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My dear fellow, I will follow you in an instant," said he. "A knife and fork, and a spoon, in a moment, sirrah!" and snatching, at the same time, the dish from the servant, and seating himself on a garden chair, he began to gobble up the contents with all haste.

The impatient Amherst rode off at a hand-gallop, leaving his friend to follow at his own leisure.

On approaching Brokenhurst Hall he remarked a number of queer-looking men hanging on about the door. To one of these he gave his horse. and instantly entered. A girl, whom he recog nized as Miss Delassaux's maid, who had often experienced his bounty when his visits to her mistress were frequent, came from one of the rooms towards him.

"Gracious me !" exclaimed she, "if there isn't Mr Oakenwold !"

"Is Miss Delassaux visible?" inquired he.

"Lawk! to be sure she is,—that is, I am sure she will make herself visible to you, Mr Oakenwold; and overjoyed will she be, no doubt, as I am, to see you here again."

"Your lady is, I presume, in the drawingroom?" said Amherst, interrupting her.

"She is in her own apartment at present," said the girl.

"Is not my father here?" said Amherst. "Yes-the Admiral is in the drawing-room." "Then I will step there and wait Miss Delassaux's commands," replied he, taking the wellknown way up stairs.

Meanwhile the maid hastened to her mistress, whom she found, as she had left her, buried in bedclothes, tears, and mortification, having slept none all night.

"Ma'am, Ma'am," said she, "I have such news for you!-Mr Oakenwold is here, and has gone up to the drawing-room to wait for you."

The Lady no sooner heard this most consolatory and unlooked-for piece of intelligence, than she dried up her tears, and proceeded to the labours of the toilette with all manner of alacrity.

As Amherst reached the door of the drawingroom he heard his father's voice, and as he entered his eyes caught the bulky form of the Admiral, who had already established his quarter-deck, and was walking backwards and forwards across the apartment with his hands behind his back. Amherst was hastening to embrace the old man,

with an eager and affectionate smile on his countenance, when he was suddenly arrested midway, by the sight of an unexpected object. He beheld -Miss Malcolm !-Miss Malcolm, as lovely and smiling as he had ever seen her, and attired in a dress, the richness and taste of which at once showed that her personal appearance was not altogether unattended to, notwithstanding the bitter distress and cruel laceration of mind she had undergone. So sudden and unforeseen a meeting produced a violent agitation in a frame lately so much weakened by disease. He felt conscious of his own feeble state, and he could not help internally contrasting it with the healthful, the sprightly, nay, almost joyous, countenance of her whom he now saw,—of her whom he had pictured to himself sitting in the lonely towers of Eaglesholme, pining in misery, or drooping like a broken lily on its retired terrace walks. His reflections, it may be easily supposed, were rapid, but they produced more of pain than of pleasure. “Can she have so soon forgotten me," thought he, "me whom she once so loved, and who so loved her, that I never can love another?-Can she so soon have forgotten her situation; and can she have already overcome those feelings of wretchedness she

declared must sink her to an untimely grave?Oh! woman! woman!-are all then alike?-are all then angels in appearance, and devils in deception ?"

Miss Malcolm was seated in the depth of a window, tête-à-tête with Miss Margery, so that his entrance was observed by neither of the ladies. In another window were Lord Eaglesholme and Sir William Percival, also deeply engaged in serious conversation. These various personages were made aware of Amherst's presence by Sir Cable, who, after having stood opposite to his son for several minutes, as if very much enjoying his confusion, at last exclaimed,

“Why, in the name of God, what can have come over the puppy, that he should stand in that manner staring and shaking like a man who has been keelhauled?-Why, Amy! what a devil's the matter with ye ?"

"I beg your pardon, my dear father," said he, advancing to embrace the Admiral, "I expected. to have found you alone, and was naturally surprised, at first, on discovering that you had company with you."

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Company?" said the Admiral archly,—"why aye, I have company with me, indeed. Mayhap

you may, and mayhap you may not know them, But if you do not,” added he, with a significant leer, "why I can introduce ye.-Lord Eaglesholme, let me introduce my scapegrace of a son here. This, Amy, is Lord Eaglesholme."

"I have already the honour of knowing Lord Eaglesholme," said Amherst, advancing with great warmth of manner and expression to his Lordship, who was much moved on seeing him; "I have had the good fortune to experience too much of his Lordship's kindness and hospitality, ever to forget the obligations I owe him.-My Lord,” said he, as they cordially shook hands, "I am delighted to see you so near Oakenwold Manor."

"Oh ho!" interrupted Sir Cable," so you are old friends I perceive;—well, I have lost my labour in being your master of ceremonies as to his Lordship. But here," turning to Miss Malcolm, whose agitation at the sight of Amherst was now becoming very great," here is a young lady of whom, at least, I presume, you will want some preliminary information;-I'll bet a Spanish galleon against a Thames wherry, that you don't know who she is!"

"Make no rash wagers, father," said Amherst,