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MR. E CHAPTER XII. It was during the early hours of the following morning before any of the house hold were astir that Agnes made her con- fession to her husband. Mr. Esholt had slept soundly during a great part of the night, but whenever he woke up for a few minutes there was his wife by his side, smiling and ready to minister to all his re- quirements. When he finally awoke there was upon him a sense of deep con- tent and restfulness; the phantoms, bred Lf weakness and much solitary brooding, which heretofore had haunted his pillow by day and flitted on huge dusky wings through his dreams by night, had vanished utterly ; instead, there breathed round him soft sum- mer airs, and all his being seemed filled with sunshine and sweet music. “0 Love, of all magicians thou art chief." Then it was that Agnes began to tell her tale. First of all, she told by what chance she became a listener at the interview be tween Wilmot and Mr. Vainpy ; and then she went on to repeat all that had passed between the two, which, with that feminine gift of memory where dialogue is concerned, she was able to give nearly word for word. After that she proceeded to narrate how she had locked up the first bottle of medi- cine and had sent for another to replace it; how she had met Wilmot or a moment on the landing ; and how, after much inward peturbation, she had taken upon herself to send him three words of warning. Then she sat silent, not knowing whether her husband would approve or disapprove of this last action on her part. He had listened to her in silence, but with the deepest attention. His first words were a great relief to her. “ You did quite right, dearest, in acting as you did. You have re- lieved iue of a disagreeable duty. It would have been most painful to me to have to tell him verbally that which three words from your pen have made known to him. Fore- warned is forearmed. His hand has been forced ; he must needs make his next move within the next few hours, whether he likes it or not.” He lay silent for a little while, evidently deep in thought ; then he he said : uPoor \Vilmot l Poor misguided young man! With all his faults, and they are many and griev- ous, I cannot help pitying him. \Vhy did he not come to me when he first found him- self beginning to flounder among shoals and quicksands? A helping hand held out to him at that time might have changed the whole course of his future life. And then how attractive he wasâ€"how every one seem- ed to take to him l Who could have believed such depths of dissimulation-and worseâ€"â€" lurked under so fair an outside ! That he was in monetary difficulties I had some some reason to know, and my intention was to challenge him on the point to-day, or, at the latest, to-morrow ; but I could never have credited that he would lend his sanction to a. plot so nefarious as that propoundcd by his last evening’s strange visitor. But “ smooth runs the water where the brook is deep. ” ’ Agnes had not yet said all that she had made up her mind to say. “ Robert, are you aware that VVilmot Burrell and I were at one time engaged?” A vivid blush dyed her face as she put the question. “It is only since I have been ill that I have become aware of the fact,” he replied. “ Vi hen I first asked Miss Granby’s permis- sion to speak to you about marriage, she told me that you had already been engaged, but that, owing to the change in your for- tunes, the person to whom your promise had been given had seen fit to change his mind. I believe that at the time I expressed my opinion of his conduct rather strongly. Not for a moment had I any suspicion that young Burrell was the man in question; had I been aware of it, as a mat- ter of course he would never have set foot across my threshold. On this point, as on others, I was led away by his frank, sailor like hearing, has contagious laugh, and his manner, which seemed as open and candid as the day ; no doubt also, to a considerable extent, by my predilection for one who, leav- his own qualities out of question, was the son ofone of my dear brother’s oldest friends. My suspicion of the truth was first aroused by some trifle, I scarcely now know what, that day at Rushmore, and I then and there made up my mind to ascertain the facts of the case. Just at that time, however, I was much put about in business matters ; and shortly after, as you will remember, I was called from home ; while on the heels of my return came my present illness. Still, the subject had by nomeans cscapedmy memory; but it was not till Friday in last week that I ascertained, through a confidential channel, that which I wanted to know. I will not dilate on the feelings with which I hczird the news. Unwittingly, I had done you a great injury, exposed you to a. great temptation. But my faith in you never wavered for an instant. “ Although it was my hands that thrust her into the fiery fur- nacs, she will emerge spotless and unscath- ed. ” That was what I said to myself times without number. I could do nothing just then, my weakness was so extreme, but I never trembled for you in the least.