Page:Once a Week Jul - Dec 1859.pdf/555

544 that other  Christmas,  come  hack  and  give  him hope!



“My brother  has forgiven, and  my sister. I would ask, will yon  be  less merciful? — but that you  have more, far  more  to forgive.”

“Through all these weary months,” says  the listener on  the hearth, — and his head sinks  lower at the  cold,  dead tones, — “through all these  weary months, there  has been that  within which told  me  you would one  day know the  wrong you did. Whatever there may  have been to  forgive,  it is  forgiven,  long ago. The ring which you  crushed is here. I have kept it  for  you; will you  take  it?”

“Oh, Mary,  hear me! I am changed —changed. Your lip says,  ‘ For- given,’ but your voice denies  it. Mary —”

But the  hand trembles which  he takes  in  his; he sees  that  her  face is pale,  and  tears are shining  in  the blue eyes. All these  weary months, all  that cruelty, all  those false accusations, have not  crushed out from  her  heart its great  love  for him.

On the  hearth they stand  toge- ther, before the friendly fire; into that fire  drops  the crushed and  bat- tered pledge of  a broken  betrothal; let its  memory melt away  with  its form. A change has passed over  the sombre face  of  the dark man; a ray  of beauty  from  hers brightens it  as  he looks  down  tenderly upon  her  and whispers, “Is  it  a happy  Christmas, Mary?”

“It is  happy.” Then a bright glow starts  up  in the  old  grate,  and the two  cannot hear it  perhaps; but there  is  a cho- rus amongst the little spirits  of  the Christmas fires,  as they  clap  their hands and  sing  out, “We are  here; we see  it. A Merry Christmas!”

Louis Sand.

POSTSCRIPT.

The present  Number,  the  Twenty-sixth  of  its  Series,  concludes  the  First  Volume  of  “Once  a Week,”  which  is  now  ready  for  issue  in  a complete  form;  and  Two  such  Volumes  will  henceforth appear Annually.

The Projectors  have  ample  cause  to  congratulate  themselves  on  the  reception  of  the  Work, for, if  its  Circulation  up  to  this  point  is  an  adequate  test,  its  Commercial  Success  is  decidedly established.

They are,  nevertheless,  too  clearly  conscious  of  its  rising  promise  to  rest  satisfied  with  the result thus  far  obtained,  and  are  taking  measures  for  its  further  advance  to  the  standard  indicated  in its  Prospectus. Arrangements are  in  progress  for  the  improvement  equally  of  its  Literary,  Scientific, and Artistic  features. Engagements have  been  made  with  Novelists  of  celebrity,  and  an  important Serial by  a Popular  Author  is  already  in  the  Artist’s  hands,  and  will  appear  before  the  end  of  January, and be  succeeded  by  other  attractive  Fictions.

As the  Work  proceeds,  its  resources  will  come  more  fully  into  play,  until  the  capacities  of  the enterprise are  fairly  tested,  and  the  difficulties  incident  to  its  organisation,  under  peculiar  circumstances, are  surmounted. Its Plan  has  been  already  ratified  by  popular  acceptance; but  this encouragement will  only  stimulate  the  energies  of  everyone  connected  with  it  to  make  the  most  of the  increasing  opportunities  for  its  further  and  complete  development.