"I will not compliment you so much as to be angry at that fine speech," returned Dunbar, with great composure. "As far as scoundrelism is concerned, I apprehend that we stand somewhere upon the same level." A bright spot burned instantly on the old man's cheek, but he did not lose his self-command, and merely answered— "Time will show that," and waived the lawyer to retire. The discovery that this man was the guardian of his wife, could not, in the very nature of things, be very agreeable to Dunbar. It caused, instantly, sundry ugly suggestions to arise in his mind, that by no means added to the joy of his wedding night. "Thank God that she is off my hands," said old Mr. Harrison to his wife, as they returned from the festive scene, "and that she has another guardian." "You've had trouble enough with her," returned the wife. "Yes; and but for her father's sake, I should have been tempted long ago to place her property in her hands, and have nothing more to do with her." "Her husband appears like a very fine young man." "She's as quite as good as he is. I think them well matched." "Suppose he should, by any means, hear of her improper conduct. Would not the consequence be bad?" "He can't hear much worse of her than she can hear of him. She never was guilty of direct impropriety of conduct that could touch her moral character, although there is no telling what she would have done, had there not been, always, the most careful guardianship over her. If we had not brought her to Philadelphia when we did, I'm afraid she would have been lost." "It's a relief that she's married, certainly." "Isn't it; even if only married for her money, which I hear her husband sets down at seventy thousand dollars." "He'll find himself mistaken." "Won't he. As bitterly as ever a man did." So much for the prospect of happiness in the married life of Lawrence Dunbar. We must now glance back for a few years, and bring up the history of other characters in our story. CHAPTER XIII. AN UNEXPECTED MEETING. As demonstrator of anatomy, Dr. Hudson soon stood high in the school of medicine in which he had been chosen to occupy that position. All who came in contact with him were as much struck with his extreme modesty, as with his wide intelligence on all subjects nearly or remotely connected with his profession. As an anatomist, he was seen to be greatly in advance of his predecessor, and to his demonstrations the class even paid a closer attention than they did to the lectures of the professor himself.