The Diana Seminary had proven its right to its high place in the public esteem. Its fame had reached every corner of the earth. Young women, not only from America but from every clime and nation, flocked thither seeking to perfect themselves in such branches of education as are the necessary requirements of the fair sex to fit them to reign supreme in any capacity, from teaching in a country school to presiding on regal thrones and guiding the destinies of Nations. The Diana Seminary had become particularly famous for the especial branches of a curriculum which rendered the young ladies magnificently lovely in form, chic in habilaments, brilliant and vivacious in conversation, serene and dignified in carriage, sweet and optimistic in nature, pure in sentiments, and in addition conferred upon them all the necessary qualifications of accomplished housewives, virtues all of which are inherent in American women and susceptible of highest development. The graduates of this Seminary were always eagerly sought in marriage, not only by the deserving young men living near the college, but also by the nobility and even the royalty of Europe. The demands of the latter class were indeed so great as to alarm the fond parents across the ocean for the future happiness of their daughters, and they were thus compelled to send their beloved ones to this Institution in order to acquire that polish which their American sisters had proven so desirable. Amongst the many English maidens who were there matriculated was beautiful Aurora Cunningham, the only daughter of the Secretary of Foreign affairs of Great Britain. It is unnecessary to dwell upon the beauty and charms of Aurora. It is true that she could not be compared with the Goddesses of ancient Greece, nor did she resemble the bewitching sylvan nymphs depicted by the brush and pen of masters of art. She was a mortal; suffice it to say, that she was a graceful girl of exquisitely moulded form, of medium height, with luxuriant golden tresses, which, shimmering in the sunlight, justified her baptismal name. Her large, dreamy blue eyes mirrored the purity of her soul, and the dimples on her cheeks were so deep and alluring that all who looked upon them felt their compelling charm. She was, in a word, a typical English maiden. Highly accomplished, and though dainty in demeanor, nevertheless she was not one of those frail, ailing butterflies who exist and thrive only in artificial atmosphere. Having been reared with greatest care, by means of a complete course of calisthenics and out-of-door sports, with all her refined mien she was a hardy and healthy specimen of feminine beauty as well as a leader in all the strenuous pastimes of the Diana Seminary.