Lady Alicia was as much bewildered as it was in her nature to be; but she made up her mind to ask her mother what they wanted with her in the library, and seated herself to cut out another little poodle.

The dinner-bell rang, and Lady Etheringhame entered.

Alicia, my love, wear your turquoise set to-day of course, I should wish you to appear to advantage on Mr. Delawarr's first visit."

It was as if all the astonishment of her life was to crowded into one day; for on retiring to her toilette, her handmaiden, the very reverse of her mistress, extremes meet (vide Lara and Jaqueline,) by dint of compliments and insinuations, succeeded at length in drawing from her something like a question; and with all her father's eloquence and mother's anxiety, Alicia only now began to suspect a husband in the case, and that the library audience and the turquoises referred to Mr. Delawarr.

Delawarr Hall was the nearest seat to Etheringhame Castle, and the families had for years run through every possible variety of oppostion and alliance. Between the present proprietors there had existed rather civility than cordiality. Lord Etheringhame's opinions were as hereditary as his halls; innovation was moral rebellion; the change of a fashion, a symptom of degeneracy; he would as soon have destroyed his pedigree as his pigtail; and looked on every new patent, whether for a peerage or a pie-dish, as another step to ruin; in short, he held just the reverse of the poet's opinion with him, not whatever is, but whatever had been, was right.

Sir Walter, on the contrary was a man of plans and projects he re-furnished his house, and talked of the march of intellect; cut down a plantation of old oaks in search of a lead mine; put in French windows instead of Gothic, on which his mother died of cold, or grief; married his first wife for fancy and talked of sentiment; his second for money, and talked of liberality, and deprecated vain pride of birth; he lost money by taking shares in a canal, which to have made profitable must have cut just across his own park; subscribed to a book society, and was eloquent about encouraging genius; had a newly invented stove in his hall; and novelty to him was what antiquity was to the other-each, like charity, covered a multitude of sins. But, above all, Sir Walter's great pride was his son, who, already far beyond his competitors, gave assurance of the distinguished career he ran in after-life. Two things were

at this period necessary for Montague Delawarr,-to get married, and returned for the county.

The Baronet's dressing-room had a view of the castle. No wonder that Lady Alicia suggested herself to his mind. Montague was now in the country; and if St. Valentine could aid St. Stephen, why married he intended to be, some time or other; so the letter of proposal was written, and the result had been as favourable as they could wish.

Seven o'clock came, and with it Sir Walter and his son. The dinner-bell to-day was indeed to be "the tocsin of the heart." With something more like emotion than she had ever felt in her life before, Lady Alicia Lorraine made her appearance, and a very fair appearance it was; both figure and face were fine, her dress elegant, and the turquoises so becoming that when Montague took his seat by her at table, he began to think the wife herself was something in the matrimonial contract about to be made. The delusion, by a little maternal arrangement, hints of timidity, &c., lasted very respectably till after the wedding, when, with as little blushing and as much blonde as possible, the name of Lorraine was changed for that of Delawarr. They were the happiest couple spoken of. Sir Walter had presented his late wife's emeralds, and his son had them reset; the bride's beauty quite inspired Sir Thomas Lawrence; and Mr, Delawarr was returned for the county.

In the midst of a brilliant public career he had little time to discover whether his household divinity was very like those of old—a statue. Lady Alicia was good naturedthat good nature which is composed of a soft smile, a low voice, indulgence of every kind-self among the number: for the rest if her mind had a feature, it was indolence; and her cashmere, character, and carriage, were alike irreproachable.

Such was the lady with whom Emily had to encounter the dangers of a tête-a-tête. It passed off better than she hoped, Lady Alicia liked to be amused, and her young companion was soon encouraged to be amusing. Their arrangements were speedily made; they were to dine with Lady Etheringhame; his lordship's magnificent funeral had filled a column in the paper three years before; the dowager took to study her health, and lived in town to be near her physicians and with a little illness and a great deal of complaint, managed to live on. The morning was to be devoted to milliners, shopping, &c.; both went to prepare

for the drive; Lady Alicia convinced that Miss Arundel was a very charming girl, and Miss Arundel wondering if fairy tales were true, and whether her hostess was a snow woman animated by a spell.

CHAPTER V.

"The bondage of certain ribands and gloves."

SPPING, true feminine felicity! how rapidly it passed thening away--how in a few short hours were Emily's deas expanded! Here she blushed for her sleeves, there for her flounces: how common seemed the memory of her redrose wreath beside her newly acquired taste for golden oats? The bonnets that were tried on, the silks that were unfolded, the ribands that were chosen,-till she went home happy in a hat, whose dimensions far exceeded the shields of any of her forefathers, and having chosen a ball dress, on whose composition, the milliner assured her, genius had exhausted itself.

