Mervyn exclaiming "Your sister, Aline!" Ada, uttering a cry of joy and astonishment, sprang forward and threw her arms around her sister's neck.

"Dear, dear, Ada!" murmured Aline in a tone of grateful delight, "you then love me still ?” "Love you! oh yes, yes, Aline!" Ada answered warmly, "but when, and how did you come here ?"

"I had an accident dearest, and Lord Mervyn brought me here," Aline replied, and turned to the other young sister, who stood more timidly regarding her.

"Dear Rosey!" she said, and fondly kissed

her.

"And you Alex," she continued, as she gazed with tender admiration on the beautiful boy, who however started back when she advanced to meet him, and exclaimed, gazing askance upon her :

"Sister Aline! oh! you are the naughty sister we are not to speak about! What will mamma say? for how angry she was with Ada

the other day for talking about you! I heard all about it."

"For shame Alex; Aline never mind him, he is a spoilt, naughty boy," returned Ada, but the young girl nevertheless turned rather pale herself and glanced somewhat fearfully at the door, as the thought of her mother and the probable truth of the little boy's assertion, were thus recalled to her mind. Rose also looked grave and frightened, but neither seemed inclined to desert the sister in this extremity; pressing closer to her side, as they sat together on a sofa, each took a hand, and looked up affectionately in her face, which the words of Alex had rendered still more pale and distressed.

Lord Mervyn had disappeared.

"And so you will not kiss me, Alex?" Aline said again, mournfully addressing the boy, who stood curiously regarding her.

"Yes, I will kiss you if you like," replied the spoilt child in a patronizing tone, "because you are pretty. And now," he added, when he

had so far condescended, "I will go to mamma,"

and he scampered off.

"Had you not better also go dear sisters? I would not that your mother should be angry with you for my sake," poor Aline said with a sigh.

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"No! I will not leave you," Ada answered, "Rosey may go if she likes."

But Rose did not stir.

"I wonder if papa is in the house," continued Ada anxiously.

"Would you not fear that he should find you here with me?" enquired Aline.

"No! I don't think he would be very angry," Ada answered; "and mamma

The door at this moment opened, and instead of the Lady Adelaide, whom the trio lifted up their eyes in appalled expectation to behold -the unconscious Sir Alexander, absent and absorbed, his brow clouded with the ever pressing care and business of his official callingentered the library.

"Children!" he exclaimed, just discerning that the room was occupied by some of his young people, "how are you my dears? is your mother come home?"

And he was proceeding to search for some papers or book for which he had come in quest.

"Children! my dears!" Poor Aline! how these words fell upon her ear! So sadly sweet and pleasant was it to her heart to be even unintentionally comprised in those familiar epithets, that it was with a pang of regret she beheld his ignorance of her presence about to be removed.

Ada approached her father softly, and gently touching his arm, whispered—

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Papa, look!

poor Aline is here."

Sir Alexander turned quickly round, and beheld indeed, Aline.

"How is this?" he enquired in a tone of unfeigned surprise, advancing a step towards his daughter.

Aline's faltering voice attempted some explanation, which Ada and Rose made intelligible, concluding by some words of timid but earnest entreaty.

"Papa! papa! forgive Aline! poor, poor, Aline!" the two fair girls repeated in anxious, tearful accents.

But ere they could proceed further on this point, the door was opened hastily as if by an excited hand, and with a flush of anger on her brow, Lady Adelaide, followed by Lord Mervyn and some of the younger children entered.

"Oh, you are here, Sir Alexander!" her ladyship exclaimed, after having coldly and haughtily glanced at Aline. "I beg to say that it is totally against my own inclination, my own sense of consistency, and alone through the importunity of Lord Mervyn that I am come; but he seems strangely to have taken upon himself to interfere in family affairs which I should have imagined but little concerned him."