knowledge of how to turn all its blessings to her own account?

Isabella had asked herself this question, but the reply had not encouraged her to seek in her mother the friend that she wanted.

There was something in Lady Jane's maxims that revolted the heart of Isabella, and which told her that her complaints would be as idle wind in the ear of Lady Jane.

In marrying her daughter splendidly she appeared to believe that she had discharged the whole of the duty of a mother she had made her rich and distinguished: she had instructed her to be prudent; she had shewn her by calculation that she might have all that a wise woman could wish for without forfeiting the world's good opinion; and she had warned her against the bad taste, which led to degradation. What could she do more? she had

other daughters to dispose of; and had as little leisure as she saw reason to trouble herself about the concerns of poor Isabella - she would not indeed

have been able to have understood why she was not the happiest of women. To the complaint of the indifference of her husband, she would have opposed his indulgence; to supply the want of companionship at home, she would have recommended a still more sedulous cultivation of society abroad; and, as an universal panacea, she would have told her, that no woman of com. mon understanding ever expected to have a lover in a husband, and that none but a baby would think of crying for what no one ever possessed. Isabella was too well acquainted with the manner in which her mother treated so much "romantic nonsense," to look to her for consolation or counsel, and she would have felt nearly as reluctant

to have confessed to Lady Jane, that she was in love with Mr. Willoughby, as to have told her she was so with Lord Thomas Orville.

In addition to these personal reasons which shut up Isabella from all confidence with her mother, there were others that would have effectually prevented her from finding that sympathy and attention from Lady Jane, which she so much wanted, and without which she felt desolate in the midst of multitudes.

Lady Jane's continual activity in furthering "the business of her life," which was yet upon her hands in the marriage of her two remaining daughters, kept her in a constant bustle of plots and manoeuvring-of note-writing, and arrangements: "she was hurried out of her life, but it was all for her daughters she knew many mothers were more careless; but, for her

part, having given them the best of educations, she was resolved that they should not lose the fruit of it- it should not be her fault, if they were not all as well established as her dear Isabella."

This "dear Isabella," however, she scarcely ever saw but in a crowd; nor had she more than a hurried minute to afford her, even when Isabella, wearied of a home which was to her nothing but a splendid solitude, sought companionship and society with her mother and her sisters. Lady Jane "must speak to the dress-maker;" Lady Jane "must inspect the decoration for the feast in the evening; she had an hundred orders to give!—and the girls! — oh indeed you must not interrupt them. Harriet is practising the song which she is to sing; Elizabeth the quadrille that she is to dance; they have no time to throw when they are married

away;

it will be quite a different thing-work now, play then you have attained the goal, and must not interrupt them in the race I am really sorry to part

with you, but I am so busy, and — we shall meet at night.

All this was no cure for the heartache, and Isabella's heart grew every day more and more pained.