turning aside, down a quiet road, drew a bundle of papers from his ample pocket. Of these he selected three, and opening the first, as if to assure himself that he had not laughed too soon, glanced with a recurring inward chuckle, down the ample folio pages.
Folding this carefully, he opened in succession the other two, and read them gravely from end to end. Replacing the whole in his pocket, he turned upon his steps, and walked slowly back into the quiet town.
The first and most amusing of these papers was a full and complete assignment of all the effects, "goods and chattels, lands and tenements, rights and credits," of the aforesaid "——— Land and Emigration Company;" setting forth, in elaborate legal verbiage, that their title to certain tracts, upon which their speculations were based, had been declared invalid by the courts, and providing as effectually as possible for the safety of certain creditors, by declaring a trust in their favor, and appointing Beman assignee. Then followed a short inventory of property, and a long list of creditors; and the footings showed a very large balance on the side of insolvency! A ruin more complete and irretrievable never overtook a company or individual! No whisper, however, of the failure had ever reached Kaskaskia; and among all who had curiously speculated upon Beman's business there, none had ever approached the truth. The lawyer, himself, had as yet kept his own counsel.
The nature of the other papers, which he perused with such grave interest, we shall see in the sequel.
III. REVERSES.
Several weeks passed away, bringing little that is essential to be told. Marie and her mother remained in the homestead, mourning, as a mother and daughter only can mourn, for the departed. Monsieur Lefrette had not been a very domestic husband or demonstrative father; yet the hand which had snatched him away had touched his memory with gold; and his death seemed more a loss than his return would have seemed a gain. They did not yield weakly to lamentation, however; for each was a support to the other. And
