Hannah paused, and Huntley for a moment looked triumphant.

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Well!" repeated he, "what have you to say against the religion of Nature?"

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Nothing against it-only that there are six days in the week on which we may study campanulas; the seventh requires something more."

"You are right," said Mr. Huntley, looking pleased; and. after a short pause, he added, “I like to hear women plead for religion as if it were something intimately connected with themselves."

They had now reached Henry Neale's cottage; and Rosina, who had attentively listened to the dialogue between her sister and their new acquaintance, opened the garden gate.

"You are bound on some errand of charity, I suppose," said Mr. Huntley, as he glanced at the mean exterior of the cottage," Well, Miss Wellford, I am a thorough convert. You may believe me, I assure you. See! here goes the campanula! And this afternoon, I shall make a point of hearing your Mr. Russell."

"Every body's Mr. Russell," said Hannah.

"Nay, the pronoun was plural, and embraced the whole parish. Till I have the honour, Miss Wellford, of a more intimate acquaintance, the monosyllable you must occasionally comprise all Summerfield, while we stands for the busy world of London, with myself as one of its inhabitants."

Mr. Huntley bowed respectfully and gracefully, and passed "What a study she would make !" thought he. "L If I could but persuade her to give me a few sittings!"

on.

CHAPTER IX.

A VILLAGE SOIRÉE.

"GIRLS," said Lady Worral, entering Mrs. Wellford's parlour the following morning, "I'm come to tell you,—oh, my poor breath! When shall I get it again? This hill of your's-I wish to goodness you'd stayed at the vicarage!" "What was your Ladyship going to tell us?" inquired

VOL. I.-E.

nasty

Rosina, as soon as their visitor appeared in a speaking condition.

That you and your mother must come and drink tea with me to-night, for the Goods have promised me, and moreover they are going to bring Matthew; and there'll be Margaret and Phoebe Holland. Bessy can't be spared, on account of her father's rheumatism. But I've a stranger coming, whose name I shan't tell you beforehand."

"Oh! how can your ladyship be so cruel? Won't you even say whether it is a gentleman or a lady?"

"No, no, no, not a word. Perhaps it's the Mrs. Barker you've heard me talk so often about, and perhaps it's my nephew, the captain-perhaps it's neither. Heyday, Rosina, what are you doing with that bonnet? Untrimming it again? I took notice of your new ribbons yesterday, I assure you.

You

have cut the strings too short in allowing too much for the bow, but that can't be helped now-you will only make matters worse. Satin ribbon always frays; and why could not you have bought white, to be like your sister?"

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Oh, I don't see why sisters should always dress alike, especially when they have different complexions. White suits Hannah very well, but really my brown skin requires something brighter to set it off. It stands to reason that what is becoming to a fair person must be unbecoming to one who is dark."

"Upon my word! And how long have you paid such attention to the becoming and unbecoming? I thought your mother had taught you to consider only what was neat!

Rosina coloured. "This comes," pursued her ladyship in high dudgeon, "of letting such young girls have allowances! When I was a child of your age, I had a guinea to keep in my pocket, and never was allowed to buy myself so much as a box of patches. And as to a calash, or a polonaise!" Pray, Lady Worral, what kind of things may those be? I never heard of them before."

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Pshaw! pretend never to have heard of a polonaise or a sacque? Come to me, some morning, and I'll shew you what they are. I'll shew you the primrose pattysway that I was married in, when I only measured twenty-one inches round the waist: one of your good old pattysways that would last a woman's lifetime, not like the flimsy things they make up now; and I might wear it to this day, if I could but get into it. Why is your mother always out when I come?"

"She could not guess that your ladyship meant to call upon

her this morning. She has only gone to speak to Dame Stokes."

Ah, she may perhaps stay gossipping with her for an hour. Molly Stokes has no objection to let her irons get redhot before the fire while she is telling all the news of the village. It was always her character. I remember her as a housemaid to Mrs. Greenway, about fifteen years ago, a strapping rosy-faced girl as you'd wish to see, and she was always gossipping at the shop or running over to the White Hart. She had a flirtation with Simon, the baker's man, and every body thought a match would come of it, but I knew better. So at last, you see, she was obliged to take up with Timothy Stokes. That's almost always the way with beauties; they think they may have whom they like; and plume themselves upon it, till they are obliged to sit down with worse luck than their neighbours. Mind that, young ladies. But it's of no use for old folks to talk, for young folks won't mind them. There was Mr. Russell read us a fine chapter yesterday about young women not clothing themselves in pearls and costly array, but I dare say Sam Good put it all out of your head, Rosina, before you had walked half down the lane."

"I am sure Sam Good had not the power of making me think of any thing but his own extreme disagreeability," said Rosina scornfully.

Lady Worral took a pinch of snuff, and then said, "Well, I may depend on seeing you early, for of course you've no other engagement; and, Rosina, be sure you make yourself very smart for your new beau.”

"Oh, it is a gentleman, is it?"

