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One Smitll Iloj*« ChrUtmaii. 7he ftuiall buy looked a,i the Oiristmati LrfM<, Au<l, fttraiuin^ his uafjur eyos tu uuu, ha>B hu "i^uwlwoader just what lliey havu H'jt (or tue. â-  Hy Oi.tj! Tliero'd a bully oM pair of nickelltd bkaluii, Tliu tii/.e uf wbicti clearly ludicatfta That thoy'ro ujuatit fur a boy of about luy tirti â€" If 1 h'tJt tbuiu I'll (lr»w a prizu. •' Thi'u over th(»rt» lu a daudy drum, Wljiuh I 111 rathur lud to boliove will coiul- Uy vay, luid a iirttitluKpruas and typo I net\ Whicb would U^juiit about tbu tliliif; fur mo. " Tliat clipper bIchI louks iiiit^hty U:io. And ( BUoiildii'l W'udtir If tbal weru itiitiu, And Iiii rattu'r iiiclinud to think, from tbo looka Of IhiuBb, that I'Jl ^vi that box of huukn rou " And Mio bhot^aii up there bt»bind thu t, I ui uijfjhty buru m dtmi^utMl fur nio ; Atid till raiiit-ra atj<l tbt* t«a-*-bHll Ijat Art' ii'tuiiny to uio. Ill hot uiy hat." HIT, Tl:e Miii-ra went to anuther boy A:id loa'ltxl hiiii up witb peaeelul joy. \Vbi]:< lbt< catiu of typM aud the |irintiuK {irubd 3'illtxt hid ( ovtHtii Toiti wi h biippiiit)»-b ; A^d tlitt uickulliMl ukatfH, bid brutbur Jliii Jlt-in-irkod, wttli a, (^rln. bn ou^ed Ut hiui. Atid tliu '•anily drum and thu ulipi>er slttd Were I'otli dtm.^uud for tii.s couam Ned. But wbiMi th<< bijiall boy uadly saw The Hli.»V(iuu y I Ijudropptid lii.s jaw. Aii'l doleiul, ludued, bHcaiiiM bis looks ^Vbftl hit U)Ht hlH srip oti tho box of bookA, Wbilo tho tiiiu^ that tiiuiply Unrckwl hiui tlac Wad the fact hu uiisaed tbo bauuball hat. ASH All thai fjtaddoued the small boy'ti lifo V/ad a caiidy-baK auda ntiw jack kaifu. KNVOY ; To tbn huya who have read this jiusle thr(jui;h Tiot 4 bope that thismuall boy wasn't you ! la Marriage » I'ltilure? littt'a:!'**) the cake in notalwayt liabl, h'or t)i« Koaaound tiuup exactly ni;nt, JUecanttx at the ciilTnt* Hotiio hutiltandH rail Tell iiu', friouds â€" l)o*jn conkiuji fail'.' lluoa'irtu HOiiK'tiuii-Kiur friunli t^row old â€" >'ull inaoy a friendsbip'd anoll ha.i tolled, "J •- â- -•"•â-  ,-«â€".->-,. ...... ... And Un r »iy huesi jj'""*" ashy palo â€" ,gaia â€" Uu'M friendship failV Itinlou aga i1i-cau)to Olio uioiher ih wicked or weak. Thniiijb a (hiiil iti vaiu stiouhl Hyinpatljy »«<iak. Aud huui** and children naij;{!it avail. AuHftcc ijie ihiaâ€" Di'Oi niothur lova fail'' •• Why. tit> !" voii -tuy, 'â-  the cook U in faoll. is'iit (<u<jtiKh Hoda or too nmoh Halt ; And trujfty fricuda tliu faiKO outweigh, r>ttilh<r choking uor friendship fails, ' yoti lay ** Ad I moUior-lovti ii ibn la:id'^ one hope, Kuiight with itn grandeur and powtircan copa , If ou>' HfltUh fiioiher you'vn fuuml to day, Htill mother luV'> dgi'd n'>t fail," you say. *' Id niarriat; ' a failun''" iiov\ I auk. The fiitawer hn^ proved a world-wiiU) ta^k. But ( au wu not find in niarriai;t»-iuiirred liv<'H Hel'lhli h"«hautN, iticoiiiiibteiii wivanV The huabatidw and wivcwara the failures, you se.* Truly luv â-  tun***I boarU u'lvo liariiMny, Two HyU tiuited, ri'» daik #«tjr«H< vi-iled, *l ti a wb > woiild a-'k, ' 11 am t:i irriafe fade*! ' â- I'mmea liurton (.'f'»v' ( m [in,\iTiFi:L mm A Christmas fitory from the Land of the Harem. It 'II n iiutciw'irth)' fdot that, in wbatuvur diaUiit oountr . vou may bu [ilacuJ, the return of Cbrimiiiaii al.N a>B briD^B with it reflolluctiona of hoiiioau<l f rimida and happy Christniau ubour. Our hero found it bo in drnainy Turkny. Winter in (Ainnlautinople wears auythint; l>at a iiniilint> taoo. It liaii notliin^ of thu Rplsndor of n northnrn ('!iniati<, and lackii altOKuthor thn exalted Klilltii.'B» (<f Know- covomd I; Alia, rreaniy lulls, and deoply l)uriu<l furHDtii. It lias tlin cliarHitcr of an •bortivs Bprin>{ that cah Hi.nrooly renist thii temptation to rela|is« into wet winter. Hut them am ocnaaimial int' i v als dunn){ wlil jh B mild, lilne tlrmainent i ovum llm ri'didoncii of thu Hultanii, tliii minarot^ an I nicoinu domes i^tittor ami s|)arkl<>, and tin waierti of th'Culdan Korn rippln linMi)<ly at thu feut of uvur^ruun hills, rrlluctini; with ila. rlini; 'Ifuct the lovely blue (iverliuad. It waB Buch a day, in thu iniddl') of I>i> cenibor, iHT'.t, wlule louni^intj in the read ing room of the Grrnian C'iubat I'era, that I met n (ormnr ai'quaititanci', a youn){ iihysioian, of wliutn 1 had fur aamu tiiiiii lost ai^ht, though 1 knew that he liad not left (lunutantinuple. I>r. (Itto I'rani'ecn waB an intureatin); man. 