 
 
 " So I have, Miss .Lee ! So I have," replied Mra. 
 Barker warmly. " How much money do yon need ! 
 Oh ! why did you not make free to tell me this, yester- 
 day?" 
 
 And, while she said this, Mrs. Barter drew ner purse 
 from her pocket. 
 
 " I was choked when I saw you, and could not utter 
 a word of what was in my mind," replied Helen, with 
 a distance and reserve that Mrs. Barker partly attributed 
 to an offended state of mind. 
 
 " It is not now too late to aid you," resumed Mrs. Bar- 
 ker. " Teh 1 me how much you need, and be assured, 
 Miss Lee, that I will supply the sum with heart-felt 
 pleasure." 
 
 u It is too late," said Helen in a tone that came like 
 a freezing breath on the feelings of her auditor. 
 
 " Too late ! Say not so, Miss Lee. Have you ob- 
 tained the needed sum 2" 
 
 " I have." 
 
 " From whom did you get it F* 
 
 There was a pause of some moments. Then Helen 
 answered, in a voice that betrayed but little feeling 
 
 " From Mr. Bullfinch." 
 
 " Adam Bullfinch !" exclaimed Mrs. Barker, in BUT- 
 prise. " Why, of all others, did you apply to him f
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 83 
 
 " Because I knew that I had but to make known ray 
 want, and it would be supplied." 
 
 "And it was 2" 
 
 " It was." 
 
 " Did he advance tne sum you needed on tne lessons 
 you were giving his niece ?" asked Mrs. Barker, hei 
 eyes fixed earnestly on the face of Helen. 
 
 " I asked the money as an advance," was coldly re- 
 plied. 
 
 " How much did you require ?" 
 
 " The debt was sixty-four dollars." 
 
 " I will lend you the money, or double the sum, if 
 required. Here it is," and she unclasped her purse. 
 " Take it, and at once cancel this obligation to Mr. Bull- 
 finch. Was there none but him to whom you could go 
 for such a favor ?" 
 
 " None," sighed Helen, as she pushed back the hand 
 of Mrs. Barker. " I thank you for your kindness ; but 
 it is too late, now." 
 
 " Too late ! Miss Lee. Too late ! How am I to un- 
 derstand this ?" said Mrs. Barker, in visible concern. 
 
 " Time will explain all," murmured Helen, speaking 
 in part to herself. Then, rising, she said, " It is late, 
 and I have two more lessons to give this morning. Is 
 Clara in her room ?" 
 
 "A moment longer," said Mrs. Barker, laying her
 
 g4 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 hand upon the arm of her auditor. " I have some good 
 news for you. Mrs. Ewing tok! me, yesterday, that sho 
 was going to engage you to give French lessons to her 
 two daughters. And I have another scholar for you, 
 besides." 
 
 The expression that came into the face of Helen, when 
 Mrs. Barker said this, was one of pain rather than plea- 
 sure. It was evident that she was disturbed by a quick 
 emotion, to subdue which cost her a strong effort. In 
 a little while, she replied, calmly 
 
 " Two days ago, this would have been pleasant news 
 to me ; but it is of no particular interest, now. I have 
 concluded to make no more engagements, and to give 
 up all rny present scholars, at the end of their respective 
 quarters. 
 
 " Why, Helen ! What does this mean !" exclaimed 
 Mrs. Barker. " W T hat are you going to do ?" 
 
 Helen had no voice to reply. There was a genuine 
 interest in the lady's manner, that touched her feelings ; 
 the more so, as the full conviction now dawned clearly 
 on her mind, that, if she had but spoken out freely 
 what was in her heart, on the day before, she might 
 have been saved from the dread alternative she had 
 so reluctantly taken. It was too late, now. A 
 little while she sat silent, striving to regain her icy
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. &5 
 
 self-possession. Failing in this, she left the room ab- 
 ruptly. 
 
 At all this, Mi's. Barker was greatly troubled ; and 
 sorely did she repent of her fatal indifference on the day 
 before. 
 
 " When golden opportunities are lost," she sighed, 
 " how rarely do they return to us again ! We only 
 have the present in which to do good ; and if the pres- 
 ent is neglected, it passes away from us forever. Poor 
 child ! What has she done ? What can be the meaning 
 of her suddenly formed resolution, to give up her pres- 
 ent occupation ? Surely, she cannot have consented to 
 become " 
 
 She left the sentence unfinished in her own mind. 
 She could not, even in thought, utter the word that was 
 suggested. 
 
 " I must see her again before she leaves the house," 
 said Mrs. Barker, after musing for some minutes. " It 
 will not do to let a matter so serious as this take its 
 course. Unhappy girl ! What must she not have suf- 
 fered ! I never saw any one so changed in as brief a 
 space of time." 
 
 The longer she continued to dwell upon the subject, 
 the more earnest did she become. Impatiently she 
 waited the hour to expire during which Helen was en- 
 gaged with her daughter. More and more clearly did 
 3 "
 
 86 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 her mind begin to see how she might extricate the 
 poor girl from the unhappy position into which she had 
 fallen. 
 
 " I will save her from a fate so dreadful," Mrs. Bar 
 ker had just said to herself, when her ear caught the 
 sound of light footsteps along the passage. 
 
 "Miss Lee!" she called, starting up and going quickly 
 to the door of the room in which she was sitting. There 
 was no answer, but she was in time to catch a momen- 
 tary view of Helen as she was passing hurriedly from 
 the house. 
 
 "Miss Lee! Helen?" she called again. But her 
 voice was drowned in the heavy jar of the closing door. 
 Clasping her hands together, she stood for a few mo- 
 ments, all her thoughts in a state of bewilderment 
 Then, as she turned slowly, and went back into the 
 apartment from which she had come, she murmured, 
 sadly 
 
 " Unhappy girl ! What a future is before her ! Oh . 
 that I had but known the greatness of her extremity 
 And I might have known it. God sent her to me ; ana 
 when she came, shriukingly and fearfully, my coldness 
 and indifference repulsed her. Will He call me to an- 
 swer for the marring of so fair and noble a spirit ? But 
 is it yet too late ? No, no, I will not believe it. She 
 will be here again several times. I will secure her con-
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 8* 
 
 fidence, learn all the truth in relation to this matter be- 
 tween her and Mr. Bullfinch, and, if it is as I suppose, 
 devise some means to save her from the false step she 
 is about to take. To accomplish this, I will do and 
 sacrifice much. And," she added, in a confident tone, 
 ' I must succeed in so good a work."
 
 CHAPTEE Yin. 
 
 u HELEN LEE must be sick," said Fanny Milnor to 
 her uncle, two days after Helen had been sent home 
 through the storm in a carriage. 
 
 " Why do you think so ?" asksd Mr. Bullfinch, in a 
 quick tone of voice, as if the suggestion had excited a 
 sudden concern. 
 
 " This is her regular day for giving me a lesson. 
 But she did not come. She has never missed before ; 
 I'm afraid she took cold from exposure on her last 
 visit." 
 
 The shadow, that concern had thrown upon the face 
 of Mr. Bullfinch, instantly gave place to a smile. 
 
 " I hope not," he said. " Some other reason may 
 have prevented her from coming. She is, I think, a 
 rery excellent girl, Fanny." 
 
 " She is, indeed, a good girl, uncle," returned Fanny 
 " I like her very much."
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 89 
 
 " So do I," said Mr. Bullfinch, with considerable 
 animation. " From the first I have observed her close- 
 ly, and am convinced that she is a true-hearted, pure- 
 minded, excellent young lady ; thoroughly educated 
 and accomplished, and fitted to adorn any station in 
 life. Don't you think so, Fanny ?" 
 
 " I have always thought so, and often said to myself, 
 that if I were a young man, in search of a wife, I 
 would, from among all my acquaintances, select Helen 
 Lee." 
 
 " Well said ! Well said ! You are a sensible girl." 
 And Mr. Bullfinch rubbed his hands together in un- 
 disguised pleasure. " And you think she is sick ?" he 
 added, after a pause, and with a steady, meaning look. 
 
 "I'm afraid so," replied Fanny, thinking within her- 
 self that there was something unusual in the manner of 
 her uncle. 
 
 " There is another reason, I presume, why she is not 
 here," said Mr. Bullfinch. 
 
 " You think so ?" 
 
 " Yes. And I'll tell you my thoughts a little 
 farther, if you wish to hear them." 
 
 There was a look of mystery in the countenance of 
 Mr. Bullfinch. 
 
 " What do you mean, uncle ?"
 
 90 THE OLD MAN'B BRIDE. 
 
 "I don't think Miss Lee intends giving you any 
 more lessons." 
 
 u Why ? She gave me no such intimation." 
 
 " I believe it is her intention to give up the office of 
 instructor altogether." 
 
 "Uncle! You surprise me. When did you hear 
 this?" 
 
 " Yesterday." 
 
 " And is it so, really ? 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " What is she going to do ?" 
 
 " What a great many other lovely young creatures, 
 *ust like her, have done before." 
 
 " Get married ?" 
 
 Yes." 
 
 " Why, uncle !" 
 
 " Anything so surprising in that !" 
 
 " It is a little surprising that you should know all 
 about it, while I never once suspected that an emotion 
 so deep as that of love had passed over the calm 
 surface of her virgin heart," 
 
 " And yet it is so." 
 
 " Who is the happy man, uncle ? Is he worthy of 
 her Will she marry well ?" 
 
 " / think so." 
 
 The look and tone that accompanied this would have
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 91 
 
 betrayed Mr. Bullfinch to any one else ; but Fanny had 
 not the remotest dream of the truth. 
 
 " I am surprised and delighted, Uncle Adam. But 
 how very close she has been about it ! Ah ! I never 
 would have suspected her." 
 
 " You think her lover fortunate ?" 
 
 " I do ; very fortunate." 
 
 " He's a happy man, certainly. A prize like this is 
 not often secured in a matrimonial lottery." 
 
 " Indeed it is not. But, why keep me in suspense, 
 uncle? If you know the happy man, tell me his 
 name." 
 
 '' She is to be a very near neighbor of ours." 
 
 " Oh, uncle ! Don't teaze me in this way." 
 
 " A very near neighbor." 
 
 " How near ? Next door ?" 
 
 " Nearer than that." 
 
 The face of Fanny Milnor flushed, instantly, fco a 
 deep crimson. A suspicion of the truth had dawned 
 upon her mind. 
 
 " Yes, nearer than that !" said Mr. Bullfinch, in a 
 voice meant to confirm the impression which he now 
 saw had taken hold of her mind. 
 
 "Speak plainly, uncle Adam." The color had 
 already faded from the cheeks of Fanny; while the 
 whole expression of her countenance was changed.
 
 92 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 " Plainly, then, Fanny : Miss Lee is soon to become 
 mistress of this house. Have you any objection ?" 
 
 " Oh, uncle ! Can this be possible ?" exclaimed the 
 niece, in a distressed tone. " Surely you are trifling 
 with me. You marry Helen Lee ? Impossible !" 
 
 " It will certainly take place, Fanny. But why all 
 this feeling on the subject ? I can't understand it." 
 
 " She is but a child, uncle, and cannot marry a man 
 of your age except for some low and debasing motive. 
 She can have no love for you !" 
 
 " And why not, pray ?" Mr. Bullfinch glanced at 
 himself in a large pier mirror. " I am only in the 
 prime of life ; and my heart is as warm as ever : that 
 never grows old." 
 
 " Believe me, uncle," said Fanny, speaking slow and 
 impressively, " that no young girl ever marries an old 
 man, except from a selfish motive. As to loving him 
 truly, that is impossible, in the very nature of things." 
 
 " Nonsense ! Nonsense, child !" replied Mr. Bull- 
 finch, impatiently. " Mere lying romance. These mar- 
 riages are always the happiest. I've seen a good many 
 of them in my time, and never saw one that did uot 
 turn out well." 
 
 " I had a better opinion of Helen than this," said 
 Fanny, speaking partly to herself. " She was poor ; 
 but I believed her virtuous."
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 93 
 
 " Virtuous !" exclaimed Mr. Bullfinch, with indigna- 
 tion " How dare you question her angelic purity ?" 
 
 " If," replied Fanny, speaking very firmly " there 
 were true maiden purity in her heart, she would never 
 consent to such a union." 
 
 " Silence, Miss !" exclaimed Mr. Bullfinch, passion- 
 ately. " Silence, I say ! How dare you speak thus, 
 and to my face, of the woman who is soon to become 
 my wife ?" 
 
 And the old man, overcome with excitement, stalked 
 around the room, throwing his arm about impotently. 
 
 " You will not marry this girl, Uncle Adam," said 
 Fanny, in a pleading, affectionate voice, taking hold of 4 
 the old man's arm in a fond manner, after his anger 
 had in a measure subsided. 
 
 " And why will I not, pray ? Havn't I told you that 
 it is all settled 2" 
 
 " Oh no, no, uncle ! I will not believe it." 
 
 " You must believe it," replied the old man, posi- 
 tively ; " for as sure as you are living, it will take 
 place." 
 
 Fanny withdrew her grasp from his arm, and stepped 
 back as if she had been repulsed by a strong hand. 
 
 " You are fully in earnest in this ?" said she. 
 
 " I was never in my life more in earnest about any 
 thing," was the firm reply.
 
 94 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 " Enough. When she enters this house as your wife, 
 I leave it forever. I could not live beneath the same 
 roof with a creature who had so forgotten all that be* 
 longed to her as a woman." 
 
 " You are beside yourself, Fanny. You don't kno\ 
 fhat you are talking about," said Mr. Bullfinch, in a 
 perplexed tone of voice. He was in no way prepared 
 for an alternative like this. " Am I not free to do as I 
 list ? And is not Helen free to make her choice in life, 
 without becoming the subject of false judgment from 
 her own sex ? How dare you question the purity of 
 her motives ! An angel is not purer. As to leaving 
 my house, Fanny, that is a threat I am sorry to hear 
 you make. You have been to me as a very dear child, 
 and I would still cherish you as such. No one can 
 take your place in my heart. But, if you turn from 
 me, if you go out from beneath the roof that has so 
 long" sheltered you, and would shelter you still, the loss, 
 the evil be on your own head. I am not to be turned 
 from a right purpose by any threat like this the hasty 
 threat of a capricious girl." 
 
 " I have said it, uncle, and I will abide by it," was 
 the calm, resolute answer. " If I remain, she must be 
 my companion and equal. But, I hold her to be un- 
 worthy of that relation."
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 95 
 
 " She is quite as good as you are, said Mr, Bullfinch^ 
 angrily. 
 
 " So I would have said an nour since, but I did not 
 know her then. A veil has fallen from before my eyes, 
 and now she stands revealed in her true character." 
 
 " What folly for you to talk in this way 1 You 
 know her to be pure and good, and in every way worthy 
 your companionship." 
 
 " I thought her so until now. But, henceforth, I can. 
 only regard her as unworthy as having been false to 
 her maiden instincts as being influenced in an act, 
 which should be the highest, purest and holiest in wo 
 man's life, by the most sordid and mercenary motives. 
 She will not marry you because she loves you, but be- 
 cause you are rich. Augh ! I shudder at the thought. 
 How can you respect her ? And you would place her 
 Bide by side with me, as a companion and an equal I 
 But I cannot permit it, uncle. I will not so degrade 
 myself." 
 
 "You jump to conclusions. You judge harshly, 
 Fanny," said Mr. Bullfinch, speaking with much feeling. 
 "Why not judge a sister maiden with more charity I 
 In supposing reasons for her conduct, why not suppose 
 Buch as are good ?" 
 
 " Because I cannot," was replied. " Some acts are
 
 06 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 never to be misjudged. They always spring from 
 wrong motives ; this is one of them." 
 
 " You try me beyond endurance, by this perverse- 
 ness !" exclaimed the old man again, losing command 
 of himself. " Your language I regard as an insult to 
 myself, and an outrage upon one about to hold to me 
 the closest relation in life. I will hear no more of it. 
 What I have announced will soon take place. By that 
 time I trust you will have become wiser and more dis- 
 creet. If not, the consequences must rest on your own 
 head. Things have come to a pretty pass, when a strip 
 of a girl like you attempts to lecture me after this fash- 
 ion, and to threaten what she will do, if my conduct 
 doesn't just please her fancy ! A nice state of things, 
 indeed ! A nice state of things let me hear no more 
 of it!" 
 
 Fanny bowed, silently, her head upon ner oosom, 
 and stood, without speaking, for a few moments. Then 
 she left the room and sought her own chamber, where, 
 sinking into a chair, she burst into a wild passion of 
 tears, and wept bitterly for a long time. 
 
 The bark Mr. Bullfinch had launched on the sea of 
 love, was not destined to glide so smoothly along the 
 rippling surface as he had hoped. Already an adverse 
 wind had rudely fluttered the sails, while a cloud, threat- 
 ening many future storms, was lowering over the sky.
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 97 
 
 Opposition on the part of Fanny, he had not once an- 
 ticipatcd. lie knew that she was attached to Helen, 
 and had, besides, a respect tor her amounting to defer- 
 ence. He had not in the least doubted, that when she 
 came to know that Helen was to be an inmate of their 
 Lome, holding the high relation of his wife, that she 
 would receive the announcement with unalloyed plea- 
 sure, as has been seen ; but, he was destined to be bit- 
 terly disappointed. Several things that Helen said 
 smarted his feelings, while others excited no very piea- 
 sant thoughts. That his marriage with a girl, whose 
 years numbered scarcely a third of his own, had pro- 
 duced so marked a feeling of reprobation on one mind, 
 did not flatter him much as to the general impression 
 the act would produce. Yet, for all this, he did not 
 once think of looking back. The good he sought was, 
 in his estimation, too great to be bartered for such 
 lighter drawbacks as these.
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 OPPOSITION from those who deemed the act almost 
 acnlegious, availed not. Helen had betrothed herself 
 and, true to her extorted vow, was not to be held back 
 from the consummation thereof. In love to her parents, 
 she was about to offer herself up in an unholy sacrifice. 
 As Mr. Bullfinch had said, he called to see her at her 
 father's house, on the evening that followed the day of 
 her promise to marry him. To Mr. Lee he did not 
 hesitate to declare the purpose of his visit. He met 
 with a much more decided opposition in that quarter 
 than he had expected. Mr. Lee at once avowed his 
 utter repugnance to such an unnatural and impure 
 union ; and solemnly urged Mr. Bullfinch to reconsider 
 the matter, and with' a noble magnanimity, release his 
 unhappy daughter from her engagement. 
 
 " Does she wish to be released ?" was the reply of 
 Mr. Bullfinch to this'. They were alone when the ques- 
 tion was asked.
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 99 
 
 " Oh, sir !" returned Mr. Lee, eagerly, " you need 
 only look at her changed countenance for an answer. 
 Believe me, sir, that she is laboring under some mental 
 hallucination. Never, never, were her mind perfectly 
 clear, and evenly balanced, would she consent to the 
 formation of so unnatural a union. Never would she 
 take upon herself holy vows that can never be kept." 
 
 " Never kept ! What am I to understand by this, 
 Mr. Lee ?" said Mr. Bull6uch. 
 
 " In the marriage service," replied Mr. Lee, " a wo- 
 man promises to love and honor her husband." 
 
 " Well, sir, well ?" Mr. Bullfinch spoke with a slight 
 show of impatience. 
 
 " Horor and love must be spontaneous." 
 
 "Well?" 
 
 " You cannot extort them." 
 
 " No ; certainly not certainly not." 
 
 "Are you willing to marry a woman, who, in the 
 Very nature of things, can neither Icve nor honor her 
 husband 2" 
 
 " I need not answer the question," replied Mr. Bull- 
 finch. " No man would be so great a simpleton." 
 
 " Believe me, sir," said Mr. Lee, solemnly, " that, if 
 you commit the fatal error of making this young girl 
 your wife, you will be in the unhappy position I have 
 supposed."
 
 100 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 Mr. Bullfinch smiled with a self-satisfied air, as he 
 answered 
 
 " You cannot frightt-n me from my purpose, Mr. Lee. 
 Suggestions like these do not in the least alarm me. I 
 believe I know Helen too well to doubt her truly wife- 
 like qualities. I am extremely sorry that your hearty 
 approval is not on our side. It should be ; for oppo- 
 sition will only mar your daughter's happiness. Of one 
 thing you may be very certain : I will love and care 
 for her with a tenderness and devotion never exceeded. 
 She will be to me as the apple of an eye. My every 
 thought will turn towards her. My very life will be de- 
 voted to her pleasure. I have wealth and that will 
 be at her command. Her love for her parents exceeds 
 all selfish considerations. At once she will have it in 
 her power to gratify this love ; and in seeking that 
 gratification, she will ever have a prompter in me. 
 Surrounded by every external good, how can she fail to 
 be happy ? And how can she fail to love the hand 
 that joyfully lays all these blessings at her feet ? Sh 
 cannot, Mr. Lee, she cannot" 
 
 " Do not deceive yourself, Mr. Bullfinch," answered 
 Mr. Lee ; " for deception in a matter like this proves 
 utterly disastrous. It takes more than wealth to buy 
 the love of a true woman ; and you will find it so in 
 the end. Heart-affinities are governed by laws over
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 10] 
 
 which we have liltle control. Love-fires, that kindle 
 not, though we blow with never so much ardor, often 
 shout up into a broad, bright, never-dying flame, at a 
 single breath." 
 
 Still the old man wavered not. 
 
 " Do you know," said Mr. Lee, as a new suggestion 
 was flung into his mind he spoke without due con- 
 sideration '' that, in all marriages of youthful maidens 
 with men far advanced in years, the young wife is sub- 
 ject to severe temptations ?" 
 
 " From what source ?" asked Mr. Bullfinch, in a 
 quick voice. 
 
 " A maiden's affections are not under her control." 
 As Mr. Lee commenced speaking, his wife, who had 
 been in conference with her daughter, came into the 
 room where they were sitting. " Few reach the age of 
 Helen without a lover, young in years, like themselves. 
 If the heart-impression be not too deeply made, a first 
 lover may give place to a second; but the second, like 
 the first, must be in the freshness and beauty of early 
 manhood. An old man cannot take the place of either 
 cf these ; because, in him, there can be no reciprocity. 
 The fires of love are burning in a clear, bright flame ou 
 the altar of one heart, while upon the other, Me only 
 the black and smoking remnants of an offered sacrifice. 
 What, then, is the natural consequence of a uniou
 
 102 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 between the old and the young ? Need I say ? Does 
 not your own mind instantly see the danger ? An old 
 husband and a young lover !" 
 
 " Has your daughter a young lover ?" asked Mr 
 Bullfinch, with more calmness than he felt. These sug- 
 gestions of Mr. Lee disturbed him far more than ha 
 choose to let be seen. 
 
 " Few reach her age without a lover, as I have just 
 remarked," was the evasive reply. 
 
 "But you do not answer iny question,'' said Mr. 
 Bullfinch. 
 
 " If my observation be correct, her neart is not alto- 
 gether free." 
 
 " Mr. Lee !" exclaimed the mother of Helen. " How 
 can you speak so ? No one has visited her but young 
 Harry Wellford, if the few calls he has made can be 
 called visits. And he's nobody. I was so vexed at 
 his assurance, last night, in asking for her, that I shut 
 the door in his face !" 
 
 " Henry Wellford ?" said Mr. Bullfinch, musingly, 
 and he repeated the name over two or three times to 
 himself. "Oh, ah!'" he remarked, at length, "tha 
 young man who lives with Vincent." 
 ." The same," replied Mr. Lee. 
 
 "He's nobody," replied Mr. Bullfinch," in a con- 
 temptuous manner. And yet Mr. Lee had planted
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 103 
 
 > 
 
 a seed of jealousy in the old man's heart. How long 
 it remained there without germinating, our story in its 
 progress will show. 
 
 "You may well say that," spoke up Mi's. Lee, 
 warmly ; " I wonder my husband could refer to him at 
 all. A mother, Mr. Bullfinch, ought to know some- 
 thing as to the state of her daughter's affections ; and 
 if my observation is worth anything at all, you may 
 rest satisfied that Helen has never had a lover. In 
 taking her for a wife, you may be certain of getting an 
 undivided heart." 
 
 Mr. Lee said no more. He saw that opposition 
 would avail not ; and was already aware that he had 
 said too much, in his intimation that his daughter had 
 a lover. This intimation might be, he now perceived, 
 the germ of trouble in the future. It was an evil seed, 
 and might produce a harvest of misery. The thought 
 oppressed and silenced him. 
 
 " We had better be friends in this matter," said Mr. 
 Bullfinch, speaking with exceeding blandness. " Friends 
 not in a mere repression of antagonisms, but in 
 hearty good will. I wish to be so. In regard to my 
 marriage with your daughter, that is a matter settled 
 beyond a question. If you throw impediments in the 
 way, it will avail nothing, and only produce unhappi- 
 ness. For your daughter's sake, then, give your ful]
 
 104 THK OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 aud free consent to this union. I will stand responsible 
 for her happiness." 
 
 Mr. Lee said nothing, but sat with his feeble body 
 crouched in his chair, his head bent forward, and hia 
 eyes upon the floor. Opposition he felt to be hope- 
 less, and he could not speak consenting words. Oh ! 
 how weak and hopeless he felt ! He had been stricken 
 down by poverty and disease, and could not rise again. 
 How he panted, in spirit, for the old ability for the 
 vigor of eariy manhood, when a strong will had ready 
 hands to do its bidding. Had these been with him, 
 how indignantly would he have rebuked the old sen- 
 sualist, and spurned him from under his roof. 
 
 The father was silent, but the weak mother consented 
 to the sacrifice of her child, and consented with more 
 of pleasure than pain ; for, in her imagination were 
 bright pictures of the future, a future for herself as well 
 as her daughter. By Helen's elevation, she would rise, 
 and far above the present condition of hopeless strife 
 with poverty. The mere worldly woman saw, in what 
 the world had to offer, the greatest good. Ah ! how 
 often, during some twenty-five years of their married 
 life, had the husband of this woman sighed, as he 
 looked into her mind for higher, better, and purei 
 instincts, and found them not ! How sad he sometime* 
 felt, in his little world at home ! She, whom he had
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 105 
 
 chosen as a life-companion, with whom he had hoped 
 to form a true interior marriage union, had no apprecia- 
 tion of spiritual good saw no desirableness in the 
 higher truths that were to him so full of beauty. In 
 what he loved, she saw nothing lovely ; and, therefore, 
 there was not with them that interior conjunction of 
 thought and affection which constitutes a true mar- 
 riage. He was in the love of growing wise wise in 
 the true sense, for he sought that wisdom which the 
 world calls foolishness but she did not love his 
 wisdom ; and, therefore, she was only adjoined to him, 
 as it were, externally. Thus had they passed through 
 life, and the world regarded them as most happily 
 united, as presenting an instance of true conjugal unity 
 How many are like them ! But the worldly-minded 
 ness is not always on the woman's side.
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 AN eaily marriage was urged by Mr. Bullfinch. 
 Helen, after being repeatedly asked to fix the time 
 when it should take place, finally named a day six 
 months in advance. Against so long a postponement, 
 the ardent lover strongly remonstrated ; but Helen 
 remained immovable. She wished to put off the 
 dreaded time as long as possible, and she had fixed tha 
 utmost limit. Beyond that she knew it would be use- 
 less to go. Rapidly enough for her approached the 
 day. Ah 1 the lessons she was engaged in giving were 
 completed up to the termination of the respective quar- 
 ters, except those of Fanny Milnor. The reason for 
 omitting these is already known to the reader. Twa 
 or three times Mrs. Barker approached her on the sub 
 ject ; but Helen invariably declined to hold any conver 
 satiou thereon whatever. Her appearance had under- 
 gone considerable change. Every one remarked this.
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 107 
 
 And yet, all could not see, beneath her partially dis- 
 guised exterior, the unmistakable signs of unhappiness. 
 Her face did not recover the warm hue that once gave 
 it a softened, almost transparent beauty. It was uni- 
 formly pale. But her eyes were larger and brighter 
 from this very paleness. Her step was firmer, and her 
 bearing prouder than before almost haughty at times ; 
 and at times, defiant. Having consented to take a falsa 
 position in the world, she was steadily repressing all the 
 gentler qualities of her nature, and putting on, as a 
 coat of mail, a composed exterior. Day by day she 
 laid her hand firmly upon her heart, to repress its natu- 
 ral emotions ; and day by day she gained some new 
 power over herself some new ability to seem what she 
 was not. As much to acquire this power, as from an 
 instinctive repugnance to the contemplated union, had 
 Helen deferred her marriage as long as possible. 
 
 Thus false to herself, and false to the world, the un 
 happy maiden prepared herself for the coming sacrifice, 
 thinking often of the fate of Jeptha's daughter, as one 
 full of pleasantness compared with her own. No one 
 comprehended her state of mind no one saw through 
 the false exterior she had assumed, but her father. 
 His eyes had a deeper penetration the power of 
 spiritual discernment. The heart she hid from others 
 lay all open to him, and he saw, half palsied and
 
 108 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 crushed as it lay in her bosom, that its low, tremulous 
 throb was born of exquisite pain. How many times 
 did he seek a conference with her on the subject of her 
 approaching marriage, in the hope of inducing her, a* 
 all hazards, to break the cords by which she was 
 oound the cords of an extorted promise ere to 
 etruggle against their sharp bondage were utterly vain ! 
 But on this subject she would hold no communion 
 with any one. Money, freely supplied by Mr. Bull- 
 finch, even though the hand filled with gold were 
 pushed back often and again, was bringing every exter- 
 nal comfort to their household ; and the regular attend- 
 ance of one of the most skilful physicians in the city, 
 sent by the same interested friend, was mitigating the 
 violence of a disease under which Mr. Lee was fast 
 wasting away ; these were the accumulating obliga- 
 tions that, to Helen, gave to her promise of marriage a 
 still more binding force. The question of escape from 
 the hopeless future was no longer debated in her mind ; 
 and she would not suffer it to be opened. 
 
 "God will give me strength equal to my day. 
 Thus she would seek to fortify herself, when thoughts 
 of the coming self-devotion pressed upon her too 
 heavily, and imagination drew too vivid pictures of the 
 approaching reality. Ah I how can we hope for 
 treugth fruin above, when we enter upon trials not
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 109 
 
 N I 
 
 sanctioned by Heaven ? If we take the current of 
 Providence, that will never bear us out upon a sea 
 where we needs must perish amid whirlpools of pas- 
 sion, or on the breakers of crime : but, if we choose a 
 wrong course, no matter how specious may be the false 
 persuasion under which we act, there is for us no safety. 
 We look, in sure confidence, to God for strength. 
 
 The time wore on. The fond old lover made almost 
 daily visits to the house of his affianced bride, where he 
 was received by Mrs. Lee ever with a smiling and 
 wordy welcome ; by Helen, with a calm, dignified, al- 
 most repulsive politeness ; and by Air. Lee with a sub- 
 dued toleration, that, while it seemed not to be noticed 
 by Mr. Bullfinch, was treasured up never to be forgot- 
 ten nor forgiven. 
 
 There was one thing that fretted toe dd man not a 
 little. Often and often as he had tried to peisuade 
 Helen to appear with him abroad, he had never been 
 able to induce her to go upon the street with him, or to 
 appear in any public place, since she had consented to 
 become his wife. Earnest persuasion, and the exhibi- 
 tion of a half offended manner, alike failed to influence 
 her. 
 
 "This is a.i wrong, said her motner, more than 
 once after Mr. Bullfinch had retired. " You are soon
 
 110 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 to become his wife. Do you never intend to go out 
 with him?" 
 
 " When I am his wife, mother," she usually rep.ied, 
 " I will try, to the best of my ability, to do a wife's 
 duty. Now, as a maiden, I wish to reserve a maiden's 
 privilege." 
 
 It mattered not now warmly Mi's. Lee opposed this 
 state of teeling in her daughter, it was of no avail ; 
 little beyond the reply just given was ever urged in self- 
 iustification. 
 
 And so the time wore on, untu tne aay of sacrifice 
 was at hand. 
 
 The opposition shown by Fanny "Mil nor to this 
 unnatural union, did not subside like a sudden out- 
 burst of passion. She thought and felt correctly in 
 the beginning, from her true woman's instinct. She 
 knew that no young girl could love an old man, like 
 her uncle, as a wife should love her husband ; and it 
 was, therefore, the instant conclusion of her mind, that 
 Helen Lee, in consenting to such a relation, must be 
 
 nfluenced by an unworthy motive. All respect for 
 
 
 Hdien died instantly in her bosom, and in its place 
 
 was kindled a strong aversion, that daily gained 
 strength. Several times her uncle had sought to 
 approach her on the subject of his marriage, but she 
 would hold no intercourse with him on that theme.
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. Ill 
 
 As for herself, she had marked out the course she 
 would pursue marked it out in the beginning. When 
 Helen entered the home of her uncle, as its future 
 mistress, she would go out therefrom to return no 
 more. Mr. Bullfinch did not believe that she would 
 carry out her declaration. He regarded it as the hasty 
 threat of a young girl, to be receded from almost as 
 soon as uttered. But he was in error here. 
 
 Not wholly dependent on her uncle was Fanny. 
 She had a small income, not beyond a few hundred 
 dollars, secured to her from the shattered estate of her 
 father, who had died when she was a child. Her 
 uncle not being her legal guardian, this money had 
 been regularly paid into her hands, since she had 
 became old enough to receive it, and was entirely at 
 her disposal. This resource made the way before her 
 much clearer, as she thought upon the future. It did 
 not, however, in the least influence her decision. Such 
 was the disgust of her soul at Ihe marriage about to 
 take place, that she would have gone out from her 
 uncle's roof, though she knew not where to lay her 
 head. 
 
 And what of Henry Wellford ? Since the time he 
 saw Helen in the street, on the day of his good 
 fortune, his eyes had not rested upon her. Twice, 
 after that evening, had ho called at her father's house,
 
 112 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 to be, each time, repulsed by Mrs. Lee, and, on the last 
 occasion, with the cutting words 
 
 " You needn't come here any more. Helen doesn't 
 want to see you." 
 
 How dark, and cold, and cheerless, seemed all the 
 world to him, as, after this harsh repulse, he went wan- 
 dering about the streets aimlessly, and conscious only 
 of a heavy weight upon his bosom. Late at night he 
 sought his pillow, and, in half-waking dreams, passed 
 the hours, till morning came with a sense of relief. No 
 further effort was made by him to see Helen at the 
 residence of her father ; but many an hour lingered 
 he in and around the neighborhood, after night had 
 closed in ; but he lingered in vain. That form, fairer 
 to him than the world's highest type of beauty, 
 blessed not his longing vision. Never was he upon 
 the street, by day or by night, that his eyes searched 
 not, constantly, for Heleu. But, neither afar off nor 
 nigh at hand did she appear, and his heart grew sick 
 in its deferred expectations. And so the time passed 
 with him. Yet, a whisper of what was to take place 
 of the destiny of his soul's bride came not to 
 his ears.
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 THE six months probation is over, and, in that time, 
 Helen Lee has gained a power over her feelings far 
 greater than she had ever hoped to achieve. Her face 
 is a little parler than it was, but shows no signs of 
 the weakness and weariness that once rested thero 
 almost continually. Her eyes do not droop meekly 
 and maidenly, as of old, but are larger and steadier in 
 their gaze. At times they are fixed and musing ; and 
 always they seem as if looking away from the present, 
 seeking to penetrate the future, or resting on the past. 
 Beautiful she is to look upon ; beautiful with what 
 some would call a proud, high-born beauty. She never 
 speaks except with a smile. Ah ! it is not the smile 
 of old. She has taught her lips that smile, and they 
 have learned their lesson well ; though, far from perfectly. 
 
 Mr. Bullfinch is proud and happy. He calls to see 
 her daily, and she receives him with a pleasant, yet 
 subdued manner, and speaks to him with the smile she 
 has taught her lips. He believes that it but reflects
 
 J14 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 her feelings. He talks of the future of the happy 
 day now at hand, and she compels herself to join in 
 with him, and to make such responses as she thinks 
 he will best like to hear. She is still schooling herself 
 still conning her lesson still rehearsing for the great 
 appearance, when she is to come before the world as 
 the wife of Adam Bullfinch. When her heart flutters, 
 she lays her hand upon her -bosom, and by an external 
 and an internal pressure at the same time, subdues it 
 into quietude. Great power over herself has she 
 gained ; yet, oh ! by what an intense struggle and of 
 what long continuance ! 
 
 According to arrangement, a few frienos are to be at 
 the residence of Mr. Bullfinch, to receive him and his 
 bride. The marriage is to take place at the house of 
 Mr. Lee, and then all are to go in company to their 
 future home. Instead of two households, there is to be, 
 from this time, but one. Helen had stipulated from, 
 the first, that her home is to be that of her parents ; 
 and she will not go to the dwelling of her husband, 
 even on her bridal night, except they go with her. 
 
 In view of the almost immediate consummation of a 
 union, against which his feelings still revolt, Mr. Lee, 
 who is very weak, from bodily illness, finds himself in 
 Buch a state of nervous agitation, that he can scarcely 
 trust his voice in words.
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 115 
 
 " My dear, dear child !" he sighs often to himself 
 " to think it should come to this ! Oh ! if I had but 
 health and strength !" 
 
 He wanders about uneasily, or sits for many minutes 
 at a time, motionless, his eyes gazing vacantly. 
 
 " Poor child !" he murmurs" Poor child !" Yet 
 not so audibly as to be heard either by his wife or 
 Helen. He has no sympathy from the one, and he 
 tries to be cheerful with the other. 
 
 And all this while the minutes are gliding away, and 
 the appointed hour approaches. 
 
 Dressed for the bridal, Helen asks to be left alone for 
 the half hour that is to elapse, ere she stands at the 
 altar. How that brief season is spent we know not. 
 It is past, and she is leaving, for the last time, her 
 chamber. There are traces of tears on her cheeks her 
 eyes are humid and red but her lips are firm, though 
 her cheeks are white ; her step is steady, and her bear- 
 ing one of entire self-possession. 
 
