While darkly wandering from thy paths afar,

My heart in transport glows, filled with the love of thee.

March 2d.

The incorrigible, unfortunate, unlucky, poisonous, and poisoning ladies of the Counsellor of CommerceI would that they sate petrified on the summit of some bewitched mountain, and could never move foot or tongue again. Would that they had already been fixed there yesterday; for then I should not have been obliged to-day to go about with the greatest burden of life, and return without alleviation-then I should not have been obliged to sit here now, and to write in a sort of despair, while the tears fall on my paper more copiously than the words I throw upon it, almost without seeing them.

But thus these evil portentous birds came yesterday afternoon, and settled down beside my stepmother. I was down stairs with her, and while sitting at my painting, I amused myself with observing the movements which were made by the three ladies among our near and distant acquaintances. They had already ran through a long list of "they suppose," "they say," "they maintain,” when Madame P * * warmly exclaimed,

true!

"But now for a piece of news which is certainly Our honourable Commodore Brenner is said to have met with a refusal last week from the rich widow, Madame Z! I know it from her sister-in-law, who told me the whole story. She herself is said not to have been disinclined to this union as far as he was concerned; but the five step-children are supposed to have frightened her."

"Yes, poor man!" said the Fräulein.

"He will not

find it an easy matter, with that number of children, to pick up a wife; at least one with money."

"Has Captain Brenner, then, any occasion to look for money in the choice of a wife?" inquired I, a in no very enviable mood.

"That must always be a point of consideration with a man who has to provide for five children, and no property beyond his pay," answered Madame P "Brenner's first wife had nothing, and he himself is said to be not one of the most frugal men in the world." "Is Madame Z ** a woman of integrity?" I again inquired, and the Fräulein answered,

"Well! I dare say she is, though she has neither head nor heart; but with a beautiful complexion, a fine figure, and a large allodial estate, such as Guldasa, there wants neither head nor heart to fascinate. A little vain, a little touched with matrimonial frenzy, she certainly is. . . . it is an unfortunate passion— the desire of getting married. I say, with Madame De Sevigne: I should prefer getting drunk."

"So should I," said I. "Do the people then know it as a positive fact, that Captain Brenner sued for Madame Z **'s hand last week?"

"To be sure they do, my dearest friend! Why, I had it from the lips of her own sister-in-law. Besides, there are documents that can be produced to prove it; for the businesss has been transacted through the medium of letters, reported to be of a very touching nature; for Madame Z * * has wept and fretted day and night over them. . . . so that there has been quite a wash of pocket handkerchiefs solely on that account. But still she took her part, and is said now to

console herself with the thought of a certain gentleman without children. And à-propos! it is rumoured that Captain Brenner derives similar consolation in seeking it in the bosom of this family; nay, it is even asserted that Mam'selle Sophia Adele knows something about the affair."

Blushing like a guilty person, but with the pride of conscious innocence, I repelled the accusation, and declared myself entirely ignorant of the matter. And the sisters being still bent on teazing me, my stepmother said with a graceful dignity, which highly gratified

me,

As Captain Brenner has wooed Madam Z✶ ✶ so recently it would little accord with the respect which he entertains for Sophia and with his own character, if he had such hasty intentions of suing for her hand. Besides this, I am also of opinion that such a match would be little suited to Sophia. With so many stepchildren it is no joke. If my Sophia wishes to marry, she will not lack opportunity of choosing amonghum,-hum,-hum

"Oh, of course!-To be sure!-when a person possesses so many attractions and talents, and property into the bargain, there is no lack of any thing; and there is already some talk about a certain Baron and Chamberlain, and-will it be deemed premature to congratulate?"

I could scarcely make a negative reply, and was rejoiced when the valet entered and announced the arrival of the carriage; the ladies of the Counsellor of Commerce then took their departure, and my stepmother drove out with Flora and Selma to pay some visits.

"Let no one be admitted! say, that nobody is at home," said I to the Philosopher (a trusty old servant of the family, whose office it is to watch during the day half-dormant in the saloon).

I threw myself into an arm-chair before the piano in the ante-chamber, where a solitary light was burning with a long snuff. It was dark in the room and dark also in my soul.

"It is the fortune, then!-a mere matter of speculation!" thought I. I felt so grieved in spirit that I could have wept. The image of the Viking was dimmed in my inmost soul. I beheld it before so pure, so noble, so free from every thing mercenary; and now!-But no!-I would not resign myself to the thought, which the news I had just heard, excited in me. "Hush! hush!" said I, to these tormenting spirits. "Let me enjoy undisturbed my faith in him! Leave me in the unmolested possession of my friend! And why, indeed, should I fancy that he has any intention of wooing me? He intends nothing of the kind; the only thing he seeks in me is a confidant, a friend, a sister!"

And then I mustered all the five children before me in order to explain his courtship of Madam Z * *.

Beethoven's "Sonate Pathétique" lay on the musicdesk, and I commenced playing it. Its wild Agitato subdued the tumult in my mind and calmed my feelings, they rose on the floods of harmony and broke through all impediments to the serious and lovely allemancipating, all-reconciling solution the glorious

Finale.

I was so deeply absorbed by the music that I heard nothing of the altercation which in the mean time was

passing in the saloon, and which terminated in the Philosopher's opening the door, and with a voice resembling that of the Ghost in Hamlet, he exclaimed : "Fräulein! Commodore Brenner is in the saloon and is determined to have admission. Shall I request him to go away?"

"Did you not tell him that I ordered you not to admit anybody?" inquired I.

"Yes he did!" here interrrupted the well-known voice, "but I told him I was admitted already!"

And with a bound, Brenner stood before me, with an outstretched hand, so good-tempered, so glad, so cordial, that I almost forgot all the impressions with which I had just been conflicting, and felt my heart rise in sympathy towards him.

He presented a beautiful bouquet, continuing: "Only pray do not tell me to go away!"

In a melancholy tone, but friendly manner, I replied:

"Oh, no, stay here, my mother will not be long before she returns home."

ner.

"Ah, that does not concern me much!" said Bren"I wish first to have a word with you alone." My heart throbbed with secret anxiety. He looked at me, and my countenance might probably betray my state of mind, for he suddenly became disquieted, and asked me with tenderness and cordiality, "Whether I was unwell?"

"No, I am very well."

"Whether I was vexed?"

"Yes, I was, at something I had just heard." "Whether it was any thing that concerned himself? And whether he might be allowed to console me!"