and get his stocking drawn off, before the skin adhered to it. He retired to the door, followed by the Duchess and Lady Llanberis; the latter lamenting that he could not skate for a week; the former deploring and apologizing for the accident, holding out her own dripping gown, and exclaiming against Mr. Frederick Carlisle as the real author of the accident, whose elbow, she said, had come in contact with her's, because he would stand in an attitude

50.

Here her close imitation, not only of Mr. Carlisle's attitude, but even of his canvassing look for admiration, glanced furtively from under the eyes, threw Lady Llanberis into a violent fit of laughter, and had the effect of restoring the merriment of the whole party, which Lady Llanberis's observation to Lord Charles had for a moment in

terrupted. Her Grace and her nephew returned almost at the same mo

ment to the room; Lord Charles limping with his leg tied up; while the Duchess, with her spoiled satin exchanged for a plain white muslin dress, and a veil thrown round her, entered with a wild and frantic look, and sung the mad song in "Nina pazza" with great effect, to the surprize and amusement of the whole company: then suddenly changing her countenance and air, she succeeded still better in a buffa, in the style and jargon of a Sicilian peasant. Lady Llanberis was in raptures; and so often assured Lord Charles that all this was done to conciliate him, and make amends for the accident, that he at last seemed not only to credit the fact, but to be gratified by the intention. This was indeed the first symptom of conciliation which his plebeian, but unbending aunt, had ever paid him; and as inordinate vanity is as easily soothed as it is readily wounded, he was not incre

dulous to the assertions, which fed and flattered the dominant passion of his

nature.

Mr. Frederick Carlisle was then called for his amende honorable; and though mortified and piqued, even into low spirits, by the Duchess's accurate imitation of his affected peculiarities, yet he could not resist the opportunity of exhibiting. With very little pressing, therefore, he suffered himself to be prevailed on, and performed a number of harlequinade tricks and attitudes, which he concluded by vaulting over a sofa table, coming down on the other side in the position of a cobler at his work, and singing Jobson's ballad, "He that has the best wife, &c." room rang with applauses, and the evening concluded with the greatest good-humour and gaiety. Lady Llanberis, from the variety of the exhibitions, had not one pause allowed her for a yawn, and in the fervour of her de

The

light, she could not refrain from saying, "Well, Duchess, if you had not scalded poor Lord Charles's leg, I must say that your spilling the tea was a most lucky accident. You have broken my Dresden cup all to pieces, but I would give twenty Dresden cups for one such evening as this.".

O'Donnel alone had felt neither pleasure nor gratification from this 'eventful evening; and before the Du-: chess had begun her buffa song, he had left the drawing-room, and retired to his own apartment, with feelings of the most unqualified discomfort. He almost regretted his hastiness to Lord Charles, and his having given way to the powerful feeling of the moment. Yet to go on longer under the same roof with a man, who evidently considered him with suspicion, if not with a more invidious sentiment; to feel the influence of looks and eyes, and yet to be scarcely justified in noticing

their unequivocal expressions; was a state scarcely endurable to one, whose pride was but too prompt to take of fence, and whose spirit was not always regulated by prudence, or tempered by reflection. He therefore resolved on taking an early opportunity of leaving Longlands, and (waving any further ceremony with respect to Lady Llanberis's secret,) he determined on mentioning his suspicion of her liberality on the following day, and, if possible, on bringing her to the point so long desired by him, and so long protracted by her.

In these resolutions Lord Charles was not alone the person who took a part. The Duchess of Belmont's conduct had thoroughly (it was a strong term, but he repeated it to himself) disgusted him. Her evident attempts to adulate Lord Charles, the moment after she had witnessed what had passed between them, and had heard his pointed expression of contempt for her country, of