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it with all a. lover’s devotion as he ceased speak- ing. There was still onematter more on Agnes’s mind respecting which she felt that she ought to say something to her husband, and yet she hardly knew how to begin. She wanted to tell him about the torn letter she had found in his private drawer. It had been much in her mind during her long nighiiva‘tch, but the thought of it no longer rankled there as it had before. “ It was my fault that the letter was written which brought forth such a reply," she said to her- self. “ He loved me when he married me; and had I been a different wife to him, he would never have had Occasion to make a confidant of any man. ” “ There is one thing more I wish to conâ€" fess to you, Robert,” she said with down- Cast eyes, for she recognised now what a breach of confidence she had been guilty of in reading the letter at all, although at the time the temptation had proved too strong for her. “Confess away,” he answered with that smile in his eyes which softened his face so wonderfully. “ I promise you plenary ab- solution before you begin.” “ You remember that day when you gave Mr. Burrell your keys and sent a message by him. asking me to open the private BY H0 lFE. T. W. SPEIGHT. .meinoranduin book I drawer in your study and give him a certain should find there? Well” “ Stop a moment. I have no recollection of sending any such message. ” “ But must have sent it, dear, otherwiso how should I have known anything about it '2” “ Procee( ." “ 0n opening the drawer I found lying close by the book I had come for a. torn portion of a letter, one of the paragraphs of which caught my eye. Then my curiosity overpowered me, and I took it up and read the whole of it.” “ There was noharm in that: you are my Wife.” "It was very wrong on my part. a great breach of confidence.” “ Tut, tut I It was nothingâ€"But do you happen to remember the contents of the letter ?" - Did she not ! She had felt at the time as if it would be impossible for her ever to for- get them. “ I read the letter more than once,” she answered, flushing a little, “and I have a good memory.” Then she repeated the letter to him almost word for word. “ My poor darling l and this has been rankling in your mind ever since? No wonder, either.” “Had I been the wife I ought to have been to you, dear, had I been all that you had a right to except, the letter would never have been written which called forth that reply.” A curious expression flitted across Mr. Esholt’s face. “ If you don’t mind the trouble,” he said, “I should like you to go at once and fetch me that letter." Three minutes later she was back again, “ The letter is no longer there,” she said a little blankly. “ Of course it isn’t, he coolly answered. “ The same hand that put it there took it awayâ€"Do you not comprehend ‘2" “ No,”she said with a shake of her head. “ I am very stupid, I know.” “ To speak plainly, thenâ€"no such mes- sage as the one given you by VVilmot Burrell was ever sent by me. No such letter as the one read by you was ever received by me; consequently, it could not be an answer to anything written by me. \Vilmot Burrell was the author of that precious effusion, or some one else for him. It was he who put it there ; and it was he who took it away after it had served his vile 'purpose, which was neither more nor less than to sow dissension between the woman he once professed to love, but had cast off, and the man who had befi iended him and at whose table he had broken bread. This is worse, infinitely worse than all that has gone before." Agnes was overwhelmedâ€"powerless to give utterance to a. word. What must her husband think of her after her confession that she had taken the forgedletter as being in answer to one wriLten by him l Blind idiot that she must have been to dream for one moment that Robert Esholt would under any circumstances have penned anything which could have elicited such a reply ! Oh, how she had misread him I And yet, neither by word nor look bad he reproached her. By this time it was past eight o’clock. Mr. Esholt rang the. bell which hung by the side of his bed. To the servant who came he said ; “Go to Mr. Burrell’s room and tell him that I Wish to see lnn as soon as possible.” Then, when the door was shut, he added sternly : “ Not another hour shall he remain under this roof.” Presently the servant came back, looking somewhat scared. “ Mr. Burrell is not in his room, sir, nor anywhere about the house. His bed has not been in : and his carpet bag, which was in his room last night, is not there now. ” “ That will do, Bridget; thank you,” said Mr. Esholt. Then turning to his wife: “ It is better so,” he said. “ Your brief warns ing was enough. He has solved the diffi- culty after his own fashion, and in all pro- bability we shall never see him or hear of him moronâ€"And now,” he went on, “ I will , tell you something which may perhaps sur- prise you a little. Mr. Vampy was a pri- vate defective employed specially by me. i Some doubts having arisen in the mind of the holder as to the genuineness of the bill for the two hundred and fifty pounds, it was , submitted privately to Jabez Kiinber, who . at once prJnounced it to be-â€"what it wasâ€" a forgery. Without a hint to Burrell, he at once came to consult me in this matter. After some consideration, I determined to take up the bill, although it would not fall due for some time. I was dcterinincd