'fall anit elitndtr uf stature, his rony faoo was rfunarkable for a pair of lari^o, oalm, brown oyi» that contrasted Burprid ini{ly with hirt hxlit. blonde lialraiidfjoldun. hlondn beard, llut \Nhat uliHracteri/.ud thu man waB th« niysli : oaliu of liis nianiiur and the paucity of his w.irds. lie lijioko liut little, went about aloiiu, and his Boidal relatione with the furoi^ii rt'siduuts of tliu capital of tim OUunmn tnijiire wero aB limited as lourteHy would |iurniit. 'Xinii waH tlin more Hiiii^iiInr.Ks llr. I'rnn KSen had, (lunnii hid yiar's uijouni at (/'onHtantinnplo, a'!i|uiru(l hi^h rupiito Hinon|> the forui|<n nuidentH as a | liyBioinn, without ap|iaruntly any exertion on hie own part, lor ha was smiled o.i by fortune in his ellortB at cures , wherever he wtiiit tiii'kness Bei'ined to take im departure and liualth its plaoe, so that |iuople aoi|uir(id a conllilenoe in hisaliiliiy that bordered on liiiperstitiiin. Ofioirsu, cMorts were not laakinR to alltire the hantlHuine youii^ (lor. man, iH)piilBr and nioiiuy maklnij, ninl with nuoh hri|>ht pr.ispootB, into the family (drolsH, and eBpo<;ially into na di as ooii- tained inarrinL;eabki daughters. Clover niid m tiiitlo trapd were liid for hiui, and the dati|{ht Til of iiiillionairoB, df uhoni theru nre not n few at I'erft, hi^hed at him with liut littl I idfort at disi;iiiB«. 'lu this inixud Hoi'ioty, on the borderland botwouii Jiiirope and Auit, l>r. I'ranneen fill Mllud all thn doinandB of (oiirteHy and ttood braodinK â€"more than that, no pnidnnt Father, no Huheinln|( mother, no jovial lirother. no lovely, I ivable and rich riaii)>hler ooiild leitthini. 'i'lie dlBohar^o of hisiiooial dutiei wits simply the nuiohaiii cal obssrvitniiH of unavoiiliible forina. Theyouii^ Dr. I'ranueaii Kueuied to livo only for Ilia profoaalon and his louuly walks, but liove Is a sharp. eyed ){od. or a Iilindonn, nnoordin^ touiroiiinstaiiouB, and it wail i'esurvu<i for the oiier^y aud BlynnBB of the daiiKhtur of a l..ovaiitine banker, who waa mortally in love with the hlond doctor, tj diBOOVer that he frei]nent6d the houae uf a younK widow liviu(( In atriut ro tiremniit, and that he hail passed several very louK evenings Ihoro. 'I'he lady, a Hatlvo of Hwodeii, MrB. I'lora Carlson 1^ iiKine, waa thu posiussor of a lar^jo fprtuiie and was remarkably handaoiiie; Init she wan all btit hated by the lluropeans imoauia of the atiidied reserve whioh abo â- naintaincHl toward the tnoiety of I'era. Ml (his I had known of my oonatrynian before we straok ap an acqaaintanoe. I saw him firat in the readioe-room in Fera, which he frequented, and we entered into oonversation. The talk rambled through a variety of topics, but presently it became more pnrsonal. " It la BiDgular," he continued, after we had exobani>ed a few coatldences, " that peaple here look on a man aa though he were a child. They would f;aide each of my ateps, and wonld ubaolutely lead me in the path to fortune and happineaa. I am under aarveillauce by day and by night, aud I believe the colony enters all my movements in a ledger. In thia reaped the Tarka are different," be continued after a few seconda ; " they call for my aervicea, bat as soon aa I am out of their houaes, I am dead aa far aa they are concerned." " Then you alao have practice among the Mahometana ?" I asked, aomowhat sarpriBud, knowing; that European doctora ara only called to attoLd Tarkiah familiea iu very exceptional ctsea, and then i(enerally only very old men and each as have lived in Constantinople many yeara and are married. " Yes," he replied, " I have more calla to Turks than to