treated him most unkindly, they left him in charge of the house.

Taking a seat in the unlighted shop, the lad looked through the open
door on the passers-by, and his heart grew sad at the thought, that
among them all there was no one who cared for him. Naturally of a
gentle and loving spirit, he longed for suitable companionship on
which he might lavish his wealth; but, except the Burtons, with whom
he could spend but little time, there was no one from whose influence
gleams of sunshine could steal in upon his heart and cheer its
desolation. "I have always heard it said," was his musing thought,
"that if one were kind and affectionate, he would be sure to receive
love in return. I do all I can to please Mr. and Mrs. Walters, but I
am certain I shall never be able to win their love, and I am _so_
lonesome."

By this time the twilight had deepened almost into night, rendering
objects nearly indistinct. The passing crowd had gradually grown less,
but our hero neither noticed the increasing gloom nor the comparative
quiet of the street, until aroused by the sound of music. Some German
street musicians still abroad were playing the sweet and touching air,
"Why, O why, my heart, this sadness?" and the sounds awoke a different
train of meditation. How often had he heard that strain at home, and
now, how vividly the happy scenes of the once happy times enjoyed
there came up before him! The poverty, privation, toil, and sorrow
borne there, lost half their magnitude; every joy was reflected back
ten-fold. He felt as does some sailor on a stormy sea, and looked back
to its shelter from the jealousies, trials, and turmoils of the world,
as the storm-tossed mariner would have regarded the quiet haven he had
left for ever; the recollection of all that had once been his within
those humble walls was too much for his lately acquired heroism; the