to so far shield the culprit that the settlement of the affair should become a matter between himself and me alone ; but at the same time I was anxious and curious to know by what‘ means he had proposed to himself to meet the liability when it should fall due. Behind the one transaction so fortu- nately brought to light might possibly lurk others more dangerous still. Hence my employmcnl of Vampyâ€"whose real name, however is something altogether , differentâ€"vand I shall no doubt receive his report of last night’s interview in the course of a day. The idea of frightening Wilmot into consenting to tamper with my medicine was an emanation of his own over-ingenious brain, and oughtiiiitself to have aroused the other’s suspicions. I can only suppose his object to have been to ascertain to what extremes \Vilmot would be prepared to go in order to screen his own turpitude. But it was rather absurd to supnosc that a man who had come on the errand he was pre- sumed to have come on should happen at that particular time to have about him a drug. or essence, possessing the remarkable properties attributed to it by him, and that they should be precisely the properties need‘ ed for carrying out the object he had so in- sidiously suggested. I think that had I been in Burrell‘s place the proposition would haveliad too much of the air of a prearranged scheme not to make me feel sure there was something more in the background. But one can never tell. No doubt \Vilmot had been goaded to the point of desperation, and was scarcely master either cf his thoughts or his actions. In any case, it is just as well that he has cut the Gordian knot in the way he has.” \Vhen Dr. l’yefit arrived two hours later, he found his patient so much better that he was quite jubilant. “ Aha l” he exclaimed as he rubbed his hands gleefully ; “ our last change of medicine seems to have effected a remarkable improvement. We cannot do better than persevere in it, I think.” It was “ Indeed, you can’t, doctor,” replied Mr. Esholt with a smile. “The last medicine has done me more good than all that went before." But before this Agnes had gone to her own room. She had passed through so much during the last dozen hours that she was worn out both mentally and physically ; besides, as Mr. Esholt sensibly remarked, if she did not take a. few hours’ rest now, what would she be fit for when evening should come round again? Dr. Pycfitt had not been gone many mirr- utes, when Miss Esholt was wheeled into her brother‘s room, llavry having first reconnoi- tred to make sure that Agnes had vacated her post for the time being. Of course. the sister’s first words framed themselves into an inquiry after her brother’s health. “I am better, very much better, this morning. Even l’yefitt was struck with the change.” “ I am truly rejoiced to hear it, Robert.” “I am sure you are, Janet.â€"By-the-way, I had afresh nurse last night, rim Mrs Jukes superseded. But probably you are aware of it already ‘2” “Yes. Agnes told me what she was about to (lo. Seeing her so self-willed in the matter, I made no attempt to dissuade her. ” “You must make it right with Mother Jukes as regards money matters. She's a good creature ; but when asleep,she certainly does snore like a trooper.” “I have something to say to you this morning, Robert, which I would much rather have left unsaid, if the affection and duty I owe you would have allowed me to do so.” “That’s rather an ominous beginning, Janet ; but go on." “ What I have to say refers to Mrs. Es- bolt.” “ To Agnes l" He raised his eyebrows slightly, and there came into his face a look she knew wellâ€"the keen. hard, slightly ag- gressive look which he habitually wore when at business, and sometimes forgot to lay aside at home. “ I am all attention.” “Yesterday evening, a strangerâ€"a gen- tleman. I suppose he would term himselfâ€" called to see Mr. llurrell. \Vilmot conducts ed him to your study, where the two re- mained shut up together for more than half an hour. Two minutes before the stranger‘s arrival. Mrs. Esholt entered the study ; three minutes after his departure, she quitt- ed it. Consequently, she must not only have been present at the interview, but have known beforehand at what moment the stranger might be expected, and, one may reasonably assume, have been equally well acquainted with the object that brought him here.” “ Who saw all this? From whom did you derive your information ‘2" “ From Davry. She saw Mrs. Esholt both enter and leave the study." “ So. â€"Aiiything more?" “There’s one thing more which I think you ought to be made acquainted with. About an hour later, Mrs. Esholt gave Bridget a. note for Mr. Burrell with special instructions that it was to be sure to reach him.” “ Anything else '2” “ Nothing else, Robert. 