Miscellany: The Brother's Temptation

Concluded. A walk of half nn hour. in ihe firsh morning air d8pelled theduH pain in hishead, and restored hts whole system to a more henlthy tone. - Th ia droe away to eotne exient, the oppressive feclingof self-condemnation he liad indiiled. - The scènes { the previous evening, thougu tiliy enough for sensible young m?n to engnge in, eeemed Jess objeciionable ihan theyhad appeared to him on his firsi review of them. To lnugh, involuutarily, ut some remembered jcsts and su ries, the points of wbich wero not exactlj' the most chaste and reverentinl, niarked the change that short period had produced on his state o; mind. During that day he did not f;ill in wi'h any of his wild companions of thO last ovening. too many of whom had already ffiirly entored the road to ruin. The evcning waa spent at home, in the society of Bl.mche. He read, while she Bewed; or he lurned for her ihe Icave8 of her music book, or accompanied her up)n the flute, wlu'le he played him a fa vori te air upon the picno. - Conversation upon books. mnsic. socieiy and othcr. topics of interest filled up the lime not occupied in these mental recreations, nnd added zes!, v.iriety and unfl.igsing interest to the gently passing houra. On the nest evening tley aitended ï concert, and on the nest n pnrty. On ihnt Bucceeding. Henry went out to see n friend of a different characier from any of those with whoti he had pnssed the honre a few nights previous - a friend abotit his own age, oï fixed haoiis and principies, who. like himself, was preparing for the bar. With him he spent a more rationnl evening thnn with the oihers; and wiiat was better. no sting was left behind.Stíll, Armour coulu never think of the s:club," without havjnghis níínd thrown into a tumult. - Itawoke ntoactivíty opposíngr principies. Good nnd evíl carne in con tact, and ban led for supremacy. There was in his niind n clear conviction, thnt to indulge n disaipction of that charncter would be inj irious both to physical and lo mora! health. And yet. having tasteJ of the delusive sweets, he wad tempted to tnrther indulgence. - Meeting wilti sr.mo two or three of the "mem bers" during the week, aad lisiening to their cjctravagant prajseof the '''club," and the pleasure of unitinír n unresirained social intercourse made warm by generous wine. tended to make more active the contest going on wiihin. For the good principies that had been stored up in his mind were not to be easily silenced. Their hohl upon his character was deep. They had entered into i ta wurp and woof, and were not to be eradicated; or silenced, in a moment. As the time for the next meeting of the club approached. this battle grew more violent. The condition into which it had brouglu him by the arrival of the night on which lu had promised again tojoin hts gay friends. the reader has already seen. He wrs still unablo to decide his course of action. Inclination prompted liim to go. Good principies opposeil . ':But then I have passed my word thai l wonld go, and my word mui=t be inviolable." - Here reason carne in to the aid of his inclinations, nnd made in iheiríavor a strong preponderanco.We have seen thnf, yet undecided, he Iingpred at home, but in a stnle of iriind strangely d.ffjrent from any in which his sister had ever seen bim. Still debating the question he !ay half reclined upon the sofa, whcn Bianche touched her innocont lipa to his, and murmured a tender good night. That kiespnssed thr.-ugh his frame like an elecrrc shock. It carne, just as iinagination had picmred an image, and scnttered it instantly. But no decisión ot the queation hnd yei been made, nnd the withdrawal of Bianche only took off an externnl restniint from his feellngv- He quietly arose and conimenced pncing the floor. This ho continued for oome time. At last the decisión was made. "I have passed my word and ihat ends it," he said, and instantly left the house. Without per mitting hiruself to review the matter acain. although a voice within askcd loud.'y to be he-ml. he walked hasüly in the direction of the clubroom. In ten minmes he g-iined the door. opon d it withont pausing, and stood in iho midat o' the wild company wïthin. His entrance was greeted with shouts of welcome, and the toast "Here's toagoodfellow!1' with which he had parted withthem, was rppeatod on his return, all standing as tt wasdrunk. To this followed a sentiment that cannot br repeated here. It was too grossly obscene. All drank to t but Armour. He could not, for it involved a .bul slander upon the other sex, and hehad a sister whose pure kiss was yet warm upon his lips. The individual who proposed thf toast, marked this omission, and poitited it out bj saying,"What'a the matter, HarryT Is not the wtne good?" The color mounted to the young man'a face as he replied, wiih a fo:ced mile, "Yes, mucb betler ihan ihe sentiment." "VVhat ails the sentiment?" asked the propounder of it, in a Jone of affected surprise. "I have a sister." wa the brief, firm reply o( Armour. "So CbarJey, here, was just saying," retorled the other, with a merry Iniigh, "and what is more, that he'd bet a sixpence you were ticd to her pronstring, and would not be hero to-nieht' - Ha! ha!" . ' The efiect of this upon the mind of Armour w.is decisive. He loved, ray? almost revered his sister. She had been like an nnge! of innocencc abouthispath.lrom early years. He knew her to be ns pure as ihe mountain snow flnke. And yet that sister'a influence over him wns snecred nt by nne who had jast trtered a foul mouthed siander upon her whole sex. The scales fel! inBtanty from bis eyes. He saw the dangerous ground npon which wb:!c the charncterot his nssociate8 appcared in c new liglat. Tlicy wero on a road that he did not te travel'. - Therewere 6crpcnts concealed amil the flowers ihat spiung along their pathrand he sbudriered os he ihouglu of their poisonous fangs. Quick as a flash of light these things passed throngh his mind, and caused-him ter act with instant resolution. Rising from the chair he had alrjady tnken. he rctired without a word from the room A sneering laugh iollowed bim, but he cither beaid it not. or gnvo it no heed. The book wliieh Blanche resumed after she heard her broiher go out, aoon ccased to interest her. She was too much troubled about him to be able to fix her mind on anything olee. Ilis .AÍngnlnr, disiurbed state, and the factof his having Jeft the house at tbat late hour, cmieed her to foei great uneasiness. This was beginning to excite her imagination, ond to cause her to fancy many reasons ïor his s'range conduct, none of which were calculated in any degroe to nllay the anxiety sho feit. Anxiety was fust verging upon serious alarm, when she heard the sound of ioot steps npproach the house. She listened breathlessly. Surely it was the sound of Henry's footsteps! Yee! Yes! It was indeed her broiher. The tca.-fl gushed fiom her eyes, asslic heard him enter below, and pass up to his chamber. He was safe from harm, and for thi?. her heart lü'ted itsclfup in fervent thankfulness. How near he had been to falling, that pure-minded maiden never knew; nor how it had boen her image, aml the remembrance of her parting kiss, that liad saved him in the moment of his greatest danger. Hnppy he who is blessed with such a sister! And hnppier siill, if her innoccr.ee be sufFered tooversJmdow him in the iiours of temptationl