Kuropeaua. My practice is extending with the former." " No doubt a payino practice," I ven- tured. " Very, but difficult," he replied in bia oncomuiunicative manner ; " the women I am expected to treat when covered by the veil, and that is impassible. I declare my inability to help them nnder aach circumatances, and that is generally effec- tive. With groans and eigha the veil ia removed, and what it had hidden would in moat caBaa better have rumaiued covered." " In most caeea. but not in all ?" I in- terrupted. " No, not in all." ho aaid pensively ; " for the greatest beauty here 1 saw un- veiled. She was a slave," he added, and into hia eyea there came a peculiar light. lie fixed his eyea thoughtfully on the ground, and his aleuder, nervous band played excitedly with a paper-cutter. The expreaaiou of his face had auddenly become ao singular that 1 felt a great desire to hear more of that slave-girl. But from this time be relapsed into his wonted thoughtful silence. All my efforta to learn moro tailed. Aflur that meeting, weeks paaaod witliout my seeing the aingnlar man again. Then we mot again on aev. eral ocoaaiona, bat I took care not to put any ijuuatnn to him or e.xbibit a desire to learn anything hu did not volunteer to impart, and by degrees wu became uxcellent ai'i|uaintaucea. Itut 1 myself knew abso lutely nothing uf my friend, t\ xpt that he had been a practiMiig phymuian in lierlin, had fought a duel and severely wounded his oppon-.-nt, an officer . had lied to Uriieoo and had then come here a year since. One day Dr. l''ran/.een asked me whither 1 knew where he could obtain a 8pino/.a traiiblated Into (iermaii. I happened tu have the volume he needed aiKt Kave hiiii the book. After a few days hu oontided tu me that the book was dealined to be read by a lady, a highly cultivated widow, who now desired to form my acquaintance, aud had cominisdionud hiin to present ine to hi r In a house litted up in the I'ompt'iian style, with the tineat taate, though plainly and with a oerlain colorless aevuriiy, 1 found a magnilivMintly funned woman, with an intellectual face and great black oyea â€" clear, dark, tiery and deep that posseaael rare powers of faseiiiation. I envied my friend and foarud for him at thu same time, for this waa a woman who might bring the most exquiaite jov or thu most uX'iiiiMlo pain to the man who falls within her inagiu sphere. Khe greeted nw simply and oordially. We talked on a wide variety of tnpicH, and I admirud the profound kiiuwledgn and the eunvefBational povverd Biio ilinplayud. .\nd withal she was truly womanly. " I hate blue stockings," she remarked, who oniy study in order to boast of their knowledge. An tor ine, I want to be aole toanaly/'i thu phenoniaina of life, aiul to this end I need mieniu aiul art. My past life, which was a glittering desert, and my iiresent (tatua, contirined me iu this preili lention 1 might Bay, they compel it. What elan uhall I do ' lluw iitili.(e my leisure '.' I hitvo nothing to care for, and live isolatml from all mankind, mostly by my own choice. Were 1 a woman who was loved and re turned that love, then probably I would live only for my husband as wife and housekeejier, wbiuh I rugard as the hightsi and noblest dt^stinyof woinaii " And with those words she gave my friund a quick glance, full of tire. hly visit oanie to an end all too soon. I parted from this extraordinary woman with feeliiigH of admiration, and the rela tiiins of my friend to her began to burden my heart. Hhu loved him but lie ,' Kilently hu took liia luave of hur that evening, apparently lost in deep and heavy thought. After that evening be diaap|>eared, as wail occaxlunally Ills ciiatom. 