sorry indeed to see my wife so independent of custom and opinion, as to set them at defiance; no woman can do so without injury to herself. If you were to make a practice of walking such distances alone, you might soon be, as Lady Frant so happily observes, the talk of the town, especially if the Burlington Arcade were your favourite place of resort."

"But you are not angry with me, Harry ?" "So far from it, my love, that I give you all the credit in the world for your wish to please me, and your spirit in going through what you had undertaken-only, don't do it again, that's all I saw Claude Malahide myself yesterday, and it struck me that he seemed in a deuced hurry to get away!"

"Do you think he wished to avoid you?— why should he?”

"It would be natural to say he had seen you had been walking with you an hour or two before; but he would not like to do so, for fear. of showing you up. He could not tell that you were not stealing a march in my absence."

66

Oh, Harry!"

"Those are the kind of suspicions you

would lay yourself open to, my love. If I were to meet Fitzcharles's pretty wife in the Burlington Arcade, and walk home with her, I should certainly not mention it to Fitzcharles." "Oh, Harry! then I fear you must be annoyed at me!".

་

"Indeed, love, I am not; and, to prove it to you, as soon as I have changed my things, I will set off to Lady Frant's, listen to all she has to say, and when she has well worked herself up, and thinks she has excited my jealous indignation to the utmost, I will inform her quietly that I knew the whole before, and that such is my confidence in my wife, that whereever she walks, or whoever she walks with, I am persuaded she is as safe as with me. Won't that do ?"

"Oh, dear Harry! how charming of you!"

He was as good as his word; and the scene that ensued, whilst it afforded him no small amusement, served to show forth in a new and striking light the beautiful modesty and refinement of feeling for which the Dowager and her daughters were so remarkable. They talked of that innate delicacy-that purity of

soul without which woman would be revolting -of the bloom of the peach, so soon rubbed off of their own agonies and blushes on the previous day-and Lord Henry only laughed -they recommended vigorous measures, and the exercise of firm marital authority to prevent the recurrence of such scenes, and he suddenly became grave, and observed that authority was the last thing he should dream of employing with Edith. They mistook the matter he was not upon those terms with her at all; she did what she liked, and he was quite sure what she liked to do must be right. It ended in his jocularly complimenting the Ladies Curran on the remarkable brightness of their complexions-(they were crimson with indignation)—the remains, he supposed, of yesterday's blushes; and then smilingly shaking the tips of Lady Frant's fingers, which she extended to him with more than her usual frigidity. But he had no sooner closed the door, than turning to her daughters with an expression of countenance which spoke volumes, that exemplary woman uttered these emphatic words"The man's a fool-that's quite evident; but if he likes his wife to go wrong, why! with all my heart!"

CHAPTER IX.

sad sufferer under nameless ill,

That yields not to the touch of human skill,
Improve the kind occasion-understand

A Father's frown, and kiss His chast'ning hand.'

COWPER.

Remove your thought—it doth abuse your bosom,'
OTHELLO,

EDITH was one day driving with a distant relation of her husband's, when she suddenly caught sight of Marie Montgomerie returning wearily home with her pupil from their afternoon walk. Lady Henry leant eagerly forward, and kissed her hand;-it grieved her to see how worn and shadowy the poor girl looked. But the change which that single instant produced in Marie's countenance was something almost magical. Her face lighted up with

extraordinary animation as she caught sight of Edith; her soft grey eyes dilated with pleasure, and even a casual observer might have read volumes of feeling in their dark liquid depths, whilst a colour, delicate as the roseate tints of a sea-shell, diffused itself over her usually pale face. It would be difficult to conceive anything more lovely than Marie Montgomerie looked at that moment.

The carriage had driven up to the side of the pavement, and awaited her coming. Nothing could be more cordial than Edith's greeting.

"I am so charmed to meet you!" she exclaimed; "for I knew not how to get at you, not visiting your relations. -Lady Montgomery," turning to her companion," you must forgive me for keeping you waiting, but this is a friend I have not seen since my marriage, and we used to be next door neighbours. She is a namesake of yours, too! Miss Montgomerie."

Marie blushed still deeper at this introduction; but the sight of the beautiful countenance, full of benignant kindness that was turned towards her, was very re-assuring.