friendship, entreated him to banish the recollection of their last meeting for ever from his mind, when deep affliction alone could have estranged Waldegrave's heart from the brother of his childhood.

Having finished these sad duties, Waldegrave looked at his watch; it was seven o'clock. "Oh! Edith," thought he, "I must not say farewell to you; if I could pray, my supplication should be for your happiness; but I will not thus mock Heaven;-may you be blessed!"

At the appointed time, Waldegrave and Sir Arthur reached the field, where they found the Prince impatiently waiting his antagonist's arrival.

Sir Arthur, under pretence of enforcing some civil regulation, went forward to confer with Arnoldi, and, unknown to Waldegrave, again attempted to bring about a reconciliation. It was in vain. The distance was then measured, and the pistols were examined. Waldegrave shook hands with Sir Arthur, and committed the letters to his care.

The parties fired at the same moment, and the Prince fell. His second and Waldegrave rushed forward to support him. The unfortunate Neapolitan did not speak, but inwardly groaned.

"Is there none here who can render us some assistance ?" exclaimed Waldegrave.

A surgeon who was in attendance (at Sir Arthur's request) now hurried towards Arnoldi, whose wound he examined and dressed on the spot.

When questioned on the Prince's state, the surgeon shook his head, declaring, that under twelve hours he could not express a decided opinion; he pronounced the wound to be very dangerous, as the ball had passed through the shoulder.

The unfortunate Prince was conveyed to a neighbouring house where prompt assistance was administered to his sufferings, which seemed to be very acute, but his faculties remained unimpaired.

As Waldegrave hung over the invalid's bed, Arnoldi, witli the relenting feelings awakened by approaching death, shook hands with him. He acquitted his unhappy friend of having harboured any hostile disposition towards himself, requested that Waldegrave would fly immediately, and make Lady Hermione happy if he proposed to marry her.

Waldegrave assured Arnoldi solemnly, that he never had entertained the most distant idea of supplanting him in Lady

Hermione's affections. That he could have no intention of marrying her, having been himself long, though unhappily, attached to another.

"You have not endeavoured to supplant me in her affections?" said the Prince, in a weak yet energetic voice, and endeavouring to raise himself; "then she has deceived me, base woman!"

Here the surgeon interposed, telling Waldegrave that the sick man's life would depend on the entire repose of his body and mind; and, indeed, the exhaustion which followed this exertion, seemed such as immediately to threaten his life.

Waldegrave withdrew into the next room, where he found Sir Arthur. "I am just come from the quay," said the latter," and have ordered a boat to be here directly; you must be off in half an hour, my dear Waldegrave. You can do this poor fellow no good; we will take the utmost care of him; but the laws here are severe, and the police is vigilant. As soon as this business gets wind, you will be put under arrest."

"But whither am I to go?" said Waldegrave.

"There is an English vessel which sails this very day," said Sir Arthur. "You must get on board her, and if you do not wish to return home, she will contrive to slip you into some other vessel. Besides, she will probably touch at Marseilles-but believe me, my dear Waldegrave, you have not a moment to lose."

Waldegrave, who would gladly have lingered awhile to hear the opinion of a more eminent surgeon, and to know how Lady Hermione would bear the shock of his departure, remonstrated against so much expedition.

But Sir Arthur refused to hear of doubts or delays, and protested that Waldegrave must remain no longer on shore than was absolutely necessary to convey his luggage to the boat, assuring him that if this opportunity of escape were neglected, a dungeon would speedily be his fate.

The dread of being arrested at length reconciled Henry to the idea of flight.

"But let me depend on hearing news of Arnoldi, and how poor Lady Hermione gets through it; I tremble for her." "Oh! never termble for her," said Sir Arthur, "she will get through it prodigiously well. If the poor Prince dies, she will soon find another lover."

"You know her not," said Waldegrave, shaking his head,

"I not know her?" said Sir Arthur; "faith, that is excellent! why, my dear Waldegrave, I have known her more years than you have weeks; our intimacy is of ten years standing. Arnoldi is the fifth man to whom she has made love since her husband's death. Nay, my dear Waldegrave, do not look so very grave; you need not break your heart about it, I assure you. I should not like to speak in this. manner of Lady Hermione, but that I am certain you will carry home a heavy load without the unnecessary addition of a fictitious grievance.'

"What do you mean, Sir Arthur?" exclaimed Waldegrave, "this is no time for jesting.'

"I wager my life," said Sir Arthur, "she has made you believe that she is in love with you. It was thus she treated me when first wearied of widowhood, but I would not bite; since which we have been the best friends in the world, and I have had the amusement of seeing her lead five others the same dance, and, perhaps, you make the sixth."

