TURNS OF FORTUNE. 15

her favourite child broke the mother’s heart.
Sarah vot only had less firmness of character
than her sister, but loved her father more devo-
tedly, and gave up the affection of her young
heart to please him. His narrow nature could
not understand the sacrifice: and when her
cheek faded, and her really beautiful face con-
tracted into the painful expression of that pining
melancholy which has neither words nor tears
—to lull his sympathy, he muttered to himself,
“ good girl, she shall have all I have.” :
-No human passion grows with so steady, so
imperceptible, yet so rampant a growth as ava-
rice. It takes as many shapes as Proteus, and
may be called, above all others, the vice of mid-
dle life, that soddens into the gangrene of old
age; gaitsmg strength by vanquishing all vir-
tues and generous emotions, it is a creeping, sly,
keen, persevering, insidious sin, assuming vari-
ous forms, to cheat even itself; for it sliames
to name itself unto itself; a cowardly, dark-
ness-loving sin, never daring to look human
nature in the face; full of lean excuses for self-
imposed starvation, only revelling in the impu-
rity and duskiness of its own shut-up heart, At
last the joy-bells ring its knell, while it crawls
into eternity like a vile reptile, leaving a slimy
track upon the world.
The inmates of the mansion enclosed in its
old court-yard had long ceased to attract the
observation of their neighbours... Sometimes