1 have thought it my duty as a. sister to make these cir- cumstances known to you, more especially following as they do upon certain other circumstances which I ought, perhaps, to ' have brought under your notice long agoâ€" indced, I now see how weak it was on my part not to have done so.” She paused as if to draw a longer breath than usual. “ Brother, from the first hour Wilmot Bur- rel set foot under your roof my suspicions were aroused that there was some secret understanding between him and your wife, that they had, in fact, at one time been, even if they were not still, in love with each other, and that”â€" “Janet, not another word, I insist !” broke in Mr. Esholt in his harshest tones. “ All that you have told me since you entered this room is already known to me.” “ I have a little history to relate to you,” resumed Mr. ltsholt after a silence which to one at least of the two people there must have been anything buta pleasant one ; “ and it may be as well that I should tell it you now, because it will serve to open your eyes on many points respecting which I was equally as blind as yourselfouly a few hours aoo." 0The story Mr. Esholt had to tell will readily be guessed, but not s-i easy would it be to divine with what varying emotions his sister listened to ihe recital. As it hap- pencd, she had not heard of “'ilmot’s dis- appcar'anco, and now that she was told of it it seemed only a fitting and natural climax to lift: strange story which had just been poured into her ears. “ Robert,” she said after an interval, “ I shall have something to say to you and Agnes in the course of the day, but for the present I will leave you.” \Vith that she rang for Davry. For two hours she sat in her room deep in thought. Had she, in truth, wronged her brother’s young wife in her own mind from first to last? Robert’s narrative had moved her far more deeply than he suspect- ed. The girl ruust love her husband, love. hiur sincerely, devotcdly, whatever her feelings might have been towards another in lime gone by, otherwise she would never have acted towards liiru as she had: she would never have revealed to him that which she had overhear}; by accident unless he, and not her forniQi lover, held whole and sole possession of her heart. Could it be possible that she, Janet Esholt, had misread this simple-minded country parson‘s dauglr tei' from the first? If so, what a grievous wrong had she done her 1 Pride and prejudice were two important - factors in Miss Esholt's menial idiosyncrasv, but dominant over both was strong inherent sense of justice. Hitherto. she had secret- ly prided herself that, whatever the cost might be to herself, she had never knowing- ly wronged or injured any one in word or deed; but could she truthfully affirm the same thing now? From the first, she had wronged her brother’s wife, if not in word or deed, then in her thoughts, which are the unwrouglit actions of the mind. She had seen her, as she believed, walking straight towards a precipice (the word was her own), whether consciously or unknowingly she had never cared to ask, and had uttered no warning cry, had held out no saving hand. Had that catastrophe come about which she now sliuddered to contemplate, would not the recollection of it have overshadowed her last moments, and have clogged the as- pirations on her dying lips? \Vhat her brother had told her had gone a long way towards breaking down the bar- rier of prejudices she had erected of her own free-will between herself and Agnes, and now her strong sense of right and justice did battle with her pride, and in the end overcame it. She acknowledged to herself, not without extreme bitterness of spirit, that she had been in the wrong; but with her such an acknowledgment did not fail to bring with it an unflinching determination to make such amends as lay in her ower. That morning’s solitary communidn with herself was one she was not likely ever to forget. \Vhen Miss Esholt was wheeled back to her brother's room, she found Agnes there, and for the first time in her life she was glad to see her. She had never been a woman to hesitate or beat about the bush {when she saw what she deemed her duty clear before her, and she was not going to begin now. She had a disagreeable task to perform, and the sooner she got it over the better for all concerned. “ Agnes,” she began, and it was very rarely she had ever called her by that name before, “ I have to ask your forgiveness for the wrong I have done you in my thoughts. I have been unjust towards you ; but I promise you I will endeavor never to be so again. I have been blinded by prejudice, but am so no longer. everything. From first to last you have be- haved nobly, and I respect you for it. 1 offer you my friendship, if you care to ac- cept it.” Agnes was deeply moved. Tears gather- ed in her eyes, and it was all she could do to keep them from falling. Crossing to Miss Esholt’s chair and kneeling on one knee, she took one of her wasted hands and pressed it tenderly to her cheek. “ Not your friend- ship only, dear Janet, but your love-<8. sis- ter‘s love. Nothing les: will satisfy me. Ah ! how I have longed for it and prayed for it since the first hour I knew you.” Miss Esholt laid her other hand, which trembled strangely, on the young wife’s glossy hair. “ Who can forecast the future," she said gently, “ or say what may or may not come to pass in the days yet unborn ‘2’ But little more remains to be told. Through Mr. Esholt’sliberality, Mrs. Strake ‘ was enabled to take a much larger house, and in a much superior locality to the one in which she had vegetated for so many years. She was thereby made one of the happiest of women, for her house was always full of lodgers, indeed it was a common say- ing with her that if she had twice as many rooms to let she could find