called it-next Sunday, I'll go myself to his cursed den, and draw him like a badger. If I don't, may I never get a husband! There's no use refusing, Pat, for she swore, d-n her if she wouldn't."

"Oh, my gentle Lucy!" I ejaculated, "no oath would fall from thy sweet lips but the murmured vow of eternal constaney!"

"Eternal what?" responded Captain O'Boyle, who had but partially overheard my rhapsody-" If it's Lucy Dogherty ye mean, I wish ye had been at the brag-table with her last Monday evening, when Mrs. Middleton laid down three natural aces,-Lord-she swore like a trooper. But you'll go to the soirée, as they call 'tea and turn out' in this town, or Flora Maginnis will drop into your den, with a 'God save all here.' What will I say about a round of the course? Pon my sowl! it's worth yir while to lose a bonnet, just to see how beautifully she sticks upon the pig-skin-'ye'll come, won't ye, and I'll call for ye."

"I suppose I may as well go with a good grace," I replied-" your friend, Miss Flora, being a lady, not to be refused,' as the fancy, call it."

"That's right. Give us a glass of water, with a sketch of spirits thro' it. I wonder what the divil tempts me to eat broiled bacon in the morning!"

Captain O'Boyle's request being complied with, he bolted the diluted alcohol, and presently took himself off.

On the appointed night, he called and conducted me to the Sunday soirée of "Mother Maginnis," as the mama of Miss Flora was fainiliarly termed at the mess. Why this maternal appellation had been conferred upon the lady, I could never exactly learn-but by that soubriquet she had been known for half-a-score years successively to every marching regiment. We found the company already assembled. Some played brag, some played loo, but Captain O'Boyle led me direct to the piano, where, encircled by a crowd of red-coats, two ladies were playing a duet; and, on its termination, in due form he presented me to Miss Flora.

She was indubitably a fine animal-a handsome face, a splendid figure, and the most magnificent head of auburn hair imaginable. On Captain O'Boyle announcing me as "his friend, Captain Fitzmaurice," Miss Flora made a rapid inspection of my outer man from top to toe, and then, as if satisfied with the survey, she gave me a hand, white as alabaster, which I took respectfully in mine.

"How are you, Pat?-Isn't it Pat they call ye?" said the lady. "Why the devil don't ye shake my hand?-you take it as gingerly in yours, as if ye had hold of a hot poker. What do ye ride? Can you manage twelve stone without wasting, and on a ten-pound saddle?"

"What a question at first sight?" I mentally ejaculated. Lucy, my absent love, were thou and I together, ours would be a softer theme than ten-pound saddles!"

"Will you play brag?" she continued.

I shook my head.

"So much the better. That old tabby, in black velvet, would cheat her father; and she, in the blue turban, rob a church. They play into

each other's hands-cheat first, divide afterwards; they would 'do you brown' to a moral in half an hour."

"Oh! Flora, Flora," exclaimed her companion; "how can you say such horrid things?"

"Because they're true," returned the young lady: then turning to me, she continued, "Come away into the corner, and we'll have a quiet hit. D'Arcy, go find the back-gammon table, settle the men, and snuff the candles; it's the only thing you're good for."

A sheep-faced young gentleman instantly obeyed the order; and Miss Flora Maginnis and I sate down tête-a-tête.

If ever there were two beings who differed from each other wide as the antipodes themselves, they were Flora aforesaid, and my absent mistress. I had endeavoured to imagine what "a clipper" was, according to the parlance of O'Boyle; but my faney sketch fell infinitely short of the original. An hour glided pleasantly away; and when supper was announced, Miss Flora and I proceeded to the table, mutually pleased with each other.

