pleasant in his ears. 'Ah,' she sighed, by way of commentary, 'in

such a life as mine I must seize tight hold of any happiness that I

can find.'

When they arrived, in this leisurely manner, at the head of

Grosvenor Place, the gates of the park were opening and the

bedraggled company of night-walkers were being at last admitted

into that paradise of lawns. Challoner and his companion followed

the movement, and walked for awhile in silence in that

tatterdemalion crowd; but as one after another, weary with the

night's patrolling of the city pavement, sank upon the benches or

wandered into separate paths, the vast extent of the park had soon

utterly swallowed up the last of these intruders; and the pair

proceeded on their way alone in the grateful quiet of the morning.

Presently they came in sight of a bench, standing very open on a

mound of turf. The young lady looked about her with relief.

'Here,' she said, 'here at last we are secure from listeners.

Here, then, you shall learn and judge my history. I could not bear

that we should part, and that you should still suppose your

kindness squandered upon one who was unworthy.'

Thereupon she sat down upon the bench, and motioning Challoner to

take a place immediately beside her, began in the following words,

and with the greatest appearance of enjoyment, to narrate the story

of her life.

STORY OF THE DESTROYING ANGEL

My father was a native of England, son of a cadet of a great,

ancient, but untitled family; and by some event, fault or

misfortune, he was driven to flee from the land of his birth and to

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