London, Published by Henry Colburn, Sept? 1,1839.

would be better almost than having it all to yourself, for that might make your eyes ache, which would be a pity, I am sure, so beautiful as they are."

Patty repaid this amiable prelude to lasting friendship by saying, as she again put the glass to her eye, "I am sure you are monstrous kind and good-natured, and so I shall tell mamma, and papa too-and I shall make them both come and see you."

A happy and triumphant look was exchanged between the sisters, while one of Patty's bright eyes was glued to the instrument, which made it as she said almost as pleasant to live in a house, as upon the pier itself, and the other screwed up with skilful and most patient perseverance till she had carefully scanned every individual head within reach of her examination.

The acquaintance thus happily begun between the drawing-room and the parlour, progressed without the slightest drawback from the feelings of any single individual concerned; and many were the miles of hot walking spared Mrs. O'Donagough thereby, at the which she rejoiced not a little, for much as she loved to see, and be seen, the excessive activity of her lively daughter, had already caused her to pant and to blow under all the brilliance of a September sun at Brighton, for more hours than were quite agreeable to her age and size, and it soon became an understood thing between the new associates, that the Miss Perkinses should take care of Patty in all her long lounges backward and forward, over the cliff, and under the cliff; while in return, Mrs. O'Donagough should chaperon them all, about three times a day to the libraries; by which arrangement, Miss Louisa got a great deal of very agreeable and improving conversation with Mrs. O'Donagough, and Miss Matilda very soon achieved a bowing and sometimes even a speaking acquaintance with all the gentlemen of Mr. O'Donagough's Brighton acquaintance. Their evening parties, too, were quite delightful. As the hours of daylight shortened, the hours for the card-table lengthened, and the company of the Miss Perkinses was agreeable in every way.

Nobody made tea for a party of gentlemen with so much skill, and so inexhaustible a stock of smiles as Miss Matilda; and no one was ever so well qualified to teach new stitches to waning eyes as Miss Louisa, who still struggling against spectacles herself, had discovered or invented a prodigious number of devices by which "patterns" would do just as well a little awry, as not.

In this way, the fortnight of her "darling niece's" absence made itself wings; and when at length Mr. O'Donagough brought home the news that he had seen General Hubert on horseback, it was hailed by his lady with infinitely less ecstasy than he expected.

"You don't seem half so much out of your wits, my dear, as I expected," observed Mr. O'Donagough, laughing in high good-humour -the result, probably, of the propitious termination of his morning's amusement. "I thought you would begin singing and dancing, when I told you that your beloved niece was come back!"

"Nonsense, Donny! my singing and dancing days are over; however, of course I am very glad, and I shall take Patty to call there tomorrow without fail. But the fact is, this place is so delightful-Patty is so much admired--the prawns and every thing are so nice-those

dear good Perkinses are such a comfort to me-and you are almost always in such high good-humour, that I am sure I don't want nieces or nephews or any body else to make me happy here. However, of course I shall go and call to-morrow."

"Lor, mamma, I hope you will leave me behind if you do!" exclaimed Miss Patty. "I had rather take one walk with Matilda Perkins, old as she is, than a dozen with that prig in petticoats, Elizabeth Hubert."

"That's likely enough, darling," replied her mamma; "but if you are the sharp girl I take you for, you'll soon find that there's more reasons than one for making much of one's relations. You only just look at the Perkinses, Patty, when I talk of my niece, Mrs. Hubert, before them, or at Dacre, or Willis, or Foxcroft, or any one of the officers, and you'll see fast enough whether they are worth calling upon

or not."

"That's true as that the sun's in heaven, Patty," said her father with great animation; "so keep a proper look-out, girl, or you and I shall be two."

"La! what a fuss you are making!" said the young lady, tartly; "I never said I meant to cut 'em, did I? But I suppose I may think them fogrums and quizzes, if I choose?"

"I don't care what you may think 'em, my black-eyed beauty, if you do but take care to make the most of the cousinship," said her father. "So mind, miss, I shall question your mother about your behaviour to-morrow, and if I hear of sour looks, or impertinent airs of any kind, you shall not bathe again as long as you stay at Brighton. Just mind that."

