"The day after to-morrow, I believe," answered Clara. The pencil dropped from the hands of Eugene; adieu to his plans of educating a wife; adieu to his sketching; adieu to the mountains. He started up, ran up-stairs, made his things into a parcel, which he begged might be sent to L the next day, and without offering one word, either of excuse or explanation, he bade the astonished Clara farewell, and walked away as fast as possible.

He then thought of the pretty residence in the valley, and its elegant inhabitant, but on arriving before the garden gate he saw a board on which the words "to let" informed him that its fair inmate was flown, and the closed windows confirmed the tale. De Hauteville then returned to Lin no very enviable humour; he was provoked at the non-success of his experiment, and angry with himself for not having foreseen such a result; and on entering his hotel at L, though it was still early in the evening, he went immediately to bed; but he could not go to sleep, as two ladies and their maid were talking in the adjoining room, from which he was separated only by partition.

He soon found that they were English, but understanding that language very well, he benefited by the conversation so far as to learn that they were the very ladies who had inhabited the cottage in the valley, that they were going to Geneva, and that the elegant girl was named Julia. No matter where he went, he would go to Geneva too; her form was so elegant, her voice so sweet, she must be a charming girl. Yes, it would be quite worth while to go to Geneva; he had long wished to see Lake Leman; he had always intended it; yes, he would certainly endeavour to get an introduction to these ladies. How far better than endeavouring to polish a little rustic; how could such an idea have entered his head? He would go to Geneva; and finding the ladies intended to set off very early, he endeavoured to compose himself to sleep, that he might be awake in time to carry his projects into execution.

When Eugene awoke he found that it was still dark, and everything being perfectly still, he composed himself to sleep again; but when he next awoke he was surprised to find everything equally dark and silent; he therefore rose, and having groped his way to a window, he opened it, and through it advanced his head; but not a star or a glimmer of light was discernible. Having with some difficulty found his bed again, he went to sleep, but did not slumber long, for he found himself excessively hungry, and moreover extremely tired, of what appeared to him the longest night he ever spent. It was very extraordinary-and in the month of July, too; he was then roused by a whispering at his chamber-door, and presently a young girl came in on tiptoe, who, holding a light full in front of Eugene, and discovering him awake and staring at her, ran away, crying out, "Oh! mother, the gentleman is awake; the gentleman's eyes are wide open!"

"What the devil does the girl find so extraordinary in that?" thought Eugene; when presently in came a bustling landlady, ex

claiming, "Dear sir, a thousand pardons : I am quite glad nothing has happened to you." He was prevented from asking what she meant by her undrawing the window-curtains, opening the shutters, and letting in daylight in all the mellow splendour of sunset.

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Why, how is this?" cried Eugene; "my watch is at nine o'clock."

"Your watch has stopped-no wonder; dear me, how we were frightened."

"Frightened! at what?"

Why, at you, sir; at your sleeping so long."

"So long well, the night did seem long; but I see the sun rising."

"La, no! it is setting; yonder is the west."

"Setting-diable! But what on earth did you shut my shutters for? and what window, then, did I open in the night? I certainly did open a window," repeated De Hauteville, seeing his landlady looked rather incredulous.

"Window! why it must have been the buffet that you opened. What a good thing, sir, you threw down none of my china!"

"China! I wish I had thrown it all down, then perhaps somebody would have come. But leave me, leave me; let me get up; and pray prepare breakfast, dinner, or supper, or all three, for I am ravenously hungry."

Eugene then recollected the English ladies, and his intention of rising early in order to accompany them to Geneva, and he went down in rather an ill-humour to take his repast. From sundry answers and sundry inquiries, he found that the two ladies and the femme-de-chambre had set off that morning at five o'clock, that he could not possibly follow them directly, as he wished, because all the carriages, horses, mules, and asses in L- and its vicinity had been put in requisition on account of a fete given by the Baron B--, on the occasion of the birth of an heir, which he had been expecting for fifteen years.

"If he had expected his heir fifteen days longer it would have made no difference to him, but a great deal to me," said De Hauteville, pettishly however, he resolved, having had quite enough of his bed for a long time, to set off on foot; so in spite of all remonstrances, he paid his bill, desired that his portmanteau might be sent after him, and set out on his pedestrian expedition.

The next evening he arrived at Geneva; and going to the best hotel in the place, he found his portmanteau arrived before him, which was a practical hint on the impropriety of impatience; for had he waited a few hours, he might have travelled to Geneva without fatigue, and would have arrived sooner. N'importe, there he was; N'importe, there he was; and locking his door, to prevent the possibility of his shutters being closed during his sleep, he went to rest.

The next day he commenced his search for the fair Julia, but several days elapsed and no traces of her could he discover. At length, walking along by the lake, he saw two ladies at a distance, one of whom

he believed and hoped was the object of his search. And so indeed she proved to be. Also, as if to favour his wishes, her veil flew off, and was wafted almost to his feet; he snatched it up, and hastened to present it; Julia received it with a graceful bow, while her mama was profuse in her thanks. Eugene, meeting with no dragon-like opposition from the mother, continued his walk by her side, while he directed his looks to the daughter. The latter was silent and reserved; and Eugene felt himself as much awed into distance by her manner as he was encouraged to familiarity by that of her mama, who soon chatted to him with the confidential air of an old acquaintance. Six words from De Hauteville produced a voluble reply. "Do you reside near Geneva, madam?" said Eugene. "Yes, sir, very near; at least not very far. You see that pretty white house-my dear Julia, do not squeeze my arm so-that house with a garden round it, except near the water; we did live on the mountains near L-, but really I did not like so lonesome a place, so we are come to fix here; but Julia likes retirement, therefore we did not take a house in the town," answered the mother of Julia.

"Mais mademoiselle est extrêmement jeune," observed De Hauteville.

"Jeune, certainement elle est très jeune, soixante-dix ans seulement; " cried the mama.

“Dix-sept ans, maman!" murmured Julia, blushing, and looking vexed.

De Hauteville saw that she was pained by her mother's display of ignorance, and to relieve her begged to continue the conversation in English; though, as he said, he spoke it very imperfectly.

"Oh, never mind that, sir; my Julia must give you a few lessons, and then you can speak very well."

There

Eugene of course said he should be too happy to profit by such lessons; but Julia's countenance gave him no hope of doing so. was a reserve, almost amounting to hauteur, in her manner, which contrasted finely with the garrulity and frankness of her mother.

When they approached the gate, he was invited to enter, but he refused, because he saw that Julia did not approve of her mother's incautious invitation to a stranger; and his self-denial was rewarded by a very gracious bow and smile from Julia, as they separated.

This was beyond his hopes: to have found out where they lived, to have walked with both and talked to one, and to have moreover received an invitation which he did not intend always to disregard, was more than he could have expected to effect in so short a time

After a few ineffectual wanderings by the lake, Eugene again met the ladies, and his bow was answered, as he expected it would be, by a very warm greeting from the mother, and a courtesy from the daughter. This time he did enter the cottage, and was soon au fàit as to the family, fortune, and name of the ladies.

"That's the picture of my husband, Colonel D-," began Mrs. D——, while Julia hastily left the room; " poor thing, she was so fond D

-

of her father, she is often melencholy, even now. I was obliged to bring her abroad; for Colonel D—— died of the wounds he got in the Peninsular war, and so poor Julia I feared would follow her father; therefore I brought her to Switzerland, for it is of no use grieving, you know, sir."

But Mrs D― herself wiped away a tear, as she uttered her trite remark; and Eugene appearing interested, she continued with her usual volubility :

"Yes, indeed, sir, I was quite uneasy about Julia, for she doated on her father, and so did I. Colonel D, when I married him, was the handsomest man I ever saw; but then, you know, sir, a man is apt to get disfigured in the wars. Julia said she loved her father the better, and I did not love him the worse; but you know, sir, that when a man has lost his left leg and his right arm, and got a slash across his forehead, and another across his cheek, it makes him look a little different from the gay young officer one used to dance with at the balls. However, here we are; and I am very glad we have met with you, sir; for Julia is so shy, and does not like company."

"In that case," said De Hauteville, "I fear I must appear an intruder."

"Oh, dear no! she will grow used to you, sir. The fact is, my daughter's pride has been hurt, and mine too, by the neglect of her father's family; and we are not so rich as we used to be, or indeed expected to be-for Julia has only five thousand instead of thirty-we are to live economically for a few years, and I hope by degrees she will recover her spirits. Oh, here she comes! Julia, my dear, play the gentleman a tune, it will amuse him."

"Not so much as your conversation, madam," Eugene was on the point of saying; but he felt certain that any pleasantry addressed to her mother in that guise would be resented by Julia; he therefore requested to be favoured with some music, as Mrs. D-- had proposed.

"You must excuse me, I never play before strangers," said Julia, politely, but decidedly and as all attempts to draw her into conversation were useless, he soon took his leave.

For some weeks Eugene continued to visit at Mrs. D's. Julia remained cold and silent, but the good mother treated him with all the regard possible, and never seemed to think their evening complete if Mr. Eugene was not there.

"I cannot think, Julia, how you can behave so ill to that nice young man," said Mrs. D--, one evening when Eugene had withdrawn, evidently in a melancholy mood.

"Ill, mama! I beg your pardon, but really I think I behave very well to him, considering that he is a Frenchman, and I do not like Frenchmen; besides, why does he come?" said Julia, looking at her mother for an answer.

"Ask him yourself, my dear; I am always very glad to see him, but I never thought of asking him why he comes."

She looked up, and beheld De Hauteville, who had re-entered for his gloves, which had dropped out of his hat. He immediately went up to Julia, and said, "If my presence here displeases you, Miss D-tell me so, and I will at once withdraw for ever; my presence shall no longer importune you."

"You are too gentlemanly to be importunate; and I have no right to banish those whom my mother approves for her visitors," said Julia, in a much kinder tone than usual, for his agitation alarmed her, and she felt that she had treated him very haughtily, not to say cavalierly.

He bowed, and retreated; but the next day passed, and he did not appear at the cottage; and Mrs. D was not sparing in her animadversions; but when three days had passed, and no De Hauteville came, she said to her daughter, " You see, Julia, the consequence of your not liking a Frenchman. Poor Mr. Eugene heard you say so, and to gratify your silly dislike he stays away. Now, for my own part, I can see no difference between an Englishman and a Frenchman; and I think all those distinctions very silly; for why should not we admire them as much as they admire Englishwomen, as they call us all, even if we are Irish or Scotch? No, really Julia, you were very wrong, and--Ah, there he is, coming in at the garden-gate! Come in, Mr. Eugene; I was just giving Julia a scolding, because I thought-"

To prevent her mother from saying what she had thought, Julia began to play one of those simple and touching Scotch airs, which find their way to every heart of feeling; and Eugene hung in silent enchantment over the chair of the fair musician, till a summons to the tea-table broke the spell. He then explained his absence, by saying that an acquaintance of his had spent some days at Geneva, and he had consequently been prevented from paying his accustomed visits to the cottage.

The next day he informed them that he had received a letter from home, and that he must go shortly to pay a visit to his mother; but that he believed he should very soon return to Geneva.

"Delightful!" cried Mrs. Ď-— "Then, sir, we shall have you for a neighbour during the winter?"

"I thought," said Julia, "that Monsieur de Hauteville would return to Paris."

"I am a citizen of the world: and where I find the most agreeable spot, and the most friendly hearts, I shall always remain," replied Eugene, bowing to Julia.

"So my daughter's friendliness will bind you to Geneva," said Mrs. D, laughing; "I do not think Julia's friendship has vouchsafed you five words since your introduction to her."

"I do not recollect that Monsieur De Hauteville was ever introduced at all," said Julia, quietly.

This short sentence was a ray of light to Eugene; and while Mrs. D― busied herself with the tea equipage, he darted at Julia a look

N.S. VOL. XXXIV.

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