" Come now," said Leonard, assuming the appearance
of one offended, " this is hardly the thing. You know
all about my tender attachments, and yet you keep me
in the dark about yours. * 'Tisn't fair,' as we said at
old G-etonboy's academy, when any nimble fellow played
us a trick. * 'Tisn't fair!'"

"My dear James," said Ashby, with a humorous
smile, "you volunteered an account of the virtues,
charms, and perfections of your unparalleled Ruth —
young, beautiful, handsome, fascinating, rich, you de-
scribed her, I congratulated you on your hopes of
success, but also ventured to suggest the prudence of



4 THE WIDOWED MOTHER.
