He felt as if some net were closing round him from which there was no escape; but he followed her as she asked, and they entered the room together. The duchess embraced our heroine take a prominent part in the House, with effusion, exclaiming:

THE DUCHESS OF CLEVEDON

53

former will talk about what he does | ly until the dressing-bell rung, the not understand, and assumes an infal- duchess making them all forget how libility on every subject, to which late it was by relating some very good even the dear old pope would not pre- stories, which she had brought with tend." her from London. She had a great talent for society; had lived in it all her life from almost a child; knew every one, went everywhere, and was generally liked-at all events, in her own set--giving herself fewer airs than fine ladies usually do, and being, when it suited her, decidedly agreeable and good-natured. not come in her way; she would crush you like a worm if you did; and poor Geraldine at this moment was most certainly in her way.

The voluble lady stopped at last, and Arthur thanked her courteously for her good opinion of himself, and endeavored to turn the conversation by asking her if she had been to see the Exhibition of Old Masters, then on view at Burlington House.

She had, and she was in raptures over one of Sir Joshua's--a little child in a mob cap and mittens. "Why cannot people paint such pictures now? - Geraldine, love, when your chick is old enough, you must ask Mr. l'Estrange to do a picture of her just in that style. Ah! I forgot; it's a boy. What a bore!-though it was quite right for the first."

Our heroine colored again; one of those hot, violent blushes she so detested. She felt angry with herself, and called herself school-girlish, missyish -all that she most hated. Mr. l'Estrange did not think her this; but she seemed to know that the woman of the world despised her.

But then you must

CHAPTER XIII.

"The lady never made unwilling war with those fine eyes."

I HAVE said that Arthur l'Estrange was a good man. It dawned upon him very slowly that there could be any thing unworthy in the friendship which existed, and was evidently of long standing, between the Duchess of Clevedon and Trevelyan's haughty owner. He took a dislike to her at

It was a relief to them all when Colonel Trevelyan appeared, looking the commencement of their acquaintso handsome and manly in his shoot-ance, and her flattering civilities to ing-attire that most women would have thought him irresistible. He had perfect manners, too, when he chose; his good-humor had returned; and he was particularly pleased to find that Mr. l'Estrange had not left, as her grace wished to meet him; and she was apt to be imperious in her desires.

The talk went on glibly and gay

himself failed to overcome the aversion. He particularly resented her manner to Geraldine; it was so fawningly affectionate, but patronizing; and Mr. l'Estrange thought he detected a latent sneer in it. To Colonel Trevelyan it was all that was open and friendly; and Arthur would probably have come to the end of his visit without suspecting any

thing unusual, but that the proud and | ment to both. Geraldine learned to overbearing man was so evidently look forward to them, and to listen frightened by her grace, so deprecatory in his attentions to her, so painfully anxious to promote a good understanding between the duchess and his wife, and yet to allow no intimacy between them.

with a pleasure quite unfeigned to the artist's enthusiastic admiration of some Turners which had lain in a portfolio for years; and though only sketches, were beautiful as Turner's earlier manner was-beautiful as no other watercolors have ever been or ever will bewith expression and tenderness and color and touch all combined. Geraldine, when she found how much these sketches were admired, had other portfolios hunted out, and a unique collection of water-color drawings was thus unearthed from cupboards and drawers, affording unmixed pleasure to both. He knew so well how to point out every beauty, and she so intelligently appreciated all he said, that when the servant came to light the lamps, they neither of them could believe how late it was. They talked principally about art. Mr. l'Estrange had seen all the finest pictures in Italy and elsewhere, and tried to describe some of them to his young hostess, who, during her brief honeymoon, had walked through the Louvre, and remembered some of the treasures there. Then they talked of the lives of artists-how much earlier they achieved great renown in old days than now-how much more they real

The other men had left, and the colonel and his lady guest either hunted, or, when the hounds did not meet, they generally rode together. Arthur accompanied them sometimes, but more than once had felt de trop; and her grace, though a good horsewoman, was a most tiresome one, always requiring some attention or some difference of pace, and pretending to be alarmed at what really was a matter of perfect indifference to her. So it generally ended in his coming in earlier than the others; and finding some remains of light in the picture-gallery, he used to set to work, and occasionally he found Geraldine there, for it was one of her favorite resorts with the baby on those long winter days. Sometimes they hardly spoke beyond the merest civilities, at others they talked incessantly, principally about pictures. Mr. l'Estrange advised Geraldine to have drawing-lessons when she went to London. He foresaw long hours of solitude for her; and he knew by experience that nothing is so engross-ly studied and made it the business ing and all-absorbing as drawing. She had a good eye for color, had already mastered some of the drudgery, and was likely to find great pleasure and delight in sketching from nature, which she passionately loved. These long afternoons were times of great enjoy

of life than modern painters do. Of course, they moralized upon all this; but I dont think they ever even came near any sentimentalities.--Geraldine had a very healthy mind, but a most vivid imagination. Mr. l'Estrange saw that her intellect required culti

MR. L'ESTRANGE'S ADVICE.

