A HANDSOME man of forty-five stood lingering by the bedside of his wife, whose large tender eyes looked up at him almost wistfully.

A baby's head, dark with beautiful hair that curled in scores of silken ringlets, lay close against her bosom.

The chamber was not large nor richly furnished, though everything was in good taste and comfortable.
A few articles were out of harmony with the rest and hinted at better days.

One of these was a large secretary of curious workmanship, inlaid with costly woods and pearl and rich with carvings.

Another was a small mantel clock of exquisite beauty.