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No, aunt," I replied; "your kindness is above anything I ever dreamt of; but that would be too much. Even if everything else suited, it would never do to ingraft a young establishment, with all its newfangled dissipated ways, upon your wellordered household. Your old servants (this was her weak point)" would rebel to a certainty. Besides, I could not give up my profession; though, depend upon it, aunt, if ever I have income enough to marry, I would wish that we might be as much with you as possible. There is no one from whom a young wife could derive greater advantage than my dear good kind aunt Blogg." I spoke with enthusiasm-her kindness carried me away into the hyperbolical, I fancy; but I believe I spoke out of true heart. She was a good old soul.

"Well, Donald," she rejoined, "if we can't have a joint establishment, you shall have one of your own. As to income, just

VOL. II.

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refer his lordship to my solicitor, and I think he'll be satisfied. And now, my dear, are you happy?"

"I don't know what to say to you, aunt; it is impossible for me to take this from you. I should feel like a robber."

"Donald," said the old lady, "if you breathe such an idea again, I shall fancy you care more for your childish pride than for Lady Rose, and that you are too selfish to give me the happiness of helping you to be happy."

Here was an irresistible argument - at all events I couldn't resist it, and I left the Hotel Blogg treading upon air.

When I found Adolphus at the Club, he looked guilty, and ensconced himself behind a large glass of sherry.

"Oh you scoundrel!" I cried; "oh you deep designing villain!" but Burridge saw by my face that he was considered a benefactor.

"Is it all square, old boy?" he said, eagerly.

"All square, Dolly; but it was infamous of you to play on the old lady's feelings. You are a serpent, Adolphus, the most brazen of serpents."

"Upon my life, I said nothing I didn't mean, except about your aunt being still a pretty girl, and about your living on five hundred a-year. She's a good soul, Donald -a regular trump; but do you know she has some awfully queer notions?" “I don't doubt it, Dolly."

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'Yes, devilish odd, about rank and bigwigs, and so on. She wanted to know if your children would have any sort of handles to their names. I said certainly, but that I wasn't quite sure what. I thought of telling her the eldest son would be a baronet, and the younger children, male and female, C.B.'s. I think she would have believed it; upon my life, I believe she would.”

"Perhaps, but I'm glad you didn't. She's been tremendously kind."

"So she has, God bless her! See me through another glass of sherry, and we'll drink her health. The Scalper missed a right good wife at all events, whatever her beauty may have been. Here's to her!"

CHAPTER XIV.

"Oh, fickle Fortune! why this cruel sporting?"

My mind was no sooner relieved as to the pecuniary bar to my wishes, than back came all my carking doubts as to Lady Rose's real disposition to me. Sure as one end of the beam flies heavenward, so surely is the other correspondingly depressed; and I was ready, self-torturing, to explain away, on the most dismal hypotheses, all the symptoms in my favour which her manner had betrayed. As for that last scene in the garden, from which I had derived so much hope-what was that? what was it but the finishing scene in her little drama, upon which the