I have always heard."

"True," said Julia, eagerly, "you speak true--the
confidence and the secrets--but not the--the--I am
not sure that I express myself well--but the
intimate knowledge that one has of one's own
sister--that I should think would be destructive to
the delicacy of friendship."

"Julia means that a prophet has never honour in his
own country," cried Charles with a laugh--"a
somewhat doubtful compliment to your sex, ladies,
under her application of it."

"But what becomes of your innate evidence of worth
in friendship," asked Miss Emmerson; "I thought
that was the most infallible of all kinds of
testimony: surely that must bring you intimately
acquainted with each other's secret foibles too."

"Oh! no--that is a species of sentimental
knowledge," returned Julia; "it only dwells on the
loftier parts of the character, and never descends to
the minute knowledge which makes us suffer so
much in each other's estimation: it leaves all these
to be filled by the--by the--by the--what shall I call
it?"

"Imagination," said Katherine, dryly.