I had written to Lucy immediately on my arrival at head quarters, and for several days awaited an answer to my epistle with all the impatience of a lover. At last, the long-expected letter came; and my heart throbbed wildly when I read the post-mark; I pressed the billet to my lips, muttered that quotation from Pope, which insinuates that letters were invented in heaven, and broke the seal. The "Dear Sir" commencement gave me a chill; and the conclusion, "Your's, sincerely," froze me to an icicle. Indeed, a colder composition never met a lover's eye. It expressed gratitude for my sentiments of affection; spoke of the barrier that family and fortune interposed between us— followed that blow up with a disquisition on prudence and "proper pride"-declined all continuation of correspondence as irregular-and concluded with a belief, on her part, that "it would be better for both that the past should be forgotten."

As I perused the letter, I found the colour waning on my cheek. Was this her constancy?-were these her sentiments? She who I thought had warmly reciprocated my love-she, whose whole heart I fancied mine for ever! Unconsciously my hand approached my breast; and ere I reached the cold conclusion of the letter, that ringlet, which a few minutes since a diamond would not have purchased, was torn from my bosom, and committed with that heartless billet which dispelled my dreams of love, to the secret drawer, where brown and black lay quietly reposing. Fool that I was! I never suspected that a proud poor father had dictated every line. The hand was Lucy's; but had I looked attentively at the paper, I would have discovered that it was blistered with her tears. Alas! that fact I never knew for years, and not until Lucy was another's!

Every body knows, that the best preparatory state of mind a man can find himself in for falling in love with the first woman that he meets, is immediately after he has been piqued by the falsehood or indifference of another. My introduction to Miss Maginnis was therefore effected in the very nick of time-she seemed a godsend direct from Cupid.-Romeo-like, I changed from Rosalind to Juliet-commenced

active operations against the heart of Flora, and fancied I could love her. We rode, and walked, and danced-ran one round over Breafy course I was beaten by a neck; and on the following Sunday, Flora annihilated the devotions of half the congregation, by appearing at church in a lancer-cap, obtained " per mail" from Dublin, and, even by her enemies, pronounced " a little love."

In this state of affairs an event occurred that brought matters to a crisis. A day never passed in which notes were not interchanged between me and Flora; and one fine morning, her maid was ushered in, and proved the bearer of a billet. As I fortunately preserved our correspondence, I can favour you, gentlemen, with faithful transcripts.

"DEAR PAT,

"I hear you were drunk last night, and, in getting home found the street too narrow. What a humbug, to pass yourself upon people for a milk-sop! My aunt Packer will be married thirty years next Thursday; and as she annually recalls the memory of that misfortune, she gives, on the evening of that disastrous day, her customary hop. Will you drive me over? If you don't, I'll get across in the Parson's rumble, and you may go to There was here a hiatus in the manuscript; but a fancy sketch of "a gentleman in black," with his tail under his arm, enabled me to guess my destination. To this affectionate appeal I thus responded:

"DEAR FLO.

"As you permit me to make a choice between 'the place below ' and your aunt's ball, I'll choose the latter. Set me down your man! I'll pick you up at eight, and no mistake.'"

6

Flora

Punctual to the hour, I called on the appointed night. was true as a clock, and deposited her person and effects safely in the dog-cart. My horses were fast steppers; and in an hour and sixteen minutes, we reached my aunt Packer's. I am thus particular about time, for I backed myself against it, three to one-in kisses. Certainly I gave Flora sporting odds. She lost, as a gentlewoman should lose, came like a trump "to book," and met her engagements honourably.

66

As we approached " my Aunt Packer's" domicile, we found that more hibernico" the parish had risen "en masse,” to have a peep at the festive throng. With some difficulty I took my drag pretty safely through the crowd, removing only one toe in the transit-and having deposited Miss Flora in the hall, while she "regulated her curls, and repaired damages" generally, I fought my way to the assistance of my servant, who was making vain but desperate efforts to obtain standing room for the cattle in certain ruinous buildings denominated stables, which were crammed with a pleasing variety of quadrupeds; but by bribing one car-driver, and bullying another, who had spilled me the night before into a wet ditch, I induced them to remove their prads to some place else, and thus make room for mine. This exploit having been achieved, I entered "the merrie hall," to claim my