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And so the matter was dismissed.

No one saw Clara Grant in company for the space of twelve months. When she did appear, all her old friends were struck with the great change in her appearance. As for Fisher, he had left the city some months before, and gone off to a Southern town, where, it was said, he was in good business.

The cause of estrangement between the lovers remained a mystery to every one. To all questions on the subject, Clara was silent. But that she was a sufferer every one could see.

“I wish that girl would fall in love with somebody and get married,” Mears remarked to his friend, about two years after they had passed off upon Clara their good joke. “Her pale, quiet, suffering face haunts me wherever I go.”

“So do I. Who could have believed that a mere joke would turn out so seriously?”

“I wonder if he is married yet?”

“It’s doubtful. He appeared to take the matter quite as hard as she does.”

“Well, it’s a lesson to me.”

“And to me, also.”

And, with this not very satisfactory conclusion, the two friends dropped the subject. Both, since destroying, by a few words spoken in jest, the happiness of a loving couple, had wooed and won the maidens of their choice, and were now married. Both, up to this time, had carefully concealed from their wives the act of which they had been guilty.

After returning home from a pleasant company, one evening, at which Clara was present, the wife of Mears said to him–

“You did not seem to enjoy yourself to-night. Are you not well?”

“Oh, yes; I feel quite well,” returned Mears.

“Why, then, did you look so sober?”

“I was not aware that I looked more so than usual.”

“You did, then. And you look sober now. There must be some cause for this. What is it, dear?”

Mears was by no means ignorant of the fact that he felt sober. The presence of Clara distressed him more, instead of less, the oftener he met her. The question of his wife made him feel half inclined to tell her the truth. After thinking for a moment, he said–

“I have felt rather graver than usual to-night. Something brought to my recollection, too vividly, a little act of folly that has been attended with serious consequences.”

His wife looked slightly alarmed.

“It was only a joke–just done for the fun of the thing; but it was taken, much to my surprise, seriously. I was innocent of any desire to wound; but a few light words have made two hearts wretched.”

Mrs. Mears looked at her husband with surprise. He continued–

“You remember the strange misunderstanding that took place between Clara Grant and young Fisher, about two years ago?”

“Very well. Poor Clara has never been like herself since that time.”

“I was the cause of it.”

“You!” said the wife, in astonishment.

“Yes. Clara used to make herself quite conspicuous by the way she acted towards Fisher, with whom she was under an engagement of marriage. She hardly saw anybody in company but him. And, besides, she made bold to declare that he was about as near to perfection as it was possible for a young man to come. She was always talking about him to her young female friends, and praising him to the skies. Her silly speeches were every now and then reported, much to the amusement of young men to whose ears they happened to find their way. One evening, at a large party, she was, as usual, anchored by the side of her lover, and showing off her fondness for him in rather a ridiculous manner. A young friend and myself, who were rather amused at this, determined, in a thoughtless moment, that we would, just for the fun of the thing, run Fisher down in a confidential undertone to each other, yet loud enough for her to hear us, if a good opportunity for doing so offered. Before long, we noticed her sitting alone in a corner near one of the folding-doors. We managed to get near, yet so as not to appear to notice her, and then indulged in some light remarks about her lover, mainly to the effect that if his sweetheart knew him as well as we did, she might not think him quite so near perfection as she appeared to do. Shortly afterwards, I searched through the rooms for her in vain. From that night, the lovers never again met. Clara refused to see Fisher when he called on her the next day, and shortly afterwards requested him, in writing, to release her from her marriage-contract, without giving any reason for her change of mind.”