ville had the happiness to serve; like his own respected parent, (who was one of their oldest friends,) they were lovers of their Church, staunch supporters of the constitution of their country, peaceful, loyal, happy subjects of their rightful sovereign; "Fear God, and honour the King," was their motto,-" if it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men," was the lesson they were ever desirous of learning and practising. Shrewd and clever in business, their transactions were ever based upon the most unflinching rectitude, and conducted with the most undeviating correctness, so that they were honoured and admired throughout the sphere of a large and respectable connexion.

The junior partner resided in the house of business alone, and devoted much of his leisure to the acquirement of a favourite science, and the enjoyment of reading and research, for he was no mean antiquarian; and the principal portion of his time after business was spent in solitude. The elder had a house in the suburbs of town, where dwelt his wife, a lady of an elegant mind, and excellent disposition, and their only daughter, a charming girl of nineteen, beautiful in person, (as the maidens of every story generally are,) and kind of

heart, (as we wish all maidens to prove.) Clara Compton, however, was really the possessor of both these qualities in an eminent degree, therefore we need not wonder that such a child was the darling of her parents, and she, their only child! And shall we marvel, also, that when other eyes first beheld her, she filled a niche in the affection of another heart? And other eyes did behold her, and in another heart she was soon to be enshrined, for Edward Woodville, with his deep and ardent feelings could not help appreciating the beautiful, and loving the lovely; and Clara had qualities which rendered her when known to her admirer, a real object of regard to his mind. Shall we stop to add that the feeling was mutual?-they loved reciprocally, and with the concurrent approval of their respective parents, were engaged to each other as future companions in the journey of life.

There was a fine manliness about Woodville, an open-hearted, frank, and candid demeanour which procured him general respect and esteem; to be with him for an hour was sufficient to form an estimate of his character,-a character perfectly free from dissimulation and deceit,-unlike the flimsy-minded sycophants who had sought to win the affections of our

heroine, but in vain; thus, when young Woodville stood forth the candidate for the lady's suffrage, his nobility of disposition, his firmness of mind, added to his gentleness of temper and suavity of address, gave him a triumphant victory; and he had reason to bless that happy hour which first introduced him to the notice of a being so fair and so excellent as Clara Compton.

Very happily passed the hours which Edward could snatch from business in the society of one he loved so well; and albeit, his daily avocations were properly and punctually discharged, he generally devoted some small portion of it to the enjoyment of intercourse with the object of his affections. How sweet a thing it is for two young hearts such as these early to be knit together in the ties of the most refined affection,-ties which time as it progresses, strengthens and confirms, and which eternity will render incapable of ever being snapped asunder!

CHAPTER IX.

"I am sworn brother now To grim necessity; and he and I Will keep a league till death."

""Twas a cruel deed :

He stopped a timid traveller."

SHAKSPEARE.

CRABBE.

THE winter had set in, and the town of Orpington, like most other country towns, wore an aspect of dreariness; the neighbouring fields looked desolate, the mists of the season hung over the hills, and the drifted snow lay upon the ground, true sign and symbol of "stern Winter's reign."

There is something peculiarly dull about the neighbourhood of a spot like that where our story is laid, in the dark cold season of winter; even amid the glow and brightness

of the sunny summer there was nothing in the town to attract; the rural vicinity furnishing the places to which the inhabitants would resort for the enjoyment of the beauties of nature. During the term of winter, therefore, the good folks of Orpington kept within their own warm and comfortable homes, reserving their peregrinative faculties for a more fitting season of operation. There were two individuals, however, in that dull town who presented exceptions to this rule, these were Philip Walsinghame, and Theodore Woodville, the younger brother of Edward, and who was by this time rising into full-grown youth. Philip, since the departure of Edward to the metropolis, had formed a close friendship with this lad, who, possessing many of the sweet qualities of his brother, had become a pleasing substitute to fill up the vacuum caused by his removal to London. To the minds of these individuals the wintry season presented various charms; the frost and the snow each claimed their respective shares of regard from these admirers of the stern monarch of the year; even the fogs and vapours were pleasing in their turn; and while the chilly and the timid kept within their snug apartments, and clung together round the well-piled hearth,