cumspect as to whom or what they laugh at, she had acquired a habit of amusing herself with every thing and every body that was ridiculous, to a degree which, without one single ill-natured trait in her character, was sufficient to have made her hated by every five out of six persons who came in her way.

To laugh alone is generally a vain attempt. It became, therefore, essential to obtain some allies in this species of pastime, and, when in the country, she was never without them, having associated herself, (though in a clandestine manner, her father holding them all in civil but strong contempt,) in a strict league of amity with the rector's daughters, the two Miss Johnsons, a few years her senior. To steal down, when Mr. Dorrington was gone out to dinner, and take tea with these young ladies, and give them imitations of Miss Mathews, and the music master; or to smuggle them up to her own room, there in like manner to descant upon every body they knew, who had the misfortune to be in any degree absurd, formed a prominent part. of her stock of pleasures.

And thus, with little variation passed the first period of Catherine's life. It was now to be diversi. fied with an important change; for after many days of consideration on the part of her father, he came to a decision of following his sister's advice, and placing his daughter as she recommended, with a Mrs. Vernon, who kept a finishing school for young ladies in the vicinity of Hyde Park.

CHAPTER II.

AFTER innumerable tears over Fidele, and the poney, and the two Miss Johnsons, who stood next in succession in Catherine's love, and even a parting embrace with Miss Mathews, who, being looked at for the last time, received the sympathy which Dr. Johnson has pronounced to be due to every thing of which we say "it is the last," she was taken to town by Lady Vincent, and with more monitions than pocket money, deposited by her in the care of Mrs. Vernon. Every thing was very strange, and very melancholy, for the first few days; but at the end of that time the joyful, happy temper of Catherine began to prompt some wish of attaching herself to any body who looked good-humouredly upon her, and with whom she might have the indulgence of exercising her faculties for speech and laughter.

Such an ally presented herself in the person of Miss Augusta Belmont, a young lady of sixteen, who very speedily made great advances in Catherine's favour by the notice she took of her: and at this period of life friendship being somewhat rapid in its growth, at the end of a week they were connected together in every project and every pursuit. Augusta announcing herself to be "most particularly attached to Catherine Dorrington;" asserting at the same time that she was the sweetest girl in the world;" and Catherine, on her part, returning to the best of her power, in a proportionate degree, all this

weight of love and approbation with which she was honoured.

The first half year passed away, and Catherine was so much charmed with her friend, as to make it an urgent request to her father that she might be permitted to bring her home with her for the vacation; an indulgence which was granted, to the still further cementing of their already indissoluble affection. It was during this vacation that Mr. Dorrington first began to imbibe hopes of his daughter; for so visible and striking was the improvement in her person, manners, and accomplishments, since he parted with her, that without being blinded by parental partiality, of which his bitterest enemy could not accuse him, he safely might anticipate the certainty of her proving an object of decided attraction and admiration, when another year or two had still further improved her present advantages. The style of her beauty was of a kind peculiarly calculated to please. Hitherto indeed he had been doubtful about it; but it was chiefly the strange inattention she had manifested in making the most of it, by her utter disregard to appearance and manner, that had caused him to despair of her success in the way of personal attraction; for he had always felt sure that a woman with such a pair of eyes as Catherine possessed, might have done a great deal for herself, if she had been one degree beyond a simpleton, which, in his extreme dissatisfaction with her, he had sometimes thought his unfortunate daughter could hardly be considered.

But now she was pretty nearly all he could wish in this respect; and in truth, when he came to peruse Mrs. Vernon's half-yearly bills, and observed the variety of items which went towards the formation

of the elegant young gentlewoman, his imagination so much panted to behold her, he foresaw some danger of her rather outstepping his wishes. Two hundred pounds per annum was the nominal sum at which Mrs. Vernon made it a great obligation to receive a pupil; but this was nothing in comparison with the tremendous et-ceteras which augmented the account, and upon which Mr. Dorrington, desirous as he was of seeing his daughter highly accomplished, could not forbear from bestowing a few invectives. However, as he considered Catherine to be now sufficiently gifted with discretion to understand in some degree her own interest, he took care, in a brief but very energetic way, to impress upon her mind that the elegant endowments which cost him such a quantity of money must be looked upon by her as so much stock in trade, with which in due season she was to set up for herself, and endeavour to obtain a husband and a good establishment.

Upon the subject of husbands and establishments, Catherine had heard too much, in the last six months of her life, not to have given them more attention than it had ever occurred to her to bestow upon them before. Augusta Belmont talked of nothing else. Mrs. Vernon, in reproving any misdemeanour, always suggested the possibility of its interfering with the prospect of an establishment. The French governess, as the extreme of terror, would hold out to a delinquent the chance of her not getting married. In fact, the idea of marriage, as the end and object of all they were doing, was so interwoven in the -ducation of these girls, that they were in a manner compelled to turn their thoughts to it, as the only thing they had to live for.

The consequence was, that they were a great deal better acquainted with the names of the officers who were quartered in the adjoining barracks than with the responses in their catechism; and very soon after their return to school, Augusta imparted to Catherine, that through the medium of the French teacher, she had received a very impassionate epistle from a Captain Harvey, which she submitted to the perusal of her friend, for the purpose of hearing her opinion upon the subject.

Next to having a lover herself, there is scarcely a moment in the life of a very young girl more fraught with interest, than that in which she is informed that her intimate companion has obtained one. She hails it as a sure prelude that her own triumph in the same way is not far off, and her congratulations are generally given with a joy which sufficiently testifies their sincerity.

Much was to be asked, and much to be told, upon the momentous subject Augusta had just unfolded. The sum and substance of it was, that she had long believed Captain Harvey to be to the last degree in love with her. In fact there was another very handsome officer in the barracks, whom she also suspected of an attachment to her; but the Captain, in putting his passion into black and white, had proved it to be most indubitable, and therefore, upon the whole, she thought she could not do otherwise than answer his letter.

Catherine paused a little before she seconded this proposition, and resumed the epistle, which she had only looked over in a cursory manner, so much had she been interested in what Augusta had to tell.

It conveyed a profusion of protestations and pas