ily forward and fell. I was on my legs again in an instant, but trembling with terror. Belladonna was leaning against the wall, very pale.

"Pshaw! Noble, you're laughing at me. Well, I made a violent kick at him. I felt my foot strike then we'd hire a carriage with four gray horses something. A shriek from Belladonna-a horand a postillion-an open carriage it should be-rible growl from the animal-and I pitched heavand we'd prance down the principal streets in great state, until we came opposite papa's house. And as the carriage drew up with a great noise, he would look out of the window to see who it was, and then, goodness gracious! how surprised he would be to see his little Belladonna sitting beside a tall, elegant-"

"And then you would step out of the carriage, and explain to him, in a few rapid but well-chosen words, your position and circumstances, and how you loved me to distraction-”

"Yes! distraction is a very good word, it's so new."

"Don't interrupt me, sir!—to distraction, and conclude by asking him if he would consent to surrender his treasure into the hands of one to whom it would be more precious than-thanthan the diamonds of Hesperides."

Exquisite simile! and papa would reply?" "Oh! he would smile, and, taking you by the hand, turn to me and say-gracious Heaven! is that dog mad?"

"Oh! he'd say that, would he?"

"The dog! Are you bitten, Belladonna?"

"No! no!" she said. 66 We are safe;" and " she pointed as she spoke to the retreating form of the dog as he scudded down the street. But you must be hurt," she continued.

"Oh, no! only my foot is a little-" I looked down as I spoke. Good Heavens! my boot! Instead of striking the dog, as I intended, I had struck my foot against the edge of one of the flat stones with which the path was rudely paved, and my right boot had been literally torn into atoms. It had been leaky before; but now it was a total wreck. The sole had been rent from the upper leather as far back as the heel, while the upper itself was, in addition, split right across the instep. Not even the most ingenious professor of legerdepied could make it, under any circumstances whatever, pass for a boot.

"What is to be done?" said I, mournfully regarding the tattered remains. "I can never walk through the streets in this plight; and my lodgings are half a mile off at the very least. I've a good mind to break my leg, and then some one must have me taken home on a litter. What am I to do, Belladonna?"

Belladonna, I blush to say, instead of pitying me was laughing-you needn't look so, my dear, for you know you were-and she burst

"Look! look, Noble! he's coming this way into a perfect peal, as I repeated in a heart-broken oh! save me! save me!"

I turned suddenly to Belladonna. She was deadly pale, and clutched my arm convulsively with one hand, while with the other she pointed, quiveringly, up the street. A hasty glance showed me the danger. Coming straight toward us, pursued by half-a-dozen ragged boys, I beheld a large, ill-conditioned-looking dog. He had his tail between his legs, his eyes glared furiously, and a huge red tongue lolled out of one side of his mouth. On he came at a swift gallop, uttering now and then a low, fierce bark, and looking the very ideal of Hydrophobia. It was horrible. There seemed no escape, for so occupied had Belladonna and myself been with our aerial castles, that we had noticed nothing until the brute was actually within a few yards of us. There was no time for deliberation now. donna rudely against the wall, placed myself in front of her, and waited breathlessly. The footpath on which we were standing was very narrow; so narrow that, with Belladonna behind me, I nearly blocked it all up; while on came the dog, panting and growling, with scarce a foot of space for him to pass. He came. I saw his red eyes glare upon me, and he uttered a savage, low bark as he drew near. I saw there was nothing for it but to be the aggressor, and so perhaps frighten him out of our path, and thus at least save Belladonna; so, as he came within reach, I

tone,

"What am I to do, Belladonna?"

"I'll tell you what you must do, Mr. Noble Sydale,” said she, as soon as she could compose her countenance sufficiently to speak. "You must do exactly as I tell you. Our house is, as you know, round the next corner. My aunt is gone on a visit to her sister, about five miles from the city, and will not be home until to-morrow, and papa never returns from his office until seven o'clock. Before that time it will be dusk; and by remaining in our house until half-past six, you can walk home without any body noticing you. I suppose you can contrive to pass five hours in my company without being very weary, Mr. Noble Sydale?"

"A thousand, dear Belladonna-but if your I pushed Bella-father should return?"

"Oh! there's no fear of that; his business always detains him until seven, and sometimes even later."

"Ah! Belladonna," said I, as we entered the house together, "I acknowledge that I should like very much to have a pair of those patentleather boots with the red tops, which you described so charmingly a few minutes ago."

"Hum! I would have no objection to your obtaining them at half-past six, this evening. Until then I prefer you as you are, because— because-"

"Because I can't go away, selfish girl!" Here somebody had the unpardonable presumption to kiss somebody on the stairs; but who that somebody was that did it, and who the somebody was that allowed it to be done, you should never learn, my friend, even if you were to torture me until the day of judgment.

