last few hours, and the sounds of mirth which flew round him now for the first time jarred with dissonance on his ear. The party were hovering round the card-table, as if waiting for his arrival to enter upon the night's diversions.

Waldegrave, who was anxious to conceal his state of mind, bowed to the company, and passed on quickly to the refreshment-table. There, having filled and quaffed off successively two tumblers of wine, he turned to address Lady Hermione, who seemed incapable of raising her eyes from the ground.

He inquired in a tone of marked kindness after her health, and then, to relieve her embarrassment, approached the card-table; he had just time to observe that she was more brilliantly decorated than he had ever before seen her, probably having found it necessary to call in the artificial aid of dress to disguise the dejection of her spirits.

They then took their seats round the card-table,

"You must be on your guard to-night," said Lady Hermione, gayly addressing Waldegrave; "Signor Rossi is in a very rapacious mood, and you know that he is at all times a formidable enemy."

Waldegrave heard these words without understanding them, thanked her mechanically, and almost indifferent to his loss or gain, played with a carelessness which immediately rekindled the eagle-eyed avarice of his wary antagonist. Rossi perceived his opportunity at a glance, and by a nice series of tactics, contrived to keep his victim and companions in total ignorance of the destructive schemes which he instantaneously planned.

He assumed an abstracted air, affected to play negligently, and Waldegrave, contrary to expectation, won an inconsiderable sum. They staked higher and higher each game, when suddenly the stream of good fortune turned rapidly from Waldegrave, who, as fast as his purse paid forfeit, levied a tax on Lady Hermione's wine.

When Henry had lost to a treble amount of what he had previously gained, Sir Arthur, anxiously observing the copious draughts with which he drenched himself, followed by a proportionate incapacity to direct the politics of his game, proposed that they should adjourn till the following day, but Waldegrave, whose fever of brain each desperate moment heightened, triumphantly remembering his late success, insisted on making another attempt to retrieve his fortune,

while Rossi, affecting to be concerned for his ill luck, urged him on to take his revenge.

Vainly did Sir Arthur in the last game, which was to annihilate or double Waldegrave's debt, whose loss in the latter case must have been enormous, by signs and looks endeavour to call Henry's attention to his actual situation. He played like a madman, and Rossi, who probably foresaw that this would be their finale, skilfully led him on, till the fatal blow being struck, the cards were suddenly thrown down, and when towards morning they arose from the table, it appeared that Waldegrave had lost a formidable sum, which, with his former debts, made an aggregate of twenty thousand pounds. Lady Hermione looked truly grief-stricken, while she darted at Rossi glances of reproachful indignation..

The distracted state of Waldegrave's mind had rendered him hitherto almost unconscious of a misfortune which all but himself were estimating with astonishment.

But he was now awakened to a sense of his imprudence, and bitterly he thought on Lord Egmont. "Nothing can make my state worse,' thought he, as wildly laughing he prepared to take leave of his friends.

Rossi was all obsequiousness, assured Waldegrave that if he persevered in playing, he would soon regain a hundredfold the trifle for a moment forfeited; that meanwhile the debt was not of moment, and would require no immediate attention; moreover, that he, Rossi, would accept whatever accommodation Mr. Waldegrave might find convenient.

Waldegrave bowed in silence, and, as he hurried on, pressed Lady Hermione's hand, whose look of deep dejection could not fail of touching his heart at a moment of such aggra vated distress.

He wandered along the Strada Nuova till the stars were diminishing in the clear heaven. The coolness of the nightair restored his pulses to their natural state, and with despairing horror he contemplated the situation to which his madness had reduced him.

It was late ere he returned to his lodgings, which were entered at the same moment by Arnoldi.

Waldegrave, to whose memory the morning's affair now returned, guessed quickly the cause of his visit. The Prince said his business would be very short :-" In fact, it will be told in two minutes; I am come to beg you will be so

obliging as to mention the place, time, and weapons. You will give me satisfaction ere the next sun go down.'

"I must first inquire," said Waldegrave, "upon what subject you require satisfaction."

At these words Arnoldi's assumed dignity forsook him. In violent language he complained of his injuries, which could only be effaced by his own blood or Waldegrave's. Henry exhorted him to be calm, and represented that his anger probably proceeded from some cause which might bear an easy and satisfactory explanation, but this only inflamed the Prince's impatience.

The weapons, place, and hour (eight o'clock the next morning) were named, and Arnoldi took his leave. Henry then repaired to Sir Arthur Howard's, who had just arrived at his own lodgings from Lady Hermione's, with whom he generally lingered after her party had dispersed.

"I am come," said Waldegrave, entering Sir Arthur's room, "to request your assistance in a small affair." "With all my heart," returned the Baronet; "but as I can easily guess the matter, I am compelled to say, though I grieve to refuse you any thing, that if you require me to stand security for this unfortunate debt to Rossi, I am afraid I should hardly be accepted, having a few little difficulties of my own in that way. But if you want to bribe Rossi's patience, here are a hundred louis at your service, which is the sum at present in my possession."