1 met bun nowhere, and even thu willow failed to see him. That lady, it is true, answered my inqiiiriuaafterour mutual friend with a ealni voiiv and lanlesH man ner, but her face waa more pale thanuuual, lur lyij were surronndod by dark rings, and bur features boro thu iiprussioii of suf- f' ring For a month I could not gut sight of my fi ii'iid. He divolope t a really won ilerful talent to avoid mutitiug me, for he still wi'iit hiB profossional rounds with rr^ulariiy, but doapite all my pains and artilici'S I faik'd to meet h.oi either on the strei't or in places he waa wont to fre<|uent. Nevorthclijs the air waa full of rumira about him, one uf which was to the i ITect that he waa a fnN|uent visitor at thu house of a pacha's widow, and that be was infatu aled with one of her slavi). Although the iiiBtitiilion of Hiavrry, and above all the tilave trad.', is nfliciully aboiiHhinl in Cniiatantinopls. in reali- ty Hitvrry eiisla to-day junt as it did a hniulrud yeara since, but it muat not show itself in public. For thia there is good reaaon, aineu the Turkish houauhold could not uxiat without fumale alaves. No Turkish woman, no Turkish girl, who would iiasa for respectable, may appear uuvsiled tiefurs a man ; even the lord uf the house hold must, when hu unturs thn house, give the warning cry " Dusdiir I ' (take uaro) that all woiuun preaunt, not hia wives or daughters, may taku rufngo behind the veil aud leave the houas. Ueing thua enonm. bared they oannol perform the honse hold wark. henoe the alava ii a neoessily. forahe ia a non-Mahometan â€" a mere thing â€" and may appear before any man withoat the veil. Should the riaa to the dignity of a wife, she ia at once invested with the veil, aud ahe ia thenceforward governed by the sams moral and social code aa the others. The edaoation of tboee slavea who are only luxuriea conatitutea a profeaaion tbal is eiercieed chiefly by widows, but often alao by the wivea of high officiala. The children are purchased from people of Caucasian blood ; high prices are paid for a 5. year old handaome and intelUgent- looking girl : she receives a oareful educa- tion and instraction in the languages, music and dancing, as well aa in some of the arts, if she diaplay any talent in that direction. Arrived at a proper age, the girl is sold into a rich and aristocratio family, in which the virtooua, highly educated, phyaically and intellectually developed girl occupiea a moat anomalona poeition. She waits upon visitors, enter- tains them, and ia an article of luxury jaat aa are, in our elegant drawing-rooma, the paintinga of celebrated masters. Such a slave cannot be bought for less than $0,000. Not infrequently these young women marry men in high atation, and aome have even become the mothers of saltans. Such a speculative educational inatitn- tion waa poeseaaed by the widow of Essouf Pacha, and Dr. Fran/.een had been selected by her aa pbyaiciaa to the bonae. Thia waa moat unusual, but of live of her pupils who had lais prostrate with typbaa fever, ho had aaved all. From that time the Turk ish lady placed unlimited conlidenoe in the young physician, and he paid regular viaita in a honae which otberwiae waa open only to the ricbeat Mahometan bnyera. The rumor led me to think. Why did he hide hinieolf from me? Why avoid the handaome widow, who, he muat have known, loved him ? There might be aome truth in the rumor, although in one reapect it muat needa be falaeâ€" one cannot court a slave. It is an imposaibility for aucb a girl to follow the bent of her inclinations, for ahe is the properly of her edncator, and ahould ahe attempt (light the authorities would come to the aid of her owner, would Qnd and return her to slavery, and ahould her lover and abductor bu a foreigner whose legal punishment might caase diplomatic trouble, be would surely and silently dis- appear, never to be aeen again. Hence there could be no thought of courtahip in thia case. Hut one way of getting poaaeaaion of aucb a giil waa open to a foreigner to buy her, and as he is not per mitted to keep a sla\d or a miatreaa, to marry her. 1 knuw my friend to be without meana, nor had be been able to accumulate much mousy doing his one year's sojourn in I'era. How then could he indulge euob idle fancies '? It is true Dr. Frau/icn was a peculiar man, that I knew right well . but foolish hu waa not. In alibis undertakiuga he litd