destiny from mine, thither he resolved to accompany me. My father's town and country house, with all the accessories of his unbounded opulence, were sold. What we intended to retire to was some pleasant cottage villa, not on so mean a scale as to exclude the idea of elegance. How he was misled in the tempting description of the Lodge," continued Julia, smiling," my brother, in his own humourous manner, best can tell you; but I shall never complain of the deficiencies of that abode where I first became acquainted with my amiable Amelia." Miss De Ross sighed deeply.-" Your sufferings have been unusually great, my sweet friend," she replied; "yet surely much is compensated in possessing such a brother as Mr. Somerville." 66 True," answered Julia; "yet still this paragon is not without his faults, though ev'n his failings lean to virtue's side.' I could mention the greatest of them in the words of an apologue, composed by a fo reign princess*, upon the character of her son. All the fairies,' said she, vied with each other, upon the birth of this young prince, to distinguish him by their gifts. They endowed him with beauty, wit, valour, and understanding. I will undo the effect of all these precious possessions,' said a maleficent fairy, by the addition of a single quality—good-nature!' And," continued Julia, "though it may seem a paradox to assert it, if ever Horatio should fail in any of his duties, I am sure it will be by the excess of that virtue. Still the steadiness of his character has other enemies more dangerous-vanity and pride. Somerville has more false pride than any man in England." Julia paused; in the earnestness of her concern, that the being she loved above all others should not be more perfect, she had imprudently revealed his faults to a comparative stranger. Immediately conscious *The princess palatine, mother of the regent, Philip duke of Orleans. scious of her error" How unamiable I have been," she thought," thus to expose the few failings of my too-kind brother!" But surprise was added to her other emotions, when she observed the effect her observation had on Miss De Ross. Amelia listened, with downcast eyes, ou while a burning blush suffused her cheek; and when at length those mild eyes were raised, Julia observed them to be swimming in tears. A new idea darted into her mind, which she knew not whether to repulse, or welcome with pleasure.She tenderly pressed Amelia's hand; and to avoid letting her see she suspected her seeret, affected an air of gaiety, and resumed -"Now I have fulfilled my promise, it is your turn to recount your adventures." "The events of my life have been too simple and uniform," Amelia replied, " to Obe worthy of exciting curiosity?" and here the subject ended. vingatoo eco During the period of his shortlived in fatuation, Julia, in hopes of bringing back So ther TALES OF A TOURIST. 263 her brother to a purer taste, had often contrasted the vulgar coquetry of Eliza Sanderson with the dignified elegance of Miss De Ross. 66 She wants animation," was Horatio's laconic reply; but since that period, something or other had convinced him Amelia was not so deficient in animation as he at first supposed, and he began to contemplate her character with more complacency. The interest excited in the brother and sister by the gentle, unassuming manners of Miss De Ross, did not diminish the regard with which they beheld the unfortunate Lascelles, for whom the warm-hearted Horatio had conceived a very lively and sincere friendship, Mogen T Accustomed to trace every impulse and action to its source, Julia, upon reflection, doubted whether she had been right in not immediately, communicating to her brother the information of Miss Ravenshawe. She had accordingly acquainted Horatio with every particular, and he agreed agreed with her to stay till they had lesssuspected evidence, before they discarded from their esteem a person who seemed at first every way worthy of it." When family-quarrels are spoken of in the world," he observed," the usual mode of judging is to say that there are faults on both sides. This apparently-lenient decision may be, in many cases, a mere commonplace, uttered to avoid the trouble of entering more deeply into the question; but in this one, we may fairly conclude, from his general character, it is the least that can be urged in favour of Lascelles, and I should sincerely regret to deprive him of the consolation he seems to derive from our sympathy and society." Lascelles was, in consequence, a pretty frequent visitor at the Lodge; and as he and Miss De Ross were both perfectly well-bred people, they seemed, by a kind of intuition, to discover the days and hours in which they would be sure to avoid meeting each other. His little girl, Celestina, |