 Below she is met and received by the happy bride- 
 groom, looking younger by ten years or more. He is 
 dressed with great care, and more in the fashion of a 
 man of twenty-five, than of one past three score. 
 What a light comes into his seamed and age-marked 
 face, as he grasps the hand she yields passively 1
 
 116 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 How pleased the mother looks ! Dim-visioned, 
 through selfish worldly-mindedness, she sees only a 
 sunny future for herself and child. They are no longer 
 to be crushed beneath the iron heel of poverty no 
 longer to sit under the shadow of a boding cloud. She 
 is ready to give her daughter away, untroubled by 
 fears for the future. It is not so with Mr. Lee. His 
 eyes are moist with tears. He does not speak to 
 Helen, for he knows that a sob would choke the words, 
 if he attempted an utterance. He could not feel sadder 
 if he were gazing upon her beautiful face, cold as marble, 
 and eternally calm in the repose of mortality. 
 
 And with no one to lift a voice and forbid the offer- 
 ing up of a young heart, the sacrifice is made. Mute 
 are the bride's responses, yet none the less binding. 
 How passionless her face, as she receives the kissing 
 Bakitations of husband and friends. She smiles it is 
 her lesson but how cold the rays of light that faintly 
 quiver on her beautiful countenance ! Mr. Bullfinch 
 accepts them as from the heart ; the mother persuades 
 herself that her daughter is pleased, if not as happy as 
 she will be ; but the agonized father is looking down 
 into the desolate, hopeless bosom of his wretched child, 
 searching there, but vainly, for a single green spot made 
 fresh by a ray of sunshine.
 
 CHAPTER XH. 
 
 SINCE the exciting interview between Adam Bull 
 finch and his niece, occasioned by his avowal of his 
 purpose to marry Helen Lee, no word on the subject 
 had passed between them, further than the simple an- 
 nouncement of the former as to the time when the 
 marriage would take place, and his desire to have cer 
 tain preparations made for the bride's reception. 
 
 It by no means escaped the uncle's observation, that 
 Fanny was altogether changed from her former self. 
 She was as kind in manner to him as before, and as 
 much devoted to his wants and comfort ; but her cheer- 
 fulness was gone, and she spent much of her time alone. 
 More frequently than of old, did she decline entering 
 into public and social amusements ; and even when 
 strongly urged by Mr. Bullfinch to go out with him, 
 persisted in remaining at home. 
 
 Mr. Bullfinch had completed his toilette, after more
 
 118 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 than two hours of time devoted to his person. The 
 carriage stood at the door, waiting to convey him to 
 the residence of his bride elect, and now he descended 
 to the drawing-rooms, where he expected to find hi 
 niece. She was not there, however. He sent to her 
 room, and she returned for answer that she was en- 
 gaged, and wished to be excused. 
 
 " Tell her that I wish to see her particularly," he 
 returned to this message. In a few minutes, Fanny 
 came down. Her face wore a troubled expression. 
 
 "Fanny," said Mr. Bullfinch, taking her hand, "have 
 I not always been kind to you ?" 
 
 " Oh, yes, dear uncle ! kind as a father could have 
 been," quickly replied his niece, speaking with concealed 
 agitation. 
 
 " I could not have loved my own child better than I 
 Lave loved you," said Mr. Bullfinch, tightening his grasp 
 upon her hand that remained in his. 
 
 Fanny leaned her face against him, and sobbed. 
 
 " Dear child !" said Mr. Bullfinch, affectionately lay 
 ing his hand upon her head. " You are wrong," he 
 added, after a few moments, " to fret yourself about this 
 matter very wrong. I will love you none the less. 
 Do not let your mind be warped by a false judgment 
 of Miss Lee. Believe me, she is pure as an augeL 
 You will aoon be as tenderly united sisters."
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 119 
 
 Mr. Bullfinch could feel the quiver that rail through 
 the frame of his niece. But she answered not to his 
 words. 
 
 " A few friends will be here," he continued. " Be 
 cheerful with them. Do not, for my sake, let any one 
 see that you are opposed to what I am doing. By 
 eight o,clock we will be here. Let Helen find you iu 
 our chamber ; and, Fanny, love, I beg of you to receive 
 her frankly, kindly may I not say with affection ?" 
 
 But Fanny made no reply, nor did she lift her head. 
 
 " I will trust you to do what is right," said Mr. Bull- 
 finch, after waiting some time for a response. " I know 
 that you will not disregard my wishes. Good-bye for a 
 little while." 
 
 And as he spoke, he lifted her concealed face, and 
 left, on her wet cheek, an earnest kiss. 
 
 " Mr. Bullfinch passed from the house, and Fanny re- 
 turned slowly to her chamber. Here she did not long 
 remain passive. Two large trunks were in the middle 
 of the floor, both nearly filled with clothing; and to 
 the work of packing these, which her summons to the 
 parlor had interrupted, she again applied herself. Not 
 much remained to be done. Drawers and wardrobe 
 were nearly empty. Soon this work, indicating a hur- 
 ried departure, was Dver. Then a note was penned,
 
 120 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE, 
 
 sealed, and directed HELEN LEE. This soe placed in 
 the bridal chamber. 
 
 Twilight was falling ; and now another carriage stood 
 before the dwelling of Adam Bullfinch. Upon this 
 was placed the two trunks that Fanny had packed with 
 her clothing. A brief time was spent in giving need- 
 ful directions for the reception of company ; and then, 
 entering the carriage, Fanuy Milnor departed from the 
 home of her childhood and youth, and, with a troubled 
 heart, went forth into the world, and alone. 
 
 An hour afterwards, the old man brought home his 
 bride. 
 
 '' Fanny ! Fanny, love !" he called, as, on entering 
 the rooms above, to make preparation for joining the 
 already assembled friends, he missed the expected 
 presence of his niece. 
 
 Even, as he spoke, the pale bride saw the note in- 
 scribed with her name. Taking it hurriedly, and with 
 a foreshadowing of its meaning, she broke the light seal, 
 and read : 
 
 " Helen Lee ! or, must I write, Mrs. Bullfinch ! One 
 word, on your entering this, my old and happy home, 
 to become its mistress. I need not tell you, who must 
 know the truth too well, that you do not and cannot 
 ,ove and honor my uncle as a true wife must ever love
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 121 
 
 and honor her husband. I need not tell you, that un 
 worthy motives have influenced you in the step you 
 have taken. That some mere worldly and external 
 good has prompted the act for all this you must know 
 cut too well. If your pillow do not prove one of thorns, 
 then are your maidenly instincts dead. If the fruit you 
 have plucked turn not to ashes in your mouth, happy 
 are you, thrice happy ! Budding youth and blighted 
 old age ! Spring and Autumn ! Unnatural Union ! 
 It cannot find favor in the sight of Heaven. But my 
 feelings are carrying me away. As you enter, to be- 
 come the mistress of this house, I go forth into the 
 world, alone. We cannot live beneath the same roof! 
 for I despise you ! And, yet, for the old man you have 
 consented to wed, let me ask something. I have loved 
 him as a child, and as a child have ever sought his com- 
 fort. The duty was one full of pleasure, for love makes 
 labor light. With you, all will be cold task-work. You 
 do not love him as a wife you cannot. Oh, Helen ! 
 Helen ! why dfd you do this ? I thought you wiser and 
 better. He is old, with habits as fixed as iron ; and if 
 you not bend to these if you do not live in daily self 
 denial, you will both be wretched. I tremble as I 
 think of this. Shall I write more ? In vain ! in vain 1 
 
 FANNY."
 
 122 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 The whole of this letter Helen seemed to take in a 
 one eagle glance. Then it was crumpled in her hand* 
 and thrust, with a passionate gesture, into her bosom 
 Encased as she had thought her heart to be in a rocky 
 crust, these sentences, like heavy strokes, broke through to 
 the sealed fountain, and there was a wild gush of feeling. 
 
 " What is it ? what does it mean ? where is Fanny ?" 
 asked Mr. Bullfinch, greatly disturbed. 
 
 But Fanny did not appear, and Helen made no re- 
 sponse, beyond her sobs and tears. The bell was rung 
 violently by Mr. Bullfinch. 
 
 " Where is Fanny 1 " he asked of the servant who 
 soon after entered. 
 
 " She went away, in a carriage, nearly an hour ago," 
 was answered to this inquiry. 
 
 " Gone away ! Where did she go ? Speak 1 " 
 
 But the servant could give no information. 
 
 " Was that note from her ?" inquired the excited 
 uncle, turning to Helen, as he spoke. His tones were 
 sharp and imperative. 
 
 u It was," sobbed Helen. 
 
 " Let me see it 
 
 Helen placed her hand on her bosom, and felt the 
 crumpled letter beneath her dress, but did not comply 
 with the demand.
 
 THE OLD MANS BRIDE. 123 
 
 " Quick ! Lot me see the letter ! " said the old man, 
 passionately. 
 
 " It is addressed to me," replied Helen, now gain 
 ing a little self-possession, and speaking with som 
 firmness. 
 
 "I don't care who it is addressed to, let me see it!' 
 exclaimed Mr. Bullfinch, in the excitement of the 
 moment, forgetting even a decent regard for his young 
 bride, or her parents, who, in the adjoining room, were 
 appalled witnesses of the scene. 
 
 Not from hurried thoughts, but from a woman's 
 quick instincts, Helen decided her course of action. 
 Already there was an unwarrantable assertion of 
 authority over her, to which she could not yield. As 
 she would act in the future, so she acted now. Passive 
 and silent she sat, her tears suddenly dried up, and 
 lifted her eyes till they rested upon the red and almost 
 distorted face of her husband. Under his angry glare 
 they did quail a moment. 
 
 " The note is addressed to me, Mr. Bullfinch," sh 
 said at length, " and I cannot show it. No doub 
 Fanny has made, or will make, a communication for 
 you also. She has left your house, because I am about 
 to come into it. Of where she has gone, or what sho 
 will do, she says nothing to me. Beyond this, you 
 have no interest in her letter."
 
 124 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 The calm dignity and self-possession of his young 
 wife instantly subdued the over-excited old man. He 
 saw that he was wrong, and that he had made an exhi- 
 bition of himself ever to be regretted. Still, he was 
 deeply disturbed by the unexpected departure of his 
 niece; so much so, that he found it almost impos- 
 sible to assume anything like a composed exterior. A 
 confused, but not over hearty, apology was made, both 
 to Helen and her parents. Soon after, all descended, 
 and received, from the few friends of Mr. Bullfinch, 
 who had come to honor the occasion, their wordy con- 
 gratulations. 
 
 How that embarrassing evening was passed embar- 
 rassing to all parties we will not describe. At an 
 early hour, the guests retired, feeling a sense of relief 
 as they gained the open air, and talking ominously of 
 the young bride's future, as they moved away. And, 
 in truth, the promise was not fair
 
 CHAPTER Xin. 
 
 THE sun of fortune was rising on Henry Wei libra 
 He had now been six months in the house of Lane & 
 Latta, and so trusty and capable was he, that his new 
 employers had already raised him to a more responsi 
 ble position. In doing this, an ulterior purpose was in 
 their minds. They wished to test his higher abilities. 
 They had business views beyond their present opera- 
 tions, which, if carried out, would require one of the 
 partners to reside abroad. Before this change was 
 made, they had decided to bring in a third partner, a 
 young and active man, to take the place of Mr. Latta, 
 who designed being absent. Of all their clerks, no one 
 possessed just the qualities they desired except Wellford ; 
 and their test of his higher abilities proved altogether 
 satisfactory. Accordingly, the offer of a partnership in 
 the house, with a fair per centage on the profits, was 
 made and accepted. The young man was taken alto-
 
 126 THE OLD MAN'S BIUDB. 
 
 gether by surprise at this new stroke of good fortune. 
 He understood the business and resources of the house 
 well enough to know, that as an integral part thereof, 
 his own permanent prosperity was secured. Even from 
 the beginning, should no unforseen drawback occur, his 
 dividend could not fall short of two or three thousand 
 dollars. 
 
 How quickly turned his thoughts to Helen Lee, 
 when, through this new vista, reaching into the future, 
 light dawned upon him ! Good fortune seemed a 
 double blessing when he thought of her as sharing 
 therein. 
 
 Never, since he was so insultingly repulsed by Mrs. 
 Lee, had Wellford called at the residence of his heart's 
 idol ; and never since then had he been so fortunate as 
 to meet her on the street, though hour after hour, 
 many and many a time, he walked the pavement in 
 neighborhoods where he hoped she might be ; yet 
 searched for her thus in vain. Of what was passing in 
 regard to her, not a whisper had reached him. Nor 
 had the faintest imagination of the truth crossed his 
 mind. 
 
 " More good fortune, mother," said the young man, 
 in a. gay voice, on returning home after receiving the 
 proposition from Lane & Latta, to which we have 
 referred.
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRTDE. 127 
 
 Mrs. Wcllford lifted her pleasant, cheerful face, and 
 looked earnestly into the animated countenance of her 
 son, but without speaking. 
 
 " More good fortune, mother," he repeated, " And 
 what do you think it is ?" 
 
 " I'm sure I cannot tell, my son," was the quiet 
 response. 
 
 " No, I'm sure you cannot," said Henry. " Would 
 you believe it ? They've offered me a partnership." 
 
 " Who ?" quickly asked Mrs. Wellford. 
 
 " Lane & Latta," replied Henry, struggling to appear 
 composed, yet betraying his emotion. 
 
 " You are not in earnest, surely, my son !" replied 
 Mrs. Wellford, in a voice that was now unsteady. 
 
 " Entirely in earnest, mother. Mr. Latta is going to 
 London to reside, as a representative of the house 
 abroad. They do not wish to fill his place here, which 
 is a most important one, with an irresponsible clerk, 
 and so have determined to take in a partner." 
 
 " And they have chosen you ?" said Mrs. Wellford, 
 gerly. 
 
 " They have, mother. 
 
 "It seems incredible, my son." Mrs. Wellford'a 
 Toice trembled. " O, do not let this good fortune 
 iplift your mind too greatly." 
 
 " Do not fear for that," said Henry, speaking now in
 
 128 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 a more subdued tone. " I have enough to keep mj 
 thoughts sober." 
 
 Both were silent for some moments. 
 
 " Mother," said the young man ; his voice was low, 
 hesitating and unsteady " Mother, there is one thing 
 of which I nave never spoKen to you." 
 
 " What is that, my son ?" 
 
 " You have seen Helen Lee." 
 
 " Oh yes." 
 
 " For a long time she has been very dear to me, 
 mother." 
 
 Mrs. Wellford did not look surprised, but waited, in 
 silence, for her son to proceed. 
 
 " Very dear, mother," he repeated. " But for the 
 curse of poverty," (he spoke with a sudden bitterness) 
 " I would have long ago brought her to our home, and 
 you would have loved her as your own child. She is 
 poor, mother, yet noble and self-devoted in her poverty. 
 Bravely is she battling with the world, and wresting 
 from it, in daily toil, the means of support for parents 
 who have, in her, their sole dependence. Oh, how 
 often I have sighed for the means to lift her above her 
 unhappy condition ! And now they are about coming 
 into my hands. So faithful and devoted a child, can- 
 not but make a true and loving wife." 
 
 " You have been to. me a good son," replied Mrs,
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 129 
 
 Wellford, as Henry ceased speaking " and I know you 
 will make a good husband. If Helen is worthy of you, 
 and I doubt not that she is, make her your wife. Only 
 be sure, Henry, that you have the ability to ineet the 
 added expense. If Mr. and Mrs. Lee have no means 
 of support but the earnings of their daughter, you can- 
 not remove the stay of their life without taking the 
 burden on yourself." 
 
 " How thankful I am," said the young man, " that 
 I now have the ability to do this. No, no ; I will not 
 remove the stay of their life, without myself taking up 
 the burden." 
 
 In the ardor of his new hopes and brighter prospects, 
 Wellford could not bear, it seemed, the intervention of 
 a single hour between this and the time of another 
 meeting with Helen. 
 
 "I will see her this very night," said he, as his 
 thoughts .grew more active in that direction. " Poor, 
 dear girl ! what may she not have borne and suffered 
 since our last meeting ! But it is all over now." 
 
 And yet even as he spoke thus within himself, a 
 shadow from the wing of doubt fell upon his spirit. 
 Utterly unaccountable had ever been, and still remained, 
 her sudden turning from him. That it was not from es- 
 tranged affection, he knew, even though her mother had 
 rudeiy striven to make him believe otherwise. And
 
 130 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 yet, might there not exist causes which would separate 
 them forever f As doubt formed this question in his 
 mind, a cold thrill ran along his nerves. Less confident 
 cow than when, under the impulse awakened by his 
 unexpected good fortune, his thoughts turned fondly 
 and hopefully towards Helen, Wellford prepared him- 
 self to make her a visit. 
 
 Daylight had faded, and night was closing in darkly 
 when he left his now comfortable home, and took his 
 way to the humble abode of Helen. Love gave fleet- 
 ness to his steps, and he hurried along the pavement 
 like one, on whose errand life and death were depend- 
 ing. Just as he turned into the little street where Mr. 
 Lee resided, two carriages started from the immediate 
 vicinity of his dwelling, and came sweeping past him 
 rapidly. Into one of these carriages, a gas lamp threw 
 its bright glare. Was it an illusion ? or did his eyes 
 
 rest upon the pale, passionless face of Helen Lee, as she 
 
 
 
 crouched beside an old man ! Instantly his steps were 
 arrested, and he stood, for a time, like a statue. Then, 
 the carriage whirled out of sight, he sprung forward, 
 and was soon at the door of the dwelling he sought. 
 His loud knock was answered by a hollow reverberation 
 from within. He knocked again and again, but only 
 echo replied to his summons. Gazing up at the house, 
 he found all the shutters closed. What could be the
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 131 
 
 meaning of this ? Had they moved away, or were 
 they only absent temporarily ? Again he knocked, and 
 more loudly ; it was with the same result. All the 
 while that he stood thus, vainly seeking to gain admis- 
 sion, the vision that had so suddenly fallen upon his 
 eyes, remained before him with annoying distinctness. 
 
 Disappointed and troubled, he turned at length, 
 away, and walked slowly from the seemingly deserted 
 house. He paused, however, before passing the next 
 street, looked back with an earnest gaze, and finally 
 retraced his steps. His second attempt to arouse the 
 inmates of Mr. Lee's dwelling, if any were therein, 
 proved as fruitless as the first. 
 
 " I will make inquiry concerning them," said he, as a 
 suggestion crossed his mind. " Their neighbors can tell 
 me whether they have moved, and if so, where they are 
 now to be found." 
 
 And so he applied at the adjoining house. 
 
 " Has Mr. Lee moved 3" he asked of a servant, 
 who answered the bell he rung with a pretty decided 
 hand. 
 
 w I believe not," was the reply. 
 
 " I have rung several times, but no one seems to 
 hear." 
 
 " Maybe they're out," suggested the servant. 
 
 " You're sure they've not moved ?" said Wellford.
 
 132 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 " Havn't seen any moving going on there, though 1 
 shouldn't wonder." 
 
 " Why shouldn't you wonder ?" asked the young man, 
 ha a voice that betrayed more interest than he wished 
 to show. 
 
 " Oh, because." And there was a knowing, vulgar 
 leer on the servant's face. 
 
 " Because what ?" So sharp and imperative was the 
 voice of Wellford, that the girl looked frightened, and 
 stepped back a pace or two. 
 
 " Why shouldn't you wonder if they had moved i" 
 he repeated, bending towards the girl, and now speak- 
 ,ng in a milder and more persuasive voice. " Nothing 
 wrong there, I hope ?" 
 
 u 0, no sir ; nothing that I know of." 
 
 " But what reason have you to think they have 
 moved ?" 
 
 " It was only my fun, sir ; nothing else," replied the 
 girl, who now began to fear that she might have said 
 something that would bring her into trouble. Seeing 
 that the young man was about pressing the matter on 
 her still further, she shut the door, and left him stand 
 ing without. 
 
 More troubled and perplexed than ever, Wellford 
 moved away, and again left the immediate neighbor- 
 hood of Mr. Lee's dwelling. Dissatisfied, he once more
 
 THE'OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 13S 
 
 relumed, unwilling to go until the mystery, which, in 
 his mind, now closed around Helen and her family, wa 
 cleared up. 
 
 " There was something in that girl's mind ;" thus he 
 communed with hjmself; "what could it be? She 
 bad light thoughts of the family ; and such thoughts 
 are never entirely baseless. Can there be any true 
 foundation in the appearances upon which they rest ? 
 Where has Helen been what has she been doing for 
 over six months the long, long period that has elapsed 
 since I last gazed upon her face ? Can anything be 
 wrong ? I tremble at the thought. In some fearful 
 extremity can she have yielded to temptation ? No, 
 no ! I fling the unworthy thought aside, scorning my- 
 self for having given it utterance. But where is she ? 
 Could that have been her I saw in the carriage !" 
 
 Spite of his manliness, a shudder crept along his 
 excited nerves. 
 
 " I must solve this mystery !" said he, and he rang 
 the bell of another house in the immediate proximity to 
 that of Mr. Lee. 
 
 "Has the family next door to you moved away ! M 
 Le asked. 
 
 " Which family ?" was returned. 
 
 "That of Mr. Lee." 
 
 u I believe not, sir."
 
 134 THE OLD MAN'H BRIDE. 
 
 " There is no one in the house. I have rung the bell 
 a number of times." 
 
 " I saw Mrs. Lee from our back windows, several 
 times during the afternoon." 
 
 Yon did 2" 
 
 "Oh, yes." 
 
 " What is wanted ?" now called out a voice, at some 
 distance along the passage within. 
 
 " A gentleman is inquiring about Mr. Lee," replied 
 the servant. 
 
 " What about them ?" 
 
 " He wishes to know if they have moved away ?" 
 
 " They haven't moved their things out yet," said a 
 lady, now advancing to the door. 
 
 "Then they are going to leave here," remarked 
 Wellford. 
 
 "Oh, dear, yes. Their daughter was married, to- 
 night, and they have gone with her to her new home." 
 
 " Married !" exclaimed the young man. 
 
 " Ob, yes, indeed ! And such a marriage ! Janu- 
 ary and May !" Spring in the lap of Winter 1 It's the 
 strangest thing I ever heard of." 
 
 " To whom is she married ?" asked Wellford, in a 
 hoarse voice. It was only by a strong effort that he 
 *ould control his feelings sufficiently to give utterance 
 so the question.
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 135 
 
 " To a man old enough to be her grandfather. Who 
 he is, I don't know. But they say he's rich as a Jew. 
 But, if she isn't sorry for it before she dies, then 1 don't 
 know anything of woman's nature." 
 
 Nothing more did the young man pause to heai 
 The blasting fact, so rudely announced, was enough foi 
 him. What need he care for details and particulars ? 
 It was a late hour when he reached his home, the time 
 verging on to midnight. Mrs. Wellford still sat up, 
 awaiting his return. She knew the purpose of his 
 visit to the house of Mr. Lee, and she did not care 
 about retiring until advised of the issue of his suit. 
 That it would be favorable, she had no reason to doubt. 
 Well might she be startled at his appearance when he, 
 at length, came in so quietly that her watchful ear had 
 scarcely noticed his entrance, and stood before her, re- 
 vealed suddenly, like an apparition. 
 
 " Oh, Henry !" she exclaimed, clasping her hands 
 together. " What has happened ? Why do vou look 
 so?" 
 
 The young man's colorless lips quivered as he es 
 sayed, but in vain, to speak. For a few moments, th 
 mother and son gazed into each other's faces. Then 
 the latter attempted to pass on to his own room ; but 
 Mrs. Wellford caught his hand and detained him, say- 
 ing, in a voice full of tender interest
 
 136 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDB. 
 
 " Henry, my son, what ails you ? Is anything wrong 
 with Helen ?" 
 
 " Wrong wrong ! Oh, mother !" 
 
 This was his first utterance, and the words were 
 rather sobbed out than spoken. 
 
 A long silence ensued, in which Henry was striving 
 for the mastery over his feelings ; and his mother, con 
 scious of the struggle, sat awaiting the result. At last 
 the sufferer lifted his face how changed in a few short 
 hours ! and said, speaking now with icy calmness 
 
 " As I came near the house of Mr. Lee, to-night, two 
 carriages drove away. In one of them was a young 
 girl, in whose very pale face I thought I recognized the 
 features of Helen. She sat beside an old man, and 
 seemed as if she were shrinking away from rather than 
 toward him. This was seen only at a single glance, as 
 a strong light shone for an instant into the passing 
 vehicle. The house of Mr. Lee I found deserted. I 
 rung and rung again, but no one answered the bell. 
 Then I made inquiry of a neighbor, as to whether the 
 family had moved away, and learned that Helen had 
 just been married." 
 
 "Married, Henry!" 
 
 " Yes, mother, married, and to an old man ! " H* 
 spoke with bitterness. 
 
 "Who is he?"
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 13? 
 
 Henry shook his head, sighing. 
 
 " I know not." 
 
 " Married married ! Had you no intimation of 
 this ? " 
 
 " None in the world. Oh ! how could I have 
 dreamed of such a thing ? It has fallen on me like a 
 bolt from heaven, searing my very heart. Good night ! 
 good night, dear mother ! " he added quickly, and with 
 returning emotion ; and, as he spoke, he left the room 
 hurriedly, and went up to his own chamber. 
 
 Hours went by, and Mrs. Wellford, too much dis- 
 turbed for sleep, could hear, ever and anon, the foot- 
 steps of her unhappy son, as he walked restlessly the 
 floor above her. 
 
 In the morning, he came down early, as usual. How 
 that night of suffering had marred his fresh, young 
 countenance, and dimmed the light of his pleasant eyes ! 
 He looked as if years had left upon him their marks of 
 suffering and disappointment. His mother's eyes grew 
 dim as she read the change, and understood too well 
 how deep must have been the anguish that produced 
 it. But few words were said as they sat at the scarcely 
 tasted morning meal, and in these was not even a re 
 mote allusion to the incidents of the evening before. 
 Each spoke to the other in tones of deeper affection ; 
 each felt for the other a stronger love. Their hearts
 
 138 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 were closer knit. Henceforth, in the bosom of Henry 
 Wellford, the altar-fires were to be kept alive only by 
 the oil of filial love. Beyond this, the stay of his life 
 had failed ; and, like a long-absent wanderer, storm 
 tossed and tempest-marred, he sought rest and refuge 
 where it was surely to be found.
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 HENRY WELLFORD was sitting at his desk on the morn- 
 ing after the marriage of Helen Lee, with his thoughts 
 far away from business, when his attention was arrested 
 by a remark from Mr. Lane, who was looking over a 
 morning paper. 
 
 " Bless me ! " said that gentleman, speaking to a 
 friend, who was sitting near him, also engaged with a 
 paper. " Here is news ! " 
 
 The friend looked up inquiringly. 
 
 " Who do you think is married ? " asked Mr. Lane. 
 There was a broad smile on his face. 
 
 "Who?" 
 
 " You wouldn't guess in a month. 
 
 " Then I won't be so foolish as to make the trial 
 Who is the happy man ? " 
 
 " Old Bullfinch." 
 
 "No I"
 
 140 THE OLD MAN '8 BRIDE. 
 
 " It's a fact, as I live. Here it is, all in black and 
 white. Listen. Married, on Wednesday evening, 21st 
 inst., Mr. Adam Bullfinch to Miss Helen Lee." 
 
 " Why, the old sinner ! He'd better be thinking of 
 his grave. Married ! And to Miss Helen Lee ? And 
 pray who is the damsel ? A spinster of fifty, or some 
 blooming maiden of sweet sixteen ? The latter, I'll be 
 bound ! Well, it does beat all ! " 
 
 " You remember Lee who failed in the West India 
 trade, after crippling himself through an unfortunate 
 sugar speculation ? " said Mr. Lane. 
 
 " O yes, very well." 
 
 " You also remember his daughter Helen ? " 
 
 " I do. She was a lovely girl. But I'll not believe 
 that she has thrown herself away upon Adam Bull- 
 finch." 
 
 " He is rich ; or, at least so esteemed," said Mr. Lane, 
 meaningly. 
 
 " What of that ? If my impression of the girl is 
 correct, money would never have bought her. She 
 would have died of starvation ere thus proving traitor 
 to her woman's heart." 
 
 M For the sake of her parents she may have done this. 
 They are very poor, and Mr. Lee is in bad health. He 
 has not been able to engage in any business for somo 
 time."
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 141 
 
 The friend shook his head, remarking 
 
 " Bad, bad, bad. Nothing will justify a marriage 
 like this, Can she possibly find happiness ? " 
 
 " She hardly took that into the account," said Mr 
 Lane. " So far as she is herself concerned, if the girl 
 I supposed her to be, she expects happiness in her mar- 
 riage relation, about as much as the martyr looks for 
 pleasure at the stake. She is passing through the fire, 
 hoping for something beyond : or, I might rather say, 
 is giving up her very life for the sake of her parents' 
 external comfort. This, at least, is my interpretation of 
 the matter." 
 
 " How sad to think of," was remarked, in answer to 
 this. " Ah me ! It is a fearful mistake. And such a 
 husband for a young, innocent, pure-minded woman ! 
 Why, he is the merest sensualist. A man who has 
 blotted out from his impure mind, every idea involved 
 in a true marriage ! It is shocking to think of. Poor 
 girl ! If she have thus sacrificed herself for the sake of 
 her parents, she is to be pitied indeed. They should 
 never have allowed it to take place. Better have 
 starved together, than buy luxurious living at such a 
 price." 
 
 " As for the luxurious living," said Mr. Lane, " I am 
 not so certain at least so far as permanency is con- 
 cerned." He spoke in rather a lower tone of voice.
 
 142 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 " The fact is, Mr. Bullfinch is far from being as shrewd 
 in business matters as formerly, and I shouldn't be at 
 all astonished if he were to find himself thrown to the 
 wall one of these days. You remember that nice opera- 
 Jon of his in sugars and coffees ?" 
 
 " Very well It is said that he lost about ten thou- 
 sand dollars." 
 
 " I shouldn't like to make his loss good out of twelve 
 thousand," said Mr. Lane. 
 
 " Do you think the speculation was so bad as that T 
 
 " I am sure of it. Then, he sold Wayland after 
 every one else had refused to credit him a single dollar, 
 and bore, in consequence, the heaviest loss sustained by 
 a failure which the merest tyro in business saw must 
 inevitably take place. It's my opinion, though I 
 wouldn't like to say it out of doors, that Adam Bull- 
 finch isn't worth as much now as he was twelve months 
 ago by twenty thousand dollars." 
 
 " You surprise me," said the friend. 
 
 " And what is more, if he doesn't show himself wiser 
 n his business operations than he has been for some 
 time past, he'll find the end of his rope much sooner 
 than he or any one else dreams of." 
 
 " In that case, the bird who has just entered his cage, 
 will not hare even gilded bars against which to beat
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 143 
 
 nd bruise herself. Ah what a mistake that young 
 bride has committed !" 
 
 " Yes, look at it as you will, it is all a mistake. 
 What compensation is there in mere wealth, or the ex- 
 ternal good it procures, for a life-long association against 
 which the heart revolts, even from its profour.der 
 depths ?" 
 
 " And you think her heart will so revolt ! That she 
 really has no affection for the old man ? That she will 
 not love him with something like filial tenderness ? 
 That, should wealth fail him, she will not cling to him 
 more closely, hiding his detects lovingly from the world, 
 and sustaining him, even as a vine the decaying branches 
 that bore it at first from the earth, where it lay with no 
 inherent power to lift itself into the pure air and warm 
 suHshine." 
 
 " No !" was the emphatic answer. 
 
 " That little word comprehends a great deal." 
 
 " It does, and fully covers this question. What Mr. 
 Bullfinch is, as a man, we know pretty well. His heart 
 lies not in the centre, but beats everywhere, so to speak, 
 in the very external of his life. He comprehends only 
 by the touch. He is, in plainer language, the mere 
 sensualist taking the term in its broader signification 
 in the world. What does he understand of the deli- 
 cate emotions, the pure, almost sp' ritual perceptions,
 
 144 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 the exquisite appreciation of qualities, possessed by the 
 heart of a truly virtuous woman, such as I believe his 
 child-wife to be ? Nothing less than nothing." 
 
 " Not much, I can readily believe," was answered. 
 
 " And is it to be supposed, for a moment, that the 
 grosser qualities of his mind will not be perceived, in- 
 stinctively, by the finer appreciation of hers, and that 
 such a perception will not be accompanied by a suffocat- 
 ing disgust ? We cannot reasonably hope for a differ 
 ent result." 
 
 "I suppose not," was remarked in reply. A cus- 
 tomer entered at the moment, and there the conversa- 
 tion, every word of which had fallen upon the ears of 
 Wellford, ended. He knew that Helen had married 
 an old man ; that he learned on the night previous 
 but he was not prepared to hear that Adam Bullfinch 
 was her husband. Of him he knew quite enough 
 knew him to be essentially a gross and impure-minded 
 man. 
 
 " Unhappy girl !" he sighed, as a momentary forget- 
 fulness of his own bitter disappointment, left his heart 
 free to pity the wretched victim of a mistaken sense of 
 duty "into what a gulf of wretchedness you have 
 thrown yourself !" 
 
 A short time he remained at the desk ; then, unable 
 to compose his mind, or to fix his thoughts on buai
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. Hf: 
 
 ness, he went out, and wandered through the streets for 
 an hour, striving, though vainly, to repress the wild 
 agitation into which he had been thrown. Returniujj 
 to the store, he sought to compose his mind, and give 
 renewed attention to the duties that devolved upon 
 him ; but this he found utterly impossible. The dis- 
 turbance from which he suffered was no mere ripple on 
 the surface of his life it went to the very depths of 
 his being. The whole current of thought and feeling 
 was in commotion. Strong of will though he was by 
 nature, and habitual in self-control, he failed now, 
 utterly, in every effort to subdue the strife within. A 
 plea of indisposition far from being assumed on his 
 part sufficed to release him from duties which, in his 
 state of mind, he found it impossible to perform, and 
 he left the store and returned home. 
 
 On the following mornirg, Wellford was absent from 
 his post On sending to his house, word came back 
 that he was still too much indisposed for business, but 
 hoped to be well enough on the next day to resume his 
 place. But the next day, and the next following, he 
 was still absent. Two weeks elapsed, and then his old 
 position was resumed. All saw that he was a changed 
 man, yet none guessed the cause and nature of the 
 change. It was not strongly marked, yet clearly 
 apparent to every one who was familiar with his daily
 
 146 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 manner and habit of mind. He did not converse a? 
 freely as before, nor take his usual interest in passing 
 events. He was often absent-minded to a degree that, 
 at first, made his business action partially defective ; 
 but this he gradually overcame, and devoted himself to 
 trade with greater concentration of thought than ever. 
 In fact, the new position he had assumed in the house 
 of Lane, Latta & Co. demanded this intense applica- 
 tion of all his powers. It was well for him, perhaps, 
 that such was the case. It prevented the sickly, 
 brooding state into which he would have fallen almost 
 inevitably. He not only felt the responsibJ'H" of his 
 new relation in business, but a desire to m jie most 
 of it in a worldly point of view, from ends not even 
 fully acknowledged to himself, came gradually into 
 activity. And so he was sustained in the great trial 
 he had been called to pass through ; sustained so far, 
 at least, as the world's observation was concerned. Nc 
 eye penetrated the secret chambers of his heart ; none 
 knew of the darkness and coldness that dwelt there : 
 none saw the anguish that overmastered him in his 
 hours of solitude. Intimately blended with all his 
 hopes in life more intimately than was known even to 
 himself had been the image of Helen Lee. Though 
 she had turned from him, he felt that there was no
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BUIDE. 14*7 
 
 estrangement in her heart ; and he was patiently 
 awaiting the time that would remove the cloud from 
 the sun of his life, when it was darkened suddenly by a 
 total eclipse.
 
 CHAPTEE XV. 
 
 THE little scene enacted at the house of Mr, 
 Bullfinch, on the occasion of bringing home the bride, 
 was unfortunate. The quick temper and strong self- 
 will of the old man were thus fully exhibited in the 
 beginning ; while he saw something more in his young 
 wife than he had expected to find a dignified, 
 womanly firmness that he might not hope to bend. In 
 the almost fragile, mild, retiring, beautiful girl, he had 
 seen nothing but what was passive or yielding. In 
 winning her to his home, he had looked for the 
 possession of an object from which only pleasure would 
 come. Such a thing as opposition to his will had 
 never been taken into the account. He scarcely 
 regarded her as one capable of opposition. In an 
 instant the delusion vanished. 
 
 On the other hand, Helen had seen nothing about 
 Mr. Bullfinch that led her to regard him as anything
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 149 
 
 but a kind, mild-tempered man. This sudden ebulli- 
 tion, therefore, while it surprised, armed her against 
 him. And so, between the two, was established, from 
 the very beginning, a position of antagonism, not 
 strongly marked at first, but still existing, and the fact 
 thereof never for a moment absent from the conscious- 
 ness of both parties. 
 
 The abandonment of her home by his niece was a 
 circumstance for which Mr. Bullfinch was altogether 
 unprepared. Not only as a public rebuke did it hurt 
 him ; but the act did violence to his real affection for 
 one who had been to him for so many years as a child 
 loved, indulged and cared for. Had the question of 
 marrying Helen and giving up Fanny been presented 
 for decision could he have clearly seen this issue the 
 old man would have hesitated long before taking a step 
 that now promised far less of happiness than a fond 
 imagination had pictured. Fanny knew all his tastes 
 and habits, and had endeared herself to him by a daily 
 regard for his comfort. Inordinately selfish, as such 
 men are, he loved her the more, because she ministered 
 to his enjoyments. With her as a daughter, and 
 Helen as a wife, he had anticipated a climax of earthly 
 good. But even as he grasped the cup that was to 
 intoxicate him with pleasure, a rude hand jostled it, 
 and spilled more than half its contents upon the earth.
 
