exceeded that monysyllable in the presence of so much knowledge; for she was a sweet, simple soul, whose reverence for learning was far in advance of her possession of the same.

"I declare," said Dolly, " that if he talks always as he did today, I must begin to read up and improve my mind. I never saw such a place as this; one never seems to see a review of any kind. I have not read the Sapient since I left Miss Johnstone's."

"You don't mean to say he talked like the Sapient? How you must have enjoyed his conversation," I remarked with a laugh.

"Don't be a quiz, Miss Mim," said Dolly, who was thereby reminded of the trouble Miss Johnstone used to have to induce her to assist in the cultivation of her said mind. "We must show him some attention, must we not?" she inquired of my aunt, looking doubtful as to how it was to be done.

"Of course, my love," said my aunt, with equal hesitation, for we all felt that Uncle Worthington, with his plain manners and boasted plain living, would be such an utter incongruity by the side of this exquisite that to amalgamate them, without an explosion, would require no ordinary tact.

"Does he remain long in Southport?"

"Six weeks or more, I think he said-did he not, Aunt Jane?" "Yes, my dear," said my aunt, leaving the room.

"And where is he staying?"

"At the Grand Hotel;' he has taken a suite of rooms, and lives there en prince with a Ulack servant as his valet. I wish you

had seen him."

"Of course, I saw him, I should not have been a true daughter of our beloved mother Eve if I had not watched to see him pass. He was exquisite; but what did he think of you is more to the point."

"I think he was delighted," said Aunt Jane, on her return, having heard my remark. "I am sure I thought he would have sat on for ever, he seemed so pleased; and, indeed, I don't wonder, for your sister has such charming manners, and entertained him as if she had been accustomed to sit in state and hold drawing-rooms all her life; but then I am not surprised at her being inspired on this occasion. Colonel Domville's conversation was so improving. He gave us a description of his journey in such beautiful language. It was like reading a book, wasn't it, dear?-tell Mary all about it, for I must go."

66

Well, Dolly, begin."

"To tell you the truth, Mim dear, I don't remember much of what he said, although I was so delightful, as Aunt Jane says; for I was thinking all the while what a horrible contretemps it would be if Uncle Worthington were to walk in, as he did this morning, and

embrace the Colonel with the gusto he observed towards your medical man! I don't think I could have survived it."

"I declare poor Uncle Worthington is a regular sword of Damocles over your fashionable head, Dolly."

"I should think so! I don't know what we are to do with him while Colonel Domville is here. I wish to goodness he would take to papering the attics-he talks of doing so; that would keep him upstairs, and out of our sight, for some time."

"Except if he happened to want fresh paper and paste, and then he would call us all to help him to get it. How I should enjoy it, some day, when Colonel Domville was calling and talking beautifully like the Sapient, to see Uncle Worthington put his head into the drawing-room and say, 'Here, Dolly, my dear, just ask them to make me a little more paste.' Can't I picture your anguish and the well-bred stare of your fashionable Colonel ?"’ "I think you are horribly cruel to make so light of my suffer. ings," she cried.

"And I think you equally mean to be ashamed of your uncle," I answered warmly.

"Now, Mim, don't talk nonsense, and don't begin to moralise. All that sort of stuff sounds admirable in a book, but I defy you not to feel the awkwardness of it in real life; for social miseries cannot be lightly ignored-they are as acute to bear as any others, especially for us, come as strangers to a fresh place and wanting the best society. A man like Uncle Worthington stamps us at once as second-rate people. Only princes and millionaires can afford to indulge in such eccentricities, and hear them called by that name," she said, shrugging her shoulders with all a Frenchwoman's animation.

"But what do you mean by second-rate people? Is not every one in the world second-rate to the person above them in the social scale?"

"Do be quiet, and don't weary me with reflections. Society is society; all I want is to get it, and not to define it. At present I am browsing on a mountain of dulness. We have been here I don't know how many weeks and never been asked to a party yet, and never shall, as long as Uncle Worthington continues to make such a sign-board of himself. No wonder people are frightened."

"There you are wrong; for Mrs. Baines has asked us to her At Home on the twentieth of June. Now that will be a capital introduction!"

You don't say so! Why, when did it come?" said Dolly, brightening up considerably. "Only a fortnight from this! Why, Aunt Jane," she said, addressing my aunt, who had returned again 'you never told me of Mrs. Baines's invitation !"'

to the room,

66

"I forgot to do so, in the hurry of the morning and all that we have gone through; but I left it open on the writing-table for any one to see. Did you think of answering it for me, Mary?" "No; I did not know if it would be accepted."

Accepted! Of course!" exclaimed Dolly. "I hear she gives the best parties in Southport. You only meet the very nicest people at her house. Quite the best introduction we could have. We must think about our dresses, Mim; let them be different. I hate sisters who go about labelled such, in livery. I wish I had a pair of handsome bracelets;" she said thoughtfully, looking down at the soft, round, well-formed arms that needed no embellishing. "Have we any money, Mim? you are the cashier-enough to buy us each a pair of bracelets?"

"You need not go to any expense for jewels," said my aunt. "I have all your poor mother's in my charge, to divide between you. She left them with me; so beautifully arranged, each article marked with your respective names. I did not like to take the responsibility of the jewel-case while travelling about, so left it with our banker during my absence abroad."

