that you broke that insolent fellow's head, who had evidently consented to be a party to Hailey's plan, and to pick a quarrel with you. So that what with his broken head and Hailey's wound, they have both met their deserts."

"But how came Mrs. Herbert to know all this?" said I, turning to her.

"Listen to Frederick," said she, smiling.

"She did not know all," resumed her husband; "but she had heard of you more than once, and when I gave credence to Hailey's account of your conduct, she doubted. Besides," added he, "she is not quite so fond of him, nor ever was in his power, as I have been; and when I, in part, communicated Hailey's plans, she said that she would only consent to accept his offer of the box at the Opera on one condition, and that was that should your appearance and manners contradict Hailey's assertions respecting you, I would promise to do all in my power to serve you. This I consented to do, and you see that women have sometimes more wit than men. The rest is known to you-and now, what are your plans?"

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Why," said I, "I must return to Oxford to-day, for already I have run sufficient risk."

"How do you travel?" enquired he.

"I ride," I replied. "I left my servant with a horse half way, as I came up."

"You must go armed," said he, "for the roads

are not too safe at present, and the odds are that your motions will be watched."

"Indeed!" said I. 66

base!".

Surely they cannot be so

"Gamblers," replied he, with a slight blush, "will do anything when they want money and"-he paused. "And what?" said I.

"Revenge,” replied he. "You won their money last night; and while you baffled them in their infamous designs upon your purse, your manner told them too plainly that they had every reason to dread exposure at your hands. Incautiously you assigned as a reason for not playing longer the necessity of your being on the road again to-day. There were some there who looked with much meaning at each other when you said so, and if a clue to your route were wanted, your brother-in-law would be too happy to give it."

"I see through all his villainy now," said I.

"And so do I," replied Herbert; "he hates you, and it will require all your ingenuity to defeat his schemes even now, for, take my word for it, he will not fail to turn even this duel to your disadvantage, so completely has he gained the ear of your father."

"Alas!" I exclaimed, in the bitterness of my heart, "alas! that I should be thus persecuted."

Rejoice, rather," said Herbert, grasping my hand, "that you now know what a villain he is, and

shape your course accordingly. You have escaped him so far, and he has fallen somewhat into his own trap, and, to my certain knowledge, he lost a considerable sum of money last night. This, with his wound, will give you time to consider the best means of exposing him, and, in the meantime, you must bear as you best can the increased displeasure of your father.

"I believe you are right," said I, "though I would almost prefer having remained in ignorance of his baseness to the fact of my father seeing me at the Opera, for the incidents of last night being duly related to him in a false light will only serve to confirm him in his displeasure, and render it still more difficult for me, or even my friends, to convince him of my innocence."

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Appearances certainly are much against you," replied Herbert, "but nil desperandum, and if you had gone through half as much as I have, you would say so too"

"Besides, there is your lady-love," said Mrs. Herbert.

"for

"I shall never see her more," I replied, I dare not disclose the circumstance, even if I wished."

"You will be married to her before the year is out, for all that," said she.

“Let me see,” said I, laughing. "This is March : six months, or a pair of gloves?"

"A bargain," replied she; " and now for my commission; but I must try your patience a little, by prefacing it with part of my early history;" and she began as follows.

CHAPTER IV.

ELEANOR HERBERT'S STORY.

Infandum, Regina, jubes renovare dolorem.

VIRG. NEID. Lib. 3.

Durum-sed levius fit patientiâ

Quicquid corrigere est nefas.

HOR. Lib. 1, Od. 24.

My father was what is usually termed a gentlemanfarmer, having risen, as he imagined, somewhat in the scale of society in his generation, as my grandfather, and his father before him, had been neither more nor less than good substantial yeomen, who rose early and went to bed soon, breakfasted, dined, and supped with their servants, in the true old English style, and made no pretensions whatever to gentility, though they ranked among the honestest folks, and wealthiest farmers on the country side. My grandfather, however, committed the error common to the English, and determined to bring up his son a gentleman, not considering, as is always the case in similar circumstances, that “ a prophet hath no honour in his own country," and that to educate him in a manner superior to those in his own sphere would give him notions ill-according with his position

F