much of her opinion in both instances,” replied he.

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Surely," cried the young lady, with a look of vast astonishment, "you do not really think her handsome?"

"I think her countenance and figure,” he answered, in a provokingly cool voice, "her whole person, the most femininely lovely that I have ever seen;" and after making a pause to let the sentence have full effect, he added, "that is, till I came into the present circle."

"You are a bear, Frederic," said lady Jane. "Now I was very much inclined to like this girl; but since you imply that she is handsomer than I am, I am resolved to hate her most cordially, and I dare say Miss Delmont will join me willinglywont you, Charlotte ?"

Perhaps this question came rather too near what was passing in Miss Delmont's own breast; for she replied only by a toss of the head; while lord Burton answered "You will not hate her, Jane, I will

swear,

swear, if you do not find her mind very different from her person."

"Swear for yourself, Frederic lord Burton," said lady Jane; " you will have enough to do in the world to answer for your own sins, without being responsible for my good qualities. What suppose I have predetermined to hate her?" and she gave a laughing look towards Miss Del

mont.

"One thing I would recommend to you, Jane," said lady Cecilia Evelyn, who had hitherto continued silent, with the most impenetrable gravity, " and that is, not to be so familiar with persons of an inferior rank."

"My dear Cecilia," said lady Jane," you are, I know, generally more correct and composed in your behaviour than I am; but in the present instance you are wrong. Miss Stanhope is a lady by birth, education, manners, and disposition; such lady M has described her to me, and as such she is equal to either of us, except

that she has not the privilege of stitching ladyship to her name, which, depend upon it, neither makes you or me a bit better, or more amiable. I speak now as seriously as you do, for in this instance I cannot allow myself to be dictated to, even by you, Cecilia."

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Well, Jane, do as you please,” replied her sister. "But I wonder what my father would say, if he heard all this new doctrine you have lately taken up."

"I should be sorry to think that my father and I could differ upon such a subject," replied lady Jane. "But come, Frederic, we are going to ride out, and as you have no saddle-horses with you, Charlotte Delmont will, I am sure, lend you one she had given to her the other day.”

"Oh dear, that will do excellently!" cried Miss Delmont; " I am afraid to ride him myself, till some one else has tried him ; and if lord Burton would break him into cantering for me, I should be very much obliged indeed, and I can ride my

own

own grey in the mean while." Lord Burton promised to do the best he could for her during the short period of his visit, and the party broke up to dress for their excursion.

"WELL, really this London is the dullest of places," said Charles Melville, the third morning after Mr. Wilmot had left them, "it is dreariness itself: I have a great notion that, to-morrow morning, I shall run away from you for two or three days into

the country."

"You could not do better than go and pay a visit to sir Harry Morley, your old

schoolfellow," replied sir Charles; "it will

fill

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No," replied Charles, "that is not the place whither I intend to bend my steps. I was thinking yesterday that lady Anne Milsome would think it rude if I left England without paying her a visit, and in consequence I thought of going to Ilfracombe for a day or two."

"I see no necessity for it at all, Charles," replied his father-" not the least in the world-not the least."

"No," answered Charles, quietly, "there is perhaps no absolute necessity; but it will be no more than polite and proper attention."

"But you have a great deal to do in town," urged the baronet-" you have a great many things to order, a great many to buy you forget all you have to do."

No, indeed, my dear sir," replied Charles, "I think I have done very nearly every thing: I have ordered every sort of thing that the fertile imagination of man

could