"There, I've let the cat out of the bag. But it's no one you have ever seen."

"Surely, Lady Worral, you may as well tell us all now. It can't be Captain Worral, for I know he's at Naples."

"No, he isn't, he's at Sorrento. No, this is the grandson of an old flame of mine, whom I danced with, many's the time, when I was a girl. I fell in with this young man an hour ago, when he was taking a sketch in my park."

"Mr. Huntley!" said both of the girls.

Yes, it is, but how do you know any thing of him?” Oh, Mr. Russell introduced him to us on Friday, and we were all quite delighted with him. So then you know all about him?"

“All about him? I did not know the lad was in existence for the last time I saw Captain Huntley was at an officers'

ball in the year-let me see—no matter,—we were both of us single then. That was the grandfather, you understanda very fine man; he wore the willow for me two or three years, and then married a Miss Hutchinson. His only son grew up to be a fine young man too, and he bought a commission for him; but then, you see, this son thought proper to marry without his father's consent; and afterwards he was killed in America. So now you know all that I can tell you. This young man is as like his grandfather as possible, allowing for the disadvantage of his not wearing powder; and it seems that he has been brought up to painting. Bless me ! if old Captain Huntley could look out of his grave, and see one of his descendants taking money for pictures! However, he's disowned by all his father's relations; notwithstanding which, I don't see any harm in having invited him to tea."

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Well!" cried Rosina, when Lady Worral was gone, “it seems he is a gentleman by descent at any rate!"

In the evening, or rather afternoon, when Mrs. Wellford and her daughters entered Lady Worral's drawing-room, they found Mr. Huntley already arrived and smilingly listening to an account of a public breakfast at which his grandfather had figured fifty years ago. He gave up his chair to Mrs. Wellford, and manœuvred to get a seat next to Hannah, in which, however, he was disappointed; and before he had had time to suffer much from his loss, the three Miss Hollands arrived and a voluble explanation took place, how that Bessy was able to come after all, because Aunt Patty had unexpectedly come from town, and papa had always fancied Aunt Patty's nursing more than that of any one else. They were soon followed by Mr. and Mrs. Good and by Matthew Wellford. Matthew was a good-humoured and good-looking young man of about twenty, fair-haired, and uniting something of Hannah's countenance to Rosina's thoughtless spirits. Miss Phoebe Holland often condescended to bestow a few smiles on him, to which Matthew gratefully replied by some first-attempts at easy compliment; though he often complained to his sisters with much pathos, that there was not a woman in Summerfield worth speaking to." Matthew, with considerable good taste and keenness of apprehension, was not free from mauvaise honte; and when he had nothing to say, he made up for it by a laugh. His communications to Rosina, which, let them have been separated for ever so short a time, were always very fluent, he whisperingly conveyed to her this evening in the following manner.

"We got a new patient to-day. A famous rich old fellowMr. Kippis, who lives at the Grove, you know, about eight miles off. He always used to have Parker of Hexley, but Parker was out of the way, so the servant came on to us, and it's my opinion that now we've got our foot in there, we shall keep our ground. Parker is a lowbred, disagreeable fellow, disliked by all the ladies, and nothing would have got him into such practice but a false opinion of his skill. He's nothing! nothing at all, as people will find out at last. Well, and so as Mr. Good was obliged to go off to the Grove, you know, I was obliged to step over to the Miss Hinckleys at Hundleford, and very pretty girls they are, I assure you. There was one playing the harp. The old lady seemed at first rather dissatisfied at the master's not going over himself, but I explained how that was, so then all was right, and we got on famously. I went on the mare. Oh, by the by, what do you think? Sam Good smuggled me over "The Last of the Mohicans!" So I have dipped into it once or twice behind the surgery counter, and to-night I mean to coax cook out of a long piece of candle, and have a good spell of it. Don't you envy me? You shall have it when I've done with it, if you like." Thank you, but I don't think mamma would like my borrowing novels of Sam Good."

"Oh, but I needn't tell Sam-He's in no hurry for it. But do as you like."

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Does it seem very interesting?"

"Oh! beyond every thing. The hero is a black. I mean a red. A red Indian! What do you think of that?"

"How frightful!"

nah!

and

"Not at all. He is very handsome. So" (lowering his voice) "that is the Mr. Huntley you were telling me of. He seems a lively little fellow. How he is running on to HanHe makes himself quite at home. These are London manners, I suppose; I wish I could rattle away in that manner; but I don't know how it is, I never can find any thing to say. Don't laugh, now; I mean except to you Hannah. To-day, for instance, all the way to Hundleford, I was thinking how I should make myself agreeable, and settling just the easy kind of way I should go in, and the easy kind of things I should say, all quite pat; but when the time came, I could not bring one of them in. Was not that tiresome ?"

Mr. Russell at this moment made his entrée, and appeared surprised, though pleased to find Huntley in the circle. Matthew seemed disposed to renew his confidences to Rosina.