were at the moment evidently much elevated in spirits. She therefore gently laid her hand on Theresa's, and bade her desist.

"Why! what is the matter?" exclaimed Theresa.

"Nothing,” replied Miss Trevelyan, in a low voice. Only we need not any longer entice those gentlemen out of their way.”

"Oh! that is their affair," said Theresa, gaily, "if they think my music worth the trouble, I am sure they are very welcome to it ;" and she carelessly began another verse of her song.

Miss Trevelyan again took hold of her hand. "Really, Treevy," said Theresa, in a tone of expostulation, "I do not see what harm they do us; and surely I can be doing none either, by merely serenading them, when they seem so fond of music, and when, from the darkness, it is impossible they can ascertain who is singing; for I may say, like Juliet to Romeo,

Thou knowest the mask of night is on my face,
Else would a maiden blush bepaint my cheek.'

During this little altercation between his two companions, Trevelyan, who grew every moment more and more discomposed, forgetting his fatigue, redoubled his speed, fighting against the stream with an energy which love, or, perhaps, more properly, jealousy, could at that moment alone have given him ; but the faster he went, the faster the pursuing boat, like a phantom, flew after him, and did not give up the chase, until they had passed the bridge, and were within fifty yards of the landingplace.

Another altercation then appeared to take place between the boat's crew. As they all talked at once, Trevelyan could not make out the particular point then in debate ; but the words " nonsense!". "what a strange fancy!" and the name of Leslie, often repeated, caught his ear; and when at last this hubbub ceased, the boat, to his infinite satisfaction, was again turned towards London, and soon after disappeared.

But as it left them he saw, through the deepening twilight, a tall, white figure standing above the rest, and a

E

handkerchief waved, as if in farewell. Theresa, who had been excessively amused by this little adventure, seemed rather surprised that her guardian was not equally so; and for the first time, was half inclined to consider him as unjust and severe for condemning, as he did, the conduct of the musical waterman as impertinent, and the point was pretty warmly argued between them on leaving the

boat.

66

Theresa, who was not much used to contradiction from any one, and still less from Trevelyan, immediately on rejoining his sister in the house, applied to her as umpire. Surely, Treevy," said she, " you will not be so severe as my guardian, and condemn these poor gentlemen, merely for having gone a few yards out of their course to listen to music.'

"If they were gentlemen," said Miss Trevelyan, "I do condemn them, as they must have seen Frederick did not like their pursuit; if they were merely London shopkeepers, which I suspect, then one can't expect them to know better, as they would probably mistake their impertinence for gallantry.”

"Oh, I am sure they were gentlemen," said Theresa, eagerly; "shopkeepers would never have had so much taste at all events I hope, whoever they are, they will not be punished for their impertinence by being too late for the Opera; even you, I am sure, would not be so cruel as to wish that," added she, smiling archly in her guardian's face. He made no reply, and there the matter

ended.

Early next morning Trevelyan was obliged to go to London on business, not of his own, but of Colonel Howard's, or, rather, of Theresa's; for, owing to the illness of his confidential solicitor, he had never yet been able to look into his friend's affairs.

On examining his papers, he found that he bequeathed to his only child, Theresa Howard, twenty thousand pounds; in short, nearly every thing he possessed, a sum far exceeding Trevelyan's expectations for her. In the codicil to his will, dated a week before his death, Colonel Howard directed that his daughter should not marry until

she was eighteen, when she was to be considered as of age with regard to her property, but that even then, she was to form no matrimonial alliance without the full consent and approbation of her guardian, Colonel Frederick Trevelyan.

Trevelyan started when those words met his eyes, and he read the sentence several times over, although hardly forming a clear idea to himself why this injunction so particularly, indeed so painfully, attracted his attention; but so it did, leaving a disagreeable though vague impression on his mind, which he was unable to shake off; and his spirits or his temper, or whatever it was that had been affected by these details of law, did not improve on finding that, from some legal forms and difficulties which he had not anticipated, it became absolutely necessary that he should remain for some days longer in town. The bright smile with which Theresa welcomed him, on his return home, fully made up to him, however, for all his previous vexation.