 150 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 Without Fanny, he felt that home would be robbed of 
 half its sunshine ; and he had already too good reason 
 to doubt the ability of his young wife to restore the 
 absent light. How little of good promise was there, in 
 all this, for the future 1 
 
 From the beginning, there was, on the part of Helen, 
 a defective appreciation of the daily wants of her hus- 
 band. Her own father was nothing of an epicure, and 
 few men sought, less than he, pleasure in a mere grati- 
 fication of sensual appetites. She had not learned, 
 therefore, to know the wants of a man like Mr. Bullfinch. 
 Mr. Lee required little service of those around him. 
 Greater pleasure he always derived from ministering 
 than from being ministered to. But Mr. Bullfinch 
 thought only of himself, and was disappointed and 
 fretted if everything did not bend to his gratification. 
 Considering her home education, and the character of 
 her mind, a mere child was about as well fitted for th 
 wife of Adam Bullfinch as the young creature he had 
 dragged into a position from the duties of which he^ 
 whole nature revolted. Had Fanny Milnor remained 
 the difficulties of Helen's position would have been less ; 
 as it was, more was expected of her than it was in her 
 power to give. 
 
 A week from the inauspicious marriage day had 
 elapsed. It was morning, and Mr. Bullfinch was walk-
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 151 
 
 ing the floor of the breakfast-room with a step the 
 quickness of which showed his mind to be disturbed. 
 Every now and then he would pause, glance at the 
 time-piece on the mantel and again resume his uneasy 
 movement. At length his impatience overleaped the 
 barriers of repression ; lifting a small table-bell, he rung 
 it violently. Mr. Lee, who was^ reading, in one of the 
 parlors, supposing this to be the summons to breakfast, 
 came up, and entered the room. He saw in a moment 
 by the dark brow of Mr. Bullfinch, and the unfur- 
 nished table, his error. And so, without speaking, he 
 retired, wishing, in his heart, that he were back again, 
 with his wife and child, in the poor but independent 
 home from which Helen's inauspicious marriage had 
 lifted them. As he reached the parlor, he heard the bell 
 again, rung louder and more impatiently than before. 
 
 A waiting-woman now appeared in the breakfast- 
 room, in answer to this repeated summons. 
 
 " What's the meaning of this ? Why is breakfast 
 not ready ?" said Mr. Bullfinch, angrily. 
 
 " I don't know, sir," was the timid reply. 
 
 " Well, somebody ought to know ! Here it is 
 half an hour past the usual time. Go down into 
 the kitchen, and see what on earth's the matter. 
 Nothing goes right in this house, now." 
 
 As Mr. Bullfinch said this, Helen entered the room,
 
 ] 52 THE OLD MAN 8 BRIDE. 
 
 fixing, as she did so, her large, calm eyes upon him, 
 with a look that subdued, yet inwardly chafed him. 
 
 " I wish you would see a little after things," said he, 
 m a greatly modified, yet reproving voice. " I like 
 order and punctuality. I've always been used to, and 
 must have it." 
 
 " What is wrong, now ? " inquired Helen, coldly. 
 
 " Wrong ! Don't you see that it's almost an hour 
 past our usual breakfast time ? " 
 
 Helen glanced at the time-piece, and merely said 
 
 " Is it any fault of mine ? " 
 
 A rebuking reply trembled on the lips of Mr. Bull- 
 finch ; but he had already learned to fear the excite- 
 ment of certain moods in his young bride ; and, there- 
 fore, wisely restrained its utterance. 
 
 In the pause thus created, and while both parties 
 stood looking at each other, with something of defiance 
 in their manner, the waiter came in with breakfast. 
 
 " Heady, at last," said Mr. Bullfinch, moodily. " This 
 will never suit me." 
 
 The bell was rung, and Mr. and Mrs. Lee joined 
 their daughter and her husband at the table. 
 
 Silently the meal passed. Each heart was oppressed. 
 How different from the pleasant breakfasts enjoyed by 
 Mr. Bullfinch and his niece for so many years ! As 
 mistress of his household, Fanny had studied and met
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 153 
 
 her uncle's tastes and peculiar habits in almost every- 
 thing. She was truly attached to him, and derived 
 pleasure from thus anticipating and meeting his wants. 
 Affection made the service delightful. No morning 
 jneal was set upon the table, in the preparation of 
 which she had not given some direction, and in which 
 was not some dish that her epicure uncle regarded as a 
 favorite. And so, they ever met at breakfast in cheer- 
 ful mood, and enjoyed it together. 
 
 Ah ! how different were all the daily meals now 1 
 Mr. Bullfinch had bought a wife with gold a young 
 and beautiful wife and she was now the mistress of 
 his household. Bought love! It was mocking him 
 already like an unsubstantial shadow. 
 
 Silently the morning meal passed, and comfortless to 
 Mr. Bullfinch. Not a dish had the old taste, for the 
 directing hand of the absent one was wanting. This, 
 to the old man, was a serious drawback, for in eating 
 was included a large measure of his daily satisfaction in 
 life. Of this, his young wife knew nothing. She did 
 jt, in fact, comprehend how any one could make the 
 pleasures of the table a paramount thing. Her father 
 had always been to her the type of manly virtues and 
 endowments, and ho never found fault with what was 
 set before him but ever partook of the plainest food 
 with apparent relish. Her mother had little taste for
 
 154 THE OLD MAN'S BKIDE. 
 
 the kitchen. And so, the domestic education of Helen 
 in no way fitted her for the wife of Adam Bullfinch. 
 
 The unenjoyed breakfast over, the old man left foi 
 his store, in no pleasant mood, and Helen was alone 
 with her parents. 
 
 " I never saw such a man !" exclaimed Mrs. Lee, 
 almost as soon as he had left their presence, and ere 
 the street door closed on his retiring form. " Nothing 
 pleases him ; and he is as sour, at times, as vinegar." 
 
 " Breakfast was late, and it fretted him," said Helen, 
 in an apologetic manner. 
 
 " I wonder if he never bad breakfast late in his life 
 before ?" replied Mrs. Lee. 
 
 " I don't know, I'm sure," Helen spoke in an absent 
 manner. M But, we must try and remedy the defect. 
 It may easily be done, I suppose, and if so, I must do 
 it." 
 
 M Yes, my child," said Mr. Lee ' do it by all means. 
 Mr. Bullfinch is a man of orderly, punctual habits, and 
 little matters like this fret him a great deal. You will 
 soon get to understand his wishes and peculiarities, and 
 it will be your duty, and I hope your pleasure" Mr. 
 Lee's voice faltered a little in spite of his effort to 
 retain its calmness" to meet the one and adapt your- 
 self to the others." 
 
 " I will try to do right, father," Helen replied. Her
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 156 
 
 voice was steady, but her father saw that her eyes 
 were humid. 
 
 " Ah !" he sighed to himself, as she passed from 
 the room " what a trial ! God give her strength 
 to bear it."
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 A MONTH had passed siuce Fanny Milnor went, a 
 voluntary exile from her uncle's house. To her, the 
 trial had not proved a light one. Much of this time 
 she had suffered from a depressing home-sickness ; and 
 nightly she dreamed of the old pleasant place, and of 
 her kind uncle. Yet, had she not once repented of the 
 step which she had taken. 
 
 She was sitting, one day, about this time, in no 
 cheerful mood, trying, but in vain, to become interested 
 in the pages of a book she was reading, when a ser- 
 vant came to her door, and said that a lady had called 
 and wished to see her. 
 
 "Did she send up her name ?" inquired Fanny. 
 
 The servant replied in the negative. 
 
 " Why didn't you ask her name ?" 
 
 " I did," was answered, " but she said it made n
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 157 
 
 difference, and that she would prefer seeing you in your 
 own room." 
 
 Fanny thought for a few moments, and then said 
 
 " Tell her to walk up." 
 
 The servant retired, and Fanny awaited her return 
 with the visiter, wondering the while who it could be, 
 Soon footsteps were heard on the stairs, and along the 
 passage leading to her room. 
 
 The door was again opened by the servant ; a lady 
 stepped in, and the servant retired. 
 
 Instantly the face of Fanny Milnor flushed to a deep 
 crimson ; her eyes gave forth an indignant light, while 
 her lips arched scornfully. 
 
 " You here ! I did not expect this," she said, while 
 the stain of anger rose even to her br.ow. Then, with 
 a suddenly assumed, yet mocking smile, she added 
 " To what am I indebted to a visit from Mrs. Bull- 
 finch?" 
 
 " Helen for it was she had prepared herself for 
 this, or even a more cutting reception. The bitter 
 scorn of the girl, therefore, did not discompose her. 
 Though not offered a chair, she seated herself, her 
 wonderfully calm and penetrating eyes fixed with a 
 steady look upon Fanny, who still remained standing. 
 
 " May I pass a few sober words with you, Fanny ?" 
 she now said, in a voice 10 low and senous, that tho
 
 158 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 indignant girl felt its influence, yet was in no 
 inclined to bend from the haughty, repellant attitude 
 she had assumed towards the wife of her uncle. 
 
 " What can you have to say to me ?" was her sharply 
 uttered retort. 
 
 " Much that you ought to hear," said Helen. 
 
 " Away ! Leave me ! We can hold no inter- 
 course," exclaimed Fanny, passionately. 
 
 " Fanny Milnor !" 
 
 " Go !" And turning her face aside, the niece of Mr. 
 Bullfinch waved her visiter with an imperative gesture, 
 to retire. 
 
 " No, Fanny," was the undisturbed answer. " I am 
 prepared for all this, and much more. Having entered 
 upon the present work, I am not to be turned aside from 
 my purpose by the first difficulty that presents itself. I 
 have come to talk with you about your uncle ; the old 
 man in whose behalf you appealed to me so earnestly." 
 
 The arched lip did not in the least unbend itself: 
 nor was there any softening of Fanny's cold, scornful 
 eye ; neither answered she a word. 
 
 " Your uncle is not happy," said Helen. 
 
 " Happy !" was sharply and suddenly answered. 
 * Happy! Was he so mad as to expect it with 
 you?" 
 
 " If so," returned Helen calmly, " he has already
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 159 
 
 awasened from his delusion. But, he was fore- 
 warned." 
 
 " In truth was he !" ejaculated Fanny. 
 
 " If by you, then twice forewarned," said Helen, as 
 she looked steadily on the proud, de6ant girl so steadily, 
 that the eyes of the latter sunk beneath her glance, 
 and in slight confusion of thought, she said, repeating 
 the words of her visitor : 
 
 " Twice forewarned ?" 
 
 "Yes, twice." 
 
 " And by whom beside myself ?" 
 
 " I forewarned him." 
 
 "You?" 
 
 " Yes, I ; and repeated the warning. But, he would 
 not hear me. That, however, is past now ; and for 
 either you or I to refer to it is bootless. Enough that 
 your uncle is unhappy, and will remain so until you 
 return to him." 
 
 That I will never do !" was the positive declaration 
 of Fanny. " When I left his house, I left it forever. 
 What ! do you think I would share the honors thereof 
 with you ?" 
 
 Again her lip curled with ineffable scorn. 
 
 The pale cheeks of Helen now flushed ; and her 
 hitherto steady eyes, grew restless. The loss of self
 
 160 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 possession, however, was but momentary. When she 
 spoke again, her voice was steady as before. 
 
 " You can take all the honor if you will. I have no 
 ambition. Make your uncle happy if you can. Sup- 
 ply to him again what he hoped, but vainly hoped, to 
 find in me. That is your duty. My position.need not 
 touch yours. Never fear that I will interfere with your 
 old prerogatives. Glad will I be to have you resume 
 them. If you love your uncle, Fanny, return to him." 
 
 " And did he send you to lure me back again ?" 
 said Fanny, bitterly. " Why did he not come himself ? 
 But, he knew the power of your eloquence !" 
 
 This meaning assertion broke through, the crust that 
 protected the feelings of Helen. Her face, that had 
 resumed its paleness, flushed again, and her eyes fell 
 under the sharp glances of Fanny, while her form 
 seemed to shrink into smaller dimensions. As soon as 
 she could trust her voice with words, she said 
 
 " Our assumptions are often far wide of the truth, 
 Fanny. In this instance yours are so." 
 
 Steady though the voice was, it had in it a heart- 
 touching mournfulness, to which even the mailed heart 
 of Fanny was not altogether proof. But she repressed 
 the rising sympathy, or pity, which ever it might be 
 called, and said as coldly, and in as repellant a mannei 
 as at first
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRTDE. 161 
 
 " Why did not my uncle come himself? Why did 
 he send you ? n 
 
 " He did not send me," replied Helen. 
 
 You have come at his instance, at least." 
 
 " No." 
 
 " Is he sick ?" 
 
 " He is unhappy ; and sickness of the soul needs 
 medicine quite as much as sickness of the body. For 
 years, .you have been the light of his household. All 
 is dark since your withdrawal. Return, then, and be 
 to him as of old ; return, Fanny, and my heart will 
 bless you. I have no power to chase the shadows 
 from his heart and brow." 
 
 " Why, then, did you assume an office that you can- 
 not fill ?" asked Fanny, sternly. 
 
 " To err is human," was the touching, mournfully 
 uttered reply. 
 
 "A poor excuse for premeditated wrong," said 
 Fanny. " But it weighs nothing here. With subtlety 
 from base ends, you adroitly flattered my uucle, until 
 you drew him within your toils " 
 
 " It is false !" exclaimed Helen, with an emphasis 
 and an energy that startled her auditoi. " False to the 
 utmost meaning of the word." 
 
 She had risen to her feet, and stood, with her body 
 drawn to its full height, and her large eyes glaring upon
 
 162 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 the face of Fanny Milncr, who, in momentary surprise, 
 retreated a pace or two. 
 
 " False, proud, harsh-judging girl P she added, with 
 a womanly dignity and self-possession that, for the 
 time, completely subdued her listener. "I claim to be 
 as pure in motive, as free from all that is base, as your- 
 self. If I have erred, it has not been in self-seeking. 
 Heaven knows I expected no good for myself and I 
 shall not be disappointed P 
 
 " What did you expect, pray ?" inquired Fanny with 
 A covert sneer. 
 
 " Silence !" was the stern, subduing answer to this. 
 " I will bear from you no further insuit. Do your own 
 duty before you question the right or wrong of my 
 actions. You have deserted the relative to whom you 
 owe a debt of gratitude a life-service might not pay. 
 I have told you that this desertion has robbed him of 
 happiness ; that no one can supply your place. Thus 
 far I have done my duty. It is left for you, so quick 
 to censure others on insufficient grounds, to do yours. 
 Good morning." 
 
 And, without waiting for a response, Helen left th 
 apartment
 
 CHAPTER XYII. 
 
 THE effo t made by Helen to induce Fanny to 
 return to her uncle's house, proved unsuccessful. The 
 girl's entire being had revolted against the unnatural 
 union, and now, look at it and think of it as she would, 
 the intense disgust at first created remained. The 
 interview just described had inspired her with a degree 
 of respect for Helen not before felt, and left in her 
 heart a feeling of pity for the unhappy creature, who 
 gave painful evidence, not only in her countenance, but 
 in the tones of her voice, of having suffered intensely. 
 This was one thing ; but to live in daily intercourse 
 with her as the wife of her uncle, was another matter 
 altogether. To do that, she did not regard herself as 
 under obligation ; and so she remained steady to her 
 first purpose. Mr. Bullfinch was not the man to go 
 after her, and seek to bring her back to his home. 
 Had he put any faith in her threat to leave him, he
 
 164 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 would have used every inducement in his power to pre- 
 vent her doing so. But, now that she had actually gone 
 away, his pride would not let him take even the first 
 step towards prevailing on her to return. The effor 
 which Helen had made was entirely without his know 
 ledge. 
 
 Time, while it wore ajvay some of the rough edges 
 which at first produced unpleasant contact, did very 
 little towards bringing into harmony the opposing ele- 
 ments which a false marriage had bound together. A 
 closer union with Mr. Bullfinch in no way broke down 
 the repugnance which, from the first, possessed the mind 
 of Helen in no way lessened the pain of the living 
 sacrifice she had made and was still making. 
 
 The change produced upon the state and temper of 
 the young wife, by the new relation into which she had 
 come, was almost inconceivable. At the end of six 
 months, she was so altered that a familiar friend, who had 
 been absent through the period, would scarcely have 
 known her. Not in the breaking down of her health 
 was this apparent, though, most of the time, her face 
 had an unnautral paleness ; nor was it shown in a 
 spiritless or melancholy exterior. Most the change was 
 seen in the development of a more decided character ; 
 in an occasional haughtiness of manner, savoring at 
 times of heartlossness, never displayed before her mar
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 165 
 
 riage. She seemed to regard her new position as one 
 of defence, if not actual warfare, and to have armed 
 herself at every point. 
 
 Although Helen tried, and faithfully, for a time, so 
 to administer the affaire of her husband's household as 
 to meet his wants and wishes, she was unable to satisfy 
 his expectations ; and he, too old and confirmed iu his 
 ways to bend to the new order of things, fretted, or 
 stormed, as the case might be, thus making matters 
 worse instead of better. A milder temper on his part ; 
 a giving up, in a measure, if only in appearance, of self, 
 and a graceful acceptance of the earnestly made efforts 
 of Helen to have all things as he desired, would have 
 encouraged and softened her feelings towards him. 
 But, he only thought of and felt the disagreeable differ- 
 ences that now existed, and continually chafed his wife 
 by a complaining or angry reference thereto. Mr. Lee 
 did what he could, in his weak way, to ameliorate what 
 was around him, while the mother of Helen was ever 
 making things worse by an unwise interference when 
 Mr. Bullfinch was present, or indignant animadver- 
 sions on his conduct when he was absent. 
 
 A few times had Helen been abroad with her hus- 
 band since their marriage. From social or public ap- 
 pearances she had shrunk with a reluctance, that it 
 required all her strength of will to overcome. Of her
 
 166 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 personal appearance and accomplishments, Mr. Bull- 
 finch was very proud ; and having no delicacy touching 
 the diversity in their ages, would have shown her off on 
 all occasions, could he have made her passive to his will. 
 This, however, was a matter in which he rarely had his 
 own way. When he wished her to go out with him, 
 she never failed to have some good reason for desiring 
 to remain at home ; and far oftener than was agreeable 
 to her husband, refused positively to go with him to 
 places of public amusement, or to join in private enter- 
 tainments. In company, the fond old man was ever 
 desirous of bringing his wife forward ; urging her to 
 play and sing invariably on these occasions. She had 
 a fine voice, and sung and played with exquisite taste 
 and skill. But, thus to be thrust forward in strange 
 companies her circle of personal and intimate friends 
 was very limited was what she could not endure, and 
 she yielded, therefore, only on few occasions to the 
 wishes of her husband, who not unfrequently lost 
 patience with her, and manifested, in mixed companies, 
 to the mortification of Helen, and the delight of those 
 who were ill-natured and fond of idle gossip, an over- 
 bearing and fretful temper. 
 
 Something like a year had elapsed since Helen's mar- 
 riage, when, one day, invitations were sent in for a party 
 at the house of Mr. Lane. The first impulse of Mrs
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 1C7 
 
 Bullfinch was to destroy them, and thus leave her hus- 
 band in ignorance of the fact that they had ever been 
 received. Upon second thought, however, she hesitated 
 to do this. Knowing the temper of Mr. Bullfinch, she 
 did not wish to be involved in the trouble that wouk 
 surely follow his discovery of what had been done. So, 
 after pondering the matter for some time, she wisely 
 determined to let things take their course. 
 
 "What is this?" said Mr. Bullfinch, as his eyes 
 rested on the note of invitation, which Helen had been 
 at no pains to conceal, and, as he spoke, he took it up 
 and read it 
 
 " Ah, indeed ! " he remarked, with a pleased manner 
 " Company at Mr. Lane's, on Thursday evening." 
 
 " So it seems," remarked Helen, indifferently. 
 
 " Something brilliant, no doubt. I've been at several 
 of Mr. Lane's entertainments, and they are handsome 
 affairs. We will go, of course. I always regretted that 
 you did not accept the last invitation. Now, I am sure 
 you will be delighted." 
 
 " I care but little for company," said Helen. 
 
 So much the worse for you," replied her husband, 
 speaking in a quickened tone of voice. " If you would 
 go abroad more frequently, instead of moping, as you 
 do, at home, from week in to week out, you would have 
 better health arid lighter spirits. Really, Helen, you
 
 168 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 wrong yourself your husband, and society, by the way 
 you are acting. I like company am social in my 
 habits have many friends whom I desire to meet ; but 
 you" 
 
 Mr. Bullfinch felt himself growing warm, and, there- 
 fore, checked the utterance of what was on his tongue. 
 He had learned to forbear a little, as the re-action of 
 his young wife was at times of a character far from 
 agreeable. 
 
 " You need not deny yourself any social pleasures on 
 my account, Mr. Bullfinch," said Helen. I shall always 
 be gratified to have you go into company. If I am hap- 
 pier at home, why drag me out into the world, between 
 which and myself is no congenialty, no sympathy ? " 
 
 " I cannot bear to hear you talk in this way, Helen," 
 replied Mr. Bullfinch, with real kindness of manner. 
 " What would I not give to see you cheerful and happy : 
 ready to take the world as it is, and enjoy all the good 
 it has to offer ! This is my philosophy : and if it was 
 yours, how much of sunlight would be on your way 
 and on mine" he added in a lower voice. 
 
 Helen drew a deep sigh, but did not answer. She 
 felt the utter impossibility of being what her husband 
 desired her to be ; and yet, as a wife, it was her duty 
 to do all in her power for his happiness. A cleai per- 
 ception of duty, accompanied by this sense of the im-
 
 THE~OLD MAN'S BKIDE. 169 
 
 possibility of its performance, so saddened her spirit, 
 that, in spite of her struggles to hide what she felt, tears 
 flowed from her eyes. 
 
 It was not often that she had permitted Mr. Bullfinch 
 to see her weep. Intensely as she had too frequently 
 suffered, she had been able, through pride, strength- 
 ened by a strong- will, to subdue the woman's weakness 
 that melted into tears. And there was another reason. 
 She did not love her husband, and, therefore, in her 
 intercourse with him, was rarely affected with any of 
 the tenderer emotions. 
 
 It was a strange thing for Mr. Bullfinch to see his 
 wife in tears ; and it moved him greatly. 
 
 " My poor, dear child," said he, with unaffected kind- 
 ness, as he laid his hand caressingly upon her. " Do 
 not take on so about this. If you are so adverse to 
 going into company, I will not urge it upon you. We 
 can be happy with each other at home. Try, dear 
 Helen ! to be more cheerful. I love you truly, and will 
 do all in my power to secure your happiness. Have I 
 not done so from the first? Perhaps I have been 
 strong-headed, at times, from confirmed habit ; this, 
 you must look over and forgive. I am a little quick- 
 tempered, but it is soon past and forgotten." 
 
 And as he thus talked, the feelings of Helen softened 
 more and more, and, for awhile, she wept freely, 
 8
 
 170 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 Thought was clearer as emotion at length subsided, and 
 she saw more distinctly her duty than she had seen it 
 for a long time. A softer expression came into her face, 
 and her large eyes drooped with something of a woman's 
 tenderness. 
 
 " I will go witn you to Mr. Lane's," said she, in a 
 gentle voice. 
 
 " We will decline the invitation, if it is at all disa- 
 greeable to you, Helen," replied Mr. Bullfinch. 
 
 " I would rather go. It ought not to be disagreea- 
 ble. I know that I seclude myself too much ; that I 
 am unjust to you. But I will try to overcome my weak- 
 ness." 
 
 Her voice trembled through part ef this sentence, but 
 regained its steadiness at the cl^se. 
 
 " It is not good for us to keep ourselves too much 
 away from society," remarked Mr. Bullfinch. "The 
 mind will prey upon itself. In cheerful contact with 
 the world, we gain cheerfulness. As face answers to 
 face in a glass, so does the face of a man to his friend 
 We reflect our mutual good feelings, and thus share 
 them as common property. I am glad to hear you say 
 that you will go to Mr. Lane's. I know you will enjoy 
 yourself." 
 
 How little did he know of her true state of mind ! 
 Enjoy herself in a gay company, with the spirit of which
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. l7l 
 
 her palsied heart had nothing in common ! in a com- 
 pany where she would be as the wife of an old man, 
 the observed of many curious observers, and the subject 
 of ungenerous and heartless comment! Enjoy herself! 
 It was the anticipation of an utter impossibility. Ah 1 
 Mr. Bullfinch little dreamed of the self-abnegation in- 
 volved in the declared purpose of his wife to go with 
 him to the brilliant party that was to be given at Mr. 
 Lane's. He was too much pleased at her assent in the 
 matter to look very curiously below the surface ; and 
 too little skilled in the mysteries of woman's nature to 
 comprehend what he saw, even if it were possible for 
 him to open a window into her heart. 
 
 Preparation for the event was next to be made. Mr. 
 Bullfinch expressed his wish that Helen should appear 
 with befitting elegance, and that there might be nothing 
 to prevent, supplied her liberally with money, besides 
 presenting her with some rich and costly jewelry. If 
 Helen had consulted her own tastes and feelings, she 
 would have attired herself with extreme simplicity, in 
 order to attract as little attention as possible. But 
 knowing what her husband desired and expected, and 
 aware how much he would be disappointed If sne did 
 not dress with an elegance that accorded with his 
 views, she abandoned her own preferences. In doing 
 this, she was still governed by good taste.
 
 172 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDK. 
 
 Uaving consented to dress for the sake of pleasing 
 her husband, a change of feeling came over Mrs. Bull 
 finch. Gradually, an interest in the work of prepara 
 tion was awakened. As one article of attire after an 
 other was chosen, and, in imagination, she saw the 
 effect which it produced, the pride of appearance grew 
 active, and something like a spirit of emulation warmed 
 the cold atmosphere in which her thoughts had moved. 
 
 Strange as it may seem, this feeling gradually in- 
 creased, until Helen began to look forward to the com- 
 ing entertainment with something like pride and plea- 
 sure. If she was to be the observed of many observers, 
 admiration, as well as pity, should be excited. Once 
 admitted to a place in her bosom, the feeling grew 
 stronger ; and by the time the evening of the party had 
 arrived, the old man's bride was anticipating the occa- 
 sion as one in which triumphs were to be achieved. 
 And she did not greatly err in this. But of their na- 
 ture there came no foreshadowing to her mind.
 
 CHAPTER XYHL 
 
 THE evening of the party at Mr. Lane's had come, 
 and the interest now manifested therein by Helen, was 
 a matter of surprise both to her husband and parents 
 pleased surprise to Mr. Bullfinch and her mother, and, 
 to her father, who had observed with a sad hopelessness 
 of feeling, the unnatural changes which were taking 
 place in the character and mental states of his daugh- 
 ter, a source of at least some small degree of satisfac- 
 tion. 
 
 If, in anything, Mr. Bullfinch was dissatisfied with 
 the appearance of his wife, when she joined him, o" 
 descending from her chamber, dressed for the occasion 
 t was in the lack of certain showy points which her 
 good taste had led her to reject. Yet, for all this, 
 never had she appeared so beautiful in his eyes never 
 nad he felt prouder of her than now 
 
 a You really look charming, Helen," he said, as he
 
 174 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 gazed upon her with lover-like admiration. " Charm- 
 ing," he repeated, BS his eyes ranged over her person. 
 
 " Do 1 3" was her simple response ; yet, in the tones 
 of her voice, the most indifferent ear could have de- 
 tected an expression of pleasure. 
 
 " And you would have looked more beautiful still," 
 he added, " if you had consulted less carefully your too 
 severe taste. A little more ornament would have made 
 the whole effect perfect." 
 
 Helen smiled rather feebly, as she answered 
 "My own opinion is, that I am rather over-dressed." 
 " 0, no, no ; not in a single particular," said the 
 ardent, admiring old man. " Your excellent taste will 
 always prevent your falling into that error." 
 
 " Others may see with different eyes," replied Helen, 
 as a shadow flitted over her face. 
 
 For the sober moods of his wife, Mr. Bullfinch 
 had no fancy. He saw the passing shadow, and said, 
 instantly 
 
 " Come, dear ; the carriage is waiting." 
 Without further remark, Helen passed from the 
 house, and was soon whirling away towards the elegant 
 residence of Mr. Lane. 
 
 It was not without sore conflict, and bitter self-denial, 
 that Helen had decided to make one of this party, the 
 second of any promised brilliancy which she had been
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 175 
 
 induced to attend since her marriage. After her de- 
 cision, she came under the influence, as has been seen, 
 of a new state. A certain worldliness of feeling over- 
 laid the instinctive qualities of her mind, and gave birth 
 to a spirit of emulation, and a desire to make fin im- 
 pression. She was too conscious that, in marrying an 
 old man, she had forfeited the good opinion of h,er sex. 
 She had but to take counsel of her own thoughts and 
 feelings, to know how the act would be regarded. She 
 had but to refer to her own loss of self-respect, to know 
 how she would be esteemed among right-feeling women. 
 She could not, therefore, go into society hoping to win 
 regard and love hoping to gain a position such as she 
 might be proud to occupy. As she must appear on the 
 social stage, it was needful to act a part ; and her latent 
 pride of character prompted her to choose a brilliant 
 part, and to act it well. If she could not inspiro 
 a sentiment of respect, she was resolved to win ad- 
 miration. 
 
 This was the state of mind which the unhappy vie 
 Jm of a false marriage was endeavoring to superinduce 
 upon her real character. The effects of her last struggles 
 with good impulses were visible in the flitting shadow 
 that darkened her young brow, as she was about pass- 
 ing from the scene of rehearsal at home to make her 
 appearance on the stage at Mr. Lane's.
 
 176 THT5 OLD MAN'S BRIDR. 
 
 As Mrs. Bullfinch entered the brilliantly lighted ana 
 already well-filled drawing-rooms, not a trace of weak- 
 ness could be seen on her beautiful countenance, that 
 was flushed with hues warm from her now lightly beat 
 ing heart. Leaning on the arm of her husband, sha 
 moved amid the crowd, extorting admiration, and con- 
 scious that it was given. 
 
 " Who is she ?" " Is that her father ?" 
 
 Such questions, in suppressed tones, or low whispers, 
 reached, ever and anon, her ear. They did not awaken 
 in her bosom a quicker throb. She was fully prepared 
 for them. None knew better than she, that her hus- 
 band was old enough to be her father, and she did not 
 expect strangers to the true relation that existed, to be 
 guiltless of error on the subject. Her pride had been 
 wounded, over and over again, from these mistakes, so 
 naturally made ; but she had covered her coat of mail 
 with new plates of harder and more highly polished 
 steel, and especially for this occasion ; end now the 
 arrows rebounded from her protected bosom witl 
 scarcely a jar against the armor. 
 
 " Beautiful !" 
 
 " What a splendid creature !" 
 
 " Not her husband ?" 
 
 Was it a well-bred company, that remarks like thes
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDB. 177 
 
 wora loudly enough uttered to reach her ears in fact, 
 uttered at all ? 
 
 Well-bred, or not, such whispered remarks were made, 
 nnd were heard by the young wife. We only note the 
 fact. If* such things indicate want of good-breeding, 
 then there is a sad lack of this essential of truly good 
 society in many of our fashionable drawing-rooms, and 
 among people who effect to hold everything vulgar in. 
 abhorrence. 
 
 But Helen was protected at every point. She knew 
 the quality of those among whom she was going, and 
 was well enough read in the book of human nature to 
 understand the lessons that were profitable to be learned. 
 And, yet, while she was altogether unaffected by a 
 reference to her position as the wife of an old man, she 
 was far from being insensible to the admiration she had 
 designed to awaken. That produced a warmer glow in 
 her bosom, and deepened the rose that spread its beau- 
 tiful petals on her cheeks. 
 
 As the wife of Adam Bullfinch, Helen attained at 
 once a social position. The standing thus settled, her 
 personal attractions made her the centre of a circle, in 
 which she was no shrinking girl, timid of her powers, 
 but a self possessed woman, entirely equal to the main- 
 tenance of her position, yet never guilty of ever-acting 
 or indelicate boldness ; and, therefore extorting a senti- 
 8*
 
 ]Y8 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDB. 
 
 ment of respect, as well as compelling admiration. 
 While she made no overtures, she rejected no proffered 
 attentions ; and all who came in contact with her were, 
 in a measure, constrained to a favorable impression. 
 
 It was not long after Helen entered the drawing- 
 rooms of Mr. Lane, before she became aware of the 
 presence of two persons, who if she did not hold her 
 natural feelings with a double rein, would have power 
 to break down her assumed character, and compel her 
 to retire in utter inability to sustain the part, in acting 
 which she had made so good a beginning. These were 
 Henry Wellford, and the niece of her husband, Fanny 
 Mil nor. 
 
 What she was to endure, from the presence of Well- 
 ford, may be imagined from the fact that she had not 
 met him since her marriage, and had ever looked for- 
 ward to such a meeting as a trial of all others to be 
 dreaded. Far away, in the most sacred chamber of her 
 heart, a chamber with the door closed, and the secret of 
 ingress known only to herself, was enshrined an image 
 the image of Henry Wellford. He was her first love 
 and her only lu~, and to him would her heart remain 
 true as the needle, even until its last feeblest pulsation. 
 How many an hour had she brooded over the picture 
 of a meeting, which must sooner or later take place, and 
 striven to school her hear 4 into an icy calmness ; but
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 179 
 
 never in imagination could she compel the quick, throb 
 bing pulses to beat low and evenly. Never did she 
 unlock the door of that secret chamber, open it, and 
 stand reverently before the enshrined image, that she 
 did not suffer from profound agitation. How, then, 
 was she to meet her heart's idol, face to face, in utter 
 hopelessness, and maintain a composed exterior ! We 
 may not wonder that she grew faint, nor that her cheek 
 paled, as her eyes rested upon him. An electric con- 
 sciousness of her position, and the fatal consequences 
 that might follow a betrayal of her real feelings, brought 
 back the color to cheeks and brow, and restored the tire 
 of her eyes. To aid the recovery of her self-possession, 
 she turned her eyes from him, and strove to forget the 
 changed face that came upon her suddenly, like an ap- 
 parition. It was some time before she ventured to look 
 in the direction where she had first seen him. 
 
 Although frequently urged by his largely increasing 
 circle of friends, to go into society, this was the first 
 time that Wellford had been dragged from his self-im- 
 posed, and, to most of those who knew him, incompre- 
 hensible seclusion. But for the importunities of Mr. 
 Lane, who disregarded all excuses, he wcvrid have spent 
 this evening in his quiet home, instead of in the agitat- 
 ing sphere of a fashionable party. 
 
 It so happened that, soon after Wellford's entrance
 
 180 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 into the drawing-rooms, he recehed an introduction to 
 Fanny Milnor, whose thoughtful, subd.ied, and rather 
 retiring manners, combined with an agreeable address, 
 gave him a prepossession in her favor. Change and 
 trial had left their marks on her also. He was convers- 
 ing with Fanny when he first became aware of Helen's 
 presence. He was remarking with more than usual 
 animation upon something which she had said, when, 
 on lifting his eyes, he encountered those of Mrs. Bull- 
 finch. They were fixed upon him with an intenseness 
 that seemed like fascination. She seemed to be read- 
 ing not only his countenance, but his very soul; and, 
 while she did so, betrayed to him the secret of her own 
 heart. No oral language was needed to tell him that 
 he was still beloved ; and with a devotion far greater 
 than he had dreamed of, in the earlier and happier 
 days, when lip-language falteringly told the story of 
 affection. For a few moments, he was stunned bewil- 
 dered. Ere he recovered himself, or Helen could with-* 
 draw her eyes from his, Fanny's gaze took the direction 
 of her companion's, and she too first became aware of 
 the presence of her uncle's wife. 
 
 There wasa heightened color in the face of Fanny 
 Milnor, when Wellford turned to her again, and he? 
 voice had lost its steadiness at her next utterance. His 
 voice was also changed and husky. Both suddenly lost
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 181 
 
 interest in the subject on which they had been convers 
 ing ; were less pointed in their remarks, and gradually 
 lapsed into silence. 
 
 They were sitting, each busy with new thoughts, 
 when a young lady friend came to the side of Fanny, 
 and said, in a low voice, as she glanced across the 
 room, 
 
 " Have you seen Mrs. Bullfinch ?" 
 " Yes," was the low, and seemingly reluctant reply. 
 "She makes quite a showy appearance," said the 
 other. 
 " Yes." 
 
 " I'm afraid she's utterly heartless," was added. 
 " How could you look for anything else," said Fanny, 
 with a bitterness of tone that almost caused Wellford 
 to start. 
 
 " Young ladies with much heart don't usually enter 
 into marriages of this kind," remarked the friend. 
 
 " Heart has nothing to do with it," said Fanny. 
 " None but motives the most sordid could ever have 
 induced Helen Lee to marry my uncle. I told him so, 
 but he would not listen to me. He has had good 
 cause, I have reason to believe, long ere this, for a cor- 
 rection of his opinions in regard to her." 
 
 " Do they not live happily together ?" inquired tha 
 young friend.
 
 1 82 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 " Happily ! What a question to ask ! One might 
 as soon expect repose on the eternal billows as happi- 
 ness in such a union. They may tolerate each other, 
 but as for happiness ? it comes not within the range 
 of their experience. Look at Helen's face." 
 
 The young lady turned her eyes towards Mrs. Bull- 
 finch. 
 
 "Did you know her before her marriage?" asked 
 Fanny. 
 
 " I used to sec her sometimes," was answered. 
 
 " Do you remember her countenance as it was then !" 
 
 " Distinctly. I used to think it a very sweet, inno- 
 cent face." 
 
 " Look at it now !" 
 
 "It is much changed, certainly; but is more wo- 
 manly and brilliant, if I may use the word. What 
 splendid eyes !" 
 
 "Their splendor has been acquired at too great cost." 
 
