AT LAGLES GORGL.

“Take me with you.”

“Impossible, dearest : we are gomng on business. Volmer

“Volmer, Volmer ! Are you a child to be led like this? would think vou had no will but his.”

Ivo's sensitive mouth trembled, his eyes grew dim and troubled, the sunshine scemed suddenly to die out of his beautiful face. Tle lad his head upon his wife’s shoulder, weartly, like a tired child, and clung to her strong hand.

“No will but his !

Itis alwavs Vohner ! One

Sometimes I think so.”

Nasha’s heart sank within her. Her punishment had begun. The deceit by

which she had won lum was beginning to work out 1ts own retribution, and he, the mnocent, must suffer with her, the guilty. FFor his sake, she would make a last effort.

“Dear Ivo, do you love me?”

He raised his eyes to her face, then gently released himself from her arm, and holding her from him said, speaking low and gravely (—

“Have I given you cause to doubt me, Nasha?”

“No, oh, no! T am only too much afraid of believing my own heart. 1 like to hear you say what it tells me : then I feel sure.”

“My love, my dear love 7

“It 1 am that, stay with me 7 pleaded Nasha; ‘‘let Volmer go to Paris alone.”

“You ask an umpossibility. I cannot takec back my word, dearest. I am bound.”

Nasha kept silence. He did not know how true his words were. Bound ? Yes ! And she, who loved him better than her hte, had con- sented to and riveted that bon- dage. Her love was powerless to save him; he would have to

go the fatal way CHAM BOUND.”

" DD

of all her brother’s victims, while she stood by, watching, but mmpotent. This would he her awful punishment.

The following week the two men went back to Paris. Old Getha shook her head as their carriage passed out of sight. She had always known how 1t would be! No good ever came of hurried bridals 5 of course, the handsome gentleman had wearted of his wife, and no wonder! The Countess Nasha was as good as gold, and much more clever than most men ; but gay young fellows only cared for pretty faces, and the chances were the Countess would never sce her hushand again. Beauty should mate with beauty.

For a long time similar thoughts filled Nasha’s sad heart, and a thousand wild ideas, a thousand schemes, came into her head durimg her sleepless nights. She would go to Paris and bring him back—she would ask him at Volmer’s hands, and then-—but, no! She had done him a great wrong, and, now that he was free, she would not stir a finger to bring him back to captivity. His rightful place was m the world, where he could do so much good. Or, again, she would give way to her mtense desire for his presence, and nurse the thought that he would return in the summer or the early autumn. But autumn brought nothing, save a hope that should have drawn him closer to her. (retha shook her head more mournfully than cver, but she

was soon ab- sorbed by her usual prepara-

tions for the winter, and by the time the frosts had come and the snow had put the houschold in a state of siegz, all seemed as it had been 1in the vears gone by, save for the ring on Nasha's finger and the unwonted fabri- cation of little garments which occupied her hands.

By the mercy of the saints the snow began