referred rather to the-a-to the warming of affections, and the pleasant exchange of intercourse on all sides which has taken place. How do you like our- —a—the stranger?" Who, sir?”

"The new-comer,-this young Mr. Ummin?"

Fleda answered, but she hardly knew what, for she was musing whether the doctor would go away or come in. They reached the door, and Fleda invited him, with terrible effort after her voice; the doctor having just blandly offered an opinion upon the decided polish of Mr. Olmney's manners!

CHAPTER XXIII.

Labour is light, where love (quoth I) doth pay;
(Saith he) light burthens heavy, if far borne.

DRAYTON.

FL

The first

LEDA pushed open the parlour door and preceded her convoy, in a kind of tip-toe state of spirits. thing that met her eyes was her aunt in one of the few handsome silks which were almost her sole relic of past wardrobe prosperity, and with a face uncommonly happy and pretty; and the next instant she saw the explanation of this appearance in her cousin Charlton, a little palish, but looking better than she had ever seen him, and another gentleman of whom her eye took in only the general outlines of fashion and comfortable circumstances; now too strange to it to go unnoted. In Fleda's usual mood her next movement would have been made with a demureness that would have looked like bashfulness. But the amusement and pleasure of the day just passed had for the moment set her spirits free from the burden that generally bound them down; and they were as elastic as her step as she came forward and presented to her aunt "Dr. Quackenboss," and then turned to shake her cousin's hand.

"Charlton !—Where did you come from? We didn't expect you so soon.

"You are not sorry to see me, I hope ?"

"Not at all-very glad;"-and then as her eye glanced towards the other new-comer Charlton presented to her “Mr. Thorn;" and Fleda's fancy made a sudden quick leap on the instant to the old hall at Montepoole and the shot dog. And then Dr. Quackenboss was presented, an introduction

which Capt. Rossitur received coldly, and Mr. Thorn with something more than frigidity.

The doctor's elasticity however defied depression, especially in the presence of a silk dress and a military coat. Fleda presently saw that he was agonizing her uncle. Mrs. Rossitur had drawn close to her son. Fleda was left to take care of the other visiter. The young men had both seemed more struck at the vision presented to them than she had been on her part. She thought neither of them was very ready to speak to her.

"I did not know," said Mr. Thorn softly, "what reason I had to thank Rossitur for bringing me home with him tonight-he promised me a supper and a welcome,—but I find he did not tell me the half of my entertainment."

"That was wise in him," said Fleda ;-"the half that is not expected is always worth a great deal more than the other."

"In this case, most assuredly," said Thorn bowing, and Fleda was sure not knowing what to make of her.

"Have you been in Mexico too, Mr. Thorn ?"

"Not I!-that's an entertainment I beg to decline. I never felt inclined to barter an arm for a shoulder-knot, or to abridge my usual means of locomotion for the privilege of riding on parade-or selling oneself for a name-Peter Schlemil's selling his shadow I can understand; but this is really lessening oneself that one's shadow may grow the larger."

"But you were in the army?" said Fleda.

"Yes-It wasn't my doing. There is a time, you know, when one must please the old folks-I grew old enough and wise enough to cut loose from the army before I had gained or lost much by it."

He did not understand the displeased gravity of Fleda's face, and went on insinuatingly;

"Unless I have lost what Charlton has gained-something I did not know hung upon the decision-Perhaps you think a man is taller for having iron heels to his boots?" "I do not measure a man by his inches," said Fleda. "Then you have no particular predilection for shootingmen ?"

"I have no predilection for shooting anything, sir."

"Then I am safe!" said he, with an arrogant little air of satisfaction. "I was born under an indolent star, but I confess to you, privately, of the two I would rather gather my harvests with the sickle than the sword. How does your uncle find it ?”

“Find what, sir?”

"The worship of Ceres ?—I remember he used to be devoted to Apollo and the Muses.”

“Are they rival deities ?”

66

Why I have been rather of the opinion that they were too many for one house to hold," said Thorn glancing at Mr. Rossitur. "But perhaps the Graces manage to reconcile them!"

“Did you ever hear of the Graces getting supper?" said Fleda. "Because Ceres sometimes sets them at that work. Uncle Rolf," she added as she passed him,--" Mr. Thorn is inquiring after Apollo--will you set him right, while I do the same for the table-cloth ?""

Her uncle looked from her sparkling eyes to the rather puzzled expression of his guest's face.

"I was only asking your lovely niece," said Mr. Thorn coming down from his stilts,-"how you liked this country life?"

Dr. Quackenboss bowed, probably in approbation of the epithet.

"Well sir-what information did she give you on the subject?"

"Left me in the dark, sir, with a vague hope that you would enlighten me."

"I trust Mr. Rossitur can give a favourable report ?” said the doctor benignly.

it.

But Mr. Rossitur's frowning brow looked very little like

"What do you say to our country life, sir ?”

"It's a confounded life, sir," said Mr. Rossitur, taking a pamphlet from the table to fold and twist as he spoke," it is a confounded life; for the head and the hands must either live separate, or the head must do no other work but wait upon the hands. It is an alternative of loss and waste, sir." "The alternative seems to be of-a-limited application," said the doctor, as Fleda, having found that Hugh

and Barby had been beforehand with her, now came back "I am sure this lady would not give such

to the company.

a testimony."

"About what?" said Fleda, colouring under the fire of so many eyes.

"The blighting influence of Ceres' sceptre," said Mr. Thorn.

"This country life," said her uncle;—“do you like it, Fleda ?"

"You know uncle," said she cheerfully, "I was always of the old Douglasses' mind-I like better to hear the lark sing than the mouse squeak."

"Is that one of Earl Douglass's sayings ?" said the doctor.

"Yes sir," said Fleda with quivering lips," but not the one you know-an older man."

"Ah!" said the doctor intelligently. "Mr. Rossitur,speaking of hands,--I have employed the Irish very much of late years--they are as good as one can have, if you do not want a head."

"That is to say,—if you have a head," said Thorn.

"Exactly!" said the doctor, all abroad," and when there are not too many of them together. I had enough of that, sir, some years ago when a multitude of them were employed on the public works. The Irish were in a state of mutilation sir, all through the country.'

"Ah!” said Thorn,-" had the military been at work upon them ?"

“No sir, but I wish they had, I am sure; it would have been for the peace of the town. There were hundreds of them. We were in want of an army."

"Of surgeons,-I should think," said Thorn.

Fleda saw the doctor's dubious air and her uncle's compressed lips; and commanding herself, with even a look of something like displeasure she quitted her seat by Mr. Thorn and called the doctor to the window to look at a cluster of rose acacias just then in their glory. He admired, and she expatiated, till she hoped everybody but herself had forgotten what they had been talking about. But they had no sooner returned to their seats than Thorn began again.