"Do send for it," interrupted Dolly.

"I brought it with me when we came from London, and have it now upstairs. I was waiting for some such opportunity as the present, before opening it, as there is something so inexpressibly painful to me in displacing the articles a loving hand, long dead, was the last to touch. You are young, my dears, and I do not expect you to feel as I do about this; but you will find that as you grow older, past memories, instead of being forgotten, become sacred. Come with me now, and I will give them to you."

We went to her bedroom, where, unlocking her wardrobe, she brought out a large jewel-case with leather case and strap. Seating herself on a sofa she placed it on the table before her, while we stood on either side watching her. As she put the key in the lock, I can distinctly recollect feeling a peculiar shiver pass all through my frame which made me turn faint and sick.

"What is it, dear?" said Dolly, who caught sight of my face. "Wait a little, Aunt Jane. I don't think Mim feels very well," before I had time to reply she had dashed from the room to fetch some wine.

"Oh, Aunt Jane," I cried; "do you remember when poor mamma died how cold she was, and how I clung to her? She came just now and touched me, I think, for I felt the same cold feeling I had then. It was as if she had put two icy hands across my eyes to keep me from seeing for ever."

"You poor thing, it is only fancy," said my aunt, kindly.

"Your accident this morning has unnervel you; you were on the point of fainting again very likely."

I made no reply, but I knew that I had not fainted; and that my present sensations were by no means a repetition of the morning's experience.

I took a sip of the wine which Dolly now brought, and then my aunt opened the case.

It was, as she had said, a mournful sight; everything was so neatly arranged, and marked with our different names, that we paused for a long while not daring to displace them; it seemed such a sacrilege to do so, as we recalled who it was that had laid each article, which thus had rested through the long years past in its silent grave.

We stood so long waiting and looking that my aunt said, "Well, dears, what do you wish ?"

"I think we would rather you took them out and divided them," said Dolly.

Giving a little sigb, she did as requested. "I think you had better have new cases made, for this has a destiny to fulfil which I will not speak of now, except to tell you that it was your mother's wish you should not have it after the jewels had been removed."

"What is this?" I inquired, as I touched a silver button at the back, near the hinges.

"The spring, my dear. It unlocks a secret drawer-no need to open it-it contains no jewels." Putting my hand aside, and quickly closing the lid, she restored the box to its case, while we sat staring at the two small heaps which lay before us.

Dolly had her bracelets, so had I. We should never want for jewels again, it seemed to me, for the rest of our lives.

"What a beautiful ring!" exclaimed Dolly, as she selected from my heap a glittering diamond hoop. "It was the one our poor mother wore-don't you remember?"

'Yes, my dear, she wore it up to the day of her death," said Aunt Jane. "I removed it after she was dead; but she told me where it was to be put, and who it was for; so I had no difficulty in finding the vacant spot which was left with Mary's name upon it."

"It is too beautiful for me ever to wear," I said with a shiver. "It would be out of place now," said my aunt, who was a preacher of simplicity to girls; "but keep it until you are married. Dolly, I see, has her emerald; it was given to your poor mother by an old friend of our family as a wedding gift."

"And who gave her this?" I said, holding up the diamond.

"It must have been given to her after her marriage, as I don't remember it among her wedding gifts. Your father, of course-who else should give it?"

CHAPTER IX.

"MRS. HARDCASTLE.-' I vow, since innoculation began, there is no such thing to be seen as a plain woman; so one must dress a little particular, or one may escape in a crowd. '" She Stoops to Conquer.

A FEW mornings later, while my aunt and Dolly were on a shopping expedition, Mr. Addison paid his professional visit.

I felt awkward at having to receive him alone. So unused was I to the society of gentlemen, that I experienced an amount of nervousness in the presence of a stranger, that would have been laughable had it not been such a painful matter to me. Fortunately Mr. Addison was about the best person I could have met to make me forget my shyness.

I was reading when he entered, and as my back was towards the door I attributed the heavy footstep to my uncle, and paid no attention, keeping my eyes upon my book, until I was startled by seeing Mr. Addison before me.

"Your nerves are still out of order, I see, Miss Prior."

"Pray forgive me," I stammered. "It was stupid of the servant not to announce you."

"Don't apologise; how you are trembling!" and as he spoke he placed his chair at a little distance. He saw that I was in no condition to be professionally cross-examined, so he wisely waited until I was more composed.

"I am sorry my aunt and sister are not at home. Shall I call my uncle?" I felt as if I didn't quite know what to do. "Don't trouble your uncle," he said; "I cannot remain very long."

"And the rains descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew" why would those words keep haunting me as I looked at him?

"Now, Miss Prior, if you are ready I should like to examine your wrist."

I held it out, and as he began undoing the bandage I said: "Do you think my wrist will be well by the twentieth of June? I should like it to be, for I want to go to Mrs. Baines's party." "I must try and make it well for you, in that case. You are the second person this morning who has spoken to me about the twentieth, and hoped they would be well enough to go to Mrs Baines's party."

"Indeed!''

Yes; one of the numerous visitors to Southport at this season, made the same remark. He is staying at the Grand Hotel."