 "At what cost I" 
 
 "They shine not from heart-fires, kindled by th 
 breath of love. Dead embers and ashes lie upon the 
 altar whereon she has offered up her sacrifices. Their 
 light comes from without, they reflect only the glare 
 of a vain, weak, debasing desire for admiration." 
 
 " You speak strongly," said Mr. Wellford, now first 
 trusting himself in utterance ; yet not venturing to look
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 183 
 
 Fanny steadily in the face, lest he should betray some- 
 thing of what he felt. He was now first aware that his 
 companion was the niece of Mr. Bullfinch, of whose in- 
 Mguant withdrawal from her uncle's house he had 
 ; eard at the time of its occurrence. 
 
 " I do, and with reason," answered Fanny. 
 
 " Mr. Bullfinch is your uncle T 
 
 "He is." 
 
 " Excuse me ; I was not aware of this until a mo- 
 ment ago. You did not approve the marriage J" 
 
 " How could I !" 
 
 " You knew Helen Lee ?" 
 
 " She was my teacher." 
 
 " How did you regard her ?" 
 
 " With a respect and esteem amounting almost to 
 .\ffection." 
 
 " Upon what were these based ?" 
 
 " On her supposed qualities." 
 
 " May not your uncle have been as much attracted 
 by these as you were ?" 
 
 " I have tried not to blame him," said Fanny, in a 
 low, troubled voice, partly speaking to herself. "She 
 must have acted on him with consummate art P 
 
 " How often did she visit your house ?" asked Well- 
 ford, now resolved to gain all possible information on a 
 . ubject that hai been, to him, a blight and a mystery.
 
 184 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDB. 
 
 "Twice a-week." 
 
 " For what purpose ?" 
 
 "To give me lessons, according to engagement." 
 
 " Was your uncle at home on these occasions i" 
 
 " Rarely during the earlier times of her visits ; but, 
 towards the last, quite frequently." 
 
 " Did you then see anything in her manner towards 
 him that awakened suspicion ?" 
 
 " Nothing. The announcement, when finally made, 
 came upon me like a thunderbolt. I was utterly un- 
 prepared for it." 
 
 " The art must have been consummate, indeed," said 
 Wellford, with an irony that Miss Milnor did not fail to 
 perceive, " if it could win your uncle's regard, without 
 in the least exciting your suspicion. When and where 
 did she act upon him ? Did they meet except at your 
 house ?" 
 
 " I know not. Nothing that occurred ever led mo 
 to think so. But, it strikes me, Mr. Wellford," said 
 Fanny, with a frankness that his rather close interroga- 
 tions fully warranted, " that your questions are rather 
 searching, and betray more than an idle interest in the 
 wife of my uncle. It is said that she had a lover." 
 And she turned her eyes full upon the young man's 
 face. "Did you ever hear whether this were so or 
 not r
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BKIDE. 185 
 
 Vainly Wellford strove to keep down the tell-tale 
 blood that a quicker heart-throb sent bounding up to 
 his face. He was only in part successful. Ere he could 
 frame a reply, they were joined by two or three friends, 
 nd the conversation took a new shape, much to h)6 
 relief.
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 IT was on this occasion that Mr. Bullfinch and his 
 niece met for the first time since Fanny turned from 
 him with so stinging a rebuke. As each became con- 
 scious of the other's presence, each felt that a time of 
 trial had come. Neither knew the exact feeling of the 
 other, nor how the other would act. It would not do 
 each felt this to meet without recognition ; and it 
 would little comport with good breeding to make any 
 marked exhibition of coldness or ill-feeling. As long as 
 it could well be done, each avoided the other ; but, at 
 last, they were thrown into immediate contact, and in 
 such a way, that they must act as total strangers, or 
 pass a few words with each other. Many eyes were on 
 them, and they knew it. 
 
 They met, but not a ripple on the surface was dis 
 covered even by the closely observant. A few pleas- 
 antly uttered common-places passed between them, and
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 187 
 
 then they were separated by the crowd, each to breathe 
 more freely, and with a sense of relief that the first 
 meeting was over. 
 
 In the mean time, Mrs. Bullfinch was drawing an ad- 
 miring circle around her, and acting her part with con 
 summate skill. In assuming a new character, she 
 seemed to have become a new creature, with new 
 powers, and a new education. Surprise and pleasure 
 were elicited on all sides. If there was, as might natu- 
 rally be expected from one in her circumstances, a little 
 over-acting, the defect was seen only by a few. Most 
 of those who were in pleased contact with her, saw no- 
 thing in the assumed character but what was real. She 
 did not force herself into a prominent position ; she ex- 
 hibited nothing of boldness ; did not act so much as 
 re-act and in no case inordinately. In a word, a 
 strongly-grounded admiration of the woman soon came 
 to be a prevailing sentiment, and even Fanny Milnor, 
 who kept rigidly aloof, yet maintained a close observa- 
 tion, felt her prejudices insensibly melting away. 
 
 "What a sacrifice !" " And she the wife of that old 
 man ?" " It is inconceivable !" " What could she have 
 seen in him?" 
 
 These, and similar expressions, passed occasionally, 
 from lip to lip. 
 
 " I am altogether puzzled," said one.
 
 188 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 " She is an enigma to me," said another. 
 
 " She is a brilliant, fascinating woman," remarked a 
 third. 
 
 " There'll be a rich young widow for somebody be- 
 fore long," said a fourth, shrugging his shoulders and 
 arching his eyebrows. " I rather think I will defer my 
 matrimonial speculations for a few years." 
 
 " Do you think old Bullfinch so very rich ?" was re- 
 sponded to this. 
 
 " I should like to be worth about half what he is," 
 replied the first speaker. 
 
 " There is some difference of opinion on this head. 
 His paper has been hawked about rather freely for the 
 last six months." 
 
 " That may not be his fault." 
 
 " Though the fault of his credit. Some of the banks, 
 I know, will not touch it." 
 
 " You surprise me." 
 
 " What I say is true, nevertheless. I saw a man, 
 only yesterday, who had over fifteen "thousand dollars 
 of his paper, which he was offering at one-and-quarter 
 per cent." 
 
 "That looks a little dubious." 
 
 " So it strikes me. You can wait for the widow ; 
 but, take my advice, and don't build too strongly oo 
 the fortune."
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 189 
 
 " I don't know," was returned with a smile, * that I 
 could resist the lady's personal attractions, if they sur- 
 vived to her widowhood." 
 
 " That may not oe for these twenty years. Old Bull- 
 finch comes of a long-lived generation.'' 
 
 " O dear !" lightly responded the other. " We can't 
 have everything just our own way. But, what could 
 have possessed her to marry that old man ? Not love, 
 certainly." 
 
 " No, it was money." 
 
 "Then she must be a heartless woman." 
 
 " Something is wrong, without doubt. The marriage 
 is unnatural, and must have had its origin in constraint, 
 or overweening cupidity. There has been a lack of 
 womanly virtue somewhere. Do you know that the 
 niece of Mr. Bullfinch, whom he had raised almost as 
 his own child, left the house on the very day she en- 
 tered it, and had not crossed the threshold since ?" 
 
 No !" 
 
 " It is yet true." 
 
 " Who was she T 
 
 " A Miss Milnor ; and she is here to-night" 
 
 " Ah ! Can you point her out to me ? I should 
 like to observe her conduct in relation to them. It will 
 present a fine study in human nature." 
 
 " There she is in conversation with Mr. Wellford."
 
 190 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 " Ah ! That's the young lady. Well, there is cer- 
 tainly a look of spirit about her." 
 
 The two men observed, in silence, for some moments, 
 the personages alluded to. They were in earnest con- 
 versation. 
 
 " Did you see that look ?" said one of them suddenly. 
 
 "What look ?" asked the other. 
 
 " The look cast upon them by Mrs. Bullfinch." 
 
 " No." And, as he spoke, he turned his eyes tow- 
 ards Helen. " There's something in that I don't just 
 comprehend," he said, after a brief observation. 
 
 " Nor do I. Unless I err, there was something of 
 the fire of jealousy in her eyes." 
 
 " Just so I read them. There ! See ! She is look- 
 ing at them again. What can it mean ? Ah ! Now 
 I remember having heard something of a lover. Can 
 Wellford possibly be the man ?" 
 
 " Why should she give him up for an old man like 
 Bullfinch ? His worldly condition, if not quite so good 
 now, promises, in my opinion, to be much the best. 
 You know he is a member of the house of Lane, Latta 
 <feCo." 
 
 " I do. But little more than a year ago, he was only 
 a clerk in that house. His prospects at the tune Misa 
 Lee was married, and his prospects now, are very 
 different."
 
 THE OU) MAN'S BRIDR. 191 
 
 " I must know something farther in regard to this 
 matter," said the other. " There's a new study in hu- 
 man nature here, at least, for me." 
 
 " If you would nrobe the matter pretty effectually, I 
 will suggest a mode of procedure," remarked the friend 
 
 " Well r 
 
 " Are you acquainted with Mr. Bullfinch ?" 
 
 " I am not." 
 
 " Does he know you ?" 
 
 The friend shook his head. 
 
 " He is on the side of the room from his wife just 
 now." 
 
 " So I perceive." 
 
 " As a stranger you are not supposed to bb aware of 
 the fact, that so beautiful a young creature a mere 
 girl as it were holds to an old man like him the rela- 
 tion of a wife." 
 
 " Go on. I am all attention." 
 
 "Approach, and enter into conversation. It will 
 then be the easiest matter in the world to make allu- 
 sion to the charming Mrs Bullfinch." 
 
 " Ah ! I take your drift. You wish me to excite 
 his jealousy ?" 
 
 " Make allusion to Wellford. It will be the more 
 effectual if Mrs. Bullfinch should happen to cast upon
 
 192 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 the young gentleman a glance or two, sucli as we de- 
 tected just now." 
 
 " I understand my part fully," was replied. " Thank 
 you for the suggestion. If I don't awaken a tempest 
 in at least one mind to-night, then I'm mistaken." 
 
 " Take care that you don't do harm," said the friend, 
 in a warning voice. 
 
 " Harm ! what harm ?" 
 
 " You may destroy the peace of that old man." 
 
 " Would it not be a just punishment for his wicked- 
 ness in marrying that young creature ? What right 
 had he to rob her of her true dower in life ? To lay a 
 sacrifice like that upon the reeking altar of sensuality. 
 Hah ! I burn with indignation at the thought. If I 
 can lay upon him a scorpion lash, right freely will I do 
 it." 
 
 " As you choose. But, to my thinking, you are as- 
 suming towards him, rather unadvisedly, the joint office 
 of judge and executioner. In matters like this, all are 
 free to act as they think best. Consent must precede 
 marriage. His wife, therefore, is quite as much a party 
 in this business as himself. Why he alone should bo 
 punished for a mutual fault, is what I do not clearly 
 comprehend." 
 
 " I can't stop to argue this matter," was replied.
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 193 
 
 " My mind is already made up. So now for introduc- 
 ing my probe into this festering sore." 
 
 And, as he said this, the young man moved away 
 from his friend, and was soon at the side of Mr. Bull- 
 finch. In a little while, with much adroitness, he suc- 
 ceeded in engaging the old man in conversation. 
 
 " What a charming creature that is !" said he break- 
 ing in, witniyell-managed abruptness, upon a remark 
 of his companion. And he glanced towards Mrs. Bull- 
 finch. 
 
 The countenance of the latter became lit up with 
 pleasure in an instant ; but ere he had time to indicate 
 the relationship in which he stood towards her, the 
 young man added 
 
 " I'm told that she is the wife of old Adam Bullfinch. 
 But, I presume, there is a mistake in this." 
 
 " I believe not," was the rather grave answer. 
 
 " That Mrs. Bullfinch !" 
 
 A formal bow was the assenting reply. 
 
 " You surprise me ! Well, I can only spy, that I 
 admire the old fellow's taste. When I want a wife, I'll 
 get him to look out for me." 
 
 This rather familiar way of speaking about himself 
 
 and his affairs, made Mr. Bullfinch hesitate as to a 
 
 declaration of his identity. To avow himself now, 
 
 would be, he felt, rather embarrassing. lie, therefore, 
 
 9
 
 194 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDB. 
 
 determined to let his companion talk on in supposed 
 ignorance as to the true personality of his auditor. He 
 merely remarked 
 
 u Mrs. Bullfinch is certainly a charming woman." 
 
 " Oh, delightful ! If I were her husband I should 
 feel strongly inclined to cage her up at home. Why, 
 half the men here are in love with her already." 
 
 The arrow had struck. A cloud fell instantly on the 
 brow o Mr. Bullfinch. 
 
 " She had a lover, I'm told," was the next remark 
 " I wonder if there is any truth in it. Some one said 
 he was here to-night." 
 
 The old man's eyes turned instantly towards WelL 
 ford. 
 
 " There ! Did you see that look ?" said his compan- 
 ion, touching familiarly the old man's arm. 
 
 "What look?" 
 
 " The look Mrs. Bullfinch cast on Mr. Wellford, who 
 is in earnest conversation with that young lady said 
 to be the niece of her husband, and to have left his 
 house indignantly on the very night of their marriage." 
 
 The eyes of Mr. Bullfinch were instantly fixed upon 
 his wife, who was regarding the two persons just men- 
 tioned, with the peculiar look before described. Well 
 might he take the alarm. Such a look never rested 
 upon a man in whom the heart had no interest
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 185 
 
 " Wellford is the man ; I'll wager a kingdom of it f* 
 said the evil genius of Mr. Bullfinch, triumphantly. 
 
 The old man started, as if stung by a serpent- 
 Thrown off of his guard, he said, in alow, angry voice 
 
 " "Who are you, sir, that dares to trifle with me after 
 this fashion !" 
 
 The young man instantly shrunk away, and retiring 
 to another part of the drawing-rooms, spent the rest of 
 the evening in observing the result of his evil handy- 
 work.
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 NOT until this unlooked-for meeting with Henry 
 Wellford, did Helen fully comprehend the nature of the 
 passion with which she loved him. As we have said, 
 his image lay enshrined far away, in the most sacred 
 recesses of her heart ; not dust-covered, nor dimmed 
 with gathering mould, yet as she had believed, forever 
 hidden from the light. An image, before which, if her 
 spirit sometimes bowed in its weakness, it bowed with 
 a consciousness of sin, and, in bowing, prayed to 
 Heaven for strength ever to stand upright. 
 
 Now that she had looked upon his living face for the 
 first time since their last sad meeting in the street, she 
 felt that she was unequal to the trial. More than an 
 hour had glided away since her eyes rested upon him, 
 and from that time, while she compelled herself to act 
 ven more skilfully, than at first, her part, eyer and
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 107 
 
 anon, her glances would go searching after him, and 
 when descried, linger on his form for moments, as if she 
 were spell-bound. A strange feeling, almost suffocating 
 in its intensity, seized upon the unhappy woman, when 
 she saw that Wellford remained by the side of Fanny 
 Milnor, much of the time engaged in earnest conversa- 
 tion. Was it a spirit of jealousy that, constricting her 
 chest, gave to respiration a quickened impulse ? or, did 
 she shrink from the personal detraction of herself, 
 which she had good reason to believe would be poured 
 into the ear of her former lover ! 
 
 However this might be, the good understanding and 
 mutual interest which seemed to exist between Wellford 
 and Fanny Milnor, were to her a source of most exquisite 
 pain. Yet for all this, she hid beneath the garment of 
 a well-assumed exterior, the fox that was tearing her 
 very vitals. A few, more observant than the rest, no- 
 ticed occasionally the manner in which she regarded 
 these two persons ; but no one dreamed of the agony 
 that was veiled by her winning smiles, or concealed un- 
 der the buoyant tones of her rich mellow voice. Wha^ 
 a task had she imposed upon herself ! The only won- 
 der is that she was able to sustain her part. 
 
 An hour had glided away since she became aware of 
 Wellford's presence ; and now, for the first time, she 
 found herself about coming into immediate personal
 
 198 THE OLD MAN 8 BRIDE. 
 
 contact with him, This was not accidental, but from 
 design on his part, as she plainly saw. A gentleman 
 with whom she had been conversing had just left her 
 side, and she was sitting alone. This opportunity 
 Wellford seized for the renewal of an acquaintance, 
 broken off under such painful circumstances, nearly two 
 years before. As he approached her, the heart of 
 Helen fluttered, and then grew still, as if overpowering 
 emotions were actually about extinguishing her life. 
 He bowed with considerable formality, and showed an 
 embarrassed manner. 
 
 " I am pleased to meet you again," said he, with less 
 steadiness of voice than he had hoped to maintain. 
 
 The lips of Helen moved, but no words came there- 
 from. There was a welcome, however, in her eyes ; 
 and Wellford failed not to see this. He sat down by 
 her, forced a smile to conceal the real agitation he felt, 
 and made some common-place remark, to which she 
 now found voice to reply. How soon each would have 
 regained an easy self-possession, we cannot say. A 
 third party joined them almost immediately the hus- 
 band of Helen. 
 
 The two men, who had met in business circles, and 
 had a slight business acquaintance, bowed formally, as 
 each gave utterance to the other's name. It was at 
 once apparent to Wellford, that the old man was dis-
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 199 
 
 turbed from some cause ; and he did not fail to observe, 
 that with a singular want of good breeding, he seated 
 himself on the narrow portion of the sofa that inter 
 vened between him and Helen. 
 
 A few unimportant remarks were made by Wellford, 
 to which Mr. Bullfinch gave constrained answers. 
 Perceiving that his presence was, from some cause, dis- 
 agreeable, the former soon retired to a distant part of 
 the room, and from an unnoted point of observation, 
 saw that sharp words were passing between the young 
 wife and her husband. Another might not thus have 
 interpreted the manner of Mr. and Mrs. Bullfinch ; but 
 his knowledge of the past, as well as his peculiar state 
 of mind, gave to Wellford a more than ordinary keen- 
 ness of vision. 
 
 " Did you see that ?" said the young man, who had 
 so unwisely, and, we might say, wickedly, awakened in 
 the breast of Mr. Bullfinch the spirit of jealousy. He 
 addressed the friend with whom a previous conversation 
 had been held. 
 
 " See what ?" asked the other. 
 
 " Mr. Wellford, only a moment ago, took a seat near 
 Mrs. Bullfinch ; but, scarcely had they entered into 
 conversation, ere the old man came up and coolly thrust 
 himself between them." 
 
 u Indeed I"
 
 2uO THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 "That tells the story, doesn't it?" 
 
 " What story ?" 
 
 " Of a young lover and a jealous old husband. I 
 thought there was something peculiar in the way Mrs. 
 Bullfinch looked at Wellford, when he sat talking 
 so earnestly with her husband's niece." 
 
 " You seein to take a singular interest in their affairs," 
 said his friend " an evil interest, I am afraid. Pardon 
 me for plain speaking." 
 
 " I'm a student of human nature you know, and this 
 is one of its phases." 
 
 " It is one thing to study human nature, and another 
 to mar its beauty. I'm afraid the lover was more in 
 your imagination than anywhere else, and that all the 
 cause for jealousy that exists, you created. This is 
 hardly to be justified on any plea." 
 
 " Oh, as to that," was replied with indifference, " I 
 act pretty much as fancy prompts. As for self-justifica- 
 tion, I rarely give it a thought." 
 
 " Some people would say," remarked the friend, half 
 seriously and half in earnest, " that you had either a 
 wrong head or a bad heart." 
 
 " People will say almost any thing that suits their 
 fancy. For one, I never give much heed to the opin- 
 ions of others regarding myself. The worst is usually 
 judged of our actions. I seek compensation for these
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 201 
 
 things in saying and doing pretty much as I list; and 
 I presume the world thinks quite as well of me as if I 
 were guarded about the effect of my words, and 
 over nice as to the consequences of my actions." 
 
 "There is something more to be desired than the 
 world's opinion." 
 So I think." 
 
 u Our own self-respect, and consciousness of right 
 actions." 
 
 The other merely shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 " If we can do no good, let us do no harm. The 
 casting of an evil seed may seem a light thing ; but, 
 the small acorn becomes, in time, a giant oak. Think 
 of this. You have, carelessly, sown a seed of jealousy 
 in the mind of Mr. Bullfinch. Already it has germi- 
 nated. The fruit, which must be eaten, will be bitter 
 to the taste ; nay, may poison the whole system. Will 
 it add any thing to your pleasure in life to know that 
 you have made others inconceivably wretched ? I 
 should think not." 
 
 ' You make a serious matter of my little pleasan 
 annoyance of Mr. Bullfinch," said the other, in a slightly 
 changed tone. 
 
 " If I err not, it will prove more than a pleasant an- 
 noyance to the old gentleman and his young wife. The 
 passion of jealousy, when once excited, rarely burns out
 
 202 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 It makes fuel of every thing within its reach. Eve* 
 suspicious, and prone to misjudge, it becomes insatiate 
 and cruel. Ah! I fear you have put thorns in the 
 already uncomfortable pillow on which the head of that 
 young wife uneasily reposes." 
 
 " Oh, dear ! Don't grow sentimental," was replied, 
 with forced levity. " Her pillow is soft enough, I'll 
 warrant you. She'll sleep sound for all the thorns my 
 hands have planted." 
 
 As this was said, the piano, which had been silent for 
 some time, was touched by softly falling fingers, and, in 
 a moment after, a clear, sweet, mellow voice arose and 
 filled the room. 
 
 " Ah 1 who is that ? " remarked one of the young 
 men. 
 
 " It's Mrs. Bullfinch, as I live," said the other, as he 
 moved half involuntarily towards the instrument. 
 
 There was an instant hush throughout the crowded 
 and buzzing drawing-rooms. Every ear seemed pene- 
 trated with the unexpected melody. Several brilliant 
 performers had, from time to time, during the evening, 
 executed some of their best pieces ; but, they had 
 played only to a narrow, music-loving circle, while most 
 of those present were rather annoyed than otherwise at 
 the loud, incessant thrumming, which made conversa- 
 tion an effort. But now, an involuntary attention was
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 203 
 
 awarded by all, and soon there was a crowd around the 
 piano. 
 
 Piece after piece was played and sung, in accordance 
 with the requests or suggestions of those who gathered 
 near the singer. Yet, all the while, Mrs. Bullfinch 
 played for the ear of only one though he never asked 
 for a song, nor even made one of the delighted group 
 that clustered around her. It was not that she designed 
 to play for Wellford ; she could not help it. With 
 every note she struck, every skilful modulation of her 
 voice, every expression that was breathed forth, went 
 also a thought as to how his ear would be effected ! 
 And so entirely was this the case, that it totally ob- 
 scured her consciousness of the fact. She played for 
 her old lover, yet knew it not. 
 
 Never had the old man been so struck with the 
 charms of his young wife as now. Never had he ob- 
 served such a witchery in her voice. How proud of 
 her he felt ! Yet, with this pride, was a feeling of un- 
 easiness not before experienced. The seed of jealousy 
 was in his heart ; it had already quickened into life, 
 and was sending down its sharp, piercing rootlets. In 
 the eyes of those who looked on her, his newly ac- 
 quired vision perceived something deeper than mere 
 admiration ; and when he saw a gay, handsome young 
 man, bending to her ear, and speaking in tones so low
 
 204 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 that he could not hear them, suspicion imagined the 
 words- that were uttered, and troubled the waters of hia 
 spirit to their deepest depths. 
 
 " The fact that Wellford did not join the listeners 
 who had gathered around the piano, was not unobserved 
 by Mr. Bullfinch. The meaning of this he interpreted 
 in his own way, and made it the aliment on which to 
 feed his jealousy 
 
 At last Helen retired from the piano, receiving, as 
 she did so, thanks and compliments from many voices, 
 and accompanied by one or two young gentlemen, who 
 were completely charmed with her. Mr. Bullfinch tried 
 to get between these and his wife, as the latter was 
 handed to a seat. The effort did not prove so success- 
 ful as in the case of Wellford. But he remained stand- 
 ing near, unconscious that, in countenance and manner, 
 he was betraying to all eyes the real state of his mind. 
 
 Nor was this state rendered any the more endurable 
 by parts of sentences, over-loudly spoken or whispered, 
 that reached his ears, such as 
 
 " She's a charming creature.!" " Old Bullfinch had 
 Better cage her up at home." " Somebody '11 run off 
 with her before a year." " The maudlin old fellow I 
 how' she must despise him !" " She can't love him." 
 " A chattel, bought with gold."
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 205 
 
 At an early hour Mr. Bullfinch suggested to his wife 
 that it was time for her then to return home. 
 
 " It is only twelve," said she, in reply, " and the car- 
 riage was not ordered until two." 
 
 " Two two so late as that ?" he answered, in a 
 confused manner, " I had forgotten." 
 
 Cotillions were now forming, and a young gentle- 
 man, whose attentions to Helen had not escaped the 
 keen eyes of her husband, pressed forward, and asked 
 if she would dance with him. 
 
 A graceful assent was given, and the couple took 
 tneir places on the floor. 
 
 An ill-concealed gesture of impatience marked the 
 effect of this upon Mr. Bullfinch, who, with a length- 
 ened visage and contracted brow, took his place, 
 moodily, among those who were too old, or disinclined, 
 to dance. 
 
 Set after set were formed ; in each of these, always 
 with a new partner, Mrs. Bullfinch was to be found. 
 With color warm from exercise, and eyes glittering 
 with excitement, she looked as happy as she was beau- 
 tiful. None noticed, as she went circling through the 
 mazy evolutions, her quick glance thrown, ever and 
 anon, towards a point in the room, where, in close con- 
 versation, sat Henry Wellford and Fanny Milnor. 
 Only once during the evening, had she been thrown
 
 206 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 into the immediate company of Fanny, when they met 
 as strangers. 
 
 Nothing more dramatic than the incidents we have 
 chronicled, took place during that evening. Once again 
 Helen and Wellford met and exchanged a few words ; 
 but, in doing so, there was no betrayal of feeling on 
 either side. At two o'clock, Mr. and Mrs. Bullfinch 
 retired ; each with sharper thorns in the pillows upon 
 which their heads were to recline hereafter. 
 
 In Helen's Book of Life, a new leaf had been turned ; 
 and, as she brooded over the yet unwritten page, her 
 heart trembled at thought of the probable record. She 
 had tasted a new cup the sweet and bitter exquisitely 
 mingled and she felt that she was destined to drink it 
 to the very drega. 
 
 " It was no seeking of mine,'' said she, gloomily, to 
 herself, as she pondered the future. "The conse- 
 quences rest with those who dragged me into a position 
 fraught with trials and temptations beyond my power 
 to sustain or resist. But the step has been taken, and 
 I must now press onward in the new and dangerous 
 path that opens before me. I have pride enough to 
 enable me at least to tread it boldly. No one must 
 see a step falter and no one shall /"
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 IT was mentioned in a previous chapter that sharp 
 words had passed between Mr. Bullfinch and his wife, 
 while at Mr. Lane's party, occasioned by the renewal of 
 intercourse between the latter and Mr. Wellford. Such, 
 at least, was the young man's inference, and he did not 
 err. Excited by the rude conduct of her husband, the 
 moment Mr. Wellford retired, Helen said to him, 
 warmly though in a low tone, 
 
 " I don't understand you, Mr. Bullfinch I What is 
 the meaning of this ?" 
 
 " The meaning is," was quite as warmly answered, 
 " that I do not wish you to hold any intercourse with 
 that person." 
 
 " Why not, pray ?" 
 
 " I have good and sufficient reasons, Madam," said 
 the old man. 
 
 "They must be good and sufficient tome, before
 
 208 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 I act from them," replied Helen, firmly. " What 
 have you against him ?" 
 
 " It should be enough for a wife, that her husband 
 objects to her being on terms of intimacy with a parti- 
 cular man." 
 
 " It is not enough for me, at least, said Helen. If 
 you know anything wrong of Mr. Wellford, say so." 
 
 Beyond this, nothing further had passed between 
 them on the subject, at the time ; others were too near 
 to render a continuance of such a conversation at all 
 prudent. 
 
 The uneasiness of Mr. Bullfinch during the evening, 
 and his broad exposure of the jealousy which had taken 
 possession of him, did not escape the observation of 
 Helen. It produced in her mind a strange blending of 
 emotions ; among which were mortification at his 
 obtrusive weakness, mingled with a flutter. of triumph. 
 She, in no degree, pitied his suffering, but felt like 
 adding thereto by acts that would increase, rather than 
 allay, the suspicions that were fretting him. Not that 
 there was any guilty purpose in her mind she was too 
 pure for that ; but a certain perverseness, born of unna- 
 tural and constrained relations, was beginning to influ- 
 ence her. 
 
 Mrs. Bullfinch at Mr. Lane's, and Mrs. Bullfinch 
 immediately on her arrival at home, was another person
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 209 
 
 altogether. A stranger could scarcely be made to 
 believe that the wearied-looking, silent, almost sullen 
 woman, who sat, half unrobed, one glove on the floor, 
 and the other partly drawn her hood tossed upon the 
 bed, and her elegant shawl just falling from the back 
 of a chair where she had thrown it, with an indifference 
 amounting almost to contempt was the same with the 
 brilliant, beautiful, fascinating creature, who had been 
 for hours the centre of an admiring circle. 
 
 " You have met Mr. Wellford before, I believe," 
 said Mr. Bullfinch, breaking in upon a state of mind in 
 his wife, that it would have been far wiser for him had 
 he left undisturbed at least by such a remark. It 
 was thus that he renewed the subject now nearest to 
 his heart, a subject which the presence of others had 
 interrupted a little while before, and which had not 
 since been a moment absent from his thoughts. 
 
 Helen raised her eyes quickly, and with a slight start, 
 fixed them, in a steady, half-frowning glance upon her 
 husband. In no other way did she answer his remark. 
 A few moments she continued to look at him, and then 
 her eyes drooped to the floor again, and her mind fell 
 back into reverie. 
 
 "Helen!" 
 
 The wife looked up again. 
 
 " You might at least reply to my question. Com* 
 18*
 
 210 THE OLD MAN'S BRIBE. 
 
 rnon politeness, if no higher feeling, should prompt to 
 this," said Mr. Bullfinch, with ill-concealed excitement 
 of feeling. 
 
 " What was your question ?" asked Helen, again 
 looking up, and now speaking with a coldness of tone 
 that was almost chilling. 
 
 " It was in reference to Mr. Wellford. I said that 
 you had met him before." 
 
 " In that you said truly," was the frigid answer. 
 
 The whole mind of Mr. Bullfinch was now inflamed. 
 It was with difficulty that he could restrain an outbreak 
 of feeling, or school his voice into anything like calm- 
 ness of utterance. 
 
 "He is an old acquaintance, I believe," he next 
 remarked. 
 
 " He is," was the composed response. 
 
 " Well, I now repeat what I said at Mr. Lane's." 
 
 "And I repeat the answer then given," replied 
 Helen. Her voice had in it not the least perceptible 
 weaknesa 
 
 Helen P 
 
 "Sir!" 
 
 The whole manner of both husband and wife under- 
 went a sudden change. 
 
 " You muat be to that man as a stranger from this
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 211 
 
 day henceforth !" said Mr. Bullfinch, speaking with an 
 angry vehemence that it was impossible to restrain. 
 
 " This is your command, I suppose," retorted Helen, 
 with a proud, defiant air, that showed a will fully 
 equal to the emergency. 
 
 " It is my command, if you will," said the old man, 
 speaking with undiminished warmth. 
 
 "I am your wife and equal," replied Helen, her 
 former coolness of manner returning ; " not your slave. 
 If you expect to influence my conduct, you have got to 
 use reason, not command." 
 
 " Then, Madam," said the old man, calming down a 
 little, and speaking with mock deference, " I desire you 
 not to hold intercourse with this gentleman in future." 
 
 " A desire will have no more influence with me than 
 a command, unless accompanied by a reason. Do you 
 know anything wrong of Mr. Wellford ?" 
 
 " He is not the man for you to associate with." 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 There was more of interest in her voice than Helen 
 wished to betray. 
 
 " Is it not enough for you that such is my impression 
 of the man ?" 
 
 " No, Mr. Bullfinch, it is not enough for me," was 
 answered. " He is an old and valued acquaintance ; 
 and, until now, not a whisper against him has ever
 
 212 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 reached my ears. To say to me that we must here- 
 after be strangers, and this without any assignment of a 
 single reason, does not satisfy me." 
 
 " He is a bad man !" exclaimed Mr. Bullfinch ; his 
 strong excitement returning. 
 
 But the assertion did not, to all external appear- 
 ances, in the least move his wife. 
 
 " A designing, bad man," repeated Mr. Bullfinch. 
 
 " It will be wisest to drop this subject," said Helen, 
 with a coldness that contrasted strongly with the pas- 
 sionate manner of her husband. " It seems to involve 
 a poor suspicion of your wife, as weak as it is unworthy 
 of you. You have committed an error, sir, that it may 
 be difficult to repair. I did not wish to go to this 
 party. I would have been happier at home ; but you 
 dragged me there against my will. It would have ill 
 become me, as your wife, to carry into such a company 
 a clouded brow, or to have failed in doing my part 
 towards the general enjoyment of the evening. I, 
 therefore, as best I could, entered into the spirit of the 
 hour ; when, strange to say, you insulted our enter- 
 tainer by a rudeness towards a guest who was polite to 
 me, that nothing can justify ; and now, add to your 
 tault by demanding the surrender of an acquaintance 
 partially renewed after the lapse of nearly two years.
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 213 
 
 You have, I repeat, committed an error, Mr. Bullfinch, 
 that it may be difficult to repair." 
 
 In more than one contest with his wife, Mr. Bullfinch 
 had come off far from victorious ; and the result was in 
 no way different on the present occasion. There was, 
 to his ear, a threat involved in the closing sentence of 
 his wife, that slightly troubled, and caused him to 
 regret having so unguardedly betrayed his awakening 
 suspicions. He made no reply ; and both soon re- 
 lapsed into moody and abstracted silence. 
 
 Scarcely a week passed, ere invitations were received 
 for another large and fashionable party. 
 
 " What is this ?" asked Mr. Bullfinch, when the com- 
 plimentary note was handed to him by his wife. 
 
 " Read it," said she. 
 
 The old man's countenance did not brighten as his 
 eye took in the contents. 
 
 " Do you think of going ?" said he. 
 
 " Certainly I do," was the prompt reply. 
 
 Mr. Bullfinch did not look very happy. 
 
 "Consult your own feelings about the matter," said 
 he. " If you would prefer remaining at home, I shall 
 be content. Don't go, therefore, simply on my 
 account." 
 
 " I thought," remarked Mrs. Bullfinch, a h'ttle mali- 
 ciously, we are sorry to say, " that you always enjoyed
 
 214 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 society. I am sure such has been your unvarying 
 declaration. Heretofore I have, I confess, been unjust to 
 you in this respect. All my preferences were for retire- 
 ment even seclusion. But, I have learned to over- 
 come this weakness. It is not good for me. We are 
 social beings, and only in mingling with each other 
 socially can we hope to maintain a cheerful mind." 
 
 " True ; very true," said Mr. Bullfinch. His assent 
 was not made with any heartiness ; and he added, 
 " But there is. always danger of carrying things too far. 
 All pleasure tends to excess." 
 
 " Two parties, in a season, can hardly be called tak- 
 ing pleasure to excess !" replied Helen, in a way that 
 left little room for dissent on the part of her husband. 
 
 " No no of course not. Though two fashionable 
 parties in the space of a single week might be thought 
 rather verging on to dissipation," was her husband's an- 
 swer. 
 
 Little more was said on the subject, until Helen asked 
 for fifty dollars. Now, it so happened, that on the 
 very day this request was made, Mr. Bullfinch had a 
 large amount of money to pay, while the sources from 
 which it was to come were by no means as apparent as 
 he could wish them. In fact, the difficulty of making 
 his payments in bank had been on the increase for 
 some time, and he was, naturally enough, rathei
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 215 
 
 troubled on this account. His thoughts were busy 
 with the ways and means of raising some ten thousand 
 dollars, when his wife said to him, as he was about 
 leaving the house, on the morning after the invitations 
 just referred to were received 
 
 " I want fifty dollars, Mr. Bullfinch. Will you send 
 it to me in the course of an hour ?" 
 
 " I can't do it to-day," was replied. 
 
 " Oh, but I must have it this morning," said Helen. 
 
 " Is your want so very pressing, Helen ?" was coldly 
 inquired. 
 
 "Indeed, it is. I must get a new dress for the 
 party at Mrs. Levering's ; and there is no time to be 
 lost. Unless I get it into the hands of the mantua- 
 maker, to-day, there will be danger of disappointment." 
 
 " A new dress, Helen !" said the old man, a little sur- 
 prised. " Where is the one that was worn at Mr. 
 Lane's ? You could not find anything more be- 
 coming." 
 
 tt Why, Mr. Bullfinch ! Would you have me go to 
 two successive parties in the same dress ?" 
 
 " And why not, pray ?" 
 
 " People would think I hadn't but a single dress fit 
 to appear in. You would hardly like that thought, 
 much less said." 
 
 The old man was thrown altogether aback by thi
 
 216 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 unexpected, and, in his case, rather unanswerable argu> 
 ment. 
 
 " Won't the money do as well to-morrow ?" said he^ 
 after musing for a little while. 
 
 " Oh, no !" promptly answered Helen. " I must buy 
 the dress this morning, so as to be certain of having it 
 made up in time." 
 
 " Very well ; I will see about it," replied Mr. Bull- 
 finch, and then hurried away to his store, there to de- 
 vise the ways and means for meeting the heavy liabili- 
 ties which had fallen due. 
 
 See about it ! In no case, before, had Mr. Bullfinch 
 thus replied to his wife's applications for money, which, 
 \re will say, had never been very extravagant. She did 
 not attribute his reluctance to supply her demand to 
 the true cause, for of that she had no suspicion. Sho 
 gave it a different explanation altogether. It arose, in 
 her view, from a desire on his part to diminish, if pos- 
 sible, the personal attractions of which, a short time be- 
 fore, he had been so proud ; and this view determined 
 her to increase these attractions. 
 