a clear, attainable end in view ; and yut 1 was much disturbed by bia oouduct tor the past few weeks. Une day - I was just reading mj home- paper in the (ierinan club room a hand was laid upon my aboulder, and looking up I waa surprised to aee the loat one standing at my side. He looked thin and worn, and his attitude waa leas elaatic than for iiiurly. " Hhall wu take a walk ?" he aak»d in a aomewhat tromuloua voice. I do^'Iarod my willingneas, and we took thu turn to thu old bridge. For aome time hu walked silently by my side and I fol lowed his example, wheu preaontly ho ex claimed, excitedly : ' Von are well known in tinancial circles here . do you know any one who would loan ine !'• 000 franca for a year ? I would like to borrow that aum and pay the usual intereaS." " Then, lifter all, the rumor is correct .'" I could not help saying. " Wliat rumor?" ho asked excitedly. " That you are in love with aiKave girl." " And if it were ao ?" " 1 thought yon had other aima and am 1 it I nu." " 1 had duuuived myaelf," he replied without looking up . "I waa blinded by the .loul, (lie oritiinahty, the depth and the importance of the lady ; I waa faajinatod by hur individuality. Hut now a great paaaion haa taken poaaeaaion of the whole man in meâ€" it ia true love itaelf. I am infatuated with a charming beiug, full of youth and fragrance , a being like a May Mower; the peraonitication of youth, spring with all its apiritiial and material I iiarma. Hho in a alavo girl, it ia true, a pupil of the widow of Kaaouf I'auha. but I am deturminud to buy this girl and make her my wilo." " Aru vou c^'rtain that your love is re- turned ?" 1 askeil. " 1 fancy I ctn read love in her eyes -to spoakof love 1 havuaa yet been unable, un- der thu pe.iuliar conditiona that obtain in Turkish housoholda. She casta down her eves when I acoost her, while the others look at iiiu calmly ; ahubliishea when 1 ap proach her, and her bruathing ia hurried ; she treinblua when I taku her hand to feel her piilae, and shu ia always thu tirat I aeo when I enter the houae. If I discontinue my visits for a little while, ahe perceptibly revives on my return that I have notiueii." " Have you, then, had an iinderatauding with Mra. Orlaon 7" I felt myaelf called upon to ask. " That is imposKible," ho f \claimed ex- citedly ; â- â€¢ what shall I tell her t What can I tell her ? Wo are aa eio(< aa be- trothed. Hho ia an extraordinary woman, roniarkably handaome. rich, highly cul- tivated - but a ourtain aomething ahe lacked alwaya ; she never bowitohed me. never drew me into auuh a deliuioua whirlpool of all i»y senses aa doua thia quiet, youthful creature whom 1 have before my mind'a eye wherever I am, who baa taken poaaeaaion of my entire being. With that lady I atill poaaeaaedthe power of thinking ; here I am entirely without will." " llut aa a man of honor you owe that lady an explanation," I venture<l to remind him ; " go bravely to Mra. (iarlaou and tell her all." " I cannot do it." he groaned. " Then write her, at least." " That would be cowardly ; 1 oonld not bring myaelf to do it." " 'fhen you will oome to grief, and yon may beaidea bring ruin to two good, noble beings," aaid I. and parted in very bad humor from a man who oould allow passion thus to unman him. A few days after this moating I received a letter tram Mrs. CarUion, which ran as follows : I am in need of a friendly service and have no oDe to whom I cau apply (or help. Yourmanaer, your face inspire me with the coara^fe to address you. Would you have the goodness lo call on me at an early date? I rely on your knighilinsss. Kloha Cabi^bom. I heaitated not a moment to place myself at the diapoeiliou of the lady, took a car- riage, and drove to her villa. I found the beautiful widow looking yet more pale, and her eye^i had a fixed, far-off expresaion, aa though ahe had no concern with her immediate aurroandiogs.bat with something far away. "Do not be surpriatd," said the lady, after ahe liad tbaiiboi me for my readiness to serve her and my quick responae