"No, no, my love! Lady Glassington is so good as to excuse you, and you shall go."

"For ony sake, Lady Emily, dinna leave it to the last moment, and then may be find ye canna wear it," cried Miss Macalpine, who dearly loved to feast her eyes on finery.

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Very well, then, I will not detain you a moment," and away flew Lady Emily.

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Emily, Emily," cried the General, "remember to come and show yourself to us."

A brief quarter of an hour sufficed to Lady Emily; and when she returned, the whole party were struck with the extreme splendour and beauty of her and her attire, which seemed to confer mutual lustre upon each other.

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Really," cried Lady Glassington, “it is a vastly handsome dress, a magnificent dressthere now, don't stoop; hold up your head whatever you do; a lady never looks so well as when she maintains an upright position of the head; remember first to turn your chin over one shoulder, then over the other, drawing yourself well up at the same time, and stepping back a pace or two, thus: while, at the same time, you

play off your fan, thus:" and Lady Glassington showed her a receipt for practising the graces.

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Vastly well, my Lady Glassington, vastly well, nobody had a finer carriage than you. Emily, you cannot do better than take a leaf out of her Ladyship's book on the Graces"

Suddenly the door opened, and in came Mrs. Neville, leaning on Lord Mowbray's arm. Lady Emily's astonishment, pleasure, and even emotion at the sight of one she fancied two hundred miles off, lent a new heightening to her beauty, and she stood silent.

"Well now,

Mrs. Neville ran on as usual: isn't it charming, charming! here you are readydressed: come along with us, Emily, to Lady Orwell's. Well, to be sure, it was the luckiest thing in the world how I came to think of calling here, after having received your apology; but my Lord Mowbray happened to drop in, and I thought Lady Orwell would be so delighted if I could only take her such a smart cavalier.— For a wonder, he consented, and so I brought him away in my carriage; but I do not think I should have caught him, if I had not been

coming here first. And now that you are ready, Lady Emily, why should you not go too? It will ensure me the entrée at Lady Orwell's for evermore, if I can carry two such stars along with me!" During this speech, Miss Macalpine was holding a private discourse with Lord Mowbray. "Come along, my Lord; Miss Macalpine, do not detain him-make haste, there's no time to be lost."

But here a loud knock announced another visitor; and while they were forming conjectures who it could be, Lady Frances made her appearance. After having paid her compliments to the company, she uttered an exclamation of surprise, on seeing Lady Emily.

"What an exhibition !" she exclaimed; "so you would not go to Lady Orwell's to-night;" and she glanced her eyes significantly from Lord Mowbray to her sister's attire-" so that is the reason,-oh, oh !"

"No, indeed, Frances," Lady Emily replied, whispering and blushing, " you are quite mistaken; nothing made me decline going to Lady Orwell's; but not liking to leave my uncle without his party."

"Well, Emily, we will not dispute about the matter; but at least I will do you the justice to say, that for once you have got a very beautiful gown, and are really well dressed, thanks to Mademoiselle Blondell. Truly, it is quite beautiful :" and she examined it all over. "Is she not perfectly well dressed, my Lord Mowbray?"

"Well dressed!-yes, perhaps so; I don't know, upon my honour; but if you ask me how Lady Emily looks, I think she is just as handsome when she has less finery on."

"Oh, but you know there is a time for all things. One is not always to be en robe de chambre."

“I think,” said Lord Bellamont, "that ladies disfigure themselves very much by all their millinery contrivances; and if they would only adopt some sort of dress more analogous to the human form, and keep to that, they would look much handsomer. The less of contrivance, and quirks, and puffings, and plaitings, and gimpings, and little ins and outs the better. Something large, flowing, of fine material if you will, only none of your contrivances. Look less at milliners' shops, and more at pictures; but

nothing can ever look well, so long as women paint their faces."

"Oh, dear! you must go back and be born over again, and live in the times of the Greeks and Romans; though I think my governess told me, the Roman ladies used the same aids to heighten their charms. As to me, I am quite contented with the things as they are. But how comes it, my Lord Mowbray, that you are still in London ?" continued Lady Frances. "I thought you were gone; at least, you told me some nights ago that you were going to Mowbray Castle ?"

"But going and gone are two things, Lady Frances. Business detained me to-night; still I intend going to-morrow."

66 Are you resolved?”

"Resolved is a great word for such a trifling circumstance :-I intend to do so."

By-the-by, Emily," said Lady Frances, addressing her sister," I wish to speak with you; for to-morrow I may not see you till we meet at the ball," and she led her sister into an adjoining room..