was not to blame, she would have been ready in time, if the day had not been changed. Unfortunately, only the day of the month had been thought of, when the journey was planned; it fell on a Friday, and Mrs. Patterson was aghast at the discovery; she would go on Thursday, or wait till Saturday, but on that unlucky day she would not stir from home. Her son was quite indifferent himself about the matter, but the friend who was to take his duty was coming to the Rectory on Saturday, and Mrs. Allan wished to allow a little time to prepare for his reception, and was also unwilling to spare a day from their stay at Framsley: and so it came to pass that on Wednesday morning Helen had plenty of employment before her.

"I am going out," said Mrs. Patterson directly after breakfast," but I shall not want you, child, for you have enough upon your hands, and I shall be a good while, for I have some shopping to do."

Helen acquiesced thankfully, knowing that she was of very little use on such occasions, and she was glad to be left at liberty, to prepare for the morrow; only, what the important purchases could be, that were to take up so much time, she was at a loss to imagine. Nor was she less puzzled when hearing Mrs. Patterson return some three hours after, she went to meet her inthe hall, and found the chairs filled with several large parcels, packed apparently to go some distance.

"I am very tired, Helen," said the old lady, when Turner had relieved her of her bonnet and shawl, and she was comfortably settled in her arm-chair.

"You have been out so long, and done so much business, ma'am," answered Helen cheerfully, "I hope you are not too tired."

"I rather wanted you; I don't know how I shall get on without you, but you need not fancy I do not like you to go, only you must not stay away very long."

"I will come back the very minute you wish me, unless anything unforeseen happens to prevent me."

"All those parcels you see in the hall are going into Cumberland. Allan worries me into thinking I ought to help those Greys; I had much rather help them at a distance, than near, so I have been buying all sorts of things for them. I wish I had never seen that Mrs. Lendon, I didn't like her looks at all.”

"If you had not known who she was, perhaps......" Helen began.

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me."

Nonsense, child, instinct would have told

After dinner Mrs. Patterson was less tired, and in a much better temper; she presented Helen with a pretty dress, and a very complete travelling writing case, and then listened to her thanks, and watched her examining her presents with great complacency, till it was time to compose herself for her nap.

"Now you may go and pack up what I have given you, and mind you use that dandified thing, for the first time, to write to me."

Helen was delighted with her presents, and not a little gratified that Mrs. Patterson should wish to hear from her, though it was rather a perilous honour, considering how often she had been lectured for her illegible writing.

CHAPTER XIII.

'Bisogna far quel che si deve fare, e non già tutto quello chi si vuole."-POMANTI.

Tom Bennet met Helen at the station with the light cart to carry herself and her luggage to Stoke, and amused himself, the greater part of the way, with exciting her curiosity about some wonderful event that he said was shortly to be expected. In the first hurry of meeting her friends, she forgot her mystification, but they were.no sooner settled round the teatable, than it recurred to her memory, and she was only prevented requesting an explanation, by her uncle saying—

"Well, Helen, I thought we were never to see you again, and now you are come just in time to be a bridesmaid."

"Oh, father!" said Mary.

"Are you going to be married, Mary?" asked Helen; "what a shame that I should have heard nothing of it! then that was what Tom was teasing me about as we came along."

"If you had not come now, I must have

written to tell you all about it, but I put it off to the last, because I hoped we should see you here."

"Well, but who is the bridegroom, and when is the wedding to be?"

"The bridegroom is your old acquaintance George Severn," said Mr. Bennet, "they have been thinking of it some time, and he has now just taken a farm; so as soon as the house is ready, I suppose we shall have the wedding."

"I hope you will be at it, Helen," said her cousin.

"It will be very soon if I am, for I must not stay long, and I do not know when I shall be able to leave Mrs. Patterson again.”

"We'll see what can be done," said Mr. Bennet. "I say 'Happy's the wooing that's not long a doing.' Why don't you get married yourself, Helen?"

"That is not very likely to happen," returned Helen, laughing, "unless I marry Mr. Chene, the doctor, and he might be my grandfather." Ah, your turn will come some day."

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"I am not sure," said Mrs. Bennet, "that she may not be quite as well off, if her turn never Her poor mother would have been a far happier woman if she had not married."

comes.

Mr. Bennet shook his head; it was a true, though an ill-timed observation, and it damped the spirits of the party. A pleasant evening walk, however, set all right again; and Helen listened with the greatest interest to her cousin's