tenants for them ; but in that case it is to be feared that she would have killed herself in her anxiety to please every one. Dear, kind-hearted Miss Mariaâ€"I ask her pardonâ€"Mrs. Ludford, who spent a month in Live; pool every year, never failed, accompanied by Agnes, to call upon her, on which occasions one may be sure there was much talk over old times, and trials which had now happily become mere bitter-sweet memories of the past. After all, the Croxton Ciip was Per- svphone. A few days latter, Mr. Esholt received two hundred and fifty pounds in hank-notes in a sealed envelope, accompain- ed by these words : “ From one who being tempted fell ; who wronged you but re- pents; and who now bids you and yours farewell, indeed it proved to be, for no further tidings ever reached the ears of our friends with regard to the after-career of Wilmot Burrell. A few years went by, and then a tiny Janet was toddling about the house, and a small Bobby was doing his best to tyranise over everybody; and, strange to say, no one was more completely under their sway than the Aunt Janet whom they both loved so dearly. Infant caresses and the soft kisses of baby lips had broken down the last bolts and bars of the dungeon in which for years she had sat apart from all the hopes. fears, joys, and sorrows of her kind, and had let in the blessed sunlight and the free sweet air of heaven. Sometimes Davry would say to her mistress: “Them bairnsâ€"bless emâ€"twist us round their fingers just as they like, and rrake right-down sillies of both of us." )Miss Esholt seemed quite content that it should be so. [THE END.] __9_ Curiosities About Beans. Of all edible pods, it is believed that the bean has been the longest known and most widely cultivated, says the St. Louis Republic. It was used as food by the ancient Jews and considered sacred by the Greeks and Romans. A temple dedicated to Kyane~ tes, the god of beans, formerly stood on the sacred road near Eleusis. Kyanetes was called the god of beans because he was the first to cultivate them for food. The bean feast, which the Athenians celebrated in honor of Apollo, was characterized by the excessive use of beans. The Egyptians, contrary to the nations abovementioned, con- sidered beans unclean and would not venture to touch them. Pythagoras admonished his scholars, “Abstain from beans." The natives of Egypt and most all oriental na- tions look upon the black speck on the wings of the bean flower as the written characters of death. A Cure. for Coughs. A troublesome cough may be relieved by a sirup of onions made by slicing raw onions intoa bowl in alternate layers with white sugar. Cover and set in the oven until the juice is extracted ; but to avoid waste squeeze onions, sirup and all through a strong cloth until no more juice is to be had. Give this sirup at intervals, and there is no danger of giving too much, for it will do no harm. _____.__ . Four men were executed by electricity at Sing Sing, N. Y., on Tuesday. They were all murderers condemned to e, two for slaying their wives, (‘le‘ for ki his mis- tress and the. fourth for i:r- ailing a companion. Their names were Siniler, Slocum, Wood (a negro) and Jugiro (a Jap< anese.) The men were strapped to a wooden armchair and the current was applied to their foreheads and the calf of one of each of their legs. They all took their seats calmly and died without a struggle, although after the first shock, which lasted twenty seconds, there was in each case signs of return. ing life. A second shock was applied and then smoke began to come from the legs. New York has formally adopted this mode of death, which is called electrocu- tion, in preference to hanging as being swifter and more painless. The utmost secrecy is maintained. The current is turned on from a. cabinet erected behind the chair, the operator in which is warned by signal bells when to turn his apparatus on or off. Electrocutiou may be more merciful than strangling with the rope, but iii one case the victim sees the instrument of torture and knows what is going to hap- pen. In the other he is perfectly ignorant. Most people prefer facing the known to the unknown. Robert has told me 3 ALL EARNED IN AFRICA. amonnment Erecled to Dr. Nachllgalr' .' “is Birlhplacc. On Sunday, a monument was unveiled to the memory of Dr. Gustay Nachtigal, the great German explorer, at his birthplace, Stendal, Prussia. His humble grave is at Cape Palmas, Libera, where Mr. Battikofer discovered at five years ago after trainping some time through the jungle that surrounds it on all sides except the sea Dr. Nachtigal was Governor of the German colony of Cameroons, whence he took passage on the man-ofâ€"War Mowe to recruit his health/at home. He died on board a ship of African fever, on April 25, 1885, and was buried at Cape Palmas. Mr Buttikofer photographed the grave, from which, however, the body has since been removed to Cameroons, of which Nachtigal was the first Governor, in whose soil the body now rests. It was the lot of Nachtigal to wander for years among the Mohammedan States of the Soudan south of the Sahara Desert, and to ive the world more information about these countries than any exploror except Barth has contributed. He Was sent to Bornu by the German Government in 1869 to carry presents to the