to her call, " if I demand aomething unu.saal of you. Were it au ordinary matter i had not troubled yoa. Yoa are the only friend of " Dr. Franaetn, pirhapa hia confidant â€" then you know more than I can tell yoa. In that case you are also a dear conddant to ma. I take that for granted, and iu thia capacity I invoke your good offices. Pleaae " â€" and ahe made au heroic effort to maintain bar composure, but her voice became almost inaudible â€" " i|,o to the widow of Kaaouf Pacha and tell her you come aa the messen- ger of Affarid I'acba â€" hera is a card â€" and yoa wish to aee Tenzile. Yoa are a judge of men and women, I know. Obaerve the girl carefully, aud report to me what yoa think of her appearance and how ahe im< preaacd yon. I need not teN you more," she concluded, giving utterance to the words with apparent effort ; " I only wiah to know bow the girl looka, and have not the courage nor the atreugth to confront her." Thia commisaiou took me axhaat. It aoemed, then, she knew all. What was her object in aending me on this miaaion ? Did ahe wish to become acquainted with her rival ! How would that serve her ? Did ahe desire to inatitute comparisons between that person aud heraelf, and did ahe wiah to be con- vinced of the poaaeaaion of aucb auperior charma on the side of tho slave girl, that the hope of aaccasafnl rivalry wonld be vain ; or did aba bope that if the oppoaite were the caae the man, charmed only by external appearances, would aee hia error and return to her ? But the lady'a char- acter forbade her entertaining such thoughts or meditating such deeds. What, then, wa.s her motive for thia curioua mis- sion ? Her feelings were too deeply in- volved for the gratification of ordiuary curioaity : that waa proved by the emotion and excitement she displayed when ac- quainting me with her wiabea ; atill, ahe waa a woman, and poasibly these motives, connected, would guide her actions. These thougbta ran through my brain while alia waa apeaking to me. " I shall endeavor to carry oat your wiabes," I replied, " though their fulfilment ia not withoat dithculty, for one cannot well ao describe another peraou that a third party shall aee that peraou aa ahe really ia." " You are a man and an artiat," ahe replied, " and I aball bear the truth from you. With a woman, if ahe were the uioeat judge of human nature in the world, and an artist beaides, 1 ahould have my doubta. Boinga of our aex judge only men rightly at leaat aa far aa the effectâ€"" She aeemed to waut to aay aomething more, but broke olT. " 1 candejiendon you," ahe concluded abruptly. Full of oonthcting emotions, I returned to the city to the Mahometan quarlera. The honae of the i'acba'a widow I found east of the Atmeidan, in one of the small side streets that branch out from that place , It differed in uo respect from the real of thu Turki.sh houseaâ€" the aame irregularly located windowa with wooden bars, and the lijuie red-painted oaken door, atudded with great naila, with a maaaive knocker. Setting the latter iu motion, the portal opened after aome delay. 1 ateppud into a small vestibule, which waa parti tioued 111 tho middle by a wooden grating exteuding from tloor to ceiling. Uehind this wooden grating atood a black female servant, who deinaudod my busiueaa. I explained to her my errand, and the uegresa aisap^wared. I'resently ahe returned with a aecono, then came a third, and.tlually an elderly Frenchwoman, evidently agover- nuaa. Then enaued a long parley. The four ambaaaadressea came and went. At laat a lady in European coatume, with yel- low, Turkiah f:kce and abarp black eyea, appeared behind the grating, aubjected me 'o a auarobing scrutiny from between the bsra, heard my mention of the I'aoha'i name, which waa on the card I carried, looked attne Turkiah wjrda written oa tho card, and retired, after aayiug a few, to me, uniiitulligible worda to one of the black survantH. The wooden grating opened, and beckoning mo to follow, the old negress ascended a narrow, dark, atone alairway. I l,loped my way up the ateps and again found myself before a wooden grating ; this was ojianeil by the negi csa with a key that hung from a ateel chain around hur neck, and croaaing a grotB8<iuoly decorated dark hall, following on the heola of ray black guide, I reached a large room, alao dark. The negreaa wont to a window, lifted a heavy curtain to admit light, and invited me, by a geature, to wait there. 