On one occasion some temporary ailment caused the father's hand to become very much swollen, until the little wedding ring became very tight and pained his finger much. His wife suggested its being filed off. While debating on the necessity of so doing, there came memories of the past. The long-forgotten pledge, the reminder of which was making him feel it so keenly then. How had he fulfilled that promise? He would not have the ring removed. The swelling gradually passed away. And William Archer determined to make amends for his past neglect by future care and attention to his motherless boy. But these good intentions were put to a speedy flight by an unfortunate accident which occurred that afternoon. Constant difficulties and childish quarrels arose between the little ones, Willie always being the erring one, both with the mother and nurses. If a child fell and was hurt, "Willie did it." In a word, the poor boy was the "scapegoat." The children were playing in the large ground surrounding their future elegant home. Willie was just twelve years old then. The nurse was attending the younger ones. A little way from the house was a large pond with a rustic bridge. Mr. Archer had frequently warned the nurse of the danger in allowing the children to play about there. Little Eddie, a merry, willful boy of six years, disregarding all Willie's entreaties to come away, would amuse himself by "riding horseback," as he called it, on the railing of the frail bridge, and tossing up his arms with a shout of defiance and laughter, he lost his balance and fell into the water, quite deep enough to drown a much larger boy. A scream from the little ones brought the nurse to a knowledge of the truth. "Eddie's in the water! Eddie's drowned." In a moment Willie's jacket was off, and he plunged in, and, before the terrified nurse could collect her thoughts, brought out and placed the insensible boy on the grass before her. Catching up the child, she rushed to the house, and, placing him in his mother's arms, declared, to screen her own negligence, that: "Willie had pushed his brother in the pond." Willie, following on with the other children, entered the house, his young heart proudly glowing with the knowledge of having done a good, brave action, and saying to himself: "Now, this will surely please papa and make Eddie's mother love me a little." Poor boy! He was met by stern eyes and harsh, upbraiding words, which for a moment quite bewildered him. "You have killed your brother! You cruel, unnatural child," cried the mother. "Out of my sight, boy," said his father, in low, threatening tones. "Oh, father! what do you mean? Let me tell you how it was." "Begone, sir!" and the enraged man gave poor Willie a blow which sent him reeling into the hall. Staggering up to his room and throwing himself on the bed, he wailed forth, in heart-rending tones: