drawing-room, where I was sitting alone, looking so pale and sorrowful that my compassion was excited. "My dear Henrietta," said I, "you are not well, I am sure."

"Indeed I am much the contrary, Mabel," she replied in a mournful tone of voice, but with perfect meekness; "my malady, however, is only one of the mind, and none can cure it so effectually as yourself."

"So," I mentally soliloquized, "we are going to have a scene from a German play; she will ask me to relinquish Melmoth to her as the sole way of saving her life."

"I am very unhappy, Mabel," continued my cousin, holding up to her eyes a handkerchief bordered with exquisite lace, and perfumed with bouquet de mille fleurs.

I could only offer the highly novel and argumentative consolation, 'Don't distress yourself," and stood patiently waiting for a further explanation.

"You always said," continued Henrietta, sobbing at intervals, "that I was more attached to Captain Maitland than I chose to allow."

I was inexpressibly relieved by this speech, and replied

"Yes, Henrietta, I thought, and still think, that you would never meet with any one so suitable to you as Captain Maitland; he is lively, fond of society, well connected, and, I believe, well principled, and, I am certain, has a powerful advocate in your heart. I only wondered that you could part from him so coolly when Lady Piercefield decided on passing three months at Harbury."

"I parted from him," said Henrietta, with a renewed sob, "in the presence of my aunt; but he conversed with me privately, and he prevailed on me to correspond with him: the letters were sent under cover to my aunt's maid, Nannette." "You have acted very improperly, Henrietta," I said, "but do not make yourself unhappy. You know that my aunt never disapproved of Captain Maitland's addresses to you, but only wished you to delay a few months before you determined on accepting them; tell her at once that you find it impossible to prefer any other suitor, and that you have determined on rewarding his faithful affection."

I cannot tell her so with truth," replied Henrietta; "I do prefer another suitor very much to Captain Maitland."

The German play now seemed likely to turn to an English farce; and I could not help asking Henrietta, rather angrily, if she were like "Miss in her Teens," entertaining three lovers

at once?

"No," she replied; "I wish for no lover but Melmoth, and every day I expect him to propose in form for me. I have lately ceased to answer Captain Maitland's letters, and Nannette has just delivered a note to me from him; he is at the village inn. He has heard that Melmoth is paying court to me, and insists, he says, on receiving from my own lips a confirmation or denial of my perfidy. Oh, Mabel, what can I write-what can I say--what can I do?"

"I find it difficult to answer your inquiry," I returned; "but my aunt has ever been kind and indulgent to you. Let me persuade you to seek her, and confide everything to her, and do not-pray do not, dearest Henrietta-suffer Melmoth's wealth to prevail upon you to desert Captain Maitland, if you really, as I surmise, prefer the latter."

Henrietta, still disclaiming any lingering par tiality for Captain Maitland, left the room at length, to make her disclosure to her aunt, and I awaited with great anxiety the result of the conference.

In less than an hour I was summoned to join the parties. Henrietta's eyes were red, but she looked composed and placid; and Lady Piercefield, to my astonishment, was gracious in the extreme, directing the kindest looks of pity to Henrietta, and speaking in the sweetest tones of endearment to me.

"My dear Mabel," she said, "poor Henrietta has complied with your excellent advice, and has made known to me her weakness in suffering herself to be entangled by a designing man in a clandestine correspondence. Happy is it for her that her eyes have been opened in time to distinguish real worth from the mere outward semblance of it; she can now give her whole heart to Melmoth in return for his, and he need never know the passing fancy which for a brief season occupied it."

I considered this rather a summary way of disposing of two lovers, one of whom would not be kept back, and the other seemed extremely unwilling to come forward; but I merely replied that I trusted Captain Maitland would not continue at Harbury; but would, if Henrietta bad really determined to break off with him, restore her letters to her, and receive his own in return. Your judgment is excellent, Mabel," said my aunt in her blandest tone; the observation you have just made proves equally your delicacy of feeling, and knowledge of the world. Yes, my love, Henrietta's letters ought indeed to be restored to her, and she has just, with my con sent, written and dispatched a note to Captain Maitland, promising to meet him an hour hence at the copse, a little beyond our garden gate, and requesting him to bring with him the letters in question, to exchange for his own, which she is anxious to restore to him."

"Will not such an interview be very

dis

tressing to Henrietta?" I asked, wondering that Henrietta could look so much at ease with such a terrible meeting before her. "Do you not think that Captain Maitland would return the letters to a messenger?"

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Noble-spirited girl," said my aunt, embracing me, you are just the friend poor Henrietta wants; I doubt her power to bear the reproaches, or repulse the entreaties, of her former lover. If you, my love, will be the bearer of the packet, all will be well. Captain Maitland knows, respects, and trusts in you, and you will lay claim to the gratitude of your cousin and myself."