1 now had loiaure to look around in the arge apace. It wae impressive in its baldiieaa. The walla wore paiutetl in a bluiah oil-oolor, upon which were akotched at regular diatancea gaudy birda of paradiae, rooking themaelvea on chains of rosea. On the walla hung a few oil paintinga, portraits of the Sultan and of the Qermau and Austrian Kiiiperora; three <|uite modern I'ariaiau aofas, a great piano, and an ouormoua, gayly oolore<l paper lau turn, ausiiended from the ceiling, com- I leied the furniture of the room. The Turkiah lady preaently returned, ac- oompanieti by the Frenchwoman, and ii . troduced heraelf aa the miatreaa of the house. Shu apoko very faulty French, and the governess waa probably to act aa inf turpruter, I Bignilied to tho widow that 1 oould apeak Turkiah quite paaaably. She amiloil pleaaautly, ecrutiuiied me still more critioally out of her coal blaok eyea, and pointed to a aofa opposite her. " You wiah to aee Teuzilo?" began the widow, when we were aeated. " On commisaiou, " I haateneil to aay. " Affarid Paoha wiabea you to paint her portrait for a European lady who ia muoh lutereated in the exuellant girl." I waa aomewhat taken abaok over thia nnexpeotod inveatmout with the painter'a akill- I am a aoulptorâ€" but quickly adapted myaelf to the aituation. and aaid. " I be- lieve snob ia tho laoi." "Well." resumed tho Tarkish widow, " Affarid Pacha has opened neKoUatioaa witb me for Tenzile. whom he has known since her childhood. He is, as yoa arw aware, thrifty ; the sum for reimborsemen* of tbe oullaya for her edacation seems to him too large, and he cannot make ap hia mind. It ia quite contrary to onr oasloina to paint tbe portrait of a young lady aoleaa it be deatined for oar most exalted lord, the Saltan. However, I will make • special exception in favor of Affarid Paoha and his olientess. Y'oa shall be allowed to paint Tenzile's portrait, but I cannot per- mit you to aet foot in oar hoaee, be it for so ever brief a period, more than twice." She made a sign to the Frenchwoman, who left the room and retarnad with a girl ia Turkish dress. " Thia ia Tenzile," aaid the widow. The girl waa lovelineas itaelf, tbe inoor- poration of youth and beauty. There waa in her peraonality something that moved the heart, yet raviabed the aenaea ; b slender, neat, yet ftill figure â€" snoh a tigura aa only an ancient Clreek sculptor would succeed in copying aud displaying aa tha apotheosis of the lovelieat budding woman- hood. The curly, andulatiug golden- blonde hair , dreamy, great black eyea ; the finely carved, gently sloping noae ; the oval fAoe, with the faintest suapioion ot yellow, with the fall, aweet mouth, together completed the singular witchery of her appearance. I now realized how my friend coald hare become intoxicated by the breath ot this child of a aoatbern aun. " The gentleman ia to paint yoa. UtUa daughter," e.xplained the widow. Tensile made a graceful courtesy, and a lovely bluah apread over her cheek. " I am not very pretty," she began in good French ; " I have a yellow face ; my friends Serbs and Darie are much prettier." Her voice waa wonderfully elaatic and aweet. " The gentleman haa a commission to paint you for a Frankish lady, Tenzile," the widow said ; " be will only coma twice, and you mast, therefore, sit quit* still," she added. Tenzile bent her head iu aaaent. " It will not trouble you long," I aaid, addreaaing myself to the beaatiful slave; " I shall only make a dying sketch to-day. However," 1 continued, turning tj tha widow again, " it ia necessary that I should converse with the young lady, for thus the aoul, which must apeak out of the