"We have been quite in a fuss about you," said she, as she kindly went up to him, " and we have been so dull, for Treevy would not let me go on with our book, as she said it would not be fair upon you; and really the evenings appeared so very long, that even I was ready to go to bed. Oh! but I must tell you," she added, laughing, "I have charmed another boatman! for we went yesterday evening

as you know we had promised to do, by water to Twickenham, to fetch Sir Henry and Lady Williams, who insisted on having some music; and soon after I began to sing, a boat with a gentleman and a most beautiful Newfoundland dog appeared, as Sir Henry said in chase, following us the whole time, and I am quite sure this admirer of my singing was a gentleman, whatever our friends of the Funny Club wherry were: so I really begin to think that the inhabitants of Richmond are not quite so dull a set as I had imagined."

This newly discovered musical turn among the young gentlemen of the neighbourhood did not appear to be matter of so much rejoicing to Trevelyan as to his ward; but, ashamed of his jealous wish to monopolise Theresa's

talent to himself, and at all events ashamed that she should discover it, he turned the matter off as a good joke, and no more was then said upon the subject.

But, from that time, scarcely an evening did he and his two companions take their usual lounge on the river, but the little skiff with the handsome young man and the large Newfoundland dog appeared; and yet, although their boat was evidently the object of attraction, the unknown waterman so contrived to cross the stream to and fro, at one moment darting off in a totally opposite direction, at another, as if by mere accident or awkwardness, crossing their track, and entangling his oars with theirs; that it became equally impossible to elude or to resent his attendance.

All this time no notice was taken either by Theresa or her guardian of this new aquatic knight-errant, perhaps in consequence of their former little quarrel on the subject; but before long the latter began to fancy he could detect a conscious blush on his ward's face whenever he joined them, as if she was aware of being the object which attracted him, and that her eyes wandered anxiously around on those evenings when he did not appear. Trevelyan often longed to put a stop to her singing, but, without more positive reasons than he could allege, he felt that such a prohibition would seem most arbitrary and capricious, when he had hitherto himself been the first to encourage her music, as so delightful an addition to their evening excursions; but he ceased entirely to apply for his favourite songs; he never, as formerly, intreated to have them again and again repeated; often discovered that it was cold or threatened rain, when scarcely a cloud was to be seen in the sky, and heartily rejoiced when the shortened days and consequent change of weather necessarily terminated their customary, and once so delightful, aquatic expeditions.

THUS passed the summer, and with it seemed to disappear the unknown waterman and his dog. Towards the end of autumn, Lord Launceston, who, since his nephew's return from India, had made great advances of civility towards him, wrote to propose that he and Miss Trevelyan should come and pay him a visit in Cornwall, where he promised they should meet with that cordial reception, both from himself and his daughter, which their near relationship gave them a right to expect, and the Colonel, in addition would find most excellent shooting; as few could boast of such capital moors and such an abundance of game as himself.

To this letter of Lord Launceston's was subjoined a pretty pink note from Lady Augusta to her cousin, containing the like pressing invitation; but Theresa was not named by either the father or daughter. The matter was of course fully discussed between Colonel Trevelyan and his sister. The latter was particularly anxious that these friendly advances on the part of their relatives should be met by equal cordiality on theirs; but still, with regard to herself, feeling quite unequal to the exertion of a visit to Trevelyan Castle, and Theresa not being included in the invitation, she at last decided on making her excuses, alleging as her reasons recent indisposition, and not liking to be long absent from home on account of her young charge.

"But," added she, "really Frederick you should go, and, indeed, I think a little variety of society and occupation will be good both for your mind and body, for I must confess the life you lead here must be dull enough."