 The day proved, to Mr. Bullfinch, one of anxiety and 
 great trial a day in mercantile life that makes an im- 
 pression on the mind rarely, if ever, forgotten. Up to 
 one o'clock, he was on the street, in the effort to raise 
 money, or in his counting-room, devising ways and
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 217 
 
 means for the same purpose ; and it was not until after 
 this hour that he began to breathe at all freely. Mer- 
 chants, who had heretofore given him the usual tem- 
 porary loans with the utmost readiness, were now all, 
 strangely enough, short of money. His bank, from 
 which he had enjoyed a fair line of discounts, had, this 
 morning, thrown out notes of hand for over five thou- 
 sand dollars ; an event entirely unlocked for, and which 
 added very seriously to the difficulty under which he 
 was laboring. 
 
 As a last resort, he was obliged to raise a considera- 
 ole sum of money at an exorbitant rate of discount. 
 
 It was nearly three o'clock when his last note was 
 taken out of bank, and then, in no comfortable state, 
 he turned his steps homeward. Not since he entered 
 his store, had a thought of the fifty dollars, required by 
 his wife, crossed his mind; and, it may be doubted 
 whether, if it had done so, the sum would have been 
 despatched to meet her want. The pressure of busi- 
 ness needs for money would, in all probability, have 
 
 reed that matter aside. 
 
 Not until Mr. Bullfinch was in the act of entering his 
 house, did he remember the omission ; and then it 
 flashed upon him with a presentiment of trouble. He 
 doubted not that a clouded brow would meet him on 
 
 his entrance, and he was not mistaken. 
 10
 
 218 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 "I declare, Helen," said he, and he SjSoke in a per- 
 plexed, half-troubled manner, " I entirely forgot about 
 the money you asked for. In fact, I have had a very 
 busy day of it, and hardly wonder at myself." 
 
 Helen made no answer, but the look she gave him 
 said, so plainly, that she regarded this as a mere excuse, 
 if not a subterfuge so plainly, that he could not be 
 mistaken in her thoughts. 
 
 " I assure you, Helen," said he, seriously, " that I 
 meant to bring you this money. If you knew how 
 much worried I have been, you would not blame my 
 omission. But you shall have it to-morrow morning." 
 
 No response, whatever, was made to this by Mrs. Bull- 
 finch, nor did the cloud on her brow lift itself up, or per- 
 mit a gleam of light to break through its dark masses. 
 
 A cheerless meal was that of which the family par- 
 took. Mrs. Lee, who was cognizant of her daughter's 
 disappointment, looked quite as sombre and more indig- 
 nant than Helen. Mr. Lee, who usually made an 
 effort, not always unsuccessful, to introduce pleasant 
 topics of conversation, was, unfortunately, too much 
 indisposed to leave his room. So poor Mr. Bullfinch 
 was left alone to encounter the suffocating sphere of 
 two injured and indignant women, who, if they could 
 punish him in no other way, were quite ready to visit 
 on his head the terrors of a moody silence. This was
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 219 
 
 quite as much as he could bear. A shorter time than 
 usual he remained at the table, and then, instead of the 
 half hour's siesta, went immediately from the house. A 
 hurried walk soon brought him to his store. 
 
 " How much money is in the drawer ?" said he of 
 the clerk who had the cash in charge. 
 
 The young man opened his money-drawer, and after 
 counting over a few small bills and loose change, replied 
 
 " About eight dollars, sir." 
 
 " Is that all ?" Mr. Bullfinch manifested considera- 
 ble disappointment. 
 
 " Yes, sir ; we had to scrape pretty close to-day 
 How much do you want ?" 
 
 " Fifty dollars," was replied. 
 
 " I can borrow it for you, I presume," said the clerk. 
 
 "Do so, if you please, Mr. Williams. I want that 
 sum particularly." 
 
 The young man went out, and was gone for over 
 half an hour. 
 
 " Keally," said he, on coming in, " I never had so 
 much trouble to raise a small amount of money in my 
 life. Everybody's deposits were made, and nobody had 
 anything ' out of bank.' " 
 
 As he spoke he drew three small rolls of bills from 
 his pocket, and laying them on the desk, unfolded and 
 counted them over.
 
 220 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 " Just fifty dollars. I had to get it from three seve- 
 ral places ; and such money as it is ! It hails from 
 nearly every point of the compass is, in fact, the very 
 debris of depositable funds. I don't know that it will 
 be of any use to you, now." 
 
 Mr. Bullfinch took the bills, and with a dubious look, 
 turned them over slowly. 
 
 " It will have to do," said he, in mimic desperation. 
 So writing a hurried note addressed to his wife he 
 enclosed and sent her, by the hands of his porter, the 
 money. 
 
 What remained of the afternoon was devoted to an 
 examination into the financial resources of the next day, 
 which did not show a very hopeful state of things, 
 although the payments were far from being as heavy as 
 those just made. 
 
 When Mr. Bullfinch again took his way homeward, 
 it was not with any pleasing anticipations. He half 
 dreaded to meet his wife, notwithstanding he had sent 
 her the money she wanted ; but was a good deal disap- 
 pointed, on his return, to find that she was out. 
 
 
 "Where has she gone ?" he inquired of her mother. 
 
 " To Levy's," replied Mrs. Lee. 
 He asked no further question. The answer was 
 altogether sufficient. 
 
 From Levy's, Mrs. Bullfinch went to the dress-maker's,
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 221 
 
 and did not get home until nearly an hour after th 
 usual tea-time, her absence delaying supper, and fret- 
 ting her husband almost beyond endurance. Their 
 meeting, when she at last came home, was not with 
 any excess of kind words.
 
 CHAPTER XXTT. 
 
 FOR the party at Mrs. Levering's, Mrs. Bullflnch 
 made even more thoughtful preparation than for the 
 one previously attended. Her new dress was of the rich- 
 est material, and its style and trimming such as to show 
 off her person and complexion to the greatest advantage. 
 
 " How beautiful ! How attractive !" was the mental 
 exclamation of her husband, as he gazed upon her, 
 when fully attired for the evening, and ready to enter 
 the carriage that was to convey them to Mrs. Levering's. 
 Yet, with this involuntary feeling of admiration this 
 consciousness of his young wife's charms, Mr. Bullfinch 
 x>oked forward to the gay assemblage in which she was 
 to shine, with a feeling of uneasiness so profound as to 
 rob him of peace entirely. Too fully was he satisfied 
 that Helen did not regard him with any real affection. 
 But, of this, he had no right to complain ; for, had sL:
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 223 
 
 not declared to him, most unequivocally, before mar- 
 riage, that she possessed no heart to give ; that, if ha 
 took her hand, he must be content with that alone ? 
 Then, he did not give to her declaration its full force ; 
 alas ! how fraught with meaning had he since proved it 
 to be ! And now, when he saw the admiration she was 
 eliciting, and believed that at least one man, with whom 
 she must come into immediate contact, loved her with 
 the fervor of a first passion, his jealousy became fever- 
 ish in its intensity. 
 
 As for Helen, though she knew it not, the leading 
 impulse from which she was acting sprung from a de- 
 sire to meet Mr. Wellford. In all her toilette arrange- 
 ment, now most carefully made, every effect sought to 
 be produced was for his eyes. At Mr. Lane's party, 
 during the earlier portion of the evening, gratified 
 vanity fed the flame of excitement, and enabled her to 
 act her brilliant part. But, now, another state had su- 
 pervened ; she felt indifferent to all save Henry Well- 
 ford, whose image was scarcely ever absent from her 
 mental vision. The moment she entered Mrs. Leve- 
 ring's drawing-room, her eyes began ranging about in 
 search of her old lover ; and the search did not end 
 until, with a feeling of disappointment, she ascertained 
 that he was not present. Then a certain listlessnesa 
 came over her, and to many of those who, at Mr. Lane's,
 
 224 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 had been charmed by her free, social manners and lively 
 conversation, she was dull, distant, and abstracted. By 
 several, the change was noticed and remarked upon. 
 Mr. Bullfinch, who was quite as uninteresting as his 
 wife, remained close by her side, and did his part, fully, 
 towards keeping young gallants at a distance. 
 
 Suddenly, after the lapse of nearly an hour, the 
 rather pale face of Mrs. Bullfinch was seen to flush and 
 her eyes to light up with a new interest. Those who 
 noticed this, and followed the direction of her glances, 
 saw the handsome person of Henry Wellford, junior 
 partner in the extensive house of Lane, Latta & Co. 
 From that time, Mrs. Bullfinch, to all external seeming, 
 was another creature. A new beauty came into her 
 young face. No longer did she repel those who ap- 
 proached her; and soon, as .on the evening at Mr. 
 Lane's, she was the centre of an admiring circle. 
 Yet, even beyond this circle, went eyes and thoughts to 
 one who did not approach her ; nor, indeed, so far as she 
 was able to detect, seem even to know she was in 
 the room. 
 
 Not long after Mrs. Bullfinch became aware of Mr. 
 Wellford 's presence, she saw the attractive face or* her 
 husband's niece, Fanny Milnor; and almost at the 
 same moment, the young man approached her, and the 
 two were soon engaged in earnest and familial 1 conver-
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. C^5 
 
 sation. Lip and cheek paled for a moment ; then, as 
 effort, born of conscious weakness, sent the blood back 
 again. How instantly wretched became the excited 
 woman ; while a feeling of bitter dislike towards Fanny 
 took possession of her bosom. It required, now, a far 
 stronger effort on her part than before, to maintain an 
 interested exterior ; to meet and adequately respond to 
 the social attentions which were freely accorded. As 
 for Wellford and Miss Milnor, no full minute of time 
 passed, in which Mrs. Bullfinch did not turn her eyes 
 upon them, and note, with a quick instinct, from signs 
 none but a woman can read, the state of feeling that 
 existed between them. Disappointed beyond measure 
 was she, in not receiving from Wellford a single glance. 
 Not once was a look cast towards her ; and there was 
 nothing in his manner that indicated a knowledge of 
 her presence. As this manifestation of ignorance or 
 indifference continued, it seemed to Mrs. Bullfinch as if 
 her feelings would suffocate her. In the midst of this 
 unhappy state, she saw Wellford accompany Miss Mil 
 nor to the piano, and watched him while he stood b)' 
 her, as she sung, with skill and fine taste, two or three 
 popular airs. She did not hear the complimentary 
 words he uttered ; but she imagined them ; which waa 
 all the same, so far as the effect upon her state of mind 
 was concerned.
 
 226 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 " Now, Mrs. Bullfinch," said a gentleman as sixra 
 as Fanny retired from the piano, " you will favor m 
 with a song." 
 
 There was not a moment's hesitation. The invita- 
 tion just accorded with her wishes. She arose, and 
 crossing the room, took her seat at the instrument. 
 Never, perhaps, in her life, had Mrs. Bullfinch thrown 
 so much power and expression into her voice, as on this 
 occasion. For a time, conversation was hushed ; and, 
 as her voice died away into silence, murmurs of plea- 
 sure and admiration reached her ears from all sides ; 
 but, she listened in vain for the voice of Wellford. 
 What would she not then have given, could she have 
 looked upon him j but too many eyes were on her ; she 
 dared not turn herself towards the part of the room 
 where she knew he was standing in company with 
 Fanny Milnor. 
 
 The moment Mrs. Bullfinch retired from the piano, 
 she threw a hurried, but stealthy glance, towards Well- 
 ford. How her heart sunk and fluttered. His back 
 was towards the instrument at which she had been seated, 
 and he was bending to Miss Milnor, whose countenance 
 manifested the interest she felt in his words. 
 
 Soon after this, Mrs. Bullfinch's absence from the 
 drawing-rooms was remarked. She had complained 
 of indisposition to her husband, and he, quite ready to
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 227 
 
 withdraw her from a company so fraught with trial and 
 temptation, suggested their return home, to which she 
 consented. Their retirement was made unobtrusively, 
 and was known, at the time it took place, only to 
 their hostess. Many questions and surmises followed, 
 as soon as they were missed, and, as is usual in all such 
 cases, some of the latter, from a slight suspicion of the 
 truth, took the form of rather distinct affirmations, in, 
 which the presence of an old lover, and his indifference, 
 or attentions to a new idol, made a pretty broad foun- 
 dation. 
 
 The true cause of Helen's wish to retire, was a sud- 
 den and overwhelming conviction of the danger and sin- 
 fulness of the thoughts and feelings that were permit- 
 ted to rule in her bosom. Some good angel had lifted 
 the veil from her eyes, and enabled her to see herself as 
 she was; the sight produced a fearful shuddei, that 
 thrilled her whole being. 
 
 " Am I not a wedded wife ? " she whispered to her- 
 self and as the full meaning of the words stood out 
 in living relief before her, the shudder went, if possible, 
 still deeper. 
 
 Crouching beside her husband, a feeling almost liko 
 guilt in her heart, the unhappy woman rode home in 
 silence. To his kind, even tender inquiries, and obtru- 
 sive suggestions ->f remedies for her indisposition, Mrs
 
 228 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 Bullfinch forced herself to reply gently, and with some 
 small acknowledgment in her tones of the real interest 
 of which she was the subject. That her husband had 
 full cause for the jealous suspicions he had manifested 
 she acknowledged to herself, with a sense of painful hu 
 miliation. This produced something of a new feeling 
 towards him ; duty, more clearly seen, became the 
 prompter of different actions, and led to a new, if com- 
 pelled, external. 
 
 But, oh ! What a trial was before her ! These 
 meetings with "Wellford had blown into a flame the 
 damped fires kindled years before, and which could not 
 be permitted to blaze forth again without destroying 
 honor and virtue ; and now, though she sought to cover 
 them from view, they burned still, consuming the very 
 altar where they rested. 
 
 It was not in Mr. Bullfinch to comprehend the 
 change which, from this time, was apparent in his wife. 
 That it had something to do with Mr. Wellford, he, 
 indeed, suspected, for he had not failed to notice th 
 total indifference manifested by him ; as well as his 
 marked attentions to his niece, between whom he 
 most sincerely hoped a matrimonial arrangement might 
 take place. But he was far from giving his wife credit 
 for the real state of mind from which she was acting 
 He had seen her but a little while before, apparently
 
 THE OLD MATE'S BKIDE. 228 
 
 wholly absorbed in "Wellford, and utterly ir different to 
 him : Wellford made no return of this interest, while 
 he plainly enough showed that, if he had ever loved 
 her, he was about transferring h.'s affections to another. 
 The change in his wife, therefore, he attributed to no 
 higher sources than disappointment and chagrin ; and 
 while he was gratified at her softened manners towards 
 him, respect for her was in no way increased ; nor did 
 his jealous feelings lose their active suspicion. 
 
 The suddenly awakened interest in society, which 
 Mrs. Bullfinch had manifested, as suddenly died out. 
 The social season promised to be unusually gay, and 
 invitation after invitation came in, often as many as two 
 in a single week ; but, in every case, regrets were sent, 
 and the old man and his young wife were missed from 
 the festive circles. Thus more than two months 
 passed. Awakened to a sense of her duty as a wife, 
 Helen had striven, during this time, though in a weak 
 way, to make the home circle more cheerful than it had 
 been. Her father's health was growing feebler every 
 day, and it was now but rarely that he could venture 
 abroad into the open air. His spirits, too, were low. 
 A sense of dependence on Mr. Bullfinch, whose 
 manner towards him had never been frank and cheer- 
 ful ; and worse than this, a consciousness "hat the food 
 he ate, and the house that covered him, were obtained
 
 230 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 at the cost of his daughter's happiness, lay ever like a 
 weight upon his bosom. In brooding over the ruin of 
 her own hopes in life, Helen had failed to comprehend, 
 as fully as the case rea aired, her father's state of mind ; 
 but, now, her thoughts were turning to him with 
 wiser appreciation, and a loving desire to brighten, with 
 warmer colors, the later days of his waning life. 
 
 Changed in her manner towards her husband, and 
 more interested and cheerful in the home circle than 
 before ; and, at the same time, aware that such was the 
 case, Helen was disappointed at not meeting from Mr. 
 Bullfinch a looked-for appreciation of this new and 
 better state of things. He had grown, all at once, 
 silent, abstracted in manner, moody, and often captious. 
 Money was supplied for the use of the family more 
 sparingly, and with what seemed a grudging spirit. 
 Frequently he would sit the evening through without 
 speaking a word, unless addressed, and then his replies 
 indicated an entire indifference on the subject to which 
 his attention was called. Everything that did not 
 exactly suit his tastes, was the subject of complaint, 
 while nothing that was agreeable met with a single 
 word of commendation. How often was his ear 
 greeted with a sigh, that an expected pleasant look or 
 tone would have prevented. 
 
 Thus the season was passing away, and Mr. and
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 231 
 
 Mrs. Bullfinch had not ventured into any of the 
 fashionable assemblages, since the evening at Mrs. 
 Levering's. But now, invitations were received from a 
 source that made the sending of regrets a doubtful 
 expedient. They could not absent themselves withou 
 being misunderstood, and producing a state of coolness 
 in friends particularly regarded. 
 
 So, with much reluctance, Mrs. Bullfinch prepared 
 for another evening abroad. Even if she had desired ? 
 new dross for the occasion, the recent closeness exhib- 
 ited by her husband, in regard to money, would have 
 caused her to suppress the desire. That worn at Mrs. 
 Levering's had never been used since, and her present 
 love of appearance was not strong enough to make her 
 desire another. So, making a few changes in this 
 dress, which was of rich material, by which the effect 
 was diminished instead of heightened, she attired 
 herself for the occasion, and in doing so, studied 
 simplicity instead of ornament, to an extent which, 
 governed as it was by good taste, rendered her appear- 
 ance really more attractive than before. With th, 
 effect produced, Mr. Bullfinch was particularly struck, 
 while, at the same time, he was puzzled. The change 
 in his wife, dating from the evening at Mrs. Levering's, 
 he had never been able clearly to understand, although 
 he had endeavored to account for it, and, at one time.
 
 232 THE OLD MAN'S BRIBE. 
 
 pretty much to his satisfaction. That it had something 
 to do with want of attention on the part of Mr. 
 Wellford, he still believed. And now, he was at a loss 
 to determine whether the new effects produced in her 
 appearance by his wife, were really the result of indif- 
 ference or design. Suspicious jealousy favored the 
 latter view, while her total want of interest in society, 
 manifested for some two months, led to a different 
 conclusion. Be the reason what it might, Mr. Bullfinch 
 resolved to keep an eagle eye upon her. 
 
 Much as Mrs. Bullfinch had striven to avoid effect in 
 her dress, she was far from going to this third party, at 
 the residence of Mrs. Floyd, in a state of mental indif- 
 ference. While, under a strong sense of womanly 
 virtue, she was repressing all voluntary interest in 
 her old lover ; and had sought, by avoiding society, to 
 shun temptation ; now, th?t there was a prospect of 
 meeting him once more, she could not repress the wish 
 to note the progress of events between him and Fanny 
 Milnor. Hopelessness had produced, on the surface of 
 her feelings, an icy calm at least in reference to Well- 
 ford ; and, if the waters beneath were at any time 
 troubled, threatening to break the congealation, a strong 
 effort of the will repressed the agitation. She did not, 
 therefore, wish to attract attention ; but rather desired 
 the privilege of an observer without being observed.
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 233 
 
 There were few who had met Mrs. Bullfinch at Mr 
 Lane's and Mrs. Levering's, who were not struck with 
 the marked difference in her appearance, and who were 
 not as much interested in her as before ; but the inter- 
 est was altogether of another kind. Before, there was 
 about her much of the brilliant woman of the world, 
 and many, while attracted and admiring, said, in their 
 secret thought, that she was heartless. Now, changed 
 states of mind had subdued what before led to a light 
 estimation of her character ; and evidences of suffering 
 softened towards her many who, on the previous occa- 
 sions, would not have hesitated in the utterance of 
 words that would have struck her like barbed arrows. 
 
 Wellford was present, and also Miss Milnor, and it 
 was plain to see that a very good understanding 
 existed between them. Not, as before, however, did 
 the former keep entirely aloof from Mrs. Bullfinch. At 
 Mr. Lane's, he had observed her closely, and listened to 
 the observations of others. The character she had 
 assumed and the impression she made, produced on 
 his mind an unfavorable conclusion. At Mrs. Lever- 
 ing's, he was less pleased than before. In fact, he was 
 shocked at her taking the piano, immediately after Miss 
 Milnor had risen from it, and striving, as was too evi- 
 dently the case, to eclipse her performance. That she 
 was playing and singing for his ears, he understood too
 
 234 THE OLD MAN 8 BRIDE. 
 
 well ; and while not insensible to the fact that she stiL 
 regarded him with affection, his virtuous feelings were 
 shocked at her effort to awaken an interest in his mind 
 when she was the wedded wife of another. Purposely, 
 therefore, did he refrain from manifesting even a know- 
 ledge of her presence ; and when she so suddenly 
 retired, at an early hour, and he heard her indisposition 
 remarked upon, he did not err in his interpretation of 
 its meaning. 
 
 Once drawn from his self-imposed seclusion, Mr. 
 Wellford, after tasting the pleasures of social life, and, 
 more particularly, after making the acquaintance of 
 Miss Milnor, needed no persuasion to induce him to 
 mingle in society. Helen was married ; and, in her 
 marriage, violence to his respect for her had been com- 
 mitted. Why, then, should he make himself a hermit 
 on her account ? She was no longer anything to him. 
 An impassable gulf had been thrown between them. 
 Thus he reasoned with himself, and gradually gained 
 accessions of internal sustaining power. He felt that 
 social intercourse was good for him ; and from this per- 
 ception, as well as from inclination, h Q , was led to go 
 much into company. 
 
 Wellford did not of course, fail, to notice that, after the 
 evening at Mrs. Levering's, Mrs. Bullfinch, from some 
 cause, no longer went into company Nor did he fail to
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 235 
 
 notice, on her re-appearance at Mrs. Floyd's, that she had 
 assumed a new character altogether; or, rather, had 
 fallen back into her own. After carefully observing 
 her for some time, and remarking an entire absence of 
 what he had before thought a gay, almost heartless 
 manner; and also remarking that she no longer fixed 
 on him the strangely penetrating glances that really 
 haunted him at Mrs. Levering's, and which he avoided, 
 by seeming not to be aware of her presence, at Mr. 
 Lane's, he began to feel differently towards her, and 
 very soon made his way to her side. 
 
 Even the sharp, suspicious eyes of Mr. Bullfinch 
 saw little in either the manner of his wife or Mr. Well- 
 ford to add fuel to the flame of jealousy. Both were 
 guarded carefully, and guarded by the surest protec- 
 tion, that of virtuous principle. While the latter had 
 no desire to rob the husband of his true dower, the 
 affections of his wife, the former, conscious that every 
 truant thought, or cherished regard for her old lover, 
 was sin, kept even, by a powerful effort, the pulsations 
 of her heart. 
 
 What a trial shall we say a triumph ? it was to 
 both ! No, not altogether a triumph. " Love never 
 dies. The heart that has once loved truly, loves on for 
 ever." The fires may be hidden, but they burn on.
 
 236 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 Ashes may lie on the altar, but there is a latent fir 
 beneath them. 
 
 For a while they conversed the old lover and his 
 lost idol and, to each ear, how full of music, sweet as 
 the songs of childhood, were the voices that filled them ! 
 Then, Mr. Wellford, feeling that his soul was going out 
 towards her, as if drawn by a spiritual magnet, forced 
 himself away. The struggle was not apparent, even to 
 Mrs. Bullfinch ; nor did the quick ear of her husband 
 detect the sigh that breathed from her lips, as the 
 young man withdrew from her side. 
 
 And now, for Wellford's eyes, a strange eclipse had 
 come over the face of Fanny Milnor, and her voice had 
 lost many tones of melody. He drew again to her 
 side, but failed to become interested* as before. Ho 
 wondered at this, sighed, yet not audibly, and then 
 experienced a sense of relief, as he remembered that 
 he had not, up to this time, uttered a word for her ears 
 that could be construed into lover-like preference. It 
 did not escape the observation of Fanny, that from this 
 time, during the evening, Wellford was less constant, 
 than heretofore, in his attentions. Why this was so, 
 she had no suspicion, or she would not have been so 
 unwise as to remark, on finding him near her 
 
 "My uncle's wife looks twenty years older than
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 237 
 
 'when married. The wine of her life has soured. Yet, 
 who wonders or who pities her ?" 
 
 There was, certainly, no pity in the tones of the 
 young lady's voice, but rather a feeling of triumph 
 Wellford made no reply ; but, in a little while, he left 
 her side, and did not seek her company again during 
 the evening. From that time, she had no attractive 
 power for him. Occasionally he had been a visiter at 
 her residence, but he called there no more, and, when, 
 on the next occasion of hev being in company, she 
 searched the crowded rooms .or the form now most 
 attractive to her eyes, it was nowhere to be seen. Nor 
 did she meet him again at any of the closing parties 
 for the season.
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 WINTER closed, and spring came with its genial air* 
 and the fragrance of budding leaf and opening blossom. 
 To Helen, the season had been one of no light 
 trial. Another page in the book of her life had been 
 turned, and the writing thereon told the story of a new 
 and a bitter experience. And now, sorrow was to be 
 added to her cup. She must stoop to the waters of 
 Marah, yet untouched by the leaf of healing. 
 
 Through the long winter, Mr. Lee's health had been 
 growing worse and worse. To the milder season, his 
 wife and daughter looked forward with anxious inter 
 est. It had come, but, to the drooping invalid, it came 
 not with a blessing. Anxiety changed to alarm, 
 Instead of gaining sufficient strength to ride out, the 
 softer airs of spring relaxed his system ; and now, when 
 he had permission to leave his room, a mere descent to 
 the parlors caused so much fatigue, that it was not 
 again ventured upon.
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 230 
 
 An occasional walk across his chamber, supported by 
 his wife or daughter, soon made the extent of Mr. Lee'a 
 bodily exertion. This did not long continue. Next, 
 the sitting up for a few hours each day was as much as 
 his strength would bear then, entire physical prostra- 
 tion came. Life's pulses beat weaker and less evenly 
 the end was nigh. 
 
 From some cause, the feelings of Mr. Buljfinch had 
 been greatly soured against Mr. Lee. For months, he 
 had scarcely treated him with common civility. After 
 he was confined to his room, he never visited him, and 
 it was but rarely that he made inquiries as to the state 
 of his health. The beginning of this dislike was his 
 strong opposition to the marriage of his daughter, and 
 the plainness of his speech prior to that event. Many 
 things then said had never been forgotten ; and, in 
 treasuring them, memory had given added force to 
 their meanings. The declining health of Mr. Lee was 
 to Mr. Bullfinch, therefore, less a source of pain than 
 pleasure. If he thought of his death at all, it was with 
 a sense of relief. His presence was a burden and an 
 annoyance ; and he cared not how soon he were rid of 
 both. Such could not be the state of her husband's 
 mind, without the fact being perceived by Helen. 
 How exquisite the pain it occasioned ! It was to 
 secure comfort, and freedom from care and a sense of
 
 240 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 dependence, for her father, that she had consented to 
 become the wife of Mr. Bullfinch. All, and more than 
 all the dreaded suffering, she had endured twice told, 
 while the hoped-for good was denied ! How the fine, 
 manly qualities of her father's mind had smarted under 
 a sense of dependence, which he had been made to 
 feel ! And was Helen ignorant of this ? Alas ! no. 
 Her own perceptions were too quick not to comprehend 
 all this. As for the mother, her want of womanly tact 
 and delicacy increased the evil. Towards her, Mr. 
 Bullfinch entertained a most profound dislike, which he 
 was at no pains to conceal. Not unfrequently warm 
 words passed between them ; and more than once he 
 had intimated, pretty broadly, that if she did not inter- 
 fere less with his views and comforts, he would feel 
 called upon to speak in a way that might not be alto- 
 gether agreeable. What this meant, Mrs. Lee readily 
 comprehended, and the hint was not lost. 
 
 As Mr. Lee grew weaker and weaker, he could not 
 bear to have his daughter away from him a moment ; 
 and she had little desire to leave him. They were 
 much alone ; for Mrs. Lee took from Helen the care of 
 the household. As life waned slowly, and drew nearer 
 . and nearer its mortal close, the thoughts of Mr. Lee 
 reached themselves more and. more heavenward ; and 
 vet how constantly were these upward soaring thoughts
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 241 
 
 drawn back to rest upon the earth how often he 
 sighed, as their wings were folded in his bosom. 
 
 Not many words passed between him and Helen, 
 beyond kind inquiries and grateful replies. From the 
 abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. Their 
 hearts were full full to oppression, and struggling for 
 utterance but they dared not give voice to their 
 thoughts. How often the daughter's light hand was 
 kid tenderly on the forehead of her father, now resting 
 there with a gentle pressure, and now smoothing away 
 the thin hair that scarcely hid his temples. How 
 often were her silent lips pressed to his pale forehead 
 or her cheek, in sudden excess of tender feeling, laid 
 close against his own. And then, how earnestly and 
 lovingly they would gaze at times into each other's 
 eyes ; gaze until their light was dimmed by gathering 
 moisture. Beautiful, yet sad exquisitely sad was 
 this daily intercourse between the father and daughter. 
 And all the while their hearts were oppressed for utter- 
 ance ; yet silence was felt to be a sacred duty 
 
 One day, as Helen sat thus by her father, who had 
 Deen silent, as usual, for some time, he said 
 
 " The*e is always consolation in the night, Helen." 
 
 The remark roused Mrs. Bullfinch from a kind of 
 mental lethargy into which she had fallen. She beat 
 
 over her father, and looked at him inquiringly. 
 11
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 * There is always consolation in the night," repeated 
 Mr. Lee, and he smiled as he spoke. 
 
 a From what source ?" asked Helen, in partial ab- 
 ntraction of thought. 
 
 "-The morning is sure to break," was answered, with 
 KMnething of an exultant tone, as if a new truth, or the 
 strong realization of an old one, had come to his mind. 
 
 * To give," returned Helen, unguardedly and bitterly 
 -" A clearer view of the ruin which has been wrought 
 
 hi the darkness." 
 
 " Dear child ! Say not so !" quickly returned Mr. 
 Lee, in an altered voice. " The morning of which I 
 speak reveals not wreck nor ruin." 
 
 "Forgive me, dear father 1" said Helen, forcing a 
 smile. " I spoke unguardedly. Oh, yes ; there is, I 
 trust, such a morning." 
 
 Yet, as she uttered the words " I trust," there was 
 doubt, and lingering sadness in her tones. 
 
 " Thepe is such a morning for all who will look, in 
 hopeful trust, to its breaking," said Mr. Lee. " It is 
 not an earthly morning. For me, it will soon break, 
 love ; and I trust I am ready to welcome it, when it 
 dawns." ^, 
 
 Helen tried to answer, but her lips quivered, and she 
 remained a few moments voiceless. Then she hid her 
 face on her father's bosom and wept.
 
 THE OLD MAN'S PRIDE. 243 
 
 " It will break for you, dear fatter," said she, on 
 recovering herself. She spoke with composure, yet 
 deep feeling. " And it will break, I know, ere long. 
 But oh ! When you leave me, what shall I have to 
 lean upon ? When the morning breaks for you, colder 
 and darker will the night close around your unhappy 
 child. My father " 
 
 Her slender form quivered for a few moments ; then 
 she was able to grasp the rein that had left her hand 
 suddenly. 
 
 " Oh, my father," she said, speaking from an impulse 
 that would no longer be governed by any considera- 
 tions, " ere you go, pray that I may have strength to 
 bear my burdens. They are not light, believe me ; 
 and, under their pressure, I feel myself growing weaker 
 Oh ! How often have I longed to open my heart 
 to you, dear father ! To tell you all I have suffered, to 
 show you with what patience I have striven to bear all 
 and to endure all. Yet how weakly and hopelessly 
 have I struggled ! You could have understood me 
 you could have sympathised with me ; and, in my 
 weakness and ignorance, have helped and instructed 
 me. Ah ! my steps have well nigh slipped. But, 
 thank God ! I have been able to tread the rugged 
 path of duty, though with bleeding feet. How it will
 
 244 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 be when your daily presence no longer speaks to me 
 of the right, I cannot tell." 
 
 Mr. Lee had grasped a hand of his daughter, so 
 soon as she began thus to unbosom herself, and was 
 now holding it tightly in both of his. A flood of 
 emotions was sweeping through his mind ; but he was 
 able to control himself, and to speak with composure. . 
 
 " I will still be very near to you, my sweet one ! w 
 said he, and he even smiled as he looked intently at 
 her. 
 
 " My guardian angel !" exclaimed Helen, unable to 
 restrain herself, as a new thought flashed into her mind. 
 " May God in his mercy grant it !" And she again hid 
 her weeping face on the breast of her father. 
 
 "He will grant it," whispered Mr. Lee, faintly 
 " Love conjoins the spirit. We shall only know a bod- 
 ily separation. Our souls will be intimately present, as 
 now. When the morning breaks for me, love, it will 
 break in some measure for you also. In my light, you 
 shall have light. In my renewed strength, strength 
 shall flow down to you. No, no, Helen ; your nigh 
 shall neither be colder nor darker, because mine has 
 passed away. God bless you, my child !" 
 
 Feebler and feebler had grown the voice of Mr. Lee, 
 through this sentence ; and his earnest " God bless 
 you !" was but just audible. When Helen lifted her
 
 THE DID MAN'S BRIDE. 245 
 
 head, as his lips ceased their utterance, she was alarmed 
 at the deathly hue that overspread the countenance of 
 her father. The sudden cry of anguish that burst 
 from her heart, reached her mother's ears, in a distant 
 apartment, which brought her quickly to the chamber 
 As the two bent, with pale faces, over the husband and 
 father, whose sands of life were running low, nature 
 rallied feebly, and he whispered 
 
 " Not yet not yet. But the night will soon come 
 and the morning !" she added, while a faint smile lit 
 up his wan features. 
 
 An hour later, and Helen was again alone with her 
 father. Mr. Lee had slept for a portion of the time. 
 The curtains were closed that the light might not dis- 
 turb him. Helen sat near the bedside, her head resting 
 on the back of an easy chair, and her eyes closed. A 
 few rays, that struggled through a small opening in the 
 window drapery, were resting on her forehead, and 
 throwing a mellowed light over her pale countenance. 
 From his brief slumber, Mr. Lee had awakened, and 
 while Helen sat thus, his eyes rested upon her young, 
 but thin and pain-marked features, that were beautiful, 
 though faded. How early in life for the fading ! What 
 were the father's thoughts and feelings, as he lay there, 
 with his eyes on that suffering countenance, can only be 
 imagined. He gave them no utterance in words. In-
 
 246 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 expressibly sad was his face, so sad that its hue was 
 instantly caught by that of Helen, as she suddenly 
 unclosed her eyes, and saw that her father had awak- 
 ened. 
 
 " Dear father 1 " said she, tenderly, starting for 
 ward, and placing, as she was wont to do, her hand on 
 his forehead. What pleasure that soft touch ever gave 
 him \ 
 
 A smile chased, instantly, the sadness away. 
 
 " The morning will soon be here, love," he faintly 
 murmured. 
 
 " Oh, my father ! I cannot bear this," said Helen, 
 with an anguish she strove not to conceal. " I try to 
 think of the morning ; but I see only night dark, star- 
 less night ! " 
 
 " I would not pain you, dear child ! " replied Mr. 
 Lee, tenderly, drawing her cheek down, and touching it 
 with his lips, " by turning your thoughts to the ap- 
 proaching change ; but in the little while I have to 
 remain with you, I wish, if possible, to impart strength 
 to your mind, even though I must sow in tears. May 
 you reap in joy ! Amen ! " 
 
 For a little while, the eyes of the dying man wero 
 closed. If to his outward ear came no response, in 
 spirit he heard the fervent " Amen " that answered to 
 his own.
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 24V 
 
 " Helen," said he. as he looked again into her face, 
 * I know your trials, your patient endurance, your long 
 Buffering. But out of all these will come, I trust, purifica- 
 tion. As gold tried in the fire may you be, when our 
 Heavenly Father comes to make up his jewels.** 
 
 " Only what is developed here can be perfected ther*. 
 Is this not so, father ? " Helen lifted a finger as su% 
 spoke, and pointed upwards. 
 
 " It is so, I believe," answered Mr. Lee. " But wfrf 
 make this inquiry, my child ? " 
 
 Helen laid her hand on her bosom, and sighed hea- 
 vily, but did not reply to the question. Her father 
 partly comprehended her meaning, but it involved a 
 subject that neither felt willing to approach nearer ; yet, 
 on which, of all others, Helen most longed to unburden 
 herself to some one who could comprehend her, and 
 who could throw some light on the dark path of duty, 
 along which she was moving with wearied limbs and 
 bleeding feet. 
 
 A long silence followed, yet thought was busy in the 
 minds of both. At last, Helen, with the manner of 
 one who had forced herself into a doubtful utterance, 
 said 
 
 " Father, I do not love Mr. Bullfinch, nor did I ever 
 love him. I married him from motives which I see to 
 be wrong. Even the good I expected from the sacrifloo
 
 248 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 has not been attained in anything like the anticipated 
 measure. Daily, since our unnatural union, has he 
 grown more and more repugnant to me. I have striven 
 against this, hut the strife is hopeless. Nature will speak 
 out. Now, father, what is my duty ? " 
 
 Mr. Lee, while he knew to what his daughter made 
 allusion, in the beginning, was hardly prepared for this 
 broad declaration. He did not reply, immediately, for 
 he saw not clearly how to answer. 
 
 " What is my duty, father 1 " she repeated. " For- 
 give me for thus disturbing the hours that should be 
 sacred to thoughts of eternal life, But, oh ! my father, 
 when you leave me, to whom shall I go for counsel ? 
 If words of wisdom reach not my ears now, they may 
 never come. You have sought my confidence in this 
 sad and solemn time. Shall I give it freely ? " 
 
 " Freely, my child, freely ! " replied Mr. Lee. " Keep 
 nothing back. I am fully prepared to hear. God is 
 giving me strength for the hour." 
 
