the widow, he offered his hand to the innocent and inexperienced Rachel, and was accepted. This news was not long in reaching the ears of the mortified and deserted lady, who, to evince a show of indifference, immediately bestowed herself and property upon one of his happy rivals. To Arthur, the future presented nothing but bliss; he possessed a treasure which many might have coveted -a virtuous, a beautiful bride. "But not even love can live on flowers ;" and to the truth of this, the affectionate but imprudent pair were soon obliged to accede. - The creditors of Arthur, whose urgent demands had been withdrawn only on the prospect of his wealthy marriage, now pressed upon him with an insolence and eagerness which almost drove him wild; the few acquaintance who paid them early visits were not inclined to repeat them; their curiosity had been gratified; they well knew that the loaded table, the choice wines, could no longer be looked for; and fearful lest their purses and sympathy should be alike called into requisition, they prudently withdrew from one who had cheerfully shared with them his heart and property. Fain would Arthur have concealed from his wife the great embarrassment under which he laboured, and that too from his own folly, but it was impossible; ruin stared them in the face, and an anxious wife cannot long remain ignorant of the perplexities which disturb the mind of her husband. Happy, thrice happy would it be, if man would confide to the bosom of his faithful partner the difficulties which are inseparable from life! How much wretchedness might be avoided, or at least alleviated! It is in the time of trial, it is when misfortune depresses the heart of man, that woman shines the most. Her desires are more circumscribed; she can more readily relinquish the luxuries to which she has been accustomed ; education controls her passions, and religion has in general more influence over her mind; consequently she is better prepared to encounter the storms of adversity. Many and trivial were the excuses which Arthur alleged as a reason for depression of spirits, conceiving, from his own feelings, that Rachel would be overpowered at the prospect of being forced to quit their comfortable home, perhaps to share with him the horrors of a prison. - This idea almost drove him to desperation. But Rachel allowed him not the time to dwell upon such frightful images: entirely forgetful of self, she encouraged him to look forward to happier days; she urged him to give up every thing, without reserve, to his creditors; and, with unwearied and cheerful perseverance, she undertook the settlement of his affairs, of such an effort he was incapable. Happy was it for Rachel that her life had been a chequered one. At an early age, she had been left a destitute orphan, and had it not been for the charity of an old lady, she must have found an asylum in the workhouse. Her sweet disposition and increasing beauty secured the protection of her friend, but to the slighest indulgence she was a stranger; on the contrary, not an hour passed, in which her patience and temper were not exercised. To obey, was Rachel's duty, and it was fulfilled; but she felt not those sensations of love which are so natural, so delightful to a youthful heart, and which might so soon have been drawn forth by kindness. Self-control and self-denial were the lessons she was daily, hourly taught; they embittered the present moment, but they fortified her mind for future trials. Her protectress died; but Rachel was not friendless. One who had often witnessed the capricious treatment she received, who had sympathized in her sorrows, and admired her patience, now gladly sheltered her. Beneath the roof of Mrs. Moreton, the mind of the orphan became susceptible of happiness; beneath her gentle sway she was cheerful, active, studious, and religious, and such was her character when she became the wife of Arthur Trevelyan. Too soon was she then taught the advantages of early privations. Her mind was rectitude itself: the creditors, perceiving the strict integrity with which she treated them, and feeling pity for her forlorn situation, relaxed in their demands, and from the wreck of their property allowed them a slender pittance, with which she felt contented; but the mind of Arthur was too perturbed to admit of any pleasurable sensation. The consolatory hopes which supported the tender Rachel, the motives of duty which animated her to exertion, were wanting in him. To all her arrangements he submitted passively, but he afforded her no assistance. Rachel was not insensible to this want of energy; she deplored his deep dejection; but hope whispered for her comfort, that time would alleviate his distress, and reconcile him to the loss of pleasures which had only been productive of disappointment and ruin. The cottage which they had taken was soon rendered not only habitable, but comfortable; the management of Rachel, her cheerfulness, con veyed a charm to the most trivial thing, and there no longer existed any real cause for complaint. But all her attempts were insufficient to dispel the gloom upon her husband's brow; his heart, which had never known a pang while upheld by prosperity, now withered beneath the chilling touch of poverty. To the caresses of his faithful Rachel, however, he was never insensible, to her remonstrances he ever lent a patient attention. With tears in her eyes, she begged him, for his own sake, to exert himself, and employ his talents for their support; she conjured him to reflect, that in a few months she would become a mother, and for her sake would he not shake off such sinful depression? Arthur was touched by her arguments; he promised compliance with her wishes, but it was now, alas! too late. The effects of indulged discontent became visible, and preyed upon his constitution. The anxious Rachel felt alarmed when she perceived his want of appetite, his hectic cheek, and brilliant eye, proofs too clearly indicating rapid decline. In vain did she implore him to call in medical aid; fruitless was her request that his brother might be made acquainted with his difficulties, with his indisposition; to the former, want of money was a sufficient ob |