106 
an assurance that you will succeed. Now, 
good-bye, and heaven bless your efforts.” 
She was gone. The awful nervous restraint 
under which I rested during the recital of her 
sad experiences now re-acted on my mental 
and physical powers almost to my undoing. I 
fell almost insensible into the seat that she had 
just vacated. My mind was in a wild tumult. 
The full proof of the happy reality of my sus- 
picions almost over-powered me. I sat for a 
short time deeply absorbed in thought. “ There 
is no doubt about it; I am right; it is she. 
How shali I act? What must I do? Ah, why 
craze my mind with such thoughts; I will go 
home, sleep over the matter and in the morn- 
ing, happy and refreshed, I can carefully con- 
sider the important discovery and plan accord- 
ingly.” These were my reflections, With one 
final, yea, longing look towards the hoase I 
started homeward with reckless speed. A short 
hour afterward I was in the quiet calm of my 
own room. Here I could not resist the tempta- 
tion of putting aside the vail that hides the 
future, and fully enjeying the rich promises of 
mutual joy and happiness assured to my dear 
old hermit, his beautiful child and myself the 
humble instrument in the hands of an inscruta- 
ble Providence. With a happy heart I retired 
early anxious for the morrow when I would be 
the swift messenger of great joy to the old her- 
mit. 
The next morning I arose early, refreshed 
