ORLEY FARM. could not well endure to discuss his remembrances on that subject with Mrs. Baker, so he good-humoredly pushed her out of the room, saying that the judge would be mad if he delayed. "That's true, too, Mr. Graham. And it won't do for you to take up Mr. Augustus's tricks in And then she left the house yet; will it ?" the room. "What does she mean by yet?"" Felix said to himself as he went through the ceremony of dressing with all the haste in his power. He was in the drawing-room almost within the fifteen minutes, and there he found none but the judge and his wife and daughter. He had at first expected to find Augustus there, but had been told by Mrs. Baker that he was to come down on the following morning. His first greeting from Lady Staveley was something like that he had already received up stairs, only made in He was congratulated less exuberant language. on his speedy recovery and made welcome by a kind smile. Then he shook hands with Madeline, and as he did so he observed that the judge was at the trouble to turn away, so that he should not watch the greeting. This he did see, but into Madeline's face he hardly ventured to look. He touched her hand, however, and said a word; and she also murmured something about his injury. "And now we'll go to dinner," said the judge. "Give your arm that is And so the not broken to Lady Staveley." "Augustus will be in Almeeting was over. ston to-morrow when the court is opened," said the judge. "That is to say, if he finds it possible to get up so soon; but to-day he had some engagements in town." The truth, however, was that the judge had chosen to be alone with Felix after dinner. The dinner was very pleasant, but the judge When they had left the room and the door "Of course you know, and I know, what that amounts to now. an honest man when you were last here. You "Any thing but that." "And therefore I do not think it would have "Of course you understand that I am not an- You must fight your "Oh, of course not." "That's your look-out. What you are allowed to unown battle there. derstand is this, that her father and mother will give their consent to an engagement, if she finds that she can bring herself to give hers. If you are minded to ask her, you may do so.' "Of course I shall ask her." "She will have five thousand pounds on her marriage, settled upon herself and her children, and as much more when I die, settled in the Now fill your glass." And in his same way. own easy way he turned the subject round and began to talk about the late congress at Birmingham. Felix felt that it was not open to him at the present moment to say any thing further about Madeline; and though he was disappointed at this-for he would have wished to go on talking about her all the evening-perhaps it was better The judge would have said nothing for him. further to encourage him, and he would have "He gradually been taught to think that his chance with Madeline was little, and then less. must have been a fool," my readers will say, But then modest-minded "not to have known that Madeline was now his Probably. own." young men are fools. At last he contrived to bring the conversation round from the Birmingham congress to the affairs of his new client; and indeed he contrived to do so in spite of the judge, who was not particularly anxious to speak on the subject. "After all that we said and did at Birmingham, it is odd that I should so soon find myself joined with Mr. Furnival." "Not at all odd. Of course you must take up your profession as others have taken it up before you. Very many young men dream of a Themis fit for Utopia. You have slept somewhat longer than others, and your dreams have been more vivid." "And now I wake to find myself leagued with the Empson and Dudley of our latter-day law courts." "Fie, Graham, fie! Do not allow yourself to speak in that tone of men whom you know to be zealous advocates, and whom you do not know to be dishonest opponents." "It is they and such as they that make so many in these days feel the need of some Utopia -as it was in the old days of our history. But not have too wide an experience in such mat- ley sleep if she wished it? She did sleep, and ters." Felix was left alone with his love. "But then I fear that I am a barrister not intending to succeed." "I am very sorry to hear it," said the judge. And then again the conversation flagged for a minute or two. And yet he was not altogether alone. He could not say to her those words which he was now bound to say; which he longed to say in order that he might know whether the next stage of his life was to be light or dark. There "Have you ever seen him at a country assize sat the judge, closely intent no doubt upon his town before, judge?" asked Felix. "Whom? Chaffanbrass? ber that I have." book, but wide awake. There also sat Lady I do not remem- Staveley, fast asleep certainly; but with a wondrous power of hearing even in her sleep. And "His coming down in this way is quite un- yet how was he to talk to his love unless he usual, I take it." "Rather so, I should say. is his own ground." "And why should they think it necessary in such a case as this to have