"A thousand thanks," said Waldegrave; "but that is not my business. With due respect to Rossi's worthlessness, my debt is at this moment a very subordinate consideration; but that hot fellow, Arnoldi, desires me to fight him in about three hours' time at and I want your presence. Sir Arthur's countenance grew very long. “What the deuce are you to fight him about?"

"He has not thought proper to tell me," replied Waldegrave, "his passion choked him when I requested an explanation; but I can easily imagine the cause, which a more gentle kind of explanation had sufficed to remove, if he would have listened to me."

"Oh, this must be arranged," said Sir Arthur. "I will go to him directly; but have you any objection to tell me what you suspect to be the particular origin of his resent ment ?"

"I conclude," said Waldegrave," that he did not apprvoe

of my accompanying Lady Hermione to Baia. I can only say that the brilliancy of the weather invited us (we sailed farther than we had intended certainly); but during the greater part of our absence I had been wandering alone, and had not been in Lady Hermione's company more than ten minutes when you appeared."

"Oh, we shall manage this, I trust," said Sir Arthur. "Arnoldi is very peppery, and as jealous as the deuce. You were both a little imprudent in this matter, it must be confessed; but you must be more on your guard for the future; and do remember, my dear Waldegrave, that this is a land where the blood flows boiling hot.

"I do not see,” replied Waldegrave, "that I have done any thing so imprudent, nor why Arnoldi should call me to account."

"Why, you knew," said Sir Arthur, "the first time you saw him, that they were supposed to be engaged."

"Oh, yes," said Waldegrave; "but there is no proof of that; besides, if there were, am I to refuse going with her to Baia? I conclude, while she remains unmarried, that she is mistress of herself; but I will not trouble you further with this foolish affair. If you can in any honourable way settle it amicably, so much the better; if not, death never could be more welcome to me, since life was never so despicable."

Sir Arthur then took his hat, and promised to join Waldegrave at his lodgings, when he had brought matters to a conclusion.

There Waldegrave passed two hours ere Sir Arthur appeared, when the unusual gravity of the Baronet's counte nance at once told the result of his visit.

"I have been unable to do any thing with him; he persists in asserting, that ever since you came here you have endeavoured to seduce Lady Hermione's affections. He is persuaded that the excursion to Baia was premeditated, and undertaken as a kind of defiance on your part, and that the time is come for him to demand a redress of his injuries, There remains but one way of preventing this mischief, which is, secretly to advertise Lady Hermione of it; if she—-—”

"I beg," said Waldegrave, hastily interrupting the Baronet," if you value your honour, or rather mine, that you will not think of such a project; women have nothing to do in these affairs. All I request is, that in case I fall, you

would tell her the quarrel was not of my seeking; and say -no, that is enough."

Sir Arthur traversed the room with rapid strides, and in bis flushed countenance and hurried tone might be read the agitation of his mind, in which, perchance, were not unmingled some fleeting pangs of self-reproach.

"Well, truly," said he, " I am very sorry for this event, as I was some hours ago for that confounded sum of money you lost. This, however, is the worst business of the two, But how Lady Hermione, who is generally so sagacious a politician, could have led you into such a predicament, when she knows that choleric fellow stands sentinel over her very looks, ready to cut any one's throat who speaks twice to her, I am at a loss to conceive."

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Why does she submit to such a surveillance?" asked Waldegrave.

"Why, poor thing," said Sir Arthur, "what can she do? She cannot turn him off, because, if nothing better presents itself, she must take up with him at last."

"Marry him!" exclaimed Waldegrave, "surely you do not suspect Lady Hermione of being so spiritless."

"I see nothing spiritless in it," said Sir Arthur; "I think, on the contrary, that Lady Hermione honours her understanding by consulting her own interest so liberally. But, my dear Waldegrave, I will not occupy your time with that woman. I am sure you must have some affairs to dispose of; so now farewell for a short time ;" and as Sir Arthur withdrew, Waldegrave observed that he was much affected.

It was well for our hero that the period allowed for selfcommunion was very brief, the bitterness of which to one, stimulated by no strong passion, and thus throwing away the fairest prospects and the bright hopes of all he valued most, must necessarily be overpowering.

So Henry felt in endeavouring to stiffe the rising weakness which Sir Arthur's unexpected friendship had excited, In a letter to Lord Egmont he detailed, with many expressions of his late remorse, all the circumstances of his misfortunes, and implored his father's blessings and forgiveness.

He then wrote a few lines to Lady Hermione, deeply lamenting the pain he must unwillingly give her, and conjuring her to forget one so entirely unworthy her affections. His last adieu was addressed to Edgar, in which, with much feeling, he bade his earliest companion remember their long