On the evening of that day, a pleasant little company was assembled at the house of Mr. Smith, made up of the merchant’s own family and three guests—­Mrs. Lloyd and her daughters.  Through the advice of Mr. Smith, and by timely action on his part, a house of moderate capacity had been secured, at a great bargain, for the sum of three thousand dollars, to which it was proposed to remove, as soon as furniture, on the way from New Orleans, should arrive.  The first story of this house was already fitted up as a store; and, as the object of Mrs. Lloyd was to get into business in a small way, the purchase of the property was made, in order as well to obtain a good location as to make a safe investment.  With the thousand dollars that remained, it was proposed to lay in a small stock of fancy dry-goods.

In the few interviews held with Mrs. Lloyd by the merchant, he was struck with the beautiful harmony of her character, and especially with her womanly dignity.  As for the eldest daughter, something about her had charmed him from the very beginning.  And now when, for the first time, this interesting family were his guests for a social evening—­when he saw their characters in a new aspect—­and when he felt, through the quick sympathy of a generous nature, how grateful and happy they were—­he experienced a degree of satisfaction such as never pervaded the breast of any man whose love of mere gain was the measure of his good-will toward others.

How different was the social sphere in the house of Mr. Jones on that evening!  The brow of the husband and father was clouded, and his lips sealed in silence; or if words were spoken, they were in moody tones, or uttered in fretfulness and ill-nature.  The wife and children caught from him the same repulsive spirit, and, in their intercourse one with the other, found little sympathy or affection.  There was a chilling shadow on the household of the merchant; it fell from the monster form of his expanding selfishness, that was uplifted between the sunlight of genuine humanity and the neighbour he would not regard.  Alas! on how many thousands and thousands of households in our own land rests the gigantic shadow of this monster!

“Will it pay?” is the eager question we hear on all sides, as we mingle in the business world.

“Has it paid?” Ah, that is the after-question!  Reader, is the monster’s shadow in your household?  If so, it has not paid.

THE LAY PREACHER.

Whether the Rev. Andrew Adkin had or had not a call to preach, is more than we can say.  Enough, that he considered it his duty to “hold forth” occasionally on the Sabbath; and when “Brother Adkin” saw, in any possible line of action, his duty, he never took counsel of Jonah.