could he have told her about me, which was She continued laugh

so very amusing?

ingly,

"I must tell you, Isola, it was so very ridiculous; he has got the strangest idea into his head, he asked me how you-Isola, could ever consent to marrying Lord D'Arville! I was amazed, and laughed immoderately, it did seem so extremely absurd! and I was quite puzzled to think what could have given him such a notion."

I saw it all now! and his mysterious conduct was explained; he despised and avoided me, and no wonder, if such was the impression on his mind. I felt alternately hot and cold while thinking on the matter, but fortunately, the deepening twilight concealed the emotion I was suffering from the eyes of my companion. My guardian had evidently spread the report, to prevent my receiving attentions from any other gentleman, and to further his ends gave me the advice he did, "to treat him with the respect due to him as my guardian," which was nothing more nor less than being never seen out, without having him at my side; and I was to give a colour

ing to the report he had spread, by appearing to receive his attentions with pleasure.

No wonder you would not allow " danglers," I thought!

How my heart burned within me! how I longed for Mr. Grey to know the truth, to hear of the baseness of my guardian, and to feel assured that I never would agree to his wishes.

But how was he to know this? At first, I thought of telling Leila the state of the case, and trusting to her for enlightening him, but there was something in her manner which deterred me from doing so; she treated it as a capital joke, and went rattling away most facetiously upon the subject.

"I can fancy the scene when he proposed," she said, "the effort to bend his knee, must have caused agony to the stiff joint, and the impetuous manner in which he would rise, with the rapturous consciousness of having won you for his bride, would be calculated to disturb the elaborate arrangement of sundry pads and belts, poor, dear old duck! But joking apart, Isola, what good fun it would be, were he to take a fancy to you! Were I in

your place, I would certainly exert my powers of fascination to the utmost, it would be such a romantic, delicious thing to have one's guardian for a lover, just what one reads of in novels, and in these prosaic times, it would be something refreshing-delightful."

My own private opinion differed widely from hers, but I only laughed, and told her that I was not such an incorrigible flirt as she was, and that I had no wish to distinguish myself by the number of my conquests.

"So you say;" she remarked, in a provoking tone, "but I am very curious to hear more about Mr. Grey's visit to D'Arville Castle -to me it looks very suspicious, come now, confess."

I suddenly discovered that I must hurry home to Lady Ravensden, as I was to accompany her to one of the theatres.

No, Leila was too giddy. I could not trust her with any confessions. Pleasant and affectionate as our intercourse was, there were none of the mutual confidences upon "important nothings" between us, which generally exist between girls calling each other friends.

The reason might have been, that I did not seek her confidence, having a sensitive shrinking from anything which looked in the least like prying curiosity, and I withheld mine from her, fancying that she was giddy and thoughtless.

But I wronged her. The surface was sparkling, reflecting the sunshine which fell on her pathway; but there were hidden depths -rich founts of feeling lying hidden in her heart, which I little suspected then.

CHAPTER III.

"In the Great World-which being interpreted,
Meaneth the West End of a city,

And about twice two thousand people bred,
By no means to be very wise or witty,
But to sit up while others lie in bed,
And look down on the universe with pity."

BYRON

I was now fairly launched in life-that species of life, at least, which is denoted when the expression is used, "such a young lady is come out ;" and dinners, balls, operas and fêtes followed each other in such rapid succession, that I had hardly any time for reflection.

My chaperon was never weary. Often when I have felt half dead with fatigue, she has proposed some fresh pleasure, and wondered much if I did not feel inclined for it also.