my brother! what if the extent of my fond fears should prove true! if the tenderness for which you have exchanged every other domestic delight, instead of the spotless effusions of a virgin heart, should be only the studied result of a faint reminiscence of that spontaneous preference felt for an earlier claimant !"

The following day nothing occurred to confirm the apprehensions of Julia. Amelia behaved remarkably well; and in a subsequent visit that captain De Ross, as a relation, paid at the house, she neither evinced a suspicious degree of interest or indifference.

Julia's maid, Mrs. Marsden, had previously lived some years in the Lulworth family, and was perfectly acquainted with every particular of Mrs. Somerville's early history. For three mortal days and nights, this faithful damsel waited, in an agony of communicativeness, in hopes that her young mistress would give her some pretext for disburthening a part of her knowledge.

ledge. Vain was her hope of obtaining such an opportunity from the modest and discreet Julia. At length human patience could hold out no more; and as Mrs. Marsden was undressing her lady, she thus spoke-" Well, to be sure, miracles will never cease! Only to think, ma'am, of young captain De Ross's coming to life again! I was never so surprised in all my born days! But I doubt there were other folks more surprised than I was However, as I used to say to Mr. Linton, I dare to say it's all for the best; and there can't be a handsomer and sweetertempered gentleman in the world than Mr. Somerville.”

"And what has Mr. Somerville to do with captain De Ross's return ?" said Ju lia, gravely.

"Do you ask me, ma'am?" replied the cautious waiting-woman?

66

Certainly I ask you the meaning of that expression."

"Do you ask me, ma'am?" repeated

"

Marsden, delighted. "Why then I'll tell you the whole story. But when first I came into this family, Mrs. Somerville (my young lady, Miss Amelia that was) told me never to mention even that she knew captain De Ross, unless you should ask me something about it: and you can't but say, ma'am, I've faithfully obeyed her orders."

Having thus carefully satisfied her scruples, the conscientious waiting-woman went on-"To be sure they were a charming couple; and if ever there was a pair of true loviers on earth, it was Miss Amelia and captain De Ross. But what was to be done? He'd no money, and she had no money; and my lady said it could never come to good. Yet still my lord was so fond of his nephew, and Mr. De Ross and he were such friends, and, all things con-. sidered, to my thinking it would have been brought to bear but for Miss Ravenshawe. Well, ma'am, she flounced and bounced, and said, if ever the matter was mentioned again, she'd have no more hand

in her niece's concerns she would give her up entirely-there was an end of it. So my lord was afraid of her fine fortune going out of the family, and he gave way; and captain De Ross went off, in a kind of despair like, on a hexpetition to the hexterior of Africa; and Miss Amelia was sent home to her aunt Ravenshawe's."

Here Julia recollected the hatred Mrs. Somerville had expressed for Miss Ravenshawe, and shuddered. Marsden resumed -"Well, ma'am, as Miss Amelia had met with her cousin De Ross one time she was staying at Torpington Castle, her aunt Ravenshawe, who had adopted her like, was quite shy of letting her go among her friends for any time again; and she led her a stupid sort of life at home, keeping her from every thing she liked, and making her to do all she disliked, till at last the news came of captain De Ross's having been eaten up by the savages; and for a long time Miss Amelia never smiled more. And she lost all her fine colour-that she

never recovered, and became quite another thing to what she had been, though still very pretty, ma'am, as you see. But, ma'am, if you had ever seen her, as I have, at Torpington, with her brother and captain De Ross, bounding, for all the world, like a nymph of the woods, as the man in the book says-well, though Miss Ravenshawe never cleverly forgave the affair of captain De Ross, it was always my angel niece' in public, and all her desire was to marry her off to some gentleman of fortune; for she was constantly afraid she would give her the slip, and patch up some marriage for herself, like Miss Anna De Ross-Mrs. Lascelles, I mean. Ay, that was another bad match,' as the man in the play says; and I'm sure, if ever there was a Christian man belied, it was Mr. Lascelles."

Julia had several times experienced a desire to check the loquacity of her waiting-maid. Still there was an interest in the name of Lascelles, that made her un

willing