After All.

Oh , Redtaper , well can I imagine the proud Moor ' s vast grief , and feel a bond of deep sympathy with his sorrow , when he despairingly says : Turn thy complexion there ! Patience , thou young and rose-lipped cherubim ; Ay , there , look grim as hell !"

" You have , indeed , great cause for grief ; and I can fully understand it because of my own , which I have explained to you , for I have ever been discarded , " said Redtaper , sadly . " And never having known the sweets of reciprocal love , you cannot realize what it is to have lost them , as I can . " " Wellwellwe will not argue again the point that neither will concede ;

, , but you admit that she is all that is lovely . Ah , me , what a strange world this is ! But I am selfish . For yourself , how did this new catastrophe happen , for I know nothing but what the papers say , and I am anxious to know for your sake ?"

"Thanks , thanks ; I will tell you all . What the papers say is substantially correct , but at the office they have put another li ght upon it . There—oh , heavens !—I am branded as a thief , and I have no redress . They will not admit or listen to me ; my letters are unanswered—perhaps unopened . What am I to do ? The facts are these . Remaining rather late at my work last night , I was left alone , though for the matter of that I am generally the last to

leave , as you know , and then having finished , and seeing that all was secure , I suddenly found that Mr . Bulliker had forgotten some bank notes and left them on his desk . I thought this was very strange , as he is generally so careful with money , but I considered it best to at once secure their safety by putting them in my pockt-book , and you know the rest . I was attacked at the loneliest spot on my journey home , and the robbers soon overpowered me and found out

the notes—unusual things for me to carry about with me —and decamped without taking anything else . I suppose they were satisfied with their booty . It seems peculiar , though , that they should waylay me on that particular ni ght ; it ' s almost enough to make one believe in the law of coincidencies . You know the horrible sequence of all this . How I rushed about , as though mad , to report the circumstances and follow the thieves ; how no one would believe me . The facts seem onl y too much against me in every way , and the thieves cannot be found . "

" It is terribl y hard for yon , " said Redtaper , feelingly , " and 1 can see that your situation is even worse than my own ; but I will do all I can for you to try and solve this matter . I know you are honest , and believe all yon say . The only thing is , how can I make others believe so ? but I will do my best . Meanwhile , you can only wait ; and I should advertise for the robbers , offering a reward worth having . It might do some good . "

"Thank you , my dear fellow , " said Humberton , from his heart , for the real friendship evinced for him in the other had strongly touched him . " I will try and follow out your good advice . But you seem to have forgotten yourself in your kindly interest for me . Shall you wait , too ?" " I don't know ; I can ' t tell . I feel almost hopeless . Do you know I once thought that you loved Violet , and I wronged you ? " said Redtaper .

" Well , 1 admit that Miss Cumberland is a most fascinating creature , and likely enough I was drawn towards her at our musical meetings , but nothingmore . Nothing ever passed between us relating to love ; and my heart was ever true to Olivia , however I may have been touched b y Violet Cumberland , " said Arthur , energetically . " Ah , no one could hel p loving such beautiful grace as she possesses ; and yet she ever treats me coldly , and the more she holds me off , the more madly I love her . It is irresistible . If I could only win her esteem . " '' Courage , man ; we may both win yet . Heaven grant the dark cloud may be