Those five hours passed away with extraordinary rapidity. All the more extraordinary was it, because I can not possibly recollect any thing

that was said on that eventful occasion.
I re-
collect distinctly sitting on a sofa, with Bella-
donna's hand in mine for an indefinite period of
time, but as to what we conversed about I am to
this day profoundly ignorant. One thing only I
remember, which can scarcely be called a con-
versation. I wanted Belladonna to let me try
on her boot, which request she seemed to think
was a mere pretext to see her foot, and she
boxed my ears for suggesting it; but that could
not properly be called an observation.

have sacrificed ten years of my life at that moment for another boot.

"Oh! papa, papa!" cried poor Belladonna, eagerly, "pray don't draw the curtains. My eyes are quite weak, and I can't bear the light, I assure you."

"That's lately come to you, dear. I never saw any lack of lustre in your eyes since you were born. Come here to the window and let

me look at them. If there is any thing wrong,

we must have in Doctor Sartelles."

"I don't mean that they're exactly weak, you know, papa, but-but-" and poor Belladonna stammered, and stopped, and began again, and finally burst into a flood of tears.

Hey! what's this, child? Crying! why, something must be the matter. Let us see." And he moved toward the window as he spoke. I thought that I might as well save him any further trouble, so I pulled the red cord inside, the curtains opened, and Belladonna's papa did see,

I never saw a man less pleased, however, with what he saw than that old gentleman. He grew ashen white, and his lips suddenly met as if they were going to grow together from that moment, and never part any more. They thought better of it, however, for they opened presently,

"Well, Sir! what may your business be here? Is it the silver-spoons or my daughter?"

Well, we sat there, for I don't know how long, as of course we forgot all about the hour, when we were suddenly awakened from our trance by the sound of odious manly boots upon the staircase, and Belladonna jumped from the sofa with a smothered shriek, exclaiming that it was her father's step. It is not every man who has the courage to and a terribly cold, stern, determined voice issued face a danger in his night dress. Even a dress-out of them. ing-gown has a dispiriting effect upon one's daring; but what are they all, compared to having but one boot? A man might do wonders in bare feet. Even in stockings it would be possible for him to distinguish himself; but there is something utterly humiliating in the idea of presenting It is oneself before an enemy with one boot on. a lop-sided business. A unity which is no unity, "Oh! Noble," she sobbed, "say any thing but the paltry remnant of what was once a fact.-every thing-as for me I know that I shall In short, a man with one boot on must morally as well as physically-limp!

I confess, at the sound of those paternal footsteps, my heart went down into my-I was going to say, boots; but, as I had only one, the simile won't answer-my heart, then, went down into my boot. Poor Belladonna grew as white as the jessamine blossoms that peeped in at the windows, and gazed about expectantly, as if she thought the walls would open somewhere, as they usually do in fairy tales, and accommodatingly inclose Mr. Noble Sydale in a crystal grotto, where he was to be kept till called for. There being no such magical response, however, to Belladonna's imploring look, nor any convenient stage-closet in the apartment, there was nothing left for me but to make a rush to the deep window, and close the heavy curtains before me, thereby darkening the room into a deep twilight. The next moment the door opened, and in stepped a tall, precise-looking old gentleman, who exclaimed as he entered,

I did not make any answer, but walked deliberately over to where Belladonna lay upon the sofa, sobbing as if her poor heart would break, and said to her, taking her hand in my own, · Belladonna may I speak?"

64

die!"

Let my daughter's hand loose, instantly, scoundrel!" thundered the old man. "If you do not, I will dash your brains out on the floor!"

"My dear Sir! if you will only let me explain—”

"I will not, Sir. Who are you? what do you want here? Belladonna, was it to break my heart that you present to me a tatterdemalion like this fellow, in the character, I suppose, of your lover?"

“I assure you, Sir, that my position is every thing that—"

That is disgraceful, Sir. You come into my house like a thief, during my absence, you make love to my daughter, and tell her some infernal lies, I suppose, about your respectability and so forth, and then you have the presumption to believe that you will bamboozle me with your explanations. A ragged, adventurous foreigner! Where's your boot, Sir?"

I was prepared to answer any question but this. It was really too bad. There I stood, a gentleman, with good expectations, and the honestest of purposes, struck completely dumb by the miserable conviction that I had only one boot

plausability, that the artist had a picture in hand, and that he passed his night even in study. He rarely left this retreat before mid-day, and generally returned to his hermitage early, after a casual visit to his lodgings, though he could not occasionally refuse being present at large parties given by his patrons.