Lady Etheringhame being now a constitutionalist, dined rather early and Emily her head like a kaleidescope, full of colours, with not a little disdain, put on the blue silk she had thought blue céleste at least in the country. What a march does a woman's intellect, i. e. taste, take in the streets of London!

Exactly at five they were at the dowager's door-exactly five minutes after they were seated in her dining-room; and Emily began to consider whether she or the wine-coolers was most chilled--whether Lady Etheringhame's black satin or herself were stiffest-and whether she weighed her words as she did her food in the little pair of scales by her side. They adjourned to the drawing-room, and sat "like figures ranged upon a dial-plate." The French clock on the mantel-piece ticked audibly-Lady Alicia dosedtheir hostess detailed symptoms and remedies, and eulogised mustard-seed,--while Emily sat like a good child playing

propriety, and looking the listener at least. Ten o'clock came at last, and with it the carriage.

“I am afraid, mamma, you are so tired," said the daughter.

"How much we give to thoughts and things our tone,

And judge of others' feelings by our own!"

"I hope Miss Arundel will do me the honour of accompanying you on your next visit?"

A stately bend from the elder-a low " many thanks a good night—and the visit was over.

"Is it possible," thought Emily," a visit in London could be so dull ?"

The next morning was more amusing-visitor after visitor came in; for Lady Alicia, like most indolent people, preferred any one else's company to her own,-all could entertain her better than she could entertain herself. An elderly gentleman gone off with a cough, and a lady of no particular age with a prophecy. ›

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Well, take my word for it, those girls will never marry; marriage is like money-seem to want it, and you never get it."

The Cassandra was scarcely departed when the objects of her oracle appeared-Mrs. Ferguson and her two daughters. Nothing could be more correct than the externals of these young ladies-large curls, large sleeves, still larger bonnets, words like the poet's idea of adieu, or the advice to make good children-" to be seen, not heard," and faces indicative of elegant indifference.

Mr. Fergusson had made his fortune, and Mrs. F. now meant to make her way in the world; her society was to be refined and exalted; she resolved on getting people to her house, and going to people's houses, whose names as yet were all she knew of them; and by dint of patience, perseverance, and pushing, she had to a great degree succeeded. Is not Locke the great philosopher who says, the strokes of the pickaxe build the pyramid? But these social contracts were subservient to one great end-domestic economy. Mrs. Fergusson had a family of six daughters; and to get these well married was the hope and aim of her existence, "the ocean to the river" of her thoughts. By day she laid plans, by night dreamed they had succeeded. To this point tended dresses, dances, dinners; for this she drove in the park-for this waited out the ballet at the opera-for this

Mr. St. Leger found his favorite pâté de cœur des tourterelles perfect at her table; for this Mr. Herbert, twice a week during last April, was asked to a family dinner-un diné sans façons est une perfidie, though in a different sense to what the poet des plateaux intended; for this, on Mr. Hoggart a Scotchman—w who wore a blue coat, which he always began to button when economy was talked ofdid mamma impress, what a treasure her Elizabeth was, and how well she supplied her place at home. [By the by, what an odious thing is a blue coat with brass buttons, shining as if to stare you out of countenance, and reflecting in every button a concave composition, which you recognize as a caricature of yourself. No lady should dance with a man who wears a blue coat and brass buttons.] For Mr. Rosedale did Laura wear vestal white, when every one else was à la Zamiel, and a cottage bonnet-a cottage ornée, to be sure-when every other head was in a hat.

Still, two seasons, besides watering places, has passed away fruitlessly; and the Misses Fergussons, of whom two only had yet passed the Rubicon of balls, operas, &c., coming out, were still the fair but unappropriated adjectives of the noun-matrimonial husband; still it was something to be ready, aye ready," the family motto. Of them nothing more can be said, than that Laura was pretty, and enacted the beauty; Elizabeth was plain, and therefore was to be sensible; the one sat at her harp, the other at her work-box.

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Now, Mrs. Fergusson thought a visit to Lady Alicia a sad waste of time: there were no sons, no brothers, at least as bad as none-for the Earl was in the country, the younger abroad; still she was too little established in society for neglect. So, collecting a few facts and fancies, putting on her most fatigued face, she began talking, while the daughters sat such complete personifications of indifference, that Mrs. Granville might very well have addressed her ode to either of them.

"Mrs. De Lisle's rooms were so crowded last nightvery brilliant. Still alas!"-(here Mrs. Fergusson looked philosophically)-"the weariness of pleasure; but these dear girls were in such requisition, it was nearly day before we left. Conceive my fatigue.'

"Why, then," said her hearer very quietly, "did you not leave before."

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Ah, Lady Alicia, how little do you understand the feelings of a mother! Could I break in upon their young