woman his wife is. I do not wish to make her unhappy, you know."

"That is very considerate of you."

"Yes I know many people who never think of the wife for a moment-in fact, rather enjoy her annoyance."

I

suppose

that enhances the pleasure."

"I wonder if they are a happy couple, my Lord and Lady?”

"I never hear them disagree."

"Do you live with them always?"

"I do so now."

"And what relation are you to them? I never saw or heard of you before."

A species of cousin to my Lord."

"Oh, then, you don't care what I may say of her."

"Yes, I do rather."

"Well, I cannot help it, if you do. I dislike her." "Why do you visit her, then?"

"Heavens! my dear girl, what an innocent you are! I visit people for the sake of their house, not themselves. Though I admire my Lord. There is some odd story about his having been married before ?"

"Is there?"

"Then you know nothing about it?"

"I never saw but this wife.”

"You may rely upon it, what I have heard is true. He wished to marry some little strange girl, a protegée of his mother's."

"I am the little strange girl."

"Heavens! how you startle one! Then it cannot be true. You must have been almost a baby at that time."

"How people talk! Tell me, is not Lady Maria a very strange woman?"

"Do you mean mad, or odd-looking?"

"I mean neither. Now you know what I mean. We never see her here, and no one ever alludes to her. Is she quite correct and proper ?"

"You had better ask her husband."

"Ah! that's it—yes. I recollect now-she deceived him. He was a very young man, and engaged to her daughter. They were married at Malta; and, taking advantage of the twilight, she put on her daughter's dress, and went an hour before the daughter was to have gone, and

got married to him fast and sure. They were exactly alike, as far as mother and daughter could be. And the daughter went mad and drowned herself."

"She was looking very well about three months ago, notwithstanding these terrible things."

"How--what can you mean?"

"Miss Glynne that was, Mrs. Graham that is, Lady Maria's daughter."

"Oh! she is married, is she? Then, for goodness' sake, do not repeat that Malta story, or you will get into a scrape. I had it from one of Captain Forest's brother officers, who can tell you the whole story. Our hostess seems

very fond of you. I can assure you, the house

would be unbearable without you."

"You flatter me."

"Not at all-we all of us say so. We used to sit after dinner ages, simply because my Lady appeared not to know it was her place to move. Now you remind her-very proper. What is that odd name my Lord calls her? It sounds like Harriet."

"It's a pet name, I believe."

CHAPTER VIII.

"Pray for my soul. More things are wrought by prayer Than this world dreams of. Wherefore let thy voice Rise like a fountain for me night and day.

For what are men better than sheep or goats,
That nourish a blind life, within the brain,

If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer

Both for themselves and those who call them friend? For so the whole round earth is every way

Bound by gold chains about the feet of God."

TENNYSON.

So the winter passed away. It was lucky that I had Phebe to carry out my plans regarding little Neville; for I knew she would execute them to the letter of the law. "The Lady" did not seem able to rise out of bed in the morning without consulting "Uriel." Glynne went to and fro, sometimes with us, sometimes hunting. Selina and Richard paid us a visit.

"What wonders you are performing here, Nellie! I found Eliza working," said Selina.

"Oh, yes, we do many more wonderful things than that. We get up in time to go to church now on Sunday morning."

"Richard has been visiting the poor people. They talk gratefully of the Lady' and all she has done for them this winter."

Yes, I dare say she would have done it before, if she could have imagined poverty so great, that people could not buy what they required." "You put it into her head, then?"

"Her father was here for a month, and he took a fancy to me, and I used to tell him what I should do, if I was a rich woman, and he used to go and tell his daughter. You know he is a most pompous sort of golden goose, Selina, gobble-obling at anything."

"I only saw him at Glynne's marriage, when he wept so, I did not know whether to pity or laugh at him."

"If I was a real queen, Selina, I should order all persons with great riches to spend a year or two of their lives in poverty-just to be able to let them see things as others see them. Riches