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are natures to whom the occupation is natural and easy. It is the injustice of the thing that hurts me."

"I have often thought," remarked Coventry reflectively, "that I ought rather to have christened you Themis than Minerva, you have such an instinctive love of justice in your character."

"But," said Ernestine, "there is such a crying lack of justice here, that one who knew all the circumstances must perceive it."

"You know too much for your peace of mind," said Coventry, looking at her with that expression in his eyes which seemed to draw out her soul.

"And too little to be of any real use," she answered; "but I am so thankful I had the courage to come away before this was done. If I were with Arthur now, I think I could not hold my tongue, and let Laura get all she wishes by just putting her foot upon her lover. The cold and bloodless cruelty of this is to me intolerable. I could not have borne to see him sink into this degradation of selfishness with her-I should have betrayed her."

She was talking to herself all this while, only feeling an intense relief in the sense that there was someone in the same room with her whom she could trust utterly. Coventry asked no questions; he let her talk on and ease her heart, and when she paused he turned to her and said, "Laura has come between you two, and spoiled the harmony of your lives. But why let her spoil them altogether? Why not let Dr. Doldy at least understand the motives of your actions ?"

He had touched, as he well knew, upon a tender spot. Ernestine would have given ten years of life to have Dr. Doldy understand her conduct aright.

"No, she said, starting to her feet; "that may not be. I have tried to see the right, and will try to follow it. I have a secret to keep, and I will keep it; but I will not be paid for keeping it."

With which enigmatical speech she departed, forgetting to say good-bye. Coventry was too absorbed himself to notice her rude

ness.

(To be continued.)

CONTEMPORARY PORTRAITS.

NEW SERIES.-No. 8.

CHARLES DARWIN, F.R.S.

CHARLES ROBERT DARWIN was born on the 12th of February, 1809, at Shrewsbury. His father was Dr. Robert Waring Darwin, F.R.S., his grandfather the celebrated Dr. Erasmus Darwin, and his maternal grandfather Josiah Wedgwood, F.R.S., the well-known potter. He was educated at Shrewsbury, under Dr. Butler, from whence he proceeded to the University of Edinburgh; there he stayed two years, and then entered Christ's College, Cambridge, where he took the degree of Bachelor of Arts. In 1831 he sailed with Captain Fitzroy in the "Beagle," on her voyage round the world, returning at the close of 1836. In 1839 he married his cousin, Miss Emma Wedgwood, and ever since 1842 he has lived at Down, near Bromley, in Kent.

Mr. Darwin's journal of researches into the natural history and geology of the countries visited by H.M.S. "Beagle" is universally admitted to be one of the most instructive and most charming books of travel in the English language. During his voyage he paid much attention to the interesting problem presented by the peculiar conformation of coral islands, and in the year 1842 he published his celebrated work on this subject. The circular or oval shape of so many reefs, each having a lagoon in the centre closely surrounded by a deep ocean, and rising but a few feet above the sea level, had long been a puzzle to the physical geographer. The favourite theory was that these were the summits of submarine volcanoes, on which the coral had grown. The great size of some of these "atolls" was, however, a serious difficulty. Again, as coral does not grow at greater depths than about twenty-five fathoms, the immense number of these reefs formed an almost insuperable objection to this theory. The Laccadives and Maldives, for instance, meaning literally the "lac of islands" and the "thousand islands," are a series of such atolls; and it was really impossible to imagine so great a number of craters, all so nearly of the same altitude. Mr. Darwin showed, however, that so far from the ring of coral resting on a corresponding ridge of rock, the lagoons on

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CONTEMPORARY PORTRAITS.

NEW SERIES.-No. 8.

CHARLES DARWIN, F.R.S.

CHARLES ROBERT DARWIN was born on the 12th of February, 1809, at Shrewsbury. His father was Dr. Robert Waring Darwin, F.R.S., his grandfather the celebrated Dr. Erasmus Darwin, and his maternal grandfather Josiah Wedgwood, F.R.S., the well-known potter. He was educated at Shrewsbury, under Dr. Butler, from whence he proceeded to the University of Edinburgh; there he stayed two years, and then entered Christ's College, Cambridge, where he took the degree of Bachelor of Arts. In 1831 he sailed with Captain Fitzroy in the "Beagle," on her voyage round the world, returning at the close of 1836. In 1839 he married his cousin, Miss Emma Wedgwood, and ever since 1842 he has lived at Down, near Bromley, in Kent.

Mr. Darwin's journal of researches into the natural history and geology of the countries visited by H.M.S. "Beagle" is universally admitted to be one of the most instructive and most charming books of travel in the English language. During his voyage he paid much attention to the interesting problem presented by the peculiar conformation of coral islands, and in the year 1842 he published his celebrated work on this subject. The circular or oval shape of so many reefs, each having a lagoon in the centre closely surrounded by a deep ocean, and rising but a few feet above the sea level, had long been a puzzle to the physical geographer. The favourite theory was that these were the summits of submarine volcanoes, on which the coral had grown. The great size of some of these "atolls" was, however, a serious difficulty. Again, as coral does not grow at greater depths than about twenty-five fathoms, the immense number of these reefs formed an almost insuperable objection to this theory. The Laccadives and Maldives, for instance, meaning literally the "lac of islands" and the "thousand islands," are a series of such atolls; and it was really impossible to imagine so great a number of craters, all so nearly of the same altitude. Mr. Darwin showed, however, that so far from the ring of coral resting on a corresponding ridge of rock, the lagoons on

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