face, re- veala itaelf to us, and I beg your conaeni to that end." The Pacha'a widow conaented. Taking out my notebook, which for tha nonce aerved aa a sketchbook, I aketched the outlines ef the girl's face, meaawbila conversing with her on various topica. Shs ahowed a abarp intelligence and not an- common knowledge, after the f aabion of young, refined French women bronght ap in conventa, and a childlike, atTeotionata heart. Me ahe observed tbongbifally and with curioaity. Uer puzzled, earneat, inno- cent expreaaiou tilled me wulh aadaeai, almost with pain. I coald not bear to pro- long tbe sitting. With deepest sympathy I took my leave from thia girl, who, a creature of Ciod like ouraelvea, was yetonlj a thing, with no control over her own fata â€" created to obey, unqaeslioning, the will of others. I showed Mra. Carlaon who, to judga from her expreaaiou, had waited for ma impatiently--the aketoh, and rejxirted what I had aeen, learned, felt and thought, aa calmly, dispaaaiouately, and objectively aa poaatble. She remained 8[>eechleBa while I apoke, then suddenly caught my hand, bout over it, and kiaae«i it before I could draw it away ; hot teara were on it wheo I did ; thou burying her face in her hand- kerchief, aha hurried from the room. Sad at heart, 1 left the villa and walked home, wondering what was to come out of all this chaos. I turned my steps toward the house of my friend. He was out : had left his lodgings bHt a few minutes before. Hut 1 found there a note addressed to me that waa juat to have been aent me ; ilscoulenta aaite<l my plana and purposes. ' "Dear friend," wrote Dr. Franzeen, " I feel very lonely. To morrow will ba Chriatmaa; I hope you also have no engage- ment for the day. Shall we two forsaken onea spend the evening together in my quarters ? I shall ex(>ect you if you do not at once decline tbe iuvitation." The 'H\h of December proved to be a charming day ; it is true tbe heavens wera overcast, but through the enveloping foe there shone a gentle sunlight that nvested ewrything with a dreamy aspect, tha cupola orownwi bouses of the great city, aa well as the faded green bills aud the gently murmuring waters. 1 found my friend sitting at the piano. and waa just m tiaie to hear the laat touea of a Beethoven sonataâ€" he was a brilliant performer. Hearing me, heapraug up and greeted me, entirely iinlike himself, with excitement and paaaionate warmth. 'â-  If I had uot that," and he pointed to hia muaic, " 1 would have lost my reason ere thia." " Beoauae yon are parted from Flora?' I asked. " Because 1 feel that 1 am acting irra- aponsibly toward that lady, aud am faoia( au Oriental happiness perhaps." replied, half musingly, halfinquiringly. " It is not yet too I'ato to call a bait and atone for your fault," I put in. " I cannot tear myself away from tha dream of longing for that girl," he said with heavy breath ; â- ' it ia only a dream ; that I realize; for I shall be unable to raisa the a im demanded in the abort tune left me, and I have found out, from the Pacha'a widow heraelf. that varioaa grandees of tha city, among them Affarid Pacha, ara suitors for the girl. She will be taken from me, my hopes and wishes are as naught, aud yot I cannot give her up But do yoa imagine," he continued painfully, " that the lady would hail me as a pr^xtigal son ? Then you have but a poor insight iuto her character ; it ia pure, refined and beaming like a diamond, but in ethioal matter hare aa that atone." " The lady loves you," I asserted, " with the whole power ot her noble, passiouata aoul." " The leaa likely that she will lower her. self by deaoending to my level." " Do you believe yor. will be happy with tbe slave?" I now asked, involuntarily, in au earnest, weighty tone. " If foreverâ€" that I do not know. But it wonld be an almost oruahing happiness tor yeara, and anoh yeara count au hundred- told," he replieii passionately ; " and yoa oannot oouut the greatest happineaa by yeara; they are really only moments â€" oontiuaoai happineaa woald kill. But I I u f