recourse to such a proceeding?" talked of love? He wished that the judge would The Old Bailey help them to converse; he wished that some one else was there; he wished at last that he himself was away. Madeline sat perfectly tranquil stitching a collar. Upon her there was incumbent no duty of doing any thing beyond that. But he was in a measure bound to talk. Had he dared to do so he also would have taken up a book; but that he knew to be impossible. "It would be for me to ask you that, seeing that you are one of the counsel." "Do you mean to say, judge, that between you and me you are unwilling to give an opinion on such a subject?" "Well; you press me hard, and I think I may fairly say that I am unwilling. I would sooner discuss the matter with you after the verdict than before it. Come, we will go into the drawing-room." There was not much in this. Indeed if it were properly looked at there was nothing in it. But nevertheless Graham, as he preceded the judge out of the dining-room, felt that his heart misgave him about Lady Mason. When first the matter had been spoken of at Noningsby, Judge Staveley had been fully convinced of Lady Mason's innocence, and had felt no reserve in expressing his opinion. He had expressed such an opinion very openly. Why should he now affect so much reticence, seeing that the question had been raised in the presence of them two alone? It was he who had persuaded Graham to undertake this work, and now he went back from what he had done, and refused even to speak upon the subject. "It must be that he thinks she is guilty," said Graham to himself as he lay down that night in bed. But there had been something more for him to do before bedtime came. He followed the judge into the drawing-room, and in five minutes perceived that his host had taken up a book with the honest intention of reading it. Some reference was made to him by his wife, but he showed at once that he did not regard Graham as company, and that he conceived himself to be entitled to enjoy the full luxury of home. Upon my word I don't know," he answered, without taking his eye off the page. And then nobody spoke to him another word. "Your brother will be down to-morrow," he said, at last. "Yes; he is to go direct to Alston. He will be here in the evening-to dinner." "Ah, yes; I suppose we shall all be late tomorrow." "Papa always is late when the assizes are going on," said Madeline. "Alston is not very far," said Felix. "Only two miles," she answered. And during the whole of that long evening the conversation between them did not reach a more interesting pitch than that. "She must think me an utter fool," said Felix to himself, as he sat staring at the fire. "How well her brother would have made the most of such an opportunity!" And then he went to bed by no means in a good humor with himself. On the next morning he again met her at breakfast, but on that occasion there was no possible opportunity for private conversation. The judge was all alive, and talked enough for the whole party during the twenty minutes that was allowed to them before they started for Alston. "And now we must be off. half past seven for dinner, my dear." they also made their journey to Alston. CHAPTER LXVI. We'll say And then SHOWING HOW MISS FURNIVAL TREATED HER LOVERS. Ir is a great thing for young ladies to live in a household in which free correspondence by letter is permitted. "Two for mamma, four After another short interval Lady Staveley for Amelia, three for Fanny, and one for papa." went to sleep. When Felix Graham had be- When the postman has left his budget they fore been at Noningsby, she would have rebelled should be dealt out in that way, and no more against nature with all her force rather than should be said about it, except what each may have slept while he was left to whisper what he choose to say. Papa's letter is about money, of would to her darling. But now he was author-course, and interests nobody. Mamma's conized to whisper, and why should not Lady Stave-tain the character of a cook and an invitation to HARPER'S NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE. dinner, and as they interest every body, are public property. But Fanny's letters and Amelia's should be private; and a well-bred mamma of the present day scorns even to look at the handwriting of the addresses. Now in Harley Street things were so managed that nobody did see the handwriting of the addresses of Sophia's letters till they came into her own hand-that is, neither her father nor her mother did so. That both Spooner and Mrs. Ball examined them closely is probable enough. ters. at dinner, and sometimes sit with her for an hour in the here with her. I think that your tone and strength of This was well for her now, for she did not wish it to be known as yet that she had accepted an offer from Lucius Mason, and she did wish to have the privilege of receiving his letShe fancied that she loved him. told herself over and over again that she did so. She She compared him within her own mind to Augustus Staveley, and always gave the preference to Lucius. She liked Augustus also, and could have accepted him as well, had