"What is there then between her and Arnoldi ?" asked Waldegrave, as a thousand remembrances rushed on his mind. "She has only promised to be his wife," answered Sir Arthur, dryly.

"Are you certain of it ?"

"Certain as fate," said Sir Arthur. "It was but the night before last that they talked together on the subject in my presence, and she vowed in one week all should be settled."

"Good Heavens!" cried Waldegrave, "that I had but known it a little earlier, and this dreadful event might have been prevented. But it cannot be !--what earthly motive could be hers for telling me that there existed no engage. ment between them ?"

"'Tis clear," said Sir Arthur, "she had a mind to try her chance with you first. Perhaps you are not aware that she has some few debts which she would be glad that you should honourably discharge, in return of course to devote her life to the happiness of yours. I speak thus, not wan tonly to divulge lady Hermione's secrets, but because I would willingly disencumber you of the troublesome and very novel idea that you had broken her heart."

"Why, you yourself," said Waldegrave, "have often boasted to me of her taste and feeling; and now you pro claim her a mere impostor."

"Oh! pardon me," said Sir Arthur, "I still say, as I ever did, that she is a delightful creature, but not a woman to marry. But, for Heaven's sake, my dear Waldegrave, be off! every moment you are incurring more imminent risk of being taken-what keeps you?" continued he, seeing that Waldegrave still seemed indisposed to depart; "if you want further confirmation of what I have said, I can show you an abundance of letters which would open your eyes in a moment; only it seems a villanous act."

"I should be glad to see only one," said Waldegrave ; 66 one would be enough!"

“Well, then,” said Sir Arthur, "if you must be bribed off, I will e'en consign to your observation the last which I have received."

After due examination bestowed on a handful of papers, Sir Arthur extracted a note from his parcel, which he placed in Waldegrave's hands.

This epistle bore a very recent date, and was addressed to Sir Arthur by Lady Hermione. The chief topic was her marriage with Arnoldi, which she treated as a grievous "affaire de convenance," though she assured her dear Sir Arthur that it need make no difference in their relative situations, as notwithstanding she would thereby become a sacrifice to stern necessity, yet her heart must immoveably remain with him who had first awakened her warm affections. The pith of the letter was contained in a postscript, where Lady Hermione, with much acumen, rallied Sir Arthur for imagining that she could be won by the lovesick youth, the boy of sighs.

"But, my dear fellow," said Sir Arthur, observing the rapid changes from anger to contempt which succeeded each other in Waldegrave's countenance; 66 you must not. think that I was privy to her schemes upon you. I, of course, knew her to be an intrigante; but in the first place, I believed the iron texture of your heart positively invulnerable to her hazel javelins; and in the second place, she led me to suppose you were under some engagement of which you had made her the confidant. Consequently, I did not consider you in danger; and at all events, I thought marriage out of the question: and you must do me the justice to believe that had I seen a chance of such a result, I should have considered an explanation due to our friendship and your confidence in me. But though I am generally

even with her, yet here I must confess that the little 'espiegle' has been too rusée for me, with her apparent anxiety respecting the marriage with Arnoldi, and her supercilious language concerning you.'

"And how is it possible, Sir Arthur," said Waldegrave, warmly, "that knowing what a devil she is, you can be her friend?"

"A devil!" said Sir Arthur, "h-m! that is 'un peu fort.' An angel I have often heard her called, but never before a black one. However, my dear Waldegrave, you must remember that we men of pleasure are not so romantic in our notions; and, after all, it boots not now to discuss her demerits. You have been played on like many others, but were it not for your debt and poor Arnoldi's misfortune, that would be of little importance now, since she is not to your taste, you can easily bid her adieu, and forget her. For your debt, I can only say that Rossi is a scoun drel who does not deserve to be paid; and as for the Prince, why, poor fellow! he insisted on your sending a ball through him,—so you could not help it. 'Au reste,' my dear friend, I must positively have you carried off if you will not willingly depart; for moments are precious, and I tremble lest you should be stopped."

Waldegrave then returned the letter to Sir Arthur, whom he earnestly requested not to fail in transmitting him frequent news of Arnoldi, "and do tell him how grieved I was for the result of our meeting."

Sir Arthur, who was very anxious for Waldegrave's removal, now prevailed on him to depart. He accompanied his friend to the shore, where the boat waited; and as they beheld, at no very inconsiderable distance, a crowd collected, which was moving towards the house where Arnoldi lay, Waldegrave embarked without loss of time.

"I have already sent your luggage to the ship. Now farewell! God bless you!" said Sir Arthur.

Waldegrave wrung Sir Arthur's hand, and long retained an impression of the friendship which, in spite of his extreme légèreté, the Baronet had evinced towards himself throughout this unfortunate business.

Very shortly after, the ship set sail.