look over. This was a favourite haunt of Miss Pratt's, who was fond of picking and grubbing amongst other people's goods; not that she actually stole, but that, as she expressed it, she often met with bits of things that were of no use to any body, and that when she showed to Lady Rossville, she always made her welcome to. For some time her head had been completely immersed in a large Indian chest, containing many odds and ends, a few of which she had selected for the purpose of being hinted for, and she was just shaking her ears from the cobwebs they might have contracted in their researches, when they were suddenly smote with the sound of her own name, pronounced by Colonel Delmour; she heard the Countess's voice in reply, but it was too soft and low to enable her to ascertain her words.

"Since Miss Pratt is disagreeable to you and odious to me, why don't you dismiss her the house, then?" asked Colonel Delmour-" Much as you despise her, she may do mischief-Ah, Gertrude !" -But here Colonel Delmour's voice sunk into a tenderer strain, and its undistinguishable accents only, penetrated the massive door which was betwixt them. Miss Pratt had met with many a

buffet in her day, but she never had met with anything like this, and her ears tingled with rage and mortification at hearing herself talked of in such a manner.

"I wish Anthony Whyte heard him,” was her first mental ejaculation, though even to herself, had she considered a moment, the mortifying conviction must have been, that, if Anthony Whyte did hear it, it would only be to laugh at it. She tried to make out something more, which might prove either a confirmation or a refutation of this opprobrious expression; but “love— doubts-adore-agony suspense unalterable heart-wholly mine," &c. were all she could pick up; but these were too much-the sword that had just fallen upon her cut two ways, if not three; her respectability (and that was her weak side) was compromised; her footing in a house she had long looked upon as a home was endangered, and her five guineas were in the most imminent peril. In short, she found she was in a very great scrape, and the best thing she could do at present would be to take the first word of flyting and depart.

66

Dismiss, indeed! dismiss one's own blood!"

and Miss Pratt's danced and bubbled at the bare thought of such a thing. There was a little back stair from the turret, by which she could emerge without going through the drawing-room, and confronting her adversaries, and to that she betook herself, and after a little searching, found the Major and his lady just beginning to recover their equilibrium. When one's mind is ruffled, it is always a satisfaction to meet with others in the same state, especially when the cause is somewhat similar, and though neither party would for the world have betrayed to the other the cause of its discomposure, yet both felt that sort of secret sympathy which made it hail fellow, well met !

Miss Pratt was too experienced in the art of offering visits, securing a seat in a friend's carriage, and such like manœuvres, to be at any loss on the present occasion; and as the Major and lady, in spite of all their finery, were not particularly sought after, they were much flattered at the compliment, and soon settled that she should accompany them, in the first instance, to Thornbank, where she insinuated she would not be allowed to remain long, as both Lady Wellwood

and Lady Restall would go mad, if they heard she was in their neighbourhood, till they got hold of her.

This important point settled, the next thing to be done was to give all possible bustle and importance to her departure, that she might not appear to have been driven away by any thing that insolent puppy had said ;-she had no notion of sneaking away, as if her nose had been bleeding, or showing herself any way flustered, or giving him the slightest satisfaction in any way. She, therefore, went openly to work-rung all the bells-called to the servants-spoke loudly, but calmly, about her preparations to Lady Betty and Mrs St Clair; and finally repaired to the room, where she had left the Countess and her lover, and where she still found them.

"Well, Lady Rossville, I'm just come to apologize to you for doing what is really an ill-bred thing; but your good friends, the Major and his lady, have prevailed upon me to take a seat in their carriage; and, as there's many visits I ought to have paid long ago, our cousins the Millbanks for one, I'm just going to run away from you. I

declare there's the carriage; and, by-the-bye, Countess, there's a bit of Indian silk I have of yours that I got for a pattern, and have always forgot to return-but I shall bring it with me next time I come," with a look of cool defiance at Colonel Delmour.

"You are perfectly welcome to it," said Lady Rossville, in some little embarrassment what to say next—“ but this is a very sudden resolution of yours."

"I'm a great enemy to your long preparations, -a long warning is just a lingering parting, as Mr Whyte says, so farewell. God bless you, my dear! and take care of yourself," in a most emphatic and oracular tone-" take care of yourself, and,”—in a loud whisper," if you would take an old friend's advice, you would dismiss at least one of your lovers," with a glance at Colonel Delmour, who, from the moment of her entrance, had been amusing himself with a musical snuff-box, which he continued to play off with the most unceasing attention, as if quite unconscious of her presence. Gertrude was leaving the

room with Miss Pratt, to do the parting honour