HALCYON DAYS.

 And so you went for it yourself ?" said Louisa';
"C oh, you are a good brother !"
 "And you gave up the fishing-party ?" cried
Minnie, kissing him; how kind you are, William."
 If William had before felt any regret for the
amusement he had given up, it was all dissipated now,
when he saw his sisters so pleased, and received their
loving thanks; as he afterwards told them, he felt all
that day so cheerful and contented, that everything
around him seemed charming,. and he never enjoyed
himself more. Nor did he regret his self-denial,
even when he heard from his friends the following
day how perfectly successful and delightful the ex-
cursion had proved: his share in it, he felt, would
have been purchased at the price of grievous dis-
appointment to others.

 There certainly never was a more perfectly success-
ful party than this one of Minnie's and Louisa's. The
Patersons and Greys arrived nearly at the same time,
about four o'clock, and as they had ridden, and were
not at all tired, they preferred rambling about the
grounds before tea to remaining in the house; tho
wood was visited, and the girls' gardens admired and
criticised, and the swans fed. At last, a game of hide
and seek in the shrubbery was proposed, and all wont
on merrily, until James Paterson, the eldest of tho
visitors, becoming excited, became also rather bois-
terous in his play, and running heedlessly, stumbled
against Minnie, sending her to the ground with some
violence. Confused and ashamed, he offered to assist
her up, but Minnie, more angry than hurt, chose to
rise without help.
 "You are too rough to play with girls," exclaimed
she.