55

vation, though in some things her | the world, did not see danger in this education had not been deficient. intimacy, innocent though it was, be

tween Mr. l'Estrange and his young wife. But, though he had ceased to be in love with her, he put implicit faith in her goodness and purity; and if he thought about it at all, he would have laughed and said, "An ugly fellow like L'Estrange could have no chance against himself." Like all exceedingly handsome men, he was inor

She played the piano really in a manner which gave pleasure to her hearers, not so much for its brilliancy, as for her feeling and exquisite touch. Those parts of history which had interested her she was thoroughly versed in, and up to any discussions. She knew more of history than of other things, because it touched her imagination, and she had a marvellous mem-dinately vain, and believed himself ory. Many pages of Lamartine's "Gi- omnipotent. He would have sneered rondins" she could repeat by heart, at the idea that any woman could preand she tried to convert Mr. l'Estrange fer talking to a clever and cultivated to like that author. He replied that man, when he, whose beauty was so French sentiment could not touch him, universally acknowledged and adit was so false. She quoted longmired, was present. His ideal of wompages from her favorite authors. Her en was low, and always had been, knowledge of poetry, too, was exten- even when a boy; and he had married sive; and she had acquired the habit too late in life to be taught a different of learning a fresh piece every day. lesson now. Mr. l'Estrange advised her to begin a regular course of reading, and gave her the names of books, both tough and light, which he recommended. He saw with dismay that it was an atmosphere in which all that was brilliant in her imagination would either wither or feed upon itself—that she would grow weary of herself and of her self-imposed tasks without any one to share her interest in them. She had read a great deal with her father, who, though not exactly intellectual, was extremely painstaking, and to a certain extent studious; and Geraldine's bright intelligence had responded readily to all he tried to teach her.

My readers will wonder that Colonel Trevelyan, so eminently a man of

Reader, if a man tells you that he has no belief in women-that they are all bad, heartless, frivolous, inconstant-distrust his past. A good man may outlive many good things, but he will never outlive the instinct which makes a baby boy cling to his mother before all the world, and which makes that same baby, grown to a man, cleave to the one woman whom he has wooed and won, in sickness and health, in adversity and prosperity, through all life's journey, acknowledging her influence ever more and more as time goes on-loving her with a holier love-reverencing her with a deeper veneration, and recognizing that God's best gift, especially to the busy man, is a wise, tender, Christian wife. Meantime the weeks went on.

The duchess had been at Trevel- | all in all to you-who wakes your layan a fortnight, and still she did not tent enthusiasm, helps you to be your talk of leaving, and still Arthur highest and truest self, sympathizes watched her uneasily and dared not with your discouragement and your leave. It seemed such a home for failures, but still urges you to fight that pure, gentle, confiding girl; he the battle which should end in victory so dreaded that some day her eyes to us all-is to make an end of life; so would be opened, or that some gossip- that with Job we could wish we were ing friend would enlighten her; for dead, or say with the patriarch Jacob, he could not doubt that at one period "Few and evil have the days of my of their lives the duchess and his host life been." had been more to each other than the world would approve. He lingered on; and nothing could well be sweeter to both, or more entirely innocent, than his long talks with Geraldine upon men and things-books read and discussed together-passages read by Geraldine in the morning, and kept for him to look over in the afternoon -attempts she made with her pencil, and which were corrected by him. It was not wise; for, had there never been any thought of love between these two, this was the way to make it take root and grow up; and if nothing worse came of it, how sadly must this exceptional and sweet companionship be missed some day by both!

So suited were these two to each other, that I could not but grieve when I saw them together, and recollected that a mischievous fate had forever severed them-that they never could be any thing to each other; and that, moreover, there was danger in their friendship, pure though it was, and good though they both were. They loved each other still, almost unconsciously; for the girl was too innocent to believe that it was possible to love except a husband or a wife; and the man drifted gradually into it-as even good men do-shocked first at the loveless home he found her in, hoping to protect and help her, and not stopping to analyze the feelings which prompted him.

CHAPTER XIV.

"Dearly bought the hidden treasure
Finer feelings can bestow;
Chords that vibrate sweetest pleasure
Thrill the deepest notes of woe."

Neither of them, however, thought of this; they revelled in the sunshine of the moment, and forgot the weary hours and days which were pretty sure to follow--forgot that the very fact of seeing each other, as they did, day after day, of exchanging thoughts and feelings, and opinions, would make a solitude by-and-by for them IN the autumn of the same year we in this world which nothing could fill find Mr. l'Estrange again at Trevel--a solitude more ghastly than mere yan. He had engaged to paint Cololoneliness can ever be; for to miss out nel Trevelyan's picture, as a pendant of your life the being who has become to Geraldine's.

Asked by her-en