member, Matilda, what we agreed upon last night? or have you slept away your senses, child?"

He looked earnestly upon her face as he spoke. There was something in its pale pensiveness which reproached him, and he thought he might with more justice have asked, "have you wept them away?"

But reflection was at all times what he the most detested, and reflection at the present moment was perfectly insupportable; so, with his usual method of dismissing it, he began to hum a theatrical song; and having in the interval of a few seconds chased it pretty well off, "Now, Matty," he continued, "don't be ridiculous-there's a good girl; you can't be sulky and ill-natured if you try for it ever so you know you can't; so write the old lady a civil negative, and then be as good humoured as it is in your nature to be, and let us be off to the races. Oh, such a setout we shall have! I have been down to Newman's about it. Egad, I was but just in time. Those four lovely greys were as near being had off by that stupid Walton-and precious work he would have made with them! But I can talk about that another timenow to breakfast-we have not a minute to lose"and he took out his watch with one hand, whilst with the other he seized upon the tea-kettle.

"I cannot go with you, Charles," said Matilda, still speaking gently, but with a firmness which surprised him to a degree that arrested him in his progress, and occasioned him to stand for a moment suspended with wonder.

"My mother, you see, really wants me at Winbledon, and it would be much worse than unkind to refuse her request."

"Oh, if that's all, say that I refuse it, not you." "She would not believe me if I were to say so; she would have too good an opinion of you."

“Would she? I am very much obliged to her; and am extremely sorry to be compelled to disappoint any favourable sentiments she may entertain of me; but I cannot let you go, Matilda-I want you at home."

"At home, Charles!" she repeated, with an incredulous smile.

"Well, well," he replied impatiently, I do.not choose you to go, that's enough. Your mother has plenty of servants to take care of her children; and if not, let her attend to them herself. It will be no loss to her to give up the races for once-for that is the plain English of the story. The very particular reasons she has for wishing you to go directly, are neither more nor less than that she is expiring to be on the barouche-box at the race-course; and she wants you to be with her time enough to give her an opportunity of gratifying this wish, in affording her a decent excuse for quitting her sick children, by saying she leaves them under your care. This is the true state of the case, you know, Matilda."

"And if it were, Charles, which you can only guess at, (though, indeed," Matilda mentally added, “I believe you are very near the mark,) if such should be the case, I have nothing to do with it; all that concerns me is to do my duty. I hold it to be a duty to oblige my mother, if I can do so without infringing upon other and more important duties."

"You do not then consider it a more important duty to oblige your husband?"

Assuredly I do, when he asks of me any thing I ought to concede to him; which, indeed, Charles, I do not think you ask of me now."

"Oh, if you come to be so confoundedly sententious," he replied, "I have nothing more to say. I see you will be so devilishly disagreeable if you go with us, that you will spoil all the pleasure of the day; and so you may as well turn off in the poneychaise as soon as you like; only that I must say it is very ill behaviour of you, Matilda, and excessively disobliging;”—and very angry indeed, as all people are who are conscious of being themselves by far the most offending in a dispute, Charles began his breakfast, muttering and eating, uninterrupted by his wife, who stood by the window, wiping away her tears, and trying to compose her countenance.

If she had been within the reach of amusement at the present juncture, she must have derived some portion of it in listening to the ejaculations of Charles, who, in every interval which was not dedicated to eating, employed his oratorical powers in short, but vehement denunciations against selfish persons ; amongst whom he particularly specified his wife, and his wife's mother.

"I don't believe," he declared, "I verily do not believe that there is any other person in the world but Mrs. Belgrave who could propose such an impudent, such an unheard of request, as that you, who have an establishment of your own to take care of, and business and pleasures of your own to pursue, should give them up at a moment's notice, and obey her summons, just for all the world as if you yourself were still in leading-strings."

He paused for Matilda to advance any thing she might have to oppose to this; but she said nothing, and still more irritated by her silence, he proceeded in a higher key.

"Nor do I think there is any woman in the world, besides yourself, who would acquiesce in such assurance and you would not, if it were not for the delight of opposition. But you are all alike for that. You could not live without it-its meat, drink, and clothing to you."

He paused again, but still Matilda said nothing, except to ask him if he would take any more tea, to which he replied by placing his cup upon the table, with an energy that almost cracked it in twain.

Unmoved by this intemperate action, she filled it with the utmost placidity; and then, rising from her seat, she calmly requested to know if she could do any thing more for him before she went.

He replied by a brief and angry negative.

"If my mother should wish me to stay till to-morrow, Charles, as she probably will, have you any objection?"

"If I had, I should not mention it, because I should not expect you would attend to it."

She had hitherto without much difficulty refrained from speaking, but she could not any longer remain silent.

"You should not say that, Charles," she replied, with tears, which had long been trembling in her eyes, now stealing down her cheeks; "if you give me any sufficient reason for my not going at all, I am quite ready to yield to it. Hitherto you must. be well aware that you have offered none."

"A husband's will we are sometimes taught to suppose a sufficient reason for what he requires," he replied with much dignity.

"An ungenerous, narrow-minded man may make such a plea for demanding obedience; but you must not, Charles. Your are not ungenerous or narrowminded-you are only misled. My dear Charles," and she took his hand for a moment, and tried to repeat the so often neglected counsel; but emotion checked her words, and she turned from him incapable of adding another syllable.

But had she spoken volumes of monition, her eloquence would have been less touching than such a silence.

The patience, the forbearance, the sweetness of her disposition, unmoved by the unprovoked affronts with which he had assailed it, struck upon the penitent heart of Charles, who, snatching her to his bosom, kissed away her tears, with which, volatile as he was, he could not refrain from mingling his own, though but for an instant, and with a sentiment which made him struggle to repress and to conceal

them.

"My dear little Matty!" he exclaimed, "you shall go when you like, and stay as long as you like; and perhaps, love, it is as well that you should give up the races; it is a noisy, dusty, disagreeable scene."

"Could we not both" Matilda falteringly be

gan.

"Both go to Wimbledon !-oh, no, my dear girl, that's quite impossible. Besides that I am not wanted there, your mother and I always quarrel; and