Just one little year had passed since Gustavus Tremaine and Sophia Warren were wedded—but one little year since he had promised to love and cherish her as his wife, and she had vowed to love and obey him as her husband, and yet such scenes as the one above related were daily occurring. The mother of young Tremaine had long since sunk broken-hearted to her grave, and his father had died in consequence of injuries received by falling from a staging erected on a race-course. Shortly before the death of the elder Tremaine, the law-suit had terminated, by which he lost one hundred thousand dollars, and on the settlement of his affairs it was found that but a comparatively small fortune would be possessed by his heir. Sophia Warren, “the capital jockey,” prided herself on her marriage, with being wife to one of the richest men (that was to be) in the city, and it was a bitter disappointment when she found her husband’s income would not be one-third of what she had anticipated. As the union had not been one of affection—where heart and soul unite in uttering the solemn and holy vows—where “for richer for poorer” is uttered in all sincerity—as it had not been such a union, but one of eligibility—a question of mere worldly advantage, no wonder the peevish word, and the angry retort, were daily widening the breach between a spendthrift husband and an arrogant wife—no wonder each sought refuge in the world, from the _ennui_ and the strife that awaited them at home—no wonder that the wife was recklessly whirling through the giddy maze of fashion, while the husband was risking health, honor, reputation on the hazard of a die. When Mrs. Tremaine reached Mr. Austin’s, young Dunning was just leaving the house, so here was a fine opportunity for bantering Fanny Austin. “Ah! I’ve caught you, my dear, and Madam Rumor is likely to speak truth at last—ha! blushing! well this is confirmation strong—and it is really true that Mr. Dunning and Miss Austin are engaged.” Too honest-hearted to prevaricate, too delicate-minded not to feel hurt at the familiar manner in which Mrs. Tremaine alluded to her engagement, Fanny remained silent, her cheek glowing, and her bright eye proudly averted from the face of her visiter. A woman of more delicate feeling than Mrs. Tremaine would have hesitated on witnessing the embarrassment caused by her remarks, but she had no such scruples, and continued, “I contradicted the statement; for it was impossible to believe any thing so absurd.” Fanny Austin looked up inquiringly, and the glow on her cheek deepened to crimson as she said, “Absurd! may I ask your meaning, Mrs. Tremaine?” “Why, I mean that you would not render yourself so ridiculous in the eyes of society. _You_ marry Bob Dunning—the son of a grocer—_you_, who belong to the first families, and who ought to make a most advantageous match! Why, Fanny dear, no wonder I contradicted it.” “I regret that you took the trouble.”