Sultan of that country in recognition of his kindness to earlier explor- ers. After he had fulfilled his mission he visited the countries of Kanern and Borku, north and northeast of Lake Tchad, and later he spent many months in Bagiruil and among the black tribes in the southern part of that country. Then he explored VVadai, the powerful native State, whose name had been the terror of explorers. It was here that Vogel was murdered by the Sultan’s orders nearly twenty years before Nachtigal, in his thirst for exploration, braved the same fate. Vogel did not li .re to writea detailed report of his notable discoveries, though he render”- ed valuable services by his determinatior/of the geographical positions of many places and his many accurate observations ofpther facts. But Nachtigal passed unscathed through all dangers, and, after extending his travels through Darfur and Koragan, he reached Germany seven years after he had started on his long wanderings. The great advantage geography derived from Nachtigal’s travels was that he was well trained in several branches of science, and was one of the most conscientious and thorough observers that ever lived. It is the custom of many explorers nowadays to publish the record of their work within a few'months after their return. Their nar- rative is apt to be carelessly Written, and the amount of verbiage is out of all propor- tion to the solidity and value of the infor- mation. Nachtigal would not have written anything at all had he been compelled to produce copy under such pressure. He was over six years writing the large volumes that record his discoveries. He pro- duced perhaps the most exhaustive and. scientific work that has been written on any part of Africa. The work has never been translated into English, but students of geography have been known to acquire the German language for the particular purpose of reading Nachtigal’s volumes on the Sou- dan. W Effect of Tobbacco Smoke on Meat. Cases of poisoning due to meat which seemed thoroughly wholesome have occur- red, and have remained unexplained. In {cute (1’ Hygiene, M. Bourrier, Inspector of Meat for Paris, describes his experiments with meat impregnated with tobacco smoke. Some thin slices of beef were exposed for a considerable time to the fumes of tobacco, and afterwards ofl‘ered to a. dog which had been deprived of food for twelve hours. The dog, after smelling the meat, refused to eat ’ it. Some of the meat was then out intof small pieces and concealed within bread: This the dog ate with avidity, hutin twenty minutes commenced to display the most distressing symptoms, and soon died in great agony. All sorts of meat, both raw and cooked, some grilled, roasted, and boiled, were exposed to tobacco smoke and then given to animals, and in all cases pro- duced symptoms of acute poisioning. Even the process of boiling could not extract from the meat the nicotine poison. Grease and similar substances have facilities of absorption in proportion with their fineness and fluidity. Fresh killed meat is more readily impregnated, and stands in order of susceptibility as followsâ€"pork, veal, rabbit, poultry, beef, mutton, horse. The effect also varies considerably according to the quality of tobacco. All these experiments would seem to denote that great care should be taken not to allow smoking Where foods, especially moist foods, such as meats, fats, and certain fruits, are exposed.â€" [Canada Health Journal. ~W An Old Jewish Custom. At the home of a well known Jewish citizen was recently seen a tiny flame burn- ing in a handsome goblet. Examination showed the goblet to be half filled with water, on the top of which floated about an inch of pure olive oil. A miniature float of corks, fastened on either side of amet- allic ring, rested upon the oil. On the ring was placed a wax taper, hardly thick- er than a thread, passing through a small circle of thin wood, so that the lower end of the thread dipped through the ring into the olive oil. The upper end of the taper was lighted as above mentioned. The oil drawn up through the wax covered taper served to keep it alight for several hours. “ VVo burn this,” said the lady of the house, “in memory of one of our (lead. \Viien that taper burns nearly out we will substitute airother. so that the flame, like the Vestal fire, never goes out. \Vc light the taper when our relative dies and let it burn a year, the last one being allowed to burn out. We attend to these lights with great care, thus keeping alive the memory of our loved one. It is an old custom of ours, and one seldom now observed. Some burn it only for a week, while others burn it for a month. Our family adheres to the custom in all its purity, always keeping the flame alive for a year.” . ..I.. +â€" lEm-on Bree. The Xa/z'onal Observer (London) tells of a. French wine manufacturer who has discov- ered that the vinous bouquet is a matter not of original constituents, but of fermenting agents, and who has succeeded in making delicious vintages, both red and white, to say nothing of irresistible brandies, out of barley, without so much as a suspicion of grape juice in them. The consumers of these beverages keep up bygone traditions by still speaking knowingly of vintages and bouquets and aromas and styles and so on. i / //