 " What, then, is my duty ? " There was now a stern 
 calmness about the daughter. " I do not love Mr. Bull- 
 finch. I have failed to make him happy. The union 
 is altogether external and of constraint. Had I not 
 better leave him ? " 
 
 " Helen ! My child ! " exclaimed the father, his wan 
 face flushing, " who has thrown such a thought into
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 249 
 
 your mind ? What God hath joined together, let not 
 man put asunder," he added, solemnly. 
 
 " This union was not of God," replied Helen. " I 
 had its origin in selfishness and false principles." 
 
 "Did you not refer it to God, and invoke His sanc- 
 tion, in your submission to a solemn ordinance of the 
 church ? Were you not joined together by his minis- 
 ter and representative ? Surely you were ! The con- 
 junction was not of external constraint in a sense 
 that took from you a consentation of the will. For- 
 mally and solemnly you presented yourselves, and 
 formally and solemnly wedded each other ; and now 
 you cannot abandon the assumed relation without sin." 
 
 Helen bowed her head, while her father was speak- 
 ing. He paused, but she still bent her head and 
 listened. 
 
 " Did you not promise Mr. Bullfinch to be to him all 
 that a wife should be, even until the end of life ? " 
 
 " A wife should love her husband," said Helen. She 
 spoke without raising her head. 
 
 "True." 
 
 " I promised love promised it when I knew I could 
 not give it." 
 
 "Love goes not out at the bidding; but outward 
 obedience to a known duty is possible. You promised 
 to keep your husband in sickness and in health. If
 
 250 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 you fail in part, fail not in all, mj child. If, as a wife, 
 kove is an utter impossibility ; yet, in an unselfish seek- 
 ing of your husband's good ; in a daily, earnest en- 
 deavor to make him happy, something of interest may 
 and will be awakened. You cannot do this, without 
 eoftening and humanizing his character, and making 
 him better fitted for a higher and purer life than he has 
 yet lived. In brooding over the ruins that fill the 
 chambers of your heart, you only neglect the offices 
 which are required of one in your position. The trial 
 is great, I know ; but having assumed such momentous 
 responsibilities, do not abandon them, as you value your 
 soul's safety. God has joined you together, not in the 
 orderly union He would have provided, but in the dis- 
 orderly one provided by your own mistaken judgments. 
 The bond is just as sacred, and must be kept whole un- 
 til the end. This is the divine law ; not made arbitra- 
 rily, but for the good of those who are to live in 
 obedience to what it requires. Better, far better will it 
 be for your own spiritual good and this is, in fact, the 
 only real good to bear the cross that you have taken 
 up, and bear it even to the end. It will be sowing in 
 tears, I know, my child ; but there wil) come a harvest 
 of joy." 
 
 The father ceased speaking, but Helen neither raised 
 her head nor replied. Deeply had his words penetrated
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 251 
 
 her heart, and with a strong sense of conviction ; yet, 
 BO intently had her mind brooded over the thought of a 
 separation from her husband, that she had already come 
 to think of it with a kindling sense of pleasure. All 
 this was now extinguished. The dim light the false 
 light which had burned in the dark chambers of her 
 mind, flickered and went out. How cold and gloomy 
 was all before and around her ! And yet, her father's 
 dying words, while they swept away a false hope, gave 
 new strength for greater endurance. 
 
 " Though rough and thorny be the way, 
 My strength proportion to my day." 
 
 In these words, familiar from childhood, she lifted, 
 almost involuntarily, her suffering heart upwards, and as 
 she did so, a better light dawned upon her, a light felt 
 to be the true precursor of a coming day. 
 
 "You have spoken truly, my father," said Helen, 
 breaking at length, the long silence. " I cannot, inno- 
 cently, abandon the position so unwisely assumed." 
 
 " Not while your husband remains faithful to his vow 
 at the marriage altar. Mere alienation of mind is no 
 warrant for breaking so holy a bond." 
 
 " There is something that I can do, father." Helen's 
 voice was warmer in its tones, as she said this, while a 
 flush lighted, dimly her face.
 
 252 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 " What is it, love ? " 
 
 "I can forget myself more than I have done, and b 
 more thoughtful of my husband. In many things I 
 can promote his comfort. Ah ! I have been too indif- 
 ferent. How strong the conviction strikes me now ! 
 Dear father ! How blind to duty a selfish brooding 
 over my own disappointed feelings has made me. I 
 have not denied myself for another's good. But, God 
 helping me, I will live differently in the future." 
 
 " My spirit leaps with pleasure to hear you thus 
 speak, my good, my true-hearted child," said Mr. Lee, 
 tenderly. " God will help you. The very wish to bend 
 action to duty, brings Him near with His sustaining 
 power; and the silent prayer for strength is never 
 uttered in vain. He will keep you. May His blessing 
 rest upon you ! Amen ! " 
 
 Mr. Lee placed his hand on the bent head of his 
 daughter, and lifted his eyes upward. Silently, for 
 some moments, he prayed for her. Then his lids 
 drooped slowly ; the light of thought faded from his 
 countenance, and he seemed unconscious of the present. 
 The minutes glided by, and Helen, who knew that but 
 few sands of life remained, began to feel a breathless 
 suspense. A slight moving of the chest showed that 
 respiration still continued. But a low, shuddering sense 
 of fear was creeping along every nerve, and she was
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 253 
 
 about laying her hand heavily upon him and uttering 
 his name in a quick voice, when his eyes slowly opened 
 and he looked up into her face with a quiet, heavenly 
 smile. 
 
 "Peace peace," he whispered, but so faintly that 
 Helen bent low to hear him " All is peace. I go 
 down into the waters, yet fearing no evil ; for I can see 
 across the dark river. There are shining ones on the 
 other side. They wait to receive me. Already my 
 feet are on the brink the waters have touched them. 
 One parting kiss, dear child !" 
 
 They were his last words. As he uttered them, the 
 door opened and the mother of Helen came in. With 
 an effort, the dying man stretched his hands towards 
 her, partly raised himself up, and fell forward on her 
 bosom. When she laid him back on the pillow, his 
 spirit was at rest forever. 
 
 As quickly as she could get away from the chamber 
 of death, Helen fled to her own room, locked the door, 
 and, sinking on her knees, lifted her bruised and suffer- 
 ing heart upwards, aspiring to heaven on the wings of 
 prayer. For a long time she remained thus, now 
 weeping in abandonment of grief, now communing 
 with her own heart, and now imploring strength for the 
 future.
 
 254 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 Word was sent to Mr. Bullfinch of the sudden death 
 of Mr. Lee. On hurrying home from his store, he found 
 his wife singularly composed. Her countenance, it is 
 true, was inexpressibly sad, and her eyes red from weep- 
 ing ; but there was none of that wild abandonment of 
 grief that he had expected to see no irrational wail- 
 ings ; none of that utter prostration of body and mind 
 which so often accompanies deep affliction. He could 
 not but wonder at this, nor help feeling an involuntary 
 respect. He doubted not the suffering in the endur- 
 ance, therefore, was something that struck him as sub- 
 lime, and gave him a new impression of her character. 
 Tenderly he spoke to her, and, with a kindness that she 
 gratefully felt, offered brief, yet fitting words of condo- 
 lence. 
 
 This bereavement, destined, now, to harmonize many 
 antagonisms to make somewhat smoother the path 
 they were treading would, but for the dying interview 
 between father and daughter, have been the signal for a 
 violent disruption of the bonds which held together this 
 ill-assorted couple. An evil seed had been cast into the 
 mind of Mrs. Bullfinch ; it had found life there, and 
 was sending up its first tender leaves. Watered and 
 nourished, it would soon have attained size and vigor. 
 Amid its branches, night-birds would have found shel-
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 255 
 
 ter, and beneath its gloomy shade the green things of 
 her heart would have perished utterly. But, the father's 
 dying hand had plucked the evil plant, and the tendei 
 roots lay sapless in the sunshine.
 
 CHAPTER XXIY. 
 
 THERE are few to whom affliction does not come as 
 an angel of mercy ; few, who do not rise out of the 
 6ery trial purified, in some degree, from the dross 
 of worldly -mindedness or self-seeking. This was emi- 
 nently so in the case of Mrs. Bullfinch. The star- 
 less night she had feared did not come. The morning 
 that broke upon her father, lent a few rays that strug- 
 gled through the clouds darkly curtaining her horizon ; 
 and threw light on the rugged path she was destined 
 to tread, thus helping her to step between the flinty 
 rocks on which her feet would have been torn, had she 
 groped in the darkness. To her mind, the dying words 
 of her father were ever present ; the tones in which 
 they were uttered, still sounded in her ears with a 
 solemn impressiveness. Though dead, he yet spoke to 
 her in a living voice. 
 
 New states of mind never exist without producing a
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 257 
 
 corresponding external. The state inspires the thought 
 and thought flows into action. Deeply conscious of 
 having been thus far, unfaithful to the pledges involved 
 in her marriage, and earnestly purposing now to do her 
 duty to her husband as far as in her lay, it was not 
 strange that Mr. Bullfinch soon perceived a change in 
 his wife, that affected him agreeably. The moodiness 
 and sharp ill-nature, which she had from time to tima 
 exhibited, were no longer apparent. Upon his fretful- 
 ness, under slight disappointments, or fault-finding spirit 
 when things did not please him, she no longer reacted 
 as of old ; but, to his surprise, meekly bore his captious 
 words. Moreover, little discomforts, from which he so 
 often suffered, were no longer apparent. And what waa 
 quite as agreeable to him, his rather epicurean tastes 
 were consulted to a degree not known since Fanny Mil- 
 nor resigned the care of his household. 
 
 In the orderly progress of cause and effect, a change 
 soon showed itself in Mr. Bullfinch. His former cheer- 
 fulness did not return there were reasons outside of) 
 his domestic relations affecting this but, the ill-nature 
 from which his family had suffered, disappeared ; and 
 the deference that his wife manifestly extended to his 
 wishes, excited in him an inclination to defer also. 
 Thus, constrained good will, and consequent good offi- 
 ces, produced good offices in return. The death of hef
 
 258 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 husband greatly subdued Mrs. Lee, and so removed her 
 disturbing influence. 
 
 If, in this new order of things, Mrs. Bullfinch did not 
 find the beginnings of genuine affection for her husband, 
 she yet experienced the birth of a new interest, that 
 induced a closer observation. Much of the time she 
 saw that his brow was clouded, and his mind either 
 deeply abstracted, or evidently disturbed. More ear- 
 nestly she sought to know hi* wishes ; more sedulously 
 strove to meet them in every ^articular. That she was 
 successful in her desire to make his home pleasant, she 
 had many reasons to conclude ; still, the troubled aspect 
 of his countenance remained ; and his silence and ab- 
 straction grew deeper. A few times she sought to pen- 
 etrate the cause of this change, but he gently repelled 
 or evaded her inquiries. 
 
 In the sunless sky bending over Mrs. Bullfinch, the 
 moon had risen to give its mellow, guiding light; but 
 that sky was not long to remain cloudless. Either her 
 closer observation of her husband revealed causes of 
 anxiety, if not alarm, or he was beginning to acquire a 
 habit exceedingly dangerous to ah 1 ages, but more par- 
 ticularly so for one at his time of life. Both wine and 
 brandy he had always used on his table. Of the pro- 
 priety of this, Helen had never, up to the present time, 
 een anything to awaken a doubt. But, now, she began
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 259 
 
 to remark the frequency with which he filled his glass, 
 and the stupor that often came after dinner. Could it 
 be possible, she asked herself, and with a feeling of 
 alarm, that he was becoming inordinately fond of stim- 
 ulating drinks ? The very question gave a new excite 5 - 
 ment to her fears, and quickened her observation. 
 
 It was not long before all doubts gave place to pain- 
 ful certainty. Occasionally Mr. Bullfinch went out in, 
 the evening to spend an hour with some old friend. 
 From one of these visits he returned rather later than 
 usual, and so much under the influence of drink, as to 
 be exceedingly foolish. In less than a week the same 
 thing occurred again. From .these, as well as other 
 indications, it was but too apparent whither his over- 
 indulged appetites were carrying him. He had pam- 
 pered them until they were too strong for the rein, 
 which, in times past, he was able to hold with a vigor- 
 ous hand. 
 
 Morning usually found Mr. Bullfinch silent and 
 troubled, his mind brooding over something, of which 
 he showed no inclination to speak ; while, it too often, 
 Happened, that evening found him so heavy with excess 
 of wine, as to be utterly stupid. As time wore on, thia 
 increased. 
 
 At length his manner became unusually excited, while 
 his countenance showed the existence of intense anxiefy.
 
 260 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 His breakfas 4 would be taken hurriedly, and often full 
 half an hour olapsed beyond the dining period usu- 
 ally so promptly observed before he returned from his 
 store. Let us make the cause of this change more ap 
 parent to the reader. 
 
 Mr. Bullfinch had taken his silent and hastily eaten 
 breakfast, one morning, during the time of which we 
 are speaking, and was on his way to his store, when a 
 mercantile friend overtook him. 
 
 " Have you &een the morning paper, Mr. Bullfinch ? " 
 inquired this gentleman. 
 
 " No," was answered. " I never see the papers 
 until I get to my store. " Any news of interest ? " 
 
 u Another bad failure in New York is reported." 
 
 "Who?" 
 
 L & J ." 
 
 " Impossible ! " 
 
 " Too true, I fear. They have been, for some time, 
 greatly extended." 
 
 " I declare ! It begins to look frightful," said Mr 
 Bullfinch, his manner indicating great uneasiness of 
 mind. 
 
 " It does, indeed," was the equally concerned reply. 
 
 " Do they owe you anything ? " asked Mr. Bullfinch. 
 
 " No, thank fortune. The owing part is on the othei 
 side this time."
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 261 
 
 " Ah ! you're lucky." 
 
 " So I think. But, how is it with you ? " 
 
 " I wish I could say the same. But, I sold them a 
 bill just four months ago. The note fell due in New 
 fork yesterday. If they have actually failed, the pro- 
 test will come to hand this morning." 
 
 "What amount?" 
 
 "Twenty-three hundred dollars." 
 
 " Bad. Was the note discounted ? v 
 
 " Yes : and this makes it so much the worse. I 
 shall have to provide for it, on a day that is already 
 burdened quite heavily enough." 
 
 The other shook his head, and put on a very grave 
 countenance. 
 
 " How will you stand, to-day ? " asked Mr. Bullfinch, 
 after a pause. " Should this note come back under pro- 
 test, I shall want to raise a couple of thousand dollars. 
 Are you likely to have anything over ? " 
 
 "Not a cent," was the unequivocal reply. "Not a 
 cent I've been on the borrowing list for a week, 
 and see no prospect of getting off of it for a month to 
 come." 
 
 The two men parted here, their ways diverging. 
 With a quickened step Mr. Bullfinch hurried on to his 
 place of business. The news of L & J 's fail- 
 ure proved to be too true. Letters from New York not
 
 262 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 only confirmed it, but the protest on their unpaid note 
 made assurance doubly sure. 
 
 Without this additional weight, Mr. Bullfinch had 
 quite as much to carry for that day, as he could well 
 bear. Intently as he had pondered the ways and 
 means within his power, he was not yet able to see how 
 his other payments were to be made ; nor, after much 
 thought and effort continued for some two hours, did 
 the prospect before him grow any brighter. At length, 
 after one or two heavy sacrifices, which, of late, he had 
 been obliged too frequently to make, he obtained suffi- 
 cient money to lift his own notes, but the protested note 
 
 of L & J was yet unprovided for. This bid 
 
 fair to prove the last pound that " breaks the camel's 
 back." Every dollar of paper he had received, up to 
 this time, for sales of goods, had been either passed 
 through bank, or was in the hands of private money- 
 lenders. No resource was left but that of borrowing 
 money from mercantile friends, to be returned in a day 
 or a week, as the case might be ; and he had, already, 
 made application in all quarters likely to afford the 
 needed relief, in the effort to meet his legitimate pay- 
 ments. 
 
 Time flew by on rapid wings, and banking hours 
 were fast drawing to a close ; still the needed supply of 
 money came not into the hands of Mr. Bullfinch. The old
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 263 
 
 man's heart began lo faint That terrible ultimate in a 
 merchant's life, failure, loomed up before his mental 
 vision in its most frightful aspects, causing a shudder to 
 reach his very heart. 
 
 It was past two o'clock, yet the deficit in his mone^ 
 matters for the day was just twenty-three hundred dol- 
 lars, the amount of the protested note. To a merchant, 
 who had been in the habit of lending him freely, but 
 who had that morning failed to accommodate him as 
 usual, he made application a second time. 
 
 " You must raise me a couple of thousand," said 
 
 Mr. Bullfinch. " That note of L & J 's is still 
 
 in the notary's hands, and my regular payments for the 
 day have exhausted all the day's resources. 
 
 "Impossible," was the firm answer; " utterly impos- 
 sible. We had five thousand dollars in protested drafts 
 to provide for, besides our usual payments, which were 
 very heavy." 
 
 " lias any body got any thing over to-day ? " asked 
 Mr. Bullfinch, in a half-despairing tone. 
 
 . " Nobody that I have heard of, except Lane, Latta <fe 
 Co. They are as easy as an old shoe. Some one tola 
 me, yesterday, that their bank account always showed a 
 balance to their credit of over ten thousand dollars." 
 
 " Possible ! " The old man seemed partially stupe- 
 fied by this declaration.
 
 264 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 " Try them," said the merchant. 
 
 Mr. Bullfinch shook his head. 
 
 " You'll get what you need for to-day, I have not the 
 smallest doubt. See Mr. Wellford. He has most to 
 do with the financial concerns of the establishment, and 
 will lend you all you want at a word." 
 
 " No no I can't go there." There was a quick- 
 ness of tone, and an unusual mark of feeling in the old 
 man's voice. 
 
 " Why not ? You want the money, and can get it 
 for the asking." 
 
 " I'll try some where else," said Mr. Bullfinch, turn- 
 ing from the merchant, and walking hurriedly away. 
 As he reached the street, his eyes rested on the face of 
 a clock. What a large segment of a circle the minute 
 hand had described since he last marked the hour ! 
 The old man's heart beat quicker and stronger. Two 
 evils were before him mercantile dishonor, or an ap- 
 plication to Wellford for a temporary loan. He had 
 no time now to cast about for any other resource ; and, 
 even the one that seemed to offer must be used quickly 
 if used at all. 
 
 It would be hard to describe the feelings of Mr. Bull- 
 finch, as he dragged himself along in the direction of 
 Lane, Latta & Co.'s. No physical suffering could have 
 been so dreaded, as was the meeting with Mr. Well-
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 265 
 
 ford, to whom he knew the application fu- money must 
 be made. 
 
 " Is Mr. Wellford in ?" he asked, in a voice far from 
 being as composed as he couid wish, on entering the 
 store. 
 
 " You will find him back in the counting-room," was 
 answered, and the old gentleman moved down the store. 
 It so happened that Wellford was alone in the counting- 
 room. He saw Mr. Bullfinch approaching, and, hav- 
 ing heard that he was a loser by the failure in New 
 York, inferred at once the purport of his visit. 
 
 " Mr. Bullfinch. How are you ?" said he kindly, aa 
 he advanced to meet him. Seeing that the old man 
 was much embarrassed, he anticipated his request by 
 saying 
 
 " Can we do anything for you, to-day ?" 
 
 "If you have some twenty-three hundred dollars 
 over, you can," was stammered out. 
 
 "We can check for as much," said Wellford cheer- 
 fully. " How long will you want it ?" 
 
 " For three or four days, if you can spare it so long," 
 replied Mr. Bullfinch. 
 
 " Say for a week," replied Wellford, as he stepped 
 back to a desk, and took down the check-book. 
 
 A few minutes after Mr. Bullfinch entered the store, 
 he came out with a check in his hand for the sum
 
 266 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 needed. In one respect, his mind was relieved ; but, 
 in another, it was heavily burdened. There was not a 
 man living from whom in obligation could have been 
 received with more reluctance. Nothing but the fear- 
 ful consequences just ready to be visited upon him, 
 would ever have driven him to this resort. 
 
 It did not escape the observation of Mrs. Bullfinch, 
 when her husband came in, much later than usual, to 
 dinner, that he was suffering from more than ordinary 
 disturbance of mind ; nor did she fail to remark that 
 while he ate with none of his accustomed relish for food 
 he drank wine almost as freely as if it were water. The 
 consequence she dreaded, came. When he arose, at 
 length, from the table, he was so much affected by the 
 unusual quantity of wine taken, that Helen had to as- 
 sist him up stairs. Insensibility followed, from which 
 he was not aroused until a late tea hour, when he took 
 a single strong cup of coffee, and then went out for the 
 evening. At eleven o'clock he came home, in little 
 better condition than when he left the dinner table. In 
 the morning, he was himself again, and prepared for 
 another day's struggle with fortune. A too distinct 
 remembrance of the previous day's trials, and especially 
 the mode in which he had saved himself from ruin, in 
 no way tended to the promotion of a cheerful spirit.
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 267 
 
 Heavily contracted his brow, as he sat at the unenjoyed 
 and silent breakfast. 
 
 " Can you let me have some money, to-day?" asked 
 Mrs. Bullfinch, as he arose from the table. 
 
 The words of his wife seemed most unwelcome, for 
 his already knit brows gained instantly a few more lines, 
 and he said, rather impatiently 
 
 " Money ! For what 1 How much do you want ?" 
 
 " None for myself," replied Mrs. Bullfinch, in a voice 
 which showed that she was hurt by his manner. " The 
 bread bill and the milk bill have not yet been paid, 
 and the waiter wants twenty dollars that are due her." 
 
 " Very well milk man, bread man, and waiter, can't 
 be accommodated," said Mr. Bullfinch, gruffly. 
 
 " I told them all that they should have their money 
 to-day," said Mrs. Bullfinch, in some perplexity of man- 
 ner. 
 
 " Can't help it. They must wait. Money don't al- 
 ways come when you call for it. At least, not to me." 
 
 And without waiting a reply from his wife, whose 
 flushing face warned him that he had spoken too un- 
 guardedly, Mr. Bullfinch turned off abruptly, and left 
 the house.
 
 CHAPTER XXY. 
 
 WE need not linger to trace, successively, th down- 
 ward steps taken by Adam Bullfinch, whether as a 
 man or a merchant. Accumulating years, and sensual 
 indulgence, had united to dim the clearness of his in- 
 tellect. A merchant of the old school, if he had been 
 wise enough to keep to the old school doctrines of cau- 
 tion, close calculation, and contentment with moderate, 
 but sure returns, all would have been well with him in 
 respect to worldly goods. But, having taken a young 
 wife, Mr. Bullfinch felt himself quite a young man, and 
 must needs act as he felt. , " The mind," he vainly said 
 to himself, " never grows old. The body may bend 
 with accumulating years ; but the immortal soul knows 
 Dot the touch of time. I have now a brighter and 
 stronger intellect, a clearer reason, than I possessed 
 twenty years ago, and am more capable of doing busi- 
 ness and more far-seeing as a merchant."
 
 THE OLD MAN'S LftlDE. 269 
 
 And so, Mr. Bullfinch, pulling up the old landmarks 
 despising the old-fashioned lessons of wisdom, by an 
 adherence to which he had slowly accumulated a for- 
 tune, threw himself forward in a contest with th 
 sharp, shrewd, unscrupulous, nothing-venture-nothing- 
 gain class of merchants, and in a wonderfully brief 
 period, came out of the struggle an utterly ruined man. 
 
 Having broken the ice with Mr. Well ford, Mr. Bull- 
 finch, as his efforts to save himself grew more and more 
 desperate, forced himself to make repeated applications 
 in that quarter, and in most cases with success. 
 
 " I'm afraid," said the resident senior partner of the 
 house, speaking one day to Mr. Wellford, " that old 
 Bullfinch is not in a safe condition. 
 
 " I begin to have some doubts myself," was answered. 
 
 " Some one told me, this morning, that he takes too 
 much wine." 
 
 A shadow passed over the young man's face, as he 
 said 
 
 " O no. That must be a mistake." 
 
 " I hope so ; but, his appearance rather confirms the 
 assertion." 
 
 A mercantile acquaintance coming in at the time, tho 
 subject was continued, and the question asked as to his 
 opinion of the old gentleman's habits. 
 
 "I'm told, on good authority," was unhesitatingly
 
 270 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 answered, " that he drinks like a fish, never goes U 
 bed a night in his life that he is not stupid as a beast" 
 
 Wellford sighed deeply. His thoughts were with 
 Helen ; and his sympathy for her painfully excited. 
 
 " What do you think of his business ?" inquired Mr. 
 
 u He's sound, I suppose." 
 
 " He seems hard run for money just now," said Mr. 
 Lane. 
 
 " I know ; and, what is more, has been paying enor- 
 mous rates for some months past." 
 
 " No man is safe in these times," was remarked. 
 
 " That's true enough. Men who seemed firm as the 
 eternal hills, have toppled over, involving numbers be- 
 low them in utter ruin. As for Bullfinch, I have, be- 
 tween you and me and the post, my own private opin- 
 ion for my own private action." 
 
 " What is that ?" inquired Wellford. 
 
 " As to the opinion, I need not speak ; the action 
 will be sufficiently demonstrative. In a word then, I 
 ' eclined selling him a bill of goods yesterday." 
 
 " You did 2" 
 
 "It's true." 
 
 " Of what amount ?" 
 
 "Five thousand dollars. Do you want to know 
 why!"
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 27 1 
 
 " Of course." 
 
 " This, then, for your ears. Two or three days ago I 
 saw certain packages, just arrived from New York, 
 taken to his store ; and, yesterday morning, I saw tha 
 same packages sold at auction, below the market price. 
 Do you understand ?" 
 
 " Clearly." 
 
 "An hour afterwards he wanted to make a good 
 round bill with me, but I declined." 
 
 " And you were right," said Mr. Lane, firmly. u We 
 are obliged to you for the hint. We have been lend- 
 ing him pretty freely of late ; but shall have to be less 
 liberal of our favors." 
 
 Scarcely had the neighbor left the store, when Mr. 
 Bullfinch was seen to enter. 
 
 "You musn't lend him anything more," said Mr. 
 Lane. 
 
 " Very well," replied the younger partner, averting 
 his face. 
 
 Mi'. Lane retired to his own private counting-room, 
 and Wellford met the old man, who came up to him in 
 a half cringing manner, yet, evidently, under a strong 
 feeling of reluctance. 
 
 " How are you off for money to-day ?" inquired Mr 
 Bullfinch in a low voice. 
 
 " Nothing to spare," was the firmly spoken answec,
 
 2*72 THB OLD MAN'S BKIDE. 
 
 " Will you want the three thousand I was to return 
 this morning?" 
 
 Wellford reflected for a few moments, and then re 
 plied : 
 
 " If it will be any accommodation to you, that may 
 be deferred until to-morrow. But we will "ertainly 
 want it then." 
 
 " Thank you thank you. I will bring it around in 
 the morning. Are you certain you can't spare a thou- 
 sand to-day f 
 
 " Oliite certain." 
 
 *' Good morning ;" and the old gentleman with a disap- 
 pointment he could not conceal, retired from the store. 
 
 It was after two o'clock, and Wellford was about 
 leaving to go home and dine, when Mr. Bullfinch con- 
 fronted him again, and said, with a beseeching earnest 
 ness 
 
 " You must help me once more, my young friend." 
 
 " Impossible." And Wellford shook his head. 
 
 " Don't say that. If you havn't a thousand dollars 
 in bank, lend me your check dated two or three days 
 ahead ; that will answer my purpose just as well." 
 
 Wellford repeated his negative. 
 
 " You must help me," said Mr. Bullfinch, much ex- 
 cited. " I am just one thousand dollars short, and 
 have tried every possible means to raise the money.
 
 THE OI,D MAN'S BRIDE. 273 
 
 Frankly and confidentially" ho bent close to Well- 
 ford's ear " I have come to you as my last resort, 
 If you do not help me now, I shall be protested." 
 
 There was something in the old man's voice that 
 Wellford could hardly withstand. It would have been 
 withstood, however, had not a vision of Helen came to 
 his mind. Silently he turned to his desk, and filling 
 up a check for a thousand dollars, handed it without a 
 word, to Mr. Bullfinch, who, grasping it nervously, hur- 
 ried away to prolong, for a brief season, the unequal 
 struggle he was endeavoring to maintain. 
 
 On the next day, he did not call to return the three 
 thousand dollars, as he had promised Wellford. The 
 loan of an additional thousand, after what had passed 
 between Mr. Lane and his junior partner, displeased the 
 former a good deal, and caused him to speak so plainly 
 that the latter was hurt and slightly offended. Some 
 rather sharp words passed between them, which, but for 
 the good sense of both parties, might have led to an 
 open rupture, and a consequent withdrawal of Well- 
 ford from the house. 
 
 On the day but one following, the mercantile com- 
 munity was startled by the announcement of another 
 failure that of Adam Bullfinch ; and a very bad fail* 
 ure it proved to be. When, under an assignment, hia 
 affairs were subjected to investigation, it was found that
 
 274 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 he was hopelessly insolvent. Nor were his creditors at 
 all satisfied with the reckless manner in which he 
 seemed to have been doing business for some time. 
 Goods had been purchased on credit, in large quantities, 
 and sent immediately to neighboring cities and sold at 
 auction, for cash, at less than the purchase prices ; enor 
 mous discounts had been submitted to on temporary 
 loans ; and other doubtful and reckless expedients re- 
 sorted to, by which means thousands and thousands of 
 dollars had been wasted. This was his new mode of 
 doing business, in accordance with the more enterpris- 
 ing spirit of the times, into which the increasing vigor 
 and clearness of his mental powers were enticing him ! 
 Had Mr. Bullfinch stopped payment six months 
 before he would have come out with a clear surplus of 
 over fifty thousand dollars. But, in struggling, and 
 sacrificing, and hoping for some new turn of fortune, 
 under the impulse of his modernized views, of business, 
 he wasted everything to such a degree, that even bor- 
 rowed money debts were unprovided for, while his 
 whole estate was so impoverished, that the most san- 
 guine would have sold out their claims against it for 
 forty cents on the dollar ! His business indebtedness 
 to Lane, Latta & Co. was five thousand dollars, and 
 his obligations to the same house, for borrowed money 
 six thousand more.
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 2*75 
 
 So utterly insolvent was the estate of Mr. Bullfinch, 
 that his application for an extension of time, in order 
 that he might go on and recover himself, was at once 
 voted down in the meeting of creditors. His as- 
 signment was accepted, and the net value of the 
 estate realized as quickly as possible. 
 
 The house in which Mr. Bullfinch resided was his 
 own, and was worth about ten thousand dollars. It 
 was, however, under mortgage for nearly its full value. 
 Two or three smaller houses were also included in the 
 deed of assignment. Through the personal influence 
 of Mr. Wellford, one of these, with the household 
 effects of the debtor, were presented by the creditors to 
 Mrs. Bullfinch. But for the fact, that one or two of 
 the creditors, who had heard something of Wellford's 
 former relation to Mrs. Bullfinch, and who not only 
 highly respected the young man, but were men enough 
 to appreciate his motives and feelings in the present 
 case ; but for the fact that these, we say, seconded tha 
 generous proposal, the family of the broken merchant 
 would have been left homeless as well as penniless.
 
 CHAPTEE XXIV 
 
 MB. BULLFINCH was not the man to pass through 
 so terrible an ordeal, and bear the pain with but few 
 external marks of suffering. The degree of agitation 
 exhibited, when no eye but that of his wife saw the 
 anguish of his spirit, was, at times, fearful to look 
 upon. And yet, almost to the last, he hid from her 
 the cause, notwithstanding she appealed to him, again 
 and again, in the tenderest manner, to make her the 
 sharer of his trouble. At last, the truth could no 
 longer be concealed. Up to the final moment, he 
 struggled to sustain himself with a tenacity of mercan- 
 tile life rarely shown. All was activity and profound 
 agitation, until hope spread out her pinions and flew 
 away ! Then a deep calm fell upon his spirit. 
 
 " It is all over," said he in a composed voice, to his 
 confidential clerk. " I have done all in human power 
 to accomplish. The crash is coming at last. Whether
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 277 
 
 I shall coine out alive from beneath the ruins, or b< 
 crushed to death by the fall, is more than our weak 
 foresight can determine. I think I am prepared for the 
 worst ; but we are only mortal at best." 
 
 The state of mind in which her husband had, for 
 weeks, returned from his business, caused Mrs. Bullfinch 
 to look, daily, for his coming, with something of dread. 
 On this particular occasion, the dinner hour had long 
 passed, yet he was still away. This, as it was not an 
 unusual thing, caused her no greater concern than she 
 had been daily suffering. At last, she heard him enter, 
 and listened with more interest, perhaps, than common 
 to his deliberate step, as he moved along the passage, 
 and ascended the stairs. It was the old, familiar tread, 
 to which her ear had become accustomed ; and yet, 
 there was something in it that marked a change in her 
 husband's state of mind whether favorable, or other- 
 wise, her instincts were not informed and she waited, 
 with partially suspended respiration, his entrance. One 
 glance sufficed. She saw that whatever had been 
 the causes from which he had suffered so profoundly of 
 late the struggle was over. His brow, where deep 
 lines had fixed themselves for months past, was smooth, 
 as if anxious care had never laid thereon a finger ; but, 
 smooth as it was, it reflected not a single ray of light 
 His eye had lost its quick motion, and now looked
 
 S7S THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 heavy and fireless, His lips, long so tightly drawn 
 together, or arched with earnest thought, were gently 
 parted, and almost expressionless. His body, usually 
 erect, was slightly bent forward. He was an impersor 
 ation of hopeless, yet patient endurance. 
 
 " Mr. Bullfinch !" exclaimed Helen, starting forward, 
 and laying her hand, with an earnest pressure, on his 
 arm, " what has happened ?" 
 
 " Sit down," said he, in a voice so strangely unfami- 
 liar to the ears of his wife, that the tones chilled her, 
 " and I will tell you all. Concealment were no longer 
 a virtue." 
 
 Helen suffered him to lead her to a chair. Taking 
 one beside her, and still holding her hand, he con- 
 tinued 
 
 " Helen when I asked you to become my wife, I 
 was rich. I offered you all the comforts and elegancies 
 that wealth could buy. Even with these to lay at your 
 feet, I have failed to make you happy. Heaven knows 
 the pleasure it has ever given me to see a smile light 
 up your countenance alas ! how few and feeble they 
 have ever been." 
 
 He uttered the last words quickly, and with a slight 
 unsteadiness in his voice. A moment he averted his 
 face, and then resumed 
 
 " Helen, as I have just said, when I asked you to
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 271 
 
 become my wife, I was rich. But, this, day, I am a 
 beggar !" 
 
 He paused, and looked anxiously into the face of his 
 wife. The change he had expected was not visible. 
 She did not start, nor grow pale, nor weep. 
 
 " Did you understand me, Helen ? I said that I was 
 a beggar. When I married you, T promised all the 
 good things ' that wealth could procure. This day, I 
 am reduced to poverty." 
 
 " Wealth alone !" replied Helen, in a composed voice, 
 " never made a heart happy. True satisfaction of mind 
 has its source in a higher spring. 
 
 The old man was greatly moved by so unexpected a 
 reception of his communication. He had long since 
 let go the delusion, that, for any other attraction than 
 his wealth, his wife had consented to wed. She had 
 plainly enough declared this in the beginning, but, in 
 his blind self-delusion, he would not believe the asser- 
 tion. Alas ! in what rigid and unmistakable forma 
 had the truth been since presented to his mind. Nuw 
 that wealth was gone, he felt that the only uniting 
 bond was severed, and in the hopeless spirit of a mar- 
 tyr, he made this declaration of his changed foi tunes. 
 
 No wonder such an unexpected reception of hia 
 announcement moved him deeply. 
 
 " Did you understand me, Helen ?" he asked.
 
 THE OLD MAK'S BRIDE. 
 
 " I believe so," she answered. 
 
 " I am rich no longer. This day, I have failed to 
 meet my payments, and to-morrow, all I have in the 
 world must be surrendered to my creditors. Do you 
 comprehend the meaning of all this ?" 
 
 " Clearly," said Helen. 
 
 " But can you bear the change that comes inevi- 
 tably r 
 
 " I have borne it once," she replied. " I can bear it 
 again." 
 
 " Once !" 
 
 For an instant, Mr. Bullfinch did not comprehend 
 his wife. But memory quickly made all clear. Her 
 father had, from wealth, been reduced to extreme 
 poverty. How well he remembered all the events con- 
 nected with Mr. Lee's failure, and the not over-generous 
 part that he had acted as a creditor for a small amount. 
 
 " Ah ! now I remember," he said, his voice falling. 
 
 " I have borne reverse of fortune, once," repeated 
 Helen, " and I can bear it again ; with some fortitude 
 I trust, for I am stronger now." 
 
 Mr. Bullfinch gazed upon his wife in silent wonder. 
 There were no marks of pain or fear on her counte 
 nance, that wore an elevated, truly dignified aspect. 
 With what a shrinking reluctance had he looked to this 
 stern necessity how he had dreaded the effect upon
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BKIDB. 281 
 
 his wife of the announcement she had received so 
 calmly ! For a little while, he was sustained by her 
 fortitude. This, however, was but temporary. Th 
 consequences to himself were too direct and all-embrac- 
 ing ; and he had too long rested for happiness in the 
 external things that wealth and social position gave, to 
 meet such utter ruin with any philosophical resignation 
 whatever. 
 
