and she gently led the way towards the door. They stood upon the threshold.

It is very hard," she said, "to lose a valued friend. You must not reply to me, General Sterling. I can not pretend to misunderstand you. After what has passed to-night, we must not meet again! Adieu! forget me"-and she hastily retreated into the hall, which was now tenantless except of herself. Sterling was choked with the suddenness of this speech. He gazed in her bright eyes. They were mild, gentle, melancholy, but firm and cold; and in their positive, expression endorsed the peremptory tenor of her uttered decree. He had no words. To protest his love would be madness, to deny it would be falsehood. "I submit," was all he said; and muffling his face in his cloak, he rushed out of the house and ran up the graveled walk of the yard, just in time to get into Senator Burton's carriage, as it was about to drive off.

It is diffcult to

Beatrice retired to her chamber. imagine the extent of her wretchedness.

Her ca

lamity was two-fold. She had lost a husband and a lover! Her happiness was gone - her spirits crushed, her pride subdued; her husband disgraced, and herself betrayed.

She bolted her chamber door, and gazing a moment vacantly in her mirror, she tore the combs from her hair and flinging herself upon the carpet buried her face in her hands upon the floor.

Dr. Curtis rapped at her chamber door. She arose not. Again he rapped.

"Who is there," she said.

"It is I," he replied.

"You can not come in to-night," she said, "in the morning I will see you."

This man was not as miserable as he should have been. He was afraid to meet his wife. Her answer smote him; yet he was glad of an excuse to leave the house, without an explanation. He ordered his carriage, and drove into the city in search of excitement and game.

CHAPTER XVI.

Sterling had never visited a gaming house. Feeling especially miserable to-night, after his crushing farewell with Beatrice, he suggested to Burton, that he would like to go with him to HELL, or

other sea-port."

"some

Burton began to moralize on the dangers of such a visit, and was particularly eloquent over the fascinations of vice in general, and of gaming especially; to all which Sterling made no answer, for the reason that he did not listen, his thoughts had carried his ears far, far away.

66

"But if you are determined to go, here is the place," said Burton. 'Stop, driver," and the sena. tor led the way up a mysterious flight of stairs, at the top of which was the string of a bell. This being pulled, brought a negro to the door."

The scene was entirely new to Sterling. He observed a round hole in the panel of the door about the size of his hand, from which the blind was removed to enable the negro to see whether or not the persons summoning were such as could be admitted; for everybody can not enter these aristocratic establishments. At the sight of Burton the door flew open, and the ebony Cerberus was extremely polite, to the two distinguished visitors. Their hats and cloaks were taken and deposited in the appropriate places.

Wine and segars were displayed.

Col. Blunderbuss was sitting in front of the dealer. Before him were large piles of faro chips, red and white. He was betting high and with much energy-but with bad luck. Furious damns escaped him almost at every turn of the cards, and now and then the table resounded with the heavy fall of his colossal fist. Beside Blunderbuss sat Mr. Huron, the Wall street broker, whose present visit to Washington was connected with a grand scheme of OCEAN MAIL STEAMERS. He had taken a fancy to Blunderbuss (that gentleman being chairman of ―), and he seemed to feel some considerable solicitude in the fate of Blunderbuss's bets.

Sterling looked on with the deepest interest; he was a novice in gaming. He saw thousands of dollars changing hands every few minutes. He was amazed at the terrible excitement of Blunderbuss, whose face glowed like a furnace, while large drops of sweat covered his forehead and streamed along his

shaggy eye-brows. Finally Blunderbuss lost his last bet; arose from the table, went to the sideboard and called for wine. He beckoned Huron out and requested another loan, and the broker, with apparent pleasure, handed him five hundred dollars; this, added to the sums already borrowed from Huron, made Blunderbuss his debtor several thousand dollars; and it was perfectly understood between them, that if Blunderbuss had bad luck at betting, the money was not to be actually refunded; but in lieu of it the chairman of the committee of

was

to advocate the passage of the great Steamship Scheme by which a half million a year was to pass from the government into the pockets of Huron & Co.

Huron had supplied Blunderbuss with the facts and with the leading arguments in favor of the scheme, and had had them so skillfully arranged into a speech (which was already printed), that even Blunderbuss, by reading repeatedly, could comprehend. The chairman was already engaged, with the aid of the very ingenious clerk which Huron furnished, in preparing an elaborate report in favor of the scheme which he proposed to make at an early day. This was to be followed by a speech from him—a speech which he calculated would add greatly to his repu tation, and bring him more prominently before the country. Who knows but that it might make him President?

While these transactions were passing between Huron and Blunderbuss, Sterling and Burton had taken seats at the table and were betting in a small

way. Sterling resolved to risk but little, merely to try his fortune for the first time. While thus engaged, his mind not so much upon the cards as upon the dreadful decree which had banished him from the presence of Beatrice, what was his astonishment, when Dr. Curtis touched him on the shoulder and remarked, "Ah-ha, sir, I have caught you, have I?''

Sterling sprang to his feet as if a viper had threatened him with its shrill rattle. The phrase, coming from Curtis, seemed to convey the idea that the doctor was in pursuit of him. It flashed over his mind in an instant, that Beatrice had told her husband all about the occurrences of the night, and that with aroused jealousy, the outraged husband was in search of revenge. To add to his terror, Curtis ran his right hand into his left bosom, as if to draw a weapon; and Sterling's relief was great indeed when, instead of a bowie-knife, a port monnaie flashed upon his eyes.

"Let me sit by you," said Curtis.

Certainly," said Sterling, as he resumed his seat, still tremulous with the subsiding agitation which Curtis's appearance and manner had so naturally excited.

Curtis threw out several hundred dollars, winning and losing by turns. The bank, however, kept the advantage, and after an hour's play, the doctor's funds were exhausted.

"Here is an hundred dollars," said Sterling to him. Thank you, thank you," : " said Curtis.