On arriving in Venice he resumed his former mode of life. He had an apartment at the Palace Bembo; he took his meals there, but at nightfall, when there was no grand reception, he wrapped himself in his cloak, put on his mask, and, drawing his sword-hilt close to his hand, went forth. He took a gondola until he reached a certain narrow street, and then, gliding down that, he disappeared in the gloom caused by the lofty houses. No one noticed much this mode of life;

painting; with a mouth and chin moulded on some perfect Grecian statue, she thought he had never seen any thing so divine.

"Ah!" she said, with a sigh, "you painters are dreadful enemies of woman. Who would look at reality after gazing on this glorious ideal?” "It is reality," replied the painter. "I paint from memory.'

"Impossible! You must have combined the beauty of fifty girls in that exquisite creation."

"No!" said the artist, gravely; "that face exists. I saw it in the mountains of Sicily. I have often painted it before: never so successfully.

"I would give the world to gaze on the original," replied Clorinda. "I adore a beautiful woman. It is God's greatest work of art."

"It is, signora," said Paolo; and he turned

he did his duty, he was polite, affable, and re-away to his work. spectful with his patron; he was gallant with the Women born in the climate of Italy, under ladies, but no more. He did not make the slight-her deep blue sky, and in that air that breathes est effort to win the affections of those around of poetry, painting, music, and love, are not him. Now all this passed in general without much observation.

guided by the same impulses and feelings as in our colder and more practical north. Clorinda Still, there was one person whom this wildness did not wait for Paolo's admiration; she loved and eccentricity of character-all that has a stamp him, and every day added to her passion. His of originality is called eccentric-caused to feel undoubted genius, his intellectual brow, his nodeep interest in him. The Marquis had a daugh- ble features and mien, had awakened her long ter, who at sixteen had been married, from in- pent-up and sleeping affections. She was herterested motives, to the old uncle of the Doge, self a woman of superior mind, and had reveled now dead. Clorinda was a beautiful widow of in the delights of Petrarch, Dante, Ariosto, and one-and-twenty, who, rich, independent, of a de- Boccaccio. Now, she felt. How deeply, she termined and thoughtful character, had made up alone knew. But Zustana remained obstinately her mind to marry a second time, not to please insensible to all her charms: to her friendship, relations, but herself. From the first she noticed and her condescending tone, as well as to her inPaolo favorably; he received her friendly advances tellect and beauty. He saw all, save her love, respectfully but coldly, and rarely stopped his and admired and respected her much. But there work to converse. She asked for lessons to im-was-at all events, at present-no germ of rising prove her slight knowledge of painting; he gave them freely, but without ever adding a single It was not long before she began to remark word to the necessary observations of the inter- his early departure from the palace, his mysteview. He seemed absorbed in his art. One day rious way of going, and the fact that he never Clorinda stood behind him; she had been watch-returned until the next day at early dawn, which ing him with patient attention for an hour; she always now saw him at his labors. The idea now came and took up her quarters in the gallery at once flashed across her mind that he had found all day, with her attendant girl, reading or paint-in Venice some person on whom to lavish the ing. Paolo had not spoken one word during that hour. Suddenly Clorinda rose and uttered the exclamation,

"How beautiful!"
"Is it not, signora?"

"Most beautiful," she returned, astonished both at the artist's manner, and the enthusiasm with which he alluded to his own creation.

"I am honored by your approval," said Paolo, laying down his pallet and folding his arms to gaze at the picture-a Cupid and Psyche-with actual rapture.

It was the face of the woman-of the girl, timidly impassioned and tender, filling the air around with beauty-that had struck Clorinda. With golden hair, that waved and shone in the sun; with a white, small, but exquisitely-shaped forehead; with deep blue eyes, fixed with admiring love on the tormenting god; with cheeks on which lay so softly the bloom of health that it seemed ready to fade before the breath from the

passion in his heart.

riches of his affection, and that he went every evening to plead his passion at her feet. Jealousy took possession of her. She spent a whole night in reflection; she turned over in her mind every supposition; and she rose, feverish and ill. That day, pleading illness, she remained in her room, shut up with her books.

About an hour after dark, Paolo, his hat drawn over his eyes, his cloak wrapped round him, and his mask on, stepped into a gondola which awaited him, and started. Another boat lay on the opposite side of the canal, with curtains closely drawn. Scarcely had the artist's been set in motion than it followed. Paolo, who had never, since his arrival in Venice, been watched or followed, paid no attention to it. The two gondolas then moved side by side without remark, and that of Zustana stopped as usual, allowed the artist to land, and continued on its way. A man, also wrapped in a cloak, masked, and with a hat and plumes, leaped out also from the other gon