more for ever and ever and ever. Sir Judah received these expressions of affection in a somewhat confused state of mind; he was contented neither with himself nor the young people; he had an injured feeling that his consent to the engagement had been taken too much as a matter of course, and that his position and dignity had not been properly consulted and recognised.

When Flo and Frank were alone, Flo sat down quietly, and for a few moments was silent. Then she said,

'I hope you are not angry with me for coming with you to speak to papa.'

'Angry, my darling!' said Frank. 'I was afraid you might not understand each other. Papa is very good, Frank, but he is peculiar. He wants understanding.'

'I shall understand him, my dear little wife that is to be.'

'How wonderful it is to hear you speak like that! Let us be quiet a little while, Frank; I want

'I don't know. I feel as if I were another person, as if what has happened has happened to another girl, and not to me—I mean, I feel as if I were in a dream. Wake me up, Frank; kiss me!' Frank obeyed on the instant. No, it has not happened to another girl, it has happened to me-to me! Frank, I am almost ashamed to go out and meet the people. If I behave strange, you mustn't mind, for I don't know whether to laugh or cry. If I do one, I am sure to do the other. I wish I had some sugar-plums-they might occupy my mind. Don't, Frank! Yes, do!--but push the screen this way, so that people can't see. I do love you, Frank, and I will try very, very hard to make you a good sensible little wife !'

ALL Hampstead turned out to see the pleasure-vans draw up at the gates of Silversides Hall. Sir Judah had improved upon Flo's idea, and had intrusted to a relieving officer attached to the workhouse in the parish of Great Mercy the task of inviting as many poor persons, old and young, in the parish as could be conveniently got together. The relieving-officer, in his turn, enlisted the beadle, whose name was Mixture, and the

beadle, in his turn, enlisted Sam Blossom, and to Sam Blossom alone belonged the credit of gathering together as extraordinary an assemblage of persons as ever drew up at the gate of a gentleman's country house. Old women and young women-and every young woman had a baby; it was won

derful, there was derful, there was not a young woman without one. There were a number of old men also, and a shoal of small boys and girls.

Headed by the beadle, and marshalled by Sam Blossom, they filed through the gates into the grounds, and Sir Judah could not help feeling a little doubtful; there were so many of them, and such queerlooking people. Attempts had

been made to do honour to the occasion. Nearly every one had taken some pains in the matter of personal adornment; boots that had seen much better days had been polished, faded bits of ribbons had been sewn on worn-out dresses, patches were as thick as blackberries, ragged feathers were stuck in parodies of bonnets, and here and there shabby cotton gloves proudly asserted themselves, with the finger-ends invariably in a sad condition. It may safely be Isaid that there was not a sound garment in the entire collection. Standing in front of a group of his more distinguished guests, Sir Judah received his humble visitors, who, as they filed past, curtseyed and bowed in respectful humility to the ladies and gentlemen; and very soon the ragged army were gathered in a thick cluster on the lawn, looking about them in admiration of the beautiful place. Sam Blossom must have been a born administrator, for a simple gesture of his forefinger to this one and that one appeared to be sufficient to keep them in good order.

'Now, then,' cried Sam, addressing his ragged recruits when the gates were closed, 'three cheers for Sir Jooder Silwersides, the inwentor of this 'ere festive occasion!'

The cheers were given heartily in quavering, lusty, shrill, and piping voices-'Hoo-ray! Hoo-ray! Hoo

ray One old woman continuing to cheer for so long a time that she had to be stopped by force. 'One cheer more!' cried Sam Blossom, who had taken trouble beforehand to ascertain that Sir Judah had a daughter; 'one cheer more for Miss Lady Sir Jooder Silwersides!' and the demand was responded to with even greater vigour. Sam's cunning clever eye saw in a moment that Flo was the young lady he desired to honour, and he pulled an imaginary forelock and bobbed his head towards her, giving her at the same time a glance of genuine admiration. His example was followed by every male in the crowd; they all pulled imaginary forelocks and bobbed their heads towards the pretty girl, and the women, old and young, curtseyed and bobbed over and over again.