 It was soon apparent to Mrs. Bullfinch, that her 
 husband had fallen never to rise again. That, in the 
 destruction of his earthly fortune, self-control, under 
 the pressure of appetite and habit, and self-respect also, 
 were both to a great extent involved. If the announce- 
 ment of his loss of property had in no way appalled 
 her, the too certain signs of this personal abandonment, 
 as they became more and more visible, day after day, 
 began to startle and alarm her with glimpses of a pro- 
 founder depth of suffering, if that were possible, than 
 any she had yet been called on to endure. 
 
 A week or two elapsed before Mrs. Bullfinch began 
 to comprehend the exact position of her husband's 
 business. Finding that, under the pressure of a great 
 calamity, he was fast losing all manly control of him- 
 self in fact, drowning thought, daily, in excessive 
 quantities of wine or brandy, she took direct means for 
 ascertaining the state of his affairs. That is, she called
 
 282 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDJE. 
 
 upon a merchant who had frequently visited at their 
 house, and in whose good feeling and truthfulness she 
 had entire confidence. From him she learned, that the 
 declaration of Mr. Bullfinch, to the effect that he was a 
 beggar, was no figure of speech. It was then that she 
 began to feel dizzy, as her eyes wandered down the 
 dark chasm which had suddenly opened at her feet, 
 and she could see no bottom. Had her husband re- 
 tained his balance of intellect, personal activity, and 
 entire control of his appetites, she would have met the 
 change with few emotions strong enough to leave an 
 external sign. 
 
 But, unhappily, this was not so. Each recurring 
 day made but the more apparent the rapidity with 
 which he was sinking all the manly qualities of his 
 nature drowning everything of good that remained 
 in the cup of utter confusion. Morning found him 
 sober and serious enough. A few hours were then 
 devoted to the business of conferring and acting with 
 the assignees of his property. Dinner-time brought 
 him home usually the worse for repeated glasses of 
 brandy ; while the afternoon, and often the evening, 
 were spent in sleeping off the effects of deeper pota- 
 tions. 
 
 One day he came home greatly agitated.
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 283 
 
 " All gone !" he exclaimed, on meeting his wife. 
 44 Everything swallowed up. Ruin ! utter ruin 1" 
 
 " I know the worst," said Helen. 
 
 " They will leave us nothing ! House household 
 effects everything is to be swept away ! I never saw 
 such rapacity such want of humanity." 
 
 It is scarcely to be wondered that the face of Mrs. 
 Bullfinch grew paler now ; nor, that her lips were 
 tremulous as she said 
 
 " They will at least spare us these." And her eyes 
 glanced around the room in which they were sitting. 
 
 "Nothing. All must go! It is dreadful! Let a 
 man once become unfortunate, and his fellow men hunt 
 him to the death as if he were a criminal." 
 
 Mrs. Bullfinch replied not. But her thoughts were 
 busy with new images, that took more fearful and 
 repulsive forms. 
 
 As it had been for weeks before, it happened on this 
 afternoon, Mr. Bullfinch sought temporary oblivio a m 
 wine.
 
 CHAPTER XXVH. 
 
 THE day had nearly closed, and Mrs. Bullfinch was 
 alone, brooding over the dark prospect that opened to 
 view in the future, and striving to find strength for what 
 was before her, in considerations of duty, when she was 
 informed that two gentlemen had called and wished to 
 see her. Their names were sent up, and she remem- 
 bered them as merchants and friends of her husband. 
 After a few hurried changes in her dress, and a strong 
 effort to compose her exterior, she descended to the 
 parlors. She was met by the two gentlemen both 
 of whom were struck with her womanly dignity and 
 repose of manner with a deferential courtesy, that, 
 under the circumstances, was grateful to her feelings. 
 
 " Our visit, Mrs. Bullfinch," said one of them, " is 
 painful, and yet pleasant. In your husband's misfor- 
 tunes we sympathize, and we sympathise with you in
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BKIDE. 285 
 
 particular, as being necessarily a sharer in any evil that 
 affects him. Of the extent of his losses, you are, of 
 course, aware." 
 
 Mrs. Bullfinch bowed. 
 
 " You know that his estate will not pay the claims 
 against it ? " 
 
 She bowed again. 
 
 " Creditors," he resumed, " are never over consider- 
 ate of debtors. The first impression of a loss sours the 
 feelings and creates hardness. Therefore, in dealing 
 summarily with a debtor, they are apt to be uninflu- 
 enced by any considerations of humanity. But I am 
 pleased to say, that, in the present case, some better 
 feelings have prevailed. Your husband's creditors, 
 called back to right considerations, by one of their num- 
 ber, have instructed us to present you, as your own 
 property, one of the houses included in his estate. This 
 pleasant duty we have now called to perform here aro 
 the title deeds duly authenticated." 
 
 And he handed the papers to Mrs. Bullfinch, who 
 took them in silence. She was too much affected to 
 reply. 
 
 " And we are further instructed to say, that all your 
 household furniture, plate, jewelry, (fee., are likewise pre- 
 sented to you." 
 
 " Say to them in return," replied Mrs. Bullfinch, as
 
 286 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 soon as she could command her voice, " that one who 
 has a second time in life felt the iron hand of misfor- 
 tune, thanks them with a grateful heart." 
 
 She spoke with feeling, txnd yet with a degree of self- 
 Dossession, and evidence of fortitude, that filled them 
 with admiration. As they arose to depart, one of them 
 said 
 
 "A creditor of your husband's was alluded to as 
 having instigated the others to this act. I don't know 
 why I should mention his name ; but it seems as if he 
 should get the credit of his generous impulse. I am 
 not aware that you ever met him personally ; or that 
 he is a particular friend of Mr. Bullfinch. His name is 
 Wellford one of the firm of Lane, Latta & Co." 
 
 The sudden flush that came into the face of Helen, 
 was not unmarked by her visitors. But its meaning 
 they did not comprehend. 
 
 From their elegant home, the broken merchant and 
 his family in due time retired. The small house, 
 remote from their old place of abode, which the gene- 
 rous consideration of the creditors of Mr. Bullfinch had 
 reserved for his wife, received them, and there they be- 
 gan their new life ; rather be it said there Helen began 
 her new life. As for Mr. Bullfinch, he lived little more 
 than the life of a beast ; and Mrs. Leo, the mother of 
 Helen, when reverse of fcrtune came, found good rea-
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 287 
 
 eons for deserting her daughter and seeking another 
 home, in a distant city, with a wealthy relative. 
 
 A year sufficed to exhaust nearly all the resources of 
 Mr. and Mrs. Bullfinch. Surplus furniture and plate 
 had been sold, and on the money this yielded, they had 
 lived. No employment had been sought by Mr. Bull- 
 fiuch ; and, for a portion of nearly every day during the 
 year, he was unfit for intelligent duty. 
 
 At last, articles of necessity had to be parted with in 
 order to procure the daily supply of meat and drink 
 the drink costing, usually, more than the meat. And 
 so it went on, until extremity came. Before this was 
 reached, Mrs. Bullfinch had anxiously debated the ques- 
 tion of personal effort on her part for thft support of 
 herself and husband. She had the same ability to earn 
 money as before her marriage ; but, pride and womanly 
 delicacy both took alarm the moment the thought came 
 iuto her mind, and both argued strongly against thu 
 suggestion. But, necessity toys not with inclination 
 Sternly she bends all to her will. 
 
 "Let me have a dollar," said Mr. Bullfinch, one 
 orning, to his wife, as he was preparing, soon after 
 breakfast, to go out. 
 
 Helen opened her purse, with a kind of half involun- 
 tary movement showed him the inside, and answered, 
 gloomily
 
 U88 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 " I have nothing." 
 
 " Nothing ! " He looked surprised. 
 
 " Not a single cent," was answered. 
 
 " I gave you twenty dollars of the money for which 
 the clock, sofa and ottomans sold." 
 
 " I know ; but half of it was owed at the store ; and 
 the remainder has been expended to keep the table." 
 
 " What are we to do ? " said the old man as he took 
 off his hat, laid aside his cane, and sat down with an 
 air of despondency. 
 
 " I do not know," Helen sighed as she spoke. 
 
 " We can't starve," said Mr. Bullfinch, fretfully. 
 
 Helen did not answer. 
 
 " I've tried hard to get into some employment," con- 
 tinued the old man, still in a fretful voice. " But it's 
 all been of no use. Oh, dear ! W 7 hat is to become 
 of us 1 We must live." 
 
 Still his wife remained silent. She knew the thought 
 \vas in his mind ; and momentarily expected what came 
 next 
 
 " The fact is, Helen," said he, firmly and positively, 
 " we shall have to sell this house. It will bring three 
 thousand dollars. It's no use to keep it, if we must 
 starve." 
 
 Mrs. Bullfinch shook her head.
 
 THK OLD MAN'S PRIDE. 280 
 
 M What are we to do ? Have you any money with 
 which to buy bread ? " 
 
 " Not now." It was plain from her manner, as well 
 as from the altered tone of her voice, that her mind 
 had come to a sudden conclusion. " But I will get 
 what we want, at least for the present." 
 
 " Where ? " inquired her husband. 
 
 " I can't answer your question now. Enough, that I 
 will procure money for the supply of immediate wants. 
 As to parting with our home, there must be greater ex- 
 tremity than now exists before I consent to the sale. 
 While we have that in possession, there is a place where 
 we can, at least, hide ourselves from the world." 
 
 " And starve," said the old man, impatiently. 
 
 " I will take care that we do not starve." 
 
 " You ? Where are your resources ? Have you 
 money hid away ? I thought you said, just now, that 
 you had not a penny." 
 
 " Nor have I. But I will, as I said, procure enough 
 to supply present needs." 
 
 As to how and where she expected to get mouey, 
 Mrs. Bullfinch would give her husband no satisfaction. 
 Soou after, the old man went out, and took his way to 
 the business quarters of the city. He had tasted no 
 stimulating drink since the night before, and was now 
 burning with an intense desire for a glass of brandy. 
 13
 
 290 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 But he had no money with which to procure the wished for 
 indulgence. All at once a suggestion came to his mind. 
 At first he pushed it aside with a feeling of shame. It 
 "eturned, and was now dwelt upon. The expedient 
 proposed was simple and almost certain of success ; yet 
 the old manliness and independence of feeling fought 
 against its adoption. But, resistance grew feebler and 
 feebler, as thirst became stronger. At last appetite 
 gained the advantage. Then, with a quickened pace, 
 he moved forward, and kept on until he reached Front 
 street, near Chestnut. There were few merchants in 
 that neighborhood with whom he was not well ac- 
 quainted. Into one of these stores he entered. 
 
 " How are you, Mr. Bullfinch ? " The salutation was 
 cordial, as the person addressing him held out his hand. 
 
 " Pretty well, thank you," said the old man, in no 
 very cheerful voice. 
 
 " What are you doing now ? I havn't seen you in 
 this neighborhood for months." 
 
 "Not a great deal. When men at my age are 
 pushed aside, it is pretty much all over with them. The 
 sooner they are out of the world the better, perhaps, 
 for them and the world too." 
 
 " Don't talk in that way, Mr. Bullfinch." 
 
 " How can I help it ? But, I woir t worry you with 
 my grumbling. I've called to ask a small favor."
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 291 
 
 " "Well, what is it ? Let me hear ? " 
 
 " Will you lend me five dollars ? " 
 
 "Certainly," replied the merchant. And he took 
 from his pocket book a bill and handed it to Mr. Bull- 
 finch. The act was prompt and cheerful. 
 
 " Thank you ! Thank you ! " said the old man, his 
 partly averted countenance flushing with both pleasure 
 and shame. " You are very kind. I will return it to- 
 morrow." 
 
 " Don't trouble yourself. It will do at any time," 
 was kindly answered. 
 
 Mr. Bullfinch went quickly from the store. Soon 
 after, he was sitting in a neighboring tavern with a bot- 
 tle of wine before him. 
 
 As soon as her husband left the house, Mrs. Bullfinch 
 went to her chamber, and unlocking a private drawer, 
 took therefrom a small ebony box, richly inlaid with 
 gold. Within, were a few articles of jewelry and a gold 
 watch. The intrinsic value of these was not great, 
 but, to Mrs. Bullfinch, they had a value not estimated 
 oy common standards. The watch had belonged to 
 her father. There was a plain gold ring in the box, a 
 gift from Henry Wellford, which she never could find 
 it in her heart to return, though, after her breach of 
 faith, she no longer considered herself privileged to 
 wear it. A cameo breast-pin, from the same source,
 
 292 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 had also been preserved ; and, likewise, a pair of neat 
 agate ear drops. These were the last lingerers in her 
 jewel-box. All else had gone to meet the common 
 wants of nature. 
 
 With what a fixed, sad look, did Mrs. Bullfinch si 
 and gaze on these memorials ! And must she part with 
 them now ? The thought was more than she could 
 bear. Suddenly shutting the box, and restoring it to 
 the drawer, she commenced moving about the room in 
 a quick manner, her countenance showing earnest 
 thought. Was there no other temporary resource but 
 this ? How earnestly was her mind searching about 
 for a way to escape the sacrifice ! After a while, she 
 paused, and bent her head, as if debating some new 
 thought. A light came into her face. 
 
 " That may do," was breathed audibly. She then 
 dressed herself to go out, and, after removing from her 
 jewel-box the ring, breast-pin, and ear-drops, and 
 restoring them to the drawer, she took the elegant 
 box and the gold watch and left the house. To the stor 
 of a well-known jeweler, in Chestnut street, where she 
 had, nofc a very long time previously, made liberal pur- 
 chases, she went direct. Something in the manner of 
 
 Mr. C , the owner of this store, had left on her a 
 
 favorable impression as to his kindness of heart, and 
 this had determined her to ask of him the particulai
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 293 
 
 favor she wished granted. He was engaged with some 
 ladies, when she entered, and she, therefore, retired 
 towards the back part of the store, to wait until, he was 
 at leisure. One of the ladies she immediately recog 
 nized as an acquaintance, with whom a few formal visits 
 had been reciprocated. Drawing her veil closer, she 
 avoided a recognition, had the lady been disposed to 
 remember her. From a momentary abstraction of 
 mind, the words, " Bridal presents," uttered by one of 
 the ladies, drew her attention. 
 
 " Oh, do let me see them, Mr. C ," was eagerly 
 
 asked. 
 
 The jeweler took from the case a few costly and ele- 
 gant articles, and exhibited them to his customers. 
 
 " Beautiful ! exquisite ! charming !" and similar words 
 of admiration reached the ears of Mrs Bullfinch. 
 
 u Who is the bride ? " was next inquired. 
 
 The tones of the jeweler were low, but the name 
 ' Miss Morgan," was distinctly heard by Mrs. Bullfinch. 
 
 " Indeed ! Oh ! I had heard of her intended mar- 
 riage," said one of the ladies. 
 
 " I wonder how her family are pleased with tha 
 match? Not wonderfully well, I should think," gos- 
 siped the other. 
 
 " Why not ? He bears an excellent character, and
 
 294 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 is conneted with one of the wealthiest houses in th 
 city." 
 
 " And yet," was replied, with a half contemptuous 
 toss of the head, " his family is nothing. He was a 
 poor young man of whom nobody had heard, when 
 taken into his present business. For my part, I won- 
 der at Sally Morgan. She has had better offers ; and 
 could, at any time, get a husband in the first social 
 rank. But there is no accounting for tastes." 
 
 " In my opinion," said the other lady, " he is quite 
 good enough for her, and, if I dared say it, too good. 
 Hers is an old family, it is true, but not without its 
 blemishes. There's some blood in it I shouldn't like to 
 have in my veins. Her uncle, as everybody knows, 
 made a wonderfully narrow escape. Most people don't 
 hesitate to say, that if he had his deserts, he would be 
 well acquainted with the walls of a state prison. But 
 people will talk." 
 
 " Yes, people will talk ; but it doesn't do to pay 
 much attention to what they say. With me, such 
 things usually go in at one ear and out at the other. 
 As for Sally Morgan, if she likes him, why, I suppose 
 it's nobody's business. She's got to live with him." 
 
 M He'll make her a good husband, without doubt," 
 was replied. 
 
 " There's no question of that," now remarked the
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 295 
 
 jeweler. " I've known Henry Wellford for some years, 
 and know him to be a true man. As for Miss Morgan, 
 I think she's made a wise choice." 
 
 Every word of this conversation was heard distinctly 
 by Mrs. Bullfinch. Its effect was marked by the fac 
 that she arose up, and, with a hand grasping tightly her 
 veil, went quickly from the store. 
 
 " What lady was that ? " inquired one of the gossip 
 ing customers, following with her eyes the retiring form 
 of Helen. "There's something familiar in her style 
 and manner." 
 
 " I don't know," replied Mr. C . " Who was it, 
 
 James ? " addressing a clerk. 
 
 M A lady who wishes to speak with you," was an- 
 swered. 
 
 " What did she want ? " 
 
 " She wished to see you, personally, about some- 
 thing." 
 
 "You don't know her?" 
 
 " I'm not positive, sir ; but I think it was Mrs. Bull 
 finch." 
 
 Mrs. Bullfinch ! " ejaculated both of the ladies at 
 ence. " I wonder if it was her ! " 
 
 " Most probably," said Mr. G . " I now recog- 
 nize the manner and appearance, although I did not
 
 296 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 see her face. Poor woman ! Fortune has played her 
 falsely." 
 
 " She's served right, and I'm glad of it," remarked 
 one of the ladies. " I've no respect nor pity for a 
 voung girl who marries an old man for his money." 
 
 " It's a little strange that she did not wait until I 
 was disengaged," said the jeweler. 
 
 " I rather think I can explain this," said the last 
 speaker. "We mentioned the approaching marriage 
 of Miss Morgan and Mr. Wellford. It is said that 
 Wellford was an old lover, and that she jilted him 
 because he was poor, and wedded old Bullfinch. It 
 must have cut her to the very core when she heard 
 that he was about to marry into one of the best fami- 
 lies in the State." 
 
 "And she in poverty and neglect," remarked tho 
 other. " So it goes. The wheel of fortune keeps turn- 
 ing. No one who is at the top to-day, can tell how 
 soon he will be at the bottom." 
 
 But enough of their remarks. When Mr. Bullfinch 
 came home at dinner-time, he found his wife lying on 
 the bed, in a state of mental and bodily prostration so 
 alarming, that he deemed it best to send immediately 
 for a physician. Of little use, however, were medical 
 Drescriptions. Days went by ere she rallied from the
 
 THK OLD MAN'S BRIDB. 297 
 
 state In which her husband found her, and weeks ere 
 she was able once more to get sufficient command of 
 her feelings to enter the path of duty, and move, with a 
 firm step, along the rugged way.
 
 CHAPTER XXYHI. 
 
 WHY the intelligence of Mr. Wellford's approaching 
 marriage should have told so disastrously on the mind 
 of Mrs. Bullfinch, we will not attempt to inform the 
 reader. That such an event was one, of all others, 
 among the likeliest to occur, she must have known. If 
 the hope, scarcely acknowledged to herself, of freedom, 
 by the death of her husband, from her present bonds, 
 and an ultimate union with the only being ever truly 
 loved as woman can love, really existed in her heart, it 
 - had received a total extinguishment. 
 
 When, at length, she awoke, once more, to a partial 
 interest in external things, and to a dim sense of duty, 
 she found that an extremity existed which made imme- 
 diate action, on her part, necessary. During the time 
 in which her mental paralysis continued, Mr. Bullfinch 
 had procured temporary supplies of money, by borrow* 
 ing small sums from old mercantile friends, after the
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 299 
 
 manner indicated in the preceding chapter. But, a 
 failure to return the little obligations, as promised, soon 
 exhausted that resource, and absolute want of food 
 made his proposal to raise a sum of money, by mort- 
 gage on their .house, one that Mrs. Bullfinch could not 
 disregard. But for the intelligence received by her at 
 the jeweler's, or rather the effect of that intelligence, she 
 would have made an effort to get a few music scholars, 
 and thus removed the necessity for selling or mortgag- 
 ing their home. To do this, was still her purpose ; but 
 she had not yet sufficient strength, either of body or 
 mind, to undertake the work, and so, after a few feeble 
 objections, consented to the execution of a mortgage 
 on the house for the sum of five hundred dollars. Her 
 husband proposed a thousand, and, for some time, con- 
 tended for that amount. But, in this, Mrs. Bullfinch 
 was decided ; so, finding further parley useless, the old 
 man contented himself with the smaller amount, on 
 receipt of which, he placed half the money in the hands 
 of his wife, retaining the rest to pay off, as he alleged, 
 sums borrowed during the preceding three months, to 
 meet the cost of living. It was quite true that he had 
 borrowed, and to the extent declared ; but, as to the 
 repayment, that was neither designed nor accomplished. 
 Scarcely a month elapsed, during which time Mr. 
 Bullfinch was in a more besotted state than usual, ere the
 
 300 THE OLD MAN'S BKIDE. 
 
 whole of his share of the five hundred dollars had dis- 
 appeared ; and he applied to his wife for money. She 
 had only one hundred dollars left; servant's wages, sun- 
 dry little amounts due to baker, milkman, and grocer, 
 with actual cost of living during the time, having 
 drawn heavily upon her resources. On hesitating to 
 comply with his wishes, he became very angry, and 
 used such threatening and abusive language, that under 
 the excitement of indignation and alarm, Mrs. Bullfinch 
 took from a drawer the purse containing all the money 
 she possessed, and tossing it to her husband, said 
 
 " There ! Take the whole of what remains. But 
 don't expect me to keep the table any longer. If you 
 come home at any time, and find no dinner prepared, 
 don't ask me for a reason." 
 
 " I said," growled the old man, as he thrust the purse 
 into his pocket, " that five hundred dollars was too 
 small a sum. The mortgage should have been for a 
 thousand." 
 
 Scarcely had the money passed from the hands of 
 Mrs. Bullfinch, ere she saw and repented of the hasty 
 act, which left her without so much as a single dollar. 
 In a little while after, her husband left the house 
 During the afternoon, he sent home a barrel of flour, 
 half a dozen hams, a basket of wine, a gallon of brandy, 
 and sundry articles of groceries. On the next morning
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 301 
 
 he went to market, and made some liberal purchases in 
 the provision line. But, beyond this, no further account 
 was made of the hundred dollars. How he was using 
 the remainder, his daily condition too plainly mad 
 manifest. 
 
 Again Mrs. Bullfinch aroused herself from the state 
 of mental inactivity into which she had fallen. Not 
 
 since the day of her visit to Mr. C 's store, had she 
 
 been abroad. Whether the marriage of Mr. Wellford 
 had taken place or not, she had never heard. It was 
 the same to her, however, for she regarded the event as 
 past. Once more she took her jewel-box, and the gold 
 watch that had been her father's, and again visited the 
 
 store of Mr. C . She found the jeweler disengaged. 
 
 He recognized her, and spoke with such real kindliest 
 of manner, that she was encouraged to utter freely hei 
 request, which was, that he would purchase of her the 
 jewel-box at as fair a price as he could afford to pay ; 
 and, also, lend her the sum of twenty-five dollars on 
 the gold watch, he having the privilege of selling it in 
 order to repay himself, if she did not return the money 
 
 in six months. To this Mr. C , whose feelings were 
 
 touched by the great change he saw in the young and 
 still beautiful face of Mrs. Bullfinch, consented without 
 an instant's hesitation. For the jewel-box, he paid her 
 twenty-five dollars.
 
 302 THE OLD MAN 8 BRIDE. 
 
 As, with a lighter heart, Mrs. Bullfinch turned to 
 leave the store, she found herself face to face with Henry 
 Wellford, and his happy young bride, who were just 
 entering the jeweler's. For a moment the eyes of Well- 
 ord and Helen rested on each other. Heart-secrets, 
 tha v , volumes could not have expressed, were read by 
 boih in that instant of time. Their paths crossed not 
 again for many years ! 
 
 Other purposes were to have been accomplished by 
 Mrs. Bullfinch on this the first occasion of her ventur- 
 ing abroad for many weeks ; but, the sudden meeting 
 with Wellford, and visible confirmation of his marriage, 
 so deeply disturbed her, that she hurried home, and 
 once more, in solitude, let the rising floods of emotion 
 sweep over her spirit. When, in a measure, their force 
 was spent, she gathered anew her mental energies, and 
 proceeded to put in execution a purpose for some time 
 entertained, which was to endeavor to procure music 
 scholars ; or, if need be, give lessons in French and 
 Spanish. She had some pride left, but not a great deal ; 
 the little that remained, kept her from going among 
 any of those with whom, during the prosperous days 
 of her husband, she was brought in social contact. To 
 whom, then, should she make known her purposes ! 
 From whom seek the aid and encouragement she 
 needed ? Towards one lady her thoughts turned, when
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 303 
 
 first this expedient was thought of, and towards her 
 they still turned. 
 
 That lady was Mrs. Barker. Helen had never met 
 her since her unhappy union with Mr. Bullfinch ; and 
 now the thought of calling upon her produced a pain- 
 ful shrinking. To expose, personally, and to Mrs. Bar- 
 ker in particular, the utter failure of ah 1 her marriage 
 hopes based upon the sand as they were was a trial 
 from which all her womanly instincts drew back. Yet, 
 as she revolved the subject, and considered all other 
 resources and expedients, the trial of calling on Mrs. 
 Barker, and soliciting her interest, seemed the least of 
 all that were presented. And so, a few days after her 
 visit to the jeweler's, she went to see that lady. 
 
 Mrs. Bullfinch ? " said Mrs. Barker, speaking to her- 
 self, as the servant retired, after announcing a visitor. 
 " Mrs. Bullfinch ? Can it be Helen Lee I " 
 
 She arose instantly and went down to the parlors. 
 The countenance of the pale, slightly-formed lady who 
 came forward to meet her, as she entered, was that of 
 a stranger in which is seen something familiar. A 
 hand was hesitatingly extended, which was taken by 
 Mrs. Barker. 
 
 " You do not rememoer me ? " said the lady. 
 
 "Why, Helen!" exclaimed Mrs. Barker. "Is it 
 possible ? Your voice is unchanged, but I would havt
 
 304 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 passed you in the street a dozen times without recogni- 
 tion." 
 
 " I am a good deal changed, I believe," Mrs. Bull- 
 finch replied, striving to speak calmly, yet betraying the 
 disturbed state of her feelings. 
 
 " Your father is " 
 
 " In a better land," was answered, in a failing 
 voice. 
 
 A few moments of silence on both sides gave Mrs. 
 Bullfinch time to regain her self-control. As soon as 
 she had done so, she said 
 
 " I have always believed, Mrs. Barker, that you felt 
 -an interest in my welfare." 
 
 " You have believed right, Helen," replied Mrs. Bar- 
 ker, with much kindness of manner " and if there is 
 anything in which I can now serve you, speak of it 
 freely." 
 
 " You are, no doubt, aware that Mr. Bullfinch has 
 failed in business." 
 
 " I heard as much ; but never learned any particu- 
 krs." 
 
 " The loss of property was total ; and with the ex- 
 ception of a small house, which the creditors generously 
 presented to me, everything passed from our posses- 
 sion." 
 
 " How unfortunate !" was the lady's simple remark.
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 305 
 
 " The misfortune," continued Helen, " took from Mr. 
 Bullfinch all mental energy. Since then, he has not 
 attempted to do business. Already we have mortgaged 
 our house, and spent the money obtained therefor. 
 Another mortgage, or a sale of the house, will produce 
 temporary aid ; but, unless I make some effort to ob- 
 tain a regular income, the end can easily be seen 
 hopeless destitution." 
 
 " My poor child !" said Mrs. Barker, in a voice so full 
 of real sympathy, that Helen's constrained feelings gave 
 way, and bursting into tears, she sobbed and wept for 
 several minutes. 
 
 How vividly, in that brief time, came the past before 
 the eyes of Mrs. Barker ! The progress of events had 
 left her in no ignorance of Helen's purpose on a former 
 visit, made a few years before. How distinctly she saw 
 her now, as she turned from her in that very room, 
 with such a hopeless air, and almost fled from the 
 house. A kind reception of the poor girl then, and a 
 patient hearkening to her petition what years of al- 
 most unimaginable suffering would it not have saved 1 
 
 " And you wish me to aid you in this purpose ?" said 
 Mrs. Barker, after Helen had grown calm. 
 
 " That is the object of my present visit, Mrs. Barker." 
 
 " Speak to me freely then, and with the assuranct 
 that all in my power to do shall be done."
 
 306 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 " Simply, then, I wish to resume my former voca 
 tion. You know my abilities as a teacher. May I 
 hope, through your aid, to obtain a few scholars ?" 
 
 " You may, Helen. My own daughters, as you may 
 suppose, no longer take lessons either in music or 
 French. But, in my large circle of friends, are many, 
 I do not doubt, who would be glad to avail of your 
 services. I will call on two or three, during to-day ; 
 and to-morrow see others. On day after to-morrow, I 
 hope to be able to make a good report. Will you 
 call 
 
 " yes. How kind you are ! I will never forget 
 you, Mi's. Barker. In our extremity how rarely do we 
 meet with a friend !" 
 
 Mi's. Bullfinch did not know how sharply these words 
 smote upon the ears of her auditor. Never forget her ! 
 How could the memory of the one who, with scarcely 
 an effort, might have saved her from a life of misery, 
 ever retire a moment from conscious thought ? 
 
 In a week from that time, Mrs. Bullfinch resumed 
 her old vocation of teacher, under the efficient patron- 
 age of Mrs. Barker. It was not long before she had 
 scholars enough to occupy all the hours she could give 
 to instruction. How earnestly and patiently she ap- 
 plied herself ; and how insensibly but surely did she 
 win her way into the regard of all with whom she be-
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 307 
 
 came associated. Her unhappy marriage relation, while 
 it repelled those who did not know her personally, as 
 evidencing something wrong in her character, excited 
 in those who did know her, a kindly sympathy. 
 
 Ah ! With what different feelings from those of old 
 experienced did she now prosecute her daily tasks 1 
 Filial love and duty then inspired her efforts, and sweet 
 was her daily reward. Now, she toiled to support an 
 old, ill-natured, besotted husband, the very sight of 
 whom was an offence to her. Urged by a stern sense 
 of duty, she went forth, each morning, and resumed her 
 uncheered tasks, and nightly returned to shiver beside 
 the domestic altar, on which an unhallowed sacrifice 
 had long since been burned to ashes. 
 
 And thus the days, weeks, months and years moved 
 on. Tears! Who would not shrink from turning 
 the leaves in Helen's book of memory during this long 
 time, and reading the record? Our hand, at least 
 shall not essay the painful task.
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 NEARLY fifteen years have passed. Few beyond 
 ordinary changes have taken place during this period. 
 Mr. Bullfinch still cumbers the ground. More and 
 more daily does his life become that of a beast, which 
 merely seeks sensual gratification. To eat and drink 
 to excess is his only enjoyment. Mrs. Bullfinch goes 
 forth daily, in patience, and from a deeply grounded 
 sense of duty, earning the food and raiment that both 
 consume. So close was the relation between income 
 and expenses for some years, that she was not able to 
 redeem the gold watch which had belonged to hei 
 father. It had been pledged for a certain time. When 
 that time passed, she considered the dear relic forfeited ; 
 and, with many secret tears, resigned it, is among her 
 heart's lost treasures. 
 
 One day about this time, Mrs. Barker, who had re- 
 named the fast friend of Mrs. Bullfinch, said to her
 
 THK OLD MAN'S BKIDB. 308 
 
 " Mrs. Wellford was asking me about you to-day 
 She has two dear little girls, whose musical education it 
 is now time to commence. She has heard you spoken 
 of so frequently, and has formed so high an opinion of 
 your ability and character, that she is particularly de- 
 sirous to have them under your care. Of course, I had 
 nothing to say but what was in your favor. The only 
 question is, as to your engaging any more scholars at 
 present. You are doing too much, for health, now." 
 
 No change was visible in the countenance or manner 
 of Mrs. Bullfinch, when this communication was made. 
 She merely bent her eyes to the floor, in thought, for 
 some moments. Then looking up, she replied 
 
 " I hardly know what ix> say, Mrs. Barker. Nearly 
 all my available time is now occupied, and it scarcely 
 seems right to crowd in any more engagements." 
 
 " Very true. But think it over for a day or two. 
 If you can undertake to give lessons to Mi's. WellforJ's 
 children, I think you will find the task an easy one, for, 
 from what I have seen of them, they appear to be 
 bright and teachable. As I said, their mother is par- 
 ticularly desirous to have you instruct them. She 
 remarked to me while speaking of the matter, that if 
 she could get them in your care, she should feel en- 
 tirely satisfied." 
 
 " I will see what can be done, and let you know in a
 
 3iO THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 few days," replied Mrs. Bullfinch. Her manner was 
 more abstracted than at first : yet no signs of emotion 
 were visible ; none, in fact, was felt. Years since, her 
 heart had acquired an even pulsation not to be easily 
 disturbed by memories of the past. 
 
 The first inclinings of Mrs. Bullfinch were against ac- 
 cepting the office of teacher to Mr. Wellford's children. 
 But, as she dwelt on the subject, her mind favored the 
 proposition ; and, in the end, she engaged to give them 
 musical instruction. In arranging the hours, unackuow- 
 ledging to herself the reason, yet acting from an in- 
 stinct of delicacy, she fixed upon those during which 
 the father of the children would be occupied in busir 
 ness, and, therefore, away from home. 
 
 " Don't you think I'm fortunate ?" said Mrs. Well- 
 ford to her husband, after she had made an arrange- 
 ment with Mrs. Bullfinch. 
 
 " In what respect ?" he inquired. 
 
 " In regard to Maggy and Ella. Mrs. Bullfinch was 
 here this morning, and has agreed to undertake thei 
 musical education." 
 
 " She has !" 
 
 Mr. Wellford spoke with a degree of surprise that 
 caused his wife to say 
 
 " Why, what has possessed you to believe that she 
 wouldn't teach our children ?"
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDK. 311 
 
 " I understood that she already had more scholars 
 than she was able to attend to," repfied Mr. Wellfoi~, 
 smiling. " Even you were in doubt as to whether her 
 services could be procured." 
 
 "True enough. And yet there seemed to be, ii 
 your mind, some reason beyond this. However, wt 
 won't quarrel about that," Mrs. Wellford added, in a 
 pleased tone of voice. "She has promised to come, 
 and, from all I have heard of her, I think, as I said at 
 first, we're fortunate. There's something very interest- 
 ing about her ; and I don't wonder that she attaches 
 almost every one. I was drawn towards her at first 
 sight. So gentle, so retiring, yet so self-possessed and 
 lady-like. I wonder what could have induced her to 
 marry that old man 3" 
 
 " His money, it is said," remarked Mr. Wellford. 
 
 " It doesn't seem possible that she could have been 
 so mercenary. If that were her reason, how sadly sho 
 has been disappointed !" 
 
 " Sadly enough, without doubt," replied Mr. Well- 
 ford, speaking partly to himself. 
 
 " I am sure she never could have loved him." 
 
 " Loved him 1 No. She must have loathed him in 
 her heart !" 
 
 " I can scarcely believe that of her," said Mrs. Well-
 
 312 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 ford. " If she had loathed him, she never would have 
 married him." 
 
 " I don't know. The pressure upon her may have 
 been very great. Her father was poor and in ill-health. 
 From her slender income as a teacher, came the entire 
 support of the family. Filial love alone, I am sure, 
 prompted the act. For the sake of her parents, she 
 sacrificed herself." 
 
 " That was an error," remarked Mrs. Wellford. 
 
 " An error !" said her husband, warmly. " Nay, it 
 was more than an error it was a crime." 
 
 " You speak strongly." 
 
 " Not too strongly, as I view these matters. To wed 
 thus where there was neither sympathy nor respect 
 on her part, to say nothing of love, was an act so di- 
 rectly in violation of every law of nature, that I can de- 
 signate it by no word of softer import than crime." 
 
 " If you were to look into her face," said Mrs. Well- 
 ford, smiling, " you would hardly find it in your heart 
 to call her a criminal." 
 
 "Perhaps not. Doubtless, she has long since re- 
 pented in dust and ashes. Poor thing ! If all that ia 
 said of her husband's habits and conduct be true, she 
 has led a sad life of it. But, when is she to commence 
 giving Maggy and Ella lessons ?" 
 
 " She will begin day after to-morrow.
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 318 
 
 At what hour ?" 
 
 " Twelve o'clock." 
 
 " Does that suit you best ?" 
 
 " It will suit Mrs. Bullfinch best." 
 
 " Your expectations are high," said Mr. Wellford. 
 " I hope all will come out to your satisfaction." 
 
 I have no fears on that score. Wherever, among 
 my acquaintances, she has given lessons, every one is 
 pleased. That I shall be so likewise, I do not, in the 
 least, doubt," 
 
 " Nor do I," remarked her husband. " She is spoken 
 of in the highest teims by persons in whose judgment 
 we ought to have every confidence. With you, I think 
 we are fortunate in securing her services for our chil- 
 dren." 
 
 A few days afterwards, Mr. Wellford said to hia 
 wife 
 
 "What about Mrs. Bullfinch? Did she come ac- 
 cording to engagement ?" 
 
 "No." 
 
 " Did not come 3" 
 
 " I've seen nothing of her since she was here to make 
 arrangements about the lessons." 
 
 " A little singular, is it not ?" 
 
 I think so. 
 
 " She may be sick." 
 14
 
 314 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 Mrs Wellford did not reply, and her husband, after 
 musing for some time, opened the morning paper, 
 which a servant had just handed in, and commenced 
 running his eyes over the columns. Suddenly, ha 
 made an ejaculation of surprise. Then, looking up, he 
 said 
 
 " I can explain this absence of Mrs. Bullfinch." 
 
 " In what way ?" asked his wife. 
 
 " Her husband is dead." 
 
 "Dead!" 
 
 " Yes, here it is. ' Died, suddenly, Adam Bullfinch 
 late merchant of Philadelphia.' " 
 
 " Not many tears will fall over his grave," said Mrs. 
 Wellford. " Even if his wife stood, with dry eyes, be- 
 side it, no one would feel surprised." 
 
