with either of them. When she began, he certainly would have left the room, had not Gertrude's presence restrained him; not that her singing was more obnoxious to him than it was to Lyndsay; but the one was accustomed to consult only his own pleasure; the other to consider the feelings of others.

"What a store of pretty old Scotch songs your şister Anne has," said Lady Rossville, trying to gloss over the deficiencies of the one sister in the praises of the other.

My sister Anne has a great store of nonsense in her head," said Mrs Waddell, with a toss of her own; "it is so stuffed with religion and poetry, I think, and with texts, and songs, and hymns, that there seems little room for good com

"From your account, she must greatly resemble a little quaint, simple sketch I have met with somewhere, and admired," said Lyndsay; "I think it is one of old Izaak Walton's. Speaking, I presume, of some such person, he says, "To say truth, she is never alone, for she is still accompanied with old songs, honest thoughts, and prayers, but short ones."

"That seems to suit my cousin Anne exactly," said Lady Rossville; "she is very sweet and very pleasing, and, I am sure, very good. I wished her to have come here with my aunts; but she writes me, she cannot be spared at present, and they will not be persuaded to leave home it seems so we must do the best we can without them."

Colonel Delmour placed some music before her, and they sung Italian and French duetts for the rest of the evening. Miss Pratt and Mr Ramsay battled away as usual at backgammon; but she was victorious, and again his suspicions of her recurred, and he thought

"I wish she may be the thing after all; she kens owre weel how to shake the dice.”

CHAPTER IV.

Unless one could cure men of being fools, it is to no purpose to cure them of any folly, as it is only making room for some other.

HORACE WALPOLE.

MRS WADDELL did not find herself at all at home at Rossville; except Lady Betty and Miss Pratt, nobody seemed to notice her finery. The simplicity of Lady Rossville's dress was felt to be impertinent towards her, a married woman, and the Major could not stand beside Colonel Delmour's lordly port and fashionable nonchalance.

Then, except at meals, there seemed no possibility of getting hold of uncle Adam, and there was no speaking to him before so many people; it was only exposing him, poor man, to observation, and the less he was called out the better. It was inconceivable, too, what he made of himself all day, there was no getting a private word of

him, and, in short, the result was a determination to depart the following day. Fortune, however, seemed to favour her design on uncle Adam, as she found herself in the breakfast room with only him and the Major; none of the others of the party having yet appeared. She, therefore, accosted him in her most ingratiating manner, which was met, as usual, by a very cool response.

"It is very difficult to get a word of you, uncle, except in the midst of these fine people. You seem always engaged—you are certainly composing something."

"Maybe I'm makin' my will," was the reply, in a manner most suspiciously calm and benign. "Indeed! but I'm sure, uncle, you have no occasion to think of that just now. The Major and I were both remarking how uncommonly well you are looking-you were just saying to me yesterday, Major, that you really thought my uncle looked twenty years younger than he did last time you saw him."

“Yes, indeed, 'pon my word I think so.” "It's a sign that change of air agrees with you, uncle, so I hope you'll take a seat with the Major and me in our carriage, and accompany us to Thorn

bank. I assure you, I shall be quite affronted if you don't; after staying here so long, it will have a very odd appearance in the eyes of the world, if you pass the Major and me over, and me a married woman -and, besides, you know, uncle, if you really wish to do anything about your property, though, I'm sure, there can be no hurry about that, you know you are much nearer the law people at Thornbank than here; and, indeed, Mr Aikinhead the advocate has promised us a visit this vacation, and, perhaps, you might like to advise with him before

"I thank you, but I need naebody's advice as to the disposal o' my ain property," replied uncle Adam, still preserving a sort of horrid supernatural mildness; "my mind's made up."

"Indeed! well I really think I should be at a loss how to dispose of such a charming property as Bloom-Park."

"But I'm at nane-I'm just gaun to mak' a mortification * o't."

"A mortification of Bloom-Park!" repeated Mrs Waddell, in tones well suited to the words.

In Scotland an endowment is termed a Mortification.