The guests assembled in the drawingroom had resumed their former situations. Mr. Tom Birkit had recovered the shock into which he had been thrown. "A

little water clear'd him of this deed."

Julia could not forbear stealing a glance towards the involuntary author of the disturbance, but tried in vain to detect, in his countenance, the smallest sign of selfreproach. He was standing in conversation with a venerable old gentleman, who seemed to belong to the neutral party; and though a degree of concentrated haughtiness, if not disdain, for a moment marked his fine features, as his eye encountered those of his enemies, the expression had immediately given place to one more becoming a gentleman and a Christian.

Cards soon reduced the whole company to a level, and Miss Somerville managed that Mr. Lascelles should be the partner of the venerable old gentleman. A degree of constraint, however, marked the

remainder

remainder of the evening; and the greatest satisfaction Julia received from it was this lesson of experience, never, in the country, to invite people together, whom she had not previously met at each other's houses.

The next morning she devoted to arranging her books in a small sitting-room, which her brother had given up for her use. Horatio assisted in the consultation, till obliged to go out on an appointment; and on reviewing the incidents of the preceding evening, the brother and sister could not forbear commenting on the strange perverseness of the females of the place, to whom ill-breeding, forwardness, and folly, seemed a recommendation; while the only man of merit among them was shunned like a pestilence, and left, as he himself had expressed it, to endure as he might his joyless existence alone.

After her brother's departure, these re flections still occupied Julia's mind, till the arrival of a female visitor, Miss Be

linda Birkit. She came to talk over the party of the preceding evening, and had not tact enough to avoid an allusion disagreeable to her hostess." It was a most agreeable day," she observed; "at least we were all so pleasant till that Mr. Lascelles came in!"

Julia determined to avail herself of her ill-breeding to ask some questions respecting Lascelles." He does not seem in high favour," she observed.

"Favour! He wants no favours from any body," retorted Miss Belinda Birkit. By the care of his friend, lord Rothbury, he is amply provided for."

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"I mean," resumed Julia, thinking she really misunderstood her, Mr. Lascelles appears to stand with many in an unfavourable light."

Light! It was almost dark when he came in-he, he, he!" resumed the wit. "To be sure there is such a thing as standing in one's own light; but that Mr. Lascelles was never accused of-ha, ha, ha!"

Julia was perfectly overpowered by this unexpected display of country wit. She had yet to learn that Miss Belinda aspired to emulate her ingenious brother, and so far surpassed him in this sort of snip-snap war, that she would have been no contemptible assistant in contriving to puzzle Julia was not quite discouraged; she asked-" How long has Mr. Lascelles lived here?"

a cause.

"Here!" repeated Miss Bell, with her usual little lively shriek; "Mr. Lascelles never lived here!"

"I mean," resumed the fair questioner, a little disconcerted, "how long has he lived at Rothbury?"

"I beg your pardon; I thought you meant the Lodge-he, he, he! Mr. Lascelles never lived at Rothbury."

"And yet,” resumed Julia, disgusted by the pertinacious ill-breeding with which Miss Birkit seemed determined to pervert her words, "he is styled rector of Rothbury."

"Yes,

"Yes, my dear; but Ivied Porch is half-a-mile out of the town-Mr. Lascelles is not an inhabitant of the town of Rothbury."

"His situation must be unpleasant," continued Julia, with an absent air. "Unpleasant! Ivied Porch fronts the south. He has the finest exposure possible for wall-fruit. Nobody can call it an unpleasant situation-he, he!"

"I do not mean the emplacement of his house," resumed Miss Somerville, quite provoked, "but the terms on which he is with his neighbours; that would render any situation unpleasant."

"Emplacement!" repeated Miss Bell, deridingly. "Oh, it is very possible his situation may be unpleasant in French, but every one allows it to be charming in English-ha, ha, ha!"

Finding it impossible to get a rational answer from one so determinately unpolite as Miss Bell, Julia desisted from the ungrateful attempt; and then the lady informed