men of classic story who had created favourable impressions on this young lady's heart; and if that is not falling in love in a literary fashion, what is ?

She missed him too when gone, more than she enjoyed his presence, till she began to find that her books were not her most cherished companions, and her brother Henry not the sum total of her human affections. His abrupt, off-hand way was to her one of his greatest charms, and his complete unconcern about anything so romantic as love, only made him. ten times more noble in her eyes. Poor girl! disease had spoiled what nature had liberally bestowed, and its fair prisoner could never hope to be other than an invalid. Dalton was attracted towards Lucy: her society was very pleasant to him; if he was vexed or troubled, perplexed or annoyed, a visit to her never failed to restore his mind to its equilibrium. He often left her angry with himself for being put out with trifles, while she bore so much without one repining word.

Her presence was a sermon on patience always going on it was more than a sermon, because it was being acted out instead of spoken. After all, words have very little effect on our actions. As a rule, people never take advice; but they always imitate prominent deeds, whether good or evil. We had better bear affliction patiently before the world, than preach a hundred homilies upon the virtue; and the effect of good and brave deeds done in the name of charity, shall live and act when the dreary preachments about it have been utterly forgotten. Last Sunday's sermon. is out of your mind already, but the acted sermon still influences you, though it was done years ago.

Lucy exercised a great influence over the young surgeon; but he did not love her otherwise than as a

L

very dear friend. Alas, poor Lucy! it is ever so the strong, life-devouring, soul love is generally all on one side; and it would be very curious if it were otherwise.

In these matter-of-fact times, folks have to think of half a dozen necessary things in their matrimonial affairs, before the love part of the business is thought of, for it must be confessed that expediency has proved itself often a safer match-maker than romantic love.

Lucy was woman enough to see that her love was hopeless, for she could never marry, invalid for life as she was. Difficult as it might be, the passion must be torn up by the roots, it was useless yielding to the pleasurable emotion. God had willed it otherwise. James might, and probably would, grow at last to love her; but there was little ground of hope, and the sooner she brought herself to efface the sun-lit foreground from her future, the better it would be. If she could not cease to love him, she could at least try to look on him as nothing more than a friend; but it was hard work.

And so her life went on; she took to learning a fresh language when she wanted very much to occupy her mind anew. And so, when she had told her heart the truth about Dalton, she stifled her emotions by taking up with Italian; a Grammar, Dictionary, and Reading-book were the coffin, grave, and shovel with which she buried her love.

It can be done. The will can master everything else. Think you the calm, placid faces of the cloistered monks and pale, heaven-visaged nuns hide no conquered affections and earth attractions beneath them? As certainly do they, as the summer sea hides the wrecks in its bosom of what it bore but yesterday on

its surface, when the storm is done, and the heavenmounting billows have melted into mirror-like smoothness.

How many things they used to study together, James and Lucy! Her opinion was always so well worth taking; her views so generally turned out the right ones; and then her taste, so well cultivated, always so correct. Her society was an education to the young surgeon: she helped to form his taste, and it was modelled on her own.

The influence of an intelligent and cultivated woman over a male friend is something astonishing. Our greatest men, our brightest lights, have owed to women half their power and brightness. No influence is so powerful for good or evil alike as that of woman. She can make and unmake the sterner sex; and her acknowledged influence is a proof of her superiority. To increase in goodness is ever to become more really womanly; God created nothing half so fair and beautiful in external form and spiritual grace as woman. He made Eve, and she rushed on ruin ; but he reproduced the Ideal Woman, and the sum of all created beauty is Mary, the Mother of the Divine Son.

A good woman, then, has influence unbounded in the formation of a young man's character. Lucy had influenced her brother immensely for good; and she was subduing and refining the rough, unromantic, matter-of-fact James Dalton.

CHAPTER XIII.

GOING TO COLLEGE.

It was of no use. Preaching, teaching, and doing good amongst the poor and miserable, was Henry's work, and it was more than waste of time to fight against the growing conviction any longer-it was to fight against God, he thought. To make men better, to teach them how to live, and make them fit to die; this, to Henry's mind, was more royal than to wield the sceptre, and be served by kneeling millions. To invent the steam-engine was grand and noble, to bridge the Straits and span the river with a graceful bridge, to discover countries, and fill up undiscovered lands with mountains, river-sources, and lakes, was glorious; but to save souls was grander, nobler, and more glorious still, to Henry's growing ambition.

The fact was, he was a true missionary, and as the born artist cannot help painting, or the poet lisp but in numbers, Henry could not live without doing heaven's work. Thinking much about St. Paul, he wondered why nobody tried to be like him. He often thought how grand it would be to go abroad and convert the heathen, but the idea of making the missionary's noble calling a matter of a situation in a Society, at so much per annum, did not suit his idea of St. Paul at all. Sometimes he dreamt of some day going to India or China on his own account, learning the language, and trusting God to take care of him. Then he thought this was too Quixotic and visionary a scheme to come to any good.

He often talked to Lucy about his altered aims. She could not advise him much; as yet her religious

opinions were not such as to inspire her with the idea of anything so daring as her brother's animated him to. The love of God had not fired her breast with the desire of entire self-consecration to Him. Her goodness was more of nature than of grace. Still she never checked his zeal, or tried to moderate his love of doing good; and besides she knew he would do right, be it how it would. She did think it sad he should abandon his profession, but she did not tell him so. Poor Henry was sadly perplexed. He prayed for guidance, and asked his minister to advise with him.

The minister told him that there was no doubt that what he was experiencing was a 66 call," and he must on no account resist it. He told him that he ought to go to college, and be regularly educated for the Baptist ministry, and gave him a note to the Principal of Bunyan College.

Henry was well acquainted with this institution by name. It was this place which supplied the Ebenezer pulpit in his early days, and which had sent it Mr. James. Strange to say he had no great reverence for the Bunyan College, though it was at the head of the list of Dissenting seminaries. Still he took the note his minister gave him to Dr. Smith, and presented himself at the awe-inspiring halls whence so many of the Salems and Ebenezers of England received their theology.

Bunyan Baptist College was situated near Kensington Park; it had lately moved from Bow, for when the denomination became respectable, and chapels began to be built in Gothic style, and came out with stained glass in addition to the chest of Whistles, and besides could boast of the accession to its ranks of one live Lord, two real Baronets, and three