Flo, in return, sent bright smiles in their direction, and Sir Judah waved his hand graciously, as though he had invented not only the occasion, but the day, and the sunshine, and the balmy air.

'It is really,' remarked Sir Judah, 'a singular-I may say a remarkable sight.'

'It is indeed,' said Frank, who supposed the remark to be addressed to himself, 'most remarkable. I shall take advantage of your suggestion, sir. gestion, sir. There is here plenty of material for an observant man.'

'Yes,' said Sir Judah, somewhat absently, 'you might do worseyou might do worse. If you make use of your observation in your writings, be careful to-a-impress these people with a sense of their condition. It teaches a great lesson.'

'To whom?' inquired Frank. 'Not to themselves, for they can scarcely be blamed for being poor.'

'On that point,' said Sir Judah, 'we differ. It is distinctly their own fault. What I would say to the world, were I in a position to address it, is," You see this lesson; it is before you in a practical shape: profit by it."'

'Would you instruct the world how to profit by it?'

'That,' replied Sir Judah, is the world's business, not mine. My duty is done when I introduce to the world such a picture as the-a -one we have now before us.' 'It touches the heart,' said Frank, and perplexes the mind.'

Sir Judah looked as if he did not quite understand the drift of the observation, and Frank was prevented from explaining by Flo saying, in a subdued voice,

'I never believed there were so many poor people in one parish. Think how many there must be in the world! And although I am glad they are here, and the day is fine, and that we have plenty of buns and beer for them, I can't help feeling a little sad. See how poorly they are dressed! I would like to give them all nice warm clothes, and good boots-'

'And kid gloves,' added Sir Judah, in mild reproof, and fur mantles, and silk parasols, and-a -everything else in keeping.'

'No, papa, not such things as those; they would not be suitable. But good clothes, and plenty to eat always-you know what I mean, Frank.'

'Yes, dear,' said Frank, 'I know what you mean, but it would be

impossible to carry out your wishes. They have their ways, we have ours.'

'Well spoken, Mr. Goldfinch,' said Sir Judah, and was proceeding, when Flo interrupted him with a whisper.

'Papa dear ?' 'Yes, Flo.'

'Why don't you call him Frank ? Mr. sounds so distant!'

The

'My dear,' said Sir Judah pettishly, 'I must really request you not to interrupt me. You disturb the-a-flow of ideas. You said well, Mr. Goldfinch-they have their ways, we have ours. worst of young ladies nowadays is, that they will not be-a-practical. I have already warned my daughter that she must be careful of her behaviour when she mixes with the lower orders. Impulsiveness will not do. Benevolent promptings are very well in their way, but they must be-a-controlled, checked, guided. An immense amount of -a-evil is done by indiscriminate benevolence. We must not make the lower orders discontented with their position. Nature has framed society in such a way as to place, quite properly'-Sir Judah accompanied his speech with approving nods for Nature's plan-'as to place, quite properly, broad lines between the classes. It has said -Nature I refer to-to the poor, "This is your path;" it has said to the rich, "This is yours." It is Radicalism of the most mischievous kind to attempt to disturb the -a-laws of Nature.'

'Some must walk in the gutter,' said Frank.

'Yes, it is so intended. What

as Sam was eternally chewing it, and it never seemed to grow any less.

'Yer instructions, Sir Jooder. I'm in charge of this 'ere crowd; I got 'em together for yer, and I done my best. Mr. Perks, the relieving awficer of the work'us, as you commissioned for this occasion, sed to me, "Sam," sed he, "you know all the respectable riff-raff in this 'ere parish, and you're the man to do this job in a perticulerly c'rrect way for Sir Jooder. It's to please a wery beautiful young lady, Sam," sed Mr. Perks, as is a ornament to 'uman nater, and you

must do your level best." Sam here cast a sly look of admiration in Flo's direction. "You'll git paid for the job, Sam," sed Mr. Perks, "for Sir Jocder's a liberal gen'lman." I knoo that, Sir Jooder, without Mr. Perks's telling. I knows a gen❜lman when I sees one, and you're one, if there's one in England. I 'ope you approve of the way the job's done.'

This appeal appearing to demand a personal examination of the humble visitors, Sir Judah inspected them critically through his eyeglasses.

D