it been the way of the world in England for ladies to have two accepted lovers. Such is not the way of the world in England, and she therefore had been under the necessity of choosing one. She had taken the better of the two, she declared to herself very often; but nevertheless was it absolutely necessary that the other should be abandoned altogether? Would it not be well at any rate to wait till this trial should be over? the young men themselves were in such a hurry! But then Lucius, like an honest man, had proposed to go at once to Mr. Furnival when he was accept-No one shall say that I am afraid to see my mother in any ed; but to this Sophia had objected. position to which fortune can bring her, or that I have ever doubted her innocence. "God bless you, my own one. "Yours, "The pe culiar position in which my father stands to your mother at the present moment," said she, "would make it very difficult for him to give you an answer now. Lucius did not quite understand the reasoning, but he yielded. It did not occur to him for a moment that either Mr. or Miss Furnival could doubt the validity of his title to the Orley Farm property. But there was no reason why he should not write to her. "Shall I address here ?" he had asked. "Oh yes," said Sophia; "my letters are quite private." And he had written very frequently, and she had answered him. His last letter before the trial I propose to publish, together with Sophia's answer, giving it as my opinion that the gentleman's production affords by no means a good type of a lover's letter. But then his circumstances were peculiar. Miss Furnival's answer was, I think, much better. "ORLEY FARM, — · "MY OWN SOPHIA,-My only comfort-I may really say my only comfort now-is in writing to you. It is odd that at my age, and having begun the world early as I did, I should now find myself so much alone. Were it not for you, I should have no friend. I can not describe to you the sadness of this house, nor the wretched state in which my mother exists. I sometimes think that had she been really guilty of those monstrous crimes which people lay to her charge, she could hardly have been more miserable. I do not understand it; nor can I understand why your father has surrounded her with lawyers whom he would not himself trust in a case of any moment. never speaks on the subject, which makes the matter To me she worse-worse for both of us. I see her at breakfast and "I shall not write again now till the trial is over. I main there close to her, as her son should do in such an have made up my mind that I will be in court during the whole proceedings. If my mother will admit it, I will reemergency. If she will not have this, still I will be there. L. M." Taking this letter as a whole perhaps we may say that there was not as much nonsense in it as young gentlemen generally put into their lovethink that it would have been a better love-letletters to young ladies; but I am inclined to ter had there been more nonsense. At any rate there should have been less about himself, more sure of his loved one's tastes before he and more about the lady. He should have omitted the agriculture altogether, and been suggested the sunny south and the Como villa. lovers are, with reference to his mother; but still I think he might have been less lachrymose. Sophia's answer, which was sent after the lapse of a day or two, was as follows: It is true that he was circumstanced as few "HARLEY STREET, feel somewhat low-spirited at the present moment; but "MY DEAR LUCIUS,-I am not surprised that you should you will find, I have no doubt, that the results of the next week will cure all that. Your mother will be herself again when this trial is over, and you will then wonder that it should ever have had so depressing an influence either upon you or upon her. I can not but suppose that papa has done the best as to her advisers. I know how anxious he is about it, and they say that he is very clever in such matters, Pray give your mother my love. I can not but think she is lucky to have Mrs. Orme with her. What can be more respectable than a connection at such a time with such people? to any thing while your spirits are thus depressed. If you "AND HOW ARE THEY ALL AT NONINGSBY?" like to leave Orley Farm, why not let it instead of selling it? As for me, if it should be fated that our lots are to go together, I am inclined to think that I should still prefer to live in England. In London papa's position might probably be of some service, and I should like no life that was not active. But it is too early in the day to talk thus at present. You must not think me cold-hearted if I say that what has as yet been between us must not be regard ed as an absolute and positive engagement. I, on my part, hope that it may become so. My heart is not cold, and I am not ashamed to own that I esteem you favorably; but marriage is a very serious thing, and there is so much to be considered! I regard myself as a free agent, and in a great measure independent of my parents on such a matter as that; but still I think it well to make no posi tive promise without consulting them. When this trial is |