way, while _he lived_; his death alone would release us from the condition of thralldom in which we were placed--but as his constitution was robust and his health invariably good, the agreeable prospect of his death was very remote--and we might have continued all our lives under the despotic rules of his stern morality, had we not rid ourselves of him by--' 'For Heaven's sake, mother,' said Josephine, hastily--'don't allude to _that_!' 'And why not,' asked the mother, calmly. 'You surely do not regret the act which removed our inexorable jailer, and opened to us such flowery avenues of pleasure? Ah, Josephine, the deed was admirably planned and skillfully executed. No one suspects--' 'Once more, mother, I entreat you to make no further allusion to that subject; it is disagreeable--painful to me,' interrupted the daughter, impatiently. 'Besides, sometimes the walls have ears.' 'Well, well, child--I will say no more about it. Let us now dress.' Josephine, having arranged her clustering hair in a style as masculine as possible, proceeded to invest herself in the boyish habiliments which she had provided. First, she drew on over her luscious charms, a delicately embroidered shirt, of snowy whiteness, and then put on a splendid cravat, in the tasteful fold of which glittered a magnificent diamond. A superb Parisian waistcoat of figured satin was then closely laced over her rounded and swelling bust; a jacket of fine broadcloth, decorated with gold naval buttons and a little cap, similarly adorned, completed her costume. The character she was supposed to represent was that of 'the Royal Middy;' and her appearance was singularly captivating in that unique and splendid dress. Mrs. Franklin, when attired as the Sultana or Oriental Queen, looked truly regal--the rich and glittering Eastern robes well became her voluptuous style of beauty. The labor of the toilet being completed, the ladies found that it still lacked an hour or so of the time appointed for them to set out; and while they partook of a slight but elegant repast, they amused themselves and beguiled the time by lively and entertaining chat. 'These masquerade balls are delightful affairs; one can enjoy an intrigue with so much safety, beneath the concealing mask,' remarked Mrs. Franklin. 'And yet last Sabbath, you recollect, Dr. Sinclair denounced masquerades as one of Satan's most dangerous devices for the destruction of souls,' said Josephine. 'True--so he did,' assented her mother--'but he need never know that we attend them.' 'The Doctor is very strict--yet he is very fascinating,' rejoined her daughter;--'do you know, mamma, that I am desperately enamored of him? I would give the world could I entice him into an intrigue with me.' And as she spoke, her bosom heaved with voluptuous sensations.