Miss Patty tossed her head, but said no more; for she, as well as her mamma, had learned to know when her papa was in earnest.

It rarely happened but that when one parent admonished Miss O'Donagough, the other declared her to be peculiarly impeccable, and even praiseworthy on that particular point; but in the present instance, the case was otherwise. Mrs. O'Donagough was equally edified and gratified by the sentiments expressed by her husband, and to atone for any seeming indifference manifested by her own manner of receiving the intelligence of her elegant niece's return, she took an opportunity about an hour afterwards, when both the Miss Perkinses and Lieutenant Foxcroft were present, to make her joy and gladness appear with such eloquent vehemence, as elicited from all, the most cordial congratulations on the event.

"You may well be proud of your niece, ma'am," said the lieutenant. "She's the first woman in Brighton, out and out.'

"Ah! Captain Foxcroft," replied Mrs. O'Donagough, who generally gave brevet rank to all her military acquaintance," beautiful as she is, that is her least merit I do assure you! Dear creature! I brought her up entirely myself, and therefore you know I may venture to speak for her mental qualities. To be sure I did take incessant pains with her! Every one of her accomplishments were of my own teaching, and I must say it, though I should not, that she has turned out exactly what I desired she should be."

"How very gratifying!" exclaimed Miss Perkins.

"And such an elegant creature, too!" subjoined Miss Matilda. "What a reward for all your care!"

"I must say," added Mrs. O'Donagough, looking with an expression of ingenuous modesty in the face of Lieutenant Foxcroft," I must say that she had both precept and example to help her, and I have the pleasure of knowing that the excellent match she made was entirely in consequence of my having fortunately attracted the attention of General Hubert-he was only Colonel Hubert then, but a most distinguished man in every way; and when he found that Agnes had been brought up by me, he immediately paid his addresses to her. Cannot you guess, my dear Miss Perkins, how gratifying the remembrance of this must be to my feelings while witnessing their present conjugal happiness?"

"Oh, dear me! yes, I can indeed, Mrs. O'Donagough, and I hope and trust the same delightful thing will happen over again with your charming daughter.'

"I am sure you are very kind," returned the gratified mother; "yes, that is exactly the sort of marriage I wish her to make-such high connexions you know!-so every way desirable."

And here, while Mr. O'Donagough and the lieutenant sat down to a game of piquet, Mrs. O'Donagough lowered her voice to a confidential whisper, while she poured into Miss Perkins's ear numberless interesting little particulars relative to many of her own youthful adventures, among which the touching episode of Lord Mucklebury's sending her a set of shells, long after they were parted for ever, was not forgotten.

While this went on at one end of the room, on the sofa, Patty, by a movement of the finger, and a wink of the eye, invited Miss Matilda to station herself beside her, at a still open window, at the other.

"Don't go on listening to mamma's prosing, Miss Matilda; there's no fun in that," said she, familiarly passing her arm through that of her new friend.

"What a dear girl you are!" murmured Miss Matilda in reply; "and how I do wish you would always call me Matilda, without any Miss at all before it!"

"Do you?" replied Patty, laughing; "so I will then, for I like monstrously to be intimate with you, because you are such a capital one for fun. Don't those dear feathers look beautiful in the moonlight, marching along under the windows?"

"That they do indeed, Patty!" replied her friend, with a speaking pressure of the arm. "That's Captain Thwaites that's just past-he's reckoned the handsomest man in Brighton; but I think your cousin, General Hubert, is handsomer, though, to be sure, he is not quite so young."

"He handsome!—what that tall, thin, hideous, stiff old fellow? Oh, Matilda! if I could but show you one man, you'd never think any other handsome again—that is, not very, very handsome, as long as ever you lived."

"Indeed, Patty! and who is that, my dear?"

"Hush! Don't speak loud! But if I am to call you Matilda, and we are to be out and out real friends, I don't think it would be at all right for me not to tell you every thing. For real particular friends you know, never have any secrets from one another."