 Mr. Wellford made no answer. A short time his 
 mind seemed lost in reverie. Then he resumed the 
 reading of his newspaper.
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 AND so the bond was severed at last the chain, 
 whose heavy links had galled and fretted for over twenty 
 years, broken. Twenty years and every cycle an age 
 of misery ! Twenty years ! Begun in paralyzing fear, 
 continued in disgust, and ending in horror. What a 
 history ! Yes, ending in horror for Adam Bullfinch 
 died the most terrible of all deaths. We will not take 
 you, reader, to his bedside, as he wrestled in the 
 last agony, nor pain your ears with his cries of terror as 
 he vainly strove to escape the haunting demons created 
 in that wild delirium the drunkard's madness. No 
 no. Over that we must throw a veil. Enough, that, to 
 the very dregs, Mrs. Bullfinch drank the bitter cup her 
 own hands had placed to her lips. Faithful even to 
 the end did she remain, as few could have remained 
 faithful. It would be idle to say that the death of her 
 husband caused an emotion of grief. She wept not
 
 316 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 when the earth went rattling down upon his coffin-lid 
 she sighed not as she turned from his half-filled grave. 
 But, oh ! how sad how unutterably sad was her heart I 
 Compared with her frozen, desolate state of feeling, 
 grief for the loss of an intensely loved object were a 
 luxury of the mind ! 
 
 Duty had sustained her. In patient obedience to 
 what she saw to be right, she had found strength to 
 bear the almost crushing weight that was laid upon her. 
 And now that her husband was dead now that there 
 existed no longer a necessity for unremitting effort on 
 her part, the first impulse was to fold her arms, and 
 sink into inactivity. This, however, was but the weak- 
 ness of an hour. She had not been so long in the 
 school of obedience, without learning some lessons of 
 duty that went beyond the narrow circle of home. 
 Valued as a wise and judicious teacher, and aware of 
 the important use she was performing, she was quick to 
 see that, neither in justice to herself nor society, could 
 she now retire from her position. And so, after the 
 few days' seclusion that a decent respect for the mem- 
 ory of her husband prompted her to observe, she went 
 forth again, and resumed her duties. But little change 
 beyond another shadow on her quiet, sober face, was 
 visible. No one made allusion to the death of her hus- 
 band, and to none she spoke of it. Not even in the
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 317 
 
 case of Mrs. Wellford, was a reason asked or given as 
 to why the first engagement was not kept. 
 
 Until now, Mrs. Bullfinch had not seen the two little 
 girls of Mr. Wellford, the oldest in her thirteenth year, 
 who were to come under her immediate instruction. 
 When presented to her, she was struck with the pecu- 
 liar sweetness and innocence of their faces. They had 
 the large, dark eyes, broad forehead and slightly reced- 
 ing under lip and chin of their father, with the fair 
 complexion of the mother. As she took their hands, 
 and gazed into their faces, she felt her heart leap 
 towards them, and a gentle glow of love pass with its 
 delightful warmth throughout her entire being. 
 
 " They are good children, Mrs. Bullfinch," said the 
 mother, speaking aside, and in a voice low enough not 
 to reach their ears. Then she added, aloud u I'm sure 
 they will be obedient and attentive. And I shall expect 
 them to learn very fast You will give them a lesson 
 this morning ? " 
 
 " I have come for that purpose," replied Mrs. Bull- 
 finch. 
 
 " As your time is valuable, I will leave you to begin 
 at once," said Mrs. Wellford, rising. " Now, try your 
 best, dears," she added, in a voice blending affection and 
 pride. A little while the mother stood looking at her 
 children, and then left the room. Upon her retreating
 
 318 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 form the eyes of Mrs. Bullfinch lingered, with a look 
 of interest ; and even after she had withdrawn, her 
 gaze remained fixed, for some moments, upon the door 
 through which she had passed. A deeper inspiration 
 ban usual marked the return of thoughts to a more 
 lirect perception of the present and its duties. 
 
 Never, perhaps, had she felt a deeper interest in pu- 
 pils committed to her care ; never, perhaps, imparted 
 instruction with a purer sense of pleasure. And the 
 children seemed conscious of something that made her 
 more to them than a stranger. Their manner of fixing 
 their large, soft, loving eyes, with an intent, inquiring 
 gaze upon her face, embarrassed her at times, while it 
 stirred her heart more deeply. 
 
 Once or twice, during the hour devoted to the first lea- 
 sons, Mrs. Wellford came in to observe their progress. 
 She, too, as well as the children, felt drawn towards 
 Mrs. Bullfinch by an internal and irresistible attraction, 
 
 " How do you like your new teacher ? " asked Mr, 
 "Wellford, when, on coming home, at dinner-time, his 
 children crowded around him. 
 
 " Oh, she's elegant ! " exclaimed little Ella, gaily. " I 
 do like her so." 
 
 " Elegant ? What do you mean by that sis ! " said 
 her father.
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 819 
 
 " She's good and nice ; and I like her," repKed the 
 child, warmly. 
 
 " And what do you say, Maggy ? " 
 
 " I like her very much," replied the elder of the two 
 children. " She is so kind and patient. I'm sure we 
 shall learn very fast." 
 
 " I'm sure I hope you will," said Mr. Wellford. 
 
 "There's something very interesting aWt her," 
 remarked Mrs. Wellford. " I never met a stranger who, 
 at first, attracted me so strongly. I think her a very 
 superior woman." 
 
 Mr. Wellford did not reply, but he gazed into his 
 wife's face with a look of tenderness, and laying his open 
 hand on her forehead, smoothed with a caressing mo- 
 tion, the glossy hair that covered her snowy temples. 
 
 In a little while, the topic of conversation was 
 changed. 
 
 And, now, in the common course of events, Mrs. Bull- 
 finch came to the house of Mr. Wellford as often as 
 twice in each week ; and, at each renewed visit, the 
 children grew more and more into her affection, while 
 her coming was ever hailed by them with pleasure. 
 And so it went on for months even years ; yet not 
 once, during the time, had the father of Maggy and 
 Ella met their teacher, of whom they always had so 
 much to say. Frequently had Mrs. Wellford sought to
 
 320 THE OI/D MAN'S BRTDK. 
 
 draw her within the social sphere of the family : but she 
 would only come professionally, and lingered scarcely a 
 moment after her duties were done. In her manner, 
 Mrs. Wellford often thought there was something 
 strange something that indicated a motive for not 
 wishing to remain an instant longer than was necessary 
 to give her lessons. Several times she had observed 
 her start, and listen, as if off her guard, when the street- 
 door opened. And once, in particular, she remarked 
 that a sudden flush came into her face, as the voice of 
 Mr. Wellford was heard in the passage. But, happily, 
 she was in total ignorance of the f ct that her husband 
 and Mrs. Bullfinch had ever met, except casually, and 
 as strangers.
 
 CHAPTEE XXXI. 
 
 M FORTY-FIVE years old. Oh, life ! life ! Eow 
 smoothly, for some, the stream glides how roughly 
 for others 1" 
 
 It was early in an autumnal day ; a thin, golden haze 
 was in the atmosphere ; no breeze stirred in the mapld 
 branches that spread themselves before the window, 
 near which Mrs. Bullfinch wa< sitting, yet leaf after 
 leaf, yellow from the first touch of frost, was dropping 
 away, and fluttering to the ground. 
 
 " Forty-five years old, to-day," she repeated. "At 
 sixty, my heart should not have been so withered and 
 sapless. Oh ! what a desecration of a whole life." 
 
 She struck her hand hard upon her bosom, adding-*- 
 
 " Such a trampling down, and tearing up by the roots 
 of luxuriant affection ! Long ere this, the vine would 
 have spread itself over the very topmost branches of 
 its sustaining tree !
 
 322 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 u But, peace, peace !" she murmured, her whole 
 manner growing calmer under a strong effort of the 
 still potent will. " Poor heart ! Have done with thy 
 bootless throbbings." 
 
 And, saying this, she arose, and commenced making 
 preparations to go out, and enter upon her daily round 
 of duties as a teacher. After giving lessons at two 
 places, she went to Mr. Wellford's. She had three 
 scholars there now. A well-known physician's carriage 
 stood at the door. On entering, she noticed that the 
 servant who admitted her looked unusually sober. 
 
 " Is any one sick ?" inquired Mrs. Bullfinch. 
 
 "Oh, yes ma'am," was replied. "Mrs. Wellford is 
 very ill." 
 
 " Not dangerously, I hope." 
 
 " I'm afraid so, ma'am," answered the servant. 
 "The doctor has been here for two hours; and Mrs. 
 Wellford looks dreadfully." 
 
 "What ails her ?" asked Mrs. Bullfinch. 
 
 " She's been poorly, and drooping about, you know, 
 for some time, Mrs. Bullfinch. Poor thing ! She's lost 
 flesh amazingly of late, as you've no doubt seen. Well, 
 yesterday was Ella's birth-day, and the children had a 
 little party last night. They were all very happy ; and 
 I never saw Mrs. Wellford enjoy herself more in my 
 life. The party broke up about ten o'clock, and soon
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 323 
 
 after the company went away, all the children were in 
 bed. It was near eleven o'clock when Mr. and Mrs. 
 Wellford left the parlors. In a little while after they 
 were in their room, I heard a noise up stairs, as if a 
 chair had been knocked over, and then Mr. Wellford 
 called for the waiter in such a quick, loud voice, that we 
 were all frightened, and ran to see what was the matter. 
 On going into their chamber, I saw Mrs. Wellford lying 
 on the bed, her face as white as a sheet, and the blood 
 running out of her mouth. I was so frightened that I 
 screamed and ran down stairs. 'Run for the doctor!' 
 I heard Mr. Wellford say. And, in a minute, tho 
 waiter came flying down stairs, and out at the front 
 door as fast as he could run." 
 
 " She had broken s blood vessel !" said Mrs. Bull- 
 finch. 
 
 " Yes, ma'am. That is what ailed her. The doctor 
 staid with her all night' and came again early this 
 morning. They say he hasn't much hope of her." 
 
 " No one is allowed to see her, of course !" 
 
 " O, no, ma'am. She's too sick for that. We all go 
 about on tip -toe, as it were; and nurse keeps the child- 
 ren as still as little mice." 
 
 "I'm verry sorry," said Mrs. Bullfinch, who was start- 
 led and deeply pained by this alarming intelligence. 
 The longer and more intimately she had known Mrs.
 
 324 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 Wellford, the higher had been her estimation of her 
 character. Almost as a sister she loved her ; though 
 never with the freedom of a sister had she felt privi- 
 leged to give voice to her affections. 
 
 " I am very sorry," she repeated. 
 
 Then adding " Of course no lessons can be given 
 here to-day ; so I will return home. But, if I could be 
 of any use ! " 
 
 This last sentence was spoken in an earnest voice, so 
 earnest, that, unconsciously, the tones were slightly ele- 
 vated, and reached the ears of Mr. Wellford, who at 
 the moment was passing one of the landings on the 
 stairway, but a little distance from the place where she 
 stood, in the hall. He came down immediately, calling 
 her name as he did so. His countenance was pale and 
 haggard, his eyes humid, and everything about him 
 showed anxiety and alarm. 
 
 " Of use, Mrs. Bullfinch ? " he said" yes ; you 
 can be of great use. Will you not come up and stay 
 with my poor wife, if it is only for a little while ? She 
 has whispered your name once or twice." 
 
 " Will not my presence disturb her ? " asked Mrs. 
 Bullfinch. 
 
 " O no ; it will prevent disturbance from otners. Oh, 
 if you could only remain with her, how thankful I 
 would be ! "
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 325 
 
 There was 110 resisting this appeal of the distressed 
 husband. Mrs. Bullfinch removed her shawl and bon- 
 net, and with light steps passed up to the sick chamber. 
 As she entered the door, the white face of Mrs. Well- 
 ford, white almost as the snowy pillow on which she 
 lay, startled her with its deathliness, even prepared, as 
 she was, for the change. A faint smile was instantly 
 visible, and the lips of the invalid moved; but Mrs. 
 Bullfinch placed a finger on her own lips to enjoin 
 silence. Coming softly to the bedside, she stooped 
 down, and kissed her. The tender impulse that 
 prompted this act, was too sudden and too strong to be 
 resisted. It was the 'token of a deeper love than she 
 had ever been free to express. The hand that lay in 
 hers taken as she bent to her lips gave back a quick 
 pressure ; and in a faint whisper, Mrs. Wellford said 
 
 " Don't leave me." 
 
 "I will not leave you," was the low but earnest 
 reply, which was answered by a grateful look. And Mr. 
 Wellford said 
 
 " We shall ever remember your kindness, Mrs. Bull- 
 finch." 
 
 In a little while the appearance of the room, the bed, 
 and the person of the invalid underwent a change ; 
 and this, without apparent effort or obtrusiveness on tlie 
 part of Mrs. Bullfinch. As she moved about, in he*
 
 326 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 quiet way, the eyes of the physician were on her. A 
 Blight forward motion of his head, showed that he waa 
 satisfied with the observation. 
 
 " Mr. Wellford," said he, on leaving the room, " a 
 good nurse is more to the doctor, often, than his medi- 
 cine. It will be more in this case. As you hope for 
 the recovery of your wife, retain this lady with her ; at 
 least for a few days." 
 
 " She will not leave her, I am sure," replied Mr. 
 Wellford. " But, at your next visit, will you not, your- 
 self, say how much depends on her remaining with my 
 wife?" 
 
 " I shall not fail in that," said the doctor, as, after 
 promising to return in a couple of hours, he went away. 
 
 But, it was neither in the power of medicine nor 
 good nursing to save the failing wife and mother. The 
 vital forces, already running low, had been too much 
 exhausted by this effusion from the lungs. Instead of 
 rallying, it was soon too evident, that the time of her de- 
 parture was near at hand that a few days, at most, must 
 close her earthly pilgrimage. Five children, the young 
 est but a year old, made up the number of bright jewels in 
 the mother's crown. To leave these, even with a father 
 who tenderly loved and wisely cared for them Oh, 
 what a trial ! When first the painful truth was coin
 
 THE OLD MAN ? 8 BRIDE. 327 
 
 municated, it seemed, for a time, more than she could 
 bear. 
 
 " My dear, dear husband ! " she sobbed, as, with her 
 arms clasped tightly around his neck, she drew his face 
 down to hers, and wet it with her tears. " I canno 
 leave you. And my children my babe ! Oh, 
 Henry ! 
 
 How weak are words of consolation offered at such 
 an hour, and in view of a separation like this I After 
 the first gush of feeling was over, Mr. Wellford whis- 
 pered 
 
 " We must look upwards. God will give us strength 
 for the trial." 
 
 As he spoke, the tremor in his voice, if it betrayed 
 not his want of confidence in the Divine aid to which 
 he referred, showed the weakness of nature. 
 
 The certainty of approaching dissolution, usually 
 brings calmness of feeling, and clearness of thought It 
 is a wise and merciful provision, that death, which we 
 view at a distance with so much dread, loses its terrors 
 in drawing near. It is no longer a grim monster, bu* 
 an angel of mercy, to take us lovingly by the hand and 
 lead us safely along the dark passage that opens into 
 the brighter world of spirits. How rarely, in the clos- 
 ing hour, dwells the mind on dissolution how insensi- 
 bly it risea into thoughts of eternal life ! Words of
 
 328 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 consolation come with higher meanings ; and there ia 
 given a trust in Hjm who doeth all things well, pro- 
 found enough to still the tempest of emotion even in a 
 mother's bosom. 
 
 And it was so in the present case. 
 
 True to her promise, Mrs. Bullfinch did not leave the 
 wasting invalid, during the two weeks that she lingered 
 among the beloved ones who, even while they clung to 
 her, felt their hold gradually giving way. Other friends, 
 and near and dear relatives, were with her ; but, to the 
 dying one, no hand was laid upon her with such a gen- 
 tle, loving pressure, no voice was so soothing, no minis- 
 tration so satisfying as that of Mrs. Bullfinch. And yet, 
 how unobtrusively all was done ! 
 
 One day, it was near the closing hour, Mrs. Wellford 
 found herself, for a short time, alone with her gentle at- 
 tendant. A few minutes before, the nurse had taken 
 little Henry, her youngest born, from the room. She 
 had kissed him, and then shut her eyes tightly to keep 
 tears from flowing over her cheeks. Opening her eyes 
 at length, she said, her tones slightly tremulous, 
 
 " It is a hard, hard trial, my kind, good friend ! 
 How can I leave these dear ones ? Who can fill my 
 place to them ? " 
 
 " I can give but this answer, replied Mis. Bullfinch,
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE, 329 
 
 in her low even tones. " There is One who loves them 
 with a love exceeding even that of a mother." 
 
 " I know, I know. Yet, is not my love to be an 
 instrument for their good ? While life remains, should 
 not my thoughts regard their future ? " 
 
 " It should." 
 
 " My friend" Mrs. Wellford took the hand of Mrs. 
 Bullfinch, pressing it tightly in her own, while her eyes 
 were fixed intently upon her face. " If I could know 
 that they were in your care ! At Maggy's age the wis- 
 dom of a mother's love is needed, quite as much as its 
 tenderness at the age of dear little Henry. They love 
 you, they confide in you; and love and confidence 
 would make them obedient to your every word. Oh ! 
 Mrs. Bullfinch, if I knew they would henceforth be in 
 your wise and loving guardianship, I could pass away 
 without a sigh." 
 
 Mrs. Wellford felt the low thrill that came instantly 
 into the hand she clasped so tightly. But, she did not 
 know its meaning, nor comprehend the change of ex- 
 ression that passed over the face of her companion. 
 
 What a request to make, and that, too, of one who 
 had, for more than twenty years, loved, with a hopeless, 
 yet undying love, the father of the children she now 
 wished to leave in her keeping I Mrs. Bullfinch were
 
 330 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 more than mortal not to have experienced a profound 
 agitation. But what could she reply ? 
 
 The disturbance of feeling bewildered her thought. 
 Moreover, as the disturbance went deeper, she clearly 
 saw its origin in a yet unextinguished interest in Henry 
 Wellford ; and a wave, burdened with anguish from a 
 sense of guilt, swept across her mind. Closing her 
 eyes, she looked up, and, in silence, prayed for strength 
 and guidance. 
 
 " You do not answer me," said Mrs. Wellford, in a 
 voice of suspense. 
 
 " How can I answer you ? " replied Mrs. Bullfinch. 
 Then she added, with less feeling 
 
 " You leave them in a safer and wiser guardianship 
 that of their own father." 
 
 " I know I know ! " was quickly answered. " But 
 you understand all I can and would say. A father can- 
 not supply the mother's place to his children. They ever 
 need a woman's care, a woman's love. I know my hus- 
 band will confide in you entirely that he will trust to 
 your judgment and the children they all love you. 
 Sometimes I have been almost jealous of their attach- 
 ment; and half jestingly, half in earnest, said that they 
 loved you better than they loved their mother. So far 
 as your worldly interests are concerned, be sure they 
 will not suffer. I have property in my own right
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 331 
 
 say that you will become the personal guardian of my 
 children, and I will endow you with a liberal income." 
 
 " Speak not of that ! " said Mrs. Bullfinch, putting 
 up a hand, and averting her face, that the pleading 
 mother might not see its expression. " With me, these 
 selfish and worldly considerations have long since, I 
 trust, ceased to have influence." 
 
 " Then why not give your promise ? " 
 
 "Because," replied she, in a voice that was very 
 low only in the diminished tone was steadiness ac- 
 quired " another will than ours must give consent" 
 
 " Another ! whose ? 0, yes. I see ! My husband ! " 
 
 Yes." 
 
 u If," said Mrs. Wellford, slowly and solemnly, 
 " when I am no more among these household treasures, 
 he asks you to take my place with them, as far as that 
 may be, will you answer yes ? " 
 
 Many minutes passed before there was any answer. 
 The dying mother saw not her countenance dreamed 
 not of what was passing in her heart. At last Mrs. 
 Bullfinch said, feebly, and as if the answer had cost a 
 powerful struggle 
 
 " It shall be as you wish." 
 
 "Thank God! I can die in peace!" came exult- 
 ingly from the mothee's lips. "Thank God!" she 
 repeated. " Thank God ! "
 
 332 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 Motionless, almost as a statue, Mrs. Bullfinch remained. 
 A way was opening before her, the very thought of 
 treading which half suspended her respiration. When, 
 at length, she turned to meet the grateful, confiding 
 looks of Mrs. Wellford, her eyes sunk beneath the ear- 
 est gaze that was fixed upon her ; while she felt the 
 warm blood mounting to her face. The entrance of 
 Mr. Wellford, at the moment, gave her a fitting oppor- 
 tunity to retire. Alone, in earnest self-communion, she 
 remained for some time. When she entered the sick 
 chamber again, her heart was beating with even pulses.
 
 CHAPTEK XXXIL 
 
 THE night that followed this solemn interview, broke 
 not again for the wife and mother not again in this 
 world. To her, there came a better and a brighter 
 morning than dawned for the sorrowing ones she left 
 behind. 
 
 The last act of Mrs. Wellford made the way plain 
 for Mrs. Bullfinch. She dictated a will, by the pro- 
 visions of which a generous income for life was secured 
 to her, and in which she solemnly committed her chil- 
 dren to her care. Mrs. Bullfinch had already given her 
 promise that, if desired by Mr. Wellford to do so, sho 
 would meet the mother's dying wishes. That desire 
 was expressed in language not to be misunderstood. 
 
 In a little more than a month after the death of Mrs. 
 Wellford, Mr. Latta came home from England, with his 
 health so much impaired that his physician said he 
 must, for the present, give up all earnest application to
 
 334 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 business. It being necessary for the house to be repre- 
 sented abroad, it was determined that Mr. Wellford 
 should take his place for a few months. 
 
 Short as the time had been since Mrs. Bullfinch as- 
 sumed her new position in his family short as the 
 time had been, it was yet long enough to give birth in 
 the mind of Mi 1 . Wellford to certain emotions that dis- 
 turbed and pained him. Tenderly as he loved his wife, 
 and faithful to her in every thought as he had been 
 he discovered, already, a newly awakening interest in 
 her for whom his heart had first poured out the gush- 
 ing waters of affection. Not that, in any respect, Mrs. 
 Bullfinch sought to bend a single thought to herself. 
 Faithful to her trust, as the guardian and friend of his 
 children, she was devoting her life to them with a ten- 
 derness and assiduity that never for a moment grew 
 weary. Towards him, she was reserved, though not 
 cold; deferential, but not constrained. None knew 
 better than she, the virtues, the sweet attractions, the 
 loving qualities of her who had been taken from him ; 
 and had she thought, that, in so brief a time after her 
 removal, his heart was turning to her with a single 
 pulse beating with old emotions, instantly her high re- 
 spect for his character would have been dimmed. 
 
 " Mrs. Bullfinch," said he, one day, about six weeks 
 after the death of his wife, " I shall be obliged to leave,
 
 THK OLD MAN'S BRTDR. 335 
 
 almost immediately, for England. Mr. Latta has como 
 home in very bad health, and the doctor enjoins positive 
 relaxation from business. The interests of the house 
 require a resident partner abroad ; I must, therefore, 
 take his place for a short time. It will leave on you 
 additional care and responsibility, which I regret ; but 
 I hope to be borao again in two or three months. I 
 have concluded to iako Maggy with me. She is not 
 only old enough to ecjoj* a trip across the water, but to 
 receive benefit therefrom."* 
 
 An expression of regret eame to the lips of Mrs. Bull- 
 finch, but she checked its u'teruspe^ and remained 
 silent. 
 
 " My only trouble about Maggy is, the want of a 
 suitable companion to accompany her. I &*iaJl, foi th 
 greater part of almost every day, be necessarily aheect 
 from her business being the object of my visit." 
 
 " She is just at that age," said Mrs. Bullfinch, " when 
 she ought not to be thrown among strangers without a 
 judicious companion of her own sex." 
 
 " You are right there," replied Mr. Wellford, in a 
 voice that showed a sudden conviction of the truth in- 
 volved in her remark. " Right right" he added. 
 Then he sighed, and remained lost in thought for some 
 time. 
 
 " I wish I could take all with me," he said, in some
 
 336 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 animation, as if he were really serious in the suggestion. 
 And, for the moment, he was. 
 
 " Had not all better remain ?" said Mrs. Bullfinch. 
 " You will not be gone a very long time. Maggy ia 
 still at school ; and, though passed seventeen, but a 
 school girl, and ignorant of the world and its wiles. 
 Will it be wise to interrupt her studies now in fact, 
 to end them, for she will not be able to study again 
 or safe to trust her alone, as she must so much of her 
 time be, and among strangers, of whose characters you 
 can never be sure ? 71 
 
 " No, Mrs. Bullfinch, it will not," was the father's 
 emphatic answer. "You are right right. I thought 
 more of myself than of my child, when I proposed to 
 take her with me. " Well" and he sighed " I must 
 go alone. The separation from my children will be 
 painful. Yet I shall have one comfort ; she, with 
 whom I leave them, will be faithful to her trust. 
 
 " If tempted to unfaithfulness," said Mrs. Bullfinch, 
 solemnly, " I will think of their mother, as present, and 
 remember the hour when her treasures were committed, 
 in tears, to my keeping." 
 
 " I thank you, in her name, for your earnest love, 
 and untiwng faithfulness," said Mr. Wellford, with emo- 
 tion " It will take away much of the pain of separa-
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 837 
 
 kion to know, that even a mother's love could not more 
 wisely guard my household treasures." 
 
 Fortunately, Mr. Wellford had not spoken to his 
 oldest daughter of his wish to have her accompany him 
 to England. The more he reflected on the matter, the 
 more clearly he saw that Mrs. Bullfinch was right ; and 
 the more thankful did he feel that his children had 
 come under the immediate guardianship of one whose 
 love made her so jealous over them for good. 
 
 In the short period that elapsed ere Mr. Wellford 
 bade adieu U> his family, it became necessary for him to 
 have frequent, earnest, and familiar conference with 
 Mrs. Bullfinch. Many directions had to be given, and 
 on many subjects information was sought. Necessarily 
 their minds came into closer contact, and each saw, 
 without the effort to see, more deeply into the other's 
 thoughts. 
 
 " There is one thing that I must require of you," said 
 Mr. Wellford, on the day he was to leave, " and that 
 is a weekly letter, telling me all about my children. It 
 will be some compensation for the weary absence I 
 hall suffer." 
 
 " Maggy will write you," replied Mrs. Bullfinch. 
 
 " True ; but, she can only write her own thoughts 
 nd feelings. She can only speak of home from the 
 pint of view at which she sees it. You can tell me
 
 838 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDK. 
 
 hundred things of interest that she would never notice. 
 I will write to you my views and wishes in regard to 
 my children, and you must give me pictures of home." 
 
 Mrs. Bullfinch hesitated still, hut he extorted' the 
 promise. When the hour of parting at length came, 
 and the father, melted into unwonted tenderness as he 
 kissed and embraced his children for the last time, took 
 finally, the hand of Mrs. Bullfinch, he said, aa he 
 grasped it tightly 
 
 / " I leave all with you I trust all to your keeping 
 I do not say be faithful. The word would wrong you. 
 Farewell I" 
 
 The close pressure of his hand was but slightly re- 
 turned. She did not lift her eyes to his face, nor trust 
 her voice in response. 
 
 " Farewell ; and God bless you all !" added Mr. 
 Wellford, with deep emotion, as he turned away, and 
 burned from the presence of his family.
 
 CHAPTER XXXIIL 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 MONTH after month went by, and still Mr. Wellford 
 remained abroad. The health of Mr. Latta continuing 
 feeble, his physician still enjoined relaxation from busi- 
 ness, or, at most, a very moderate devotion of thought 
 and effort in that direction. He could not, therefore, 
 relieve Mr. Wellford. More than a year had elapsed, 
 and yet the father was absent from his family, though 
 yearning in heart to be with his beloved ones again. 
 From loneliness and home-sickness he had suffered 
 greatly this separation adding to the pain of his sad 
 Dereavementv 
 
 Mrs. Bullfinch had been true to her promise, in writ- 
 ing once a week. Every steamer brought him a letter, 
 in which were faithful pen-pictures of what was passing 
 at home. The progress of each child iu its education,
 
 340 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 and most of its sayings and doings that were at all 
 likely to interest the absent father, were recorded. 
 Little faults and defects of character were, likewise, at 
 times, set forth to view, and his advice sought as to the 
 best modes of correction. She gave him, too, an ac- 
 count of household matters, and a monthly statement 
 of expenses. Of the latter, he more than once said, in 
 his letters, that it was needless, as he had every confi- 
 dence in her, and knew that she was faithful and con- 
 scientious in all things. Still the statements were never 
 omitted. 
 
 In regard to the tone of her letters, Mr. "Wellford 
 was, in some respects, not altogether so well pleased. 
 They had always struck him as cold ; but this coldness 
 seemed, as time wore on, to increase. Her letters, too, 
 became briefer, and more formal, while, in writing to . 
 her, his own had, almost unconsciously to himself, ac- 
 quired a greater freedom and a warmer familiarity. 
 
 As the time of his absence was still prolonged, Mr. 
 Wellford wrote to have a daguerreotype of each of his 
 children taken and sent to him. This was accordingl 
 done. With -what eager and trembling hands did the 
 father open the welcome package when it came. There 
 were five separate pictures, one of each of his children, 
 from Maggy, the oldest, a beautiful young woman, 
 down to dear, dear, little Harry, the youngest born,
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 34 \ 
 
 and, if that were possible, best beloved. If tears dimmed 
 the father's eyes, as he gazed upon the faces of his 
 children, thus pictured for him to the very life, it wa 
 no unmanly weakness. Most of all, the youngest 
 seemed changed. A year in a baby's life is a long 
 period. He looked a great deal older, yet, oh, how 
 much more beautiful ! His large, heavenly eyes, his 
 wealth of soft curls, clustering about his neck, and fall- 
 ing over his shoulders, his arching lips that seemed just 
 about to speak to him ah 1 came upou him like a living 
 reality. 
 
 But there was another small package, carefully tied 
 and sealed, and Mr. Wellford knew the direction thereon 
 to be in the hands of his oldest daughter. Opening 
 this, he found, within, a letter from Maggy, and what 
 startled and thrilled him with a strange, yet exquisitely 
 pleased, emotion, another daguerreotype, containing two 
 figures, those of Mrs. Bullfinch and little Harry 1 
 
 The child was sitting in her lap, with his head partly 
 turned, so that he could look into her face, and the look 
 was one slightly anxious, yet full of confiding love. 
 But it was the face of Mrs. Bullfinch that more particu- 
 larly attracted and chained the eyes of Mr. Wellford. 
 So calm, so pure, so elevated, so spiritual in its beauty 1 
 It reminded him of one of Raphael's Madonnas. In- 
 stantly, there flowed back upou his heart, in a strong
 
 342 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 flood, the waters which, for so many years, had been 
 pent up. He kissed, fervently, the pictured face, and, 
 as he did so, murmured 
 
 " Helen ! Helen ! There has been a great gulf. But 
 it is bridged over at last 1" 
 
 Opening now the letter of Maggy, he read 
 
 " MY DEAR, DEAR FATHER : If dear, good Mrs 
 Bullfinch knew what I was doing, she would scold me 
 dreadfully no, not scold, for she never spoke a cross 
 word in her life, I'm sure. But if she knew what I was 
 doing, she would be displeased and hurt. I send you 
 her daguerreotype, with our sweet little Harry sitting 
 on her lap. I asked her to let me send it, but she 
 looked half frightened, and said, ' No, indeed, Maggy ; 
 not for the world !' But I was bent on your seeing it, 
 so I went out, one day, and had a duplicate made and 
 here it is ! Doesn't she look well ? How we all do 
 love her ! 
 
 " And now let me tell you how it came that her 
 picture was taken. We all went to sit for our da- 
 guerreotypes, to be sent to you. When it came to 
 Harry's turn, he was so frightened that we couldn't get 
 him to sit in the chair. We tried for some time. At 
 last, without thinking what would be the result, Mrs. 
 Bullfinch sat down, and took him on her lap. The pie-
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 343 
 
 ture was taken, and, of course, we had Mrs. Bullfinch 
 as well as Harry. We all said that was just as it should 
 be ; but she and I never saw her face in such a beau- 
 tiful glow as it was then said no. After a good many 
 trials, we induced Harry to sit just long enough to get 
 the image fixed. 
 
 "Do you know, dear father, that Harry always 
 calls her ' Mamma ?' She tried a long time to make 
 him say ' Aunty,' but it was no use. He would call 
 her ' Mamma' his ' own, sweet Mamma,' he says, 
 sometimes. We all encourage him. I'm sure our own 
 dear mother, of whom she often talks to us, never could 
 have loved him more or taken better care of him. 
 
 " The other day, and I've thought strange of it ever 
 since, I handed Mrs. Bullfinch the key of your private 
 secretary, and asked her if she wouldn't get me a seal 
 out of one of the little drawers. Thinking, soon after 
 she left me, of something else that I wanted, I went 
 over to your chamber. I had on light slippers, which 
 made no sound on the carpet. Her back was towards 
 me, but I saw that she had that beautiful ebony jewel- 
 box in her hand, and had taken from it the old-fash- 
 k>ned gold watch it contained, on which she was gazing. 
 A side glance at her face, reflected in a mirror, showed 
 me that she was weeping. I retired without being ob- 
 served. She stayed a good while. When she brought
 
 344 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 
 
 me the seal, her eyes were red and her face very sober 
 She has looked more thoughtful than usual ever since. 
 What does it mean ? On opening the box afterwards, 
 I found in it a note, in your hand-writing the address 
 was not given but the note said, briefly ' A friend 
 restores them to you.' On the watch is engraved the 
 word ' Lee.' Wasn't that her maiden name ? There's 
 something about this that I don't understand. Can 
 you tell me what it means, father ? 
 
 "Yesterday, a lady called to see Mrs. Bullfinch. 
 She came in a handsome carriage, and was very richly 
 dressed. She called Mrs. Bullfinch ' aunt,' and kissed 
 her. Both shed tears at meeting. The lady remained 
 a long time. When she went away, the face of Mrs. 
 Bullfinch looked brighter than it had been for a long 
 time. I asked her who the lady was, and she said that 
 she was a niece of her husband's, who had, some years 
 before, married a wealthy Southern merchant, and now 
 resided at New Orleans. That it was twenty years 
 since they had met. 
 
 " I have a good deal more to write about, but, must 
 put it off until the next steamer. Good by, dear father. 
 When are you coming home ? Oh, how we long to 
 see you once more. MAGGY." 
 
 Three months later. Word had come that Mr.
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDE. 345 
 
 
 "Wellford would be home in the iiext steamer. What 
 joy there was in his household ! Even little Harry 
 caught the infection, and would clap his hands, and 
 cry " Papa coming 1 Papa coming !" although his in- 
 fantile memory held but a faint picture of his absent 
 parent 
 
 A close observer would have remarked a very de- 
 cided change in the countenance and manner of Mrs. 
 Bullfinch, after this intelligence came. Her eyes had 
 in them a different light, her cheeks flushed with a 
 warmer hue, her voice was lower, and her air, at times, 
 that of one whose thoughts dwelt not in the present. 
 Far, very far was she from being at ease in her mind 
 far from thinking of the return of Mr. Wellford, un- 
 affected by a personal interest. Earnestly had she 
 striven to keep down every heart-throb born of old 
 affections to turn her thoughts away from the absent 
 one, when his image came before her, as it would often 
 come, with eyes that seemed gazing into her very souL 
 But all was in vain. He was her first and her only love. 
 The polar star of her woman's life ; and, now, when to 
 think of him and to love him were no longer a sin, 
 there was no power in earth or heaven strong eaough 
 to subdue her leaping pulses to say to her heart- 
 that trembled at the lowest whisper of his name, peace, 
 be still I
 
 340 THE OLD MANS BRIDE. 
 
 It was full time for the steamer to arrive, by which 
 Mr. Wellford was to come home. Hourly his family 
 were in expectation of intelligence from New York, by 
 telegraph, that he had reached that city, and would be 
 with them in a few hours. All were on the tip-toe of 
 expectation. 
 
 It was late in the afternoon, and Mrs. Bullfinch was 
 alone with little Harry, who was in one of his playful 
 and affectionate humors. 
 
 " Dear mamma I " he would say, as he twined his 
 arms tightly about her neck, and pressed his lips to 
 hers. " Dear mamma ! Aint I your little dove ? Aint 
 I your sweet darling 1 Papa coming home I " 
 
 " Dear papa ! " said Mrs. Bull6nch, in a tender, affec- 
 tionate tone. 
 
 " Yes ; dear papa ! " responded the child. 
 
 " You'll love him very much, won't you ? " 
 
 " yes ; and I love you sweet, good mamma I n 
 And again the fond creature clasped her neck. 
 
 How little dreamed the waiting one waiting with 
 heart so burdened with feeling, it had scarcely power to 
 perform its office that Henry Wellford had entered 
 the room where she was sitting, and was a witness of 
 this scene. 
 
 " Helen ! Helen ! Dear Helen ! " he exclaimed, 
 utterly unable to control himself and springing to her
 
 THE OLD MAN'S BRIDK. 347 
 
 side, he drew his arms about her and his child, and 
 clasped them together to his heart. Trembling and 
 sobbing from excess of joy, she lay there, not making a 
 motion to withdraw herself she had no power fo" 
 that but shrinking closer and closer into his bosom. 
 
 " The long night is over the trial past dear He- 
 len ! " whispered Mr. Wellford, as he began to acquire 
 some command over his feelings. "To my children, 
 you have been faithful even as a mother. They love 
 you as a mother. Be to me, as well as to them, the 
 sunshine of life the joy of our dwelling." 
 
 Slowly Helen raised her head, looked him for a mo 
 ment, with glad eyes, in the face, and then buried i 
 again in his bosom. 
 
 He was answered. 
 
 A few weeks later, and undying love found its locj[ 
 delated consummation.
 
 A 000115176