"I was silent; I did not at all like this plan;

even more unhappy than I had anticipated, and sought Henrietta's room. She had on a table before her a ready lighted taper; her first action was to embrace me, her second to count the number of her letters, and her third to reduce to ashes all the mementos of her short-lived attachment. She then asked me many questions respecting the manner and looks of Captain Maitland, to which I returned very brief and cold answers.

"I hope he will not break his heart," she said, with affected sympathy.

"No," I replied, "I do not think it at all probable that he will; I think he will rather break his chain, and console himself with wearing a more durable, even a solid gold one.

"I know what you are thinking of," said Henrietta, disdainfully: "that dreadful widow, Mrs. Gregson, who was laying siege to him when I first knew him, will now, of course, renew her attack upon him; I really think, Mabel, you are the most dispiriting companion in the world when one is in trouble."

As I had not expected much gratitude from Henrietta, I did not feel disturbed by the want of it, and quietly took a book from her worktable; where, however, I could find nothing more erudite than the "Companion for the Toilette,' "Five minutes' advice on the care of the Teeth," and the last number of the "Ladies' Repository of Fashion." The title of the second work gave me some gratification, since I was glad to find that Henrietta could tolerate five minutes' advice on any subject at all! I chose, however, the latter publication, and was just gazing in awe and amazement on the splendid and courtly appearance of a lady in the frontispiece, who was attired in what the milliner denominated "a simple breakfast costume," when my aunt entered, having prudently given Henrietta time to burn her letters, and repair her smiles." She inquired very particularly whether Captain Maitland had seemed sensible of my kindness in meeting him, and it was evident to me that she had not relinquished the scheme at which she had once hinted, and that deeming me too dull or too precise to gain a heart for myself, she was willing to secure me the reversion of the one just thrown aside by my cousin. I escaped as soon as I could from this discourse, and Henrietta appeared at dinner, free from all traces of grief, and exquisitely attired, in readiness for Melmoth's usual evening visit. Lady Piercefield, as we entered the dining-room, gaily repeated the lines

"'Tis good to be off with the old love

Before you be on with the new !"

but, alas! although the old love had been displaced, the new one did not appear disposed to avail himself of the opportunity of preferring his pretensions-Melmoth never came. The next evening he came, but his society was a source rather of pain than of pleasure to me; he was pointedly neglectful to me, cold, almost contemptuous in his manner of addressing me, when compelled by necessity to do so: to Henrietta he

was mild and courteous, but certainly not loverlike. The next evening he again came, and Henrietta-whom I could not help suspecting had been privately tutored by my aunt-was in very low spirits, and complained of indisposition. The ensuing morning she remained in her chamber, and Lady Piercefield after breakfast wrote a short note, and directed her man to take it immediately to Mr. Melmoth. I was rather astonished by these proceedings, but having several letters to write, I went to my own room, from the window of which in less than an hour I saw Melmoth approaching our house, doubtless in obedience to the mandate he had received from my aunt. Another hour elapsed-Melmoth had departed; I heard my aunt enter Henrietta's room, which was opposite to mine; and in a short time I was in turn favoured by her presence. She looked perfectly well pleased with the achievements of the morning, and said'You will, I am sure, Mabel, be delighted to hear that Melmoth has commissioned me to propose for him to Henrietta."

"Has he, indeed?" I said, rather sceptically; "how very strange that he should not propose to her in his own person. It is rather a French than an English fashion to make love by proxy."

"Very true, my love," said my aunt, taking a seat; "but this is not quite an everyday affair of the heart."

"So I perceive," said I, rather drily.

"Melmoth is ignorant of the ways of the world," pursued Lady Piercefield, "and evidently considered us as moving in a circle so far superior to his own, that it would be presumptuous in him to lift his eyes to Henrietta; in fact, that he might as well love a bright particular star.' "Did Melmoth say so?" I interrupted.

'He did not precisely say so," replied my aunt, pettishly; "but I knew what he meant to convey. My penetration having led me to discern the conflict between love and timidity in his heart, I told him that he had won Henrietta's affections, and that her health and spirits were now sinking under the uncertainty of his reciprocal attachment; I told him that his atten tions were a subject of conversation to all the neighbourhood, and I said (which I think was a master-stroke of policy) that I made no inquiries about his property, because Henrietta was the most disinterested creature in the world, and could live upon fifty pounds a-year.'

"I thought," remarked I, "that I had heard you say that you would never allow a protégée to marry without a good settlement."

