the placid forerunner of domestic enjoyment. He now hoped to find the friend and counsellor in his wife, which he had looked to as the perfection of all rational comfort; and for that purpose, as they sat together over a large fire, she half asleep, he enjoying visions of homefelt felicity which were never to be realised, he took her passive hand and began detailing his project of passing a great part of the year in Carnarvonshire, in the beautiful place which his father had settled upon him on his marriage.

At this moment, the house-steward, followed by several footmen, came in with an enormous Christmas bowl, and various cates prepared for that rejoicing-day, begging the young bride and bridegroom to honour his Grace's goodness to them by partaking of the ale brewed at Lord Bellamont's birth; he immediately complied, drank the old man's health, and to the mirth of the party below stairs, which so delighted them, that they roared out a "Long live Lady Frances and my Lord."

But when they requested her Ladyship, for

luck's sake, to take a glass of the precious beverage, she turned away haughtily, saying even the smell of the thing made her sick; and they left the apartment with very different impressions of their lord and their lady.

"I am sorry, Frances," said Lord Bellamont, "that you did not condescend to pretend to taste their ale; a small courtesy from persons in a higher station is considered as a favour, and the reverse is cruel to the humble, and impolitic in regard to yourself."

Lady Frances yawned; and stretching herself more languidly on her seat, declared she had not thought about it.

Lord Bellamont sighed and reverted again to his settling in the Welsh mountains. An immoveable fixedness of dissent overspread the expression of her countenance, but he construed this into passive acquiescence, and went on to speak of his hope of coming into Parliament at the next election. She raised herself on her chair at this declaration, and said with animation

"Right, my dear Bellamont, quite right!—

a man of your consequence ought to be in Parliament." She repeated her words, laying a great emphasis on the "your consequence." Lord Bellamont drew himself up, with a degree of self-complacency which showed itself in his countenance. Who is there without their foibles? But it is a pity-nay, it is an awful crime-when those we love best, and in whom we repose all our confidence, those who should love us most, make the discovery of these foibles turn to our undoing.

Lady Frances saw she had touched the master key-vanity, and after a short pause, added;" I assure you, my love," (a term of endearment which she used sparingly,)—" I do assure you, that you have been hitherto much too good and gentle for those you have to deal with; you have been quite the ridicule of all the young men of fashion of your own age, for being so completely under your papa's government. Take care, if you stick too close to my side, that they do not laugh at you next for being tied to your wife's apron string."

Lord Bellamont coloured and bit his lip:

touch him on the score of ridicule, and his naturally fine qualities, both of head and heart, were all put to confusion, till nature and reflection rallied them again.

"Now, dear Bellamont," she continued, "when once you have a home of your own, and can live as you choose, without all those impertinent remarks which at present assail you every moment of the day, you will tacitly assert your own independence without quarrelling.--Oh! I would not have you quarrel for the world; nothing so impolitic as quarrelling, and family quarrels the worst of all. Besides it is wrong, altogether wrong!-but one need not for that reason, suffer oneself to be led by the nose all the days of one's life. Remember, you are of age, and the place-what is it called?— with the Hottentot name, in Carmarthenshire-must be yours, as it is settled upon you: so that it is high time you should slip the leading strings."

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Why, to say the truth," replied the young Lord, "I do believe I have been rather soft; but

my father doated on me to such a degree! and

the fact is, there was nobody I loved half so well as my own father till I knew you; for whatever may be his faults in the eyes of the world, he was always the best of parents to me, most kind, most indulgent !"

"Oh! doubtless," interrupted Lady Frances * with a sneering tone of impatience, which she intended should be softened into one of acquiescence-" Oh, doubtless the Duke is the best man in the world! I do not mean to say any thing the least against him. All that I intended to remark was, that he plays the game of all fathers-likes to hold the reins of government in his hands, and forgets that you are no longer a child. And what ought you to do?— why play the part of all sons who are in their senses, to be sure! and show him that you remember your own rights. Do the thing decently and well; but get out of the go-cart as fast as you can. There was an instance, the other day, of the servile state you are living in, about that pack of fox-hounds you wanted to buy. Could any thing be more ridiculous than the Duke's preventing your making the

VOL. III.