like the beautiful and accomplished Lydia?" "She is beautiful and accom

plished; but that is all."-" Nay, I am sure you seemed to admire her exceedingly, till just now, and paid her more animated attention than I ever saw you pay any woman before." -"True; but I soon found that she was as hollowhearted as she is fair." "Oh! I suppose you mean the deception which she practised on the old lady. Well; where was the great harm of that? she only told a white lie; and nobody, that is not a puritan, scruples to do that, you know."

"I am no puritan, as you term it; yet I scruple it: but, if I were to be betrayed into such a meanness, (and no one, perhaps, can be always on his guard) I should blush to have it known; but this girl seemed to glory in her shame, and to be proud of the disgrace

ful readiness with which she uttered her falsehood."-" I must own that I was surprised she did not express some regret at being forced to do what she did, in order to prevent our pleasure from being spoiled." Why should she? Like yourself, she saw no harm in a white lie; but, mark me, Byrome, the woman whom I marry shall not think there is such a thing as a white lie;-she shall think all lies black; because the intention of all lies is to deceive; and, from the highest authority, we are forbidden to deceive one another. I assure you, that if I were married to Lydia, I should distrust her expressions of love towards me; -I should suspect that she married my fortune, not me; and that, whenever strong temptation offered, she would deceive me as readily as, for a very slight one indeed, she deceived

that kind friend, who came on an errand of love, and was sent away alarmed, and anxious, by this young hypocrite's unblushing falsehood!Trust me, Byrome, that my wife shall be a strict moralist."-"What! a moral philosopher?"—"No; a far better thing. She shall be a humble relying christian; thence she will be capable of speaking the truth, even to her own condemnation ;-and, on all occasions, her fear of man will be wholly subservient to her fear of her Creator."

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And, pray, how can you ever be able to assure yourself that any girl is this paragon ?"-"Surely, if what we call chance could so easily exhibit to me Lydia -in all the ugliness of her falsehood, it may equally, one day or other, disclose to me some other girl in all the beauty of her truth. Till then, I hope, I shall have resolu

tion enough to remain a bachelor.""Then," replied Byrome, shaking his head, "I may bid you good night, an old bachelor in prospect and in perpetuity!" And as he returned his farewell, Sanford sighed to think that his prophecy was only too likely to be fulfilled; since his observation had convinced him that a strict adherence to truth, on little as well as on great occasions, is, though one of the most IMPORTANT, the RAREST of all virtues."

CHAP. VII.

ON LIES OF INTEREST.

THESE lies are very various, and are more excusable, and less offensive, than many others.

The pale, ragged beggar, who, to add to the effect of his or her ill looks, tells of the large family which does not exist, has a strong motive to deceive in the penury which does ;-and one cannot consider as a very abandoned liar, the tradesman, who tells you he cannot afford to come down to the price which you offer, because he gave almost as much for the goods