66

You are quite right, my dear Mabel," said Lady Piercefield; but it will be time enough to draw the settlement when Melmoth discloses to us the exact amount of his wealth; in the meantime it was very proper to seem indifferent about income. He heard all I had to say in silence, and after a short pause, replied that he had not supposed that his attentions to Miss Grantley had been of so marked a character, or had oc casioned such comments from others as appeared to have been the case; that he had always liked and admired Miss Grantley; and that, if she

would favour him by accepting his offered hand, he felt assured that, in constituting her happiness, he should ensure his own."

"Not a very passionate declaration,” said I. "There is no need," said Lady Piercefield, "for men worth a hundred and fifty thousand pounds to make very passionate declarations. asked him if he would see Henrietta, and he said that he would rather I should speak to her first on the subject. I am to write to him this evening."

66

before her lay a turquoise vinaigrette, an ivory fan, and Mrs. Hemans's " Songs of the Affections." She was a graceful specimen of a fine-lady invalid. Melmoth did not make his appearance; but, to our great surprise, we discerned from the drawing-room window, Mrs. Melmoth advancing across the lawn," with fainting steps and slow," she had never visited us at that hour before without an invitation.

"Melmoth has told her all that has happened, no doubt," said Lady Piercefield; "and she has come to express her satisfaction, and to extol Henrietta's perfections."

"You are quite right, Mabel," she said; "I would never have spoken thus to a man of the world. He would have considered such a trick as shallow and worn-out as ring-dropping; Melmoth, however, is one of the straight-forward persons, for whom we should always put the dots over the i's; he would not understand hints and by-play. Then we have no beaux in Harbury; we could never get up a little scene of rivalry to pique him into coming forward. It would never have done to have allowed him to escape to London, where he would have been assailed by half-a-dozen contending nymphs; I had nothing left but to try the homely, oldfashioned plan of working on his feelings, and I have attained my object.

"And what says Henrietta?" I asked. "Henrietta is quite acquiescent," replied my aunt; "she is a dear, good girl, and although still deeply attached to Captain Maitland, she is willing to sacrifice him at the call of prudence and duty."

I was perplexed by my aunt's definition of a dear, good girl, and could not conceive how prudence and duty could call upon a woman to sacrifice a man whom she loved, and who had a competent income, in favour of one to whom she was indifferent, and who had a large one. I was about to express these sentiments, when my aunt declared she must go again to Henrietta, and counsel her to dress becomingly for the evening, since she thought it very likely that Melmoth's impatience would lead him to our house to renew his offer in person; and I was left alone, to deplore the difference between Henrietta's situation and my own, and to turn in sorrow from the thought of the bridesmaid's wreath of white roses, with which Lady Piercefield had prospectively invested me.

In the evening Henrietta descended to the drawing-room, and established herself on the sofa. She was dressed in white muslin, tied with blue ribbons, and wore a small cap, ornamented with a delicate garland of forget-me-nots;

66 Can you not affect to be sleeping, Henrietta?" asked Lady Piercefield. "Nothing can be more probable than that, after a restless and disturbed night, drowsiness should overcome you."

Henrietta instantaneously adopted the hint, and certainly placed herself in a very elegant attitude; and would have made an admirable model for a Sleeping Beauty. Mrs. Melmoth entered, and expressed herself delighted to find that dear Miss Grantley was enjoying a short interval of repose. She conversed for some time with us; but it was quite evident that her son had not taken her into his confidence respecting his matrimonial intentions; her visit arose from the exceeding interest which she always took in illness. Melmoth, she said, had mentioned to her the preceding evening that Henrietta was indisposed; and after his visit this morning, he had told her that Henrietta was confined to her chamber, and that he had not seen her; and, full of philanthropy and benevolence, she had actually walked a quarter of a mile to visit and console her dear young friend, without for a moment calling to mind that the aforesaid dear young friend had been recently very remiss in her attentions to her.

"Have you any idea of the nature of Miss Grantley's illness?" she asked of my aunt. "Is it a complaint of the heart? Mr. Turner tells me that there are sixty complaints of the heart, and I hardly think it likely that anybody should escape having one of them."

Most people, indeed," said Lady Piercefield, "have one of them in the course of their lives.

I rather think you are right, Mrs. Melmoth, and that Henrietta is suffering from the cause you suggest. You had better ask your son what he thinks on the subject."

"He thinks nothing at all," replied the unconscious Mrs. Melmoth, "on any subject connected with health; he would not even allow Mr. Turner this morning to feel his pulse, when he came home, looking very flushed and feverish, after paying you a visit. I hope I shall find my younger son-whom I expect to-morrow-more willing to be persuaded to his own good."

"Your younger son?" exclaimed Lady Piercefield with surprise. "I was not aware you had a younger son."

"I do not suppose you were," replied Mrs.