Here the manuscript ceases; for, when morn came--that morn so longed for--Edward was missing; and, stranger far, Annie was nowhere to be found, and was sought for in vain. The faithless pair had eloped together, and the following day were united at Gretna Green. Long did my poor mother pine and mourn her sad fate. But at length brighter days arose for her; and in my dear and honored father she found what she had long searched for--a congenial, loving, and honest heart. M. E. H. [Illustration] A STRANGE INCIDENT. I HEARD the other day an anecdote which justifies the remark that "truth is often stranger than fiction." An old woman, a short time ago, on her death-bed, called her nephew, who was also her heir, and revealed to him that, eight years before, she had gone to Paris to receive some money which was due to her--a sum of fourteen thousand francs received in bank-notes; she wrapped them up in an old newspaper, and placed them, with different other things, on the mantle-piece of the room of the inn where she was staying, while she sat down to write to her husband, to tell him she had received the money. The letter written, she determined that, instead of trusting it to any one, she would put it herself in the post; and accordingly left the hotel for the purpose. On going out, she left her key with her porter, with directions to light a fire in her room at eight o'clock. Towards half-past seven, whilst at the house of one of her acquaintances, it suddenly occurred to her that she had left her bank-notes on the mantle-piece at the hotel. She immediately returned in search of them, went up to her room, where the fire was lighted according to her directions; but the packet of bank-notes had disappeared. She rang. A young girl answered the bell; of whom she demanded who had lighted the fire. It was the girl herself. The owner of the bank-notes asked if she had seen them. She answered in the negative. At last the master of the hotel was called, and the affair related to him. It then was proved that the only person who entered the room was the girl who lighted the fire. The master of the house had confidence in the girl's honesty; but, as appearances were certainly against her, the whole affair was placed in the hands of the police, and the girl arrested. She was condemned, on her trial, to three years' imprisonment; but the money was not found after the expiration of the three years. The girl came to the house of the owner of the unlucky bank-notes, reproached her as the cause of her ruin and dishonor. The old lady was touched: it occurred to her, suppose, after all, the woman was innocent! Her guilt had never been satisfactorily proved; nor had the strictest searches been able to discover what she had done with the money she was accused of taking. At the time of her arrest she had been on the point of marrying an honest workman; and now she would have the greatest difficulty in placing herself in service again.