water and yellow soap; he listened to a long story of Miss Tibby, as if he were really interested; and glanced at the admiring Annie in a manner which shewed he thought her well worth looking at.

Having thus exerted himself a little to win the favour of every one, he relapsed into supercilious coxcombry, as will be seen by his account of poor Ellen's accident. Having been repeatedly urged to give one, he at length exclaimed,

"How truly English you are to delight in horrors; never satisfied but when listening to things that make the blood run cold, and the hair stand on end! In Paris, they care more for their looks and their coiffure. However,

the tale is soon told."

"Oh, I will so like to hear aboot it,” said Annie; “it shall be so interesting.”

"I shall so like to hear it, it will be so interesting," corrected Grunter.

"Thank you, Mr. Grunter," said Julian, appearing to consider his emphatic speech as a spontaneous compliment. “Well, then,

yesterday, taking up a paper at Long's, I saw that La Zelie, a charming creature, a dawning cantatrice, whom I mean to patronize, was staying at Worthing, laid up with a cold, caught, of course, from breathing our odious fogs. So I resolved, before coming here, just to take Worthing in my way, see her, and give her a few boxes of the trésor de la poitrine and pâte pectorale, which I had brought with me for the colds I expect to catch."

"Na great compliment to yer ain family," said Miss Tibby, with dignity, "to keep us a expecting ye, and waiting dinner, while you were ganging to see a mere play-actor. I never knew na gude in nane o' them; they're a' jist na better than they should be."

"I never yet met with any one who was, nor half as good as she should be, either, cousin; but, as to La Zelie, you wrong her; she has a voice like Philomel, and an ankle..." "Play-actors are very bauld, and too ready to display their ankles, I'm thinking," said Miss Tibby, carefully drawing under a long

VOL. I.

D

grey tabinet gown a pair of large feet, in quilted silk shoes, with pointed toes.

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Oh, no; no lady is anxious to display her ankle unless she is sure it's a fine one, or careful to hide it unless she has some doubts on that point."

Annie, who had some doubts, coloured deeply; Augusta, who had none, smiled approval.

"It was na sae in my younger days," said Miss Tibby, haughtily.

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Julian," said Mr. Lindsay, rather in sorrow than in anger, "will you proceed to what I am most anxious to hear-tell me where you met Ellen, and how this accident happened-if it is true that you let your father, whom you had not seen for three years, watch for you in vain, while you were waiting upon an actress. Had you the heart so to act, you should also have had the sense to conceal it."

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My dear, dear father," said Julian, catching his hand, a tear glistening in his fine eyes," can you so wrong me? have you forgotten my old tactics with Miss Tibby; my

pleasure in surprising, and hers in reproving me? No, no; it is true that a poor young girl I knew at Paris (a singer) is at Worthing, but it was at the earnest summons of a friend in dreadful need that I went there; and so fearful was I of keeping you in suspense, that I left London at dawn, and should have been here before the time I mentioned, but for meeting with Ellen, and her unfortunate accident."

Old Lindsay cordially shook his son's hand, and Miss Tibby said, " And pray how did that hoccident happen ?”

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Why, Miss Tibby, there I fear I am somewhat to blame, though, perhaps, you doubt it."

"I do na' doubt that."

"I wish I could; but the truth is, driving along, I remarked on the road, coming towards me, Miss Tibby, a very pretty person, on horseback, attended only by a groom. When we met, I, hating to indulge in the broad English stare, looked away, else I should have known Ellen, of course; but, if one indulges in the

truly British habit of looking a woman in the face, one deprives her of the pleasure of examining one's own."

"Yer a very mistaken young mon, cousin,” said Tibby, reddening with the offended pride of her sex," if you think that, were you as noble-looking a crater as Samson himsel, a woman would take half sae much pleasure in looking at ye, as in being looked at hersel; sae dinna forget that cousin, or ye shall na be weel respectit by the lassies."

"Thank you, Miss Tibby; when I wish to please I must come to you for a lesson," and he glanced alternately at Annie and Augusta, in whose eyes he read that he did not need

one.

But how did the hoccident happen?"

"I know not exactly, but I heard a shriek― I looked out-saw that a lady had been thrown, -in a moment I was by her side, and, lifting her up, I recognised dear Ellen. She had fainted, and I had to wait for some water before she could be recovered; at all events, I was mad with alarm, for I feared her arm was