"Now, this is just as I would have it," mused admiral Leslie, when, between the sets, he saw Rhoda chatting and laughing with major D'Arcy, and Gertrude listening attentively to the almost whispered conversation of captain Beresford, who hanging on the back of her chair, seemed lost, and totally unconscious of surrounding things. Had he ventured nearer, the thrill of exultation had altogether ceased, for the subject was Elizabeth.

Beresford was pouring forth his delight and his gratitude at the amended health of his fair cousin, and talking of plans and excursions, and tender lover-like expedients, to lure her into the open air, and brace her into strength. And Gertrude was aiding and promoting all his wishes; was extolling the known salubrity of her native air, until doubt yielded to hope, and apprehension to assurance; was panegyrizing the beauty and piety of the absent Elizabeth, with a fervour and frankness, which spoke volumes in praise of her

own

own disinterestedness and singleness of heart. The glare and the splendour of a ball-room faded from the mind of each, Gertrude every moment rose higher in the estimation of Beresford; and Beresford, as the valued relative of Elizabeth, was quickly cleared from those restraints and prejudices, which the world, and the world's customs, plant as a barrier betwixt the single of the sexes. There was candour and frankness and freedom in their intercourse; and when the striking up of the music broke the spell-and when a new partner sought the hand of Gertrude -they parted with visible reluctance.

"Blue eyes against the world," thought admiral Leslie: and even when immersed in the intricacy of whist, and disputing card by card the honour of the odd trick, the vision of love-matrimony-cherubim and seraphim, crowded on his brain, to the discomfiture of memory, and the utter dismay of his partner.

To dip deeper into the revels of that

night, and to hold to view the secret andals of each gay visitor, would involve us in much versatility of character, and elaborate detail, without furthering the interest of our pages. Suffice it, the noble host and hostess had congregated together all the fashionables of a fashionable neighbourhood-for gay entertainments will ever command an influx of gay company

-so true is it, that in this great world, at the tables of the opulent, many are content to pay for "solid pudding with empty praise." The few came to enjoy; the many to criticize and to satirize; and were we to criticize and to satirize; or rather, were we to exemplify that greatest of libels, Truth, we might further add, that, as in all gay assemblies, in which people of ton meet to elbow and stare at and quiz each other, there was a mixed and a heterogeneous gathering: wrinkles wreathed in roses-decrepitude aping the elasticity of youth-dandies of sixty, and dandies of sixteen; and jeu d'esprits and witlings,

witlings, to whom Dryden attributes, in common with certain other small animals,

"We scarce could know they live, but that they bite."

But spite of this melange, hilarity reigned to a late, or rather, to an early hour; for

"Day's orient glow,

The eastern skies in golden glory steeped,"

ere the tongue of mirth was stilled: and as the last carriage drove through the woods of Stanstead, morn's harbinger, "the lark at heaven's high gate," was warbling her sweetest matin.

VOL. II.

H

CHAP.

CHAP. VIII.

AMONG the numerous class of readers, who we hope may while away an hour over our pages-nor deem that hour lost, some-for human tastes are as various as human faces-may wish to return to Portman-square, and thread with Miss Elrington the mazy labyrinths of folly and fashion and as our heartfelt wishoh monstrous undertaking, is to please all tastes, and all friends, and all readers, who may honour our poor efforts with their patronage, we will at once borrow the ogre's seven-leagued boots of master Thomas Thumb, and usher them into the boudoir of the defeated and enraged Clara, at the instant, when writhing with shame, and bursting, burning with illrequited passion, she cast off her mask and domino-slammed to the door

made